Chapter 5: Jealousy

Chapter 5: Jealousy

The cave enveloped them in darkness, but Daniel's wand illuminated their path with a gentle, steady glow, guiding their way forward.

They journeyed approximately 20 meters until reaching the cave's end.

"Hold on a moment," Daniel requested, gesturing toward the ground.

"Operacio," he intoned, his wand emanating a faint green light as the ground beneath them trembled.

"What's happening?" Lucifer queried, momentarily taken aback and bewildered. In an instant, Vineca reached for his right hand, steadying him.

Moments later, the ground beneath them began to rise, revealing an apparatus resembling an elevator.

"Fascinating," Lucifer exclaimed, his face brightening with wonder at the magical mechanism.

"My, thank you," Daniel acknowledged as if it was a praise directed to him with a smile before stepping onto the darkened platform.

Vineca and Lucifer followed suit, positioning themselves within the enclosure. A moment later, Daniel incanted once more, "Operacio."

The ground started its descent, and once it was fully concealed within the cave, it lit up, casting illumination throughout their surroundings. This sudden change startled Lucifer briefly.

During their descent, Vineca clasped Lucifer's left hand as if it were her own, her attention drawn to the bracelet adorning his wrist. It bore no numerical display.

"Revelo," she took Daniel's wand and muttered while pointing at the bracelet, and seconds later, the digits '99' materialized.

Gazing at Lucifer, Vineca remarked, "You're dangerously close to the limit."

Daniel, attuned to their conversation, interjected, "Honestly, here we have a policy to eliminate anyone whose curse surpasses 90%."

"And you're at 99%," Vineca continued.

"It would be quite challenging," Daniel sighed, casting a shadow of concern over the group.

Apprehension now etched on both Vineca and Lucifer's faces.

Yet, Vineca's mind churned, and she suddenly turned to Daniel, posing a question, "Is it impossible to break the curse?"

A chuckle escaped Daniel's lips in response.

"Unfortunately, yes. Impossible I suppose... Besides Sir Noah, I've never heard of anyone achieving it," he added.

Upon hearing the name, Vineca mused aloud, "Sir Noah!"

Her smile widened as she heard that.

"Sir Noah? Who's that?" Lucifer inquired.

"He's a master wizard, Lucifer.", Vineca said turning towards Lucifer.

"He stands on the brink of becoming a Grand Wizard."

"He specializes in curse magic and is rumored to be the sole individual who has shattered the Devil's Curse."

Daniel interjected, "But it's merely a rumor, unproven."

"I think it's the truth Daniel, because it was on the newspaper and even the Devil Worshippers were after him!"

"To silence him so that others' don't come even near to the truth.", Vineca added.

"Well… again, that's just a baseless rumour. And you know, they try to hype things up in the news…", Daniel added, trying to reject the notion.

"But..." Vineca began, eager to offer a glimmer of positivity to ensure Lucifer's hope remained intact. Before she could utter her encouraging words, their destination had been reached, and the door creaked open, revealing a burst of bright light that bathed the area.

Amid the opening door, a cacophony of voices filled the air, accompanied by the illumination. Standing before them were two wizards, draped entirely in black robes, their heads crowned with pointed hats. Additionally, both wizards held their wands pointed towards the door.

One of the guards, an elderly gentleman shorter than Lucifer, withdrew his wand and inquired, "Ah, Daniel? My boy, have you completed the task?"

"Yes, sir Osfald," Daniel promptly responded, stepping closer to him while subtly distancing himself from Vineca and Lucifer. Meanwhile, the other guard, a middle-aged man, continued to maintain his wand's aim at them. He towered over Osfald, glaring intently, until Daniel's call prompted him to lower his wand, permitting Vineca and Lucifer to approach.

"Hey... Jeremy, my friends," Daniel addressed them, which led to the lowering of Jeremy's wand. With the tension momentarily diffused, they walked over to Daniel, who discreetly handed a letter to Osfald before the latter swiftly concealed it within his cloak and hastened away.

"Come.", Daniel signalled, walking straight ahead.

