"Lucian~!"
Lucian stared at the bright sky above him. A cold sweat slid down his cheek.
"Well shit…"
For the first time in three months, Lucian Morningstar failed to look elegant.
He flew backward across Solomon's green field, silver hair scattering over his face as something warm, violent, and very familiar crashed into him with both arms wrapped around his neck.
The impact dragged a long scar through the grass before finally stopping near one of the silver rivers.
Seraphina Samael was on top of him, hugging him like she had just conquered a kingdom and decided he was the reward.
Her crimson hair fell around her face, messy from the summoning, and her red eyes shone with absolute delight.
Seraphina lifted her head. "You summoned me~"
Lucian stared at her.
"Accidentally...."
"But you summoned me."
"That is not the important part."
"It is the only important part."
"Sephy."
"What?"
"You are crushing my ribs."
Seraphina blinked, then her arms tightened. "Good~"
Lucian closed his eyes.
"Hmm… I should have expected that answer."
Behind them, Solomon stared in silence and for one long moment, the King of Magic said nothing.
Then he laughed. He laughed so hard the golden scripts circling his tower shook.
Lucian turned his head slowly. "Master Solomon."
"No, no." Solomon wiped at one eye, still laughing. "Continue, brat. This is the first successful summoning lesson you have performed all week."
Lucian's eyebrow twitched. "I did not summon her successfully."
"She is here, is she not?"
"That is not the standard I want to use."
"It is the standard your spell used."
Seraphina smiled brightly. "See? I was summoned successfully."
"You were spat out of a screaming portal."
"And landed perfectly."
"On me."
"Exactly."
Lucian stared at her.
Seraphina stared back, completely shameless.
Solomon laughed harder.
Lucian exhaled slowly. "Sephy."
"Yes, Lucian~?"
"Get off."
"No."
"Please?"
Seraphina froze.
Lucian realized his mistake immediately.
Her eyes widened a fraction, then her smile turned dangerous. "Oh?"
"Forget I said that."
"No."
"Sephy."
"Huh?! The Prince of Hell can say please?"
Lucian's expression remained calm. Mostly. "A rare mistake."
"A cute mistake~"
"A tactical mistake."
"Then your tactics are adorable."
"Sephy."
"What? It worked on me."
Lucian glanced at her arms still wrapped around his neck. "You are still not moving."
"My body refused."
"Your body?"
"My heart moved first~"
Lucian closed his eyes. "Well shit."
Solomon bent over laughing.
Lucian looked toward him with murder in his eyes.
Solomon pointed at him. "No. Do not look at me like that. This is your fault."
"My fault?" Lucian asked.
"You opened a half-broken Ars Goetia gate with Edicts you barely understand."
"I understood enough."
"Do you?"
Seraphina finally noticed Solomon properly. She turned her head, then paused.
Her eyes narrowed. "Who is this handsome bastard?"
The realm went silent.
Lucian's face went pale.
"Sephy."
Solomon stopped laughing. Slowly, very slowly, he looked at her.
"Handsome?" he repeated.
Lucian raised one hand from the grass.
"Ermm… she said bastard too."
Solomon looked at him.
Lucian smiled nervously. "Respectfully?"
Seraphina did not let go of Lucian. Her eyes stayed on Solomon, suspicious and sharp.
"You were an old man yesterday."
Solomon's expression flattened.
"I was also an old man ten minutes ago."
"Then why are you handsome now?"
"Because your prince has eyes sharp enough to ruin a disguise."
Seraphina looked down at Lucian. Her expression changed.
"You saw through him?"
Lucian blinked.
"Yes?"
Seraphina smiled proudly. "That is my Lucian."
"I am not property."
"You keep saying that."
"Because none of you listen."
"I listen."
"You ignore selectively."
"That is still listening."
Solomon looked between them, then he smiled. "Oh, this is wonderful."
Lucian sat up slowly, which was difficult because Seraphina still refused to release him. He managed anyway, though his dignity had already suffered enough damage for one day.
"Master Solomon," he said, voice controlled. "Explain."
