Lucifer walked down the empty street, leaving Ivy behind like a shadow fading into morning. His steps were silent against cracked concrete, neon reflections trailing across puddles of old rainwater. The city around him buzzed with distant traffic and muffled voices behind apartment windows. He didn't care where he was going. His mind felt quiet for the first time in eons.
He turned down an alley, stepping over broken glass and an old syringe, the scent of piss and mildew curling in the stale night air. At the end of the alley stood an abandoned building. Its windows were boarded up with rusted metal sheets, and graffiti covered the concrete walls in angry colours. Lucifer pushed the rusted door open and stepped inside.