As they strolled, Lucifer surveyed their surroundings, noting numerous individuals lying on the ground, their bodies draped in nothing more than meager blankets. The sleeping figures were visibly underdressed and appeared to have forgone bathing as well. Although the pervasive odor didn't seem to faze Lucifer, Vineca, standing beside him, betrayed no hint of repulsion either.

In fact, she maintained a composed expression, merely observing the curious gazes of those around them.

'She's different…', Lucfier had a smile on his face as he stared at Vineca, who was equally curious about the people.

Breaking his reverie, Daniel interjected, "Let's proceed to the market." He gestured ahead toward the bustling marketplace.

As they drew closer, the hubbub of voices grew louder, a symphony of vendors vying to sell their wares and prospective buyers mingling amidst the stalls.

"Collar Collar Collar... Slave Collar!" bellowed a man with long hair cascading down to his knees, seated cross-legged on the ground.

Opposite him, a woman proclaimed, "Cores! Magical cores for wands! Only 2 gold coins!"

Intrigued, Lucifer's steps remained unhindered until Daniel led the way to a shop situated nearly at the heart of the bustling marketplace.

"Hey, got some buddies…" Daniel initiated a greeting.

"Aye, Daniel," a feminine voice responded. A girl with a ponytail came into view, engrossed in her search through the scattered boxes arranged on a carpet within her designated area.

"Just a moment…" her gentle voice wafted toward them. While Vineca and Daniel displayed patient composure, Lucifer's reaction differed distinctly.

"Who…?" A sense of familiarity tinged Lucifer's perception of the voice, as if he held some knowledge of the person in question.

The mystery swiftly unraveled as the girl pivoted toward them, rising from her task to cast her gaze initially upon Daniel and then Vineca.

"Wands, is it?" she inquired, her eyes settling on Lucifer, who stood adjacent to Vineca.

Daniel confirmed, "Indeed. Two wands…"

Yet, the girl's demeanor remained unchanged; neither did she stir nor react overtly. Her unwavering focus remained trained on Lucifer.

Perplexed, Vineca observed the exchange between the girl and Lucifer. Both figures seemed to have transformed into statues, fixated on each other, their silent gaze casting an enigmatic spell.

"Hey.", Vineca's voice rose, cutting through the charged atmosphere.

"Lucifer…"

But he gave no reply.

"Lucifer!", this time, she raised her voice, louder!

"Have you suddenly gone deaf!?"

Breaking his entranced gaze, Lucifer slowly shook his head, his eyes locked with the girl's as he posed a query, "You're Maya, aren't you?"

"Lucifer?", hearing the name, her expression shifted as a smile emerged on her face.

"Maya!" The confirmation that she was indeed the person he believed her to be sparked a reciprocal smile on Lucifer's lips.

With an unrestrained burst of enthusiasm, Maya leaped beyond the confines of her shop, nimbly clearing the line of boxes, and dashed toward him. Her embrace enveloped Lucifer with a force akin to a magnet's pull upon iron.

Amid the scene unfolding before him, Daniel couldn't hide his astonishment. "Wow, you know him?"

Meanwhile, Vineca's response took the form of a muted roll of her eyes, a clear expression of her subtle exasperation, accompanied by a disdainful "Tch."

"Of course I do. We used to live close by, in the same slum alley," Maya responded, addressing Daniel's question.

"Is that so?" Vineca inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"Yeah," Lucifer muttered, his gaze drifting downward as he sheepishly scratched his hair, a gesture of mild embarrassment.

Amid their exchange, Maya let out a hearty laugh, reminiscing, "Haha, seeing you suddenly made me remember that one time when you proposed to me." She strolled back to her compact shop.

"What?" Vineca's eyebrows furrowed at this revelation, her gaze now fixed on Lucifer.

Lucifer sighed, acknowledging the past, "Aye, that's history."

Vineca absorbed his response with a nod while uttering to herself, "History…".

She then observing Maya as she gracefully hopped over the array of boxes once more, elegantly lifting her gown to maintain her balance.

"Has it been a year? How did you end up here?" Maya inquired, settling onto the floor.

Lucifer's answer was guarded, "Well, life took its turns..."

Not revealing anything, he asked, "What about you?"

A faint frown graced Maya's face as she replied, "Ah, the usual... Devil's Curse."

