The murmur of the square still echoed after the announcement of the Aurora.

  Groups were forming, pairs were training beneath the banners, and the crowd debated excitedly who would win the trial.

  But Lukas had stepped away.

  He sat near the wall, adjusting the bandages on his wrists, when a quiet presence approached.

  — …Those moves. — said a soft voice.

  He looked up. Selene, her face half hidden behind a black mask, green eyes glinting with mystery.

  — They’re not from Palmares. Not from the Black Sun. Not even from a boy of the Main House.

  She narrowed her eyes. — It’s like you’ve fought a whole lifetime… against enemies far stronger than you. Who are you, Lukas? Are you still that crybaby I remember?

  Lukas stared at the ground, breathed deeply… then lifted his gaze, steady and sharp.

  — I got tired of crying. The blood of the Sun finally awakened. But I’m no ordinary sun, Selene… I’m an eclipse.

  She tilted her head slightly. — An eclipse, huh? …Or maybe… a Black Thunder.

  The word struck him like a blade. Black Thunder.

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  A flash of his past life hit him — memories of Leli, laughing, teasing him with that same phrase years ago:

  "Black Thunder… that’d be your name, if you weren’t such a crybaby."

  — …Hey, César. Morgana. — Lukas whispered inside his mind, tightening his fists. — Can we create it? A technique inspired by my father — by the Thundering Phantom.

  César growled, intrigued:

  — A surgical strike. Fast. Straight to the jugular… beheading before the enemy even realizes? It’s possible. But can that scrawny body handle it?

  Morgana laughed sweetly, her voice dripping with honey:

  — Ah, chocolatinho… if I balance your shadow mana and César gives it weight… we can sharpen your blade like lightning. One flash. One cut. Then silence.

  Lukas’s chest burned. — Then it’s decided. My technique will be born. Not from Palmares. Not from the Black Sun. Not even from the Eclipse. It will be mine.

  The Gladius of the Black Thunder.

  In his mind, the strike took form — one movement, so fast and precise that the enemy would never see it coming.

  A single instant.

  A flash.

  And then — the head falls.

  César laughed like thunder: — Now that’s a blow worthy of a legionary!

  Morgana purred, satisfied: — And as beautiful as a deadly kiss.

  Selene still watched him, unaware of the voices within him, yet she could feel the weight of what was happening.

  — You’ve changed, Lukas. Maybe… for the first time, I actually want to believe in you.

  He just smiled faintly, his eyes burning.

  — Then watch closely, Selene. Because when the Black Thunder roars… no one will ever forget it.

  ?? End of Chapter 20