"Even the night can't take over the light entirely. The light always finds a way to shine and guide everyone, no matter how dark it may be."
"Nature was created so beautifully. When you look at it, you can find hidden meaning in everything. Don't you think so?"
For some reason, Lucifer remembered the words that Grandpa Chi had told him just one day before Lucifer was taken to the Academy of Gifted Variants.
"I suppose you were right," he muttered, looking at the moon after remembering the words. "Nature certainly teaches us a lot. Unfortunately, we learn more from people we come across than we learn from nature."
As he was talking to himself, he noticed Jake's car entering the premises.
"Here he comes."
...
Jake stepped out of the car with his wife and entered the mansion. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by the team of guards that had gathered there.
"Did you seal the surroundings?" Jake asked the men.
"We did activate the barrier as soon as you entered. Not even wind can pass through the barrier now. The entire mansion is a prison that no one can leave."
"Good. Stay alert. I'll go meet the new friend who came here for me."
He looked back at his wife. "You stay with Ronny. It's dangerous for you to come with me.'
Giving everyone the instructions they needed to follow, Jake went upstairs. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
The room was completely empty. He couldn't find any person there. It was as if no one had entered the room. Still, he knew the enemy could transform into shadows. The dark room was a perfect place to hide for a shadow.
He walked to the little switch, but before he could press it, everything stopped. The man couldn't even touch the switch before he became something akin to a statue.
"This skill is certainly convenient." Lucifer came out of his shadow and walked to Jake, who stood unmoving.
He brought a small bracelet out of his pocket and placed it on the wrist of Jake but as soon as he removed his hand, the bracelet passed through the hand of Jake and dropped to the ground.
"Hmm?"
Lucifer picked up the bracelet and observed Jake. He tried touching the face of Jake, but his hand passed through as if Jake was not really there.
"Illusion?" Lucifer muttered, frowning.
"Where is the real one?"
...
Outside the room, the real Jake had a curious look on his face. His illusory clone was just about to turn on a switch when he lost connection with the clone. He couldn't sense anything.
He prepared to send a different clone; however, he didn't receive a second opportunity. Lucifer spread his Time Domain around the entire floor, despite the heavy burden it had on him.
He sent hundreds of his shadows out of the room to find the real Jake. It didn't take much time. As soon as the shadows left the room, they found the real Jake who was standing near the room.
A smirk formed on the lips of Lucifer. He opened the door and stepped out of the room. He placed the Limiter on the real Jake this time. He didn't remove the Time Domain. He picked up Jake and brought him inside the room.
Only after he closed the door did he remove his Time Domain.
"What?" As soon as Jake came to his senses, he was stunned to find Lucifer there. Lucifer wasn't wearing his glasses, so his colorful eyes were very obvious.
"Those eyes... She was right!"
He was stunned to see Lucifer, but more importantly, he was surprised about his whereabouts. How did he enter the room? Moreover, if Lucifer was really this capable, why didn't he kill him directly?
There were many questions that made him feel like he shouldn't attack. He also felt something on his wrist. Looking down, he recognized the bracelet on his hand.
Seeing the Limiter, he understood why Lucifer didn't attack him. He already neutralized him without even attacking.
"Xaen sent you?" he asked. "I always had my suspicions on him. How much did he pay you to kill me?
"He can't afford me," Lucifer responded. "I came because I wanted to. More importantly, because you couldn't control your curiosity."
"It's good that you didn't immediately attack me. I'm sure you recognize the Limiters, so it's not shocking. However, they're slightly different from the ones at the academy. So don't try to test what they can do."
"Anyway, getting back to the topic, I didn't come to this continent for you or your wife. You just became a pit stop because you came after me. I hope you won't blame me because I'm being really kind at the moment by not killing you."
"Honestly, though, this not killing thing is a bit annoying. Suppose I had killed that Vixen in the past. I wouldn't be chased today by you. That's what happens when you leave people like that alive, won't you say?"
"My old approach was so nice. What do you say? What would be smarter? Killing you all or letting you live?" he further asked.
"Who are you really? How do you look the same for thirty-one years? Even Xaen doesn't look entirely the same. Do you not age?" Jake inquired.
Lucifer shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows."
"Anyways, no need to get off topic. I needed a nice place to stay. What better place than this? And what better servant than you? Help me while I'm here, and I'll remove the Limiter."
" If you don't help me, you'll die, but you won't be alone. I'll wipe the entire Raasin clan off the face of this earth. So choose wisely."
"What help do you need? What can I help you with?" Jake asked. "Can't you do it alone?"
"I can, but it'll be time consuming. Xaen isn't easy to find. I'll need help from some insiders. And that's where you'll come in."
"Finding Xaen? Why would you?"
"Can you kill someone without finding them?' Lucifer asked. "I want your help in finding Xaen, but that's for later. For now, we need to wait for the arrival of a few guests. After they're here, we can get moving."
"That aside, I think your wife really wanted to meet me. Why don't you call her here? We should let her know she wasn't insane."
Hearing the command, Jake fell into deep thought.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not going to kill her... I think. Also, tell your men that I'm your friend and it wasn't an enemy.. It'll be easier that way."