The girl immediately turned around, and upon seeing the figure, screamed loudly.
A two-meter-tall man with no face, broad shoulders, and black sickles fused to his arms.
Pulling a small red pendant from his pocket, he pressed it to the girl's chest.
The pendant didn't react.
"You are not suitable…" he muttered in a horrifyingly quiet voice.
A swing.
The girl's arm flew off to the side. Screaming for help, she started running, but that only excited the predator even more.
Rushing forward and swinging again, he sliced the girl into four pieces.
The giant miscalculated his strength and killed the victim before even playing with her.
"Too quiet. No energy, nothing,„ flashed through Lucien's mind.
Standing up, he headed toward the city center. Walking along the nearly empty streets, he noticed a strange street on the left.
Only lampposts, and a completely empty lane — no people, no animals.
Squinting and staring into the street, the space before Lucien began to distort.
Taking a step forward and stretching out his hand, he almost touched the crack — when suddenly the same young man who had been walking the girl home burst out of it.
He crashed into Lucien and fell to the ground.
"Aaah, MONSTER! DEMON!" he screamed.
Kneeling, Lucien placed his hands on the man's shoulders and calmly said:
"Calm down. Listen carefully, I'm not an enemy and I don't want to hurt you. Tell me what happened."
The man only gasped for air, his eyes darting everywhere.
"He killed my girlfriend— a two-meter monster, A DEMON!" the man cried, his eyes full of despair and fear.
"Can you tell me where he is? How did he appear?" Lucien asked.
In response, the man grabbed Lucien by his shirt and pulled him closer:
"Understand… this was death itself… the whistle, the fog and—"
He didn't finish. He suddenly collapsed to the side.
The man died from a broken neck.
"Incredible. He managed to live and even move for several minutes with a broken neck. Most likely, he carried a special power like us,„ Lucien thought.
Raising his head and looking farther ahead, the false space began to crumble.
In the distance, pieces of the woman's body lay scattered across the road. People had already begun gathering, forming a crowd around the mutilated corpse.
"I need to leave,„ flashed in his mind.
Wandering around the city for several more hours, Lucien finally found an inn that was still open.
Entering inside, drunken stares immediately turned toward him.
The smell of alcohol and stale breath hit his nose. A few tables, and the dim glow of candles hanging on the walls.
Taking a few more steps forward, Lucien saw an old woman behind the bar counter.
"Good evening, could you tell me if you have any free rooms? I'd like to rest after a long road," Lucien asked, lowering his hat.
Squinting, the elderly woman replied:
"You're not from here. Where are you from? And why have you come to our town?"
Smiling, Lucien answered:
"I'm a traveling magician. I like entertaining people and earn my living this way."
But the old woman did not relent:
"Aren't you afraid of the Ripper? Jack the Ripper— he recently appeared in our town. Or maybe you ARE that hidden killer?"
Unable to hold back, Lucien said bluntly:
"Listen, old woman, if I were the Ripper, you and all these people would already be dead. Now I'll ask again: do you have any free rooms?"
he asked, pressing his hat to his chest.
Fear ran instantly through the old woman. She slowly pulled out the keys to a single room on the second floor.
"Thank you," Lucien said as he left, placing a few cents on her counter.
Opening the door, he saw exactly what he expected — a small room, a bed in the center, a writing table, and a modest wardrobe.
Throwing his belongings on a chair, Lucien fell onto the bed.
"That's better," he muttered.
"I wonder how Lily is doing. I hope she doesn't do anything stupid," he thought.
Turning to his right side, even more thoughts flooded his head.
"What was that power? Like a curtain or veil hiding the real picture.
If he possesses something like that… I won't be able to destroy him.„
With these thoughts, Lucien drifted into the world of dreams.
[The Same Dark Room]
"Sinetryon, you created another useless monster. How is the search going?" asked the demon in the top hat.
Giggling and darting around the room, Sinetryon answered:
"He… hee-hee… is doing it… hee-hee…"
"Forget him, brother. He's a brainless animal," said Abizar, placing his feet on the table.
In an instant, Valtorius appeared before him with terrifying speed. His cane slowly touched the ground.
"You will respect your older brother. You're lucky Mother loved you more than us. You allow yourself too much. I'll have to teach you manners," he said and delivered two lightning-fast strikes.
An unbearable burning sensation shot through Abizar in the places Valtorius struck. He collapsed to the floor, screaming in pain.
"Do your job if you want to see Mother again," Valtorius said quietly as he walked away.
[Morning at the Inn]
Opening his eyes, he saw a bird sitting in front of him with a feather in its beak.
"Ellie?„ Lucien wondered.
Taking the feather in his hand, it unfolded into a small sheet of paper. On it was written:
"Lucien dear, I found out that demon is not ordinary. The murders happen in almost every town in that district.
Most of his victims are women — he is probably searching for someone, or one who can help him fulfill his goal.
Most likely he uses an illusion-related power. Many exorcists cannot catch him, as if he comes from another dimension, kills, and leaves back.
And by the way, the number of victims since yesterday increased by about ten."
"Already twelve," Lucien muttered.
Getting up from the bed, he began changing clothes.
"So I'll have to use full power. Otherwise, I won't be able to catch him,„ he thought.
Fully dressed, Lucien left his room and went downstairs to extend his stay for several more days.
[Lucien's Apartment]
"What an interesting and beautiful bird," Lily murmured.
She slowly reached out her hand to pet it, but suddenly the bird shrieked:
"NO! DON'T TOUCH! FEATHERS!"
Lily immediately jumped back.
Smiling, she said:
"It can even talk. Unexpected. Though Lucien did warn me he has many unusual things at home."
"I should feed it,„ Lily thought.
Walking through the apartment, Lily finally found the bird food — placed on the table in plain sight.
"Just typical," she muttered, pouring some food from the pack.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door…
[Meanwhile, on the other side of town]
In a small house, a boy sat crying.
Suddenly a woman entered the room.
"Why are you crying? Enough! Your father can't be brought back. He died on a mission. The organization is not to blame," she said, pulling the curtains aside.
Through clenched teeth, the boy shouted:
"Why didn't they send backup immediately?! They sent my father against a stronger demon, saving the stronger exorcists for last. IT'S NOT FAIR!"
The woman sighed heavily, lowering her shoulders and head:
"You can't change anything. Your father knew exactly what his job was."
"But then they sent Lucien Graves! Why didn't HE go first? I'll make him feel what I feel — him and the entire organization!" the boy said.
His mother's expression turned stern:
"Don't be foolish. You wouldn't dare go against Mr. Volbus."
"We'll see!" the boy shouted and ran out of the house.
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.