Authors note:
I'll be honest with you, the story might end up being discontinued, we'll see how things go.
Chapter V: Dominance
"My lady...something is...wrong" the man elegantly bowed before his Queen, his right arm across his chest, his right hand in a fist reaching to his left collarbone, the man allowed for her to gracefully walk past him, awaiting for the sign that she was interested. He had learnt in his early days as an errand boy not to bother the Queen if she did not show any initial signs of interest, the woman would only listen if she wanted to, therefore, you had to ask once and await her decision. After Lucifer passed the man, sighing quietly, she finally spoke.
"You'll have to be more specific Armandek, walk with me and explain", the devil not slowing down as she walked along the lengthy stone hallway, the devil's first personal advisor turning and eagerly catching up with the Queen, walking at her pace.
The two were in a very long black stone corridor, a tall one at that, a large dark crimson carpet stretched along the entire length. A total of twenty demons, the royal guardsmen, were scattered at even distances along the hall, there to ensure the safety of her majesty. The corridor did connect to other rooms, such a bathhouse, toilet, wardrobe, guest rooms, storage and other facilities for herself and the other demons inhabiting this tower to use. Along said corridor, there were beautiful hand-crafted arches with spirals, a variety of demonic symbols, upside-down crosses, all magnificent artwork created by her demons, the place truly feeling homely now. A few woven tapestries were hung from the roof, a few included herself as the protagonist.
But many of the stories were lies, forged to reinforce the royal, noble, honourable status of both Beelzebub and Lucifer, their fights with Hell Titans, their taming of the wild hellscape, giving rise to the demon population of today...all lies...she hated having them hung up there in her home. To their left, a rectangular red and white stained glass window that went from the floor to the ceiling was letting in barely any light, the main source of light in this corridor was the blue torches in their braziers, stuck to the walls, two on each opposite side at even intervals throughout the hall. The two of them now passed under a black metal chandelier at the halfway point, the candles burning a bright dark blue colour, a few of them had been extinguished, she had to get someone to re-light them...
"My lady, many of the demons have reported disturbed and restless sleep, visions they cannot understand, visions they cannot process. I too have been suffering from such an affliction" Armandek's voice was monotone, deep, many described it as bored, but Lucifer knew it was simply a professional standard.
"What happens in these visions? Describe them to me" Lucifer not looking at the man yet, still glancing at the different guardsmen that stood silently along the hall to her chamber, all of them clad in the new black armour that the demons down at the smithy had been working tirelessly to perfect, each of them holding a crude black halberd in their right hand. Lucifer still had not grown used to this...security...
"That is the worst part my lady, none of us can remember what happens in these visions, yet we are left with an impending sense of doom, almost as if we are being watched constantly. Some reports from the barracks say demons have been waking up screaming wildly almost as if possessed, delirious and as a result die. The Priests have diagnosed the cause of death as simply madness, causing the brain to shut down", Armandek unaware if the Queen knew about the rise in these mysterious casualties. "Although these visions rarely lead to death, there is always the possibility", he finished.
"Oh- I didn't know..." the devil stopped dead in her tracks, looking into the male devil's tired red eyes now, the black bags under his eyes, it was true, he hadn't been sleeping well at all. Armandek was a thin man, he had an almost malnourished frame for he did not feast often. He preferred to bury himself in his work rather than dabble in the normalcy of living. The man had greyish hair, it was originally black when he had been born but now it was whitening. The man wore a standard formal shirt, it was black in colour with a grey collar. Other times the royal court dictated a more formal attire, suits and ties were beginning to come into fashion, but were only used during the utmost important occasions. It was not yet time for the productivity machine and formal rat race.
On his legs were a pair of black leather pants, not as tight as Lucifer's or Beelzebub's, but still apart of the formal attire for the devil's staff. On his feet were black leather shoes, tanned Hell Titan hide, Armandek was average, but that's all she need him to be, a loyal servant who did her bidding. The man wasn't as tall as Lucifer, he wasn't as smart, he wasn't as muscular even, but the man served his purpose. His face was thin, his cheek bones defined, his nose pointed upward slightly, grey eye brows trimmed and not as thick as the usual male demon. His red eyes had already seen countless years of services, the grey hair was combed backwards, brushed upwards, the man suffered from shortsightedness, he did not squint, but made up for his lack of sight with cold professionalism and wit. The lack of vision in demons was unable to be addressed as of yet, prescription lenses were not available in Hell...yet...
He was loyal...that was all she needed. "It is troubling news", he drawled, his arms held behind his back as they stood, the man not facing the woman yet, still looking straight ahead, looking at the black door with the silver door knob at the end of the corridor.
"I'm sorry, the Hell Titans have been a nuisance over the last few weeks and I've been distracted with the reports and our losses both them and our peo-" the woman sighed and grabbed the bridge of her nose, a common gesture she would do during times of stress, "I will stop making excuses, get every available Hell Priest on the case, find out what these 'visions' are implying, stop the needless deaths of our own".
"Very good, Your Highness. Will you be inspecting the next generation of demons or shall I inform Belphegor of your absence again?", Armandek remained with his hands behind his back, his face neutral, with a perfected posture. Beelzebub had taught how to act before he became as their advisor, to follow the correct etiquette, how to stand, how to speak, to be just like her...but the man had kept the style he had been taught to a minimum staying strictly professional rather than comically grandiose, just like her...