Solomon leaned on his staff, still smiling.
"You made a summoning structure from a broken understanding of the Ars Goetia, mixed it with your Edicts, tore open the outer lock of my tower, and let the contract search for the strongest compatible connection."
Lucian glanced at Seraphina.
She smiled.
"Compatible?"
Solomon's grin widened.
"Very."
Lucian's eyes narrowed.
"Do not enjoy this too much."
"I have earned this."
Seraphina tilted her head.
"What does compatible mean?"
Solomon looked at her, then at Lucian.
Lucian's expression became dangerous. "Old man."
Solomon ignored him.
"Summoning is not just name and distance, girl. It is connection. Authority. Will. Recognition. Sometimes blood. Sometimes contract. Sometimes obsession."
"I am not obsessed," Seraphina said.
Lucian looked at her arms still locked around him.
She followed his gaze.
"That proves nothing."
Solomon's smile became unbearable.
"In your case, the connection was loud enough that even a broken gate knew where to go."
Seraphina's eyes brightened.
Lucian went still.
"No."
"Yes," Solomon said.
"No."
"Yes."
Seraphina turned to Lucian slowly.
"You called me with your soul~?"
Lucian stared at Solomon.
Solomon looked innocent.
"Master Solomon is enjoying himself too much to be trusted," Lucian said.
Seraphina's smile widened.
"Your soul called me."
"It did not."
"It did."
"Perhaps it made a mistake."
Seraphina gasped.
Lucian paused.
That had been the wrong answer.
Her eyes sharpened.
"A mistake?"
"Hmm…"
"Lucian~"
"I meant the spell."
"You said mistake."
"The spell was the mistake."
"But I came."
"That was also unexpected."
"Unexpected?"
"Sephy."
"Do you want to be thrown?"
"I am already on the ground."
After a few moments, Solomon finally straightened.
"Enough. Send her back."
Seraphina's arms tightened.
"No."
Lucian looked down at her.
"No?"
"No."
"You cannot stay here."
"I can."
"This is Solomon's private realm."
"Then I will challenge him for visitation rights."
Solomon's smile froze.
Lucian rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Sephy, please do not declare war on my teacher."
"Is he strong?"
"Yes."
"Then it would be good training."
"Ermm… no."
Solomon pointed his staff at her.
"I am beginning to understand why the gate chose her."
Lucian looked up. "Because of connection?"
"Because trouble recognizes trouble."
Seraphina looked pleased.
Lucian did not.
Solomon walked closer and tapped his staff against the grass.
"Listen carefully, brat. Summoning has three foundations. Name. Anchor. Dismissal."
Lucian's expression shifted.
Despite everything, his mind sharpened.
Solomon noticed and snorted.
"There it is. One word about theory and suddenly you stop looking like a man trapped by romance."
"I am not trapped by romance."
Seraphina rested her chin on his shoulder.
"You are trapped by me~"
Lucian closed his eyes.
"Case unproven."
"Case obvious."
Solomon continued, clearly enjoying every second.
"Name defines who is called. Anchor defines why they answer. Dismissal defines how they return. Without dismissal, a summoner is just an idiot who opened a door and hoped nothing clingy ran through."
Seraphina smiled.
Lucian stared at Solomon.
"That was too specific."
"It was deserved."
Lucian exhaled.
"Fine."
He looked at Seraphina.
"Sephy."
"No."
"I have not said anything yet."
"You were about to send me back."
"Yes."
"No."
Lucian's smile softened. "You cannot stay here."
Seraphina opened her mouth.
Lucian continued before she could speak.
"You were pulled through an unstable gate. The connection is rough, your body is fine only because your bloodline is strong, and if the structure collapses incorrectly, it might damage your soul."
Seraphina went still and for once, she listened.
Lucian lifted one hand and gently touched the side of her head, brushing a strand of crimson hair away from her face.
"So go back properly," he said. "I will return to Hell later."
Seraphina stared at him, her cheeks turned red.
Solomon watched with interest. Lucian realized the softness of his own tone a second too late.
Seraphina recovered first. "Say that again."
