The Judgement Of Divinity (TMOE #2)

Chapter 42: Now they know

"Then how come I'm standing here on a wounded leg and bruises all over my body while you and your henchman are standing over there with no injuries at all?" Lucius countered with a sniffle. "How convenient that you two of all people made it out so unscathed."

More people had joined in on the mortified mumbling that unmistakably had to do with Damien's apparently gruesome behaviour, and the man in question sucked in a breath.

"This lowlife isn't even a real town chief!" He strode over to Lucius, who put his hands up to keep Damien from pulling his wig off. "He's a—"

"Let go of my hair!" Lucius cried, high enough to drown Damien's voice again. "Stop hurting me!"

"This is not who you all think it is," Damien continued, still pulling Lucius' wig. "He's nothing but a filthy, lying criminal who's been fooling us all!"

To Lucius' horror, people had stopped speculating in order to turn their attention to the gallows again. No matter what Lucius tried, things would go south quickly if his identity was exposed. Sob stories could only get him so far. All the people wanted was drama, and a scandal like Lucia not being who she says she is would be more than enough. They'd even get an execution as a nice bonus.

Oh how they loved their executions.

"Do you remember what you said to me before, Damien?" Lucius then whispered. "When we last met at the gallows?"

Damien didn't let go, but he knitted his eyebrows in thought as Lucius stared up at him defiantly to give his reply.

"People want to see blood."

In an instant, quick enough to surprise even himself, Lucius had thrown his hand back to grab the largest hair pin he owned and proceeded to bury it deep into Damien's eye, only letting go in order to change his grip and carve the entirety out of its socket.

Damien cried out, gasping for air as he raised his hand to cover up the gushing wound, and the following reactions from the crowd were a blend of stunned silence and uncontrollable hysteria. People were fainting, retching, just standing there horror-struck, or calling for others to do something, but Lucius had no interest in that.

"You're calling me a liar!?" He turned to Damien. "I'm not the one lying to people about being an ordinary human while actually being a monster!"

"I—" Damien's voice failed him and he sent a distressed look towards Derek, who seemed to struggle between being shocked on his friend's behalf and having the time of his life on his chaotic mind's behalf.

Even at a distance it was hard to miss what happened next, and people retreated backwards as the blood around Damien faded into nothing.

"Show them," Lucius growled so only Damien could hear, and he grabbed the man's hand to pry it away from his face. "Show them what you are."

Gasps and cries of horror swept through the crowd as Damien's face was revealed without the slightest hint of being harmed before, and Lucius used it as a chance to move away from him.

"I— I know I've had a hard time with my position before, and I apologise for that." He turned to the audience, voice having grown appropriately thick. "But... I want what's best for us, and I— I know this man does not. I know he's nothing but dangerous. So— So please, don't make me marry him. Don't give him that power."

"But they're supposed to give it to you?" Damien hissed, straightening his back again with a glare. "A pathetic fraud whose uncontrollable emotions have cost hundreds of people their lives? You were never even entitled to your job. You're a sham, Lucius. A lying nobody who was never supposed to be in the position of power you currently are."