The thug's scream of agony over his broken arm echoed off the peeling walls of the apartment, mingling with the sudden panic that seized the gang's leader. The collector, who moments before had displayed untouchable arrogance, paled as he saw the ease with which the giant had dismantled his most dangerous henchman.

  "Damn it! Let's go! Now!" shouted the collector, retreating toward the broken door, stumbling over the wooden debris.

  He grabbed the man still groggy from Flavio's first punch and kicked the other one groaning on the floor, clutching his useless arm.

  "Get up, you useless fool! Let's go!"

  The two henchmen, one staggering from dizziness and the other holding his fractured limb to his chest, dragged themselves out of the apartment, supported by the boss who looked at Flavio with a mix of terror and a promise of vengeance. The sound of their stumbling steps and curses descended the stairs quickly until fading into the night.

  Flavio made a move to advance, fists still clenched and chest heaving with the heavy breathing of fury, but stopped. He looked at the empty doorway and then at his fallen friend. Chasing them into the darkness, wounded and leaving Lucius unprotected, would be reckless.

  He turned, ignoring the blood staining his own tunic, and walked to where Lucius was trying to stand. The giant knelt, examining his friend's swollen face.

  "By the gods, Lucius..." Flavio murmured, his hoarse voice returning to its usual gentle tone. "They beat you badly this time."

  Lucius spat blood, tasting the metallic iron in his mouth. Every inch of his body ached, but the physical pain was secondary. His eyes sought the dark corner of the room.

  "Selena..." croaked Lucius, pointing with a trembling hand. "Untie her, Flavio. Please."

  "I'll do it right now," the giant assured him.

  Flavio stood up and went to the woman. With agile fingers despite his size, he undid the coarse knots of the ropes binding her wrists and ankles. As soon as the bindings fell, Selena drew in a sharp breath, removing the gag from her mouth.

  Before she could say anything, a small blur crossed the room. The couple's daughter, paralyzed with fear until that moment, ran and threw herself into her mother's arms. Selena hugged the girl with desperate strength, hiding the child's face in her chest, sobbing quietly.

  Lucius dragged himself to the nearest wall and leaned back, feeling the cold plaster soothe the heat of his bruised back.

  The embrace between mother and daughter lasted only a moment. Selena, red-eyed and face marked, stood up holding the girl's hand and ran to Lucius. They knelt beside him. The girl touched her father's arm gently, while Selena caressed his face, tears falling freely again at seeing the state he was in.

  "You're alive..." she whispered, as if needing confirmation.

  Flavio approached them, pressing a hand against his side. Dark blood flowed between his fingers, but he maintained a stoic expression.

  "Flavio, you're hurt," Lucius observed, concern showing in his weak voice.

  "It's nothing serious," the giant lied, though he grimaced in pain. "The blade caught a rib, didn't go deep. I've had worse wounds at the quarry."

  Lucius looked at the two women in front of him and then at the friend who had risked his life for him. Guilt weighed on his shoulders more than the debts.

  "I'm sorry..." said Lucius, his voice choked, looking into Selena's eyes. "This is my fault. I put you in this. I should never have..."

  Selena placed a finger gently on his lips, silencing him.

  "Don't apologize, Lucius," she said, firm despite her trembling hands. "The hunger was ours. The need was ours. The choice to take that money was both of ours, in the end. You did what you thought necessary to feed us."

  "They will come back," Flavio interrupted, his deep voice cutting through the moment of tenderness. He looked at the destroyed door. "That man... he has wounded pride now, besides the money. He will come with more men, and he will come to kill."

  Selena paled, looking around the small apartment which, though miserable, was the only refuge they knew.

  "We have nowhere to go," she said, despair returning to her voice. "We have no relatives in Rome to take us in, and without money..."

  "You can stay at my apartment," Flavio offered promptly. "I live just a few minutes' walk from here. It's small and smells of old leather, but it's safe. They don't know where I live, and the door is reinforced."

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  Lucius looked at his friend, feeling a gratitude words couldn't express. Flavio was more than a workmate; he was a brother-in-arms, in every sense.

  "Let's do that, then," agreed Lucius, trying to stand with Selena's help. "We can't stay here another minute."

  He steadied himself on trembling legs, leaning one arm on Flavio's shoulders and the other on his wife. Before taking the first step, Lucius stopped and looked deeply into Selena's eyes, trying to convey a security that contrasted with his defeated appearance.

  "Don't worry about the future, Selena," he said, forcing a swollen smile. "I have good news... news that will change everything. But I'll tell you when we're safe."

  Flavio's lodging was an exact reflection of its owner: simple, robust, and devoid of any unnecessary luxury. Located on the third floor of a more solid insula than the one Lucius inhabited, the place smelled of cured leather and cold stone. There was little furniture—a heavy table, a few benches, and sleeping mats rolled in the corners—but the doors had iron locks and the walls seemed thick enough to withstand a siege.

