The pin-drop silence after he called for his mother made June worry. After all, his mother barely called him as if she was very wary of calling him. However, since she never called in the middle of the night, June didn't know what happened over their side. Multiple things came to mind, but he didn't know whichever to think for a default issue.
Then, there came a voice over the phone. It was mellow and soft, but it was surely coming from a distraught person. She then whispered through the phone: "June… hello. You must be very busy… and has limited time to spare. Uhm… Pete got into an accident. He was run over by some guy he fought with in the bar. I know you don't want to be associated with us, but… he needs to get surgery…"
June held onto his face. The situation was none of the ones he had in mind. Even if he wanted to get angry, the man was already fighting for his life on an operating table. He walked to take his wallet and keys, seeing how Lantis came to hand him his coat. "Where are you? Get him into surgery. I'll pay for it. Are you alone? Where did your boyfriend go?"
"…he's drunk at home. When Pete was rushed here, he was too tired to wake up." The mom continued to whisper, but she was evidently trying to keep her tears to herself. "Thank you, June. I'm really sorry…"
Since it was the home phone, June decided to hang up before leaving the house. It was good that he had already eaten. He walked out of his house, noticing that reporters were still staking out his house. Lantis only walked ahead of him and waved his hand. All the people had collapsed to the ground, the bed of grass eating them into the earth.
Before June could say something, he heard Lantis explain behind him: "They will be transported to the park. Let them be for now. You have more pressing issues to attend to."
June unlocked his car and got inside, waiting for Lantis to join him. The actor then drove through the night to get to the hospital, where his mother was waiting for him. It was also strange that traffic jams would vanish as the silver Audi came into sight, the green lights extending just so they wouldn't get caught up in it. If June was not driving, he would be jumping out of the car.
Even if he believed that Lantis was a grand demon like what he claimed to be, he had never seen much of what this great Lucirien could do. With the demon blatantly tampering with the fates of the people, June didn't know what to feel. Should he be terrified to death, or should he celebrate with champagne?
"Are you expecting me to ask you to fix my brother?" June spoke as he rolled up into the parking space he found. He looked behind him and made sure that he was backing up neatly. Then, he felt like the car just wouldn't move anymore. He glanced at Lantis who then got out of the car.
"You don't seem to be too fond of him. Moreover, saving a life will eat up on my magic. You might have to offer something in return if you want me to perform a true miracle," Lantis answered as he walked with June toward the entrance of the hospital. "Though, I can ask the lesser demons to hunt for a dying soul for me to feed on."
"Are you expecting me to let you kill someone for that guy? I don't even know if he's not responsible for aggravating the other person. I'll just ask you to help the police catch the punk some other night." June glanced at Lantis. "Can you stay with me tonight at least? If that drunkard came to drag Mom back, I can't put my hands on that guy myself. Court order…"
Lantis didn't answer, but he spotted a human by the benches. She held her hands in a grip that made her nails dig through her skin. Her head was lowered, her long blonde hair obscuring her tear-stained face. She even looked like she was praying for anything that could salvage her situation.
The son walked briskly toward the mother. "Mom, why are you waiting alone? Didn't Auntie come to accompany you? I figured she would have heard by now."
"June?" The woman lifted her face, and her pretty face that had seen better days finally had a small smile on it. Her frail arms wrapped around June when he sat next to her. "Sorry, I'm so sorry… I just didn't have enough to pay upfront. I will return the money to you in a few weeks. My shifts are not looking good this month, but I will get a new job soon…"
"Mom, it's okay. No… you don't have to think about the money for now." June sighed and hugged his mother that had slimmed down too much. She was like a stick in his arms. He pulled back and combed her matted hair back to make her look decent. "Can you tell me what they told you?"
"The police called. They said Pete was rushed to the hospital. A motorbike hit him on his way home." The mother condensed the details that she could recall at the get-go. "A rib broke and punctured Pete's lung, so… he needed to undergo surgery. They didn't say if he will… what will I do if Pete—?"
June hushed his mother as she grew lost again. "Shhh, no, no, that guy is a complete gangster. He will beat Death to a pulp if that old thing dares to touch him. Don't worry, he'll be fine. He'll survive. I'm right here. You don't have to be scared of anything."
At this exchange, Lantis only watched the two while slowly retreating from existence. He walked past the doors and curtains, finding the operating theater where this man called Pete Verrier should be. When Lantis walked inside, the patient just crashed from all the injuries he received. It didn't seem like the man was only hit by a rushing motorbike.
Not liking the odds that he could see, Lantis's eyes glinted red. Whispers then came to his ears as if he was hunting for the dying from where he stood. He found plenty of candidates, but he hesitated to pick one. After all, June had told him that the great Lucirien should not kill anyone for his sake. That being recalled, Lantis only smiled.
"Sweet child, we are not bound by the rules of servitude. Though you may draw the lines, I am not bound to not act when I see fit. After all, finding loopholes in requests is a rather important skill for a demon to learn." The handsome man vanished from the room.
Soon enough, the nurses and doctors sighed in relief. They managed to revive Pete this time, but they had to be careful for the remaining time of the delicate operation. However, even if they had to remove three pieces from the shattered bones embedded in his heart, Pete didn't react all that much. His vitals continued to be stable.
When the sun rose on the horizon, June and his mother were woken up by a doctor. Pete continued to be in a rather good condition. His body was also showing good signs of full recovery, but he was yet to wake up. The mother only cried on her son's shoulder, her great fear alleviated.
However, June didn't feel good about that. The result felt unnatural. He felt like Lantis must have done something about it. Whether the demon harvested someone among the dying or killed the culprit himself, June realized that he might never know.
It's just that… instead of a grave expression from the possible consequences of Lucirien's actions, June found himself smiling happily.