Ethan's heart hammered against his ribs like a war drum. The dagger felt almost laughable in his hand against the overwhelming presence of Lucifer Morningstar. The blue aura around his legs flickered erratically, reacting to the ancient power filling the tiny shack.
He glanced once at Liam, who was still sleeping fitfully, then back at the Devil.
"I don't trust you," Ethan said flatly.
Lucifer's lips curved into a delighted smile. "Of course you don't. Trusting the Devil would be remarkably stupid, even for a glitch like you. That's what makes this so entertaining."
He began to slowly circle the small room, his polished shoes somehow making no sound on the dirty floor. "Let me paint a clearer picture for that clever little mind of yours. You are currently a Level 4 commoner with some decent movement tricks. Admirable for an extra, truly. But in forty days, the Slum Purge begins. Heroes will rise. Empires will shift. And you — along with thousands of other nameless faces — will be swept away like yesterday's garbage to make the main cast look heroic."
Lucifer stopped and faced Ethan directly, his eyes glowing with faint hellfire.
"The full Cure-All Elixir? It won't appear in some convenient black market auction for another six months. By then, your dear little brother will already be dead. Again."
The words hit Ethan like a physical blow. His knuckles turned white around the dagger hilt.
Lucifer continued, voice smooth and merciless. "You can keep grinding in the dark. Farming aura until your legs bleed. Scraping together fragments like a desperate beggar. Or… you can accept a small push from someone who has been breaking rules since before your pathetic world was even a thought."
He extended one hand. A small, glowing crimson orb appeared above his palm, pulsing with raw power.
"This is a fragment of my own essence — a tiny spark of Morningstar power. It won't make you overpowered. That would be boring. But it will strengthen your anomaly. It will make fate correction harder for the world to enforce. It will accelerate your aura growth and open paths that should remain closed to someone like you."
Lucifer's smile turned predatory.
"In exchange, when I call upon you one day — no matter where you are, no matter what you're doing — you will answer. You will grant me one favor. Nothing suicidal. Nothing that betrays your precious brother. Just… one request from the Devil."
The orb floated closer, tempting and dangerous.
Ethan stared at it for a long moment. His mind raced through every possibility, every risk, every potential trap.
"What's the catch?" he asked quietly.
Lucifer laughed softly. "The catch is that I always collect. Refuse me now, and I walk away. You continue your lonely little grind. Perhaps you survive. Perhaps you don't. Either way, I will watch your story with mild interest until you inevitably vanish."
He tilted his head, studying Ethan like a fascinating specimen.
"Accept… and the game changes. You become more than just an annoying glitch. You become my interesting little project. The side character who might actually rewrite the ending."
The shack grew deathly silent. Only Liam's shallow breathing could be heard.
Ethan lowered the dagger slightly, but didn't drop it.
"I want more than just power," he said. "I want information. Tell me how to get the next fragment of the Cure-All Elixir faster. Tell me what the world is really trying to do to me. And tell me why a fallen angel like you cares about one extra in a game-like world."
Lucifer's eyes sparkled with genuine amusement.
"Bold. I like that." He snapped his fingers. The crimson orb vanished, but a new, smaller silver thread of light appeared, wrapping around Ethan's wrist like a bracelet before disappearing under his skin.
"Consider that a gesture of good faith. The next fragment lies in the 'Abyssal Market' that opens in the undercity three nights from now. It will be heavily guarded, and only those with sufficient 'Anomaly Resonance' will even see the true auction. My spark will help you slip through."
Lucifer stepped back, wings flickering briefly into view once more.
"As for why I care… let's just say I've grown tired of predictable stories. Heaven, Hell, heroes, villains — all following the same tired script for eons. You? You're new. You're raw. You refuse to disappear even when the universe itself demands it. That kind of stubbornness amuses me."
He gave a small, elegant bow.
"The favor will come when it comes. Until then… keep moving, little anomaly. Keep farming your aura. Keep defying the script. I'll be watching with great interest."
The temperature in the room began to rise. Lucifer's form started to dissolve into shadows.
"One last piece of advice," he said, voice fading. "The world doesn't just erase extras. It rewrites them. Be careful what you become while trying to save everything."
With those final words, Lucifer Morningstar vanished completely, leaving only a faint scent of sulfur and expensive cologne behind.
Ethan stood there for several long minutes, breathing hard. A new system notification appeared, glitching more violently than usual.
System Notification: [Anomaly Resonance increased significantly!] [You have received "Morningstar's Spark (Minor)" – Passive Effect: +15% resistance to Fate Correction. Aura growth speed increased by 25%. Hidden paths more likely to reveal themselves.] [Warning: A powerful external entity has marked you. Consequences unknown.]
Ethan slowly lowered the dagger and sat down heavily beside Liam.
He had made a deal with the Devil.
Power had been offered. A path forward had opened.
But the price… the price was still unknown.
Outside, the sounds of the slum slowly returned — shouts, distant clashing steel, and the low roar of dragons in the sky.
The hardship continued.
Ethan looked at his sleeping brother, then at the silver thread faintly visible under his skin.
He clenched his fist.
If becoming a devil's project was what it took to save Liam and refuse to vanish…
Then he would burn brighter than any extra ever had.