"This district looks completely different compared to mine,„ thought Lucien.
The area he arrived in was one of the most prestigious parts of London. Many aristocrats lived here two- and even three-story houses with countless large rooms inside.
On the dark streets, lit only by gas lamps, it was empty — just a few people rushing home.
Lucien stopped for a moment, closed his eyes, pressed his gloved hand to the ground, and released a vibration wave of hellfire. A second later, a red flare of energy appeared in the distance.
"Found it,„ Lucien smiled and headed toward a two-story house about two hundred meters away.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked forward unhurriedly. Reaching the gate, he stopped.
"It'll be too suspicious if I go through the front. I should circle around the back,„ he thought.
Walking a bit further, Lucien leapt over the tall fence made of red brick and wrought iron.
Hiding behind a small tree, he noticed a dim light in one of the rooms. As he took a step, two running dogs caught his attention.
Lucien jumped forward slightly and fired two flaming bullets. In an instant, the dogs fell without making a sound.
"I already have one annoying, always-hungry bird," Lucien whispered and moved toward the glowing window.
He peeked inside — empty.
Suddenly, the front door to his right opened. Out stepped an old woman with short gray hair, light makeup, and a white-and-violet dress trailing to her heels. Ahead of her walked a tall man in a gray suit and hat. His blue eyes and blond hair gleamed faintly in the dark.
"Sarah, I want our relationship to never end," said the man softly, bending slightly to kiss her hand.
"Of course, my dear Jack," she replied with a gentle smile.
"Well, I must go. Love you," he said and turned toward the exit.
"Strange. The old woman didn't say anything back, but she's radiating unusual energy. Must be the demon. Alright, my chance to get inside,„ thought Lucien and quietly lifted the window. To his surprise, it was unlocked.
Pressing his hands against the frame, he quickly slipped into the living room where the lights were on. Looking around, Lucien turned to close the window.
Suddenly, Sarah entered and saw a stranger in a black suit standing by the window.
A brief pause…
"Heh, sorry, your window was open," said Lucien awkwardly, forcing a smile.
"You exorcists are so damn annoying! Why do you always stick your noses into other people's business?!" the old woman hissed through her teeth.
Her body began to change — thick fur grew on her arms, teeth turned into fangs, her eyes went black, and pale skin cracked with dark veins.
"How did I not feel your energy?!" she roared.
"That's thanks to this little black book," said Lucien, pulling from his coat a small black tome with a gray-stitched cross.
"You have one too? The last fool who came here with a book like that is still digesting in my stomach! Ha-ha-ha-ha!" the old woman laughed, her voice turning shrill and twisted.
"Oh, how that exorcist screamed! Through pain he kept whispering something like, 'Forgive me, son… daddy won't come back…' Pathetic weakling. Good thing such worms die fast," she added.
"Wretch… you'll regret siding with demons."
Lucien's face turned cold and blank only one purpose remained: to destroy evil.
The old woman lunged forward, claws outstretched. Lucien easily dodged her strike and countered with a kick to her back. She flew across the room, crashing into chairs.
BANG!
"Sorry, granny, no autographs today," said Lucien dryly.
"Filthy little cockroach! I'll rip you apart and eat you alive. You'll make a fine dinner!" the old woman shrieked, charging again.
Lucien straightened up, his hands igniting with crimson fire.
"Better finish this quickly and go home to sleep," he thought.
The old woman sprinted forward but froze when she saw the red flames. She tried to stop, her claws scraping against the wooden floor.
"What is that? It can't be! How did I not realize sooner?! That's the Child of Hell Lucien Graves himself! I need to get out of here!" panic flashed through her mind.
She bolted toward the windows. A shiver ran through her body — death was already breathing down her neck.
"Trying to run away? No, no, I don't let my fans leave empty handed," Lucien murmured.
With a swing of his arm, a horizontal wave of fire sliced through the air, severing her legs above the knees. She crashed to the floor, rolling forward.
Her eyes darted wildly in all directions, searching for escape.
"Why… isn't regeneration working?!"
Before she could think further, Lucien was already beside her. Grabbing her by the face, he hurled her so hard the whole house shook.
Summoning her strength, she pushed herself toward the hallway she had entered from earlier.
"Pathetic," muttered Lucien, following her.
His fist ignited again, fiery spikes forming around his knuckles.
He swung — but just before landing the blow, the floorboards beneath him cracked, and he sank waist-deep into a thick, red sludge. As he tried to pull free, it dragged him in deeper.
"Heh-heh-heh. I knew that weakling's blood would come in handy someday. Good thing I didn't drink it all at once," said Sarah.
Lucien looked up and saw her arm transform into a massive red-brown worm that dove into the sludge, slowly absorbing it.
Her legs began to regenerate. She stood — but before she could take another step, a voice called out behind her:
"Grandma?!"
"Don't look at me! TURN AWAY, LILY!" Sarah screamed.
Lily gasped, trembling; her hands shook, her heart pounding violently.
"AAAAAAAH! What are you?! Where's my grandmother?!" she cried, backing away.
"No, no, I'm your grandmother, Sarah. You can look at me now. Don't be afraid," Sarah said softly as her face began to revert to its human form.
"List—" she didn't finish the word.
Her body dropped to the floor — but her head stayed suspended in the air.
"You could've finished me right away… but you didn't. Foolish old hag. And don't call yourself 'grandma,'" said Lucien.
A few seconds earlier…
"The mixture's weaker. Good. She used it for regeneration," thought Lucien.
He focused his flames on his legs, causing a small explosion strong enough to free himself.
As soon as he escaped, he dashed toward the old woman.
A slash —
A blazing blade on his right arm severed her body from her head, while his left hand held it by the hair.
Then, with a snap of his fingers, a fireball in his palm fell onto her body — it ignited instantly.
Lucien turned her head, locking eyes with it.
"You talked too much. Now… it's time to be silent forever," Lucien said coldly and threw the head onto the burning corpse.
"GRANDMAAAAAA!" Lily screamed.
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.