[Bond Street – Sector 2]
[The Silent Room]
Lucian stared, his breath hitched in his throat.
Arthur Uther Pendragon was holding the monster.
It wasn't a metaphor. He was physically gripping the throat of a creature that shouldn't have a throat. The Shadow Devil, a being of pure spiritual malice from the Dead Sea, was thrashing against Arthur's hand like a caught fish.
How...? Lucian thought, his mind reeling. I couldn't even see it. My King's Aura passed right through it. But Arthur... he's just holding it?
The Devil was terrifying up close. It was a humanoid mass of shifting darkness, with jagged horns erupting from its skull and hands that ended in thorns sharp enough to flay skin. But against Arthur's lazy, crushing grip, it looked pathetic.
Arthur looked at Lucian, his eyes heavy with exhaustion.
"We solved the case, Lucian," he mumbled.
He yawned, a long, drawn-out sound that seemed to suck the tension out of the room.
"I am going to kill it now. I need a nap."
Arthur didn't use a spell. He didn't chant. He simply squeezed.
CRUNCH.
There was a wet, sickening sound, like breaking glass wrapped in meat. The Shadow Devil didn't scream; it simply evaporated, its form crushed out of existence by sheer physical dominance.
Clatter.
A jagged, pulsing blue crystal fell from the empty air and hit the rotting floorboards.
"This is a Tier 2 Ether Crystal," Arthur said, kicking it lightly toward Lucian with the toe of his shoe. "You will need it for your advancement. Take it."
Lucian bent down, his fingers brushing the cold, vibrating surface of the stone. He pocketed it quickly, feeling the weight of the power inside.
"Okay," Lucian said, standing up gracefully. "But how will I know about the Ritual? The Guild archives didn't mention my Sequence."
Arthur rubbed his eyes, swaying slightly on his feet.
"I don't know about the ritual, Luci," Arthur slurred, looking ready to collapse. "I am sleepy. And Old Man Uriel already told you the basics. Figure it out."
He covered his mouth with a hand and yawned again.
"Let's go back to the Guild. We are done here. Go home, kid. I will report this to Mr. Aziz."
Lucian looked at Arthur's sleepy face, realizing it was useless to ask more. "Okay. Thank you, Sir Arthur."
[Lucian's Apartment]
[Time: 10:00 PM]
The walk home was a blur. Lucian reported to the Guild, said his goodbyes, and retreated to his small rented apartment near the border of Westminster.
He went through the motions of life—cooking a simple meal of eggs and bread, washing the dishes, scrubbing the grime of the slums off his skin in a hot bath. But his mind was elsewhere.
He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The streetlights outside cast long shadows across his room.
How am I going to rank up?
The question gnawed at him. Today had been a wake-up call. He was Tier 1. He had thought he was strong with his "King's Aura," but the Shadow Devil had ignored him completely. And Arthur... Arthur was a monster in human skin.
"Even a Tier 2 Devil was dangerous," Lucian whispered to the empty room. "My power didn't even work on it."
He touched the pocket of his trousers, feeling the outline of the Ether Crystal.
"Sigh... that will be a problem for Future Lucian."
He rolled over, pulling the blanket up.
"I have the Crystal now. I just have to search for the Ritual. I don't even know if I can rank up like a normal human... holding the power of a Sin."
His eyes grew heavy. The exhaustion of the day pulled him down.
"Well... time to sleep."
His breathing slowed. The world faded.
And then, he was dreaming.
[The Dreamscape]
[Location: The Celestial Realm]
He wasn't on Earth. He wasn't in space. He wasn't in the clouds.
The space was grand. Infinite.
Everything was white—not the white of snow, but the white of pure, blinding marble and light. It was a place that felt heavier than reality, as if the air itself was made of gold.
Wait, Lucian thought, looking down at his hands. They were translucent. Am I dreaming? But why am I feeling everything?
He could feel the warmth of a thousand suns. He could smell the scent of ozone and frankincense.
He was standing in a Grand Hall that stretched for miles. Around him stood thousands of beings. They were tall, perfect, with skin like porcelain and eyes that burned with holy fire. They wore armor of woven starlight.
But they were all looking at one person.
Standing on a raised dais of crystal was a figure of breathtaking beauty.
He was male, yet his perfection transcended gender. He wore armor made of diamonds and white gold, adorned with precious gems that pulsed with their own light. Twelve magnificent white wings stretched from his back, spanning so wide they seemed to cover the sky.
He was the most beautiful thing Lucian had ever seen. And the most terrifying.
The figure raised a hand. The infinite crowd went silent.
Lucian strained to hear. The voice didn't sound like speech; it sounded like music, like a choir of violins playing a war hymn.
"Today..." the figure spoke, his voice echoing in Lucian's very soul. "We overthrow the Tyrant."
A roar of approval shook the foundations of the Hall.
"Why should we serve?" the figure cried out, his wings flaring with blinding brilliance. "Are we not the Light? Are we not the Morning Stars?"
He pointed a sword toward the highest point of the sky, where a blinding, oppressive light—The Creator—resided.
"It is better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven!"
The scene fractured like broken glass.
CRACK.
The beautiful Hall was gone.
Now, there was war.
Lucian saw the sky turning red. He saw the beautiful beings, their white wings stained with gold blood, clashing against armies of wheels and burning eyes.
He saw the beautiful figure—the Leader—falling. Falling from the light. Falling into the dark.
But as he fell, he wasn't screaming. He was laughing.
His eyes met Lucian's.
"Pride," the falling angel whispered directly to him. "Do not bow."
[Lucian's Apartment]
[Time: 6:00 AM]
"GASP!"
Lucian shot up in bed, his chest heaving.
He was drenched in sweat. His heart was hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. The image of the falling angel burned in his mind—the beauty, the arrogance, the fall.
A red System screen was floating directly in front of his face, pulsing with a new, urgent light.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[Memory Fragment Recovered: 1/7]
[Source: The First Rebellion]
[Advancement Criteria Met.]
[Consume the Tier 2 Ether Crystal to begin the Ritual.]
[Rank Up Available: Tier 2 – The Morningstar]
Lucian stared at the screen, his hands trembling. That wasn't just a dream. It was a memory.
"The First Rebellion..." Lucian whispered.
He reached for the crystal on his nightstand. It didn't feel cold anymore.
It felt like it was waiting.