The next night, Lucifer trudged through the bustling streets of Paradise, his mind still reeling from his encounter with Ezra. The weight of his backpack, laden with textbooks he'd barely cracked open, seemed to mirror the growing burden of his secret identity.
"Just another day in paradise," he muttered, dodging a group of excitable elementary schoolers. Their teacher, a harried-looking woman with subtle horns poking through her hair, shot Lucifer an apologetic glance.
As he neared the towering glass facade of the Cityscape Mall, a commotion caught his attention. Two men – demons, judging by their slightly-too-sharp teeth and the faint smell of brimstone – were hassling a young woman. It took Lucifer a moment to recognize her: Ezra.
"Come on, sweetheart," one of the demons crooned, his voice oily with false charm. "Why don't you let us show you a good time? We know all the best spots for a pretty little thing like you."
Ezra's face remained impassive, but Lucifer could see the tension in her shoulders. "I'm not interested," she said flatly. "Please leave me alone."
The second demon laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Oh, she's got fire! I like that in a woman."
Lucifer felt a surge of... something. Anger? Protectiveness? Whatever it was, it propelled him forward before he could think better of it.
"Gentlemen," he said, sidling up to the group with a lazy grin. "Is there a problem here?"
The demons turned, eyeing Lucifer with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "Beat it, kid," the first one growled. "This doesn't concern you."
Lucifer's grin widened, taking on a dangerous edge. "See, that's where you're wrong. This lovely lady happens to be a... friend of mine. And I take issue with people bothering my friends."
Ezra shot him a look that was equal parts confusion and irritation. Clearly, she didn't appreciate his intervention.
Tough luck, Sword Girl, Lucifer thought. I'm already in too deep to back out now.
The demons exchanged glances, then burst out laughing. "Oh, this is rich," the second one chortled. "The little human thinks he can play hero. Why don't you run along before you get hurt, boy?"
Lucifer's eyes flashed, a hint of their true, hellish nature bleeding through. "I'm going to give you one chance to walk away," he said, his voice low and menacing. "Trust me, you don't want to see what happens if you don't take it."
For a moment, the demons hesitated. Something in Lucifer's tone, or perhaps the unnatural glint in his eyes, gave them pause. But then their bravado reasserted itself.
"Alright, tough guy," the first demon snarled. "You asked for it."
He lunged at Lucifer, claws extending from his fingertips. But before he could make contact, Ezra was there, moving with inhuman speed. She caught the demon's wrist, twisting it with a sickening crack.
The demon howled in pain, stumbling back. His companion gaped in shock, then let out a furious roar. "You'll pay for that, you little–"
His words were cut off as the air around him began to shimmer and distort. Lucifer's eyes widened as he realized what was happening.
"Ezra, get back!" he shouted, grabbing her arm and pulling her away.
Just in time. With a sound like reality itself tearing, a massive shape burst into existence beside the demon. It was vaguely canine in form, but twisted and wrong in a way that hurt to look at directly. Saliva dripped from jaws lined with far too many teeth, and its eyes glowed with an eerie, pale light.
"Oh, come on," Lucifer groaned. "A Rebis? Really? Talk about overkill."
Ezra pushed him aside, her face set in grim determination. "Stay back," she ordered. "I'll handle this."
Before Lucifer could protest, Ezra reached for her ever-present bladeless hilt. Looking closely, the bottom of the hilt seem to suck in water particles in the air like some form of water suction and storage reservoir.
Then like an internal high-pressure pump, it pumped out the accumulated water in the hilt, using water-blade emitters, and multiple high-precision nozzles at the top, that shaped the pressurized water into a huge, deadly blade.
As Lucifer watched in fascination, the blade seemed to shimmer and grow.
"Monsoon blade," Ezra intoned, her voice ringing with power. "Lend me your strength."
The Rebis let out a bone-chilling howl and charged. Ezra met it head-on, her transformed weapon a blur of silver and blue light. The two collided in a spectacular display of supernatural combat, their movements almost too fast for the human eye to follow.
Lucifer found himself torn between awe and frustration. On one hand, watching Ezra fight was like witnessing a force of nature – beautiful, terrifying, and utterly captivating. On the other hand... well, he was supposed to be the powerful one here, wasn't he?
Some Prince of Darkness I am, he thought bitterly. Upstaged by a teenage girl with a bread knife. If only this body wasn't so useless to begin with.
