"..."
Leif stayed silent for several seconds, long enough for the atmosphere to become uncomfortable.
Lillith, still kneeling, watched him cautiously while he sank into his own thoughts, truly analyzing what she had just confessed.
He was weighing the abilities she had mentioned, reflecting on the real value that could be found in them.
He had to admit that, if used well, creating fear, absorbing fear, creating illusions, and seducing or confusing the mind were abilities that could truly become powerful help for him.
However… according to what he knew, demons would do anything to achieve their goals… he could not lower his guard with Lillith so easily.
Thinking about that, he involuntarily tightened his fist, and his gaze became so sharp, "From now on behave well in this house. If you dare do anything stupid… things will go very badly for you."
Lillith did not dare show even a hint of resistance.
She nodded and bowed over and over again, her face filled with a flattering smile, "I understand, master. Do not worry, I will behave very, very well."
Leif then turned around, ready to go back to his room to sleep.
"..."
Lillith watched his back as he walked away, and a sad sigh escaped, "How did this happen…" She shook her head helplessly, dragged her feet toward the bed, and let herself fall heavily, sinking once more into her thoughts.
To think that she, a primordial demon, was now being dominated by a human child… it was something impossible for her to truly accept.
But every time she remembered that mysterious light in Leif's hands, she could not help feeling fear, and any thought of rebelling was crushed instantly.
…
After leaving Lillith subdued in her room, Leif returned to his own with a mental exhaustion that threatened to close his eyes even before reaching the bed.
As soon as he pushed the door open, his body seemed to disconnect from the tension that had kept him awake all night, and without bothering to take off his clothes or turn on the lights, he let himself fall onto the mattress.
The weight of everything that had happened dragged him immediately into such a deep sleep that he did not even remember the exact moment he lost consciousness.
The early morning passed silently until, with the first light timidly slipping through the curtains, an abrupt knock shattered the calm.
"Leif! Wake up already, you are going to be late for school!"
His mother's voice boomed from the hallway with that perfect mix of worry and authority. Leif, still halfway between sleep and reality, squeezed his eyes shut trying to hold on to one more minute of rest.
"… just five minutes…"
But Sarah Connor was not a woman who accepted excuses at that hour of the morning, much less when there were schedules involved.
"Leif, do not start. Come downstairs right now or I am going to—"
"I am already awake!" he answered before she could finish the sentence.
The truth was that he had been standing for a while, with his cold feet against the bathroom floor, staring at himself carefully in the fogged mirror. His brown hair was a mess, rebellious as always, so he ran both hands through it to try to tame it.
As he fixed it, a confident smile inevitably appeared on his face.
"It is dangerous to walk around with this face…"
He grabbed the toothbrush, squeezed the toothpaste, and began brushing while the white foam gathered at the corners of his lips. His thoughts, however, were anywhere except on his hygiene.
He had obtained the Ox Talisman. He had gained a real purification skill capable of harming supernatural beings.
He had a magic tablecloth that gave him food and, above all, he had a demon forced to obey him.
That combination of advantages was more than he had ever imagined having.
Even so, in that world full of horrors, something made it clear that he could not get complacent.
It was not enough to be a little stronger, he needed to be far above the basic level if he really wanted to survive.
He had to keep gambling, keep taking risks, keep using the system. In the end, the lottery was his only tool to open the doors to abilities or weapons that could save his life when the critical moment arrived.
"Leif!" his mother shouted again from downstairs, this time with an impatience that left no room for negotiation.
"I am coming, I am coming!" he answered hurriedly.
He rinsed his mouth, threw on his school pants and shirt without caring if they were a little wrinkled, grabbed the first thing he found, and went down the stairs, jumping over the last step.
The familiar aroma of breakfast wrapped around him when he reached the living room: toast, fried eggs, sausages, and warm milk.
His father was sitting on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, drinking coffee while reading the newspaper.
When Leif came down, Sarah looked at him with that warm smile.
"Come, honey, breakfast is ready," she said with a sweet tone that made it seem as if the shouting from a minute earlier had never existed.
"I am going, I am going," Leif muttered as he hurried toward the table, dropping onto the chair with a thud.
As he looked at the eggs shining with oil, the golden sausages, the toast, and the warm milk, he felt the weight of the previous night fall on him again.
That simple, repetitive, human meal contrasted violently with the supernatural horror scene he had lived just hours ago.
While he ate with such voracity that it looked like he had not eaten in days, his father set the newspaper down with a sigh, adjusted his glasses, and watched him with concern.
"Son," he began, "is everything going well at school lately?"
Leif looked up with his cheeks so full he looked like a hamster. He tried to answer without stopping chewing, making his words come out a bit clumsy.
"The same as always, Dad. You know how it is. Even if I miss a day or two, I am still number one."
He wiped the corner of his lips with the back of his hand and added in a murmur full of fake modesty, "Ah… the problems of being the best…"
John shook his head. "Stop showing off, freak, and go to school like any decent human being."
Sarah also began laughing while shaking her head and handed him a cup of warm milk.
"One day that crown of yours is going to fall, Leif," she said, trying to persuade him. "So much bragging is going to turn against you."
He took the cup without thinking twice and drank almost all of it in one gulp. However, as soon as he felt the warmth sliding down his throat, his face tensed as if an uncomfortable thought had hit him hard.
"Mom, what about Lillith?!"
Sarah looked at him without understanding the urgency, until a playful smile formed on her lips as she realized what was happening.
"She left early for school, like any responsible student," she answered with a wink. "Not like you."
Leif smiled nervously, pretending nonchalance while his heart flipped silently.
After saying goodbye to his parents, he hurried to the door.
But as soon as he opened the door to leave, he was greeted by a burst of fresh air and by the explosive energy of his friend Frank Abagnale. His hair was messy from the wind, his eyes were shining with excitement, and he held a crumpled poster in one hand, shaking it up and down.
"Leif, brother, look at this!" he shouted before Leif could even greet him. "The band Paradise is going to play right here this weekend! We have to go, no matter what!"
________
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