AN: I have a lot more planned for this one-shot, but at least wanted to put out the beginning of this to see how it might be received. I will post more soon. Thanks!
Never did stars shine in the black skies of Hell. No; those celestial bodies were the sole property of Heaven's tainted light, ensuring that the souls of the damned would be left to toil in darkness and pain. There would be no dreams in the vast, sinister underworld, no hopeless wishes left for those who'd been cast out and eternally condemned for their sins.
God had made sure of that long ago.
Still…there was something to be said about the unmarred beauty of that darkness surrounding them. Something so unexpectedly pure in the absence of light.
Honest, Lucifer mused to himself. At least the darkness conveyed an undeniable honesty to those held within its embrace. Steepling his hands in front of him, he continued to walk along the outskirts of his Carnival, preferring to observe the antics of his devoted carnies from afar. Another tormented scream ripped through the festive air, followed by a chorus of cruel, taunting laughter. Hearing this, Lucifer didn't smile, but he did feel a small degree of grim satisfaction. The screams never bothered him; it was all part of the process, and if his patrons were lucky—very, very lucky—they might just learn from the sins they'd committed on Earth. After all, it was the only way one would earn freedom from his realm…
Only to be committed to a lifetime of servitude in Heaven, he thought dryly.
It wasn't until he passed behind the Twin's game tent that he veered off-course, a destination in mind as he gradually moved away from the Carnival grounds. Away from the harsh illumination of its torches and crude lights. Away from the sounds of vicious merriment and bitter tears. That didn't mean the guilty weren't also subject to punishment beyond the borders of his macabre festival. Tormented screams still reached his ears now and then, but Lucifer paid them no heed.
Only one broken soul in particular was at the forefront of his mind as he continued on towards his intended destination.
Soon enough, those sounds faded entirely behind him, replaced instead with the steady rush of waves upon land.
Rushhhh…rushhhh…rushhhh…
In the distance, the black waters of Hell's sea churned restlessly, and were it not for the ruins of the ship sinking beneath its inky surface, one might find the sight oddly hypnotic amid the surrounding chaos. But it wasn't the waves nor the ill-fated wreckage that held his attention so raptly: it was the figure who was sitting upon the shore, gazing out at the somber horizon as the ship was slowly swallowed whole.
My Tamara, he thought to himself as he drew nearer. The Frog Maiden of his beloved fables. Doomed to perpetually meet her demise due to too trusting a nature.
Back from the dead yet again.
"Sleepless night?" He asked, drawing up beside her.
He expected her to stiffen at his words, but she did no such thing. "I don't sleep," she rasped, giving the barest shake of her head. "Not here."
TBC...