"No, I want to examine this batch. His work has gotten sloppy over the last century, demons without a spark", the devil paused, wondering if there was anything else she needed to say or do. They had now continued walking towards the woman's bedroom, Armandek still following her, matching his stride with her's, their legs moving in synchronisation with one another.
"Will that be all my lady?" the man knew there was something else on the devil's mind, he could see her physically struggling to remember.
"No, that will be all-", the devil paused again, forgetting her manners, they had now reached the end of the corridor, before the silence could get any longer, the woman's demonic red eyes now lingered on her assistant. "Good work today Armandek, thank you for your support", the Queen giving him a brief but genuine smile, nodding after.
"It is my pleasure, My Queen" he bowed gracefully, turning swiftly and beginning to walk down the hallway that they had just come, finishing his duties for the day. He might go to barracks, maybe to the mess hall and see what scraps from the royal's dinner the chef's had saved, lets hope that Belphegor made some of his pot-luck soup agai-
"Wait! Have you seen Beelzebub?" the devil called, breaking his train of thought, the woman poised to enter her bedroom chamber, hand on the door. The one important question on her mind for the last few weeks..
"No My Lady, she is still with Leviathan, looking for the runaway Titans, the ones that fled during the initial revolt!", Armandek had stopped halfway down the hall and turned, shouting back the answer at the Queen, his voice echoing throughout the palace.
"Ah. Very well! Get the servants to send some food and refreshments to my room...please!" the devil called back, embarrassed, exhausted and thirsty, the woman finally entered her room and shut the door with a loud slam, sighing with relief when she was alone. In an instant, she kicked off her heavy black boots, her sweaty bare feet thankful for the cooling presence of meeting the cold black stone floor. Lucifer threw off the black hair-tie from the back of her head, the mop of white hair transforming from its neat bun, falling into a mess to the sides of her head, her long fringe almost covering her eyes.
In the devil's bedroom, there was a large circular purple bed, an exact copy in Beelzebub's. On the bed were four black rectangular pillows, as well as one hand embroidered heart shaped pillow, it was a gift from Beelzebub...not made by her...obviously. At the side of the bed was a heap of clothing; discarded nightwear, a thin red robe too, amoung other...items...In the corner of the square room was a grandiose golden dressing table and mirror, upon which all the makeup and perfumes the devil could have ever wanted were placed. Trinkets and jewellery were also stashed in small shelves that sat on the desk, there was a beautiful selection of apparel which had been hand forged in the fires of Hell, gemstones and ores of beautiful colours, specially reserved for Hell's elite and the two Queens.
Nearer towards the balcony entrance there was a mahogany wardrobe containing clothes that she currently wasn't able to manifest at will, coats, shirts, dresses, even one suit...Next to the wardrobe was a small dresser filled with odds and ends, varied accessories, on the top of the large counter there was a small collection of different gifts from her subjects, different artifacts, little hand-crafted souvenirs that the demon children had made, messages to their Queen...she wouldn't dare look at them or else she might vomit...
Finally, at the very back of the devil's bedroom, in the furthest left corner, a full length mirror was placed, it serving two functions, allowing her to communicate with another demon in private and perfect her appearance of course. It was a beautiful piece of equipment, engravings along all the borders, a personalised list of combinations of ancient glyphs woven in to it to look like normal decorations, they were there to remind Lucifer of her new abilities and powers. One of her secret weapons...
You could argue that they now had everything they had ever wanted at this moment in time...They had a kingdom, servants, jewels and treasures, the royalty status they had fantasied about. Everything...
But sometimes...everything wasn't enough...
She chucked the black hair-tie onto her counter, moving towards the balcony of her bedroom, her feet slapping against the stone sluggishly. Once she was outside a pleasant breeze and vista presented itself, allowing her to relax further. Lucifer sighed intensely, frowning, the woman was so tired. Being the sole Queen in charge was hard...
It was now almost two billion or so human years since Lucifer's banishment and arrival in Hell, time was a strange thing down here...stretched, convoluted, but for them...it had been even longer than this...While Lucifer and Beelzebub had only briefly touched upon the small details of the time before this next part of the story, there was really nothing to say; they lived their lives, they trained their demons, they sorted out squabbles of who owned what. They continued to expand all operations, populations flourished, families began to form and some partners even wished to produce children. It wasn't impossible, the production of demons was flexible, the parents would of course be the templates.
Of course there was squabbles, conflict, demons that had been murdered, died in conflict, died in accidents, there were evil spawns of the devil that had thought they were above the laws they had laid down, all were judged and all were sentenced to suitable punishments...death was too kind. The original seven were all still alive, some more experienced that others now, Leviathan had been promoted as General of the Queen's army, Abaddon while effective had not bothered with additional roles, simply involved in producing food, Daru and other supplies needed for the survival of the populations of Hell. Trade was infact beginning to become apart of life in Hell, Abaddon at the head of it, getting others to micro-manage supplies of food, linen, jewels, you name it, whatever was in demand...while he slept through the day.
Baphomet and Asmodeus while at first had been practicing their medical and healing abilities, eventually broke free from these traditionally female roles, they actually became icons amoungst Hell, worshiped and held in high respect, mostly by men, but because of their help and skill in times of need. See, that was what made Hell special in those early years; when someone was in need of something; medical help, work, food, water, whatever they desired, the community would help them achieve it. Through the Queens they were united, through the Hell Energy within their bodies they were family, they helped those in need. While Baphomet tended to the royal affairs with Queen Beelzebub and Lucifer, Asmodeus helped wherever she could, drifting from place to place while still honing her combat skills every so often with Leviathan.
