Before Lucas even opened his eyes, he felt it. He felt<i>different. </i>There was a certain feeling to the human form he would so often choose to take. It was less for the benefit of Dexter than for the rest of humanity. If they saw what he truly looked like, neither of them would get a moment's peace to themselves. There was something oddly comforting about peace and silence with Dex. Normally, that was not what Lucas cared for. He enjoyed the screams of those he tortured - to hear them begging for him to stop and give them a reprieve from their suffering....but that was not his job.<br/><br/>No, Lucas was gifted with the incredible task of punishing those who were not punished enough for their deeds in the human world. He was gifted with some of the most horrendous of humans - their souls blackened from their misdemeanors and sins. Each insulting word or action against the laws of the Earth was like a scorch on their perfect tapestry of their soul. There were some beings who were delivered to him whose souls were barely together; just burnt strings hung loosely over a crumbling body. He appreciated those the most.<br/><br/>With each being that he would torture, he was fed. The delicious taste of<i>fear</i>and<i>punishment</i>. It made his mouth water every time he thought of it. This was what Lucas did best. It was what he was created to do, and yet...somewhere along the lines, things got blurred. He met Dex.<br/><br/>There are many different ways to tell the story of how he and Dex met, and how their worlds became one but it would be a waste of time. The only story that truly mattered was how Dex and Lucas decided to tell it and that was something that they liked to keep to themselves. Though, to anyone who spent a decent amount of time around them - which was basically just Seth - there were little things you would notice about them.<br/><br/>One, they seemed to always be angry with one another. It wasn't that they actually were, but the way they communicated was intense. Pair with that the fact that Dex was an empath and Lucas fed on emotions....it brewed together to make a very volatile relationship, but it worked. Lucas got what he needed and Dex got what he needed.<br/><br/>The second thing you would notice with tine is that no matter where Dex was at any given time, Lucas would be able to find him. Not always right away, and if it took some time you could bet that the Demon would be pissy as hell, but without fail Lucas would always find his way back to Dexter. This was due to a particular bond between the two of them. The nature of this bond was a secret they kept to themselves but it allowed Lucas to always feel where Dex was and to some level, Dex was able to read Lucas better, too.<br/><br/>They had been bonded this way for so many years now that it was a shock when Lucas awoke and felt...<i>nothing.</i>Brows furrowed, the demon sat up slowly and looked around. His surroundings were foreign to him. The room lay in disarray. Although decorated nicely, everything was covered in dust. Nobody had been moving around in this room for quite some time it seemed, but Lucas cared little about that.<br/><br/>Getting out of bed, he walked towards the door but stopped as he passed by a mirror. Frozen in spot, he looked at himself in his true form for the first time in years. It had been so long since he bothered being in this form that it startled him a bit to see it. He wasn't sure it even felt like him at first, but as he slowly relaxed into it he felt the comfort return to him. This was<i>him. </i>This was who he<i>truly was, </i>and it felt<i>great. </i><br/><br/>Smirking at his reflection, he cracked his neck and grinned.<i>Oh, look at that....</i>He'd almost forgotten how truly terrifying this form could be and it ignited a fire within him that he'd almost forgotten about. Since the bond with Dex, Lucas had fallen away from his demon duties - fed more than enough by the emotions that the other man contained within himself. "Oh, Dex...what would you say if you saw me now, huh? Where are you...?"<br/><br/>As he spoke the question with a sigh, Lucas was startled by the rippling of the mirror's surface before it showed a room not unlike his own. Inside sat a large bed with his dear blonde laying atop it. Instantly, he reached out to touch the mirror but it seemed he could not pass through it.<i>Worth a shot...</i>Lucas had no idea what was going on, but what worried him was that he could<i>see</i>Dex but couldn't<i>feel </i>him. There was no reason for that to ever be the case, unless he....<br/><br/>Lucas' heart lept in fear as his eyes widened. Was Dex dead? The thought alone sent him into a frenzy. He tried to find a way out of the room but the door seemed to be locked, or at least impossible to open while his demon claws were out. When he tried to apparate, nothing happened which really had the demon worrying. In a fit of fury, the demon toppled over the tables, smashing the chair into pieces as he screamed in agony. Dex couldn't die. He could<i>not</i>allow it! The things that would happen if he did....There was no explaining the emotion that washed over him at that thought alone...<br/><br/>Between the smashing of furniture and the ripping of cloth and paintings as he tore the room apart in his anger, he found himself at a loss of what to do. Returning to the mirror, his hands trembled as he looked upon the man lying on the bed, deathly pale and just...stared.<i>What could he do?</i><br/><br/>Hearing Deimos' voice from behind him, Lucas quickly turned. As his eyes landed on the other Demon, his lips turned into a snarl. "What are you doing here?"