"No."
"You sounded worried."
"I was explaining risk."
"You sounded worried~"
"I was being responsible."
"You touched my hair."
"That was tactical."
"Your cheeks disagree."
Lucian went very still.
Solomon smiled. "Fascinating. The prince can still be bullied."
Lucian turned slowly.
"Master Solomon."
"What?"
"I am beginning to regret not dropping the meteor properly."
"You tried."
Seraphina laughed and finally loosened her arms a little.
Lucian stood with her still attached to his side. He raised his hand. Silver-black light gathered beneath Seraphina's feet. This time, he did not force it. He did not tear through Solomon's tower. He shaped the circle carefully.
A seal formed beneath her, thin and elegant, with a path drawn through its center.
Solomon's teasing faded slightly.
"Better," he said.
Lucian did not look at him.
The circle closed.
Seraphina looked down. "It feels different."
"It should."
Lucian's voice was calm.
"The first one dragged you here. This one gives you a path back."
Seraphina looked up at him.
"And if I refuse?"
Lucian smiled faintly.
"Then I will ask nicely again."
Her face turned red. "You are cheating."
"I learned from Solomon." Lucian said.
Solomon snorted. "Do not blame me for your shamelessness."
Lucian's smile widened.
"It is one of my better qualities~"
Seraphina's eyes sparkled dangerously.
"Say that again when you come back."
"No."
"I will make you."
"You can try."
"I will."
"I know."
The seal brightened.
Seraphina stepped back into the circle, though her eyes stayed on him the entire time.
"Come back soon."
"I will."
"If you do not, I will break into this realm myself."
"You do not know how."
"Then I will learn."
Solomon muttered, "Wonderful. There are two of them."
Seraphina grinned.
Then the seal opened beneath her, silver-black light folding around her body. Just before she vanished, she pointed at Solomon. "And you."
Solomon raised an eyebrow.
"Old handsome bastard."
Lucian paled again.
"Sephy."
She ignored him.
"Do not steal him for too long."
Solomon stared, then smiled. "I make no promises."
Seraphina's smile sharpened.
"Then I make threats."
The seal closed, she vanished. Silence returned to the field for about three seconds. Then Solomon laughed his ass off again.
Lucian stood there, one hand still raised, his expression completely calm except for the cold sweat on his face.
Solomon wiped at one eye. "You are doomed."
Lucian lowered his hand.
"Hmm… I have survived worse."
"No, brat. You have survived enemies. That is different."
Lucian looked toward the place where Seraphina had vanished.
"Can we pretend this never happened?"
Solomon's smile became evil.
"No."
"Can I pay you?"
"I am richer than most dead kings."
"Can I threaten you?"
"You can try."
"Can I erase your memory?"
"Not yet."
Lucian sighed.
"Annoying."
"Educational."
"You are going to tell Father."
"I might."
"You are absolutely going to tell Father."
"I am already considering the phrasing."
Lucian stared at him.
Solomon smiled.
"Lucifer, your son tried to imitate the Ars Goetia and summoned his admirer."
Lucian closed his eyes. "Please never speak again."
"Lucifer, your son's soul called a girl with anger issues."
"Master Solomon."
"Lucifer, your son performed advanced emotional summoning."
Lucian opened his eyes. "I hate you."
"No, you do not."
"I am considering it."
"You love that I am useful."
Lucian paused and clicked his tongue.
Solomon smiled wider. "See?"
Lucian sat beneath one of the ancient trees near the river and leaned back against the trunk. The grass beneath him was soft, the wind cool, and the sky far too peaceful for the damage his dignity had taken.
For the first time in months, he felt tired. The spar. The Edicts. Solomon's Laws. The broken Ars Goetia attempt. Especially Seraphina.
Lucian rubbed his face with one hand.
"Hmmm…"
Solomon sat on a stone nearby, still in his true form, bronze skin glowing faintly beneath the realm's light. Somehow, the younger body made his teasing worse.
"Still alive?" Solomon asked.
"Unfortunately for your peace, yes."