  In the farthest and quietest corner of the main room, Lucius and Selena finished settling little Lucia onto one of the mats Flavio had provided. The girl, exhausted by the night's terror, fell asleep almost instantly. Lucius watched her for a long moment, stroking the child's brown, disheveled hair.

  Lucia possessed a sweetness that contrasted violently with the brutality of the surrounding world. So gentle, so innocent. During these weeks that his consciousness inhabited this body and time, something fundamental had changed within him. That child wasn't just a stranger he needed to feed; the feeling of protectiveness had evolved into genuine, deep affection. In his previous life, Lucius had always harbored a silent desire to be a father, to have a daughter to care for and teach. Now, fate, in its cruel and generous irony, had granted him this wish in the midst of chaos. She was his daughter now, in blood and spirit.

  Lucius sighed, stepping away carefully not to wake her, and turned to Selena. The woman sat on a low bench, shoulders hunched, face still marked by violence and recent crying.

  He pulled up another bench and sat facing her, taking her wounded hands in his.

  "Selena, we need to talk," he began, his voice low and grave. "I said I had good news. And I do."

  He then recounted everything. He told her about the meeting with Noble Titus Valerius, how the patrician was impressed with the Currus Lucii and, especially, with the mangle design. He explained the offer of patronage, the safe house on the noble's lands, far from the city filth, the stipend in gold, and the protection that would be extended to them as part of the manor's household staff.

  Selena's eyes shone with cautious hope as he described the security they would have. To a woman used to counting copper coins to buy bread, it sounded like a tale from the gods.

  "But..." Lucius hesitated, feeling the weight of the condition. "There is a price for all this."

  The gleam in her eyes faltered.

  "Noble Valerius demanded that I accompany him," revealed Lucius. "He will serve as tribune and logistical advisor to Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the new campaign. I must go with him, Selena. To the North. To the army."

  Selena pulled her hands back, shock stamped on her face.

  "The army?" she repeated, her voice rising an octave. "No, Lucius! You can't. Look at you! You are a worker, not a soldier. You are too weak for life in the legions. Those men are made of war and blood, and you..." She looked at his injuries, caused by the loan sharks. "You almost died here. What will you do against Germanic barbarians?"

  She stood up, agitated, pacing the small space.

  "And these campaigns... they don't last months, Lucius. They last years! Sometimes a whole decade. Are you going to leave us? Are you going to let Lucia grow up without a father for a better house? My father made that same choice, and never returned..."

  Lucius stood and held her firmly by the shoulders, stopping her nervous pacing.

  "I have no choice, Selena!" he said, facing her. "Look at our situation. We have collectors wanting our blood and our slavery. We have no money. If I refuse, we lose the noble's protection and remain at the mercy of these criminals. If I accept, you will be safe. No one touches a noble's household staff."

  He softened his voice, seeing tears return to her eyes.

  "I need to do this. For you. My goal now is to ensure you have a dignified life, that you never go hungry or fear again. I don't plan to stay in the army forever. I will be an assistant, an engineer, I won't be on the front line of shields."

  "When do you come back?" she asked, voice choked.

  "I don't know," admitted Lucius, with painful honesty. "War is uncertain. But I promise, Selena: I won't delay. I will do the impossible to return to you as fast as I can."

  He pulled her into an embrace. Selena resisted for a brief second, but soon gave in, burying her face in his chest, crying silently. Lucius wrapped his arms around her, feeling her body heat, promising himself he would keep that word.

  "It's going to be okay," he whispered against her hair.

  Selena lifted her face, wet eyes fixed on his. Slowly, she leaned in and kissed him.

  It was a soft kiss, salty with tears and tasting of farewell. Lucius responded, surprised. During all those weeks in Rome, busy with survival and the strangeness of his new condition, he had never kissed her. Physical intimacy had been a boundary he, as an "intruder" in her husband's body, had hesitated to cross.

  When they parted, Selena kept her face close to his, forehead resting on his.

  "I missed this..." she confessed in a fragile whisper. "In the last few days, since you changed... you didn't seek me out anymore. I thought..."

  Lucius felt a pang of guilt. He couldn't explain he was another man, another soul.

  "I'm sorry," he said, caressing her face with his thumb. "My mind was full of worries. I just wanted to solve our problems."

  He kissed her forehead.

  "Now you need to rest. It was a terrible night."

  Selena touched the bruise on Lucius's face.

  "Let me tend to your wounds first. You're bleeding."

  "No," Lucius denied gently, holding her hand. "You're hurt too. You went through worse things today. You can't take care of me in this state. Lie down next to Lucia. Sleep. We'll be safe here."

  She seemed to want to protest, but exhaustion won. She nodded slowly and walked to the mat where their daughter slept. Lucius waited until she lay down and covered herself with the rough wool cloak, closing her eyes.

  Making sure they were okay, Lucius turned and walked toward the door leading to the other room, where Flavio awaited him.