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Chapter 16: The Thief, Skye
🕑 Added 2025-10-07 15:39:46 +0000 UTC
"Where's your sword?"
On the drive back to Devil May Cry, the thief behind the wheel couldn't hide her curiosity. She'd gotten a good look at that blade earlier—an entire weapon gleaming like it was carved from crystal. If she could sell it, she'd be rich overnight!
"What, you've got your eye on my sword now too?" Lucas drawled, lounging in the passenger seat with his legs kicked up on the dash. "Save yourself the trouble. You'll never steal it."
"Hey! This is my car! Sit properly!" the thief snapped, slapping at his legs in frustration, teeth grinding in anger.
"This is punishment for stealing from me. Just focus on driving straight, you lunatic—watch the tree!!"
The van screeched as the tires squealed against the asphalt. Somehow, it swerved back onto the road and kept wobbling forward toward their destination.
When they finally pulled up outside Devil May Cry, Lucas casually stepped out and strolled toward the entrance.
"Oi—bring all that stuff back inside. Set it up exactly how it was," he said over his shoulder, not bothering to wait for a reply.
"You bastard!"
Fuming, the thief kicked the van door open. Still, she hauled the boxes in one by one. No choice—the guy was stronger than her, and she couldn't fight him off.
"Fine, there, that's everything. I'm leaving!"
She dropped the last box with a thud and turned to storm off.
"Hold it."
Lucas's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"What now? Don't tell me you're going back on your word!" she snapped, glaring.
"Sit."
He pointed at the sofa.
"Hmph! Fine. What, you think you can eat me alive?"
She plopped down with a defiant huff, bracing herself. Worst case, she'd die here.
"What's your name?" Lucas asked, pouring her a glass of water. He couldn't help but smirk—this girl was the most timid thief he'd ever seen. A little intimidation and she folded like wet paper.
"Why should I tell you?" She downed the water in gulps, glaring.
"No problem. Don't tell me, and I'll just go destroy your van."
With a flash, the Ultimate Divine Blade appeared in Lucas's hand. He stood up and headed for the door.
"Wait!! Fine, I'll tell you!"
She broke instantly. That van was her entire life savings—her only home. Without it, she really would be sleeping on park benches.
"Thought so." Lucas smirked and sat back down. "Go on."
"…You can call me Skye."
Her face burned red as she said it, equal parts shame and frustration.
Skye?!
Now it was Lucas's turn to be stunned. He hadn't expected this at all. Out of everyone he could've caught, it turned out to be Skye. Not just a skilled hacker, but someone destined to awaken powers capable of shattering worlds. How had she ended up reduced to stealing?
He hid his recognition and asked casually, "So… you're that hacker everyone talks about online?"
Skye's eyes lit up with pride. "That's right. That's me."
"Then why are you stealing? Don't hackers make plenty of money?"
The question hit her like a gut punch. She coughed awkwardly. "O-of course I'm short on cash. I'm not that kind of hacker. I don't touch dirty jobs. I only take commissions for tracking or finding people and things. No shady business."
Her voice softened, and her bravado wilted. Because she'd stuck to her principles and avoided crossing moral lines, she'd ended up dirt poor—so poor she could barely eat.
"Not into dirty work, huh? Then what was stealing my stuff supposed to be?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"That—t-that's different! Your shop door wasn't even locked when I got there! It was wide open, so I just…"
Skye looked like she was about to cry. She really hadn't wanted to resort to this, but hunger had left her desperate.
"…Wait. What did you just say? My shop door was open?" Lucas sat up, eyes narrowing. He knew he'd locked it last night.
"Yeah. It was wide open when I came by. How else could I have gotten in?" Skye nodded firmly.
"Something's not right…" Lucas muttered, then looked her in the eye. "You're a hacker, right? I've got a job for you. Finish it, and I'll get you proper work."
At the word job, Skye perked up instantly. She was starving. A stable income was a lifeline—she didn't care what kind of work it was.
"Yes! Absolutely!" She bobbed her head like a woodpecker.
"Good. Use your skills to pull up every security camera on this street. I want to see who opened my shop door."
"On it."
Skye darted back to her van, pulled out a laptop, and within a minute shoved it into Lucas's hands.
"Here. Every feed on this block."
"That fast? Not bad."
Lucas began scrubbing through last night's footage.
And then he saw it.
Around 1 a.m.—the streets even in Manhattan were deserted. A shadowy figure slipped out of Lucas's own apartment building, walked right up to Devil May Cry, and picked the lock with practiced ease. It took less than a minute before they strolled inside.
Ten minutes later, the figure reemerged—empty-handed. Instead of carrying anything, they tossed a bag of trash into the bin before wandering off.
"???"
Lucas gaped. "What the hell was that? A thief who doesn't steal—just takes out the garbage? What kind of clown world is this?!"
Even Skye was baffled. "That's… not how stealing works. What kind of thief does that?"
After the initial shock, Lucas fast-forwarded until he spotted Skye entering. Satisfied, he closed the laptop.
"You hacked the NYPD servers to get this? Not bad." He noted the police insignia watermark.
Skye smirked proudly. "Of course. And that's nothing. If I wanted, I could crack S.H.I.E.L.D. too."
"Alright," Lucas said, shutting the laptop. "Let's talk about your work."
Skye leaned forward eagerly. "Yes! What is it?"
"I need an assistant. Room and board included. Five grand a month. No fixed hours. Interested?"
Her eyes sparkled like fireworks. Five thousand a month—and food and housing? It was like heaven itself had sent Lucas to save her!
Lucas grinned inwardly. For someone with Skye's potential, this was dirt cheap. She was already a top-tier hacker. And once she awakened her quake powers, she'd be invaluable—powerful enough to crack the Earth itself. Talk about a bargain.
"Yes! I'll do it, I'll do it! When can I start?"
Skye looked like she'd latch onto his leg if he made her wait.
