(One week later)
A bar on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.
The place was filled with the scent of mahogany and imported cigarettes. Beyond that, the atmosphere felt somewhere between elegant and a place to lose oneself in thought, allowing time to slip away.
As he entered, a blonde woman dressed as a waitress was waiting for Allen. She bowed politely.
The woman was quite beautiful, but despite Allen usually being very approachable, he frowned in displeasure. Not feeling offended, she smiled and guided him toward the back of the bar.
On the way, they passed through the main hall where another woman was playing a melody on a piano Allen recognized. This was Lux, and the piano was where the bar's name, The Lux, came from.
Allen noticed the woman glancing at him curiously, but he ignored her.
Once they reached the back, the woman opened the door to the final room and bowed once more.
"Please go ahead, Allen-sama."
Allen did not comment on the Japanese-style way of addressing him that was clearly meant as a joke. He walked past the woman, who smiled behind him.
The room's atmosphere was accompanied by the scent of expensive wine and luxury cigarettes.
Once inside, Allen saw Lucifer. He wore a white suit while sitting on an armchair. The man smiled with an amused look, as if he had anticipated Allen arriving at this place since the beginning of time.
"You don't look very happy to see me."
The man's smile widened with every word. His shining golden hair and amber eyes like jewels reminded Allen that he was dealing with "that" Lucifer.
"I'd rather stay standing. This won't take long."
Allen made one of Lucifer's expensive wine bottles float into his hand, opened it, took a drink, and then threw the bottle against the wall.
That level of disrespect could have condemned anyone else to an eternity of pure suffering, but it didn't even erase Lucifer's smile.
"I'll take that as you being dissatisfied with your vacation. Did some girl cheat on you? Or are you just going through a rebellious phase?"
"Stop playing around, Lucifer. You've turned my world into a bad joke!"
Lucifer chuckled softly, waved his hand, and the shattered bottle reconstructed itself before appearing on the table in front of him and filling two glasses.
The man picked up his wine glass and observed it while gently swirling the scarlet liquid.
"I didn't do it."
"..."
Allen remained silent as he observed every movement and expression on Lucifer's face.
Then he clicked his tongue and sat down in front of him.
"Disappointed?"
Allen's world had become something completely absurd.
Allen pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Tell me this: Star Wars, MIB, malevolent creatures, cultivators, spiritual treasures, freaking Daffy Duck is the mayor of New York, King Kong became the Statue of Liberty, Gwen told me her dad's new patrol partner is Marvin the Martian, and she also told me they had to arrest Wile E. Coyote for using explosives in Madison Square. And there's even more stuff I haven't seen yet wandering around."
A week ago, after spending a day with J and K, Allen had decided to become a discreet guardian, but the world kept getting more and more absurd, so he had to stop it.
He unleashed all of his power, trying to see what was wrong with the universe, but he couldn't discover what was happening.
His world was under both his protection and the system's, yet neither of them could determine the cause, which meant someone or something with power greater than a developed system and Allen—whose power was already unimaginable—was affecting the world.
Of course, the first and most obvious conclusion Allen could reach was that Lucifer was messing around during his vacation.
"Oh, so you came here looking for a fight." Lucifer chuckled before narrowing his eyes curiously. "But do you really believe me? Perhaps I'm lying and I actually am responsible."
Allen looked at Lucifer with slight exhaustion as he answered, as if it were common sense.
"I don't think so."
Lucifer widened his eyes slightly before smiling.
"I'm the devil. Is it really okay for you to trust me this much?"
"Trust? What reason would you have to lie to me?"
From an objective point of view, Lucifer did not need to explain anything to anyone. He could say whatever he wanted, and nobody could challenge him. There was no equal relationship because no one was on his level.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Lucifer's smile faded slightly as he lowered his gaze.
"You overestimate me too much... and underestimate yourself far too much."
Allen relaxed into the armchair without responding to that.
"I still don't feel capable of carrying creation in my hands..."
