"But why would I need this?" Lucian asked. "And why me? What do you want?"
The figure tilted his head, unfazed by the question.
"Now now… I don't think you're stupid," he said calmly. "You must've noticed, you went back in time. And don't tell me you believe you can change things in your current condition."
He gestured vaguely around them, though the space remained dark and red.
"With where you are right now, your brother won't live long enough for you to rise. You need an edge. You need real advantages."
Lucian didn't respond. He didn't like how accurate the words were.
"As for why you," the man continued, "well… I can't say you're special. Going back in time isn't unique. And truthfully, you're still the same person. Still broke. Still desperate. Still soft in the middle."
Lucian clenched his jaw but stayed quiet.
"But," the figure added, "I believe we can work together."
Lucian crossed his arms, still guarded. "Work together how?"
The man stepped closer, the heat in the air rising slightly.
"What I want is someone to rule the criminal world," he said. "You see, many humans have been making deals with demons for thousands of years. This isn't new. Souls traded for power, influence, fear."
He paced slowly, hands behind his back.
"But while I rule here, in the Infernal World… Earth is not mine. I have influence, yes. Connections. But no throne. No king. And that's where you come in."
Lucian raised an eyebrow. "You want me to rule Earth?"
"I want you to rule the humans," the man clarified. "Let them see you rise. Let them follow, or fall. Build your empire in blood, debt, fear, whatever tools you choose."
He stopped walking and looked straight at Lucian.
"You become the figure they fear and obey. You rule them from the surface. I rule down here. And together, we control both sides."
Lucian exhaled slowly. "So I become your middleman."
"No," the figure replied. "You become my equal. My partner."
Lucian stared at him for a long time.
If any of this was real, then his life had already changed.
But this deal, this step, would change the world.
The man smiled, his teeth barely showing.
"I don't care how you do it, or why you'll do it," he said. "As long as it gets done."
Lucian narrowed his eyes. "But how would I even rule humans? This isn't the medieval era. There are no kings. People choose their leaders, and to even be seen, you need money. A lot of it."
"Then get money," the man said without hesitation. "I mean… it is clear, no?"
Lucian scoffed. "That's like telling a homeless person to go buy a house."
The man stepped closer, the red light casting sharper lines across his face.
"But that homeless person doesn't have demonic abilities," he replied. "You do."
Lucian didn't say anything. The weight of it was sinking in.
"Your world is ruled by criminals and sin," the man continued. "You want influence? Start there. It's faster, dirtier, and more honest. Nobody questions power when they're afraid to speak."
"So you're saying I should become a criminal," Lucian said, not as a question, but as a confirmation.
The man chuckled.
"Do you think time will wait for you? That your brother will wait for you to study, or build that clean business, before he dies?"
He leaned in just slightly, the air heating again.
"Hahahaha… come now."
Lucian felt the pressure rising, not from fear, but from the cold truth being laid in front of him.
"It's time to make your choice, Lucian Crowe," the man said flatly. "If you don't take it, I'll offer someone else."
He wasn't wrong.
That was the thought running through Lucian's head.
In his past life, he had never committed any real crimes. Sure, he'd lied on forms, maybe dodged a few small things, but nothing serious. Nothing that could ruin someone else's life.
But now?
To get the kind of money he needed, fast, steady, and large, he would have to cross every line. Drug dealing, extortion, bribery… maybe worse.
His mind jumped to the worst-case scenarios.
Would he have to traffic people? Kill?
He shook his head. "No… no, not that," he muttered under his breath.
But what did criminals even do on that level? He had watched movies, read a few stories, heard whispers in alleys, but none of that told him how it really worked. All he knew was the results. The fear. The control. The money.
And right now, he had none of those.
His thoughts kept racing. The more he tried to sort them, the worse it got.
If he said yes, he would take in demonic power. That was already dangerous. Selling his soul on top of that? It sounded final. Damning. Like crossing a line that couldn't be uncrossed.
He would become someone else. Someone worse.
But if he said no…
His brother would die.
That was fact. He knew the date. He remembered the hospital. He remembered the helplessness.
And who knew, if time repeated itself too closely, maybe the night he and his family were killed would come again. Maybe even sooner.
He'd have no way to stop it. No chance to protect them. Just another round of regret, played out the same way, with the same ending.
Wouldn't that be selfish?
Wasn't refusing this just choosing his own comfort over their survival?
He looked at the tablet again.
Lucian didn't want to be a bad person. But he didn't want to be useless either.
If taking power meant keeping Jamie alive… if it meant letting his mom rest, and Scarlett live without breaking herself for bills… then maybe it was worth it.
Maybe this wasn't about being good or bad.
Maybe this was about doing what had to be done.
And it wasn't like he'd be doing it because he enjoyed it.
That wasn't the point.
He had a reason. A good one.
He wanted to protect his family. That was all.
He wasn't chasing chaos. He wasn't hungry for blood or power. He just didn't want to watch his little brother die again. He didn't want to see his mother work herself into the ground, or his sister carry weight that wasn't hers.
Lucian looked up.
The man was already grinning.
His hand was outstretched, waiting, as if he had known from the start that Lucian would never say no.