Chapter 29: Grasp Heart

Chapter 29: Grasp Heart

Silence enveloped the scene with Jorren's absence. Marie and Jessie, who had felt the imposing presence, now found themselves at ease.

The serpent remained in the sky, but it didn't attack the onlookers. Instead, like the dragon, it vanished into the clouds.

Marie and Jessie could still hear the cries of the pedestrians and others who were trapped under large boulders. Without wasting any time, they began evacuating them. Furthermore, Marie used stynom to send one of them to seek help, which they expected to arrive soon. Until then, they felt it was their responsibility to keep everyone safe.

.

.

.

Silence now enveloped another place, quite contrary to the lively market area, with very little signs of life. Dead trees in the surroundings and a few old burnt bricks - remnants of an ancient civilization - were the only noticeable features.

Jorren was abruptly transported here with a loud thud, as if falling from the sky.

The moment he landed on the ground, a wall of crimson flames surrounded him, preventing him from moving anywhere else. His gigantic tail, if it hadn't been curled, would have been crisped in the intense heat. Even with scales, he could feel the lava-like flames that would reduce him to ashes if he dared to touch them.

"Wh-"

"What just...?" Jorren found himself confused and terrified, all alone in the burnt forest with a firewall trapping him.

He turned to his left and then to his right, but there was no one around. Yet, the dominating voice once again resounded - the words alone capable of pinning him to the ground.

"Foolish human, how dare you use the forbidden Dragonic Spell?" the voice reverberated within Jorren's mind, causing him pain comparable to a blow to the head followed by a spear's thrust.

"Who are you?" Jorren trembled, his voice wavering as tears trickled from his eyes.

"Show yourself, coward!"

Jorren, his belly touching the ground, tried to pull himself back. He succeeded but could barely move two meters before being slammed to the ground once more.

A heavy pressure accompanied this, rendering him immobile, with his belly hitting the ground again with a loud thud.

"What is this sorcery? How are you able to control me!? Who are you?" Jorren wondered aloud, and just as he contemplated this, his master responded to him.

[Jorren...]

'Master!' Jorren's eyes widened.

Diablo had re-established the connection with him, and now that he heard his master's voice again, he thought he had succeeded in his attempt.

[Two possibilities...]

'What?'

[Either it is the Word Devil and his vessel...]

'No way, you mean to say the Word Devil has taken a vessel as well? But didn't you—'

[Or—]

"You must be pretty confident, speaking to your master in my presence, isn't that right, Jorren?" the voice interrupted, grabbing Jorren's attention once more. He shifted his gaze to look straight ahead, only to see a red haze bursting through the wall of fire.

Within seconds, the haze took the form of a human, a red silhouette that became clearer as time passed.

Right after that, the silhouette walked forward, one step at a time. The red haze started to take on human features, beginning with the appearance of black boots combined with red clothing that covered the entire body. A black tie adorned the red-and-white pinstriped coat. Most importantly, there was a black hat in the hand, complemented by black gloves lined with silver mini-rods, resembling a bracelet.

"We meet again, Diablos," Lucifer's voice, unmistakable, startled Diablo, Jorren's master, who clearly recognized the individual standing in front of him.

He had previously encountered Lucifer during Maya's possession.

"You are—"

"Shh, shut your mouth," Lucifer placed his index finger over his lips, instantly causing Jorren's mouth to close abruptly with an invisible force!

"Speak, Diablos, how to get rid of the curse?" Lucifer's voice was cold. He had no patience for useless chatter and got straight to the point.

'Curse? What is he talking about?' Jorren was initially confused when Lucifer mentioned that, but it didn't take long for him to be clarified on the matter.

Jorren's mouth, which had been forcibly shut, suddenly began to move. No, it wasn't under Jorren's control. It was Diablo who had taken control over it.

"And why should I answer? You puny little devil weakling... How dare you question me? The almighty Diablos? You must be out of your damned mind."

Jorren was rather surprised to see Diablos speaking in such a manner. All he could do was gulp large chunks of saliva during the pause.

"You are just a piece of garbage, Lucifer. The defeated one... the fallen one."

"You have little to no command over hell. How dare you even speak to me in such a tone?"

Hearing that, Lucifer chuckled, which soon turned into full-fledged laughter.

"Pfft, haha—" "Hahahahaha!"

The entire forest was empty, and the only sounds were the flickering flames burning twigs and branches and Lucifer's loud laughter.

He took a few steps left and right, his laughter not ceasing.

"Hahahaha."

Lucifer ceased his movements, turned toward Jorren, and slowly lowered his body into a sitting position. The crimson flames behind him rushed forward, mainly around his lower half, forming something akin to a chair. Within seconds, a chair made of crimson flames manifested, and Lucifer sat on it, his left leg crossed over his right.

With a slight adjustment to his hat, Lucifer stared directly at Jorren with his eyes glowing deep red. The mere gaze caused Jorren to shiver, and this time, his heart felt as if it had received a shock.

"Don't mistake my words as a request..." The smile still persisted on his face, but it vanished entirely with the next line. "It's an order."

"An order? What are you going to do? Kill Jorren?"

'Master?' Jorren was rather surprised by his master's reaction.

"Pfft, I don't care, I have—" "You have 7639 vessels under you, is that what you're trying to say?"

Diablos was interrupted, and hearing Lucifer say that, he couldn't muster any strength to say anything else.

"Don't worry..." 

"Don't worry, Diablos, the hunt is on." 

"Before the red moon is out, I will make sure that all of your vessels are dead!"

"And for starters, it will be Jorren," Lucifer declared. He raised his left hand and moved it forward.

He uttered, "Grasp Heart."

The next thing that happened was he squeezed something in the air with his left hand, and Jorren, who had appeared rather lively, fell to the ground with a thud!