Belphegor still managed the breeding operations within the Citadel, the sector requiring several buildings now to produce a hundred demons each week, but the strain that the shear quantity of Hell Energy that was needed for demon production was beginning to show. The man had started to grow fat too, loving the power he had to create life, always wishing to create more demons, fascinated with the process of how they were made, some might describe it as arousal to his work. It didn't matter, he was good at what he did and was allowed to keep his job, provided that he cut down on his intake of food...eventually...
The Citadel was now a huge bustling home for thousands of demons, all serving a purpose, either working or being educated before being put to work, jobs ranged from defense engineers, hunter gatherers, butchers, cooks, brewing, sanitation, plumbers, warriors, soldiers, early versions of the High Prosecutor role, but these demons weren't used to their fullest potential at the moment, teachers, nurses, Hell Priests, servants, cleaners and caretakers, punishers, enforcers, inventors, experimenters, you name it, they needed as many souls as possible to support their continued exponential growth.
The Helltaker was surprised at this...He would have thought that the wars of Hell were predominately fought in the first stages of Lucifer's and Beelzebub's rule. But then he thought...religion on Earth hadn't been invented yet, not Christianity, not Satanism, modern humans were not being processed yet, there was no need for conflict. Sure there were fights amougnst the nine circles, inequality, sexism, often instantly punished if it was against women. But this was nothing in comparison to the revolts, unrest, rebellions, revolutions, coups, assassinations of the future. It seemed that countless years of fighting had been compressed into the time frame of three hundred thousand years ago until the present, when modern humans started emerging...
It seemed that Beelzebub's betrayal coincided with the start of processing 'The Damned', this was merely the run up to unending anguish for Lucifer...
But enough of all that, life was good...too good, the Queen's now had an army of loyal servants and subjects that worshiped the very ground they walked upon, they were at their beck and call. But this couldn't last, these millions of years had passed them by in a blink of an eye, they were going too fast, they were going too smooth, the most they had to worry about was the occasional Titan breaking free from their enslavement and rampaging outside the city walls. The defences had all been continually updated and improved, more robust and easier to repair, the walls manned with hundreds of demonic defenders.
However, the current issue wasn't their defences, it wasn't the current unrest of the Hell Titans, it was the fact that Beelzebub had yet to return with Leviathan from their hunt for the small herd of Hell Titans that had fled the Citadel, a task that should have taken less than three days. The Great Fly had promised she would report back every day, whether it be a conversation or visit Lucifer in person, a promise that had been broken...a week had passed.
Their conquest of Hell was governed by one rule; you're either with us or against us. Titans were converted, but sometimes, if they were strong enough to resist, they were slaughtered, harvested for whatever resources they could extract, their bones eventually left to rot. Lucifer feared that Humo had been added to the ever expanding flock, thousands of mindless servants roamed the Hellscape, mapping the vast areas of the realm for the Queens, she could no longer keep count how many colossal beasts there were. But a worrying trend was beginning to come to light; more Titans were breaking free from their control, either someone was helping them or they had grown resilient against the type of magic they were using.
It was all well and good while Lucifer and Beelzebub sat on their metal thrones, attending to their duties everyday, judging the unworthy, holding hands through the streets while blessing the demons with their presence, leading the battles from afar, but this could not continue. Thankfully, there was nothing else sentient on the hellscape other than the Titans which were the ones which posed the biggest threat to their kingdom, not yet anyway...The two of them were still in charge of conflicts, ordering their demons into battle against resisting herds, whether that be an ineffective or effective strategy...she would never know...
They were peaceful creatures dammit...they would only attack when provoked...
But when the first signs of their kingdom falling into ruin had shown themselves, they had met it with swift action and reprimand, shows of strength, ruling with an iron fist. People had started asking questions, had wanted answers, there had been unrest in the streets, questions raised as to whether they wanted the two Queens to rule. The way that Lucifer and Beelzebub had responded...this was merely like placing a band-aid over a severed hand...you'll see...
Their relationship too was showing the first signs of ruin, a monotonous and tediously filled day was all they had to look forward too, they had even resorted to having separate bedrooms, sneaking into the other's at the dead of night to make love in order to keep things lively. It was a pleasant surprise, passion would definitely follow, but passion is often mistaken for love. One may spend several lifetimes with someone thinking they're in love with, but in truth, they only needed the support of their partner, not the true love they provided. After time, love fades, while it struggles to reignite, it can only shrink in size, until nothing remains...
The devil did not share these suspicions just yet, naive in the face of change, ploughing through each day, each new challenge she was faced with, still pulling through with a smirk on her beautiful face...but inside, she felt exactly the opposite. So, tonight, she would again be sleeping alone, eating in her own company...again. The devil had once sought out the company of the lesser demons, but ever since she and Beelzebub had ascended to royalty status, they wished for their privacy back, hating having to answer questions the demons constantly had for them.
"Your Majesty! Where do angels come from?".
A question she didn't know herself other just saying 'from the clouds'.
"Your Majesty, how did we come to be?".
She was not going to explain that long and tedious process.
"Your Majesty! Why do you refuse to teach some of us about Hell Energy?".
