After walking a few hundred more meters, Lucien finally reached a small tent on the edge of the street. Wax candles with different scents were being sold there.
As he got closer, he saw a girl with long yellow hair neatly tied in a bun, flipping through a magazine with new dresses.
"Ooo, Lucien darling, you came! I've been waiting for you. And without your gloves, too — now that's a celebration," she said, putting the magazine aside.
"Yeah, yeah, hello," replied Lucien.
"I hope you finally decided to ask me out on a date?" she asked, leaning forward on the table with her hands.
"Your neckline is too low. Cover your chest," he replied with a completely stone-cold face.
The girl squinted her yellow eyes and smiled slyly. "Pervert. Then don't look."
"You haven't changed at all, Ellie," said Lucien with his eyes closed and a warm smile.
"Alright, jokes aside. I assume you finished the mission? By the way, that old man belonged to a new group of demons — they've appeared in the city recently. Who they serve is still unknown, but most of their pawns have already been taken care of by our exorcists," said Ellie as she sat down on a chair.
"I see. Now give me my reward," said Lucien confidently.
Ellie reached under the table and pulled out a small brown pouch of money.
"You haven't changed one bit, even though we haven't seen each other for two weeks. What was I expecting…"
Lucien took the pouch from her hands, slipped it into his pocket, and headed toward the food stalls.
"Alright, I'm off."
"Hey, Lucien! Michael was asking about you!" she shouted after him.
In response — silence.
"Probably didn't hear me„, thought Ellie, returning to her magazine.
A few minutes later, Lucien found himself among food stalls. The food was laid out in small black boxes filled with ice — fish, greens, even bottled goods.
"How hard it must be for these people without abilities… These boxes are useless. You always have to change the ice so the food doesn't rot,„ Lucien thought, but his train of thought was broken by a tall, broad-shouldered man with a short black beard.
"Hey, looking to buy something?" the man asked.
"Yes, I'll take those two fish, a few pieces of bread, one carrot, and one onion," replied Lucien, pointing at the food.
"A minu—" the man began to say, but was interrupted by the voice of his daughter running up from behind.
"Dad, dad! I finally made some friends!" the girl shouted, jumping onto the giant's back.
"Sorry, sweetheart, I can't talk right now," he whispered quietly.
"It's fine, don't worry about it," said Lucien, waving his hands.
The man lifted the girl off his back, patted her head, and went back to preparing the order.
"Sorry again. We recently moved here from the southern lands, still getting used to life. By the way, my name's Lloyd. What's yours?" the giant asked, extending his hand.
"Lucien," he replied coldly, paying for the food and leaving without shaking his hand.
"In this world, it's better not to have friends or family… It can become one's greatest weakness,„ Lucien thought as he walked toward his home in the Bloomsbury district.
After a few minutes of walking through the noisy city, he reached his street, lined with rows of identical houses.
"I'm home," Lucien exhaled with relief and placed the groceries into the refrigerator, releasing a bit of his energy into it.
"Now this thing's worth it. Too bad not everyone can afford one," he mumbled with satisfaction and finally began eating breakfast.
"Ah, now I can rest," said Lucien, heading toward the bed.
As he approached, he jumped onto it from a meter and a half high, the floor creaking loudly beneath. Lucien put his hands behind his head, intending to nap — but intrusive thoughts wouldn't let him.
"Neither Virgil nor old George wanted to say who they served — even at death's door. But those three… Can I find them? No, I must find them! They bring nothing but ruin and chaos. That night, I only saw one of them — crimson-red eyes surrounded by blackness, short light-gray hair combed upward. The same black suit as the one from the stall, and that terrifying grin stretching across half his face… Impossible to forget, even after a hundred years,„ Lucien thought, as his vision darkened and he lost consciousness.
"Mama! Papa! Wait, don't run away from me! Please!" shouted Lucien, chasing them down a lonely stone road.
Suddenly, they stopped. The boy ran faster, finally catching up. He reached out and touched their backs.
"Finally, I caught you. Don't leave me alone."
At once, they turned around — their hair dried out, eyes rolled back into their skulls leaving only two black dots. Inside their mouths, there were no teeth — only a long, writhing tongue. The skin on their faces began to peel away slowly.
"SEE YOU IN HELL, LUCIEN GRAVES!" they roared.
In that moment, Lucien's eyes flew open.
"It's just a dream,„ thought Lucien. His face didn't flinch, but his heart was pounding violently.
"How long was I out?" he whispered, looking out the window.
Night was already creeping in. The same greenish-yellow fog covered the city. A lamplighter walked past, lighting the gas lamps one by one.
"I barely slept yesterday… guess that's why I passed out so fast,„ Lucien thought and took a sip of water from a bottle.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the shriek of the bird:
"Piiiii! NEEEW MISSION RECEEEIVED! Piiiii!"
Lucien immediately approached the cage. From the bird's back, a blue feather with golden tips shot out. It floated from the cage and landed right in Lucien's hand. As it touched his palm, it turned into a white sheet of paper with a message from Ellie:
"Dear Lucien darling,
I've received new reports from the organization. In the Camden area, there's been a strong energy surge. A week ago, we sent an exorcist there, but he never returned. Therefore, I'm assigning this mission to you.
Good luck! And try not to die — we still haven't gone on that date."
"Her abilities never cease to amaze me,„ Lucien smiled.
Moments later, he was fully ready: black suit, white shirt, black fedora with a gray band — like a true mafioso — and black gloves as dark as night, sealing Lucien's hellfire.
"Time to kick some demon ass," said Lucien before stepping out of the house.
Thank you for reading the chapter. I'll be glad for every comment and will gladly answer your questions. You can learn more on the Discord server. I'm really looking forward to seeing each of you there.