The room was heavy with silence after the door shut. The fire crackled low, throwing orange light across the shelves of old books and polished steel. Lucien stood by the desk.
"Doctor," he began evenly, "I would like you to take credit for my work and publish it under your name."
Drummond froze, his brow furrowing. For a long moment, the only sound was the fire. "What…?" he said finally, his voice low with disbelief. "You want me to publish it?"
Lucien gave a faint smile. "Precisely."
The doctor's jaw tightened. "Why would you ask such a thing? Don't you see it, boy? A discovery like this, at your age—it would bring you honor! Your father would..."
Lucien raised a hand, cutting him off. "That's exactly the problem."
Drummond blinked. "The problem?"
Lucien stepped closer, his tone calm but edged with quiet authority. "A thirteen-year-old making such a breakthrough? People would talk. Investigate. Question how I did it. I prefer my work unseen."
Drummond frowned. "Huh?"
Lucien leaned against the desk. "Isaac Newton was twenty-two when he made his first discovery, the generalized binomial theorem, I'm just thirteen."
The doctor blinked again. "Isaac who?"
Lucien sighed softly. "Never mind. The point is, I'm not chasing fame, Doctor. I'm a noble. I already have comfort, influence, and the ear of my father. But you…" He smiled faintly, turning to face him. "…you have ambition. You want recognition. You've spent your life healing the sick, serving nobles who will never remember your name."
He walked forward and placed a hand on Drummond's shoulder. "I'm offering you that chance, Doctor. Publish it. Be remembered. Take the glory, and in return, you'll help me build something greater than both of us."
Drummond's throat went dry. He looked at the boy, the man before him. His words carried weight beyond his years, and his eyes didn't shine like a child's.
"Who are you?" the doctor whispered. "What are you?"
Lucien's lips curled into a smile.
"I am civilisation." he said softly,
The doctor said nothing, but Lucien could see the flicker of curiosity behind his tired eyes.
"Not only do you crave a legacy and recognition, Doctor," Lucien said slowly, pacing before the fire, "but you also need wealth. There are others suffering from this illness. This discovery could be your opportunity to make coin." he turned, meeting Drummond's gaze.
Drummond frowned. "You mean to profit from a disease?"
Lucien's lips curved faintly. "Correction, from curing a disease."
The fire popped, filling the silence that followed. Drummond sat motionless, staring into the flames as he processed the words. The boy had already healed a case of King's Evil, and now he was offering to let him take the credit. None of this made sense.
Finally, Drummond spoke. "You seem a little too eager for me to accept this proposal, young master. What are you truly getting from this?"
Lucien folded his arms. "I told you I have everything I need here, but that's not entirely true. What I want is partnership. You will be the face and I'll remain unseen. You'll receive recognition, fame, and fortune. But you will send half of all profits—every coin earned from this cure to me."
Drummond let out a quiet, humorless chuckle. "And why, pray tell, should I agree to such terms? What makes you think I won't simply publish this discovery and erase your name from it altogether?"
Lucien tilted his head. "How many forms of tuberculosis do you know, Doctor?"
Drummond blinked. "I'm sorry...what?"
Lucien's tone remained calm, almost conversational. "How many diseases related to King's Evil are you aware of?"
Drummond frowned, thinking. "There's the Wasting Disease, the Bone Rot, the Mind Fever, the Inner Rot—and of course, King's Evil itself. Five, as far as I know."
Lucien smiled that sent a shiver through the man's chest. "Actually, there are eight. And I can cure all of them."
Drummond's breath caught. He studied the boy's face. There wasn't a trace of arrogance in him, only cold conviction.
Lucien stepped closer. "You could betray me. Publish this cure under your name and forget about our deal. But I would still have seven more cures to sell to your rivals, your peers, to anyone hungry for glory. Imagine how that would look, Doctor. Competing cures. Confusion in the medical guild. Your reputation reduced to dust."
He paused, then softened his tone, almost kindly. "Or… you can stay with me. You can become the man who changed medicine forever. I can make you a legend, Doctor Drummond, not just for tuberculosis, but for every disease that plagues this kingdom."
The doctor swallowed hard. The boy's words burned in his mind. It wasn't merely a proposal, it was an ultimatum wrapped in velvet.
Lucien smiled faintly as he watched the bar above Drummond's head flicker.
[Loyalty: 21% - 56%]
E.Y.E. hummed softly in the back of his mind.
[Influence Node Stabilizing… New Subroutine Unlocked: "Diplomatic Manipulation."]
Drummond's silence stretched long after Lucien's words faded. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, painting his face with uncertain light. Finally he spoke,.
"You're asking me to lie to the entire kingdom," he said.
Lucien smiled faintly. "No, Doctor. I'm offering you a chance to stand on top of the world"
The physician exhaled, rubbing his temples. His mind screamed madness, yet everything about this boy radiated precision, control, inevitability. "And if I accept?" he asked.
Lucien extended a hand. "Then we change the world together."
Drummond hesitated only a moment before taking it. His grip was firm, but his pulse trembled beneath Lucien's fingers.
At that exact instant, E.Y.E. pulsed with a brilliant blue light.
[System Progression: 11% - 18%]
[Congratulations! You have successfully established your second Loyal Node.]
[Unlocking new function: "Order Formation."]
A low hum filled the room, inaudible to the doctor but heavy in Lucien's mind. Reality seemed to ripple for a brief second. Then, something solid materialized in his pocket.
Lucien reached into his coat and drew out a small coin.
It was pitch black, its surface smooth and weightless, yet it shimmered faintly when held to the light. At its center was a single, engraved eye surrounded by spiraling lines like the rings of a ripple in water.
He turned it between his fingers, mesmerized.
[Item Created: Illuminati Token.]
[Purpose: A seal of allegiance. When offered to a loyal node, it binds them into the Circle.]
[Quantity: 6 remaining.]
Lucien's gaze sharpened. "E.Y.E… what are these?"
[Tokens of Bond. The first foundation of your hidden Order. Each token, once accepted, will forge a mental link to you. Through them, influence can spread.]
Lucien's lips curved slowly. "So this is how empires begin…"
He looked back at Drummond, who was still studying the strange glint in his young master's eyes.
"Doctor," Lucien said softly, holding out the coin, "take this."
Drummond frowned. "What is it?"
"A symbol," Lucien replied. "Of our understanding. Keep it close, and never show it to anyone. Not even my father."
Drummond hesitated, but the coin's surface seemed to pulse faintly, almost like a heartbeat. Against his better judgment, he took it.
The instant his fingers closed around it, a faint warmth coursed up his arm, and for the briefest second, he thought he heard a whisper.
Lucien's eyes glowed faintly with reflected light.
[Illuminati Token Bound: Dr. Kane Drummond.]
[Loyalty stabilized at 93%.]
[Order Members: 2/6.]
Lucien's thoughts darkened into satisfaction. He had his second follower, his first symbol, and the seed of something much greater.
"Well, welcome to the Order of the Illuminati, doctor."