Because some of you are unworthy of such power, peasants the lot of you.
"Your Highness, where did you find the inspiration to name our home 'Hell'...and why?".
Because it is Hell! Its home and it's a nightmare to live in this place.
"Your Majesty, were you an angel once?".
Yes...but I'm not going to let them know I was once the enemy.
"Do you think we will ever have peace with the angels? Could we possibly coexist with one another?".
No...never...send this one to be Titan food, she had thought all while answering these questions with a straight face, not really addressing them, more waffling and lying. The innocent Lucifer had already begun to fade, soon to be replaced by a devil forged in the sulfur fires of Hell, molded by betrayal, anger and death. These were the last few days of the real Lucifer, the one which you might have called caring, kind, innocent, traits of humanity barely visible on the surface...soon to be scrubbed from existence, the heart of the Queen was beginning to freeze, cold as ice, made of black stone just like the very material that her tall room was comprised of.
She looked longingly out of her balcony room, her bedroom constructed almost at one of the top of the three tallest towers in the Citadel, the damp guard's tower that had once been their bedroom during the first thousand or so years had been completely demolished. In its a place, a tower complex containing a dozen or so bedrooms and facilities for the elite and older demons of Hell. Even though there wasn't currency or special privileges in Hell, there were class divides, the older, more experienced demons forming the upper and middle classes, while the younger generations had to work hard before they could ascend up the social ladder.
The demon sighed again, leaning on the metal railing and searching the hellscape with her eyes, looking for anything out of the ordinary, anything different from this mundane life she had grown so used to. There was a sinking feeling within Lucifer, a prelude, a warning to the incoming storm, and this depressed her, making the devil feel incredibly anxious all the time. Over the last few weeks, she knew that change was coming, in some way or another, the first time since countless millennia ago, something was about to change...
A knock at the door sounded...was this change knocking? "Who is it?" the devil called, not turning to look away from the view the balcony presented.
"It is your dinner, Your Highness", a cheeky voice sounded from behind the thick wooden door, Lucifer smiled to herself, looking down at where her white gloves where hanging over the railing, her fingers tracing the edges of the metal.
"Come in Baphomet, I thought I told you to leave those jobs to the servants" the devil chuckled, welcoming the change in atmosphere that the Goat Demon brought. The woman, still the spitting image of Lucifer after all these years with only a slightly different hairstyle, obeyed the order. The Goat Demon carried the Queen's warm dinner on a tray in her right hand, holding it aloft, there was a silver dome covering the plate in order to keep the heat in.
"I know, but when do I ever listen to you?" the woman teased, coming over to Lucifer's bedside and setting the tray down ontop of the stand at the foot of bed, the cutlery jangling together as they became still again. Lucifer could smell it from here, grilled Argnak, salted first, then it was left to dry for three days, cooked on both sides till browned, served with crimson root and a hint of Lucifina, she discovered it, so naturally she got to name it. Lets hope that they had given her an extra large cut, the woman was ravenous after today.
"You sure take after me. You have my stubbornness, my looks, hell you could pass as me if you wore the crown", Lucifer smirked, but did not turn around yet. It was a metaphorical crown, it would be a few more million years before she would decide to wear the spiked black crown. The crown that defined her sole rule as the true Queen of Hell.
"Maybe I will one day!" the Goat Demon smiled brightly, closing her eyes for a moment, the woman holding her hands behind her back, a formal position she only assumed when in front of the Queen. Currently, Baphomet was wearing a red gown, there was a hood on the back that was down, there were no arms to this gown, there were simply rectangular threads, wrapping around her arms, forearm, and hands, ending at her index fingers.
The gown reached down to her lower thighs, from there red tights then moved down to her thigh high boots, laced to the top. The outfit did well to expose her cleavage, the size of her breasts leaving little to the imagination, it seemed that at the moment, the Lustful Demon was Baphomet not Asmodeus, she loved teasing and mischief. Her splendid white hair went down to her backside in one long curtain of white, the long hair often getting in the way of what she was doing, but it was quite beautiful to look at. At this moment there was a silk black bow tied into the right side of her head.
"Maybe, but not while I am still in charge my dear. Don't get greedy" the devil teased, still not turning around to face her. Baphomet now approached slowly, wondering why the devil was not looking at her, hands still behind her back, each one holding the other wrist.
"It's Beelzebub again...isn't it? She hasn't returned for a single night when she said she would, no portals either?" Baphomet had now walked all the way out on the balcony and stood behind Lucifer's back, awaiting her to turn around and speak. Baphomet had also been acting as the devil's therapist over the last few years, the Queen confiding in her, trusting her to keep secrets with which she could no longer keep to herself.
The use of orange portals had only recently been discovered and they were now use as a more efficient replacement instead of teleporting, the gateways could allow for mass transportation of demons to any location. While teleporting was effective, it could only be done with line of sight of your desired location, the process also requiring a large amount of Hell Energy compared to portals. Portals could transport the user to any location from their memory, or using another demon as an endpoint. Personal teleportation had now been made redundant, only useful during combat encounters, portals of orange Hell Energy were now the future. Fucking portals...
"Nada", Lucifer sighed, her head hung low now, her eyes closed. "Not a single damn word, I'm starting to see her less and less Baphomet, I feel we're drifting apart", the truth she had been in denial of finally came tumbling out. The Goat Demon was taken aback, not sure what to say. Shall I offer comfort or the truth? she thought.
