Chapter 727 - 727

"I'm here to side with you. I don't know what you're trying to do, but I'll always side with a friend in any case," Cassius informed Lucifer. "If you want to fight against him, I'll be right beside you fighting your enemies."

Lucifer didn't respond. He didn't even bother opening his eyes. Time kept trickling away. 

"This academy has so many precious memories for both of us. Soon it's going to be gone forever..."

He stood up and walked closer to Lucifer with the bottle of wine in his hand. 

"I still remember the first day I saw you here. You were the first person who dared to talk to me here and approach me. Soon you were called on the stage with the others. I also remember the song you sang there. Do you remember it?"

"I can't believe how fast things changed. That day, Xaen was the brightest star for us. He was the strongest being that we couldn't even hope to stand before. He awarded you as well. However, today we will be fighting him if he arrives."

"Are you done?" Lucifer asked, finally opening his eyes. "I'm not here to talk about the past. The five minutes are going to be up."

"There's still a couple of minutes left. I want to stay here for as long as the place is standing. I want to be here when it's destroyed as well."

"May I ask what's in your hand?" Lucifer asked. 

"Oh, this? Heh, this is something I had bought for you when we were at the academy. I was about to give this to you on your eighteenth birthday. Who knew that you would have to leave the academy before that." Cassius sighed. 

"This bottle was collecting dust in my room. Since I bought this for us to drink during our academy years, I thought we could share a drink before this place was gone..."

"What do you say?" 

Lucifer looked at the bottle of wine in the hands of Cassius. 

"Cassius, you want to know a secret?" Lucifer asked, standing up. 

"What?"

Lucifer walked closer to Cassius. He took the bottle from Cassius and opened it. 

"When I was in this Academy, I was an idiot. But I was a happy idiot. I had everything I could've needed. I had friends, and I had a family. I also had an opportunity to study at the greatest Academy. It was like a dream for me at that time."

"The time was really fun most of the time. You were right. Things changed so much in such a short time."

"The academy, which was precious to me because the place I personally need to destroy. The friends that I believed I could trust my life with started lying to me. Things really changed more than I expected."

"What?" Cassius asked, seemingly confused.

"You knew me when I was someone else. You knew my other self. But you weren't the only one. I knew you better than anyone else as well. You think I won't know when you're lying?" Lucifer asked, sighing. 

"What lie?"

"You said you heard my words on the news. That means you also saw me kill Franci. The Cassius I knew would never talk like this after seeing that. He would never be so calm unless he had an agenda of his own." Lucifer turned his back on Cassius. 

"Let me guess. There's poison in this wine, and Xaen sent you there to use you against me? Isn't that right?"

"What are you saying? That's not true. There's no poison in the wine!"

"I'm really disappointed in you, Cassius. Still, I would let you live. Run away and never come before me. Because the next time I see you, I might not leave you alive."

"I'm telling you! There's no poison! Let me prove it if you're so suspicious!"

Cassius snatched the bottle of wine from Lucifer and started drinking without thinking twice. 

He was told that the wine wasn't poisonous. It was just something that could suppress someone's abilities momentarily. He didn't care if he had to suppress his abilities as well, as long as he could stop Lucifer before he was too far gone. 

He drank half the bottle alone before stopping. 

"See? Happy now?" Cassius asked. Even though he was acting calm, he was feeling a strange tingling sensation all over his body. His legs were getting weak. 

He placed the bottle of wine on the ground, sighing. "I can't believe you would doubt me even after all we went through."

He sat on the chair, giving rest to his legs. Even though he sat for a different reason, he acted like he sat because he was disappointed. 

Lucifer observed Cassius, who truly seemed fine.

"It's alright. I don't blame you. You've really changed. It's not your fault. I'm the idiot who thought we were still the same old friends who can drink together without doubting each other. I was wrong. Go ahead. Destroy the academy and me with it. I don't care anymore."

"Alright. I'll drink it. Pick it up and give it to me personally."

"No need. Don't drink it. I don't care anymore. In fact, why don't you just destroy it."

Lucifer shook his head as he stepped closer to the bottle of wine. He picked it up and sat beside Cassius. 

"I'm sorry. I guess I was a little too frustrated because of what Xaen did. I won't doubt you. I'll drink it."

"What did Xaen do? You mean him taking away your stones?"

"I wouldn't have been this angry over the stones. It's what he did to Eve. He set up a trap in my home. When she went to meet Grandpa Chi, there was an exposition."

" Eve is probably badly hurt. Moreover, he has stolen her body from the hospital as well."

"He did that? Really?"

"You think I'm lying?" Lucifer asked. 

He raised the bottle and started drinking the wine. Before long, he finished the rest of the bottle before Cassius came to his senses and pushed the bottle away from Lucifer's hands. 

The bottle of wine shattered after falling to the ground. 

"What?" Lucifer looked back at Cassius, confused. 

"You need to get out of here fast! Xaen fooled both of us! He lied to me about you and made me give you the drugged wine! Get out before the effects start taking place?"

"Effects?" Lucifer stood up stunned but soon fell on his knees. 

"You're too late, kids." A pleased voice came from the stage as a Portal opened up. 

Xaen stepped out of the portal, seemingly amused.