You.... really are the......

The night is thick with an unsettling silence. Corvus prowls through the dark alleys of a forgotten district, his black boots barely making a sound against the cracked pavement. His eyes, steely and cold, scan the deserted streets like a predator stalking its prey. Six lives, six innocent lives, each as disposable as the last. Tonight, just like the others before, he's come to leave his mark—literally.

With a grim smile beneath his mask, Corvus stalks the shadows, his movements precise and swift. The first target—a middle-aged man, stumbling out of a bar, drunk and oblivious to the danger lurking. Corvus grabs him by the neck, lifting him effortlessly off the ground. The man tries to scream, but it's swallowed by the darkness. A flick of Corvus's wrist, and the man's life is snuffed out in a heartbeat.

No one heard. No one saw.

His body is dragged into a corner, where Corvus etches the unmistakable snake mark into his forehead—an intricate design that symbolizes death, chaos, and the unknown. He doesn't need to linger. The message is clear.

One down, five to go.

The night continues, a cycle of abductions, swift deaths, and cold marks left on untouched skin. Each victim more random than the last, each one as unsuspecting as the one before. By the time the first rays of dawn creep over the horizon, six bodies lie in various corners of the district, their lifeless faces forever marked by Corvus's symbol. And still, no one has noticed.

---

Later that morning, Lisa's fingers tremble slightly as she dials Lucifer's number. She needs answers, the confusion eating away at her. First, it was Selene, showing up like a storm, challenging everything she thought she knew. Then there was Corvus, the stranger who killed with precision, and now… Lucifer. What was the connection? What was it about him?

Her heart races, but her resolve is stronger.

Why do I always end up in these situations?

The phone rings twice before Lucifer answers, his voice calm, almost distant. "Lisa, what's going on?"

"Lucifer... I need to know what's happening," she says, her voice shaking. "First Selene, then Corvus... and you... you all seem... unhuman. What are you really about? Who are you?"

A long pause. Lucifer doesn't answer immediately, his mind clearly processing her words, weighing his response.

Finally, his voice breaks the silence. "I can't tell you, Lisa," he says, the words heavy with something she can't quite place. "But I can show you."

Lisa's breath catches in her throat, but before she can respond, he speaks again.

"By all means," he says simply.

---

Her heart pounds in her chest as she watches him stand up, his eyes locking onto hers. He takes a step closer, and for the briefest moment, everything seems to freeze. She feels the weight of his gaze, the intensity of it, and something deep inside her shivers. It's as if everything about him shifts in an instant.

Lucifer's face changes.

A ripple, something unnatural, spreads across his features. His eyes glow, a deep fiery red, his skin taking on a dark, almost scaly texture. His jaw sharpens, elongates, and the air around them seems to pulse with an almost tangible energy. His devilish face—the face she had never imagined, the one she'd only heard rumors about—stares down at her.

Lisa's blood runs cold.

She freezes. Her mouth goes dry, her body paralyzed in shock. She can't speak. She can't move. The world around her becomes hazy, like a bad dream, too surreal to comprehend. Her eyes are wide, locked on Lucifer, but all she can hear is the pounding of her own heart, the rush of blood in her ears.

Lucifer waits, but she doesn't react. She doesn't blink, doesn't breathe. There's nothing. Just pure, deafening silence.

And then, without a word, Lucifer snaps back to his human face. The devilish features vanish in a blink. His eyes return to their usual shade, and his calm, almost indifferent expression takes over once more.

But Lisa doesn't move. She doesn't even blink.

Lucifer frowns, his brows furrowing slightly in confusion. He waves a hand in front of her face, but there's no response. His gaze shifts down to her stiff posture, noticing how her body is frozen in place. She's not even breathing.

"Lisa?" He steps closer, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. No response. His brow furrows even deeper, his unease growing.

What the hell is happening?

He steps back, looking at her for a moment longer. And then, with a sigh of resignation, he walks to the door. His fingers wrap around the handle, but before leaving, he glances back one last time at Lisa's still form. His expression softens, but he doesn't say a word.

Turning his back on her, he leaves.

---

Minutes later, Lisa remains in the same position. Her mind is a whirlwind of thoughts, too many thoughts for her to process. What just happened? The image of Lucifer's transformed face keeps flashing in her mind. But there's no way to make sense of it. Her heart feels heavy, as though it's been weighed down by something too powerful to understand.

And still, she can't move.

Her pulse is erratic, her body numb. There's a sense of fear she can't quite place—fear not just of Lucifer, but of something much deeper. Something beyond her comprehension.

---

Lucifer drives aimlessly through the streets, his mind spinning with unanswered questions. His phone buzzes in his pocket, but he ignores it. The world around him seems to blur as he shifts between the shadows of the city, his thoughts consumed by Lisa's reaction. What happened to her?

He couldn't afford to be distracted now, though. Corvus's message—the snake mark—had to be dealt with. He couldn't afford to let the chaos consume him, not when more lives were at stake. But even then, a part of him wonders if he's losing control. If something deeper, something darker, is starting to spiral out of his reach.

---

Back at Lisa's apartment, she finally comes to her senses. The shock of what she saw lingers, but the numbness slowly wears off. She blinks several times, trying to bring herself back to reality. Her surroundings slowly come into focus, but something inside her has changed.

Who is he?

The question echoes in her mind, over and over.

But as she tries to shake off the lingering dread, another thought creeps in. I asked him for the truth… but now I wish I hadn't.

---

Lucifer drives through the city streets, his gaze focused ahead, but his mind on Lisa and the dark, complicated road ahead. The truth has been revealed, but it has only made the situation more confusing, more dangerous. Lisa's reaction is a mystery in itself, and Corvus's cryptic killings are a puzzle that Lucifer can't ignore.

But for now, he has no choice but to move forward.

The city lies in wait, full of secrets and danger, and Lucifer knows—there's no going back.

---

To be continued...