Chapter 82. Am I a Demon?

The silence at the front of the school was simply deafening.

All the noble students held their breaths without realizing it, their faces brimming in paleness and fright. The figure of their school's most beautiful and honourable student—Lucillline Rubius—had been drenched into a hideous mess. His once sublime locks of black hair were now like seaweeds sold on the market, and his pair of golden eyes had dark mist shrouding its pupils.

Daphnne was taken aback.

She did not expect to be stared down by such hateful eyes—glaring at her as if she'd slaughtered this noble's whole family. The brown-haired teenage girl shuddered in discomfort. "I really did not mean to hit you..." She hugged her own arms, trying to cease the trembling of her skin.

Lucilline stepped forwards. The sound of his leather shoes against the cobblestone ground was domineering, like a drum thrumming against the transfer girl's heart.

Daphnne lost control over her nerves. Perhaps she was hallucinating, but from the corner of her eyes, she noticed a dark mist shrouding across the noble teenager's uniform. Then, she frantically gazed up at the beautiful boy's face—

Two pairs of bloodshot eyes—no, the irises were scarlet red, as if thick viscous blood lapped over itself until twirling into a circle.

"...No!" A cry torn out of the transfer girl's throat.

Before she could react, her body fell over. A push toppled her straight into the water fountain, and a small eruption of water burst up, gently caressing the cerulean blue skies. The brown-haired girl flailed desperately in the water fountain. No matter how hard she tried, the layer of water pushed down at her, as if it had grown a consciousness and pinned her to stay put underneath.

All of a sudden, a hand reached deep in the water, pulling her out.

Violent coughs ripped out of the girl, who clenched at her collar. Her hair had been soaked wet, clutching close to her skull. Daphnne panted, her chest heaving up and down. From her mouth, small puddles of water were spat out.

Lucilline gazed at the transfer student with contempt. He sneered, "Apologies. I didn't mean to push you either." Contemplation seethed at the corner of his lips. "Let's call it even, shall we?" His smile felt insincere.

Daphnne fell to her knees, panting for every breath. The air entering her lungs made her feel more alive, as if the earlier loom of death faded away.

The students nearby gossiped with hushed whispers. They huddled away from Lucilline, who walked away from the transfer girl's sorry appearance. "I've never seen Third Master Rubius so angry before." "We better stay away from him." "That poor transfer student..." "Too bad for her. A commoner will always be at the bottom of the hierarchy."

Those words suffocated Daphnne, forcing her to chortle on her saliva.

She coughed, and her eyes stung uncontrollably. Her hands trembled, as if a shudder ran through her entire body. Strange. Daphnne bit her lips. All she can see was the back of the black-haired noble, gradually disappearing from her view. Why do I feel like I've seen him before?

*****

Lucilline stripped off his black sweater, leaving only his white shirt dry. He twisted his sweater, allowing water to seep out of the rich fabric. Droplets of water puddled on the cobblestone ground. Lucilline watched it with an empty stare.

Just what was I doing earlier? He lifelessly gazed up the skies.

The dark mist slowly merged in his body, sticking in the marrows of his slender figure. Lucilline's eyes gradually returned to gold, as he fell in a trance.

"I will have to redo all my papers and notes." That alone made him drown in a current of sorrow. The ink had been drenched badly, its black liquid skewered across the folded pages. Lucilline shook his head absentmindedly.

That day, he skipped class, and researched more about medicine in the school library.

The entire book of fifty pages scrambled in notes were replaced by fifty more.

After school, Willow was greeted by the sight of her soaked Young Master. She chirped around him like a worried mother, grabbing his wet sweater and leather bag from his arms. "Let's hurry back to the manor, Young Master. I will prepare a warm bath for you."

Lucilline agreed.

They strolled around the streets, bypassing several jewelry stores. The black-haired Young Master couldn't help but still for a moment, his golden eyes pausing on the jewelry. Maybe... just maybe... I can buy one as a present for father?

Willow noticed his hesitation.

"Young Master..." She heard about Duke Rubius' declining health, and all about the efforts her Young Master went through to help. First and Second Young Master are still out from the Capital City, and they can not afford to come back. It is only Young Master and I...

All of a sudden, a sharp shriek ripped through the air.

"THIEF!!!" A woman dressed in a green gown was chasing after a man covered in back clothing. The man—allegedly the "thief"—had stolen the woman's wallet, which was stuffed with many riches. His bloodshot eyes were piercing, with the bulging veins almost exploding from nerves. He bypassed several other panicking people.

People found themselves watching the chase from the sidelines. Unfortunately, the woman was too slow. She couldn't catch up to the thief, and panted heavily.

Lucilline turned away from the scene.

He couldn't afford to look at how tragic the woman was anymore. However, he also didn't have the energy and passion to actually help. Therefore, he just stood there and watched the commotion riling up.

All of a sudden, another cry came out of the blue. "Get out of the way!"

Lucilline was surprised when he saw a handsome figure dash across the streets. It was like a blizzard of snow slapping him across the cheeks, leaving behind a hideous sting. Locks of white hair bounced up and down, and a pair of amethyst purple eyes shone in the crowd. The tall and handsome young man ran at an extremely fast pace, quickly caught up to the thief, and then swiftly knocked them down onto the ground.

