Cultivation Realms
Once the disgruntled parents had dispersed, Brianna approached Lucifer again, her gratitude evident in her gaze.
"Thank you," she reiterated, her voice carrying a weight of sincerity.
"I honestly never thought you'd stand up to the parents like that, considering..." She trailed off, biting her lip, wary of offending him.
Lucifer just smiled, a rare, genuine curve of his lips, and shook his head.
"Oh, don't worry about it. It was Archer's fuck-up, not mine," he said, his tone casual, though the use of the third person didn't escape Brianna's notice.
Confusion flickered across her face. "Archer's fault? But... why are you talking about yourself like you're someone else?" she asked, her brows knitting together in puzzlement.
"Let's just say I've been reborn," Lucifer replied, his voice smooth, betraying none of the complexity behind his true identity. The statement was cryptic, intentionally veiled, yet carried a hint of truth.
Brianna studied him for a long moment, sensing the profound change in the man before her. It was as if the Archer she had known was gone, replaced by someone... else.
"Being blamed for everything, losing your parents... It would turn anyone cold, make them change," she mused quietly to herself, her thoughts reflecting an attempt to rationalize the transformation she sensed in him.
As Lucifer turned to leave, a parting remark on the tip of his tongue, "Well, that was a clusterfuck of a morning," Brianna quickly intercepted him. Her voice, tinged with a hesitance born of the morning's chaos, stopped him in his tracks.
"Wait," she said, a bit more firmly this time. "Would you come over to my house for some hot water?"
The invitation caught Lucifer off guard, almost pushing him to laughter.
"Hot water? Seriously?" he thought, amusement coloring his internal monologue. In all his years as a demon lord, invitations were unheard of; his every whim was catered to within the grandeur of his castle, no request too outlandish for his minions to fulfill. Yet, the simplicity of her offer, under the current dire circumstances, was strangely endearing.
"Sure, why the hell not? It's not like I've got a packed schedule or anything," he responded, his voice laced with a sarcasm that was more playful than biting.
Brianna seemed relieved at his acceptance, though she quickly turned her attention to the weather, noting the intensifying winds and the thickening snowfall.
"Seems like a blizzard is coming," she observed, a hint of concern in her voice.
"Lead the way, then," Lucifer said, a nod acknowledging the urgency of seeking shelter.
Her house was a modest cabin, situated just a short distance from the makeshift classroom where she imparted her knowledge. Its exterior was unassuming, made of weathered wood that had seen better days, with smoke lazily curling up from the chimney—a beacon of warmth in the cold. As they approached, Lucifer took in the sight, the simplicity of the structure a far cry from the opulence he was accustomed to.
Stepping inside, he was greeted by the cozy warmth of a well-tended hearth. The interior was humble, furnished with the necessities and little else, but every item spoke of care and attention. A small table was set near the fireplace, surrounded by a few chairs, and shelves lined with books and various trinkets added a personal touch to the space.
"Make yourself at home," Brianna said, gesturing towards a chair as she moved to fetch the promised hot water.
Lucifer took a seat, his eyes roaming the interior. "Cozy place you've got here," he remarked, the words 'cozy' and 'home' feeling foreign on his tongue.
"Never thought I'd find myself warming up by the fire in a human's house. Hell, never thought I'd be invited to one. Goes to show, life's full of fucking surprises."
As Brianna busied herself with the preparations, Lucifer found himself reflecting on the peculiar turn his existence had taken. From ruling over demons to accepting invitations for hot water in a modest human dwelling, his new life was proving to be an endless series of adjustments and unexpected encounters.
Settling into a chair before the fireplace, Lucifer extended his hands towards the flames, the warmth a foreign sensation after what felt like an eternity.
"Damn, it's been ages since I felt the heat of a real fire," he muttered, a smirk playing across his lips. The memory of huddling near fireplaces during the great winters of the demon realm flooded back to him, a reminder of his days as a low-ranking demon in the army, when survival meant finding warmth in the midst of icy desolation.
As Brianna busied herself with the kettle, stepping outside to gather ice that would soon become their hot water, Lucifer's gaze fell upon a parchment laid out on the table. It detailed the lesson plan for the children, including a segment on cultivation realms. The diagram caught his eye, sparking interest as he pieced together the knowledge he had inherited from Archer's memories, which had been somewhat vague and disjointed.
