Suddenly, someone knocked on the front door.
"It's open," Volbus shouted.
The brown door slowly opened, and three human figures appeared in the doorway.
When they stepped inside, it turned out to be Fiyuki, the same girl who forced Lucien to lie down and sleep, along with two strangers.
"Chief, I brought them just as you ordered, safe and sound," Fiyuki said, folding her hands behind her back.
"Good job, Fiyuki. I'm very glad I can rely on you," he replied.
A barely noticeable hint of joy appeared on Fiyuki's face, though emotions were swirling wildly inside her.
"So it was your teacher who committed suicide?" the boy with yellow hair asked.
Lucien only looked at him without answering.
"You're pathetic if you don't answer me. Just like your teacher — a weakling who killed himself because he couldn't protect one member of his group," the boy added.
At that moment, something inside Lucien boiled over so violently that emotion took over. His body ignited with flames again — but this time he knew what the girl could do. He instantly hurled a sphere of hellfire at the boy.
The sphere flew at insane speed — so fast that Fiyuki barely had time to prepare to deflect it.
Suddenly, the sphere slammed into a shield of light. An explosion followed, but the entire shockwave and the blast itself were absorbed by the light energy radiating from the shield.
"Your teacher was selfish — killing himself and leaving two students behind. That's a very pathetic thing to do!" the boy shouted.
Volbus immediately intervened:
"Michael, you are letting yourself far too much. Don't forget — Lucien will be with you now."
Michael shoved his hands into his pockets, a smile appearing on his face. Stepping forward, he said:
"I was just testing his strength."
"You boys shouldn't fight. We're a new team now — and soon we'll become the strongest one," said the girl with light hair.
Running up to Lucien, she closed her eyes, reached out her hand and, smiling, said:
"My name is Ellie. I hope we can become friends."
[Lucien's Apartment — Present Time]
Tears welled up in Lily's eyes. She immediately hugged Lucien, saying:
"I feel so sorry for you… You've gone through so much pain. Left alone, your teacher took his own life, and your friends were killed by demons."
Not expecting such a reaction, Lucien said:
"Hey, hey, not so close — we're not that close."
"Right, sorry," Lily replied, returning to her seat.
Wiping her tears, Lily added:
"Your teacher Alaric wasn't a weakling. He just couldn't handle the psychological pressure. And how could Michael say something like that at all?"
Lucien's gaze grew more serious.
"In this situation, I agree with Michael's words. He told the truth. And he always says things exactly as they are — sometimes so bluntly it's irritating," Lucien replied.
"One moment," he added, quickly leaving for his room. A couple of minutes later he returned, holding a small piece of paper covered in dried blood stains.
"Here — this is what Elijah left behind," Lucien said, extending his hand.
Drawn on it were Alaric, Ruby, Lucien, and Elijah himself.
Suddenly, the figures smiled. It was so unexpected Lily flinched a little.
Even after Elijah's death, this drawing continued to live whenever someone looked at it.
"Don't be scared, it's just a little trick. I still don't understand how it works," said Lucien.
"So that was your first meeting with Michael and Ellie?" Lily asked, fixing her hair.
"Yeah," Lucien nodded.
A few minutes of talking passed, and lunch was ready — stewed vegetables with beef. Lucien filled two bowls and they began to eat, though lunchtime had long passed.
After finishing the meal, Lily suddenly jumped up, grabbed the empty bowls, and began washing them in the sink.
"What are you doing?" Lucien asked in surprise.
"What do you mean? I'll wash the dishes — that way I can stay at your place. I have nowhere else to go. Did you forget?" Lily answered.
One of Lucien's eyebrows shot up:
"And what makes you think you can stay here?" he asked.
"Well, think logically. I don't have anyone else, my house is destroyed by you, and… that's basically it," she replied.
Lucien leaned his head back and smiled, saying nothing.
The scene shifted to an unusually dark room decorated with torches on the walls.
In the center — a table, on which lay a human body with torn-off arms and legs.
Three figures sat behind the table, each wearing a completely black outfit.
"My ancient and beloved brothers, I hope you are not in any danger," one of them asked.
The second, with a crazed smile gleaming through the darkness, replied:
"Ha-ha… danger? I… no, we are the danger. Don't say things like that, elder brother… I enjoy watching humans suffer."
The third, wearing a golden monocle, said:
"What nonsense are you speaking? How can you talk in such an illogical way? Are you an idiot? Why do I have a brother like this?"
The second one nearly jumped from his seat — but a cane pressed against his throat instantly.
"Impossible… I didn't even see him move. Valtorius's speed,„ the demon with the monocle thought.
"Remember, Syntherion — you will not harm Abizar in my presence. He is our younger brother and our mother's most beloved child… though she is no longer with us," Valtorius said.
The torchlight fell on their faces, finally revealing their pale, corpse-like skin and glowing crimson eyes.
On Valtorius's head was a black top hat with a white stripe. In his hand — a gray cane.
"You always… hee-hee… protect the youngest… I don't like that… respecting elders… hee-hee… sometimes," the second one muttered with a smile stretching from ear to ear. His gray hair was slicked upward.
The cane hadn't even touched the floor before he continued eating his meal.
[Evening Before Bed — Lucien's Apartment]
Dressed in their pajamas, they stood in Lucien's room. Their eyes landed on a single bed meant for one person.
"I don't have a second bed, so you'll sleep on the floor," Lucien said.
"I'm a girl, don't forget that. And you're a gentleman — so you will sleep on the floor," Lily replied.
Their eyes met. Both knew exactly what would happen: whoever reached the bed first would sleep on it.
They leaped at the same time — landing simultaneously.
"Fine, fine… I'll sleep on the floor," Lucien said.
He stood up and walked to a small wardrobe where he kept spare blankets and pillows.
Opening the door, disappointment awaited him — he had forgotten he'd given them to be washed.
"There's a small problem," he said, pointing at the empty shelf.
Lily turned her back to Lucien and said:
"Alright… then we'll sleep together."
Her face was as red as a ripe tomato.
Lucien lay down next to her, also turning his back toward her.
"No hugging," he said.
Silence was the only reply. A few minutes passed, and they drifted into sleep.
"Where am I?" Lucien muttered.
He found himself in an endless, empty, dark space.
Squinting slightly, Lucien saw a black figure almost three meters tall, with large horns curled backward.
Thank you for reading the chapter. I'll be glad for every comment and will gladly answer your questions. You can learn more on the Discord server. I'm really looking forward to seeing each of you there.