Gasps piped up on the street. The noble men and women hurriedly stepped away from where the white-haired young man and the thief were situated at.

Lucilline stepped backwards as well.

His eyes were fixed at how handsome young man locked the thief's wrists behind their back, then pinned them down to the ground. Once the thief couldn't move anymore, the dashing hero grabbed the wallet out from their grip.

Later on, the thief was escorted away by the patrol guards.

The white-haired young man walked to the victim. Surprisingly, there was another lady beside her. Daphnne, the transfer student straightened her dress as she greeted the hero with a cheerful look, "Az! You were amazing!" She jumped and down from excitement. "You saved this lady's money! You're such a hero, Az!"

Being stuffed with many compliments, the white-haired young man didn't flush. He just waved heroically, "It's nothing."

He spaced out and spoke, "It's all for the sake of justice."

Lucilline couldn't bear to watch anymore. His chest was stifled with an uncomfortable feeling, as if a pair of invisible hands were pressing down at his ribs. While the white-haired young man rushed out to detain the thief, Lucilline did not care for the slightest and walked away.

The large contrast between their two actions made Lucilline suffocate.

His face paled uncontrollably, as he turned around, leaving the scene. "Young Master?" Willow hummed, following behind with concern.

She was given no response.

*****

The lapping currents of water sounded in the bathroom.

A slender long leg gently dipped in the white bathtub, and gradually, a whole naked body soaked beneath the hot water. A low sigh exhaled out, and silky black hair were tied up into a large bun. Lucilline sunk in the water, allowing half of his face—just below his nose—to sink underneath. Small bubbles were blown to flow on the surface of the water, popping into oblivion.

"...what is going on with me..." Lucilline shook his head absentmindedly.

He had been feeling out of sorts. Ever since being splashed with water at the school fountain, Lucilline was covered in unspeakable emotions. It was as if a dark curtain drew across his eyes, blinding him of the situation before him. When he woke up, the dark mist unveiled itself. He found himself standing in front of a soaked head-to-toe teenage girl, her face pale and stricken in fear.

Through her blue irises, Lucilline could see the reflection of himself—and his ugly crimson red eyes.

He looked exactly like a demon.

"I'm a demon..." Lucilline fiddled his thumbs together, his throat bobbing up and down. His golden eyes shut tight, trying to contain the sting rippling across. I'm a demon... Is that why mom died? Is that why dad is now sick? Is it because of me?

"No," all of a sudden, a strict voice interrupted his thoughts.

Strange, that voice spoke directly to his mind...

"You are not the demon, I am." That voice spoke again, making Lucilline tremble on the spot. He shuddered, balling his fists into clenches. "What do you want?" Perhaps the mind demon could sense the fear and panic laced in his heart, for it chuckled lightly.

"What I want? I'm only here because I'm attracted to your thoughts." The mind demon spoke as if they were amused with Lucilline. "Your every emotion... fear, distraught, and bloodlust." The last word made Lucilline freeze up. "They are all a wonderful feast for me."

The black-haired nobleman pinched his nails into his palms. "Get out of my mind."

Instead, the mind demon only laughed at his naivety. "As if! Once you go to sleep, I will gladly eat up every nightmare... maybe now that you know I'm living in your mind, it will make my feast sweeter..." That made the mind demon laugh harder.

Lucilline inhaled the humid air.

For some odd reason, his abdomen burned hot—as if he'd been scalded. It was like a volcano on the verge of erupting, the lava beneath gurgling and piling up...!

All of a sudden, his eyes glowed crimson red. The lava buried underneath had exploded.

The water in the bathtub began to lap over itself, as if an unknown force had splashed it around. It happened in a mere second. Lucilline's body was shrouded in a dark mist, then a violent burst of crimson red pulsed from his pupils.

In an instant, black goo emerged from his body.

It was as if an invisible film on Lucilline's skin had been peeled off, then melting into a black liquid. To his surprise, the black liquid began to squirm on the bathroom floor!

"How is this possible...!" The mind demon shouted out loud. His appearance was a sorry figure, but Lucilline felt nothing less than disgust. The black-haired nobleman got out from the bathtub, a towel wrapped around his slender figure.

His crimson red eyes stared down at the mind demon, his copper bell awfully silent. "Get out of my sight."

The mind demon's body contorted, as if an unknown force stretched it nonstop from left to right. It bulged up and down, like a balloon inflating at a rapid pace. The mind demon's skin was twisted, almost resembling rubber. "No... no...! What is happening...!?!" The mind demon shouted and cried, its screams scratching at Lucilline's ears. "Help! I will do whatever you say, just please let me survive—!" The black goo then... exploded into thin air.

Silence followed slowly afterwards.

The bathroom floor was perfectly clean—as if there was no black goo there at all.

Lucilline sighed, feeling a rush of relief sink into his veins. The crimson red faded out of his eyes, and the black mist also disappeared.

He lowered his head, glancing at his palms. The black-haired nobleman could not control his hand, watching it slowly tremble on the spot, "What is this?"