"Seriously? Why do I have to stay here?" Missy asked.
"And what—are you going to keep staying in your apartment and receive more threats?" Raven replied calmly.
Missy froze. "B–but, Mr. Raven, I…"
"Raven," he cut in. "Call me Raven."
"You said I have to stay here... just because I'm your assistant?"
Raven nodded. "You're my employee. You have no money. No place to stay after what happened yesterday. You don't feel safe there either, do you? Besides… you shouldn't be far from me."
"Huh?" Missy looked at him, confused. His calm tone only made her heart react in ways she didn't understand.
"Just admit it," he murmured. "You're not safe there. They could come back and hurt you again, Hart."
Missy shuddered. Fear crept back in, cold and suffocating.
"Alright…" she said softly. "At least tell me what happened to me."
Raven exhaled slowly. His gaze turned serious.
"You came back to life. And I made that happen. So you're bound to me. From now on… your life belongs to me."
Missy blinked, her heart pounding. "You've said that several times…" she murmured. Then, hesitating, "A… slave?" she asked innocently.
A faint hint of amusement flickered across Raven's face. "That sounds harsh."
"Isn't it true?" Missy pressed. "Do I have to follow you forever? Serve you? No payment? Just working for you because you saved me?"
Silence lingered for a moment.
Then—
"Anyway… who are you, really?" Missy asked, trying to steady herself. "And how did you bring me back to life?"
Raven glanced at her briefly. "Let's just say… the circumstances, and someone granted me the ability to do so."
"Someone?" Missy tilted her head.
"God?"
No answer.
"An angel?"
Still nothing.
"A witch?" she tried again.
Silence.
Missy hesitated.
"…a demon?"
Raven's gaze flickered—just slightly.
But it was enough.
Missy's eyes widened. "Oh…"
She covered her mouth. "Even though I'm not that devout, but… a demon? Raven, did you seriously make a deal with—"
A faint sound broke the silence.
Not quite laughter.
But close.
Missy gasped, a small, startled sound slipping out before she could stop it.
"Did you hear that?"
Raven didn't answer.
The air shifted.
Heavier. Colder.
Then—
A low chuckle echoed from behind her.
"Oh?" a voice murmured, smooth and amused. "Did someone just call for me?"
Missy's body went rigid.
Slowly, she turned.
The corner of the room was no longer empty.
Someone was standing there.
Leaning casually against the wall… as if he had always belonged in the shadows.
Missy gasped. "W–who are you?!"
"Well now…" he pushed himself off the wall, stepping forward lazily. "That depends." A faint, playful smile curved on his lips. "Who do you want me to be?"
Missy instinctively stepped back.
He was close.
Too close.
She hadn't even seen him move.
A cold sensation brushed against her arm—light, teasing… yet enough to make her flinch.
"Hm…" his gaze lingered on her, slow and deliberate. "A pure soul." He tilted his head slightly. "And still intact. How refreshing."
"R–Raven…?" Missy whispered, panic creeping into her voice.
"Relax," the man said lightly, glancing at Raven. "I'm just looking."
His gaze returned to Missy, sharper now.
"Though I have to admit…" he leaned closer, his voice dropping into something softer, almost intimate. "I didn't expect something this… appealing... quite big."
He glanced at Missy's chest with deliberate ambiguity.
Missy's face flushed instantly. "W–what?!"
His smile widened.
"Oh, don't worry, Bunny," he said lazily. "I'm talking about your soul."
A beat.
"…mostly."
"Lucy," Raven's voice cut in, low and warning. "Watch your mouth."
Lucifer glanced at him, amused. "What? I am behaving."
Then he snapped his fingers lightly. "Ah—right. Manners."
He straightened slightly.
"You can call me Lucifer."
Missy froze.
"…No."
A soft chuckle slipped from his lips. "Yes."
Her head shook weakly. "No, that's not—"
"I get that reaction a lot," he said casually. "Denial is a very human thing."