"I think..." the woman choosing her next words very carefully, "The recent unrest of the Titan workers has got everyone stressed, I may not understand it, but I know that there are intense pressures on your shoulders. Everyone looking up to you, everyone depending on you, Beelzebub didn't help by leaving", Lucifer was slightly confused by her wording but did not interrupt. Although the devil didn't say anything, the silence was not menacing, almost encouraging the demon to continue. So she did..."But that's the difference between you two, she left, you stayed, you look after us. She does not, she laughs at us while we work".
Now, Lucifer finally turned around, giving her demonic child a cold look, Lucifer hated when someone tried to suck up to her, but she knew Baphomet would do no such thing. The younger demon swallowed, never being truly afraid to speak her mind. "R-regardless my Queen, my point still stands, you're better than her. You may miss her, but it is only natural, there is no point in loosing yourself in-".
"That will be all Bapho, as much as that was a pretty little speech, don't ruin it. And don't try convince me to turn against my partner" the devil smirked nastily, leaning her back against the railings, crossing her arms now. "But thank you, kind words are hard to come by in this place. I can always count on you to make me feel better".
"Of course Momma" the demon teased, making Lucifer visibly cringe, she hated when Baphomet called her anything other than her name or her titles.
"Don't call me that, you may share more of my characteristics, but I'm not your mother", another awkward silence followed. Baphomet came over to stand beside Lucifer, mimicking her position exactly, leaning her back on the railing and crossing her arms. The devil had to break the silence, it had always been unbearable...
"Will you come with me tomorrow? I'm ashamed to admit it...but I'd like some moral support at the initiation. You don't have to say anything, just stand and smile. Another friendly face, I've been told mine isn't exactly welcoming when you've just been born" the devil speaking quickly without breathing, remaining silent while Baphomet thought.
"Of course Your Majesty, the new younglings got you nervous?" the Goat Demon teased again, looked at the top of her index finger's chipped nail.
"Yes, especially since-" the devil swallowed, "Especially since they're fucking children. I don't think I can scold child demons like I can adult ones". The devil sighing intensely, it was cruel enough bringing adults into this world...but children...
"Remind me again how and why we are making demon children instead of adults. Something to do with the mind? Belphegor didn't explain as usual, just grumbled to himself and swore abit", Baphomet began biting her chipped nail.
"Don't chew your nails in my presence" the devil snapped, Baphomet obeying eventually, moving her hands back into the usual crossed arm position. After a sigh, the woman began explaining. "Apparently, it requires less Hell Energy to produce child demons rather than adult ones, we can also incubate them faster, only downside is that they take longer to mature to an adult age, physically and mentally. It take a while before they have our state of mind".
"Basically it's easier to indoctrinate clueless children that it is willing adults" Baphomet said, a hint of venom on the end of her sentence, but it was instantly dropped. However, Lucifer simply smiled, eyes closed. God...what are we doing? she thought.
"Yes Baphomet, basically...You have a way with words don't you?", the devil now left the position she was in, hunger bringing her inside and wanting dinner. The woman taking the tray towards her bedside, sitting on one side with it on her lap. After a few more moments of silence, Lucifer began to be concerned with her demon's silence, hesitating before starting her meal. "Why are you here? You wouldn't have come here otherwise, just to give me my dinner, there is something you want to ask me, isn't there?" the devil decided she shouldn't hesitate or else her meal will go cold, lifting the dome off of her meal and casting it to one side, thankfully the food was still piping hot, it was in fact grilled Argnak, an especially large and fatty cut. The devil began her meal, almost salivating, her eyes moving between the meat and her friend while the demon approached from the balcony.
"I just am unsure of my purpose here, but I know this phase is only temporary. As much as I love being your personal stylist, an advisor, therapist, healer, blah, blah...I feel there is more to life than-", Baphomet had been avoiding eye contact until now, looking at her creator as she was cut off.
"Than this?" the devil cut her off, smirking while chewing, "I feel exactly the same- but I feel we will soon have a purpose...or worse a fight for survival. Go on, go be with the others, don't waste your time with the company of an old woman". Lucifer and Beelzebub's horns had emerged from their heads in the first billion years, now these big 'L' shaped horns were turning grey slowly, in another billion or so years they would have turned fully white.
"I prefer the company of those who have little to say, there is wisdom behind your words, wisdom that not everyone sees" Baphomet came over to the devil and rested a hand on her shoulder, smiling a warm smile, "Don't lose hope". With that warm exchange, the Goat Demon decided to leave, heading for the door. As much as Lucifer wanted her to stay, her own pride wouldn't allow her to ask for the demon's company any longer.
The door opened, but before it closed, Baphomet turned around and looked at the back of the devil, speaking softly. "She'll come back soon, don't worry Your Majesty"
"She fucking better".
The next day rolled by just a slowly as the last, this life had now turned boring, dominance over a population no longer had the same enjoyment factor it once had. She had spent the first part of the day in bed, refusing to get up, only doing so when Armandek pounded on the woman's door. "My lady, you must wake!" his voice shouted through the door. She hated the fact that she no longer could sleep-in...
Armandek served her breakfast while informing the devil of her duties today; examining a new infirmary, addressing the Hell Priests of their new duties in discovering the mysterious origins to these nightmares in demons, the mysterious deaths associated with these visions too, reviewing the optical study. The woman simply ignoring everything he said, they would remind her throughout the day anyway. The devil was also required to check on the integrity of her connection to the current Hell Titans, making sure they were well and truly connected.
