The drive back to the mansion was quiet.
Not the comfortable silence of two people who had nothing to say, but the heavy kind that settled after violence. The road stretched ahead beneath the dim glow of street lamps, their light sliding across the windshield in slow intervals as the car moved through the sleeping city.
Michael kept his eyes on the road.
Lucifer sat in the passenger seat, leaning slightly back as the tension slowly drained from his muscles. The adrenaline that had carried him through the night was fading, leaving behind the dull exhaustion of someone who had pushed himself too far.
Neither of them spoke for several minutes.
Outside, the streets of Noct Vale were unusually empty. Most patrols had already been redirected toward the Highlands after the sudden monster outbreak. The city felt strangely hollow tonight, like something had shaken its foundation and left it holding its breath.
Finally, Michael broke the silence.
"So," he said calmly, his voice cutting through the quiet hum of the engine, "do you want to explain why a core family elder was performing a demonic ritual in your bedroom and why I had to break the door down to stop it?"
Lucifer did not answer immediately.
Instead, he reached into his coat and placed something carefully on the dashboard.
A broken sigil.
Michael glanced at it briefly.
He recognized it instantly.
Lucifer then explained the situation in detail.
He described noticing someone following him earlier that night and deciding to use himself as bait to lure the attacker out. He explained the ritual that Mia had prepared and the attack that followed once the situation spiraled out of control.
But two parts of the story remained absent.
What he had done earlier in the Noct Vale Highlands.
And anything related to Dragoth.
Those details never left Lucifer's mouth.
Instead, he simply stated that before the ritual could be completed, he activated the sigil.
Michael listened silently the entire time.
The only reaction he gave was a faint tightening of his jaw as the explanation unfolded.
When Lucifer finished speaking, Michael remained quiet for several seconds.
Then he frowned slightly.
"Now explain something else," he said.
Lucifer turned his head.
Michael glanced sideways at him.
"What exactly happened during your so-called vacation?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I almost didn't recognize you."
Lucifer said nothing.
Slowly, he reached up and removed the dark green armor that had been covering his body.
He put away the artifact back in his storage bracelet.
Then he turned his back toward Michael.
A tattoo stretched across his back.
Dark black wings spread throughout his back in contrast to his pale skin.
Lucifer then activated his origin card.
The mana surrounding Lucifer suddenly became restless.
The aura filled the car for a brief moment before settling again.
"Nothing special happened," Lucifer said calmly.
"I accidentally awakened recently."
He paused slightly.
"Along with my bloodline. Nothing special."
Michael stared at him for a second and suddenly he burst out laughing.
"You little bastard!"
"That explains everything. No wonder you are acting so cocky on the call before. "
He slapped the steering wheel once, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You disappear for months looking like a walking disaster," he continued, still laughing, "and then you come back completely awakened like it's nothing."
His eyes flicked toward Lucifer again.
"Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?"
Lucifer simply leaned back in his seat.
Michael kept talking.
"What origin did you awaken?"
"Is your affinity strong?"
"Did the bloodline change anything?"
"Are you stronger than before?"
The questions came one after another as the car continued down the quiet road.
Lucifer answered calmly, his responses brief and carefully measured. He gave enough information to satisfy Michael's curiosity but avoided anything that might lead toward the truth about the Highlands or the demon.
By the time the mansion gates appeared in the distance, Michael looked far more relaxed than he had earlier.
The tension from the night had finally begun to fade.
The estate was unusually quiet.
The towering iron gates of Valcrest opened slowly as the car approached. Only a handful of guards remained stationed around the grounds.
Most of the household forces had been sent toward the Noct Vale Highlands to deal with the monster outbreak.
The mansion itself stood silent beneath the moonlight.
For a moment, Lucifer simply looked at it.
His Home Sweet Home.
He had left this place months ago under circumstances that were far less pleasant.
Now he was returning under even stranger ones.
The car came to a stop andLucifer stepped out followed by Michael.
They walked together through the courtyard, their footsteps echoing softly across the stone path.
Lucifer stopped in front of his room.
The door didn't open.
He frowned slightly.
The lock had been changed.
Michael leaned casually against the wall beside him, arms folded as a knowing smirk spread across his face.
"Well," he said, "Amelia apparently believed you wouldn't be coming back anytime soon."
He shrugged.
"So she ordered the locks to be replaced."
Lucifer exhaled slowly.
"I'll just get the keys from her."
After saying this he began walking to the nearest room.
Michael laughed.
"You know," he said casually, "walking into a woman's bedroom in the middle of the night is usually the quickest way to death in Abysscyra."
He pushed himself away from the wall.
"Alright. I will be going. Someone has to answer the questions. "
With that, he turned and walked down the hallway, already heading toward the main wing to deal with the aftermath of the chaos.
Lucifer watched him go for a moment.
Then he turned toward Amelia's door.
He knocked lightly.
"Amelia…"
No response.
He knocked again.
"Amelia…"
The door slowly creaked open.
The room inside was completely dark.
Lucifer stepped inside and reached for the light switch.
The sudden brightness nearly blinded him.
The room was spotless.
Soft pink curtains framed the windows. The bedding matched the same color scheme, with pillows arranged in perfect order. Small decorations were placed carefully across the shelves, each one positioned with almost obsessive precision.
The entire room looked delicate.
Almost obsessively clean.
It felt less like a bedroom and more like a carefully protected personal space.
Lucifer stared at it for a moment.
Then he coughed awkwardly.
"Well… that was unexpected."
Too tired to care, he removed his dirty shoes and dropped onto the bed. He decided to wait for Amelia to come back.
However the sheer amount of exhaustion took him almost instantly.
He fell asleep without even turning off the lights or closing the door.
The next morning Lucifer was woken up by a loud scream and the sound of door slamming shut.
"LUCIFER YOU SON OF A BITCH!"