Lucifer chuckled softly.
"I had almost forgotten that in your world I exist as a comic book character..."
Curious, Lucifer summoned the Vertigo comics. They floated to his right, and without him needing to move, the pages began flipping one after another.
Some brought flashes of nostalgia, but most made him frown.
"I see... similar, yet incorrect."
"What?"
Allen straightened in his seat while staring at Lucifer, waiting for an explanation.
Lucifer remained silent for a while before making the comics disappear and looking at Allen.
"Allen Walker, haven't you realized that the answer you're searching for isn't somewhere else...?"
"What do you mean?"
Allen felt a bad premonition.
"The Presence didn't create the world. It created someone to do it in its place. That someone is me... at least, that's how you know it. But don't you think that's strange?"
"..."
The entire room lost its color before shattering apart, leaving only the two armchairs and the table between them.
Everything else had changed.
Now they were surrounded by stars, but soon those stars shrank until they became galaxies around them for a second before shrinking again until only tiny spheres remained around them, each one a universe.
Lucifer smiled as he looked at Allen, and the universes began shrinking further, but before Allen could see what existed "beyond," the room reconstructed itself, and they returned to Lux.
A drop of sweat slid down Allen's cheek as he focused on Lucifer.
No matter how strong he became, he still couldn't see the limits of the monster sitting before him.
Despite Allen's shock, Lucifer didn't mock him. He maintained his faint cordial smile.
"Allen, why would God create an entity that is practically omnipotent?"
Lucifer's eyes glimmered as he looked at Allen, though it felt like he was also looking at something else.
"He didn't."
"...!"
Allen began feeling a sharp pain in his head.
"In the beginning, that being called God, the Presence, the Creator, or whatever name you wish to use, did not create the world. It created an entity that would do so. That entity was not Lucifer. His name was Michael."
"Michael? The archangel?"
Lucifer laughed softly.
"Yes, well... in this world our story is quite different."
Lucifer's smile faded.
"This Michael wasn't merely God's archangel, but the origin of all things. No... it would be more accurate to say that being the Origin of everything was the true purpose of the existence known as Michael Demiurgos."
"Wait!" Allen interrupted despite his headache. "That name!"
Lucifer pointed at Allen's chest.
"That thing inside you, that something called the Dunamis Demiurgos, was the gift God gave Michael... or at least a small fragment of it."
Allen's breathing accelerated, his heart pounded faster, and the headache worsened.
He wanted to know.
He needed to know why that thing was inside him.
Had Lucifer put it there?
Since when?!
A strange fear began invading Allen's mind.
Something felt terribly wrong.
Lucifer silently observed Allen before smiling kindly for an instant, though that smile quickly filled with regret.
"I don't know why you possess that fragment of the Dunamis, but the original is with me."
Allen looked at Lucifer, who now carried a weary and melancholic expression.
"Allen, you're probably wondering how the Dunamis came to me, what happened to Michael Demiurgos... I'll tell you."
Lucifer's eyes became indifferent.
"I killed him. I killed my brother, stole his power, and I regret it."
Lucifer's confession left Allen in shock for a moment before he stared at the entity who was both his enemy and his opponent, someone who shouldn't have felt anything for anyone, drowning in a bitter drink.
Allen calmed down and sat back.
Lucifer took a while before speaking again.
"The Presence created Michael as the Origin, but realized he was incapable of handling the Dunamis. It was too much power for a single entity. So it created me, the one who alongside Michael would shape everything else."
"I am known by many names, among them 'The Creator,' but the truth is that I merely shaped creation according to the Presence's wishes."
"You already know the rest. I never wanted to remain trapped by the Presence's will. Yet no matter that I possessed the ability to alter every part of creation as I pleased, I was still the Presence's creation."
"So you killed Michael because you needed the Dunamis?"
Lucifer smiled falsely.
"I didn't take it by force myself, but I took advantage of his weakness to claim it, and during the process he died. I killed him."
