The moon hung high in the sky, casting its pale glow over the decrepit amusement park. Every step into the forsaken grounds seemed to stir unseen eyes watching from the shadows.
"Well, Lord of Hell, this was your idea," Chen Jing said, flicking on her flashlight and adjusting her streaming equipment. She grinned, her voice laced with teasing. "But let's be honest, you're a little afraid of the dark, aren't you?"
"Utter nonsense," Lucifer retorted, his cold gaze sweeping the darkness. His black trench coat billowed slightly in the night breeze, lending him an air of dramatic gravitas. "The King of Hell fears no darkness."
"Alright then, I'll just turn off the flashlight." Chen Jing made a show of reaching for the switch.
"Stop!" Lucifer's voice came out sharper than intended, a little too quick. Realizing his mistake, he cleared his throat and added coolly, "Your mortal eyes cannot adjust to the dark. If you stumble into trouble, it would be a waste of my time to save you."
"Oh, I get it now." Chen Jing smirked knowingly. "You do care about me, huh, Your Majesty?"
Lucifer was silent for a moment, his face stiff. "Do not misunderstand my intent."
The pair ventured deeper into the amusement park. The carousel, dimly lit by the moon, loomed in the distance like a spectral monument. Chen Jing's steps, though brisk, carried an air of concealed nervousness. Lucifer followed closely, his sharp gaze sweeping the area as if expecting something to leap from the shadows.
"Hey, Shen Lu! Look over there—the lights are flickering!" Chen Jing shone her flashlight toward an old neon sign. The bulbs sputtered weakly, casting erratic flashes of eerie light.
"An illusion," Lucifer muttered, though he conspicuously kept a safe distance from the erratic bulbs.
"Come on, don't just stand there—let's take a closer look." Chen Jing beckoned, smirking mischievously. "What's the matter, big guy? Don't tell me you're scared."
Lucifer's previously impassive expression twitched ever so slightly. Without a word, he began walking—deliberately slow, as though to prove he was unaffected.
Just as they neared the sign, the bulbs exploded with a deafening crack. Chen Jing yelped, jumping backward, while Lucifer instinctively retreated a step, his hand flaring with a faint glow of black fire.
"Pffft! Hahahaha!" Chen Jing doubled over, laughing uncontrollably. "Did you just flinch? Oh, that little backward step was so elegant, my Lord!"
"Silence!" Lucifer's glare was sharp enough to cut steel, but his voice betrayed a trace of embarrassment. "It was merely the influence of lingering dark energy on the mortal contraption."
"Sure, sure," Chen Jing said, biting back her grin. "Let's just hope you don't get too jumpy later. My viewers will lose their minds."
Lucifer ignored her, his eyes narrowing as he scanned their surroundings with increasing wariness.
At last, they reached the carousel. Its wooden horses, cracked and peeling, seemed to leer at them in the moonlight. Chen Jing crouched, adjusting her camera and flashlight, but her movements faltered when a low hum reverberated from the carousel's center.
"Uh… Shen Lu?" Chen Jing whispered, inching toward Lucifer. "What's that noise?"
Lucifer's expression darkened as he stared at the carousel's central pillar. Faint crimson runes flickered to life, pulsing with malevolent energy.
"It's the residual energy of a summoning spell," Lucifer murmured, his tone taut with suspicion. "But the fluctuation is too strong. It doesn't belong here."
Chen Jing's grip tightened on her flashlight. "And what happens if it—uh, activates?"
Lucifer's jaw tensed. "Then something will come through."
Before Chen Jing could respond, the humming escalated into a piercing shriek. The carousel groaned to life, its rusted gears grinding as the horses began to turn on their own.
"Oh crap!" Chen Jing yelped, stumbling backward. Her voice shook as she pointed toward the base of the carousel. "What the hell is that?!"
From beneath the wooden planks, a formless black shadow oozed upward like living tar. It swirled and expanded, a grotesque limb coalescing into view—a massive, misshapen hand covered in writhing faces. The faces moaned and whispered in overlapping, nightmarish voices.
"Come… play with us…"
Chen Jing felt her legs go weak. "Nope. Nope, nope, nope! Hell no!" She latched onto Lucifer's arm, clutching it in a death grip. "Shen Lu, do something!"
Lucifer's gaze flickered with a rare hint of unease. Black flames erupted in his palm, illuminating his sharp features, but when he hurled the fire at the shadow, it recoiled only briefly before surging back stronger.
The whispering faces on the hand's surface twisted into mocking grins.
"Stay… with us…"
Lucifer's forehead glistened with a faint sheen of sweat. "Their power is tied to the summoning circle. I can't—"
"You can't?" Chen Jing's voice cracked. "Are you serious?! You're the freaking King of Hell!"
"Be quiet and close your eyes!" Lucifer barked, grabbing her wrist.
Chen Jing clamped her eyes shut, her voice trembling. "This better work, or I'm haunting you in the afterlife!"
Lucifer muttered an incantation under his breath, his flames roaring higher into a towering wall of black fire. The shadow hissed and writhed, the faces on its surface contorting in agony.
"Run!" Lucifer growled, pulling Chen Jing forward as he sprinted toward the park's exit.
They bolted through the darkness, the shadowy monstrosity shrieking behind them. The air grew heavier, colder, as if the very night itself were alive and reaching for them.
"The gate! It's right there!" Chen Jing gasped, seeing the faint outline of the park's rusted entrance.
But just as they neared it, the shadow's pull intensified. Chen Jing's feet skidded to a halt as an invisible force yanked her backward. "Shen Lu—help!"
Lucifer's hand shot out, catching her just in time. With a snarl, he summoned another burst of fire, lashing it like a whip against the encroaching darkness. "Hold on!"
With one final surge of strength, Lucifer lifted Chen Jing and sprinted through the gates. The force abruptly vanished as they crossed the threshold, leaving only silence behind.
Chen Jing collapsed onto the pavement outside, gasping for air. "We… we made it?"
Lucifer stood rigidly beside her, his sharp gaze locked on the park's gates. Beyond the rusted bars, the blackness seemed to seethe, but it made no move to cross into the mortal world.
"It cannot leave the circle," Lucifer said at last, his voice low and tight.
Chen Jing pushed herself to her feet, brushing dust from her clothes. She glared at him, half-angry and half-terrified. "You're telling me that was just residual energy? Are you kidding me?!"
Lucifer's expression was unreadable, though his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "It was not ordinary energy. Something—someone—is controlling it."
Chen Jing crossed her arms, glaring. "And you—mighty King of Hell—looked like you were about to pass out!"
"Enough," Lucifer growled, turning away. "Do not test my patience."
"Fine, fine." Chen Jing let out a shaky laugh, though her hands still trembled. She patted him on the shoulder with a teasing grin. "You know, for someone so high and mighty, you look pretty spooked."
Lucifer shot her a frosty glare but said nothing.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty," Chen Jing added with a wink. "If this keeps up, I'll knight myself as the Queen of Your Backup Plan."
Lucifer turned sharply, his trench coat billowing as he walked away. "If you flee next time, I'll throw you back in."
"Sure, sure." Chen Jing yawned, trailing after him toward the car. "Next time, let's try not to almost die, okay?"
Behind them, the gates of the amusement park creaked shut, swallowed once more by silence and shadow.