"Looks like no matter if you're wielding mana or soaking up solar energy, you've got to cultivate it," he observed aloud, tracing the lines of the diagram with a fingertip.
"These cultivation realms... they're the real measure of someone's talent, huh?"
His voice carried a mix of curiosity and respect for the system laid out before him. It was a stark contrast to the brute force and innate power he was accustomed to in the demon realm, where strength often came from one's inherent nature or through conquest and domination.
"Interesting setup they've got here," he continued, leaning back in his chair, his gaze still fixed on the parchment.
"Cultivation realms, energy types... this world's got its own way of sorting the wheat from the chaff."
As Lucifer continued to study the parchment, detailing the hierarchy of cultivation levels from Core to Celestial, he couldn't help but let out a low chuckle at the progression of names.
"Core, Earth, Sky, Moon, Sun, Star, Blood Star, and Celestial, huh? They really went all out with the cosmic theme for power levels. Sounds like something straight out of a fantasy novel," he mused, his tone dripping with amusement.
The categorization into Low, Mid, and Peak within each level caught his attention next.
"So, you've got Low, Mid, and Peak stages within each level? Makes sense, I suppose. Adds a bit of nuance to the whole power trip," he remarked, his eyes scanning the detailed explanations.
"A Core level cultivator is just starting out, then? Weaker than an Earth level. And it goes up from there."
His smirk widened as he stumbled upon the Earth level.
"Earth, really? Even in this far-flung world, they're using 'Earth' to denote a level of power. I'll be damned. They couldn't come up with something more original?" he said, a hint of surprise laced with sarcasm in his voice.
"I mean, it's a fucking dirt ball in the universe, and here it's considered a step up in the power ladder."
Leaning back, Lucifer absorbed the information, his mind already drawing parallels and calculating the potential.
"Each step up, from Core to fucking Celestial, the power just skyrockets, doesn't it? Makes you wonder what kind of badass sits at the Celestial level. And 'Blood Star'? That's just asking for trouble. Sounds like something I would come up with back in the day."
He folded the parchment, setting it down as his gaze drifted back to the fire.
"This world's got its quirks, but I'll give them that—their system's got style. And here I am, stuck at the fucking starting line. Well, not for long." His voice, though light, carried an undercurrent of determination, a promise to himself that he would ascend these levels, whatever it took.
As Brianna reentered the cabin, her eyes fell on Lucifer, who was still engrossed in the parchment detailing the cultivation realms. His amused smile caught her attention.
"Is it interesting?" she inquired, curiosity piquing as she noticed his unusual demeanor.
"It's exciting," Lucifer replied, his voice carrying a hint of genuine intrigue. The concept of cultivation and the structured power levels of this world had indeed captured his attention, offering a glimpse into the vast potential and challenges that lay ahead.
Brianna, puzzled by his response, pressed further. "Why?" she asked, her head tilting slightly, trying to understand what could possibly excite someone in his position.
He met her gaze, his smile broadening. "I feel strangely excited," he admitted, his tone reflective.
"It's like... like there's a whole new world of possibilities opening up."
His words and the energy radiating from him left Brianna momentarily confused and taken aback. She knew all too well the weight of blame that had been placed on Archer's shoulders by the village, and though she understood the reasons behind the villagers' resentment, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. Elisa, in her eyes, was the true architect of the Godfrey family's downfall. Yet, the Archer she was conversing with now seemed devoid of the regret and sadness that should have marked his bearing. The last time she had seen him, he was a shell of a man, but the person before her now was vibrant, almost radiating a commanding presence.
Lucifer's voice snapped her back to the present. "Is the hot water ready?" he asked, a playful chuckle escaping him.
Brianna returned the chuckle, moving to hang the kettle filled with ice above the roaring fireplace. She stoked the flames diligently, working to bring warmth and comfort to the modest cabin.
He was about to delve into her past, curious about her origins based on the snippets of Archer's memories that mentioned her arrival in the village two years prior.
"So, how did you end up in this village?" he began, his curiosity piqued.
But before Brianna could respond, a sudden, urgent banging on the door shattered the calm of the moment. A voice, panicked and loud, cut through the tranquility of the cabin.
"Direwolves are attacking!"
"Fuck me, can't even enjoy a moment of peace without some beastly bullshit happening," Lucifer muttered under his breath, the annoyance clear in his voice as he uncurled from his seat, prepared to face whatever chaos lay beyond the door.