The sun rose over the gleaming walls of New Eden as alarms blared through the D.K.A. headquarters.
Hana's team had been officially summoned for their first real mission together.
Lucien was already yawning before the briefing even began.
"Can we start after breakfast?" he asked, slouched in his chair.
Valerie flicked his forehead. "You had breakfast."
"Yeah, but that was thirty minutes ago," Lucien muttered, rubbing his head.
The commander cleared his throat, glaring. "Focus, recruits! A demon sighting was reported in District 12. You'll move in, confirm, and eliminate."
Lucien lazily raised his hand. "Uh, question. What happens if we… you know, don't eliminate?"
The commander stared blankly. "Then you die."
Lucien blinked. "Got it. No pressure."
The Team Assembles
Outside, everyone geared up.
Hana wore her sleek, silver D.K.A. combat armor, pink hair tied back. Valerie, in black and red, adjusted her gloves with a smirk.
Ethan polished his dual pistols engraved with angelic runes, Lily twirled her staff radiating soft light, and Bradley slammed his gauntlets together like a pro wrestler.
Lucien? He wore sunglasses and carried a smoothie.
"Lucien, are you even taking this seriously?" Hana asked, exasperated.
"Totally. I'm moral support. You handle the demons, I handle the vibes."
Valerie facepalmed. "You're a walking hazard."
Bradley grunted. "Why are you even on this team, pretty boy?"
Lucien smiled innocently. "To make you look good, obviously."
Bradley growled. "Oh, it's on."
Arrival at District 12
The city block was deserted — buildings cracked, air thick with smoke.
"Alright, formation A," Hana ordered. "Ethan and Lily stay back. Valerie, you're with me. Lucien, stay out of trouble."
Lucien saluted lazily. "Yes, ma'am… or maybe."
They advanced cautiously when the ground split open. A massive, red-skinned demon crawled out — three eyes, spiked tail, and breath like a garbage truck.
Bradley cracked his knuckles. "Finally, some fun!"
He charged in, fist glowing with holy energy, and punched the demon square in the jaw. It barely flinched.
Valerie sighed. "Pathetic."
She stepped forward, summoning flaming sigils with her hands, blasting fire that turned into golden sparks midair.
Ethan yelled from behind cover, "Valerie, left flank!"
"Don't tell me what to do!" she snapped, firing anyway — directly into Bradley's back.
Bradley screamed. "Watch where you're aiming, woman!"
Lucien sat on a nearby crate, sipping his smoothie. "Teamwork! I love the energy!"
Lily tried to heal Bradley, but Ethan was already barking orders.
"Lucien, distract it!"
Lucien blinked. "Distract? Oh, sure."
He stood, waved at the massive demon, and yelled, "Hey, ugly! You dropped your skincare routine!"
The demon roared and threw a car at him.
Lucien sidestepped it lazily. "Rude."
Valerie facepalmed so hard she almost broke her wrist.
Hana darted forward, using her Blessing of the Seraphim — a flash of pink light surged from her, granting her blinding speed.
She struck the demon's chest with her glowing fists, leaving searing marks that crackled with divine power.
"Now!" she shouted.
Ethan fired runic bullets into the wounds, exploding with light.
Bradley, despite the burn marks, followed up with a final uppercut that sent the demon crashing into a wall.
They all froze, panting.
Lucien clapped slowly. "Wow. You guys actually did it. Without me."
Bradley glared. "You did nothing!"
Lucien grinned. "Moral support counts."
The commander's voice crackled through their comms.
"Team Hana — report."
Hana replied breathlessly. "Target neutralized, sir."
There was a long pause.
"According to satellite footage, you destroyed half the block. Care to explain?"
Lucien leaned into Hana's mic. "It's called enthusiasm, sir."
Static silence. Then: "...I'm giving you a C-minus."
Lucien fist-pumped. "We passed! I'm a genius!"
Valerie smacked his shoulder. "You're a disaster."
Back at Base
They returned covered in dust, bruises, and mutual resentment.
Bradley glared at Lucien. "Next time, try lifting a finger."
Lucien smirked. "Next time, try lifting your aim."
"Why, you—!"
Before they could fight, Hana clapped her hands. "Alright, everyone. We'll review our mistakes and—"
Lucien cut in, "Mistake number one: trusting Bradley to punch things intelligently."
Bradley lunged, but Lily grabbed him by the collar, giggling. "Boys, boys, save it for training."
