Decades into their rule as Archdukes, Lucius's prophetic dreams about Nova intensified, occurring almost nightly but showing different potential futures that shifted constantly based on his present choices and actions. Unlike his previous visions, these dreams now revealed detailed aspects of Nova's life - his daily existence, his suffering under various vampire owners in different potential timelines, and his unbroken spirit despite oppression.
The visions showed Nova in different eras, with different appearances and even different names - sometimes a slender youth with auburn hair called Mikhail, other times a muscur figure with ebony skin named Darius, occasionally a delicate being with silver-streaked dark hair called Elio. Yet regardless of physical form or given name, Lucius instantly recognized him in every vision. The essence remained unmistakable - the same defiant spirit, the same unwavering determination, the same soul.
Despite these variations, Lucius found himself calling this being "Nova" in his thoughts and records - the name he had first known him by in his earliest visions, a name that resonated with him on a level he couldn't fully expin. This recognition across different manifestations made it impossible for Lucius to determine exactly when Nova would be born. This uncertainty frustrated yet fascinated him, as he realized his current decisions were actively shaping which potential future of Nova might eventually materialize.
Upon waking from these varied dreams, Lucius discovered his emotional connection to this future being deepening - evolving from admiration to profound love despite never having met him. He began methodically documenting every variation of his prophetic dreams, analyzing the differences and creating a complex web of potential futures that would guide his centuries-spanning pns.
In his private chambers, Lucius maintained detailed journals of these visions, organized chronologically by when he experienced them rather than by the potential timeline they represented. Each entry included precise sketches of Nova's different physical manifestations, notes on the historical period and cultural context, and most importantly, careful documentation of Nova's responses to various forms of oppression and attempts to break his spirit.
"Subject appears as a human-wolf hybrid in northern territory, approximately 200 years from present," one entry read. "Called 'Fenris' by his captors, but I recognize him as Nova. Physically different from previous visions - taller, with distinctive silver markings across his shoulders. Yet the essence remains unmistakable. When ordered to attack another captive, he refused despite severe punishment. The exact same defiance I've witnessed across every timeline."
Another entry detailed: "Nova manifested in a southern province with features suggesting partial feline heritage rather than wolf. Named 'Lukan' in this potential future, kept in a fighting arena. Despite the physical differences, his responses mirror previous visions - the same calcuting resistance, the same protection of weaker beings, the same core identity beneath the varying exteriors."
Valerian noticed his brother's growing obsession but received only carefully curated information in response to his questions. Lucius shared only that he'd seen someone who would eventually change everything, leaving out his growing romantic feelings and the shifting nature of the visions.
"I've seen a being who may prove pivotal to our long-term vision," Lucius expined during one of their private meetings, his voice carefully moduted to sound merely interested rather than consumed by these prophecies. "A hybrid - part human, part wereanimal - whose existence will create possibilities we haven't yet considered."
Valerian, knowing his brother better than anyone else in existence, recognized the deliberate omissions but didn't press further. "When will this hybrid appear?" he asked instead.
"That remains uncertain," Lucius admitted. "The visions show different eras, different circumstances. It could be centuries from now, perhaps longer."
What Lucius kept entirely to himself was how these visions had become his most precious comfort during the often brutal work of guiding vampire society through its early development. The dreams of Nova - in whatever form or time period he appeared - sustained him through difficult compromises and necessary cruelties that his long-term vision required. The thought that somewhere in the future, this remarkable being would exist became his private sanctuary, a promise that his sacrifices and patience would eventually lead to something extraordinary.
Most nights, after concluding his governance duties, Lucius would retire to his chambers and review his Nova journals before sleep, not as a strategic exercise but as a ritual of connection to the being who had, without ever knowing it, become the emotional anchor for an immortal who had never expected to feel love at all.