Lucifer vanished from the seat before Allen and appeared behind him.
Unexpectedly, he was now an old man.
"With Michael's Dunamis and Lucifer's Will, I could create a world without the Presence."
Lucifer vanished again and reappeared to Allen's right as a child.
"Without the Presence, I obtained perfect free will. No more destiny, no more future other than the one I desired."
One final time, Lucifer disappeared and reappeared sitting before Allen, now in the form of a beautiful woman with wings behind her.
This filled Allen with contempt.
"Was it worth killing your brother for this?"
Lucifer smiled, but now there was a hint of madness and... despair in her eyes.
"No. Not at all!"
"...?!"
Lucifer leaned over Allen and grabbed his chin.
"Lucifer Morningstar was not created to be omnipotent... no one should possess both the Dunamis and the Will."
"Wait."
Lucifer looked directly into Allen's eyes with lifeless eyes.
"For a long time, I wondered why the Presence gave free will to Lucifer and Michael. Why did it give them the ability to long for freedom? Why make them capable of emotions? If it only wanted tools to create the world, it could've made them without emotions or desires. But it didn't, and that's why I turned my back on God."
Lucifer released Allen and pulled away, lying across the table while her wings drooped slightly.
If Allen hadn't known this was Lucifer, he would've been dazzled by the woman's beauty.
"After thinking about it for so long, I concluded that the Presence created us this way because it wanted all creation to be made by someone capable of feeling. Perhaps... that's why, unlike all the versions of the archangel Michael you can find, this one followed God by his own choice because, just like me, he also possessed free will..."
"Stop, this is too much information."
Allen grabbed his head.
What the hell was Lucifer talking about?!
Then why the hell had they been fighting?!
Over a power that Lucifer didn't even want?!
Lucifer smiled before snapping her fingers.
When Allen reacted, he was already outside the bar. Two girls smiled at the entrance; they were angels who had decided to follow Lucifer.
"Allen, what's happening in your world is the result of your own existence. You carry part of my will and part of the Dunamis."
Allen clenched his teeth as he listened to Lucifer's unpleasant female voice.
"Your desires, your hobbies, your memories, even every single thought no matter how small it is, could alter your world, create things from nothing, and this is only the beginning. The more of my power you obtain, you'll eventually begin creating universes without even being aware of it... Like I told you, no one should possess both Dunamis Demiurgos and My Will. We are not beings designed to be omnipotent."
Allen nearly dropped to his knees. Taking Lucifer's power might be even worse than fighting him.
Lucifer's voice echoed once more. This time it sounded more relaxed and friendly.
"For now, I wouldn't worry too much. If you want some advice, you can use that power, but use it not for yourself, for someone else. That way you'll practice and keep it under control... at the very least it'll stop you from losing your mind like I did hehe~"
"Tsk..."
[Don't worry, you've got me! What's a little omnipotence?! I'm a system, remember?]
Allen laughed after hearing the system's words. That's right, he wasn't alone in this.
'Do you have any suggestions?'
[Hehe leave it to me]
....
(One week later)
Cemeteries are cold places with very few people, a resting place for the dead. Even in life and death, social classes were obvious, because while some graves were satisfied with small headstones, there were also massive mausoleums built for those who could afford them.
In the middle of the cemetery stood the most extravagant of those mausoleums, made of marble with a pair of stone gargoyles at the entrance. From inside came the sound of creaking wood.
"It's time..." said a sinister voice.
The metal door opened and fog poured out from within. Soon, the sound of black shoes echoed through the cemetery as a figure stepped outside.
It was a man walking swiftly among the graves with both elegance and haste. As he passed by the groundskeeper, who stared at him in confusion, he pulled out a copper coin and handed it to him for doing such a fine job maintaining the place.
"May you have good blood, sir."
The man laughed at his own joke before leaving the cemetery. Once outside, he stopped on the sidewalk and pulled out an old-fashioned pocket watch.
"Mm, how strange. My transportation should already be here."
