The figure came closer and closer, stopping just a meter away from Lucien. Before he could say anything, the dark figure spoke:
"Not in vain. I made the right choice — you will become someone respected in all realms."
After these words, it bent down and looked straight into Lucien's eyes.
A flash of light — and it vanished.
Lucien woke up to the cry of a Sirin-bird.
"You're screaming again… won't let me sleep normally," he muttered.
Then he remembered he hadn't gone to sleep alone last night. Turning his head — no one was there.
Walking a little further, he heard noise from the kitchen and immediately picked up his pace. Turning into the kitchen doorway, he saw Lily preparing breakfast.
A couple of pieces of meat and fried eggs — which Lucien hadn't noticed when he left for shopping.
"You're still here?" Lucien asked as he headed to the bathroom.
"Clearly no one taught you to greet people in the morning. Good morning, Rude Guy!" Lily puffed her cheeks and grumbled.
Lucien didn't answer. Already in the bathroom, his thoughts returned to last night's dream.
"What was that figure? And what does 'respected in all realms' even mean?„
After washing up, he returned to the kitchen and they began eating breakfast.
Meanwhile Ellie was walking her little sister to school. She was the only family Ellie had left.
"Alright, bye! Have a good day and great grades," Ellie said, hugging her Bonnie.
"You too," Bonnie replied, running toward the school.
Ever since their grandmother died, Ellie was left alone with her little sister.
For four years she'd worked like a horse to feed both of them, sometimes staying hungry herself.
When their grandmother died, they were kicked out of their home. The owner drove them out for one stupid reason: "They're children," he said.
Ellie barely remembered her parents — they only appeared when Bonnie was born, and then disappeared again.
"Miss! MISS!" a stranger shouted.
"Oh— sorry, I spaced out a bit," Ellie answered.
She immediately asked:
"Could you please repeat your question?"
The woman rolled her eyes and, fixing her hair, said:
"How much is this chocolate-scented candle?"
Ellie hated these arrogant women. Barely suppressing her emotions, she forced a smile and said:
"Fifty cents."
The woman's eyes widened.
"Fifty cents? For such a tiny candle? That's too expensive. Can we bargain for less?"
"Sorry, but no," Ellie replied.
The stranger scoffed, left the candle on the table, turned around and walked off without a word.
Letting out a tired sigh, Ellie stood up and returned the candle to its place. Suddenly she spotted Lucien and Lily among the crowd.
Lucien's face showed irritation, while Lily was as calm as always.
"Hey, guys!" Ellie called out, running out of her stand.
They immediately stopped and headed toward her.
"Hi, Ellie," Lily said.
"Hey," Lucien added.
"Hello. What are you two doing here so early?" Ellie asked with a smile.
Lucien lowered his head, his irritation growing. Taking a deep breath, he said:
"It's a long story. We wanted to have breakfast, but we didn't account for the old age of my chairs. Long story short — I sat down and broke one."
Ellie burst into laughter, slapped his shoulder and said:
"You see? As soon as a woman showed up in your house, you started gaining weight."
Lily smirked:
"We haven't even lived together for a week."
Switching her gaze to Lily, Ellie replied:
"And sleeping in the same bed after knowing each other for literally a day didn't bother you two?"
Lily's pale face instantly turned scarlet, her head dropping down.
"H-How do you know?" she whispered.
Ellie crossed her arms and said:
"I've known Lucien for a very long time. And besides — I've been to his place."
"Alright, we're going," Lucien said and walked ahead.
At that moment Ellie shouted:
"When you're done with your errands, come see me. We need to discuss something important!"
Lucien only nodded and walked off to buy new chairs.
[Last Night]
The house that once was filled with light was now shrouded in darkness.
From one of the small rooms, a muffled human scream echoed.
"No! PLEASE STOP!"
"Hee-hee… look at this… you… hee-hee… from now on… you are… the Ripper."
The demon with a smile stretched ear to ear appeared next to the man in an instant.
"Why did you do this? WHY DID YOU KILL THEM?" the man cried through his tears.
In response he received only a few giggles.
The demon smashed the man's head into the floor so hard that his face turned into a bloody smear.
Lifting the man's ruined head closer, he stared into his remaining eye and, using hypnosis, said:
"You want to become new. You want to avenge your family. You will begin your mission."
"I want to become new. I will do everything you command."
"Ha-ha-ha…"
The piercing laughter spread throughout the house.
[Ellie's Shop]
"So Fiyuki died last night?" Lucien repeated.
"Yes. She was killed by an unknown demon — I assume one of those you've been searching for.
Last night, a woman was murdered in the Hackney district. Fiyuki went there afterward, but soon she stopped responding.
This morning, before you arrived, I was informed they found those women's bodies — torn apart.
You know better than anyone how strong Fiyuki was. This wasn't some ordinary demon.
You may not be in the organization, and I can't send you there officially… but I want to ask for your help," Ellie said, taking Lucien's hand.
"What about Michael?" Lucien asked.
"The Chief sent him on another field assignment. And we don't have any other strong exorcists available. You're the only one who can help."
Lucien looked at her, then at Lily standing nearby, and replied:
"Alright. Tell me where to go."
Ellie smiled widely.
"I always knew I could rely on you. Go to Hackney tonight — most likely another murder will happen.
And by the way… I hope you didn't forget about our date?"
Lucien smirked:
"Even now you find a reason to mention a date. Fine, we have a deal. Tonight I'll go kick another demon's ass."
"Bye-bye!" Ellie said, running back to the customers browsing her candles.
"I hope you return unharmed…" she thought.
Walking home, carrying two new chairs, Lucien still couldn't stop thinking about that mysterious figure and what it wanted from him.
His thoughts were interrupted when Lily asked:
"So you're going after another demon? Just like you once went after my grandmother?"
Lucien lowered the chairs to see her face.
"I had to kill her. She had no other choice left."
Walking a little ahead, Lily asked:
"Aren't you afraid that one day you'll die without ever reaching your goal?"
Lucien opened his mouth to answer but hesitated. After a moment he replied:
"Until I reach my goal, I can't die."
The rest of the day passed quietly. Lucien and Lily talked about demons and power. Lucien explained she couldn't go with him — she could die there.
Talking about all this, he completely forgot that Lily was supposed to leave his house.
By evening, Lucien was already prepared and heading toward the district.
The sun had set behind the horizon, and the city was covered in darkness.
The weather was perfect — for the first time the day passed without dense fog or rain.
Arriving in the district, Lucien sat down on a bench.
"If I just wait, too much time will pass and I might not save anyone. I need to use my power,„ he thought.
Pressing his hand to the ground, he released an impulse, just like last time, to locate the demon — but every attempt failed.
Two streets away, behind several houses, a couple was walking home.
"That was the best date," the girl said, leaning against a lamppost.
The guy didn't have time to answer when suddenly everything went still — sound, smell, visibility.
"Hey… are you still here?" the girl asked.
Suddenly, a heavy hand dropped onto her shoulder.
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.