Making A Deal With The Devil

As Lucius limped down the dark tunnels of the mine, his footsteps echoed eerily against the cold stone walls. The only illumination came from the dim glow of the bright blue meteorite embedded deep underground, casting long flickering shadows that danced along the walls.

As he descended deeper into the bowels of the earth, the faint, blue light got brighter.

'I have never been close up this meteor before, since I am here, I might as well check it out.' Lucius concluded.

If he could find a way around the meteor, he could hide behind it until the horde leaves the city.

Intrigued, Lucius quickened his pace, the promise of discovery and safety driving him forward despite the pain that shot through his injured limb with each movement.

Thud!

Suddenly, without warning, a low growl rumbled through the darkness, causing Lucius to freeze in his tracks. Instinctively, he spun around, his heart pounding in his chest as he searched for the source of the sound. And then he saw it: a pair of gleaming eyes glinting in the dim light, fixed upon him with predatory intensity.

"Grrrrr!"

Before he could react, the mutated coyote lunged from the shadows, its teeth bared in a snarl of savage fury. 

"Fuck!"

With a cry of alarm, Lucius stumbled backward and fell to the ground as he grappled with the creature in a desperate bid for survival.

While on top, the coyote's jaws snapped at his throat, its claws slashing at his flesh with razor-sharp precision. Lucius fought back with all his strength, his hands grappling with the beast's fur as he struggled to keep it away from his throat, silently enduring the shallow slashes on his arms

'Where did it come from?'

"How didn't I notice?' 

Numerous questions nagged Lucius's mind, but Lia's image flashed across his eyes, and the most important question came to mind.

'If I die here, who will look after Lia?' 

For a moment it felt like something snapped in his head and all the fear vanished as a new feeling of strength washed over him.

"Get off me!" Lucius growled.

With a sudden surge of adrenaline, Lucius managed to push the coyote away, sending it tumbling into the darkness with a yelp of surprise. 

Lucius quickly tried to rise to his feet, but his foot caught on a loose rock, sending him sprawling to the ground with a cry of pain. His body rolled down the rocky path, striking against all the uneven parts of the rocky trail, which tore his skin open.

As he tumbled head over heels, his senses reeled with a dizzying whirl of motion and confusion. With a final, desperate lunge, Lucius reached out, his fingers grasping at the air as he plummeted toward the earth. With a deafening crash, he slammed into the ground below, the impact knocking the wind from his lungs as he tumbled headlong toward the source of the light.

His body skidded on the rough ground, stopping breaths away from the surprisingly, cool surface of the bright blue meteor. 

"Fuck my life." Lucius cursed under his breath as he slowly opened, his vision was blurry, but he could make sense of the mutated coyote limping down the sloppy path.

His body was riddled with wounds and covered in blood, while his head bled badly, covering his face with blood. 

"God, I'm tired." Lucius muttered as he dragged himself closer to the cool meteorite. He leaned on it and smiled bitterly.

'I guess this is it.' He chuckled bitterly.

The effects of the adrenaline he felt had faded, and a deep feeling of tiredness consumed him. He wanted nothing more than to sleep and have a good rest, even if it meant eternal rest.

{What about your sister? Do you not wish to save her?} A voice echoed in his mind, but he was too tired to be startled.

"Haha, haha… I'm hearing things already. It's either I have gone crazy or this is what you experience before death." Lucius smiled bitterly.

{It's none of those… Would you believe me if I told you I'm within the… What do you humans call it again… Aether-meteor.} The voice said.

"Do you think a dying boy cares about things like this?" Lucius brushed aside the words of the strange voice.

He watched as the mutated coyote drew closer, barely a few meters away from him now.

{What if I save you and decide to give you the power to protect yourself and your sister, will you do my bidding?} The voice asked, but Lucius laughed.

"I can't believe you can be very direct when asking such questions." Lucius chuckled weakly.

{Well, as you can see, we don't have much time on our hands}

Its words reminded Lucius of the limping coyote just three meters away. It didn't seem in a hurry, since there was no way out and Lucius was clearly too hurt to escape or fight back.

"You know, you sound like the devil." Lucius said in a serious tone.

{So what about it? What have the heavens done for you?} The voice said in a mocking tone.

"Good point," Lucius admitted with a nod. "Fine, fine. Go ahead, save me, and give me the power you promised. I don't think there can be anything worse than the life I'm living right now."

As soon as Lucius was done speaking, one of the protruding Aetherium crystals from the meteor lit up violently and unleashed a blue energy beam that completely obliterated the mutated coyote, leaving no trace behind.

"Damn… It didn't even get the chance to run." Lucius was marveled by the destructive power of the beam.

{Now…} the voice said.

Before Lucius could react, he felt one of the Aetherium crystals stab into his back and connect with his spine.

"Aah!" Lucius gasped painfully as he felt a scorching energy flowing into his body and mind through his spine. 

His eyes let out a bright blue flash as his veins lit up with fierce energy, shining as bright as the meteor behind.

{Consider yourself lucky because the power I grant you today is coveted by the most powerful beings in the universe!}