THIRD PERSON's POINT of VIEW

Zero returned to the realm of mortals. He was only gone for a few days, and some memories began fading.

The moment he opened his eyes, shock filled within him. He thought he saw Lucifer, but it wasn't him. This man with him had black hair and red eyes unlike Lucifer's blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Sino ka?" kaagad na tanong ni Zero.

The man smirked at him. "Lucifuge Rofocale, the demon extract of Lucifer. I recently obtained a physical form."

Nagsalubong naman ang kilay ni Zero. He tried to remember something, but he couldn't.

"Kung gan'on, bakit kita kasama rito? I just returned from-" napasapo naman si Zero sa kaniyang noo nang sumakit 'yon. Ano nga ulit ang sasabihin ko? Isip niya.

Lucifuge stood up. He threw a short glance to Zero and shrugged. "All I know is that I had no physical body, so I was lingering everywhere. Then, I woke up next to you- now with my physical body."

Pinagpagan niya pa ang kaniyang damit nang nagkar'on 'yon ng dumi. He looked around and squinted his eyes to look at a specific area.

"There's wildfire," bigkas niya. Muli siyang tumingin kay Zero, at nagtanong. "Hindi ka pa ba babangon, Zero?"

"Alam mo na agad ang pangalan ko?" Zero asked curiously.

Napatawa naman si Lucifuge. "Of course. Naging omniscient lang naman ako, pero may utak na rin ako n'on, so I know all of you."

Lucifuge held his hand out. Hindi alam ni Zero kung bakit, ngunit naramdaman niya ang aura ni Sinclair sa kaniya. They indeed are demons, but the way they speak and act was soft- but both with a cold aura.

Hindi naman tinanggap ni Zero ang kamay niya, at mag-isang tumayo. He released ice mists around him and through that, he noticed and sensed that no one was around- only dead souls.

Napatingin siyang muli kay Fuge, at napansin ang dugo sa kaniyang kamay. He must have taken care of the enemies while I was asleep, he thought.

Sunod namang tiningnan ni Zero ang direksyon kung s'an sinabi ni Lucifuge na may wildfire. He raised his right hand, and ice mists moved forward towards the direction. The sound of a flap made Zero look back. There, he saw Lucifuge opening his wings. His feet levitated from the ground, and he flew up past the high trees.

Nauna na siya kay Zero, kaya naman ginawa ni Zero ang sahig na ice. As usual, he glided and skated on the ice. He avoided every obstacle, and he seethed his teeth in envy.

Lipad na rin kaya ako? Isip niya.

At dahil sa inggit niya, gumawa siya ng maliit na ice simoorg. He flew up and raced with Lucifuge's phase. Inisip n'ya kung ano nga ba ang plano.

He heard Lucifuge's voice loud. "The creators started their plan. We need to proceed in the Phoenix Well."

Phoenix well? Saglit lang. Bakit parang nag-iba ang plano? Isip ni Zero. Sa pagkakaalam niya'y hindi pa ngayon magaganap 'yon. Napatingin siya sa likod at nanlaki ang mata niya nang makita ang digmaan sa malayo.

Fire. Fire engulfed the scene, and Zero could imagine their screams. Napaisip tuloy si Zero kung ga'no siya katagal nawala.

"Lucifuge. Where's Exiquel?" tanong ni Zero.

Lucifuge shrugged. "That, I don't know. Katulad mo, kakagising ko lang. 'Yon nga lang, nauna ako so I was able to get rid of the enemies nearby."

Zero watched him as his hands encircle a black and red light. Bahagyang napalayo si Zero dahil sa intensidad ng kapangyarihan ni Lucifuge- even his arm became unbelievable. Like a real demon.

One phoenix approached them, and in one snap, it fell. Nanlaki ang mata ni Zero. Gan'to ba talaga kalakas ang mga demonyo?

Zero formed an ice spear, and he felt pressured on how powerful a demon who had just obtained a physical form was. Hindi ako papatalo.

He stopped his simoorg when he heard a scream below him. Even Lucifuge stopped, and looked down. Suddenly, he struggled to breathe. He looked down awkwardly and turned away from Zero, flying down to the ground.

Zero followed him, ignoring all approaching Phoenixes. Masyadong napabilis ang bagsak niya, so he fell to his knees. Then with one swift motion, someone yelled with the voice resonating up to the sky. Zero covered his ears— he'd never heard a woman yell like that before. It was a scream filled with sorrow, regret and something much worse that he couldn't put a name to.

But after realizing whose voice was it, he panicked.

"Exiquel!" sigaw n'ya. Naglinga ang kaniyang paningin, ngunit nabigo nang hindi makita ang babae. But he saw Lucifuge's wings and back, then he peeked and saw Exiquel almost fainting.

He immediately ran to her. Lucifuge stopped him from touching her. "Bakit?" marahas na tanong ni Zero.

