Sophia's Chronicles
Chapter 19: The Zombie Queen
In a dark, lonely chamber, a man stands upon a podium. He has long hair, angled cheekbones and eyes of a distinct hazel, all of which isn't supposed to exist yet. No one knows his name—his real name, that is—nor that he is an immortal being of an alien past. He stands in this ancient room in a deep Egyptian underground with instruments laying in a formation before him. A single ray of light penetrates a crack in the ceiling of the cave and illuminates his long, lanky form. He comes here because no one looks. As archaic as this millennia-old chamber is, it belongs to him. Probably the first birth right anyone has given him. He cursorily glances at the Enochian words etched continuously along the ceiling. 'The forsaken promise… the Stormbringer… the reckoning…" some phrases were easier for him to translate than others. On a small setup in front of him, he has a picture of Zara, smiling as she last did when she was sixteen, and two metal discs. One had the sigil of Lucifer etched onto it and another had Sophia's. He kneels down and adds one more photograph to his collection – Sam Winchester.
He meditates on the thoughts of them, of what he knew of them. It was Zara who was clearest to him. He could've just gone to her, but that could risk exposing the bigger picture. No, sentiment would have to wait. Instead, he channels the melancholy as he usually does – through music. He starts a soft melody, using but a single piano and its reverb in the cave. When it feels right, his voice becomes the next instrument.
'Ghuleh… Ghuleh…' he longingly looks at Zara.
'Putrefaction
A scent that cursed be
Under cold dark dust
From the darkness
Rise a succubus
From the earthen rust'
He gently raises a palm, beckoning the violins to make their offering.
Zara's eyes flipped open. It was surreal. In the dense seawater, her breaths were still normal. She didn't feel cold. Lucifer had made sure of that. Still, that didn't mean the water wouldn't drench them as it had before. The archangel's wings directed their movement in the deep marine of the Bermuda while Zara held onto his back for support. Though Lucifer's scarlet irises lit the path before them, Zara thought it necessary to use the kohl to activate the magical green eyes. Where the light from their eyes coalesced, yellow luminescence formed.
She hadn't spoken a word since waking up that day. Was it even day? It was hard to tell. Apparently time worked differently in Hell. What could've been surprising to her before didn't faze her now. She had been in Hell, that place where people were known for getting tortured. It was all Lucifer's. Nothing happened in there without his say. And his say demanded that she be awoken abruptly from a pain-induced sleep to take a blind dive into the ocean. It wasn't too bad, she thought. The seawater could be biting into her wounds or sharks could catch a scent of her dried blood. Luckily, her wounds were closed. Overnight someone or something must have stitched her back up. She knew the scars were still there—they were but a remnant of her lesson.
As they descended further and further into the abyss, Zara struggled to make out the large imposing structures that they passed. Metal protruded oddly around them. Upon further thought, she could identify the mast of a ship and the ruptured wing of an airplane. They looked just as they did in the visions, except forlorn and covered in rust and mold. She suppressed a shiver. Her eyes chanced upon the window of a lower deck of a ship. The green light from her eyes reflected an eerie shape from inside the window. A skull peeked out at her, almost like it was quietly observing the archangel and the vessel. Its hollow eye sockets seemed to seek solidarity with the emptiness in Zara's chest.
But there was no time for distractions. They'd come here with one purpose. "There," Zara pointed, arm outstretched past Lucifer's shoulder. He gently angled his wings for them to near the landmark. On the seabed, devoid of its marine inhabitants, there were markings that glowed distinctly emerald green. There were four markings, one in each quadrant of a large circle. The lines that formed the quadrants extended far outside the circle, each leading to a separate corner of this vast abyss. It seemed that a choice had to be made.
"It's some kind of Enochian puzzle," Lucifer remarked, a frown budding on his forehead. Pointing to each quadrant, he translated, "Traitor… Whore…" his voice grew strained. His chin tightened at the sight of the familiar script. Though Zara held onto his shoulders, they still moved up and down steadily from the scalding rage building inside of him. She wondered if she should let go. He clenched his teeth and continued, "Corruptor… Destroyer…"
Those were certainly more than just words to him. Zara didn't dare to ask.
