CHAPTER 128: THE MAN WHOO KNEW TOO MUCH

The rain stopped sometime after noon, but the sky stayed the color of old bruises. Thick clouds hung low, heavy, unmoving, as if watching the compound with muted eyes. The storm had left behind a strange quiet, one that made every guard flinch at the smallest sound.

Inside the suite, Aria slept again, curled onto her side, her hand resting protectively over her belly. Luca sat beside her, his fingers brushing softly through her hair, every movement gentle, controlled, as though she might shatter if he touched her too hard.

Rosetta sat in a nearby chair, rosary wrapped tightly in both hands, whispering prayers for strength, protection, and guidance. The doctor moved quietly around the room, checking monitors that flickered with unstable readings, as if the machines themselves didn’t know how to interpret the strange patterns inside Aria’s body.

By late afternoon, the hum of engines broke through the tense silence.

A convoy approached.

Nico stood at the window, watching the approaching headlights. "He is here."

Luca rose slowly, his hand lingering on Aria’s shoulder a moment longer before stepping away. "Bring him inside. No delays."

Nico nodded and disappeared down the hall.

Rosetta stood as well, smoothing her skirt. "Do you trust this man."

"No," Luca said.

"Then why bring him here."

"Because Aria is fighting something I cannot protect her from with guns."

Rosetta bowed her head. "Then pray he is the right one."

Luca did not pray. But he understood the sentiment.

Minutes later, footsteps echoed through the hall.

A man walked in.

He looked completely out of place in a compound full of armed guards and reinforced steel. He wore an old tweed coat, worn leather shoes, and a satchel slung across his body. His gray hair curled around his ears, and his wire-rimmed glasses sat crookedly on the bridge of his nose.

But his eyes.

His eyes were sharp as blades.

He stopped in the doorway and looked at Aria, and the temperature in the suite seemed to shift.

"Ah," the man said softly, "there she is."

Luca stepped between them instantly.

The historian smiled. "You must be Luca DeLuca."

"You know who I am."

"Of course. You are difficult to ignore."

Luca’s voice remained cold. "And you are..."

"Professor Eliano Vescari."

Rosetta inhaled sharply. "Vescari. As in the Vescari texts."

The man dipped his head politely. "My family has kept the records of ancient bloodlines for centuries. Knowledge that has saved and condemned many lives."

Luca did not move. "And why did you say you were expecting our call."

Professor Vescari adjusted his glasses. "Because the circle has been waking for months. Because the fog has crept across old barriers. And because Aria Morrelli’s name has resurfaced in old texts where it has not appeared for generations."

Luca’s entire body went still. "How do you know her name."

"I know every name tied to the first circle," Vescari said. "Especially those born with the blood of Antiera."

Rosetta gasped softly. "Antiera..."

Aria stirred in her sleep, her brow furrowing.

Professor Vescari stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Do not speak her name too loudly."

Luca’s jaw tightened. "What do you know about the Patron."

The professor’s expression changed slowly. "Everything."

Silence filled the suite.

Rosetta whispered, "Then tell us."

Professor Vescari glanced at Aria again before speaking.

"The Patron is not a man, not anymore. He was once the Keeper of the first circle. The guardian of the ancient door. A door built from the blood of the first bearer. He was meant to protect the lineage. But he failed."

Luca frowned. "Failed how."

"He fell in love."

Luca stiffened. Rosetta’s eyes widened.

Professor Vescari continued. "The first bearer was powerful. Wild. Untamed. She was not meant to choose anyone. Her bloodline was sacred, bound by duty to keep the circle closed. But she chose him instead. She loved him. And when she bore a child, the bond between the Keeper and the bloodline created something he could not control."

Rosetta whispered, "What happened to the child."

Professor Vescari lowered his gaze. "She died."

Luca felt something cold pierce the air.

"The Patron blamed himself," the professor said. "He believed his love corrupted her. That it weakened the bloodline. He swore he would never let the circle fall again, no matter the cost."

Rosetta crossed her arms tightly. "And so he became... this."

"Yes," Vescari said softly. "Half guardian. Half monster. Bound to the lineage by blood and grief. And when the line was passed down... he followed. Always."

Rosetta swallowed. "Searching for what."

Professor Vescari’s gaze slowly lifted to Aria’s sleeping form.

"For the rebirth of the first bearer."

