"Cough, Cough"
Lucifer emerged from the tranquil water of the river—Serene River and began to expel water that he had accidentally inhaled with a series of coughs.
"Fuck, almost died by that crazy shot"
He stumbled onto the shore, cursing the unexpected sudden encounter with that monstrous mutated creature.
Though he was not sure of the full extent of these mutated beings, he was not that entirely uninformed as he had previously heard lots of whispers related to such entities and he understood that these mutations possessed enhanced abilities compared to the regular ones.
Now that he had escaped immediate peril, he chose to set aside these thoughts. He surveyed his surroundings, wanting to uncover where he was right now. But seeing how the freshmen were looking at him, made him gouge their eyes out.
'Are they looking at me?' he thought, raising his eyebrow.
The scene before him was unusual; several fishermen had paused their activities to observe him with a blend of confusion and intrigue. They must have been wondering, where did this boy emerge from? Underworld? — as he had seemingly emerged from the very shadows cast by the trees along the riverbank.
Unlike the fishermen, who wore bewildered looks on their faces, Lucifer did not feel that much nervousness as he was far from startled nor did he care about other thoughts for him. Instead, he was intrigued by the scene unfolding around him.
As he took a moment to gather his thoughts, he surveyed the area, the river bank curved ever so gently leading it toward a little settlement that seemed to be less crowded than Emberfang Crossroads.
The landscape was lush with greenery, the trees forming a dense canopy that obscured the distant horizon, yet the rustic charm of the surroundings remained undiminished.
Taking into account the simplicity of the town, well-presented before Lucifer's eyes.
"It seems like I've just stumbled at a place even more forgotten than Emberfang Town, well where the hell am I now?" He muttered to himself, his voice hardly above a whisper.
The people around him wore hunting clothes; their clothes seemed rough, suggesting a lifestyle intertwined with simplicity.
His drenched clothes clung to his weary body, but not caring about that he went towards the nearby figure, aiming to suck some information from him about his surroundings.
But after getting close, he saw the man as lost in a world of his own as Lucifer was in this place, then casting his rod into the water with practiced fluid grace.
Lucifer had been fully aware of that; communication had never been his thing. However, sometimes he needed to, so he had mastered the art of faking his emotions a long time ago for this time of awkward situations.
"Hello!" Lucifer called, cupping his hands around his mouth and bowed a little bit, trying to project warmth and sincerity, though with the most acute inner awareness of his shortcomings in social interactions.
The fisherman looked up, hearing the sudden voice coming towards his side from behind.
"Hello?" The old man spoke in a casual, unbothered voice.
He was sitting on a wreathed rock with a fishing rod in hand. He wore a straw hat to throw the sun off his face and around his neck, a scarf could be seen, like it was coiled like a slumbering serpent. He wore simple, practical clothes that blended seamlessly.
"Excuse me, Grandpa. I seem to be lost, and I could really appreciate your help. Can you tell me where I am?" Lucifer asked being respectful, while he faked the urgency in his voice. Well, he was around teenage age so, he needed to act like one to avoid making people suspicious.
The old man cast a brief gaze at Lucifer, but his face was unreadable. There was a hint of indifference in his gaze as he turned back to the river, focusing on the gentle ripples.
"Hm… well, for now, you're currently in a small town called the Forgotten Town," he replied clearly, his voice steady as he rubbed his chin as if pondering something very deep.
'Forgotten Town? Hope I won't be forgotten… anyway what's up with this old man?'
Lucifer frowned at the old man, who had that faraway look in his eyes as if he started to drift far off into memories of old days that were already gone by.
A strange feeling welled deep within Lucifer seeing the pondering old man – a feeling of empathy and something akin to longing.
'Anyway, why is this old man taking so long?'
"Grandpa," he prodded, unwilling to drag this out anymore.
"How long would it possibly take to reach Fire-light Butterfly City from here?"
"What a beautiful name," the old man remarked. Yet, still, his gaze fixed on the sky, as if searching for answers among the clouds.
"But I am afraid that I might not be any help for you, young one, as I don't have any idea about it… So where is that place?"
