Lucifer woke up three hours later, not by the alarm, but by the subtle, cold pressure of Raven's ability reasserting itself in the room.
His fatigue vanished instantly, replaced by a searing shot of adrenaline.
He immediately looked at Raven.
She wasn't on the bed.
She was standing silently in the center of the room, still in her purple cloak, but her feet were hovering an inch above the floor.
Her eyes were completely shadowed, and a deep, humming, violet energy was radiating from her body, making the old windows rattle in their frames.
The system screamed a warning:
[Target: Raven (Rachel Roth)]
[Status: Confrontation/Active Defensive Stance]
[Threat Level: World-Ending Potential (Unleashing)]
[Danger: Immediate Combat Scenario.]
"What the hell, Raven?!"
Lucifer hissed, scrambling to his feet, instantly activating his shield.
"Shield Up!"
The reinforced hardwood of the Tier 3 Force Field shimmered, ready.
Raven didn't turn to him. Her voice, when she spoke, was a cold, multi-layered echo that seemed to come from the walls themselves.
"They found me. I sensed them on the periphery of the district hours ago. They are at the door."
CRASH!
The cheap lock and the stack of textbooks exploded inward as the door was kicked off its hinges.
Three figures in dark, armored uniforms, bearing the insignia of a highly advanced, non-government agency, spilled into the room.
They weren't street thugs, nor were they super-villains. They were highly trained military contractors, armed with sophisticated energy weapons.
"Subject designated 'Rachel Roth' is secured,"
The lead agent barked into his comms.
"Stun and extract! Neutralize the civilian contact!"
Lucifer didn't wait. He knew his shield could maybe take one hit from their weapons.
"You have to get out of here!"
He yelled at Raven.
Raven ignored him. She simply raised both hands.
The violet energy around her coalesced into three dark, clawed shadows—tendrils of pure psychic power.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos,"
She chanted, her voice resonating with ancient, terrible power.
The shadows shot forward.
The agents barely had time to raise their weapons.
The first shadow pierced the lead agent's armor instantly, dragging the screaming man out of the room and slamming him against the brick wall outside with bone-crushing force.
The second and third shadows wrapped around the remaining two agents.
The agents' bodies twisted grotesquely as the shadows consumed their protective armor and began to crush them.
The third agent managed to fire his weapon—a thick beam of crackling blue energy—aimed directly at Raven.
Lucifer reacted instantly, throwing himself in front of her. "Shield Up!" he commanded again, focusing all his will.
KZZZZZZZT!
The blue beam hit his Tier 3 Force Field. The shield flared a brilliant, blinding white for a sickening, extended second.
The impact felt like being hit by a truck carrying the hardwood he'd trained for.
He felt his bones groan, his feet scraping backward across the floor.
But the shield held. It absorbed the energy, momentarily flickering before dissipating completely.
[Tier 3 Force Field Overloaded!]
[Damage Absorbed: High Energy Beam (Non-Lethal Setting)]
[Tier 3 Force Field Activated (1/10)]
[Ability Cooldown Reset: 15 minutes (Overload Penalty)]
He was still standing, battered but alive. The agent who fired the shot was gone, dragged away by Raven's shadows.
Raven lowered her hands.
The violet energy subsided, and the shadows vanished, leaving only silence, the broken door, and a trail of smoke and dust.
She looked at Lucifer, who was gasping for air, clutching his ribs.
"You shielded me,"
She said, her voice now normal, but filled with shock.
"You took a blast for me."
Lucifer leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath.
"It was either that or a world-ending explosion in my apartment, Raven. I'm a delivery guy. I need this building intact."
He knew it was a lie. He didn't want to see her hurt.
Raven simply looked at him, an emotion he couldn't name flickering in her shadowed eyes.
[Side-Quest Completed: The Sanctuary]
[Objective: Protect Raven (Rachel Roth) from external threats for 48 hours until her powers stabilize.]
[Reward Received: $100,000]
Lucifer felt a subtle awareness in his mind.
He looked at Raven, and a sudden, profound understanding hit him.
He sensed not fear, not anger, but a crushing, overwhelming Guilt and a deep, agonizing Gratitude.
Raven walked to the door, looked out at the wrecked hallway, and turned back to Lucifer. She was fully restored.
"I cannot stay here any longer. My presence will continue to attract threats far beyond your capabilities, Lucifer Morningstar."
Lucifer nodded, already accepting his fate.
"Just don't leave me with the cleanup bill."
She took a step toward him, and then another. She reached out and placed a surprisingly warm hand on his shoulder.
"You saved me twice. You are a kind soul hidden by a cynical exterior. Be safe, delivery boy."
She turned, and in a silent flash of violet light, Raven vanished completely, leaving the smell of ozone and the gaping hole in his door.
Lucifer sighed, pushing himself off the wall.
He had a lot of explaining to do to his landlord, a broken apartment, and a shield on cooldown.
He looked at his system funds.
[Current Funds: 102,855 Credits]
[Target: 1,000,000 Credits]
"Time for more overtime,"
He muttered, pulling out his flip phone to check for jobs.