20 Deal

A young man emerged and sat before Lucien. He had dark eyes, curling black hair, a broad forehead, and a thin face. And he wore a crystal monocle over his right eye.

"That's an interesting bird you have."

Lucien regarded the young man wearing a monocle with a blank expression. He was none other than Amon the Blasphemer. It was obviously not his main body; he could tell that. It was probably only an avatar at the angel or saint level.

To be honest, he wasn't that surprised that Amon managed to find him despite all of his efforts of concealment, considering everything, but what really captured his attention was the question of why the blasphemer was here.

Amon, based on what he knew from the original novel, was extremely dangerous. He was a pleasure seeker who was just interested in stimulation and cheeriness. He didn't seem to care about anything, treating everyone and everything as toys or playmates. However, this was not what made him extremely dangerous; rather, it was the fact that he was a pure mystical creature with no humanity.

Now, why was Amon here—perhaps just for the sake of it? They weren't technically enemies, so did he see Lucien as his new toy to play with till he got bored? Or was there another reason? Did Adam reveal anything to Amon? Though that's unlikely…

As the questions and possibilities raced through his mind, Lucien maintained his cool and responded. "Why, thank you." He ruffled Merlin's back in an effort to calm down his messenger. "He is my creation."

Merlin, on the other hand, was hooting at Amon with a mix of anger, anxiety, and trepidation. He immediately flapped his wings, getting closer to Lucien, as Amon focused on him with a smile.

"What is he saying?"

"He is saying that he is not a bird, but a proud owl spirit. Don't lump him along with those foolish beasts." Lucien translated, a faint chuckle escaping his lips. "And…"

The Reaper met his monocled eye. "He doesn't like you." He concluded with a hushed emphasis.

"Quite feisty, aren't you?" Amon grinned, but not at Merlin but at Lucien.

'So he sees me as his new toy. No, no, he is the God of Deceit....he may simply be putting up a front to get me to believe that and let down my guard for whatever he has planned...What a pain; all I wanted was some delicious dinner...Is that too much to ask...' Lucien sighed inwardly, but his ego spurred him to respond to Amon, refusing to back down in the face of the Blasphemer. "Quite snoopy, aren't you?"

Amon's smile widened as he adjusted his monocle, but he didn't appear to be interested in playing jab with Lucien. "Where are my manners?" He reached out his hand to Lucien. "I'm Amon."

"Lucien Eggers." Lucien answered, but instead of shaking his hand, he swiftly sent Merlin back into the spirit world, who was becoming unsettled by the mounting tension at the table. "And I know who you are, God of Deceit."

"My, my, it appears that my reputation precedes me. Can't say I am surprised." Amon withdrew his hand, unfazed by the rudeness. "But I hope you don't believe everything those Orthodox Gods say about me; I may be the God of Deceit, but even I, in some ways, fall short of deception when compared with them." He kept going with zeal. "After all, this civilization—their civilization—was built on lies."

"You truly are the Blasphemer." Lucien emphasised with furrowed brows as he begrudgingly admitted the scant amount of truth contained in the Blasphemer's last words.

"The one and only." Amon extended his hands, narcissistically emphasising himself. He then gave Lucien a contemplative look. "Does that bother you? I didn't think you cared that much about traditions and honorifics."

"You do not know me." Lucien shrugged.

"Oh, but I do." Amon adjusted his monocle. "You are the one that broke the trend of times. You are the one who is about to disrupt the world as a whole. You are the one that the Gods—"

"Yes, I have heard them all." Lucien interpreted sharply. "But you still do not know me," he emphasised. "What and who I actually am," he said, narrowing his eyes at Amon. "Do you find the mystery of my existence intriguing? Is that why you're here?" He phrased his guess as a question rather than a statement because you could never be sure with the God of Deceit.

"I can't deny that your existence is intriguing, but I'm not here for it." Amon admitted frankly, which surprised Lucien. "Lucien, you are the Harbinger of Chaos."

'Harbinger of Chaos?' Lucien pondered. 'That's new.'

Amon continued. "With each action you take, you bring chaos into the world, and chaos is exactly what the world needs right now. Things have been too normal and monotonous since the beginning of this epoch, but thanks to you, things are starting to get interesting again." His monocle glowed with light. "In light of this, I'd like to make you an deal."

"Deal?" Lucien arched his brow.