Missy's breathing turned uneven. "Y–you're joking…"
Lucifer sighed faintly. "I could be." His smile deepened. "But where's the fun in that?"
And then—
Something about him shifted.
Not all at once.
Slowly.
Wrong.
Unnaturally.
The air thickened.
The shadows twisted behind him. Stretching, bending... as if trying to escape him.
"Besides…" his voice dropped, darker now. "You already called me, didn't you?"
Missy's heart stopped.
"I thought it would be rude not to answer."
Then—
Black wings tore into existence behind him.
Massive. Suffocating.
Swallowing the light in the room.
Missy's vision blurred instantly.
Her body refused to move.
Her instincts screamed—
Run—
But she couldn't even breathe.
Lucifer tilted his head, watching her with quiet fascination.
"Oh…" he murmured softly. "There it is."
Fear.
Raw. Pure.
"Careful," he added, almost teasing. "If you keep looking at me like that… I might take you sooner than planned."
"Oh God…" Missy whispered.
And everything went black.
Raven moved just in time, catching her before she fell.
"Tch. Such a weak creature," Lucifer muttered.
"Yeah," Raven replied flatly as he carried Missy to the sofa. "Any normal human would react the same if you showed that form without warning."
Lucifer chuckled. "Well then, Knight… you handle her." His eyes flickered briefly toward Missy. "At least now she knows what she's dealing with."
"Shouldn't you explain it yourself?" Raven asked.
Lucifer shook his head lightly. "She's yours. Your responsibility." His smile turned sharper. "I'll just take her pure soul when the time comes."
A pause.
"Or… do you want me to take it now?"
Raven stilled.
"Leave."
Lucifer laughed softly. "Sentimental. Remember… she belongs to me."
And just like that—
He vanished.
Silence fell once more.
Raven exhaled slowly, then lifted his hand.
The door to the inner room shut on its own.
"Damn demon," he muttered.
Some time later...
Missy stirred.
Her body felt heavy.
Shadows.
Wings.
Her breath hitched.
Missy jolted awake.
"Demon!"
Her breathing was uneven as she looked around frantically.
"He's gone," Raven said calmly.
Missy stared at him, pale. "That… wasn't a dream, was it…?"
"No," Raven replied. "Not a dream, Hart."
Missy ran her fingers through her hair, still shaken. "This is different… I saw him. I really saw him. And it wasn't a dream and—ouch!"
She winced, pinching her own cheek.
Raven watched her quietly. "Yes. His form is not something humans can accept easily."
He stepped closer.
"You'll stay here from now on. Just like everything else you've experienced… this place is no different."
A pause.
"Welcome to my world, Hart."
Missy swallowed.
Whether she liked it or not, this was her world now, wasn't it?
"I… I still need to pack my things."
Raven nodded. "Sure, I don't think it will take long. Anything important—you can send it to your mother."
Missy froze. "How do you—"
"You only have your mother," Raven said. "I know that too."
Her chest tightened.
If Raven hadn't saved her…
Would her mother have received news of her death?
"C… can I call her?" Missy asked softly.
"Of course, she's the only one you have," Raven said before leaving the room.
Missy dialed her phone.
"Hello, Mom…"
"Baby, hi. How are you?"
"I'm fine, Mom."
Alive.
At least… I'm still alive. Relief flooded her as she could still hear her mother's voice.
"I miss you," she whispered. "But I can't come home yet."
A pause.
"Hey, is everything okay, Baby?"
"It's fine… just a little problem with work. I moved, and—"
The intercom cut their conversation—a familiar hospital call for nurses.
She closed her eyes briefly.
"Go, Mom. I love you."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Baby. I love you too. We'll talk again later, okay?"
The call ended.
Missy lowered her phone slowly.
Her breath came out heavy.
Everything felt… wrong.
From the bad things at work.
The attack.
And now...
Raven.
That thing.
Why did it feel like her world was being swallowed by darkness?
"Oh… I don't know anymore," she whispered, helplessly.
***