CH2-EP2:

A sweet aroma filled the air.

Drawn by the scent, Lucio followed it down the hallway. The wooden floors creaked beneath each step — This must be an old house, he thought.

He found himself in the kitchen. Johan sat at the table, sipping from a steaming mug of coffee, a newspaper spread out before him.

Without looking up, the old man spoke.

“Feeling better already...”

“W-What are you doing here!?”

Ella’s voice rang out from across the kitchen counter. She stormed toward Lucio, eyes sharp with concern.

“You’re supposed to be resting! Your injuries were serious!”

Lucio glanced down at himself.

“I don’t know what kind of treatment you gave me, but I’ve never felt better.”

Ella grabbed his arm, inspecting it in disbelief.

“Impossible… your wounds — they’re gone.”

Johan silently sipped his coffee, then muttered, “love really is a miracle cure…”

He let out a low chuckle.

“G-Grandpa… seriously,” Ella blushed.

Lucio laughed awkwardly, scratching his hair.

Her gaze turned stern again as she looked him in the eye.

“I’m still not convinced. Sit down, will you? I was just about to start supper.”

Lucio nodded and pulled out a chair.

A moment later, Ella opened the pantry and let out a groan.

“Ugh — we’re out of pasta!”

She snatched up her purse with a huff.

“I’m going to the shop.”

Johan’s voice turned serious.
“Ellie… be careful. If anything feels off, come straight home. Don’t take chances.”

She paused at the door, offering him a reassuring smile.
“I know. I won’t be long.”

Then, with a teasing glance over her shoulder, “Try not to destroy the house while I’m gone. Especially you, Grandpa!”

The door clicked shut behind her.

Johan chuckled quietly.
“She gets that from her mother…”

He stared at the door a moment too long — eyes distant, thoughts elsewhere. Then, slowly, he turned to Lucio. The warmth in his expression faded, replaced with something colder… focused.

“Good. We have a moment.”

His voice dropped into something lower. The air in the room suddenly heavy.

“Time’s not on our side. Listen carefully.”

Lucio frowned and leaned in.

“I’ve been investigating the death of my daughter — Selene, Ella’s mother — for years.”

Lucio’s expression darkened, unsure where this was going.

“They weren’t just innocent victims. They were being hunted… because they carried something ancient. Something powerful.”

He clenched his fist.

“Relics. Items of supernatural origin. Some say they’re blessings. Others — curses. Either way, there are people who want them. Badly. Powerful groups. Dangerous ones.”

Lucio narrowed his eyes. “You’re saying… someone targeted them?”

Johan nodded grimly.
“For their own safety, Selene and her husband had to separate. But it wasn’t enough. My daughter… she didn’t make it. And as for her husband — he vanished. I haven’t heard from him since.”

Lucio leaned back in his seat.
“But… why go that far? What do these relics even do?”

“Power,” Johan said flatly. “Real, uncontrollable power. Those who fear it try to destroy it. Those who crave it try to claim it.”

Lucio sat in silence for a moment, struggling to process it.

“But why are you telling me this? I just wanted to help Ella. That’s all.”

Johan’s gaze sharpened. “You didn’t just help her. When you put on those sunglasses… something changed. I’ve felt it. Seen it. The world shifts around you.”

His voice dropped lower.
“That kind of power won’t go unnoticed.”

Lucio’s fists clenched.
“…So, you think they’ll come for me?”

“They will,” Johan said. “Sooner than you think. But you’re not alone.”

Lucio eyed him carefully. “You were there… watching me fight, weren’t you?”

Johan chuckled softly.
“You handled yourself just fine. No need for an old man like me to steal your spotlight.”

His expression grew serious again.

“After Selene passed, she left me something — a locked ornate case. Told me to guard it with my life. Whatever’s inside, I believe that’s what they’re really after. And now, they think Ella might have it.”

Lucio’s brows furrowed. “And the sunglasses… they’re still on the nightstand.”

Johan blinked. “No… they’ve been sitting right here on the table the whole time.”

Lucio froze.
“That’s not possible… I left them in the room.”

He looked over. Sure enough — they were perfectly placed. As if they had never left his side.

A chill ran down his spine.
They weren’t ordinary shades. Not some cheap knock-off to block out the sun.

They were something more.
And somehow… they had chosen him.

A gift?
A curse?

Whatever they were — Lucio knew one thing.

They would shape his future forever.