At that exact moment, a vehicle drifted around the corner at high speed before stopping right in front of the man.
The door opened and the man climbed inside.
"Good evening, sir."
"Good evening," Allen said while staring at the man through the rearview mirror. His expression was a mix of disbelief and confusion. "I assume you're the Count?"
"Indeed. Please, I ask that you be quick. I'm in a hurry to reach my destination."
The man in the back seat had a peculiar appearance: pale skin, pointed ears, fangs, red eyes, and long slicked-back hair. His clothes consisted of a shirt with a high-collared cape and pants straight out of the sixteenth century.
No matter who saw him, he was clearly a vampire. A very outdated one, almost like the one who teaches children how to count on Sesame Street. However, Allen had already grown used to the ridiculous changes in his world, so he said nothing.
Why was Allen working as an Uber driver for a vampire? That's a long story for another time.
"Well, if that's your wish." Allen smiled.
The roar of his Ford Mustang echoed.
The tires burned rubber before reaching one hundred miles per hour in seconds.
The "vampire" was shoved violently against his seat by inertia.
"Ahhh!"
Completely unaffected by the speed, Allen kept accelerating. He merged onto the avenue and began overtaking cars from both the right and left lanes while the vampire was slammed against the windows during the process.
"So what's it like being a vampire in the twenty-first century?"
"Ahhh! Stop, mortal!"
"Relax, sir. I'll get you to your destination on time. That was the plan." Allen smiled calmly.
The vampire cursed Allen, but he was too busy smashing against the doors and ceiling to say much else.
For some reason, nobody in New York actually knew how to drive. As soon as they reached the avenue, there was a massive traffic jam with drivers yelling everywhere.
Allen had to slam on the brakes, causing the vampire to crash into the windshield.
"Don't worry, Count Chocula, I'll get you to your appointment or we'll die trying!"
"What?"
The Count, still pressed against the windshield, somehow turned even paler.
Allen turned on the stereo and blasted some Fast & Furious music, perfectly fitting for what he was about to do.
He pressed the accelerator toward a building, and the Count was crushed against his seat again.
"Ahhh!"
The Count screamed while Allen smiled. Right before crashing into the wall, Allen pressed a button on the dashboard, causing the car to jump and stick itself to the wall. Allen pressed another button, and the vehicle clung to the surface as though gravity no longer affected it.
"What is wrong with this car?!"
"Honestly, I didn't even know it could do that hahaha!" Allen laughed before flooring the accelerator again and driving along the wall. Once they reached the edge of the building, he pressed the jump button once more, but apparently gravity for the vehicle was now pointing sideways, because instead of falling, it leaped onto the next building... and then the next.
People inside their cars watched in both amazement and envy. When Allen noticed them, he flipped them off, following the proud tradition of a proper New York taxi driver, earning himself a storm of insults in return.
Allen couldn't care less and continued driving across buildings until there were no more left, finally landing back on the street. A normal car would've been destroyed, but this Mustang seemed to have vibranium suspension, landing with a bounce before continuing to accelerate.
"AHHHHHHHH!"
Count Chocula screamed while plastered against the rear window.
....
Deep within the forest, a group of people stared impatiently at their watches and phones. They were all dressed in robes and garlic necklaces. Some carried torches while others held Bibles or wooden stakes.
The roar of the Mustang in the distance and the Count's screams drew the group's attention. The Mustang stopped right in front of them, and Allen stepped out of the vehicle. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a gold chain. The outfit didn't suit him at all, but he had to wear it.
Allen walked toward the back door while staring strangely at the group, which looked like some sort of cult, and opened it.
Count Chocula stumbled out until he reached a girl... and vomited all over her.
"Noooo!"
"I-I'm s-sorry, blegh."
"Well, you arrived on time. That was the deal." Allen, after seeing this, simply shrugged. But before leaving, he looked toward the apparent leader. "Should I call the police?"
"Huh?"
"Sorry, but it looks like you're preparing to sacrifice someone or something."
