After entering the Inn through the wooden door, Lucifer was greeted by an atmosphere with rustic coziness, close to reminiscent of Iron Heart Inn. Thus, he felt both a welcoming and familiar vibe, not because of it was quite similar to that Iron Heart Inn, but because the smell and the feeling of it was quite recalling from him.
Who would care about their faces in the first place? Lucifer was here to enjoy the food and have a pleasant night.
Lucifer could see, that the inn was being illuminated from a few lanterns, casting long shadows across the room. Thus, he felt, difficult to discern the faces of those around him as their face was being obscured by the darkness.
Suddenly, as he moved closer, he felt as if his head was spinning in circles. But he pressed on, likely thinking it was due to the sudden change in weather and the hunger he was feeling right now.
'Tsk, what's going on? Why am I getting a headache, out of nowhere?'
As he approached the counter, Lucifer walked with purpose to the innkeeper, requesting a hearty meal and a glass of beer, hoping the food would be filling enough to ease his tension and help him concentrate.
He also inquired about the things related to staying overnight, perhaps for a day or two. He intended to use this time when staying in this town to increase his strength and calm his racing thoughts for the upcoming tournament.
However, aside from noticing a hint of oddness in his surroundings, he also sensed a subtle change within himself. He cared? Well, he did, but he chose to ignore as his hunger began to intensify.
Something elusive and undiscernible was happening around him. Yet, his thoughts were drawn to past memories. He had some old friends in Black Wind Town and Emberfang Town, but he was not particularly close to them.
Upon realizing that his so-called friends and ex-girlfriend had merely used him for their own gain, he really did not want to remember their faces, especially their ugly ones.
However, what if fate ever made him meet with them? Then he would welcome every opportunity given to him, so he could relieve his perfect vengeance upon them for their ugly treachery towards him.
Lost in thought, Lucifer barely noticed the waitress approach, gracefully balancing a steaming plate of food and a frosty beer.
While the food's appearance was average, the aroma it was emitting was quite appealing, and his stomach roared even louder in anticipation.
But just as he was about to dig the meals to his heart contain, his eyes went towards her appearance, momentarily stunning him.
The waitress—had a mysteriously dazzling beauty and even her face was not plastered by any makeup—unlike anyone. Lucifer had never encountered this type of situation—she was the real deal. Captivated him for a moment, leaving him mesmerized by her appearance.
'Where the hell did, she come from? From nine Heaven?'
Her face was ethereal, as if the god of art had sculpted her with extra care to make it perfect, which was complemented by her flawless figure accentuated by her simple attire and her blue eyes were deep and enigmatic like a vast ocean, as if they also held a secret that Lucifer could never grasp of, drawing him there like a moth to a flame.
And, her black hair cascaded around her shoulders like a waterfall of midnight, which was framing her face in waves of dark silk that shimmered with every subtle movement. The perfect curves of her body, endowed her with a beauty so otherworldly that it nearly made him lose his senses.
'Where am I? Dreaming?'
Utterly spellbound, Lucifer watched as she placed the food before him with a gentle wave of her hand. Noticing his vacant stare, she smiled teasingly and waved her hand in front of his face, trying to bring him back to reality.
"Hello! Here are your meals and beer," she chimed, her voice as musical as a tune sung by the god of musicians herself.
'Now my ears are also getting into illusion?'
"You shouldn't drool like that. What if I accidentally eat you?" she teased, covering her mouth as if to stifle her laughter.
He snapped out of it at the sound of her cute voice.
"I-I'd be honored to be eaten by Your Majesty," he replied with a slight bow, placing his other hand on his chest as if he were a humble servant and she some kind of queen.
'Tf, am I doing now?'
The girl was clearly amused by his response; her laughter hung in the air like chimes, before she spoke again.
"Well, the conversation will continue later. Please enjoy your food, or it will get cold."
With that, she turned and began to return to her post, having heard her boss call her name, glancing back over her shoulder she spoke again.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, you can call me Seraphina. If you need anything, please feel free to ask," she added, her voice trailing off as she made her way.
"Sure, it would be my pleasure to get help from a beautiful lady. And you can call me Lucifer," he replied, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he watched her go.
