Rookie

After Demon's strange reaction, not another sound was made for almost a minute. On one hand, Luke hadn't expected Demon to be so surprised, though it was a bit hard to tell what the hell he was expecting from Demon after his declaration. An autograph? Demon didn't even have an autograph to begin with, and even if he did… this wasn't the kind of place where you went around asking for autographs. 

On the other hand, Demon simply didn't know what to say. This wasn't the first time he had heard someone say they were a fan of his, but it was definitely the first time hearing it from a coworker.

Did this Luke guy have a screw loose or something? If he was a fan, he had to know what Demon did to his coworkers, right? There was no way he didn't know! And if he did…

Well, either he was a complete idiot, or he was a wolf hidden in sheep's clothing. A sheep raised by his grandmother, no less. But… Demon really had trouble believing Luke was a wolf.

It wasn't like Demon was naive or trusted people easily — in fact, it was quite the opposite. But for some reason, ever since he was born, he had this talent for seeing the truth in people. As long as he looked directly at a person, he could tell if they were good or bad, and to him, Luke seemed extremely good.

Of course, this wasn't some kind of ancient mystical power or anything, but even so, Demon had never been wrong about a person before. So maybe… this really was some kind of ancient mystical power.

Demon looked at Luke and saw a strange expression on the boy's face. It was as if Luke was mad at himself for making the situation awkward with his declaration, and at the same time, as if he was desperately trying to think of something to say to fix it. Seeing this, Demon sighed. Even though it was a hassle, it wouldn't hurt to talk with the boy a little.

After all, Luke was probably going to die tomorrow, so he was kind of like a Make-A-Wish kid. And granting a Make-A-Wish kid's wish would definitely earn him a place in heaven.

I mean, granting this wish would make up for the hundreds of people he had killed... right? Because if he was going to hell anyway, there was absolutely no point in fulfilling Luke's wish.

'Wait! I don't even believe in heaven and hell, what the hell am I thinking?!'

In reality, Demon wasn't the only one — ever since God's Path appeared, almost no one believed in the old religions anymore. After all, why pray to a god when you could try your luck on the path and become a god yourself?

'Now is not the time to be thinking about this, Demon! Focus!'

After reprimanding himself again, Demon finally remembered the boy standing in front of him. He then looked at Luke and thought about what to say to get the boy to relax a little, but talking wasn't exactly one of Demon's greatest skills, and talking to strangers was an even worse skill. So, he just went with the first question that popped into his mind:

"How did you know which door was mine?"

Unfortunately, Demon didn't realize that his cold and calm voice, combined with his inquisitive question, made him sound extremely irritated. And poor Luke, instead of relaxing, just got even more tense. Luke took a few steps back and tried to put together an explanation as quickly as possible:

"I-I asked... a m-man with a s-scar on his face told me... I-I really don't have any bad intentions, M-Mister Demon."

'Scar? What the hell is he planning?'

Demon quickly thought about Scar, since the man was known for coming up with strange schemes, but the thought didn't linger for more than an instant. After all, Demon wasn't afraid of anyone inside the tower, much less of some stupid plan. He then looked at Luke and sighed — he really sucked at talking to people, but even he knew he needed to say something now. Otherwise, poor Luke would probably piss himself out of fear.

"Relax, I'm not going to fight you. And stop calling me Mister, it's weird!"

Luke seemed to relax a little after Demon's words, but it was still obvious that he was tense, afraid of saying something wrong. He then spoke in a weak voice:

"Yes, Mist—D-Demon. I'm sorry."

Demon sighed as he looked at Luke's obvious nervousness. He couldn't deny that he wanted to just walk into his room and avoid this awkward situation entirely, but a rare feeling of guilt crept into his heart when he thought about abandoning the boy. Demon then started walking toward the nearest window and asked without looking at Luke:

"How old are you?"

Luke looked surprised at Demon's back before adjusting his posture and carefully following behind him toward the window. When Demon reached it, Luke also stopped at a safe distance and responded in a slightly less fearful voice:

"I'm sixteen."

Demon gazed out the window as a light breeze passed over him. Sixteen years old — just as he had suspected, Luke was indeed younger than him. But at the same time, when Demon was sixteen, he was already an extremely experienced veteran within the company. Meanwhile, Luke… Well, he was just a rookie.

Demon then spoke again, still appreciating the chaotic scenery of the favelas, not bothering to look at Luke:

"And do you know how to fight? You know, most rookies don't survive their first event… You must be pretty confident in your skills if you're wasting your time coming up here just to meet me."

Demon's question seemed to make Luke think hard, as silence stretched between them for a few seconds before Luke finally responded:

"I-I'm not confident. But… my father taught me how to fight when I was little, and… I can't die here!"

Demon was surprised by the determination in Luke's voice when he said he couldn't die in this place. It seemed the rookie had more to him than just his innocent appearance, but Demon didn't really care about that.

