Chapter 5: Something Bigger Than An Effect

It had been three days since Luka had been separated from his father and uncle, and he could feel the effects of the bond fading from his mind and body.

Xavier was absent from Hell's mansion, presumably occupied with his duties.

How could he and Xavier share such a strong bond? It seemed absurd.

Despite Xavier being the King of Hell, the one who shattered his family and placed a curse upon him, Luka couldn't deny that Xavier had been kind and gentle towards him during their time together.

Xavier didn't possess the malevolence that legends attributed to Lucifer. Luka hadn't seen Lucifer's smile, but there was constant kindness in Xavier's eyes.

As the influence of the bond receded, Luka began reflecting on the events of the past few days—the curse, his father, his uncle, his wings, his hair, and the way his eyes changed when his wings appeared, along with his newfound ability to summon the punisher by opening his wings.

Everything had happened so rapidly, leaving Luka feeling overwhelmed. With the bond's effects waning, fear started to creep in.

If he had the power, Luka told himself that he would kill Xavier the next time he visited. It was a defense mechanism to suppress the guilt that was corroding his heart.

Unfortunately, Luka remained weak compared to someone like Xavier. He didn't know how he should react if Xavier entered the room.

Should he pretend to still be under the influence of their bond, or should he try to fight his way back to Heaven's mansion? He was still grappling with these options when a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, leaving him with no time to decide.

"Can I come in?" The voice belonged to one of Xavier's demons. "I have something for you."

Luka made his way to the bedroom door and opened it. Seeing the demon in her human form helped him quell the impending panic attack triggered by the knock.

"W-what do you want?" Luka struggled to calm himself, but it proved difficult.

She won't hurt you! Luka tried to reassure himself. You're Lucifer's soulmate! They can't harm you.

"How pathetic!" The demon sneered, looking down at Luka. "You're Xavier's soulmate? He deserves better than you! He deserves me!"

Luka stood there, shocked, not by the demon's final outburst, but because she struck him with such force that he stumbled back a few steps.

Luka didn't know if she had any knowledge about the bonds, as soulmates could feel each other's pain even before the bond was fully established, and once it was, they could also experience each other's emotions.

As much as Luka hated to admit it, he wished Xavier were there.

"Okay?" Luka stammered, not knowing what else to say. But that was just typical of him—he couldn't change that.

"Pathetic!" The demon's voice and demeanor took on an odd quality. Luka wondered if there was some unresolved drama between Xavier and the demon. "You know, little half-angel, judging by what I see, it does make sense that your mother never wanted you and resorted to drinking poison to end her life. What a shame!"

Luka was stunned. "P-poison?" It couldn't be true. His mother was in a coma because of the curse, not because she had taken her own life so easily. If that were the case, wouldn't his father have told him? "You're lying! You're just trying to manipulate me by using my emotions!"

Luka detected a flicker of surprise on the demon's face, but it quickly morphed into a smirk. "Poor you. You really didn't know, did you? You have absolutely no idea what happened."

"LIAR!" Luka shouted. He didn't know where this sudden surge of confidence came from, but he refused to let her destroy his beliefs so easily. "You're a liar!" Luka said, half to himself.

"Look, kid!" She retorted, her hair starting to blaze with hellfire as her demonic nature emerged. "You're nothing but a freak! Don't you dare talk to—"

Her voice was cut off by a resounding slap across her face. Luka looked up and saw Xavier standing there, his eyes ablaze with fury. He appeared terrifying, but to Luka, even though he didn't enjoy feeling this way about the punisher, Xavier was like a guardian angel and someone he could rely on.

"How dare you speak to my soulmate like that?" Xavier's voice trembled with restrained anger. Luka was in a fragile state, and Xavier didn't want to scare him any more than he had already. "Leviathan! You know the rules well enough! Leave and go to the punishment hall!"

"But my lord—" Leviathan trembled, not out of anger, but out of fear in response to the Lord of Hell's actions.

"LEAVE!" Xavier's thunderous shout compelled the demon to immediately flee the room. Luka doubted she would dare to come near him again anytime soon, heeding the sound of Xavier's command.