Luca’s heart clenched.

"No," he said. "She is Aria. She is not some ancient blood."

Professor Vescari sighed. "She is both. And the child she carries has awakened the memories inside her blood."

Aria shifted again, her breathing uneven.

Luca took her hand immediately. "Stop speaking like she is not a person."

"She is a person," Vescari replied gently. "But she is also a key."

Luca glared. "A key to what."

"To a door that should never be opened."

The lights flickered.

The air grew colder.

Aria whimpered in her sleep, trembling.

Luca held her tighter. "What is happening."

Vescari approached slowly but cautiously. "The door inside her is stirring. Because the Patron is not gone. He is waiting. Watching. And he is calling her again."

Rosetta stepped closer to Aria. "How do we stop him."

Professor Vescari reached into his satchel and pulled out a thin leather-bound book, its edges frayed with age. "We cannot stop him. Not truly. But we can delay him."

Luca straightened. "Then tell me how."

The historian met Luca’s eyes.

"By severing the pull between Aria and the Patron."

Rosetta gasped. "You mean cut her off from the bloodline."

"Yes."

Luca nodded. "Do it."

Professor Vescari shook his head. "I cannot."

Luca’s expression sharpened. "Why not."

The professor looked at Aria, sadness in his old eyes.

"Because severing her from the bloodline means severing the child as well. The child will not survive."

Silence crashed into the room, heavy and suffocating.

Luca stepped back, clutching Aria’s hand. "No."

Vescari nodded slowly. "The bond is woven through her womb. Through their shared soul. If you cut it... she lives, but the baby does not."

Rosetta’s hand covered her mouth. "Dear God."

Aria stirred again, her eyes opening weakly. "Luca..."

He leaned over her instantly. "I am right here."

She looked up at him with fear and fragile strength. "I heard him. In my dream."

Luca brushed her hair back. "You are safe. He is not here."

Aria shook her head faintly. "He said he is coming back. Not alone."

Professor Vescari stepped forward. "He is gathering the remnants of the circle. When he returns, he will not come for you. He will come for the child."

Aria’s hand went protectively to her belly. "No."

Luca pressed his forehead to hers. "I will kill him before he gets close."

Aria’s eyes filled with tears. "You cannot fight fog, Luca."

"I can fight whatever tries to take you."

Professor Vescari cleared his throat. "There is... one other option."

Luca turned sharply. "Speak."

"It will not break the bond," Vescari said slowly. "But it will strengthen her side of it."

Aria frowned weakly. "What do you mean."

"If Aria becomes the stronger vessel," he explained, "then the Patron cannot force the door open. The child will not hear him. And the bloodline will answer to her instead of him."

Rosetta gasped. "Make her the bearer."

Professor Vescari nodded. "Yes."

Luca stood protectively in front of Aria. "What does that require."

The historian looked at Aria. "Her acceptance."

Aria blinked. "Of what."

Professor Vescari took a breath.

"Of the bloodline. Fully."

Luca’s voice darkened. "No."

Aria looked between them. "What does that mean."

"It means," Vescari said quietly, "you stop fighting the blood inside you... and become what you were always meant to be."

Aria’s breath caught.

Luca grabbed her hand. "You are not giving yourself to a lineage that tried to destroy you."

Professor Vescari shook his head. "Acceptance does not make her theirs. It makes her stronger than them."

Aria stared at her stomach, her voice barely audible. "And it protects her."

"Yes," Vescari said softly. "It protects your daughter."

Silence filled the suite again.

Aria looked at Luca.

He knew that look.

He feared it.

He loved it.

He knew what she was about to say.

"Luca," Aria whispered, "I will do anything to keep her safe."

He shook his head. "Not this."

"Yes," she said softly. "Even this."

He grabbed her face in both hands, voice breaking. "Aria. If you accept the bloodline, you change. You are no longer just my wife. You become something else."

She held his wrists. "I will always be your wife."

"You do not know that."

She swallowed hard. "I know what my heart tells me. And my heart is yours."

Tears stung Luca’s eyes.

Aria rested her forehead against his. "Help me accept it. If that is what it takes to protect her."

Professor Vescari closed the book gently. "Then we begin at nightfall."

Luca kissed Aria’s trembling lips, holding her like he might lose her.

Because becoming the bloodline meant surviving it.

And no one had ever survived it without a cost.