Besides, he had already exceeded his daily limit for conversations with other people, so he had no intention of asking any more questions. Well, he also didn't really know what else to ask. Unfortunately for him, Luke wasn't planning on letting Demon enjoy the view from the window in silence. After a few moments, he spoke again:

"You know, my father was a great man. He taught me everything I know. Even though he had to work all day, every day, he always made time for me and my family. We were never rich, but we were happy. Really happy! Until…"

Demon sighed. It seemed he had been dragged into a sad story he didn't want to hear. But he wasn't so heartless as to stop Luke from telling it — the rookie seemed to be having a moment here.

Luke continued:

"Until that bastard set his sights on my little sister. She was really beautiful, you know? She was cheerful, kind, and really smart too. But because of that, that son of a bitch wanted her for himself. At first, he tried to win her over, but after getting rejected a few times, that pig showed his true colors.

He—he kidnapped my sister, and he… he did whatever he wanted with her! And then, he—he…"

Luke's voice failed as Demon could feel the raw emotion behind his words. The boy didn't seem to have the strength to finish that sentence, but Demon didn't need much imagination to figure out what had happened.

The "bastard" had probably killed Luke's sister after violating her. A vile and unforgivable act? Yes. But truth be told, it wasn't uncommon. Bastards from rich and powerful families did that whenever they pleased — no one would punish them for it after all.

The spoiled brat who had whipped Demon earlier was exactly that kind of bastard, for example.

Then Luke spoke again, but this time, the hatred in his voice even caught Demon off guard:

"When my father found out, he lost his mind. My father was always an honest worker, but he knew how to fight. And besides... he had a mark. A powerful one, at that.

He stormed into that bastard's estate alone and tortured him until he died. He really made that bastard pay! But… right after, he was captured by the estate's guards. The bastard's father was obviously furious, but he wouldn't be satisfied with just killing my father.

He wanted to see my father suffer. Yes, he wanted to make my father endure the maximum amount of pain possible."

Demon remained silent, calmly staring out the window, waiting for Luke's pause to end. He didn't need to look at the boy to know that Luke was struggling to keep his composure, fighting back the urge to cry.

And after hearing a few sniffles and sobs from behind him, Demon heard Luke's voice again:

"They raided my house. I was outside at the time, so I managed to hide in time, but... my mother and my siblings… they weren't as lucky as me.

They made my father watch as they tortured and killed my mother and my siblings. They made him beg on his knees, only to slaughter them right in front of him. And then… after taking everything from my father, after making him lose all will to live, that bastard's father threw a sword in front of him…

He didn't even bother to kill my father with his own hands! He just stood there watching with a smile as my father drove that sword into his own chest and collapsed lifeless to the ground."

This time, Demon could hear a few tears hitting the floor behind him, mixing with Luke's quiet sobs and sniffles.

After hearing the sheer hatred in Luke's voice as he told his story, for the first time in his life, Demon thought he had misjudged someone.

Someone who had endured so much suffering… someone who carried so much hatred inside… there was no way someone like that could still be a good person. For the first time, Demon's eyes had deceived him — Luke was a person consumed by his own hatred, consumed by vengeance.

Without realizing it, Demon's curiosity was piqued. He wanted to understand more about this boy who had managed to fool his eyes. And so, he spoke calmly while continuing to gaze through the window:

"So you want revenge? I hate to break it to you, but you won't get many chances for that in this place..."

But Luke's response was far different from what Demon expected:

"You're wrong! My father sought revenge, but what did that bring him? Since the day my family was murdered before my eyes, I've had only one goal. One dream! I want to make them forget... I want to bring them back to life and erase all the suffering they went through! I want them to be happy again!"

For a moment, Demon was completely speechless. Hearing Luke's words, he realized something — this boy's determination was even stronger than his hatred. And that determination sent chills down Demon's spine, awakening a desire he hadn't felt in a long time. A desire he had been trying to forget for years.

Not wanting to give in to that feeling, Demon tried to prove to Luke — or perhaps to himself — that they were in a place where dreams were just that, dreams. Impossible, unreachable goals. And for the first time in this conversation, Demon's voice carried a hint of emotion as he turned and looked directly at Luke:

"Bringing them back to life? That's impossible! You can't leave this place alive, and even if you could... The only place where something like that is even possible is…"

But before Demon could finish speaking, Luke gathered his courage, met Demon's gaze with a determined expression, and completed his sentence:

"God's Path! I know that! When they found out I had a Mark and brought me here, at first, I thought everything was over. But then I remembered you, Demon, and I realized that I still had hope!

Together, we can escape this place! We can break free and go to God's Path together! That way, we'll be able to achieve all of our dreams!

That's why, Demon… Please, help me! Come with me to God's Path!"