"Good. I would hate to explain to Lucifer that his son died from summoning his own admirer."
Lucian looked at him.
"Ermm… let us never phrase it like that again."
"I will phrase it exactly like that."
"You are worse in your true form."
"I have more energy."
"That is not comforting."
"It was not meant to be."
Lucian leaned his head back against the tree and looked at the bright sky.
"Why did the gate choose her?"
Solomon's smile softened by a fraction. "Because she was your loudest connection."
"She was probably thinking about me...."
"Probably?"
Lucian looked at him.
Solomon laughed.
"Yes, yes. Certainly."
Lucian narrowed his eyes.
Solomon rested his staff across his knees.
"Do not overthink it. Summoning follows many things. Name. Blood. Desire. Familiarity. Recognition. Unfinished contracts. Strong emotion." His smile returned. "That girl is practically a bonfire with your name carved into it."
Lucian coughed once.
"Old man."
"What?"
"Stop."
"You asked."
"I regret it."
"Good. Regret is a fine teacher."
Lucian sighed and closed his eyes, neither of them spoke further.
The river moved quietly beside them. The tower's golden scripts returned to their slow orbit. The broken patches of grass still repairing themselves under the realm's law.
Eventually, Solomon stood. "You should return."
Lucian opened one eye.
"Already?"
"You have another teacher waiting."
Lucian sat up.
"Father."
"Yes."
Solomon's smile turned amused again.
"And if you stay longer, the red-haired one may attempt to invade my realm by force."
Lucian stood. "She might."
"She will."
"Hmm… likely."
Solomon opened a golden gate with a lazy turn of his staff. The portal showed Hell beyond it. Red sky, and full of black architecture.
A training hall carved beneath the palace.
Lucian stepped toward it, then paused. "Master Solomon."
Solomon looked at him.
Lucian smiled faintly.
"Thank you."
Solomon blinked and for once he did not immediately tease him. Then his expression shifted into something unreadable.
"Do not thank me yet, brat. I have barely begun ruining your life."
Lucian's smile widened.
"I look forward to it~"
He stepped through the gate. The training hall beneath the palace was empty except for one man.
Lucifer Morningstar stood at the center of the black stone floor, dressed in a dark suit trimmed with gold
Lucian stepped out of the portal and straightened his coat.
"Father."
Lucifer turned. His golden eyes moved over Lucian once. The burned sleeve, the tired posture, and the faint trace of silver-black authority still clinging to his skin.
Then his mouth curved. "You summoned Seraphina."
Lucian stopped.
"…Huh?"
Lucifer's smile deepened.
Lucian stared at him.
"How?"
"Your father knows many things."
"Master Solomon told you already?"
"No."
Lucian narrowed his eyes.
"Then Sephy?"
"Not yet."
"Then how?"
Lucifer looked amused.
"The entire palace heard her screaming your name when she returned."
Lucian closed his eyes.
"She is not subtle," Lucifer said.
"No," Lucian muttered. "She is not."
"And I hear Solomon has regained his younger face."
Lucian opened one eye.
"You knew?"
"I knew he disliked wearing the old one around sharp-eyed students."
"Why did you not tell me?"
"Because watching you discover it was more entertaining."
Lucian stared at him.
Lucifer smiled. "Your expression resembles betrayal."
"I wonder why."
"You should be proud. Few notice Solomon's false body that quickly."
Lucian adjusted his sleeve. "I noticed because his weakness was too perfect."
Lucifer's eyes softened with pride.
"Good."
Lucifer turned and began walking across the training floor. "Your control has improved."
Lucian followed.
"Solomon said I was troublesome."
"He says that when he is pleased."
"He says it often."
"Then he is very pleased."
"That is disturbing."
"It should be."
Lucifer stopped at the center of the hall.
The floor beneath them glowed faintly, red lines appearing in a wide circle. Ancient seals awakened one by one, forming a training field strong enough to survive things ordinary arenas would not.
Lucian looked at the seals. "Are we sparring?"
"No."
Lucian paused.
"No?"
"Not today."