Last but not least, the only thing Lucifer actually wanted to do was inspect the newest batch of demons, the children that Belphegor had produced from different templates within the general populace, those that showed the most...promise. She would be giving them a stern talking to, making sure they knew the ground rules. However, she needed Baphomet there to make sure there were other friendly faces...and that she didn't cross the line...
Lucifer and Beelzebub had never interacted with children before, but they were both children once themselves, they knew that humans went through childhood, adolescence and adulthood just like them...but child demons would be an entirely different challenge...a challenge of innocence...breaking innocence. However, out of all the duties Lucifer was assigned to today, the inspection of their new demons was the one she was looking forward to most, new souls, especially more lively, younger blooded ones was always a welcoming sight. A new generation of souls to make an impression on, without Beelzebub's interference.
So, as the day dragged past, Lucifer maintained an atmosphere of professionalism at each duty, stone cold professionalism, supportive yet critical, decisive but not harsh, setting an example. A true leader to some, a colleague to others, a friend to few, despite the circumstances, despite hating every moment, the devil continued regardless. While she debriefed the Hell Priests on the situation, her thoughts went to out to Beelzebub wherever she may be, wishing for her safe return, thinking of the cold treatment she would have to give her for breaking her promises.
How long would it take for her to forgive Beelzebub? A few days, a week, Lucifer seemingly always looking over her 'mistakes', the new flaws that had never existed before, the anxieties, the lashing out, the anger, always forgiven and forgotten...
Fucking hell B...what's happening to us...
The Queen of Hell was pacing back and forth slowly across the big room, her thick heels thudding against the stone. An audience of thirty demon eyes were watching her gentle movements, eventually, the devil stopped in the middle of the room and cast her eyes across all the innocent souls. "Some of you may be wondering where you are currently, you are in the building that you came from-" the devil hesitated for a moment, remembering she had to explain and initiate this in a way that a child would understand. Perhaps some light-hearted humor was needed first...they didn't care about where we they were from...
"I bet you are wondering who we all are...well- that fat creature in the corner is called Belphegor-" the devil pointed to the demon, the Ravenous Demon glared back at the demon with hate, the thirty children sat in rows of three tens, one behind the other, all looked over at the demon in the right corner of the room. "Lets hope none of you end up looking like that!".
The man was currently wearing a black cloak that covered the full length of his body, it doing better than a shirt to conceal his gut, he carried with a him a black stick, helping him to walk faster, it also being used to stir and adjust the pools of Hell Energy. He had black short hair, a large double chin, a few spots on his face. He carried a red leathery satchel of food on his back wherever he went, eating throughout the day. His finger nails were grotesquely long, his toenails too, the man's feet were disgusting too, walking barefoot everywhere would do that to someone. He was an ugly, but still valuable creature amoungst Hell's army.
The children actually laughed at this, some giggling, some whole heartedly chuckling, even Baphomet let loose a little giggle. Their laughter, it ignited something within Lucifer, a warm sensation spreading through her chest. It appeared they reacted well to a softer approach, an approach she hadn't used in centuries. The large male demon grumbled to himself, angry at the insults being flung at him, the man deciding to leave the room. After he left, the demons continued laughing for a moment, Lucifer allowing them to do so for a moment.
"Alright, alright, settle down-" the devil waiting for silence to cast itself across the room, thankfully the children listened to her. "-This wonderful woman to my left is Baphomet, she is a good friend of mine and will be one of your several guardians while you familarise yourself with your surroundings-". Lucifer realised that she was slipping back into a manner speaking that children would not understand. "If anything is wrong, you come see her or me" the Queen corrected herself. Whilst a simplified version of their language had been ingrained into the children during their creation, they would not understand big, grandiose words that she relied heavily on when speaking, she would do well to keep that in mind.
While she had been speaking, she had noticed something quite peculiar, in the sea of pale and white innocent faces, one amoung them was not like the other, this demon had grey skin...and white eyes...The poor boy was sat eagerly listening, but often he would look down at the floor, avoiding her gaze at it repeatedly passed over him. She would have to take a closer look at the end of this...
"I am Lucifer, I'm the one in charge here, if you see something strange, someone being bullied, someone hurts another, you tell me or one of the other adults. We treat others with respect, we are fair, we are equal. I want you to look to the person next to you-", the devil having now put a warm, motherly smiled over her usually cold and angry face. The children obeyed, looking into the red eyes of their brothers and sisters. "You will see that you are all the same, you are demons, you are my children".
A silence fell across the room, the devil's eyes looking over each child quickly, looking at their adorable exchanges with the other. However, this next examination of the batch made her find another characteristic she didn't notice originally, there were two demons this time which shared this trait, another strange mutation. She tried not to stare but intensely looking confirmed what she saw; the demons had, what looked liked fluffy ears, one had white ears, the other had black ones. What on earth...Lucifer watched as she called their attention back to her, these soft ears pricked up and responded, like some sort of animal, how bizarre...another two to be examined...
"Your life will be spent with each other, you are brothers and sisters. We are family. Over the next few days we will be teaching you about your roles, you'll be sharing room with six other demons, I expect alot from you-", Lucifer again pausing, surveying the room, noticing that one girl with short, curly, mousey white hair on the second row back was squinting, struggling to see her maybe? "But I know you won't let me down". The women now turned to look to her right, laughing slightly at the sight of Baphomet gushing with adoration at the Queen's speech, blush all over her usually pale face. "Anything to add Baphomet?".
