More world bubbles were being restored, but Bai Cha was almost arguing to death with the World Tree beside her.
"What? Say that again! Is that human speech?" Bai Cha was so angered that she cursed for a long time before realizing that the World Tree was not human at all and couldn't speak human speech: "What do you mean Lucifer might be in big trouble now?"
If it weren't for the fact that destroying the World Tree would endanger the entire Earth, Bai Cha would have kicked it twice. Just now, this World Tree actually said it couldn't tear open this dark world bubble to let Bai Cha in.
Bai Cha was so angry that she stared at the World Tree with wide eyes, almost slapping it twice.
The point was that at the beginning, this World Tree had confidently told her to go to other world bubbles to rescue the people trapped there first, so that it could deal with this black world bubble with all its focus.
But now that the work was almost done, it uttered, "Your dragon is in trouble."
Even with Bai Cha's good temper, she almost slapped it.
"Calm down, human, don't be so violent. I just said there was trouble, not that he couldn't be saved."
"If you speak with such pauses again, and don't finish your sentence at once, believe it or not, I'll really kick you?" Bai Cha stared at the World Tree, almost unable to resist slapping it.
"You have to listen to my explanation first. The erosion of consciousness by this black world is much faster than outside, and that demiplane has been constantly instilling malice. You have to be mentally prepared."
"So, how much time has passed inside?" Bai Cha frowned. "Speak your mind, what exactly do you mean."
"It's like this. Malice can easily make people sink, and dragons are no exception. So, once he loses control, I will have to eliminate this corrupted life form. At that time, I won't ask for your consent, so I must tell you clearly in advance."
"You're saying that if Lucifer is influenced by the demiplane like other out-of-control evil dragons and loses his mind, you'll destroy this world bubble along with Lucifer?" Bai Cha's expression turned grim.
"That's right, but that's after you rescue him. After all, I know you won't give up on him."
"..."
This was boundlessly dark, with a bloody and viscous aura filling the surroundings, making it difficult for Lucifer, who had been here for a long time, to breathe. It was like dark, cold blood flowing from rotten corpses, winding across the sky and earth. Drop by drop, incessantly, it dripped onto his face.
Lucifer had long since transformed into human form. His dragon form was too large and would cause him to endure more erosion. The darkness prevented him from opening his eyes, and the eternal fall made him somewhat dazed. It seemed even his heart had sunk to the bottom, and even that figure had become blurred.
There was only coldness and emptiness here. He had lost his sense of time. Lucifer felt that a long, long time had passed, and his mother would whisper different past events and sins into his ear at regular intervals.
The more he was in this darkness, the more he felt countless eyes watching him from all directions. Lucifer curled himself into a ball, feeling as if thorns were pricking his back. The constantly dripping blood made it impossible for him to sleep day or night.
"What's wrong? Feeling it's unbearable? Why didn't you think of this earlier? It would have been so good if you had just come back with me. You're already a lost cause."
"Anyway, she doesn't care about you. Let me tell you, 90% of the people I've trapped have already been rescued. What are you? Moreover... you've been eroded by me for so long, will your master kill you without hesitation! After all, your master values missions the most, and you are just an appendage."
"...Probably."
Actually, Lucifer agreed with what his mother said. If he really lost control, he believed Bai Cha would be the first to kill him.
He believed it because his master was a hero, and the safety of all lives was always the most important thing. He knew this.
But he still felt lost and jealous. Clearly, he was the one who had resonated with Bai Cha. However, he was different from all other dragons. After resonating, other dragons and their hosts were intimately close, but he seemed forever unable to gain Bai Cha's favor.
"Thank you." "You've worked hard." "Your objective..." "Mission..."
Bai Cha's distant and polite words seemed to echo in his ears. Lucifer felt a blockage in his heart. He felt it shouldn't be like this, but why, even when he held her in his arms, could he not feel her presence?
"Yes, that's right. Despair, Lucifer. You are a life form created by the origin of evil. How can you yearn for human emotions and recognition? That's it."
"Embrace me, accept me, get used to me, and become one with me. I can make you stronger. I can make your blood boil! You are my child."
"Heh." Lucifer twitched the corner of his mouth. He was a bit too weak. Every word he spoke was filled with endless effort: "You truly don't get tired."
After talking for so long without stopping, should he say he was worthy of being his creator? Lucifer thought with self-deprecation. If it were him talking for so long, he would have been exhausted.
"Oh? Then tell me, where did I go wrong?"
Lucifer fell silent, unable to refute.
"Was it your recklessness that killed your companions? Or did you kill your former followers with your own hands? Did your failed rebellion implicate your companions? Was it your past abandonment? Was it that you were not valued? Or was it that you were the last to be rescued?"
"Don't be foolish, Lucifer. Even your proud strength is needed by no one. Your master has already proven it to you, hasn't she? When she used even stronger power than yours, deep down, you actually..."
"Lucifer!"
A faint voice drifted from very, very far away. At that moment, even the voice of the shadowy figure behind him became illusory for an instant.