Lucifer faced him. "Today, we measure."
Lucian's expression became still.
The joking mood faded.
"Measure what?"
"You."
The air in the hall changed.
Lucian straightened.
Lucifer looked at him, not as the teasing father from the study, not as the king of Hell amused by his son's trouble, but as the Morningstar.
"Your strength has already reached a level where few beings in the younger realms can compare to you."
Lucian said nothing.
Lucifer continued.
"Among demons of your generation, none stand near you. Among most high-ranking demons, only experience keeps them alive long enough to make the fight interesting."
Lucian listened carefully. "How about gods?"
Lucifer's eyes settled on him.
"From another pantheon?"
"Yes."
"What kind of god?"
Lucian tilted his head. "Minor gods."
"Beneath you."
Lucian's eyes sharpened. "Major gods?"
"Most would fall if they faced you directly."
"Most?"
"Some major gods are old enough, clever enough, or blessed enough to make the fight troublesome." Lucifer smiled faintly. "Troublesome does not mean impossible."
Lucian nodded slowly. "And elder gods?"
Lucifer's smile thinned.
"Now the question becomes interesting."
Lucian's gaze sharpened. "Could I win?"
"Against some, yes. Against the older ones, not easily."
"Chief gods?"
"Some chief gods are merely elder gods with crowns. Others are monsters wearing civilization as a robe."
Lucian absorbed that in silence.
Then he asked, "Zeus?"
Lucifer's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Strong," he said. "Arrogant. Easier to provoke than he should be."
"That was not an answer."
"It was enough of one."
Lucian smiled faintly.
Lucifer continued.
"Do not make the mistake of measuring gods only by power. A god inside their domain is different from a god dragged away from it. A war god on a battlefield, a sea god in the ocean, a death god among the dead… context matters."
Lucian nodded.
"And the Sins?"
"All of them stand within the realm of elder gods."
Lucian's brows lifted slightly.
"All?"
"All," Lucifer said. "Samael. Beelzebub. Leviathan. Mammon. Belphegor. Asmodeus. Each of them has carved their authority deep enough that ordinary gods would be fools to challenge them."
Lucian's eyes narrowed.
"Old man Samael?"
"Can make lower Primordials bleed under the right conditions."
Lucian went quiet.
"Beelzebub?"
"Can consume things that should not have mouths placed near them."
"Leviathan?"
Lucifer's smile became faintly amused.
"Some depths are older than fear."
Lucian understood. The Sins were not merely nobles. Not merely uncles and aunts who teased, trained, and watched him grow. They were monsters wearing family shapes.
"And you?" Lucian asked.
The training hall became heavier.
Lucifer's smile did not change. But the shadows in the room lowered. The red seals beneath the floor dimmed, as if careful not to shine too brightly before him.
"I stand where most gods stop being gods and start becoming stories that fear how they will end."
Lucian was silent for a moment. "High Primordial."
"Among other things."
Lucian held his father's gaze.
"And Michael?"
Lucifer's expression shifted.
A name with weight.
A name with history.
"Michael stands there as well."
Lucian listened.
"Then Solomon?"
Lucifer smiled. "That old man is the most irritating of the three."
Lucian blinked.
"More than you?"
"Careful."
"Ermm… I meant no disrespect~"
"You meant some."
"A little."
Lucifer's smile returned. Then it faded into something more serious.
"Solomon began as a mortal."
Lucian said nothing, he already knew that. But hearing it from Lucifer gave the fact a different weight.
"Angels were born close to Heaven's highest light," Lucifer said. "Primordials were born from the bones of existence. Gods were shaped by worship, myth, and domain."
"Solomon was born human, " he paused. "Then he climbed."
Lucian's eyes sharpened.
"Never underestimate him. A god can burn a city. Solomon can strip the fire of its heat before the first wall catches flame." Lucifer continued.
Lucian thought of the meteor frozen in the sky.
The black star was denied before impact.
The flame was severed from burning.
The world itself agreeing with Solomon.
"High Primordial," Lucian murmured.
"Yes."
"As a mortal."
