Chapter 35: Run Kid

As Lucifer gazed at the phone's screen, he saw two buttons.

He pressed the green button and placed the phone closer to his ears.

"Zach, What's the status? Did you find that boy there or not? I'm on my way, but it'll take me another hour. Answer me if you found him," the man on the other end of the call said, sounding calm yet curious at the same time.

"Zach can't come to the phone right now. He's a little... busy," Lucifer answered, gazing down at the lifeless body near his feet.

"Who are you? Where is Zach?" the man asked, as his voice got a bit louder.

"Me? I think I'm the one you're looking for. Zack is unconscious lying below my feet, and if you don't answer me, he'll die," Lucifer said, lying to get what he wanted.

He didn't care if he had to use tricks. Zach had said that his seniors might know. From the way the man talked, he was probably Zach's senior. He must know the answers, Lucifer assumed.

***

In a different part of the country, a group of people were sitting on a helicopter that was flying.

A red-haired man seemed to be talking to someone over the phone.

He was Xander Blake, the leader of Delta Squad and the S-Rank Warlock.

"You're... Lucifer Azarel?" Xander asked Lucifer.

The other team members also heard his words, getting instantly shocked.

***

"It doesn't matter who I am. The only thing that matters is what I want. Are you willing to answer my questions, or should I kill him? I'm not going to wait an hour for my answers," Lucifer warned Xander, knowing that the men were going to be here within an hour.

"Alright. I'll answer. Don't kill them," Xander agreed. To him, the life of his men was important.

"Good. What's my name?" Lucifer inquired once again to test something.

"Lucifer Azarel," Xander answered.

"How did my parents die?" Lucifer asked again.

"They died during a dungeon exploration mission."

Lucifer asked tens of random questions related to him and his family as he circled around before he finally got to the point.

"What's the name of the place I was kept for five years?" Lucifer asked. This was actually the only question he wanted to know.

He intentionally asked tens of random questions, so they didn't understand what his intention was or what he actually wanted to know.

"The Dilion Research Facility," Xander answered right away like all other times.

"Where is it located?" Lucifer inquired again, finally feeling like he was close to the answers he needed.

"It's located in the city of Erygas," Xander responded again.

"Who's the leader of that facility?"

"From what I know, it's handled by Doctor Rao."

"What's your name?"

"Xander Blake."

"What would my punishment be if you capture me?"

"It should be death, but I promise you that I'll get your punishment reduced. At worst, you'll get some imprisonment since you're young... maybe a few years."

"What will my punishment be if I kill your men now?"

"I'll find you, and I'll kill you."

Lucifer couldn't help but take another glance at the dead bodies nearby. He had already killed them.

"One last question," he said. "Why is it that I had to go through all that when my parents fought for the safety of you all?"

"Go through what?" Xander inquired as a frown covered his face. From what he was told, it was a side effect that killed Lucifer, according to that doctor, even though he didn't believe the story entirely.

"You don't know what they did?" Lucifer asked while the cold winds brushed against his skin.

"They told me that you died because of a side effect of medicines. Was there something else that I wasn't told?"

The sound of a helicopter was evident in the background of the call, which carried Xander and his team towards Lucifer's location.

"Either you don't know about the torture, or you're acting ignorant. In any case, it is fine," Lucifer muttered as he threw the phone near Zach's body. "The only thing that matters is that I remember."

"Hello? Hello?" Xander kept speaking, trying to get a response. Unfortunately, there was no response.

Lucifer walked inside the house, leaving the phone behind.

He wore a set of his mother's t-shirt because she was smaller in size while also donning her jeans. Even though the clothes were still a bit loose, he managed to keep them in position with the help of the belt before he left the house.

Looking back at the house one last time, he tried to memorize this place which was his home. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to return or see this once again.

He left the area and walked as far away as he could before he asked someone the direction of Erygas.

"I'm busy,"

"Talk to someone else,"

"I don't know,"

He talked to over eight people, but these were the only responses he received.

The ninth person was an old woman sitting on a chair in a park. She was the one who actually answered him.

"Erygas should be in that direction," the old woman answered him as she pointed in a specific direction. "But it might take you six days if you go by car."

Lucifer left her behind and started walking towards the direction she pointed at.

*****

A militarized helicopter landed near Lucifer's house about an hour after he had departed.

Xander and his men stepped out of the helicopter only to see the bodies of Zach and the others.

"It's a massacre," one of Xander's teammates muttered as he saw the dead bodies.

Even though the new members had only joined recently but to see them dead, it wasn't a good feeling.

"Even after getting the answers, he killed them," Xander muttered as he stared at the body of Zach.

He raised his head towards the sky as he said, "I thought you were a boy who had the wrong circumstances, but now I realize that you're just a monster that loves killing: Run, kid. Run as far as you can. I'll definitely find you."

"Should I check the house?" Flourance asked Xander.

Xander gazed back at Flourance as he responded, "I'll be surprised if you can actually find him in the house. He most probably ran away. He knew we were coming."

"It's still better to check inside. We might as well follow the protocol." Flourance commented.

Xander simply nodded his head, giving his approval.

"Rion, Take the bodies back. Let's see what we can find out about him. He's definitely much stronger than I expected him to be. There are still some things that we don't know." Xander told another man before he started walking towards the body of Zach.