CHAPTER 17: EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT

The manor’s west wing was unusually silent. Only the faint crackle of fire from the hearth broke through the quiet, its warmth pushing back the chill that seemed to cling to every corner after Lucian’s return.

The phoenix healer, Dr. Darian Fennix, stood beside the bed, golden feathers faintly glimmering beneath his coat as he checked Lucian’s pulse. His expression was calm, though his brow furrowed slightly at the lingering frost on Lucian’s skin.

"You shouldn’t be able to survive this level of backlash," Darian murmured, his voice low but edged with awe. "Your core’s half-frozen. What in the world did you touch?"

Lucian sat propped against the headboard, his breathing shallow but steady. His eyes, still sharp despite the fatigue. "Does it matter?"

Sensing that Lucian didn’t want to reveal it, Darian proceeded with pressing his palm lightly against Lucian’s forearm, eyes narrowing as faint frost spread beneath his touch. "You’ve been leaking too much cold without noticing," he said calmly, his tone all business. "Your core’s unstable. Has this been happening often?"

Lucian’s eyes flicked up, sharp. "Recently, yes." He leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable. "What do you suggest is the cause?"

The doctor studied him for a long moment before speaking. "Are you in love?"

Lucian froze, blinking once. "What?"

"I’m serious," the doctor continued, straight-faced. "Emotional attachment often disrupts elemental balance in dragons, especially ice-type. Love, longing, even obsession, all of them weaken your internal control."

Lucian frowned, unimpressed. "That’s absurd." His voice was clipped, dismissive. "No. I’m not."

The doctor only nodded as if he’d expected that answer and then, with far too casual tone, he asked, "Then... any sexual interaction?"

Lucian’s expression darkened instantly. "Watch your words, doctor."

The phoenix doctor blinked but didn’t back down. "I’m asking because such contact can trigger energy rejection," he explained evenly. "When opposing elements, for example... ice and fire... when they collide too closely, it can destabilize your core. Like a kiss, could set it off."

Lucian’s head snapped up, his eyes glinting like shards of frost. "Nonsense."

"Maybe," Darian said, studying him carefully, "but the readings don’t lie. You came into contact with the opposite energy, strong, pure, and recent. I’d say within the last few hours?"

"So, you’re implying I can’t have intercourse at all..." Lucian squinted his eyes in annoyance, suggesting the doctor was saying pure nonsense.

Darian held up a hand before Lucian could cut him off. "It’s not that you can’t, my lord," he said evenly. "But when two opposite cores interact... ice and fire, they have to be in sync. Emotionally, mentally, even instinctively."

Lucian’s eyes narrowed. "In sync?"

"Yes. If the balance is off, your cold will try to suppress her flame, and her fire will fight back to survive. The result is what you experienced tonight, your energy spiraled out of control. The stronger your emotions, the worse the reaction."

Lucian exhaled slowly, his jaw tightening. "So you’re implying my power lost control because of a kiss."

The doctor hesitated, then gave a faint, knowing smile. "You don’t have to admit it, my lord. But if you ever come into contact again, I suggest you both learn to stabilize your connection... before it consumes you both."

Lucian frowned slightly. "How?"

The doctor looked almost amused by his genuine curiosity. "When two opposing cores connect, their elements instinctively seek equilibrium. Your ice would try to cool her flame, and her fire would try to warm your frost. But the closer the bond, the harder that balance becomes to maintain."

Lucian’s gaze sharpened. "So you’re saying one of us would eventually destroy the other."

"Not if both sides learn to adjust," the doctor replied calmly. "But that requires something most ice and fire element clans aren’t built for... complete trust. Without it, one side will always overpower the other, and that’s when the rejection begins."

Lucian’s expression barely shifted, though the air around him dropped a few degrees. "And you’re certain that’s what’s happening to me?"

The doctor gave a faint shrug. "You’re coughing blood, your energy readings are unstable, and your ice has been flaring without command. I’d say the evidence speaks for itself."

Lucian stayed silent for a long moment, the words hanging heavy between them.

"Then... that’ll work better," he murmured under his breath, though his frown deepened.

Darian inclined his head slightly and stepped back. "I’ve already stabilized your core, but I don’t know how long it will stay calm. For now, you’ll need to gain her trust... or at least her cooperation."

Lucian’s gaze flicked toward the window where faint traces of frost had formed on the glass. "I guess that’s what I need to do..." A subtle smirk touched his lips, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Darian turned, ready to leave, but something in his chest tightened, stopping him mid-step. "My lord... may I ask something?"

Lucian’s eyes lifted, cool and sharp. "What is it?"

The doctor hesitated, the golden undertone in his eyes catching the firelight. "Is she a phoenix?"

For a heartbeat, the room fell utterly still. The warmth from the hearth seemed to falter, swallowed by an icy pulse that rippled through the air.

Then, before Darian could react, Lucian moved, faster than sight. His hand closed around the doctor’s throat, slamming him back against the wall. Frost bloomed beneath his fingers, crawling up Darian’s collar.

"Just because I look calm," Lucian said softly, voice trembling with barely contained fury, "doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten everything." His grip tightened, eyes burning like blue fire. "Your kind’s obsession with experiments, your pride... killed my mother!"

Darian winced, struggling to breathe as the frost crept higher. "Lord—Lucian—" he rasped, "that wasn’t me..."

Lucian’s glare didn’t waver. "No," he said coldly, "but it was your clan."

The silence that followed was heavy, humming with restrained power. Slowly, Lucian released him, the frost melting instantly into vapor.

"Get out," he said, turning away.

Darian straightened, adjusting his collar, his usual calm faltering for the first time. "You may hate my race," he said quietly, "but you’ll need one of us if you want her to survive."