"That is why everyone hates him."
Lucian smiled. "That is why I like him."
Lucifer looked at him, then sighed. "There it is."
"What?"
"That look again."
Lucian's smile became innocent.
"I have no idea what you mean."
"You look as if someone told you mortality was only an inconvenience."
"Was it not, for him?"
"For Solomon, perhaps." Lucifer's gaze sharpened. "Do not assume his path can be copied."
"I do not intend to copy it."
"Good."
Lucian smiled faintly.
"I intend to surpass it."
Lucifer stared at him, then he laughed proudly.
"Yes," he said. "You are definitely my son."
Lucian's smile remained.
Then he asked the question that had been sitting in his chest since Solomon spoke of gods and binding.
"And above High Primordials?"
The air changed again.
Lucifer did not answer immediately.
When he did, his voice was quieter.
"There are beings who are less part of the hierarchy and more the foundation beneath it."
Lucian's expression became serious.
"Biblical God."
Lucifer's eyes lifted slightly.
"Yes."
"And Chaos."
The silence sharpened.
Lucifer looked at him.
"You have been studying."
"I dislike not knowing things."
"That much is obvious."
Lucian waited.
Lucifer turned slightly, looking toward the far wall as if seeing something beyond Hell.
"God holds Creation Law. The highest divine law. The authority to create existence from nothing, to define order, to grant true souls, and to write the rules by which reality becomes stable."
Lucian listened carefully.
"And Chaos?"
"Chaos is the opposite and the beginning. Not evil. Not good. The unshaped possibility before order. The void before name. The place where form has not yet been forced to choose what it is."
Lucian's eyes narrowed.
"Creation and possibility."
"Yes."
"Can they be killed?"
Lucifer looked back at him.
The hall went silent, very silent.
Then Lucifer smiled. "Do not ask questions whose answers may hear you."
Lucian went still. For the first time that day, he did not tease.
Lucifer stepped closer and placed one hand on his shoulder.
"You are powerful, Lucian. More powerful than most beings your age have any right to be. But power is not what worries me."
Lucian looked at him.
"Then what does?"
"The enemies you will face next may not try to defeat you."
Lucian frowned.
"What will they do?"
Lucifer's golden eyes held his.
"They will try to claim you."
Lucian's expression cooled.
"I already belong to Hell."
"I know," Lucifer said. "That is why they will hate you when you refuse."
Lucian thought of Solomon.
Names.
Laws.
Seals.
Contracts.
The rules beneath rules.
His expression became serious.
"Claim me?"
Lucifer looked at him for a long moment.
Then said, "Yes."
The hall became colder. Lucian's smile faded.
Lucifer's hand remained on his shoulder. "Sooner or later, Olympus will learn you are alive."
Lucian went still.
"Olympus?"
The word felt strange in his mouth.
Not because he did not know it. He knew the Greek pantheon. He knew their gods, their domains, their arrogance, their wars. He had studied them as one studied foreign powers.
But the way Lucifer said the name made it sound closer.
Personal.
Lucian's eyes narrowed. "What does Olympus have to do with me?"
Lucifer's expression remained calm. And in that calm, Lucian saw the first answer. Something had been hidden. Something important.
"Father."
Lucifer looked at him. For a moment, the king of Hell said nothing.
Then the training hall doors opened. A servant stepped in, trembling.
"Your Majesty. Your Highness."
Lucifer's eyes did not leave Lucian.
"What is it?"
The servant swallowed.
"A message from the western border."
Lucian turned slightly.
The servant lowered his head further.
"One of the outer watchtowers detected divine movement near the boundary."
Lucifer's expression sharpened.
Lucian felt the air change.
"Which pantheon?" Lucifer asked.
The servant hesitated, then answered.
"Greek."
Lucian looked back at his father.
Lucifer's hand slowly fell from his shoulder.
The silence that followed was heavier than any spell Solomon had cast.
Lucian's voice was calm when he spoke.
"Father."
Lucifer closed his eyes for half a breath.
Lucian's silver gaze sharpened.
"What does Olympus have to do with me?"