The fight raged on, drawing gasps and screams from the gathering crowd of onlookers. Ezra was holding her own, but Lucifer could see that the Rebis's raw power was starting to overwhelm her. Each blow she blocked sent her skidding back, and her attacks, while precise, weren't doing enough damage to slow the creature down.
Lucifer's hands clenched at his sides, itching to join the fray. But he knew he couldn't risk exposing his true nature – not here, not with so many witnesses, not when he wasn't certain he could even win. And yet, the thought of standing by and watching Ezra get hurt...
Since when do I care about what happens to some human? Lucifer wondered, even as he found himself edging closer to the battle.
The Rebis lunged, its massive jaws snapping shut inches from Ezra's face. She twisted away at the last second, but the movement left her off-balance. The creature's paw lashed out, catching her in the side and sending her flying.
Ezra hit the ground hard, her weapon clattering away. The Rebis loomed over her, ready to deliver the killing blow.
Time seemed to slow. Lucifer saw Ezra's eyes widen in fear, saw the Rebis's muscles bunch as it prepared to strike. And in that moment, something inside him snapped.
With a roar that was decidedly inhuman, Lucifer charged. He slammed into the Rebis with all the force his natual-turned-slightly-supernatural body could muster, sending them both tumbling away from Ezra.
They hit the ground in a tangle of limbs and snarling fury. Lucifer could feel his control slipping, his true form struggling to break free but held up by the limitations of this body(this body he kept pushing to its limit just by dwelling within it). Claws extended from his fingertips, digging into the Rebis's hide.
His eyes blazed with hellfire, and the air around him crackled with demonic energy. His essence was gradually corrupting his mortal body. The question was how long it would stay intact without breaking apart.
The Rebis thrashed and howled, trying to shake him off. But Lucifer held on, drawing on powers he could barely harness. With a final, desperate surge of strength, he pushed.
CRACK!!
There was a sound like thunder, and then... silence.
Lucifer found himself on his hands and knees, gasping for breath. Where the Rebis had been, there was nothing but a scorched outline on the pavement. The demon who had summoned it was unconscious, slumped against a nearby wall. His companion was nowhere to be seen.
Slowly, painfully aware of the stunned silence around him, Lucifer got to his feet. He turned to face Ezra, bracing himself for her reaction – fear, disgust, maybe even that sword of hers pointed at his throat.
Instead, he found her staring at him with an expression he couldn't quite decipher. Surprise, certainly. But also... curiosity? And something else, something that made his stomach do a strange little flip.
"You..." Ezra said, her voice barely above a whisper. "What are you?"
Lucifer opened his mouth, then closed it again. What could he say? How could he possibly explain what had just happened?
In the distance, sirens wailed. The City Guards would be here soon, no doubt alerted by panicked calls about demon attacks and explosions. Lucifer knew he should run, should get as far away from this scene as possible. But he couldn't bring himself to move.
"I..." he started, then trailed off. For once in his immortal life, the silver-tongued Devil was at a loss for words.
Ezra took a step toward him, her expression softening slightly. "Lucifer," she said, and the sound of his name on her lips sent a shiver down his spine. "I think we need to talk."
How did she know his name without him telling it? Well, he wouldn't put it past her considering her line of work. But as to whether she knew he was the real deal was something he didn't know, but thought it was unlikely. He would be so dead if she did.
Lucifer nodded, a rueful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah," he said. "I guess we do."
As the sirens grew closer, Lucifer made a decision. He held out his hand to Ezra. "But not here," he said. "Do you trust me?"
Ezra hesitated for a long moment, her eyes searching his face. Then, slowly, she reached out and took his hand.
"I must be crazy," she muttered.
Lucifer's grin widened. "Oh, sweetheart," he said, "you have no idea."
With that, he pulled her close and reached for that part of himself he'd been trying so hard to harness. The world blurred around them, reality slightly bending to his will. When it snapped back into focus, they were standing on the roof of a nearby building, the chaos of the street far below.
Ezra stumbled, looking around in wide-eyed amazement. "How did you...?"
Lucifer shrugged, trying for nonchalance despite the way his heart was racing. "It's a long story," he said. "One I'm not sure you're ready to hear."
Ezra's eyes narrowed, that fierce determination returning to her face. "Try me," she said.
And so, as the sun began to set over Paradise, casting the city in shades of gold and crimson, Lucifer found himself doing something he'd never imagined: telling the truth.
Well, mostly the truth. Some habits, after all, die hard.
***