Luka should have hated Xavier. The circumstances demanded it, but deep down, he couldn't fully harbor those feelings toward his soulmate.

He craved the reassurance that he was safe in Xavier's eyes. Yet, Leviathan's words about his mother and the curse lingered in his mind, sowing doubt and confusion.

Xavier, sensing the turmoil in Luka's eyes, struggled to decipher what troubled him. It bothered him immensely not to understand what was troubling his delicate soulmate.

"Luka?" Xavier mustered all the gentleness he could manage, fighting against his usual grumpy demeanor. "Is there something we need to discuss? Did she say something?"

Xavier didn't want to be so vulnerable, but with a soulmate as fragile and endearing as Luka, it was incredibly challenging to remain anything but gentle and caring around him.

Luka gazed into Xavier's eyes, and for the first time, the emotions within Luka's eyes frightened the devil himself. The effects of the bond were fading, and the thought of his soulmate hating him became overwhelming, even for the Lord of Hell.

"Xavier…" Luka's voice trembled as he said his soulmate's name for the first time since arriving at Hell's mansion. It was a complete breakdown, and he fought hard to hold back his tears. "W-we need to talk. Right now!"

This was the moment when Lucifer realized that the situation was more than serious. Luka appeared as if he had seen his mother's ghost, a haunting possibility.

The fact that Luka might have heard about his mother pained Xavier, but he had to maintain a strong front for his soulmate. "We have a lot to discuss, especially now that the bond no longer affects you."

Luka walked over to the bed and sat down at the edge, while Xavier stood nearby. Luka fell silent for a few minutes, lost in thought, trying to process Leviathan's words. Recognizing that Luka needed space to process, Xavier remained quiet, giving his soulmate the opportunity to gather his thoughts.

I am supposed to trust my soulmate, Luka thought. Soulmates are meant to give each other complete trust. Is it the same for us?

Luka desperately wanted to trust Xavier, but he couldn't. Not after everything that had happened. Not after the curse, the constant pain from dying every eighteen years, and the mystery surrounding his mother.

But if it wasn't Xavier's fault, if it was his mother's doing, why would she do that? Luka couldn't fathom a reason. His mother loved him, and their relationship had always been perfect. There had to be something he was missing.

"Xavier?" Luka called out to his punisher, his voice barely above a whisper. "Do you know what's happening here? Do you know the truth? Do you know that I want to trust you, every cell in my body wants to, but I can't?"

"Luka…" Xavier struggled to find the right words. Should he lie, and risk forever being hated by his soulmate? Or should he speak the harsh truth, knowing how fragile Luka was? "What do you want me to say?"

"I… I don't know…" Luka looked sickly pale, causing Xavier's heart to ache. "What do you offer?"

Lucifer paused, contemplating his response. "The perfect lie," he said, weighing his words carefully, "or the painful truth..."

"It wasn't you, right?" Luka fought back tears, his voice trembling. "You knew, right? You knew I was supposed to be your soulmate. You couldn't have hurt me. You didn't hurt me."

"It wasn't me," Xavier chose to reveal the truth. He couldn't bear the thought of his soulmate hating him. "I never hurt you. I knew your fate would somehow get tangled with mine from the moment I saw you for the first time."

"Do... Do I want to know the truth?" Luka's sadness was palpable, and he trembled with anticipation.

"Not right now," Xavier decided that Luka's innocent nature couldn't handle the entire story at once. "It would be overwhelming for you."

"A story," Luka looked up, locking his gaze with Xavier's magnificent gray-red eyes.

"What do you mean?" Xavier met his soulmate's gaze, equally captivated.

"Make my life like a story," Luka's tears flowed freely down his cheeks. "Tell me only one part each night. Stay with me. Please."

Lucifer rushed towards his soulmate and embraced him tightly, allowing Luka to release his pent-up emotions. Luka sobbed on Xavier's shoulder, knowing that the story about to unfold would change his life forever.

"You're my soulmate, Luka," Xavier's voice softened, revealing a tenderness he didn't know he possessed until he met Luka. "I will never leave you, even if you ask me. I will always be there for you, no matter what. I will protect you at all costs, even if it means sacrificing my own life."