Was it a hallucination?
His heart, already cold and numb from the dead silence and darkness, suddenly beat violently twice. Lucifer opened his eyes with all his might, but his vision was still darkness.
It must be a hallucination then? What a shame, he hadn't even had a chance to savor that superior soul. Perhaps the taste of that soul would have been truly delicious.
In the past, Lucifer's job, like all dragons, was to be like a member of a locust swarm, numbly helping his mother erode other planes or demiplanes, and bringing the life forms and cores within them back to their creator. As long as there was life, there was a soul. Delicious and unpalatable, Lucifer had eaten a lot, and naturally, he had summarized a set of rules.
In the end, Lucifer couldn't be bothered to touch souls that weren't delicious. He found it all boring and tedious, preferring to curl up in the embryo and sleep well, until he met Bai Cha.
The moment Bai Cha walked into the hall, Lucifer had already opened his eyes. He could smell the unique soul's scent and fragrance, suppressing sadness and despair, blooming with resilience and indifference, yet also with gentleness and wisdom, containing immense power.
How could a soul possess so many flavors at once? The flavor of this soul must be the best. If he could taste such a delicious dessert, it would be worth his effort to stoop and pay a price.
Therefore, he called out to her, chose her, and then followed her.
Who would have thought that the initial hunter, without even realizing it, had begun to rely on his prey a little?
"What, another hallucination? Are you waiting for your master to come back and save you? You've already been abandoned!"
"You are a demiplane that has detached itself from the Earth plane, aren't you, Mother?" Lucifer whispered.
"What?"
"Earth nurtured you, yet you want to devour it in return. You have no emotions or heart, correct?" As if resigned to his fate, Lucifer listlessly closed his eyes. "I curse you! You cannot become a true plane, never. You can only dissipate and wear away in the void."
Various planes nurtured various beings, creating heavens and earth for them, transmitting warmth, entrusting emotions, imparting knowledge, and then gradually taking shape.
These were all things Lucifer understood after resonating. As for his mother, she only knew destruction and devouring. However, after descending to Earth, Lucifer sensed a familiar yet different power, like a child meeting its mother's kindness, as if they shared the same origin yet were different.
And Earth accepted them, allowing them to resonate with humans without even demanding a price, which was the best proof. This was not an invasion, but a retrieval of power.
"So, you are the same, my dear child. You can never, ever, absolutely never obtain the love and affection you desire..."
"Crack."
"Lucifer?"
"!"
"Crack."
"Bang bang bang!"
The world of dead silence was no longer silent. Despair halted at this moment. A faint golden thread, as if from the ends of the earth, wound its way across the dome.
But Lucifer saw it. That was light. That was real, tangible light. It was the light he could only hope for in the darkness.
Because this was absolute darkness, the light that permeated from the dome was so dazzling. It shone upon this defiled land and upon him, who was already covered in filth.
Lucifer raised his right hand. Even this single action exhausted all his strength. He was too weak. The shadow behind him clung to him like mud, yet despite this, Lucifer still reached out his hand, wanting to touch the illusory light.
Until.
A cold touch grazed his wrist, familiar and gentle.
"Master!"
Lucifer suddenly widened his eyes. That familiar face was right before his eyes, magnified. It was like a dream. She was backlit, and faint golden light cascaded from behind her, dancing in her hair. She still had that calm and indifferent demeanor as she grabbed his hand.
A faint, fresh scent dispelled the gloomy despair around Lucifer and rushed into his embrace. She spontaneously hugged him, her hair brushing against his face. She was so close to him, as if she were about to kiss his lips.
Lucifer hugged back the soul he had longed for. In this moment, whether it was an illusion or a hallucination, he truly and clearly felt Bai Cha's presence, closer than ever before.
No wonder humans liked to sleep and never wake up from their dreams.
"Let's go, home."
Her clear voice flowed like a cold spring, yet still carried the gentleness of water. Lucifer felt as if he were ascending, and the light behind Bai Cha gradually enlarged before his eyes.
Finally, he hatched out.
Bai Cha brought Lucifer to a branch of the World Tree. The black world bubble behind them was immediately crushed into pieces by the World Tree.
"Lucifer! Can you still hear me?" Bai Cha touched Lucifer's hand, which was colder than her own, with some urgency. She could see that Lucifer's pupils were somewhat unfocused, as if he were about to go into shock at any moment.
"Lucifer, don't sleep yet! Activate your power, and then..." Bai Cha was anxiously giving instructions when she suddenly felt Lucifer grip her hand in return. Despite being so weak, the grip held considerable strength.
"Master... you, have come..."
Lucifer smiled. His nose felt a little sore, but not a single tear could fall. Something in his heart seemed to be changing subtly.
"Yes, I've come. We're going back, Lucifer."
"...Go back, go home?" Lucifer looked at the blurred outline before him and finally fell asleep with a smile.
This time, he slept soundly, without any more dark nightmares.
Yes, she had come, to take him home.
So, where the master was, there was home.