Valerie shook her head, muttering, "Idiots. All of them."
Lucien pointed at her. "You smiled. Admit it."
"I did not."
"You totally did."
"I will burn you alive."
"Worth it."
That night, as everyone limped back to their rooms, Hana quietly looked at Lucien's shadow by the window.
Even after all the chaos, he seemed oddly distant — thoughtful, like he was hiding something heavy.
"Lucien?" she said softly. "You really don't like fighting, huh?"
He shrugged. "I've done enough of it to last several lifetimes."
She smiled faintly. "Then maybe this time… just fight for something."
Lucien didn't answer — just smiled faintly at the moonlight.
"Maybe," he said, his voice low. "If I find something worth it."
The night had a soft, lazy warmth to it. Hana's apartment buzzed with chatter, laughter, and the occasional thud of Bradley's laughter shaking the coffee table.
Pizza boxes covered every inch of the table, soda cans were rolling under couches, and the smell of junk food filled the air like perfume.
Lucien leaned back, sipping soda like it was a fine drink. "You humans and your… carb feasts. I think I'm in love."
Valerie shot him a look. "You're always in love. With food."
"Can you blame me?" he said, taking another big bite of pizza. "This world has flavor. Hell had ash."
Mcgruffin laughed with his mouth full. "At least ash didn't make you fat."
Lucien glared. "Excuse me, I'm lean with infernal grace."
Hana clapped her hands. "Okay okay, since we're all officially part of the same agency team now, we should get to know each other."
Bradley leaned back, flexing slightly for no reason. "Alright, I'll go first since, y'know… everyone wants to hear from me anyway."
Lucien raised a brow. "You sure about that, Big Guy? The floorboards already fear your speeches."
Bradley smirked. "Jealousy's ugly, bro. Anyway, I used to be a pro fighter before the angels blessed me. Now I can punch through cars. Literally. Cars."
Lucien whistled. "Impressive. Hell had a guy like that too. He's now missing a face."
Bradley frowned. "That supposed to be funny?"
Lucien grinned. "To me? Hilarious."
The others groaned — the rivalry was already showing.
Ethan took his turn next, spinning one of his pistols idly.
"Name's Ethan. Marksman. Used to be a cop before the demons showed up. Guess I'm just the quiet one with the loud toys."
"Understatement," Bradley muttered. "You clean your guns more than you talk."
Ethan smiled calmly. "That's because my guns listen better than you."
Lucien snorted soda out his nose.
Lisa's cheeks tinted pink, and she gave him a small nod.
" You don't talk a lot do you? " Lucien asked
Lisa tucked the sheets over her face as sh blushes
Valerie, watching from the side, narrowed her eyes and muttered under her breath. "Flirt."
"So what about you three?" Hana asked, glancing at Lucien, Valerie, and Mcgruffin.
Lucien froze. Valerie's hand subtly tightened around her soda can.
"Us?" Lucien said with a grin far too wide. "Oh, nothing interesting. Just regular, non-demonic citizens."
Everyone stared.
Lucien cleared his throat. "I mean—normal! We're normal. Very… human."
Bradley laughed so hard he almost fell off the couch. "Dude, you sound like an alien trying to order coffee."
Lucien rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I'm new to the 'not terrifying people' thing."
Ethan smirked. "Clearly."
Mcgruffin, lying flat on the floor with snacks on his chest, added dreamily, "I once loved a woman who ran a bakery… or maybe it was a pet shop…"
Lisa blinked. "You're weird."
Mcgruffin grinned. "I try."
Hours passed in a blur of jokes, stories, and ridiculous conversations that went nowhere.
Bradley and Lucien kept sniping at each other like kids.
"Bro, you couldn't last one round with me in training."
"Why would I fight you when I can just outshine you with my jawline?"
"YOUR JAWLINE ISN'T A SKILL!"
Hana facepalmed. Valerie snorted into her drink.
Ethan and Lisa mostly stayed quiet, but they laughed at the ridiculousness of it all.
As the laughter died down, Hana looked around at the group — all of them smiling, joking, alive.
"Weirdly enough," she said softly, "I kinda like this mess of people. It feels like… family."
The room went silent for a beat.
Lucien's smirk softened. "A dysfunctional one, sure. But yeah… family."
Bradley raised his soda. "To our messed-up family!"
Everyone cheered and clinked cans together — even Valerie, though she rolled her eyes doing it.
