LUCIFER'S VISIT

Souls and Fear.

Shawn's POV

By the time we got home, the noise of the human world still echoed faintly in my head.

Laughter. Conversations. Normal lives.

It felt… distant now.

Maya headed upstairs without a word, already pulling off the version of herself she had worn all day. I stayed back for a moment, standing in the quiet of the house, letting the silence settle around me.

Then I exhaled.

Time to work.

My room felt different the moment I stepped in—like it knew.

I closed the door behind me and reached for the uniform.

Dark. Fitted. Not made for blending in, but for something else entirely.

For what I really was.

I hesitated for a second, my fingers brushing against the fabric.

Then, in a second, I was already wearing it. I chose this particular type myself because it was one of the things you needed to graduate.

You had to be taught how to bargain, when to speak, how to get their blood without being drawn in, how to command. All these I learned in 3 human years but in Aetherion's years, it was exactly 300 years. That's how long it took me.

The moment it settled against my skin, the air shifted.

Magic.

Not the playful kind Maya used.

This was something deeper. Heavier.

I stepped back… and vanished.

The world reformed around me in fragments.

Sound first.

Then light.

Then—

Chaos.

A crushed car sat in the middle of the road, twisted metal reflecting the flashing red and blue lights around it. Smoke curled into the air. Voices shouted. People moved in panic.

And then I saw him.

A man.

Kneeling.

Broken.

“No… no, please…” His voice cracked as he reached toward something I couldn’t see anymore. “They can’t be gone… they can’t—”

I walked toward him slowly.

No one else noticed me.

They never did.

I stopped a few steps away, watching him.

Feeling it.

That deep, raw kind of pain.

Perfect.

“You want them back.”

The words left my mouth quietly, but they hit him like a shock.

He froze.

Then slowly, he turned.

His eyes landed on me—wide, desperate, searching for anything that didn’t feel like loss.

“W-what?” he stammered.

I stepped closer.

“I said… you want them back.”

His breathing grew uneven. “My… my wife… my children… they—”

“I know.”

I crouched slightly so I was level with him.

“And I can help you.”

Hope.

It flickered in his eyes so fast it was almost painful to watch.

“You’re lying,” he whispered, but his voice betrayed him. He wanted to believe it.

“I’m not,” I said calmly. “I can bring them back. Alive. Breathing. Smiling. Like nothing ever happened.”

His lips trembled.

“How…?” he asked.

I tilted my head slightly.

“There’s always a cost.”

Silence stretched between us.

Then—

“I don’t care,” he said quickly. “Anything. I’ll do anything.”

Of course you will.

I let a small pause linger before speaking again.

“All you have to do… is serve.”

His brows furrowed. “Serve who?”

I held his gaze.

“Lucifer.”

The name settled heavily between us.

Fear flashed across his face.

Good.

That was part of it.

“I—” he hesitated. “I don’t—”

“You want your family back,” I interrupted gently. “Or you can stay here… and watch them disappear forever.”

His breathing became shallow.

Torn.

Hope and fear, fighting for control.

Then finally—

“…What do I have to do?” he asked.

I extended my hand.

“Agree.”

He stared at it for a second.

Then he took it.

Pain flickered across his face instantly.

Not loud.

Not dramatic.

Just… sharp.

He gasped as something dark spread from his palm, marking him.

A signature.

Not written.

Taken.

His breath came out uneven as I released him.

“It’s done,” I said.

His eyes filled with tears. “My family…?”

I stood up slowly.

“They’ll return.”

And they would.

That was the deal.

But nothing ever came back the same.

I stepped away as the world began to blur again.

His voice echoed behind me.

“Thank you… thank you—”

Then everything disappeared.

I reappeared in my room.

Quiet.

Still.

Like nothing had happened.

I exhaled slowly, staring at my hands.

Another soul.

Another deal.

Another step deeper into something I wasn’t sure I wanted to understand.

Something felt… wrong.

I frowned slightly and stepped out of my room.

The air in the house had changed.

Heavier.

Colder.

I walked into the living area—

—and froze.

He was there.

Seated.

Calm.

Waiting.

Lucifer.

Maya stood off to the side, unusually silent. Mom and Dad were there too, their expressions tight, controlled.

No one spoke.

Not until his eyes shifted.

And landed on me.

“You’ve been busy,” Lucifer said, his voice smooth, almost amused.

I didn’t respond.

Didn’t move.

“Tell me,” he continued, tilting his head slightly, “why you thought it was wise… to leave my world without permission.”

The room felt like it shrank.

No one breathed.

“We—” Dad started.

Lucifer raised a hand.

Silence.

“I wasn’t asking you.”

His gaze stayed on me.

Sharp.

Heavy.

Unforgiving.

I swallowed, forcing myself to stand still. “We had reasons.”

A small smile touched his lips.

“That’s unfortunate.”

The temperature dropped.

“You see,” he said softly, “I already have a punishment prepared.”

Maya shifted slightly.

Mom’s hand tightened.

I didn’t look away.

Lucifer stood.

And just like that—

he was in front of me.

Too fast.

Too close.

“You will return,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper now, “and you will learn… why rules exist.” His deadly eyes on my father. Our punishment would be even greater now when our father is the Duke.

My chest tightened.

Not fear.

Something else.

Something darker.

He stepped back.

And then—

he vanished.

Silence crashed into the room.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

But we all knew the same thing.

We weren’t done.

Not even close.

My mom began to sweat as she creates a herb with her leaves, trying as much as possible to keep calm. Somehow, I wasn't scared of Cesar but my demon was.

"We are leaving for the world tomorrow to have a talk with his Evilness" Dad says stumping upstairs.

Maya turns to me looking scared, "where were you?" I hug her immediately giving her the comfort she needed. Her hugs were always invaded by her powers despite learning in the Witch school and gaining two wands. She knew way too much.

Maya's POV

Mary just dropped me off at the gate.

"See you tomorrow, Maya" she says before leaving and I wave back at her.

I turn back into the house to see Mom watching TV.

"Hi mother." I greet walking in with two bags in my hand.

"Seriously, the humans are great at acting unlike our boring world.". I nod at her words while I levetate up the stairs .."I see you enjoyed your shopping." She said standing in front of me now. I thought we agreed not to make use of our powers at home.

"I can hear you, you know? I made that rule, remember?" Her eyebrows raising as she gives a wink..

We suddenly hear a knock on our door. My mom disappears and opens the door.

"Who are you?" She asked, the person's face seemed unfamiliar and no human has stepped foot into our house ever since we moved in.

"You are so disobedient, Mandeli." The voice laughs walking in looking into our house. Mom suddenly bows and I knew, that is Lucifer. How would Lucifer come to the humans world. Dad had never allowed me to see Lucifer, only Shawn had.

Once.

He sped to me and caresses my cheek. I look down in fear as he pushes me to the couch where mom was sitted. But we knew better, so we stood up.

"You Dashis are so pathetic. You snuck out of the world? And you all thought I would never find out?" He asked angrily thus shaking the house.

We could have thought about that, sooner or later, Cesar will still find us.

His red eyes dart into mine immediately and I quickly looked down. I never liked his tenure. The pressure was way too much for anyone to handle especially the important personalities. But no one knew how he got there.