Lucifer knew that he was not a simp, but why did he feel something closeness towards her? He did not know.
Trying to see if others were looking towards him, but no one was giving any shit to him.
'Well, am I the only simp here? TF?'
The interaction did not make that much commotion, no one felt offended they were just doing what they were doing, unbothered.
With that lovely exchange in his mind, Lucifer dove into the meal, his stomach growling in satisfaction. The flavors popped in his mouth, and he savored his food, speaking lightly with Seraphina every now and then when she had a free moment.
Why but, they were getting quite along with each other.
After finishing the meal, he felt both satisfied and rejuvenated. Saying goodbye for now to Seraphina, he then started to head towards the room he had reserved for the night and the price here was considerably cheaper compared to the Iron Heart Inn, allowing him to rest his mind without worrying about expenses.
A sense of contentment washed over him—thinking that perhaps this place, this moment, held more than he had presumed at first glance. However, this was just a precaution ringing through his mind.
Trying to spend few more time cultivating the core, he began to hone his connection to the Dark Seed core, channeling the dark energy present in the environment. Sensing a slight improvement in his core, Lucifer felt satisfied. He also believed that after reaching Earthbringer, he might be able to utilize the dark energy within his core, though he was uncertain about it.
'Well, though it was still not that great improvement, it will eventually later… let's be patient'
He then began to ease his mind to not take too much tension, as he pondered about the Arcane Ascendant Tournament that would take place in two weeks on the Fire-Light Butterfly.
Feeling quite sleepy, he drifted to a deep slumber, feeling more rejuvenated.
The next morning, he woke up feeling quite refreshed and invigorated. He then did a few light exercises to warm his body and went down to the ground floor, where he then was greeted by the beautiful girl he had met the previous day—Seraphina.
Then they exchanged salutations. But seeing her lovely smile, his mood felt improved immediately, and at the very core of his chest, he couldn't help but feel it was fluttering.
'A beautiful girl having gentle behavior could really change someone…. But I won't, I have priorities bitch'
Days turned into a week, and as time ticked, Lucifer's feelings for Seraphina became deeper and stronger. Not just Lucifer's feelings for her, but her feelings for him, too.
"…"
He found himself becoming more and more obsessed with her charming presence with every second that passed and their relationship was bound into something way deeper than it already was.
As his love for her deepened, Lucifer's desire for revenge and ambition to grow more powerful to overthrow the people who made him miserable began to fade into the background. However, He was oblivious to everything, overshadowed by his all-consuming obsession with Seraphina.
He was unconscious of the fundamental changes that were taking place in him, and even if at times he felt rather strange, he would justify it was because of real love, discovered in her and she also loved him truly, so Lucifer did not find any strange about it.
One morning, as they lay together in bed, hugging each other, Seraphina looked at him with her mesmerizing blue eyes, a playful smile dancing on her lips.
"Lufu~ hope we can be together forever and ever," she spoke lovingly, her voice was soft and melodic. She then leaned in and kissed him, and he responded instinctively as if he was caught in a trance.
Yet, deep within him, he felt strange and unsettling changes, though he couldn't quite pinpoint exactly, what was that.
"Do you think I would ever leave my cutie pie alone? " Lucifer answered, holding his arms around her as he drew her closer, then gave a light kiss on her forehead.
In that tender moment, they cocooned themselves in each other's warmth and breaths mingling in the air, each second filled with sweet cries of love and passion.
However, beneath the surface of this great connection, something twisted inside Lucifer, gnawing at him like a distant memory he was trying to remember, like he was forgetting some vital part of his life.
"Uhhnggg!"
"Ke-ep going~", she said, words laced with lust that pleaded to have him lose himself in this moment they shared.
But amidst their mad dash, something suddenly cut through the din of their lovemaking—something that chilled him to the bone—a voice.
[Warning: Host is in danger. The host is in danger.]
Lucifer froze; the system's warning jerked him back to reality at a strength shattering the close, intimate atmosphere.
Suddenly, Seraphina's warm body felt so far away, and the weight of the warning lay so heavily on his chest, forcing him to face the unsettling truth that something was wrong.
'Fuck, how could I forget the system? What's going on? And what danger?'
But the more he pondered the more his mind started to throb with pain.