Old tradition.

"Huh?" Lilith muttered under her breath as she fluttered her eyelids.

The man approached Lilith, and as he stood just in front of her, he delved his hands deep into his inner suit pocket to get something.

Lilith closed her eyes in terror, believing the man had drawn a pistol, but after a while she slowly opened her eyes, only to realize nothing had happened.

Lilith flustered her eyelashes and saw the young man extending a yellow hand brush towards her.

"Gotcha!" The man exclaimed while smiling, his serious expression transformed into an amused smile, and then hilarious laughter from his lips.

The masses also burst out laughing as they watched Lilith's bewildered look.

The man in front of Lilith grabs her hands and pushes the sketching brush towards her palm. "We have no nude model young lady." The man began by explaining things to Lilith. "Once in every ten years, we old artists have a tradition of framing a young artist during an art exhibition into thinking that they are a model of any sort." He added.

Lilith scowled as she arched her brows. She had never heard of such an art exhibition tradition, and it seemed unfamiliar to her.

A young woman who was standing among the audience took a step forward, holding a microphone. "When I was twenty years old, which was ten years ago, I was being framed for being a nude model." She began by reaching out her hands to Lilith, who accepted hers. "Just like you. I was stunned when I was addressed as a nude model but I still went ahead and seized the opportunity that was rendered to me, and this is what this art exhibition is all about." She stated, eliciting a quick nod from the other audience.

"This exhibition helps young artists to prove themselves even when they are faced with other top artists." She remarked, smiling as she gazed deeply into Lilith's eyes, her white teeth gleaming in the room light. "And today, I ask you, young lady, to use the drawing brush that has been provided to capture my likeness in your own, unique style." As the lady's statement came to an end, the audience began to cheer, and the music in the background changed to another gentle and low melodic sound.

Lilith, with quivering hands and tears threatening to fall from her eyes, nodded slightly, and as she turned back, she saw a security guard laying a drawing board for her.

"Go on now." The lady who stood before Lilith spoke, encouraging her to approach the drawing board.

Lilith continued walking towards the board with a languid stride, and as she arrived, she noticed several drawing tools put up alongside it.

With a nervous smile on her lips, she began drawing the lady in front of her, as the entire crowd watched in silence.

Lilith's nimble hand danced across the canvas, a flurry of delicate strokes that sculpted the essence of the woman onto the blank expanse of the drawing board.

With every motion of her brush, she breathed life into the image, capturing the slightest nuances of the woman's being, from the depths of her eyes to the curves of her smile.

And when the final brushstroke had been applied, the painting seemed to whisper a secret into the silent hall, its image a window into Lilith's very soul.

Exhaling…

Lilith finished drawing within an hour, and as she grabbed the drawing board, she showed it to the audience, who began to applaud as words of admiration escaped the lips of each individual.

'She truly is talented.'

'Even though she wasn't prepared, she still managed to bring out an amazing masterpiece.'

'I believe she's a popular artist whose identity is secret.'

The voices of individuals who appreciate Lilith's drawing could be heard from the crowd as they smiled at her.

"Woah! You've made a true work of art." The lady who Lilith had drawn spoke. "What's your name?" She proceeded to ask.

"My name is Lilith Raziel."

The ladies smile upon Lilith's replies. "Do you have a business card? Or perhaps do you have a job?" Lilith shook her head sideways in response to her question, casting a scowl on the lady's face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Lilith Raziel, a remarkable artist whose talent radiates like a hidden star in our midst," she announced in her words an accolade that lingered on the air like a heady perfume.

"I urge each of you to exchange contact information with Lilith, for her potential is vast, and she will undoubtedly flourish with the support and guidance of our community."

The audience nodded in response to the lady, and several individuals began to walk towards Lilith to obtain her phone number.

"Lilith can I have your contact info…"

Lilith hurriedly rose from her seat and moved towards the crowd, ignoring the man who wished to have her phone number.

From a distance, she could see the handsome mysterious man walking away so Lilith hastened her steps, stretching out her hands and calling out for him.

"Hey mister, please wait," Lilith called out.

At first, he didn't want to wait, but upon noticing that Lilith didn't plan on giving up, he halted as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Mortal," he spat, his voice a harsh whisper that seemed to sear through the dimly lit space, the syllables a whip of ice-cold contempt.

His piercing gaze, as frigid as a frostbitten winter, zeroed in on Lilith. "What business do you have with me?" he demanded, his tone slicing through the hall, the edges of his words razor-sharp with menace.

And in his cold gaze, Lilith found the courage to break the stillness with her words.

"I wish to speak with you," she said, her tone steady as it showed that she was being serious.

The young man's lips curled into a smug smirk, the expression of a man who viewed Lilith as little more than a pest, a pitiable creature unworthy of his attention.

"I don't engage with those who bring no benefit to my life," he sneered, his tone as cold and calculated as the chill of a winter's night. "If you want to speak with me, you must…