Chapter 655 - 655: Existential Threat

"What happened to him? Why isn't he waking up?" Eve asked, looking at Salazar. 

She had tried calling for Lucifer again and again, but he didn't wake up. Moreover, his body seemed weak as well. 

"Calm down. We don't know what happened to him. I think we'll know in a few seconds though," Salazar replied. He turned to Cassius. "How long?"

"It's starting," Cassius replied, pointing towards the screen ahead. 

As the screen played the replay of what happened on the top floor, Salazar was finally able to see that Yasmine wasn't lying. 

She told the truth that she was trying to help Lucifer. At least that's what it seemed like. It was also possible that she was acting, but it didn't seem that way.

"Ask him to show the footage of the twelfth floor. That's where Lucifer was discovered," Salazar commanded. 

Cassius conveyed the message to Kane back at the lab. Kane followed through, and the footage changed to that of the twelfth floor. 

It showed Lucifer's entry on that floor and followed him for the most part until Lucifer entered the part of the floor where there were no cameras. 

Not long after, Arthur appeared on the floor and carried the bodies, but it didn't seem like he went to the part of the floor where Lucifer was. 

"See? I didn't go there. I don't know what happened. Now, do you trust me?" Arthur asked. "I don't know what happened there."

"I think we need to check that place ourselves to find clues about what happened," Milena said. "If he was hurt there, that means an enemy still exists. It can be dangerous for us."

As more and more facts came forward, Salazar finally felt that maybe Milena and Arthur truly didn't know what happened, but he still couldn't trust them fully after the murder attempt on Lucifer.

"I'll go. All the others will stay here, keeping Lucifer safe," Salazar commanded. 

He left all the Uprising Members to keep Lucifer safe while he went to investigate. 

Cassius also decided to remain behind with Lucifer. 

...

"So, can I know why you came here? Your control over lightning is truly strong. At least it's a thousand times better than me. I didn't even know I was underestimating Lightning so much."

"It doesn't look like you need any training. Did you have any other reason to come?" 

Zale could see Lucifer was pretty talented in the art of lightning. Moreover, he wasn't a Physical Warlock like him. He didn't need physical training in such a cold place. 

At least that's what Zale thought, not realizing that Lucifer had all of his abilities and maybe more. 

Lucifer was still slightly overwhelmed by the thought that he was actually sitting with his father. It was the day he often thought about—a day where he was going to be an adult and spend time with his father. 

Unfortunately, he lost the man when he was just five. This opportunity felt like a godsend if it was real. 

'If it's the true past, I wonder if I can change things here. Can I change the future by my actions? What if I tell them what is going to happen in the future? What if I told them to not leave me alone to go on that quest? What might happen then?'

The thought of the future being in his control was really fascinating. But he also knew that there might be many unforeseen consequences. He still needed time to think about the advantages and disadvantages on his life if he interfered. 

His biggest fear was that he might literally disappear... If Zale hadn't gone to the dungeon, he wouldn't have ended up in the facility. 

That meant the entire existence of Current Lucifer came into being because of the actions of Zale. If Zale didn't do that, Lucifer wasn't going to end up here. Who knew, he might even disappear as his reality was destroyed for a new reality. 

There were many things he needed to consider before taking any actions that could change the core points of the future. 

'If the past didn't happen, I wouldn't lose my parents in time... But that doesn't mean I won't lose them ever? His enemies would still be there, scheming against him. And if I disappeared because of changing the past, the past me won't know what to do to keep us safe.'

'Moreover, the knowledge about my true existence might remain hidden forever. And who knows, I might not even awaken ever? Because my death set things in motion.'

'If I changed the past, I might live like an ordinary human, unable to protect anyone or keep anyone safe. In fact, I might only destroy what I have now...'

Thousands of questions floated in his head. He hadn't really thought about the possibility of this thing happening, and now that it did, he didn't understand what to do.

He wanted to save his parents, but he also didn't want to make things even worse for himself and his parents.

"You again lost yourself in your thoughts? It's fine if you don't want to tell me why you're here if you don't want to." 

Taking Lucifer's silence as his unwillingness, Zale stopped asking too much. It was fine if the guy didn't want to say or wanted to keep it a secret. Everything was fine with him. 

"Can I at least know your name? Or is that a secret as well? I just realized that I don't even know your name."

"My name is Lucifer," Lucifer replied. 

"Lucifer? Interesting name, but I don't think I've heard such a name before. Sounds good though," Zale replied. 

Grr~

"Are you feeling hungry?" Zale asked, hearing Lucifer's stomach growl. 

"I always do. It's nothing surprising. Don't worry; I won't die from hunger," Lucifer replied. 

"Meh, nonsense. Come, let's eat something."

"Eat what? Not like you have anything to eat," Lucifer replied. 

"Who says I don't?" Zale smiled.

He walked to the other end of the cave, where a massive stone was lying. It was even bigger than Zale. 

Zale wrapped his arms around the massive rock and picked it up as if it was made of foam. 

He placed the rock on the side, revealing a hole on the ground which was previously hidden by the rock. 

Lucifer stood up and walked to Zale, looking down. 

"This..." 

The hole was much deeper than he had thought. Moreover, it was filled with the bodies of the beasts.

"Can't stay hungry when training. Don't worry; I have enough stockpiles for a year. Don't ask how long it took me to dig that hole.." Zale scratched the back of his head.