"What?" Lucifer's surprise was evident, his gaze drawn to a bracelet she flaunted, adorned with the levitating white glowing numbers '83.6%'.

"I don't have much time left, you see," Maya remarked, a forced chuckle escaping her lips.

Perplexed, Lucifer inquired, "What do you mean?"

"Death. Those who surpass 90% are granted the reward of death," she revealed somberly.

Lucifer's eyes widened in disbelief as he realized what Daniel had said previously, his gaze shifting to Vineca and Daniel, who flanked him, both well aware of this grim law. Without a word, they both nodded solemnly, validating Maya's revelation.

"But wait, Vineca told me that we could break the curse. We can find Noah—"

Before Lucifer could continue, a sudden and coordinated reaction unfolded. In a swift synchronized motion, both Vineca and Daniel lunged towards him, almost instinctively silencing him with their hands, Vineca's palm pressing firmly against his lips and Daniel's hand gently atop hers. The unexpected interjection drew the attention of onlookers, numerous gazes now fixated on the scene that had transpired.

Maya's eyes mirrored the surprise that rippled through the crowd upon hearing the name.

"Come with me," Daniel directed, firmly grasping Lucifer's left hand.

Vineca had an urge to follow, but Daniel intervened, "Get a wand for yourself. We'll be right back. I need to etch some rules into his damn mind."

Comprehending the situation, Vineca nodded as Lucifer was led away.

The two of them walked a distance of about 30 meters, veering left to a secluded spot devoid of any onlookers. Amidst the rocky surroundings, dim light seeped through, casting a faint glow.

Lucifer began to inquire, "What's wrong, Danie—"

Before he could finish, Daniel swiftly propelled him against the wall, cutting off his words abruptly. "Ouch! What's wrong wi—", Lucifer attempted to protest, but Daniel silenced him with a finger to his lips, simultaneously brandishing his wand and aligning its tip directly before Lucifer's eyes.

"Listen," Daniel began, his tone stern and unyielding. "Even though Vineca trusts you, I don't. Someone who hovers at 99%, perilously close to becoming a devil's pawn—there's no way I'm permitting you to linger around her." His words carried an icy edge.

Unfazed by the threat, Lucifer inquired calmly, "Is that why you separated us? To convey this?"

"Why?"

"Are you jealous?"

"That I might steal Vineca away?"

His voice, detached and frigid, seemed to cut through the tension.

Daniel's fury simmered visibly, his teeth clenched tightly. His grip on Lucifer's neck was firm, not constricting but not letting go either.

"Peasant…" Daniel began, a surge of anger prompting him to continue his insult.

"You—" He seemed ready to unleash further, but before he could, Vineca's concern compelled her to follow, hastening her steps to reach them.

"Daniel?" she called out as she approached the bend in the path, nearly stumbling upon the unfolding scene.

"Don't speak unless necessary," Daniel warned sternly, relinquishing his hold on Lucifer's neck and swiftly transitioning to a smile just as Vineca arrived.

Though odd, Vineca sensed the lingering tension in the atmosphere.

"Did you obtain your wand?" Daniel inquired.

"I did," Vineca replied, displaying the newly acquired wand, her gaze, however, remained fixated on Lucifer, who was rubbing his neck in response.

Detecting an underlying issue, she probed, "Did you lay down the rules?"

Daniel responded, "Ah, not all of them. There are numerous rules. I only emphasized that he mustn't mention Noah's name. It could trigger these people here—individuals who are desperately trying to survive while grappling with the conflicting desires to live and to relinquish the will to live."

"Though Noah's approach might offer hope, it could equally be a cruel curse," Daniel explained, indirectly imparting a lesson to Lucifer, who responded with a simple acknowledgment, "Yeah, he mentioned that."

"Ah, that's settled then. Lucifer, join me in selecting a wand for you, and afterwards, we can continue our conversation," Vineca proposed. With that, she guided Lucifer away, leaving Daniel standing alone. In the shadows, Daniel clenched his teeth, his frustration palpable as he observed Vineca take Lucifer's left hand and lead him off.

"I swear I'm gonna kill you one of these days…", Daniel muttered to himself as he clenched on his wand, almost breaking it.

"…"