Late Night
Eventually, people started dozing off where they sat.
Bradley snored on the floor like an earthquake, Ethan leaned back in the chair, and Lisa curled up quietly beside Hana.
Lucien stayed awake by the window again, looking at the moon. Valerie joined him, arms folded.
"Still think they'd laugh like that if they knew what you were?" she said quietly.
Lucien smirked. "Maybe. Maybe not. But… I'd like to think laughter sounds the same, no matter where it comes from."
Valerie sighed. "You're impossible."
Sunlight leaked through Hana's half-closed curtains, cutting slanted rays across the room.
Lucien groaned from the couch, one arm dangling off, his face buried in a pillow.
The floor was littered with people. Bradley was drooling on the carpet. Ethan had fallen asleep still holding his gun (safety on, thankfully). Lisa was curled up under a blanket like a tiny burrito. Mcgruffin was snoring upside down on a chair, and Valerie was calmly sipping coffee like she hadn't aged a day.
Lucien blinked blearily at the scene.
"...What the actual hell? Why are there humans in my personal sleeping radius?"
Valerie didn't even look up. "They live here now. Apparently."
Lucien sat up, hair sticking everywhere. "What do you mean live here? This isn't a shelter for muscleheads and nap fairies!"
"Morning to you too, sunshine," Hana said, stepping out of the kitchen holding a frying pan. "They said their apartments were cramped and that my place has more space."
Lucien looked around at the chaos. "Space? Hana, there's a whole bodybuilder taking up half the oxygen."
Bradley groaned awake. "Hey, demon-hair, some of us need our morning peace—"
Lucien threw a pillow at his face. "You're breathing my peace."
Bradley chucked it back. "You're breathing my patience!"
Ethan rubbed his eyes and muttered, "I swear if you two start this early every morning, I'm bringing tranquilizer darts."
Mcgruffin yawned from his chair. "Good morning, angels of chaos. Did anyone see where my dignity went? I think I dropped it near the snack pile."
Lisa giggled softly under her blanket. "You never had any."
Everyone froze.
Lucien turned, wide-eyed. "Did… did Lisa just roast him?"
Hana smirked. "Looks like she's finally getting comfortable."
Mcgruffin clutched his chest dramatically. "Betrayed by a cinnamon roll…"
Hana set plates on the table. "Alright everyone, breakfast before training. Eat up."
Lucien sniffed suspiciously. "You cooked again? Please tell me that smell isn't from your… 'eggs experiment'."
Valerie almost spat her coffee laughing. "He's traumatized."
Hana glared. "For your information, it's edible this time!"
Lucien poked his food with a fork. "Define edible."
Bradley shrugged, already eating. "If it doesn't scream when you stab it, it's fine."
Lucien turned to Valerie. "See, this is why humanity scares me more than demons."
Valerie smirked. "You're just mad you can't cook."
Lucien crossed his arms. "I can burn things perfectly."
"Exactly," Valerie said flatly.
As everyone ate, Hana leaned against the counter. "Alright team, after breakfast, we train."
Lucien froze mid-bite. "We what now?"
"Train," Hana repeated. "You're still weak, remember? We need to build your strength if you're going to be on the field."
Lucien groaned and slumped onto the table dramatically. "Being weak sucks. I liked it better when I could sneeze and accidentally vaporize a continent."
Bradley laughed. "Yeah, right. You can't even do ten pushups, man."
Lucien narrowed his eyes. "Pushups are a mortal invention. The devil does not bow to gravity."
Ethan muttered, "Then gravity's winning."
Valerie nearly choked from laughing. Hana rolled her eyes but was smiling.
"Come on, lazybones," she said. "You've got Valerie to spar with today. No abilities, just stamina."
Lucien groaned louder. "Stamina? Hana, I can't even spell that right now."
Mcgruffin stretched. "Guess I'll just sit this one out, like a supportive ghost."
"Mcgruffin," Hana warned.
He pointed at Lucien. "Fine, but if I die of exercise, it's his fault."
Lucien grinned. "Finally, something I'm good at."
As they got ready to leave, Lucien muttered under his breath, "Great… first the angels ruined the world, now they're making me do morning cardio."
Valerie smirked. "You'll live."
Lucien looked out the window at the sunlit city, now alive with human activity, walls glimmering in holy light — a city built to keep his kind out.
And yet, here he was.
The Devil's great-great grandson.
Living in the heart of angelic territory…
…complaining about pushups.