Lucifer: Godless Reawakening

"Why don't I feel surprised?" Emma muttered as the two of them walked together through the garden after breakfast.

The stone path beneath their feet was still damp from the morning dew, and the trimmed hedges on either side glistened faintly under the soft sunlight.

Early in the morning, many students were already rushing toward their respective classes, some walking calmly with books in hand, others almost sprinting as if afraid the bells would scold them for their delay. However, unlike the lower years, the third-year students' classes would resume only after the Dungeon Trials concluded.

Many of them had already submitted their names for the Trials. After all, they were allowed only two chances every year to gain a star, and missing even one opportunity could mean falling behind permanently. And since this was their third year, the pressure was suffocating.

Some were filled with immense anxiety, others with excessive excitement, all desperate to see how much they had improved and whether their efforts over the past year would amount to something meaningful.

"I mean," Emma continued with a quiet sigh, "they would even deny your strength if you save the world tomorrow." She brushed a strand of silver hair behind her ear before adding, "But at the very least, he didn't deny you outright."

William hummed in response, his hands tucked into his pockets as he walked beside her. "Somehow, I could feel that the old man was accepting of this arrangement. But because of the old rules and the staff members, he added this small test."

Emma crossed her arms and glanced at him sideways. "Well then," she asked casually, "will you lose against Instructor Xavier?"

William turned his head toward her, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Nah," he replied without hesitation, "I'd win."

Emma smiled back instantly. She expected nothing less from her lover. That unwavering confidence of his was never hollow. It was always backed by strength, effort, and an almost frightening level of composure.

Just then, a familiar voice called out from behind them. "Emma! Are you free right now?"

Emma turned toward the speaker, her brows rising slightly in recognition. "What happened, Dorothy?" The girl in question looked exhausted, sweat clinging to her forehead and uniform, but there was no panic in her eyes, only urgency.

Dorothy bent forward slightly, hands resting on her knees as she huffed. "We're training in the gym, and we need a better opponent than what we have right now."

Emma gave her a wry smile. "You're asking a healer to be your opponent?"

William frowned at that. "What's wrong with that?" His voice drew both ladies' attention before he continued, "Are you actually considering yourself just a support member because Kevin calls you that all the time? Emma, you are a strong warrior."

The certainty in his tone, the absolute lack of doubt, left Emma speechless for a few moments. She hadn't even realized how deeply those words would settle into her chest.

Dorothy nodded vigorously. "That's right. During the enrollment assessment, we were all inspired by the combatant Emma, not the healer Emma."

Emma stood there silently, her blue eyes lingering on William for a few seconds longer than necessary. There were several emotions swirling within her gaze, gratitude, warmth, and something far deeper that words couldn't capture.

William met her eyes, his own expression gentle and reassuring. He then lightly placed a hand on her back, urging her forward. "Go."

Emma turned toward Dorothy and finally said, "Alright. But not for long."

Dorothy's face immediately lit up. "An hour would be enough!" She grabbed Emma's hand and began pulling her away before she could change her mind.

William stood there for a few moments, watching their figures disappear down the path. Only when they were out of sight did he exhale slowly and turn his attention toward the forest that bordered the academy grounds.

He had a few hours before he was summoned to appear in the gymnasium, where he would fight Instructor Xavier to prove himself strong enough to enter the Dungeon alone.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to wander into the forest.

The air beneath the canopy was cooler, the sounds of the academy fading with each step he took deeper inside. Leaves crunched softly under his boots, and the scent of earth and bark filled his lungs. As he walked, however, he could feel it clearly now.

Someone was watching him.

He had sensed that presence for some time, subtle but persistent. And now that he was alone, William saw no reason to ignore it any longer.

"Isn't it time you come out of your hiding?" he called out calmly. "You aren't doing a great job, you know?"

He waited.

Seconds passed. There was no sound, no movement, not even the rustle of leaves.

Rolling his eyes, William raised his hand, aether beginning to gather around his fingers as he prepared to forcibly lift the hiding figure from its spot.

But before he could act, a figure suddenly jumped out from behind a bush, landing a few feet away from him. The landing was controlled, light. The gaze that met William's was sharp and wary.

William narrowed his eyes. "What do you want, Kevin?"

The black-haired youth straightened slowly. William had known for a while that Kevin had been tailing him, keeping just enough distance so Emma wouldn't notice. William hadn't minded. He preferred dealing with him alone anyway.

Kevin narrowed his eyes in return. "I heard you're challenging the Dungeon alone?"

William snickered. "Don't tell me you're worried about me too."

"Like hell," Kevin scoffed. "I just want to know what it would take for you to let Emma participate in a raid with me."

William frowned deeply. "What do you mean by that? Why would it take anything from me?"

Kevin clenched his jaw. "Surely, if you allow her, Emma would return to her previous team. With our help, she would reach another floor this time. Surely."

His team was ranked first, and yet they hadn't reached the fifth floor. That failure still burned. But this time would be different. All five of them had grown stronger, especially Emma, Kevin, and Natalie. Their synergy, the trust they had built through years of operations, would finally bear fruit. They would achieve something unprecedented in the long history of Ardentia.

William ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, breaking Kevin's reverie.

"What?" Kevin snapped. "Don't tell me you can't even allow her to—"

"Allow?" William cut him off sharply. "Allow, allow, allow. Stop your crap, Kevin."

His red eyes glowed faintly, filled with menace. Kevin instinctively took a cautious step back as William continued,

"Do you think Emma is my slave or a pet that I need to give permission to? She can make any decision she wants if she believes it benefits her. So stop behaving like Emma is a tool."

Kevin went silent. No, he was completely speechless.

He had always viewed relationships with control woven subtly into them. He had assumed things between William and Emma were the same.

After a brief pause, William spoke again, his voice calmer but no less cutting. "But yes, I can advise her. And for her good, I'd rather ask her to find a better team captain, at the very least. You are a disappointment, man."

With that, William turned and walked away.

Kevin didn't call out to stop him.

He stood there alone among the trees, experiencing a flood of emotions. Thinking. Reflecting. And as the silence settled, his resolve quietly solidified.