"You see, it is simple." Amon cracked a grin.

Lucien knew it was not going to be simple at all.

The Angel of Time's grin winded, "I will side with you in the coming change of times."

It would be an understatement to say Lucien was surprised, for he didn't know what game Amon was playing with him: "What do you want to return?" He inquired in an effort to understand the situation completely.

"Same," Amon revealed calmly.

"You want to form an alliance?" Lucien couldn't believe it.

"Yes." Amon laughed heartily. "An alliance between the Reaper and the Blasphemer. It would be a sight to behold. Consider the fame and power we could achieve. Even the Gods would be appalled by us!"

Ignoring his boasting, Lucien considered his proposition carefully. He was aware that even with Adam's help, the Southern Continent would still be outmatched by the combined strength of the Northern Continent, but the existence of Amon might just change that. However, if he accepted his deal, he would have to side with the Blasphemer in the final battle for the Lord of Mysteries…

Ultimately, Lucien looked at Amon. "No."

Leaving aside the benefits and drawbacks of the deal, he didn't give it much thought before firmly dismissing it. He had no trust in the God of Deceit, and who knows how many ulterior motives he had in the name of the deal.

Amon didn't look surprised, but his smile faded. "Are you sure?" He insisted. "Consider your situation for a moment: even with my zealot brother on your side, you will be helpless when the Seven Gods decide enough is enough."

"No." Lucien emphasised. "Your deal is pretty vague and unclear. What else were you expecting? But above all, I don't trust you."

"But you trust my brother." Amon retorted playfully.

"I don't exactly trust "Him"." Lucien admitted tentatively, "Our relationship is mutually beneficial."

"That's exactly what I was proposing with our alliance." Amon nailed the coffin down neatly.

'Well played, Amon!' Lucien's lips twitched, feeling himself being pushed into a corner by Amon.

"I've had this subtle feeling since I met you," Amon complained, "but now I'm certain."

"You are prejudiced against me."

'Okay, he isn't entirely wrong…' Lucien sighed and rubbed his temples. "Listen, Amon, I said what I said." He said it in a tone that left no room for any more arguments or questions.

Even yet, he was unconcerned about arousing the ire of the Angel of Time all because of Adam; if he and Amon didn't end up as allies, they certainly weren't enemies.

"Fine." Amon stood up, dejected and disappointed. "But my deal is still in effect, so if you change your mind, recite my honorific name—you know that too, don't you?—and I will be there to discuss all the details and intricacies of the deal..."

Then he was gone, as abruptly as he had emerged.

Lucien reclined in his chair, the chaos of the restaurant flooding his senses, but even those blissful smiles and giggles couldn't take his mind off the meeting with Amon and his nonplussing deal.

—————

Outside the storm cathedral in Kolain, within a bustling square erected with a water fountain, Amon emerged, striding unnoticeably towards a sitting bench.

Adam was there, feeding bread crumbs to the pigeons. "I told you to stay away from him," he remarked as Amon sat down beside him.

"Fine, fine." Amon sighed and rolled his eyes. "You can keep your puppet all to yourself."

"Amon." Adam stressed, his eyes gleaming at his brother. "He is not a puppet or a toy; he is much more than that."

Amon fell silent for a moment, his gaze locked on the enormous bell at the storm church. The pigeons chirped, and the mortals chattered, blissfully oblivious of the hell that was about to descend into their world.

"I know," the Angel of Time declared, a grin forming across his lips, "and that's what makes him all the more interesting."

"You are treading on a dangerous path, Amon." Adam cautioned.

Amon waved his hand dismissively. "I have no qualms about taking a few risks to help the chaos-bringer; after all, I revel in chaos!"

"He is not going to agree to your deal," Adam stated simply.

"Oh, but he will." Amon smiled and adjusted his monocle. "He still doesn't realise the gods have made their move, does he? I can already imagine his reaction as he finds out about the wretched and hopeless path ahead of him." He looked at Adam. "With only your help, he can't win. So his agreement to my deal is all but inevitable." He finished triumphantly. "At the time, even you will have no choice but to include me in your grand story, my zealot brother."

Adam stood up from the bench. "You do not know him." He said with silent emphasis, fading into the dreams of the world.

Amon was unfazed, the light in his monocle shining ever so brilliantly, as though it were about to illuminate the entire world.

"So many mysteries and unknowns.."