"Lucifer felt frustration was bubbling inside him. 'What do you mean you don't know? And, why are you asking me instead?'"
"Although I am not that good with direction," the old man continued, his eyes wandering into oblivion—towards the empty sky, "surely, it's been ages since I ventured outside from this place. But… You can ask someone in this place, and I think someone might know it better."
'And now here goes this damn old man again,' Lucifer thought, irritation crept the more he looked towards the old man.
The old man was resuming his silent watch over the sky, not caring that the fishing rod bobbed gently in the water as if it caught something underwater. The old man was just too oblivious….to his thoughts.
Lucifer just stood there for a moment, pondering what to do next. He just wanted to ask for direction but had been met with apathy.
'What a strange old man, stranger than the mutated creature I meet up with'
Lucifer turned away, realizing that he had gained nothing from this encounter, and managed to officially waste his precious time.
Though he still asked this same question to a few fishermen, he got nothing. Seeing this, he began on his way towards the town, which was called Forgotten Town according to the fishermen.
It was true that he needed to go to Fire-Light City, but his first priority was to become stronger. Maybe this town had something for him? Or maybe he could cultivate his core by the strong energy flow that was flowing through the surroundings?
'What a strange place indeed' He thought sensing the dense energy within the environment.
'The flow is so much stronger here; far stronger than what I've come across up till now. But, how is it that there are no more powerful individuals here? Or do they lack the qualifications? Does this town have not any Ascendents?'
As he kept his rhythm, he noticed the activity around him; people were bustling around, moving around, and doing what they usually do. But no one was bothered after seeing the new guests in their town.
He felt a strange sense of underlying neutrality in being around them, like he felt no hostility coming out of them, no judgment for others—just a collective indifference.
'What if I?' Lucifer's thoughts trailed back to his other scheme, wanting to collect more hatred points.
The hatred point was an important source of his life force, the fuel that had enabled him to reach this very moment.
But he shrugged off this evil intention, well at least for now. Currently, He was in an unfamiliar place and the last thing he would do was to offend powerful beings—albeit, he didn't care so much about them either.
Coming closer to the town, he noticed the gate was not guarded by anything; it had no walls or defenses which he had least anticipated. It was like just anybody could come through this town and leave without restriction.
As he began to walk in, the view of the Serene River became more dazzling with the reflection of the town—its waters sparkling under the sunlight—lulled down the town's center and flowing gracefully, making its beauty more captivating. The all-encompassing vision of the place was indelible, even though the surrounding cool air held a chill vibe that stroked a shiver down his spine.
However, it seems like the townspeople were unbothered by it. They were smiling each time and appeared carefree. They swarmed together, with no sign of sarcasm or discrimination between them.
"Welcome to our town! Hope you have fun staying here!" teased a cute girl, smiling with all her golden teeth directed at Lucifer's face.
'Huh?'
"Oh, it's my pleasure" He smiled back at her and nodded, momentarily taken aback by their unexpected friendliness.
'Maybe, this town isn't so bad after all' He thought, but still, the strange thing within this town was creeping into his bone. Nevertheless, he realized the late hour as the sun was setting down. Thus, he started to plan for the night.
'Wait, to book a place I have to pay money, right?'
He patted his pockets, thankful to notice that his pouch still hung there—though he had drowned in the river some hours ago.
'Thank goodness… money is still there, or I have to strive for a few couple of days or might have to sleep on the cold ground.'
Looking around, he noted that the houses were modest, more akin to those houses that could be found on the outskirts of a bustling city rather than the lavish residences of the wealthy people.
But Lucifer didn't care about luxury; he would gladly sleep on the ground if it meant having a roof over his head. The earth could be his bed, and the stars his ceiling.
So, he began to inquire from the passerby about a good place to stay and was directed to an inn not far from where he was wandering. No suspicions, no alertness—it seemed that the people of the town were genuinely friendly as he had not gained a single hatred point till now. Which made Lucifer into a situation—be happy or depressed.
With a sense of purpose, he walked on towards the Inn—Happy Inn. He was eager to get into it and have a nice meal. Improve his power and rise tomorrow and meet whatever further the day held for him in this strange yet curious place, weird and quaint.