A HOMELESS MAN

"Father, Chester, Frazier…"

As the orange ball of gas in the sky took her final sigh of exhaustion and dipped below the horizon, closing her eyes to hide behind the moon, Luciano found himself aimlessly wandering the emptying streets of the surface world while muttering the same three names continuously. His bare feet slapped against the cold pavement and he walked with no real destination in mind, his brain racing with way too many thoughts to comprehend.

"Father, Chester, Frazier…"

He could feel blisters forming underneath his feet from walking for so long, his legs slightly giving way with each step.

The sky gave way to hues of deep indigo and violet, a few final rays painting the clouds in a soft, golden hue before disappearing completely. The moon, full and luminous, rose to take its place instead and it cast a gentle, silver glow that bathed the world in an ethereal light. Luciano halted in his steps, exhaustively tilting his head back to gaze up at the darkening sky.

He bent down to rest on the heels of his feet and when the cuts on the soles of his feet did not regenerate new skin, he let out a guttural snarl, the sound echoing into the night. He truly hated what had become of his life. What bored to death creature of fate decided he required torture?

Losing his wings was proving to be irksome. The indignity of it all made his blood boil. Being reduced to this grounded weak-willed creature was humiliating to even think about—a once mighty hellion limping along, vulnerable and weak.

Finally losing all his strength, he plummeted down on his ass with his legs crossed to check the damage. Why was his body not healing itself anymore?

This walking thing was starting to get on his nerves. How did mortals live like this?

He glanced around with a look of irritation. The usual bustling sounds of traffic in the city were beginning to fade into a peaceful silence. Leaning back into the wall, he took a deep breath of air, unusually crisp and cool in his lungs. The streetlamps cast a warm glow that flickered and danced across the pavement.

He had no idea what to do.

Never had he been this lost, this… helpless.

How the hell was he going to make it back to the Underworld?

Desperately, he wracked his mind with his frow burrowed in deep concentration, trying to come up with a solution to his problem.

Suddenly, his train of thought was interrupted by a loud shriek followed by a muted sound of amused laughter. He glanced up and his eyes met a group of vibrant, colourful figures striding down the street. He paused and peered at them, his eyes widening as he took in the sight.

It was a group of young women, dressed in a kaleidoscope of rainbow flags, glittering sequins, and bold, unapologetic statements emblazoned on their shirts. They walked with a confident, joyful stride, their loud laughter and chatter filling the night. As they were walking past him, one of them turned around to face him. His eyes widened when he realised it was actually a man and after rolling his lips inside his mouth, he suggestively fluttered his hand at Luciano in greeting.

He frowned in confusion.

"Why are you waving at him like that?" the girl mused scoldingly, pushing his hand down.

"Why not?"

"Troy, I get you just got broken up with but not every man is an opportunity for you to get rebound sex."

"Especially not a homeless man," the other girl added sensibly. "You don't know what you could catch."

"Did you see his body though?" the boy mused with a petulance in his tone.

"Oh my God," the girls bemoaned in exasperation.

Luciano glanced down to take in the details of his naked torso. He understood that he could be regarded as somewhat of a sex symbol by mortals, with his chiselled muscles, smooth pale skin and alluring gaze. To him, his physical form was merely a vessel—a means to interact with the world of mortals. For him, true power lay not in an impressive physique, but in the substance which coursed through his veins.

When his eyes settled on the group's retreating form, his eyes caught the plastic wings on the boy's back.

And that was when an idea suddenly popped into his head.

He recalled the day he was messing with fair skin and blue hair. Earlier on before that, he had been summoned deep into a hidden, enchanted forest, following the faint trail of glimmering dust that danced upon the wind. The deeper he ventured, the thicker the foliage grew. The trees reached up towards the canopy above him like gnarled fingers clawing at the sky.

And then, there they were—two diminutive figures hovering amidst the verdant undergrowth, their iridescent wings fluttering.

"We've been expecting you, Princeps Tenebris," they chirped in unison, their high-pitched voices catching him slightly off guard. The lightness in their shared laughter and the cheeriness radiating off them was nauseating to the stomach.

Sternly, he approached the pixies while still watching them cautiously. These creatures were known to be both mischievous and powerful. "What is it you require of me?" he asked, his voice booming with authority.

They exchanged a knowing glance, their expressions impossible to discern.

"We have a proposition for you, my prince," one of them said, its voice tinkling like the sound of wind chimes.

He furrowed his brows in intrigue. "I don't do propositions."

"Oh, but this a chance for you to acquire much more than you would lose, sire," the violet one responded, fluttering its wings to carry it through the air playfully and it seemed to them that this was just another meagre interaction.

He crossed his arms, his arrogant regal features marked by scepticism. "And what could pixies possibly offer that would be of value to me? I am not of the surface world."

