Chapter 36:Silence After the Scream
The training grounds were empty.
Not officially.
But no one was stupid enough to stay.
The air felt wrong.
Heavy.
Violent.
Like something was about to snap.
Lucifer stood in the center.
Hands in his pockets.
Eyes half-lidded.
“…You’ve been following me all day.”
Silence.
Then—
A voice.
Low.
Unstable.
“…You smell calm.”
Draven stepped out from the shadows.
Bare arms.
Veins dark.
Eyes already glowing faintly red.
Lucifer glanced at him.
“…And you smell like a problem.”
A pause.
Then—
Draven grinned.
Too wide.
Too sharp.
“Fight me.”
Lucifer sighed.
“…No.”
Silence.
Draven’s head tilted.
Confused.
“…No?”
Lucifer shrugged.
“I don’t fight rabid dogs.”
That did it.
Draven moved—
No warning.
No buildup.
Just—
Violence.
BOOM
The ground shattered as he lunged.
A punch—
Raw.
Uncontrolled.
Lucifer leaned slightly.
The strike missed by a hair.
Wind pressure alone cracked the stone behind him.
“…Too loud,” Lucifer muttered.
Draven didn’t stop.
Didn’t think.
Didn’t breathe.
Another strike.
Faster.
Heavier.
Wilder.
Lucifer dodged again.
And again.
And again.
Not countering.
Just watching.
“…You’re not even trying to win,” Lucifer said calmly.
“You’re just trying to feel something.”
Draven froze for half a second—
Then roared.
The bloodline exploded.
His muscles swelled.
Veins darkened.
Aura flared violently.
The ground around him cracked—
Again.
And again.
Students watching from a distance stepped back instinctively.
“…He’s losing it…”
Draven’s voice broke.
Distorted.
Layered with something feral.
“STOP TALKING LIKE YOU UNDERSTAND!”
He charged again—
Faster than before.
This time—
Lucifer didn’t fully dodge.
CRACK
The hit landed.
Lucifer slid back—
Boots carving into the ground.
Blood dripping from his lip.
He smiled.
“…Better.”
Draven didn’t slow down.
Didn’t think.
Didn’t stop.
Punch.
Kick.
Claw.
Teeth.
Everything became a weapon.
Lucifer’s movements sharpened.
More precise.
More dangerous.
But still—
Defensive.
“…You’re wasting it,” Lucifer said quietly.
Draven’s strike faltered—
Just slightly.
“…What?”
Lucifer stepped in.
Close.
Too close.
“You have power.”
A dodge.
A step.
A shift.
“But no control.”
He tapped Draven’s chest lightly.
Right above the heart.
“Which means…”
A whisper.
“You’ll always lose to someone like me.”
Something cracked.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Draven’s eyes widened.
Then shrank.
Then—
Disappeared into pure red.
“SHUT UP!”
He lost it completely.
Everything exploded.
Aura surged out uncontrollably.
Ground shattered.
Air screamed.
Lucifer’s coat whipped violently.
Chirin’s voice trembled—
“…Lucifer… this is bad…”
Draven moved—
Now faster than before.
Stronger.
More dangerous.
But—
Sloppier.
Lucifer’s eyes sharpened.
“…There it is.”
Draven charged—
Full force.
Everything behind one strike.
Lucifer didn’t dodge.
He stepped forward.
At the last possible moment—
He shifted slightly.
Draven’s attack missed—
By inches.
And Lucifer’s hand moved.
A precise strike.
Not powerful.
Not flashy.
Perfect.
Right to the neck.
Draven’s body froze.
Momentum died.
Silence.
Then—
THUD
He collapsed.
The air settled.
Slowly.
Lucifer exhaled.
Wiped the blood from his lip.
“…Too easy.”
But he didn’t walk away immediately.
He looked down at Draven.
“…You don’t want power.”
A pause.
“You want silence.”
No response.
Lucifer turned.
Started walking.
“…Next time,” he added casually,
“try earning it instead of screaming for it.”
Behind him—
Draven’s fingers twitched.
Just slightly.
Not unconscious.
Not broken.
Thinking.
For the first time in his life—
Not reacting.
But thinking.
“…Control…”
His voice was weak.
Unstable.
But different.