Azrael, his short black hair perfectly styled, looked every bit the part in his sleek black suit with gold trim, his golden eyes fixed intently on Jarak. "We can't just trap it, Jarak. You know a fragment connected to chaos is like an endless battery. We sever it from the source, then we destroy it. That's the only way."

Jarak, trying his best to focus, couldn't help but glance at Azrael's outfit again. "Yeah, yeah, sever and destroy. But, uh, can we pause for a second? What's up with the suit? You usually go for the enchanted armor and the occasion robe. Bit too formal, even for chaos-fragment-slaying duty, don't you think?"

Before Azrael could respond, Lucifer stepped in, his ever-present smirk curling as he adjusted the silver buttons on his pristine white coat. "Oh, that's because the suit's not for the mission. Our dear brother here just happened to come back from a disastrous date."

Jarak raised an eyebrow but didn't seem too surprised. "Yeah, figured. Thor's gonna be pleased. I owe him five rare cards. He told me the date would be a bust."

Lucifer chuckled, his silver eyes gleaming. "Thor, huh? He must've known the date was doomed from the start. Smart man." He leaned in, eyes dancing with amusement. "What did you bet, Jarak?"

Jarak sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Five cards from my personal stash. And we're talking rare cards—none of that common junk."

Lucifer let out a low whistle, clearly impressed. "Ooooh, now that's a loss that stings. What'd you wager on? Azrael's inability to talk about anything but work?"

Jarak cracked a grin. "Pretty much. Thought maybe he'd loosen up for once, but Thor called it. Said he'd scare her off within the first half hour."

Azrael's golden eyes flashed dangerously, his patience clearly wearing thin. "If you two are done analyzing my personal life, we have a fragment of chaos to deal with. Or have you forgotten?"

Jarak, still grinning, shook his head. "No, no, I'm good. Just mentally preparing myself for giving up five rare cards. I'll survive."

Lucifer, never one to pass up a chance to keep the fun going, gave a dramatic sigh. "Azrael, you really need to lighten up. The world's not going to stop turning just because your love life's a train wreck. Plus, you're killing Jarak over here. Poor guy owes five rare cards now."

Azrael's jaw clenched, and for a moment, it looked like he might say something, but he simply turned back to the fragment, clearly determined to move the conversation along. "Focus, Lucifer. We have more important things to deal with."

Lucifer, clearly not done needling his brother, smirked as he gave Jarak a nudge. "See, this is why he's single. Always so serious. You're lucky I'm here, Jarak, or he'd have you ready to hand over your whole deck."

Jarak shot Lucifer a pointed look, trying not to laugh. "Trust me, I already feel bad enough. No need to rub it in."

Lucifer shrugged with a wink. "Just saying, if you ever want some tips on how to win these bets next time, you know where to find me."

Azrael finally had enough. "Both of you—enough. We need to destroy this fragment before it starts devouring everything in its path."

Lucifer's grin widened as he pushed off from the wall, strolling forward. "Fine, fine. But you've gotta admit, Jarak owes a pretty steep price for underestimating your charm. Maybe next time, you'll actually manage to keep a date interested."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Azrael's golden eyes narrowed, but he kept his cool. "You're really pushing it, Lucifer."

Jarak couldn't help himself. "At least I'll have more than five cards to comfort me when this is all over."

Lucifer chuckled, clapping Jarak on the back. "That's the spirit. Now, let's tear this fragment apart before Azrael's mood gets any darker."

Lucifer's suit lit up, signaling he had come up with one of his outlandish ideas. "But it's so stuffy here. And Azrael's glaring isn't making it better. Even Hell in my vision had some chairs. Chaos, can you do something about this depressing atmosphere?"

With a nod, Azrael conjured another spell, his golden energy weaving together until it took the form of a giant heart that simulated a rhythmic heartbeat, its pulse sending ripples through the air.

The dark energy solidified into a sturdy foundation and transformed, the shop's familiar layout emerging around them as if they'd been transported back to the physical plane. Columns sprouted from the ground, supporting a grand metal retractable roof overhead that hinted at the chaos yet to unfold.

"Ah, much better!" Lucifer exclaimed, plopping into an oversized chair that had materialized beside the newly formed hearth. "Now this is a proper setting to plot our chaos."

Azrael let out a small, relieved sigh as he surveyed their transformed surroundings. "I have to admit, this is a welcome change. It feels… less suffocating."

As they settled into their new space, Jarak conjured a table, setting it in the center of the room. Cards and magical trinkets floated around, organizing themselves neatly as if inviting them to engage. "Okay, we have our space. Now we can strategize while we wait for Thor."

Lucifer leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "But we need to keep our focus on the task at hand. Even in a comfortable setting, the fragment is still out there, growing stronger. We can't lose sight of our goal."

Jarak nodded, the atmosphere shifting to match the urgency of their situation. "Right. Let's go over the plan again. We'll create a chaotic distraction to lure the fragment into a confined space, then cut off its energy source. With that, it should be weakened enough for us to damage it, and then we can destroy it and claim its core."

Suddenly, a strange sensation rippled through the air, causing Azrael's golden eyes to widen as he turned toward the door. "Wait a second. Do you feel that?"

Lucifer straightened, tension replacing his earlier amusement. "What is it? Something feels off."

Jarak frowned, glancing around the parallel shop. "Yeah, it's like… the fragment is trying to break in."

Azrael's expression hardened. "We're much closer in this parallel universe. The fragment must sense our presence. It's reacting to us being here, trying to find a way in."

"How lucky can you be, Lucifer? It's not just now reacting to us; it's been trying to break in," Jarak shouted, urgency creeping into his voice. "We can only sense it now that we are closer to its entry point."

"Great," Lucifer said, his silver eyes glinting with determination. "We've got to act fast. If it breaks through before we're ready…"

Jarak cut him off, his mind racing. "Then we need to double down on our plan. We have to create a diversion strong enough to distract it while we set our trap."

Azrael nodded, his focus sharpening. "We can use the cards I've developed—ones specifically designed to manipulate chaos energy. If we deploy them strategically, we can amplify our chances of isolating the core."

Lucifer leaned back, a sly smile returning to his face. "And while we're at it, let's make this moment enjoyable. We're in a parallel shop, after all. What's more fun than plotting chaos while sipping tea?"

" How about bashing in the skulls of people who wake me out of my sleep for no good reason? A loud voice shouted from outside the shop.

As the tension in the air thickened, the door burst open with a resounding crash. In strode Thor, his imposing figure silhouetted against the dim light of the parallel shop, holding Mjölnir—a hammer the size of a man's skull—in one hand. He tossed it effortlessly, catching it again as he advanced, the air vibrating with each motion.

"Finally look at who the serpent-sized cat dragged in," Lucifer teased, unable to resist. "I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost trying to pick up another giant's cat."

Thor shot him a bemused glare. "That was one time, and I was tricked! It wasn't a cat; it was Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, in disguise! A colossal oversight on my part." He gestured dismissively, the hammer twirling in his grip as if it weighed no more than a feather."