I'm The Devil - Chapter 299

Chapter 299: The God Of Mischief Is On Board
Lucifer’s lips twitched as Loki leaned forward slightly, the green glow casting sharp shadows over the Trickster’s angular face. The faint clinking of chains echoed in the vast chamber as Loki tilted his head, his gaze narrowing with curiosity masked by his usual mockery.

“Intrigue, you say?” Loki purred, the words rolling off his tongue with practiced ease. His sharp grin widened as he leaned back again, resting against the stone seat as though it were a throne. “How delightfully vague of you. But I’m guessing you didn’t come all this way for a chat about my charms. So, what is it you truly want, Morningstar?”

Lucifer let the silence settle like a heavy mist, his expression calm but his dark eyes glinting with something deeper—purpose, and perhaps a hint of weariness he was loath to show. He stepped closer, his long coat whispering against the cold stone floor, and clasped his hands behind his back in a gesture of effortless authority. His gaze was unrelenting, locking onto Loki’s with an intensity that forced the Trickster to take him seriously, despite his flippant posture.

“I’m here,” Lucifer began, his voice soft but resonant, each word deliberate, “to offer you a place at my side. I’m building something—assembling a team, if you will.” He smiled faintly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “And you, Loki, are uniquely qualified.”

Loki’s sharp grin faltered for a split second, replaced by a flicker of genuine curiosity. His emerald eyes gleamed as he studied Lucifer, his fingers tapping idly against the armrest of his confinement. The golden chains binding his wrists shimmered faintly with each movement, but they seemed almost forgotten as Loki’s mind worked, piecing together the implications of Lucifer’s words.

“A team?” Loki echoed, his grin returning but tinged with incredulity. “Let me guess—an ensemble of misfits, outcasts, and ne’er-do-wells from across the realms? How very noble of you.” He leaned forward again, his expression sharpening as his lips curved into a sly smirk. “But tell me, what exactly do you need this league of yours for? Surely, the great Lucifer Morningstar doesn’t need help.”

Lucifer exhaled quietly, the barest flicker of amusement crossing his face. He tilted his head slightly, the movement languid yet precise, as if considering how much to reveal. Finally, he took another step closer, his voice dropping to an almost conspiratorial tone.

“This time,” Lucifer said, his eyes narrowing, “the threat is not just to my realm but to me. And this war, Loki—it’s mine. I can’t afford to let it fall into anyone else’s hands.”

His smirk returned, sharper now. “Unlike certain mortals who stumble into glory, I don’t rely on luck. I need capable allies. And let’s face it,” he added, his voice curling into a taunt, “there’s no one better suited for chaos than you.”

Loki barked a laugh, throwing his head back as the sound echoed off the chamber walls. “Oh, this is priceless,” he said, his voice laced with glee. “Lucifer Morningstar, slumming it with outcasts because he finally bit off more than he could chew. How the mighty have fallen.” He leaned back in his seat, crossing his legs with a casual elegance as his grin turned cutting. “So, what you’re saying is… you want a pale imitation of yourself?”

Lucifer’s smirk widened, a flash of teeth visible in the dim light. His dark eyes gleamed with cold amusement as he folded his arms across his chest, tilting his head slightly. “Precisely,” he said smoothly. “But let’s not undersell you, Loki. You’ve made quite the name for yourself as a professional thorn in the side of gods and men alike. A true craftsman of chaos. If anyone deserves to be called my shadow, it’s you.”

Loki stilled at that, his grin softening into something more contemplative. For a moment, the ever-present glint of mischief in his emerald eyes dimmed, replaced by a calculating intensity. He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, his chains rattling faintly as he rested his elbows on his knees. His gaze locked onto Lucifer’s, piercing and unflinching.

“Flattery aside,” Loki said, his tone softer but no less cutting, “who is this foe you’re so eager to face that you’d stoop to recruiting me? Surely, you’ve got a name, a face, something to go on?”

Lucifer’s expression darkened, the faint lines at the corners of his eyes deepening as a sigh escaped him. He looked away for the first time, his gaze sweeping over the flickering green light along the walls as though searching for answers in the ether. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter, tinged with an uncharacteristic weight.

“I don’t know who they are,” he admitted, his tone carrying a rare note of frustration. “But I do know this: they’re powerful. Far more so than most mortals—or even gods—could comprehend. And they’re clever. They’ve already begun to sow discord in ways that… concern me.”

He turned back to Loki, his eyes sharper now, glinting like obsidian under firelight. “And they’ll stop at nothing to destroy me. Which means they’ll exploit every crack, every weakness. Including… my brother.”

Loki’s brow lifted, intrigue sparking anew. “Satanael?” he asked, the name sliding off his tongue like a curse. He leaned back slightly, a sly grin forming as he studied Lucifer. “Ah, yes. The power-hungry fool who just won’t stay down. Let me guess—he’s their puppet now?”

Lucifer’s jaw tightened, his hands clenching briefly before he forced himself to relax. “Not yet,” he said, his voice low. “But he’s predictable. He’ll seize any opportunity to stand against me, no matter how many times I’ve put him in his place.”

Loki’s smirk widened, his fingers tracing idle patterns on the armrest of his stone seat. “Well, this just gets more and more interesting,” he murmured, his tone dripping with mockery. “And tell me, Morningstar, why should I throw my lot in with you? What’s in it for me?”

Lucifer stepped closer, his gaze steady, his smirk softening into something colder, more deliberate. “Freedom,” he said simply. “Freedom from this cage. Freedom to revel in chaos without fear of being hunted down. And most importantly…” He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper. “The chance to prove to the Aesir—and everyone else—that they were fools to ever try to control you.”

Loki’s grin widened into a feral smile, his emerald eyes gleaming with dark promise. “Now that,” he said softly, his voice rich with anticipation, “is an offer worth considering.”

Lucifer’s dark eyes burned with an intensity that seemed to pierce through the very air between them, his voice dropping to a low, resonant growl that carried the weight of millennia. He leaned in closer, his presence oppressive, like the shadow of a storm blotting out the sun.

“Let me make one thing clear, Trickster,” he said, his words laced with an edge that could cut through steel. “I have not fallen. I have not weakened. I am not begging for aid—I am ensuring my focus remains undivided when the enemy dares to reveal themselves. And if you mistake this for anything less than strategy, I will remind you why even gods tremble at the mere whisper of my name.”

The flicker of confidence in Loki’s emerald eyes faltered for the briefest moment, his throat bobbing as he swallowed against the weight of Lucifer’s presence. For once, the God of Mischief found himself at a loss for words, the green glow of the chamber seeming dimmer in the Morningstar’s shadow.