The blue pixie's delicate features curved into a mischievous smile, fluttering closer, its iridescent wings casting dancing shadows on the surrounding vegetation. "We possess a knowledge that no other creature could ever stumble upon."

"Why would that matter to me?"

"It would matter because this knowledge involves you, my leash. It would be in your best interest to listen to our proposition."

"Great power awaits you."

"Should you be willing to strike a deal with us, of course."

"Eternal power."

"Timeless power."

He hesitated as his eyes followed their jittery forms, popping in and out of visibility, his mind racing with a thousand questions. Power was not a tempting lure, but he was curious to hear how their knowledge involved him, what they wanted to propose to him.

A pixie's bargain often came with hidden costs and unintended consequences. They were much more dangerous than demons when entering a deal because they could see past the fog of time into future events, immortal too so one could spend the rest of one's life repaying a boundless debt.

What awaited him in his future that intrigued these two?

"What is it you ask in return?" he mused, tilting his head to the side with curiosity.

The pixies grinned, their tiny teeth glinting in the dappled sunlight.

"Nothing too extraordinary, my leash," one of them chimed and he looked at them with an unconvinced expression on his face, his emeralds dulling in an unfazed manner.

"Simply a favour, to be called upon by you when the time is right."

The other one giggled mischievously, flying around him in an excitement which irked him. They were like children, unable to sit still for even one nanosecond. "Yes, time."

"You want to be summoned by me?"

"Why, yes."

He was keenly aware that something was not quite right, but after carefully pondering the situation, his curiosity overpowered his suspicions. He let out a sigh of resignation and settled onto a fallen log, gesturing with his hand to signal his willingness to hear their proposal.

After spawning a card out of thin air which glowed with pixie dust, cursive instructions magically penned themselves on the rectangular piece of cardboard. It seamlessly floated over towards him. This was how he was meant to reach them. Their taunting laughter echoed through the trees as they flew away into the gaping darkness of the enchanted forest.

Glancing after them, he held the card up to his eyes and mouthed the words on it: Siofra & Quartz.

Before turning and making his way back through the forest, he dismissively shoved the card in the pocket of his loose trousers. His mind raced with the possibilities of what now lay before him as a result of this deal.

He could call upon those two misfits right now.

But without his wings, how would he even begin to reach them?

The card!

He frantically patted the pockets of his trousers, searching for the elusive card. Before he had been dismissive of it, even after walking out of the enchanted forest. Was it still in his pocket, he wondered.

It had to be there.

Where else would it be?

When he did not immediately feel its sharp corners against his feverish hands, his brows flicked down in bemusement. It was not there in his pockets, either one of them. He retraced his steps, still desperately scouring his pockets for any sign of the small, rectangular object.

How could he have misplaced it?

Where could he have lost it?

Afterwards, he only visited a few places: he went to the apartment where the person with fair skin lived with blue hair, then to the apartment of the mortal he saved, as well as the alleyway where the rescue took place. He also went to the vehicle where he left the mortal after the whole ordeal and even to the Underworld. Hopefully, it was not misplaced in the latter place.

His best bet was to find the mortal.

Closing his eyes, he delved deeper into his mind, searching for his ability to sense the familiar signature of the mortal. His brow twitched in confusion when he could not sense the familiar tingle of power that had once coursed through his veins was gone. He tried again but the more he reached, the more he realised that something fundamental had shifted.

Whatever Indra did to him in that cave must have taken his powers.

His heart raced as he considered the implications.

Without his powers, he was no longer an immortal being. He was… mortal. Fragile. Susceptible to the perils that had always been mere inconveniences in the past.

With a deep, shuddering breath, he opened his eyes, gazing around his dark surroundings.

His eyes landed on a familiar dull structure which poked at his memory. He recognised the place. That was the warehouse where the mortal usually hung around with his posse of criminals. His vehicle was usually parked a few distances away from here.

He smiled at his change of luck.

Suddenly the silence was shattered by the unmistakable sound of glass shattering. Startled, he turned his head to see a hooded figure swiftly reaching into the back of a parked vehicle, grabbing a bag from the seat. When the figure noticed him watching, they gestured for silence by placing a finger to their lips before disappearing into the night.

Luciano paused for a brief moment, his head tilting to the side in a mix of confusion and curiosity. As he glanced out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a sudden glint on the ground near the motionless vehicle.

He walked over to pick up the item.

The unassuming device had an intricate design, nestled within a cylinder. He glanced at it in confusion. Was this tiny device what the thief used to shatter the glass of this vehicle so easily? After staring at it for a while, another idea suddenly struck him. Perhaps he could use this device to break into the vehicle which belonged to the mortal and quickly retrieve the card he received from the pixies if it was misplaced there.

The mortal would not mind if he broke one of his windows.

Besides, he owed him for the amount times he had saved him in the past.