"Your Majesty, have these lovely little creatures been named yet?" the Goat Demon asked, her sweaty hands now going from her pockets in her gown to hold each other behind her back again.
"Ah yes-" the devil turned to face the children again, "At the moment, you all do not have a name, a name is what we will call ourselves, mine is Lucifer, her's is Baphomet. You may decide when and what to name yourself- and no silly names!", the devil received a few muffled giggles at this instruction. "Do I make myself clear?".
"Y-Yes Ms Lucifer" the thirty children all said in synchronisation, another thing ingrained into their subconscious, authority.
"Good. Now, to whom do you serve my children?" the megalomanical smile slowly replacing the warm one, the new generation of children would not be made to pledge themselves yet, but this would solidify their allegiance nonetheless.
"Queen Lucifer" all thirty children spoke in synchronisation, some of them bowed their heads, some smiled enthusiastically, others simply muttered the phrase, but no-one refused to say those two words. The next generation of children, born without knowledge of Beelzebub, they would know in time, but she wished for them to know who was truly in charge.
"Very good, that will be all for today. Baphomet will show you all to your rooms, rest children for tomorrow the work begins", Lucifer's warm smile returned, Baphomet now stepped forward, a more excited, more crazy, but still genuine smile on her face.
"If you'd like to follow me mini demons!" she gestured to the door of the chamber, the thirty children all got to their feet, all slowly moving towards the door that Baphomet held open for them, "Onwards!" the Goat Demon shouted playfully pointing out the door, index finger pointed forward, thumb pointed upward.
"You four-" the devil pointing to the grey coloured boy, the two dog-eared demons and the one that could not see very well in quick succession, "I'd like you to remain here with me for one moment, don't be afraid, you aren't in trouble. I'd just like to chat". The fat slob known as Belphegor was waiting patiently on the other side of the swarm of children that exited the door single file, the devil turned and saw him stood there, giving him a nasty look. "You're finished for the day, go find somewhere else to stuff your face" she ordered, speaking over the tops of the children's heads.
"V-Very well" he said through gritted yellow teeth, stomping away, having had enough of the relentless insults his colleagues had been throwing at him throughout the day.
"Now, let's see what we have here-" the devil said in a soft voice, the four demons in the room did not feel fear, but yet they were nervous as to why they had been singled out, unsure if punishment was soon to follow. "Don't worry, I'm just going to have a look at you, if you didn't notice you four have a special gift, you are unique". The devil now came and stood in front of the dark grey demon boy, kneeling and being eye level with him.
"Is it alright if I touch you?" the devil slightly questioning whether this was the right approach she should be taking, but breathing a sigh of relief when the boy nodded his head. Her soft black gloves came up to his face, her right hand going to the back of his head, the left hand taking a gentle hold on his chin. The Queen looked all over him, looking at each detail of his face, examining the terrified boy slowly, she eventually tilted his head and made him look to both sides. It seemed that this demon had been the product of a strange genetic mutation, a change in skin pigment and iris colour.
The devil then paused, releasing her hands as she noticed the boy was trembling slightly. "What's the matter my dear? Are you scared of me?" the woman seeing if she could urge the boy to speak.
"N-No. I don't know", is all he said, turning his head down to look at the floor. Lucifer now felt a great deal of sympathy for the boy, she had felt exactly the same when she had been born in Heaven. The Queen had drawn inspiration from the exact words Jehovah had said to them and incorporated it into her speech, but the first few days were particularly strange, the thing a newly born creature needs is love. These demons were barely seven or eight human years old, they had not known affection, they had known only the warm touch of the Hell Energy that made them. It was time to break away from tradition, to become better than him...
The devil slowly, but carefully, brought the young boy into a hug, he was reluctant at first, but eventually embraced the Queen, putting his arms around her neck. "I know its hard, waking up and not knowing where you are, who you are, or what to do" the devil said over his shoulder, "But we'll get through it together". Almost immediately, the boy had stopped trembling, his body no longer quivering as intensely and after a brief minute or so, they withdrew from the hug. "Better?", the grey boy nodded. "Alright, let me have one last look at you".
Lucifer, looked at his bare arm and grey finger nails, she made him open his mouth, the woman saw his grey tongue and sharper than usual canine teeth. The devil looked at his white hair, nothing new there, but she felt around for the stubs of his horns, searching through his head and seeing the coarse, black tips, they were not the same as her own. With one last quick glance she released him from the examination, ruffling his hair and telling him to wait for Baphomet to return. "Alright then, come here you two", the woman still kneeling, her right knee now going slightly numb, deciding to swap knees she had been leaning on.
The two demons, both with fluffy ears now approached, Lucifer felt a more playful and less tense atmosphere emanating from these two. It was quite strange not being able to address them by their names when neither of them had one, so she simply said "Girl" whenever instructing them to do anything. This examination didn't take as long, she simply wished to looked at their fluffy ears, stroking them, seeing them functioning as normal ears. Apart from this mutation, they were still demons in every other aspect, when the devil asked for them to open their mouths, they both too had sharper canine teeth than usual, signifying they would grow into deadly weapons.
"Do these feel strange?" the devil smiled, scratching the demon to her right behind her white fluffy ears.
