Chapter 51

A being, clad in such a dark robe that it absorbed every single ray of light like a blackhole, suddenly appeared near Stone. It held a simple scythe with his extremely skinny white fingers; a person could mistake him for a skeleton.

The Scythe was so sharp it visibly cut the fabric of space every time it slightly shifted even by a thin hair, revealing what was Behind. Still, as spacetime was resilient and constantly attended to, it closed back almost instantly.

From beneath the hood, two bright eyes were shining as two supernovas stared at the little pebble.

"Stone?" A strange voice that was not a voice and more like a breeze in the graveyard, promising peace and silence reverberated in every single atom.

"Luci, who is that?" Stone inquired with pictures and emotions, the same way as months ago. He already lacked the strength to even talk.

"What the…" Lucifer gazed upon the God of Death, Mortalitas, with utter horror. Panic started to grow within him, realizing that he and Stone would undoubtedly die if he won't do anything. He did not want to die. Not when he was finally free. Partially. Trapped in insane pebble. Dying… Constantly frustrated… Was it really that bad to die? He shook his imaginary head and suppressed the feelings of despair. It was the effect of being near the leader of death's divine domain.

"Hello. Who are you?" Stone curiously asked when the answer from Lucifer was not coming.

"… Death..."

"Oh. Are you here for me?"

"… Yes," the final and definitive answer resounded. Then, God of Death, Mortalitas, stretched his arm holding The Scythe. Lucifer panicked. One idea rapidly alternates another. The Scythe's edge was nearing Stone as the seeping lifeforce was leaving his body.

Stone's mind was rapidly fading and he was slowly turning into the ordinary pebble he once was. The golden veins in his body flickered and the balls of mana, representing his spells and skills withered like leaves without a tree.

The voice in Lucifer's mindscape, You, echoed in his mind, sending a one-word message: "Remember!".

His mind was flooded with his own long-forgotten memories. The pictures were hazy, without shape. He saw a dark, insane place, filled with shrieks and pain. The area was flat, without a mountain, rivers, trees or even grass. The land, full of wiggling shadows, seemed completely dead.

In the distance, he saw some kind of dark liquid, maybe a sea, but then the memory changed. He suddenly stood on a tall, pyramid-like platform, and an immense army was kneeling before him. The shadowy, hazy soldiers had shapes in all forms imaginable and unimaginable. There were hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of them.

On the top of the platform was a throne, made from writhing and silently screaming bodies. An immensely powerful, but blurry being was sitting on it, wearing a fiery crown. Lucifer stood right behind him in the shadow. He wanted to examine the person more closely, but he was forced to shift his eyes at his hands.

He held a book. It was the second object he could see that was in focus, alongside the throne. It was made from white leather, a white bone as a binding. There were no pictures nor name of the book on the cover.

He caressed it with his palm that had seven fingers and extremely dark skin. He opened it and saw a strangely familiar language, vastly different from celestian, written on smooth pages.

He loudly recited from it with a voice bearing savageness and brutality. As he was done with reciting, he closed the book and a 30 metres tall portal opened before the platform. The person on the throne gracefully stood up, towering before everyone in all his glory and a deafening, disharmonic cheering echoed. The leader stepped into the portal and close behind him, the army followed.

At this moment, Lucifer was free to do whatever he wanted like in a lucid dream. His instinct, a memory of sorts, told him to open the book again. The scarlet words from the book left the pages and entered his eyes.

Lucifer woke up to The Scythe's edge nearly landing on Stone. Abruptly, a sanguine light enveloped Stone's body. The Scythe touched the light and halted.

The moment Lucifer woke up from the journey into his memories, he was swarmed by many messages. But one message stands above others.

(A/N: These are Lucifer's journal messages!)

[Part of your memory unlocked under the immense stress generated by dealing with the God of Death and Story of Tonka The Golem]

[You have challenged God of Death, Mortalitas. Challenge accepted!]

The God of Death scrutinized Stone, seeing that his lifeforce stopped fading directly before it reached zero and disappeared without a flash or a slow fade.

The time returned back to normal. The druegars finished off the goblins without noting anything strange. They cheered and tended to their many wounds, some of them even life-threatening. Their [Mana] and [Stamina] was wholly drained, and even Jarka slumped on her ass in a puddle of goblin's blood and closed her eyes, heavily breathing.

The twins, Eriv and Dori, followed her example. Scout-Durza had to even help them to take care of their wounds.

And none of them had even thought of looking for their mysterious saviour.

Lucifer examined his journal. The only word he could think of was; "FUCK!". After a bit of swearing and cursing, he turned his attention to the more pressing matters. Like what the hell just happened. He willed his tablet and with a 'swish' it materialized in his mind.

Name: Lucifer

Titles: Former #!Hidden!#

Race: Ethereal

Level: 8 [Max: 25]

Experience: 63.23%

Host RM: 42.5

SuperFlux: 10 / 61.6

Strength: 0

Dexterity: 0

Intelligence: 58

Talents: Ageless, Parasite, Subordinate, Stone {wielder}, Hex Master

Resistances: Curse T1L5, Hex T1L5

Expertise: Flux Bubble T1L5, Refined Mana Draining T1L6, Flux Shaping T1L6, Weak Fluxkinesis T1L7, Flux Missile T1L3, Flux Expulsion T1L3, Life-for-Life Hex L1, Tracking T1L2