Lucifer: Godless Reawakening

Under the lone tree, a young boy with dark blond hair sat hunched over, his face swollen and mottled with bruises.

He didn't shed a tear. His jaw was clenched, his eyes burning with anger instead of fear.

A short, balding man approached from the side and lowered himself beside the boy without a word. For a while, neither spoke. The silence lingered like a question.

At last he asked, "Did the other noble kids trouble you again, Warren?"

Warren turned his face away. "Why does it bother you? Shouldn't you be focused on your work?"

The man let out a slow, tired sigh. "But you matter just as much. After your mother left… you're all I have."

Warren's frown deepened. His composure cracked.

"Then why didn't you think about me when you rejected that ascension? You could've been a Count by now. But no—you're stuck in this damn city."

The man didn't flinch at the bitterness in his son's voice.

Instead, he turned fully toward him, wiping the blood from the boy's lip with a calloused thumb.

"These people trust me, son. They rely on me."

"But why?" Warren snapped. "Why do you have to protect them forever? What's the point of being their savior? They don't even pay enough taxes to make it worth it."

The older man's voice softened.

"It was never about the money." His hand cupped Warren's bruised cheek. "When you help someone—when you stand for those who can't stand for themselves—you give meaning to the blessing you've been given. Don't forget that. Your power isn't decoration. It defines who you are."

…

"Guh…" Warren groaned, consciousness flooding back like a punch to the ribs.

He blinked, disoriented, realizing he had blacked out mid-battle.

The last thing he remembered was William's barrier shattering and the monster's roar throwing everyone through the air like rag dolls.

Warren pushed himself up. What he saw made his breath hitch.

Kevin lay unconscious, blood pooling beneath his stomach.

Gloria was slumped against a tree, holding her dagger with trembling fingers.

Emma looked unhurt, but her ragged breathing and pale face told another story.

And a little away on the battlefield—William.

He hovered a little above the ground, shirt torn in multiple places. Warren still sensed no aether from him, yet the tension in William's posture made one thing clear: he was fighting seriously…and he was being pushed.

And unlike the monster… William had limits.

Fissures cut across the battlefield like claw marks, a testament to the violence this place had endured.

It took a few moments but Warren realized the severity of the matter.

…

The monster's grin widened before it lunged at William again.

William raised his arm and thrust his palm forward, the impact forcing the beast backward—but not harming it in the slightest. It snarled, slammed its palms together, and released a shockwave that drove William several steps back through the air.

The creature charged, claws slicing toward William's face—

A green barrier flared into existence.

Emma.

William didn't waste the opening. A sphere of compressed destruction formed in his palm and streaked toward the monster's solar plexus—

**BOOOOM**

The explosion launched the creature like a shot from a cannon and struck one of the buildings which completely destroyed its front.

For a heartbeat, the battlefield fell dead silent.

William hovered, shoulders trembling, breath ragged. His body shook from pain and exhaustion. He had never chained together so many spells in such a short span of time.

He was not only attacking the monster but also ensuring a mental barrier over the others just in case another being shows up when they were busy with this one.

*Crumble*

The monster rose…again.

Its regeneration was obscene—flesh knitting, bones resetting, the grin returning as if nothing had happened. Even after tanking every attack William had thrown, it wasn't slowing down.

Not even a little.

Warren gritted his teeth as the truth finally crashed over him—they were already doomed, long before William even stepped forward.

This monster… this thing… was not an opponent any of them were built to withstand. It wasn't just stronger; it was on a different plane entirely. A real ranked-devil pitted against academy kids? Calling it insane felt too generous. It was suicide dressed as bravery.

Warren hadn't come here to let himself be beaten into paste just to prove some pointless sense of pride. Losing was inevitable—but losing with dignity was still an option. Better to walk away than be torn apart in front of everyone.

He didn't know what the others were thinking, and frankly, he didn't care. His decision was made.

He pushed his hand against the ground to stand, lungs tight, throat dry, ready to announce that he was done—

—but then his gaze snagged on a small figure tucked behind Emma's leg.

A little girl, clutching the fabric with trembling fingers.

Bright eyes overflowing, tears slipping down her cheeks faster than she could wipe them away.

Her gaze glued to William, breath shaking, fear gouging into her tiny frame.

Warren felt something inside him twist—hard.

His chest tightened… not with fear, but with something heavier, deeper.

It felt like his father's eyes were on him.

Judging. Waiting.

Silently asking what kind of man he planned to become.

"Tch…" Warren snarled under his breath, dropping back into a crouch as he snatched up Kevin's broken blade. "You corrupted me too, old man…"

His knees shook. His heart hammered. Every instinct screamed at him to run—run far, run fast, run now.

But his heart… wouldn't let him.

Not in front of that child.

Not while William was still standing out there alone.

Slowly, deliberately, Warren lifted the shattered sword and pressed the jagged edge against his own shoulder.

He braced.

Gritting his teeth until his jaw trembled, he dragged the blade across flesh, carving through muscle, blood spraying warm down his chest.

With a sharp, brutal motion—he severed his arm.

And what happened after that…would be recorded as the birth of another Elemental.

°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.