"It feels nice!" the demon said, a goofy smile on her face, the devil could tell that the other demon felt left out so she scratched her black ears with her left hand. While the devil gave affection to her new demons, the woman noticed their small black pointed tails had begun moving sporadically, wagging, an obvious sign that they were enjoying this, but a demons tail never moves like this.
"How strange, two demons with a similar mutation, yet not so different" the devil thought aloud, knowing it wouldn't hurt them to hear her say 'mutation', they didn't know what it meant yet...At that moment, Baphomet came through the door, seeking the devil's advice. "Ah Baphomet, would you escort these four to their rooms when I'm done, I'm almost finished" Lucifer said without looking over her shoulder.
"Of course Your Majesty, but I've been told to inform you that we've had a report back from Leviathan and Beelzebub-" the Goat Demon watching as the two fluffy eared demons came to stand with the grey boy, talking amongst themselves quietly.
"Ah excellent, let me just finish up with this little one and then you can tell me yourself" the devil gesturing for the last demon to stand in front of her, the one with mousey white curly locks starting to grow.
"Asmodeus has the full report, I was just to pass on the message" Baphomet corrected the devil, coming to stand next to the three other children. She felt a small hand come up and hold her little finger, giving it a firm grip, when she looked down, the grey demon boy was looking up at him softly. "Well aren't you just the cutest" she whispered, again gushing at the little creature, holding his hand entirely, finding them all adorable and...innocent.
"Very well. Hi girl, I saw that you were struggling to see me when I was stood at the front earlier. Your eyes, do they work properly?" the devil now speaking to the last demon girl, the demon assuming the formal position that she had seen Baphomet take earlier.
"N-No, I see blurs sometimes. Your face I can see", the small girl replied, the devil had not broken eye contact with this girl and neither had she, this is a bold one, Lucifer thought to herself.
"Can you see their faces?" the woman gesturing to the four demons stood talking by the door.
"N-No, Your Majesty" the girl looked for a brief moment and then turned back to continue the stare.
"Oh please little one, call me Lucy" the devil smiled, closing her eyes for a moment. "It seems you are short sighted little one, I will see what I can do to help you", the devil spoke honestly, only the best for her demons. Other servants of her's had also complained of a lack of vision, distant and close objects being blurred. "Armandek" she spoke telepathically, awaiting for his reply.
"Yes, Your Highness?" it came shortly after, a few seconds wait for her servant's voice to reach her.
"I want that optical study prioritised, find out how we can help demons with poor sight...now", the Queen commanded in a cold voice.
"Very good My Lady...Thank you. Anything else?" his voice replied but it was as if her own conscious was speaking back to her.
"That will be all" she finished, cutting off their telepathic link. "Go with Baphomet girl, I'll come find you when we have something to help you see better", Lucifer rubbed the shoulder of the small demon, noticing that despite being born less than a few hours ago, the creature looked incredibly tired, big black bags were under her eyes. "Get some rest".
"Lucifer! Hey Lucy wait up!" Asmodeus shouted loudly, chasing the devil down the street towards the main complex, the Queen had been simply strolling while Asmodeus had to run and fight her way through the small crowd of people that had been following and wishing to gaze upon their Queen.
"Ah! Just the woman I've been looking for, where were you?!" the devil turned, gesturing for her people to make way for the warrior. There was a group of ten or so demons, these were the adoring fans she couldn't stand, the ones that did infact worship the ground she stood upon, but they had their uses.
"I had been looking for you!" the Lustful Demon wearing her standard armour, a giant black breastplate for her to squeeze into, black greaves and gauntlets with grey scratches and notches all down the side, a grey chainmail on underneath, all of it a precautionary measure when training.
"Have you come straight from training? Why are you soaked in sweat? Breathe my dear" the devil came over to her demon and wiped a little black stain of blood off of her cheek. Asmodeus obeyed, stopping to breathe in big gulps of air, the armour combined with running had been causing her to exert herself more than usual. "Baphomet told me she ran into you, why didn't you come with her with the report?", Lucifer piling the questions on, Asmodeus did not answer any of them.
"T-They said they were executing them" she took a breathe in quickly, "The Hell Titans...said they would not even try to convert them again. They were told not to obey the order given by Queen Lucifer, Queen Beelzebub had overridden it ", Asmodeus gasped, getting out all the information she could before passing out.
"W-What- No, why would they not follow my orders? I strictly told them to convert, no killing. Who told you this? I thought we had a report!" the devil's kind and happy mood had been shattered, the events earlier in the day had made her feel good, a warm feeling, the children had looked up to her. Now...she felt cold, the icy spear of betrayal beginning to work its way through her heart.
"Leviathan- spoke to me, told me he wasn't to tell anyone, he was not to inform anyone outside of the hunting party. He wanted mercy, both from Beelzebub and yourself, that's why he could only tell me telepathically without getting caught", Asmodeus was close to Leviathan, not in a romantic way but the two respected one another, now it seemed, he trusted her with his life.
"How long ago was this message?" the devil demanded, the murmurings of the crowd around them was beginning to infuriate her, those red eyes intensifying as they continued to stare at the Lustful Demon.
"About twenty- thirty minutes. They're going to kill them all, if they haven't already".
"Not on my watch. I want you and Baphomet to maintain order while I'm gone".
"O-Of course, Your Majesty. You won't harm them will you? Y-Your Majesty?!".