"There's a phoenix- possessing her. Kailangan ko muna silang paghiwalayin," tugon niya. Then, Zero looked down on Lucifuge's hand and realized there was a wisp coming from Exiquel's hand to his.

"Anong ginagawa mo?" marahan ngunit matigas na tanong ni Zero.

"Devouring the soul of the phoenix inside her-" natigilan siya sa pagsagot nang muli na namang sumigaw si Exiquel. Lucifuge shut his eyes. "This is her consequence for betraying Phoenicia. A Phoenix cannot be easily killed. It will actually transfer to my soul, but before it succeeds, I must make a demon and transfer the Phoenix's soul again."

Zero's heart clenched as he heard the word consequence. He partly blamed himself because Exiquel betrayed Phoenicia for their sake. And just like what Exiquel is feeling now, she might feel it later- as a consequence for casting the spell to Red.

I need to make her survive.

"What if you fail?" Zero asked. He knelt down and looked intently at the fiery wisps.

"I won't," Lucifuge assured. "But let's say I do, you would have to kill me then."

Kinabahan naman bigla si Zero, lalo nang tumawa si Lucifuge. "Kidding asides, Zero. The Phoenix will die inside my body and I will take control of its possession. For the mean time, I'll use the Phoenix's power and collide it with mine."

And once again, Zero thought, how powerful is Lucifuge?

Lucifuge, then, gritted his teeth in pain. Napatingin si Zero kay Exiquel at napansing bumabalik na sa ayos ang kaniyang paghinga. That means the Phoenix has finally gotten out of her body. Napalayo pa nga si Exiquel nang biglang lumiyab ang katawan ni Lucifuge. Zero took a grip of Exiquel's hand and pulled her away from Fuge.

With heavy breathing, Lucifuge looked at Zero one last time. "Head to the Phoenix well. Cast the spell on Red, so this war will finally end."

Tumango naman si Zero, at akmang maglalakad na palayo, ngunit nagsalita na naman si Lucifuge.

"Hindi ko alam kung ba't may kaalaman ako nito, pero...," a pause. He grunted in pain. "You can reincarnate people too, Zero, for you have the blood of Callista."

"But remember that it comes at a great cost."

"Zero, let's go," ani Exiquel at hinila na si Zero palayo kay Lucifuge. Mabilis na nakarecover si Exiquel mula sa pagkakasanib sa kaniya ng Phoenix. Thankfully, Lucifuge was there. Exiquel also figured out that the man, who she saw for the first time, was the demon extract of Lucifer. It was obvious.

Exiquel jumped at a branch of a tree, and swung from vine to vine, jumped from branch to branch. Zero, on the other hand, made an ice simoorg again and flew up.

A whip snapped behind them, and there was a roar-of pain, fear, and rage. Napatingin agad sila sa likod, at d'on napagtantong may dragon na humahabol sa kanila. Exiquel's eyes widened the moment she recognized the dragon. It was Draco.

Why is he here?

Meanwhile, Zero flew higher to see why Draco let out a cry. Nanliit ang mata n'ya nang mapansing iba ang nakasakay sa likod ni Draco. The simoorg, then, turned to an ice dragon- as enormous as Draco. May ilang mga natumbang puno kaya naman nagpalabas si Exiquel ng vine at pinulupot 'yon sa paanan ng ice dragon. She swung and jumped at the back of Zero.

Her eyes confirmed that the person riding Draco was an enemy. Zero wondered how the man had control over Zero.

"Draco!" sigaw ni Zero.

The man on Draco's back had his teeth and nails out.

"Don't make contact with the man. Once his fangs and nails wound you, he might control you," Exiquel stated. "Iyan siguro ang ginawa n'ya kay Draco."

Zero nodded as he listened. Wide-eyed, he moved the ice dragon from Draco's fiery roar. Ramdam n'yang natunaw ang ilang parte ng katawan ng ice dragon n'ya, ngunit muli n'yang binuo 'yon.

But it was too late, Draco's claw has landed on the ice dragon's head. Zero, then, hit the earth, spat out a mouthful of blood, and was up in a heartbeat. Napatingin siya kay Exiquel na ngayo'y paalis na.

"I need to go and search for Red. I know you can take care of it. End it at once."

Zero nodded and let out a shout. "Draco!"

He rushed up to the dragon, with water guiding him up the clouds. However, a shadow blotted out the sun, and there was Lucifuge, diving to the the man at Draco's back. Zero heard a squish, or a splash that made his eyes widened. Then, he saw Lucifuge's hand covered and splattered with blood, holding the heart of the man.

"Easy as that. I'll take control of Draco. Now, go follow Exiquel."

Zero nodded, and rushed to the Phoenix Well. I can't be late.

The Zero Curse
By lostmortals
Plagiarism is a crime.

Teasing you with Lucifuge's character 👀 see more of him in Discovering Summerland!

Thank you for reading!