What? Who's about to lose control?
Old Neil?
Klein's heart leapt to his throat. He glanced at the mysterious man, then at Old Neil, unable to stop himself from saying, "Old Neil, you…"
Old Neil's expression remained relatively calm, though the slight tremble in his fingers betrayed his inner turmoil.
Taking a deep breath, Old Neil looked at the mysterious man. "Are you the one who just saved that Punisher from losing control?"
"Just a small gesture." Said the mysterious figure... Alaric, cloaked in his Lucifer persona... with a smile. He gazed at Old Neil as if seeing through his entire life, his smile carrying a hint of indifference.
Alaric had deliberately appeared in this guise. He had indeed saved the Punisher earlier, a task that wasn't particularly difficult. The Punisher's near-loss of control stemmed from pollution by the True Creator's offspring, and cleansing that trace of corruption was simple for Alaric... far easier than purging an Outer Deity's influence.
By addressing the root cause before the Punisher fully lost control and calming their emotions, Alaric had prevented the collapse.
His actions served two purposes: to test the effect of his performance and to craft the image of a mysterious, powerful figure as a prelude to this encounter with Klein and Old Neil.
His earlier hunch proved correct. Playing the Actor required deliberate performances. After Alaric, as Lucifer, made his grand appearance, his Actor potion digested further... not by much, but enough to confirm he was on the right track.
Now, it was time to give Klein a little "Lucifer" shock.
Alaric smirked inwardly and addressed Old Neil. "The Hidden Sage isn't exactly easy to deal with. You're too old. If you continue that ritual, you'll only invite loss of control."
The blunt revelation of his greatest secret made Old Neil flinch, his breathing unsteady. After several seconds, he managed to speak. "Is there no other possibility?"
Alaric's smile turned faintly pitying, though the emotion seemed superficial, like an audience member watching a tragedy unfold. "Sadly, your life doesn't seem to have a second option. Perhaps…" He paused, then recited slowly, as if savoring the words, "'If you can't save her, then stay by her side.'"
Smiling at Old Neil, he continued, "Would you like that engraved on your tombstone?"
Old Neil opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Alaric, as if reading something deeper, raised his hand and snapped his fingers with a sharp crack.
Old Neil, who moments ago had been engulfed in despair, suddenly calmed. He looked at the man before him and said with difficulty, "Thank you."
Just then, Old Neil had teetered on the edge of losing control due to his emotional turmoil. It wasn't surprising... he was too old, and any intense emotional shift could trigger disaster.
Fortunately, Alaric had stabilized his emotions in time, preventing the collapse.
"No need to thank me. I simply don't want a fine actor to vanish from this world." Alaric said, shaking his head with a smile.
"Actor?" Old Neil asked, clearly puzzled.
"You and your wife have performed a remarkable love tragedy." Alaric said leisurely. "The ending of this tragedy... whether you cling to your obsession, continue the ritual to revive her, and lose control, or abandon the ritual, living on with your love for her so she needn't face a third death... is satisfying either way."
Alaric spoke unhurriedly. If it were his true self, he wouldn't have said such things. Though a trickster, he had some conscience when dealing with those of the orderly alignment.
But as Lucifer, a chaotic trickster, he needed to be sufficiently callous.
Sorry, Old Neil, I've got to stab your heart a bit… but trading a little pain for a chance to avoid losing control isn't a bad deal, right?
How cruel!
Klein instinctively glanced at Old Neil, unsurprised to see a flicker of anger on his face. No one would appreciate their life's tragedy being judged like that.
At the same time, Klein realized this mysterious young man might not be a good person... more like a trickster who roamed the world, acting on whims.
"If you just wanted to watch a tragedy, there was no need to warn me." Old Neil said, suppressing his anger, his voice colder.
"I'm merely curious about your choice." Alaric replied, unfazed by Old Neil's tone. He smiled leisurely. "Giving the actor enough choices makes the story's ending more perfect."
Old Neil was rendered speechless.
Klein's initial goodwill toward the man had evaporated. Unable to hold back, he said, "Sir, we're grateful for your warning about Old Neil's risk of losing control, but treating someone's tragedy as a story isn't exactly a good habit."
Alaric turned his gaze to Klein, his golden eyes striking in the evening light, yet carrying little emotion.
Klein could sense, however, that the man's look held scrutiny and some unreadable sentiment.
"Why not? Life is a drama, and we're all the starring actors. Why can't I appreciate another's performance?" Alaric said, his expression tinged with what seemed like genuine confusion.
"And if someone wanted to appreciate your tragedy, would you accept that calmly?" Klein countered.
"Of course." Alaric said, nodding as if it were obvious. "I enjoy others' life dramas, so naturally, others can enjoy mine."
This was laying the groundwork for Lucifer to write his own experiences into a diary.
Klein was momentarily speechless, a mix of frustration and amusement replacing his anger.
The man seemed to genuinely believe this, so his offense toward Old Neil wasn't intentional... just a clash of perspectives.
"But Old Neil doesn't want you to appreciate his life. If you think he's a fine actor, shouldn't you respect his wishes?" Klein said after a moment's thought, deciding to persuade the man using his own logic.
Mr. Fool's mind works fast… Alaric thought, inwardly impressed. On the surface, he adopted a thoughtful expression before nodding. "Interesting logic. I must admit, you've convinced me. I should respect a fine actor's wishes."
Turning to Old Neil, he said with a hint of apology, "My apologies, Mr. Neil. Please forgive my rudeness."
***
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