The leader laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, well..."
The man explained what they were doing with a smile.
Allen was speechless. These guys were similar to people who reenacted medieval battles, except their theme was vampire hunting.
While Allen listened to the leader, the vampire was dragged by two men toward a post and tied up. Afterward, one of them began reciting strange dramatic prayers. They didn't sound biblical at all, more like dialogue ripped from some terrible television show.
"Hey, is this safe?" Allen asked. After all, the vampire was technically his client.
"Oh, he'll be fine. We're just going to stab him with a few wooden stakes here and there."
"...and he's okay with that?" Allen asked while looking at the pale Count tied to the post. Of course, he was always pale, so maybe that wasn't the best detail to focus on.
"Well, we pay him very well and we do this every Tuesday, so I'd say he's satisfied." The leader smiled.
At the same moment, someone stabbed the Count through the heart while he screamed dramatically.
"AHHHHHHHH! Cursed humans! You'll never make this Count submit! Muahahahaha!"
The Count laughed like a villain while tears of blood streamed from his white eyes. He was completely committed to the role.
"Oh brother, how did you go from being a breakfast icon to getting stabbed for a few hundred bucks?" Allen looked at Count Chocula with pity for a moment before shaking his head and shrugging again. "Well, with how rough the economy is, I can't judge... and by the way."
Allen grabbed the leader by the shoulder and showed him the fare on his phone.
The man broke into a cold sweat but didn't dare refuse to pay.
Allen walked toward the Mustang, but instead of getting in, he stared at it sadly.
"Can't I keep it?"
[No...]
The Mustang disappeared along with Allen's clothes, returning him to his normal outfit.
"Do we have time for another wish?"
[Your date with Natasha is in an hour]
"Good." Allen smiled before teleporting away.
....
Near the coast, a yacht came to a stop. On it, Allen, dressed in swim trunks, leaned against the railing while holding a cocktail.
"Let me see if I understood this correctly. You want human legs?"
In the water was a beautiful red-haired girl staring at Allen with flushed cheeks while timidly nodding.
"Well Ariel, don't you have some kind of sea magic or something to get them yourself?"
"No... I'm a mermaid, not a mage."
Allen blinked before snapping his fingers.
When Ariel reacted, they were already standing on the shore, and she now had legs.
"Oh, I really can walk?!" The girl looked shocked as she stared at her legs, which truly were beautiful and smooth. High-quality legs!
"Well, I guess you'll go look for your prince or something," Allen said with a smile.
Ariel looked at him in confusion before quickly waving her hands.
"No no, that's not it."
Allen was a little confused. If she hadn't come looking for love, then what did the mermaid want?
Blushing, the girl pointed toward a nearby spot along the coast. It was a seafood restaurant.
"You..."
"I'm sorry..."
....
Allen sat beside Ariel while she ordered a lobster that apparently used to be her friend, because she cried while eating it.
'This is weird. I mean, Aquaman said he has no problem eating fish, but this is absurd.'
Allen accompanied the mermaid during her tearful yet enjoyable meal, then took her back to the sea. She said goodbye after exchanging contact numbers for future services.
'The fact that a phone works underwater is the least surprising thing I've seen today,' Allen thought before disappearing along with the yacht.
When Allen appeared again, he was back in his apartment. Natasha was already waiting for him, dressed in an evening gown and makeup.
She looked absolutely beautiful.
"Hi honey, how did your new job go?"
"I don't know if I'd call it a job, but one thing's for sure, my grandkids are going to have a lot of stories to hear." Allen laughed before lifting the redhead into his arms, causing her to blush.
"You'd need to have kids first, wouldn't you?"
Allen smiled mischievously and carried Natasha toward the bedroom. "Excellent idea."
"Kya wait, the reservation is in half an hour!"
"Oh darling, one minute can be a year if I want it to be."
Allen kicked open the bedroom door and the room soon filled with Natasha's moans and cries of pleasure.