He spoke again anyway. "See how they slander her? All because she was brave enough to take my side… Cowards, the lot of them," he spat out bitterly. "One of these falsehoods should give us the right direction."
I'm guessing that's what I'm here for. Zara pushed all other thoughts aside. The one that meant Destroyer seemed to dominate her intuition. It had a rectangular shape in its centre with strict curves forming a tighter shape around the perimeter. Its eerie glow, refracted by the dense seawater, lulled Zara into a sense of certainty.
Of all the Enochian that peppered the walls, the immortal's eyes fix on the distinct rectangle. The wall told a story of how he came to be. Sophia the Destroyer was given mercy. She was given the dawn itself, and she corrupted it as dusk. Given the honour of birthing life itself, she became the Whore, the harbinger of evil. As the cycle completes, she leads all into betrayal of the Absolute.
The words bring a tear to his eye. He focuses on a single word. 'Destroyer'.
Holding the symbol in his mind, he continues to sing and command the musical air. His jaw tightens and the words become more forceful.
'Haresis Dea
Once a majesty
Now exposing bone
From the darkness
Rise a succubus
And usurp the throne'
"It's that one," Zara remained determined, pointing to the Enochian word. The word resonated in her head. Is that what I'm letting in?
"Destroyer, it is," Lucifer accepted. Then, as if sensing her apprehension, he muttered, "God's angels smear her name. I think you know that."
Zara gulped, the scars on her back itching. "It wouldn't matter," she replied softly. His head was only slightly turned to her. It was enough to reveal an inkling of a smile. The Dark Lord was pleased. They followed the line leading out from the chosen symbol. The path was littered with more debris and rubble. Their movement stirred the waters, clearing dust away from decomposing corpses and dead sea creatures.
Lucifer paused at the stiff carcass of a rather mangy-looking fish, which a marine biologist may have recognised as a Fangtooth-like fish. It had died with its mouth widely agape, almost compressing the back of its head. Its sharp, thin teeth protruded like an open bear trap. Its skeleton was peppered with dead pieces of flesh like it had never truly been laid to rest. Zara had no idea why, but intuition told her that this dead animal had been here, frozen in the middle of its decomposition and unevolved for hundreds of thousands of years. Something about it had piqued the archangel's curiosity enough that he had to study it.
A distinct vibe from him radiated in Zara's chest. It was the same longing she had channelled while trying to communicate with Sophia all those weeks prior. All those visions she had… they started to shift and fit into pieces of a bigger puzzle. The archangel of wisdom, mother nature, die Baumfrau – the one who nourishes and births life – rested in a place of unbridled rage and rampant death. Lucifer had become a shade of contemplative that was rarely known.
But now his eyes sharpened and looked forward to the path. More of such circles appeared and Zara's keen senses revealed to them which of the strange inscriptions had to be followed. None were met without Lucifer's scorn. "A series of lies to lead us to the Mother of Truth," he'd called it.
The path led them down a rift between two cliffs. If it was dark before, it was darker now. The further they went, the further Zara felt from humanity. She traversed quietly into the darkness like a wanderer into the mountains, never to see civilisation ever again. Strangely, this was invigorating. All other thoughts fell away. It was just her, the fallen archangel and the void. That, and this strange high-pitched humming that faintly faded into awareness.
Lucifer stopped abruptly, halting them in the narrowing gap between the two cliffs. "Something's wrong," he realised, scanning his surroundings.
"W-What's the matter?" Zara stuttered. The laser-like light from his eyes darted about them in stiff rays.
"This place… doesn't feel right," his chin tightened as he spoke. "It doesn't feel… of this earth."
He glanced at the endless crevasse below. It wasn't just devoid of light. Smooth black tendrils seemed to be floating upwards, caressing their bodies. Hushed voices reached Zara's ears. She couldn't quite understand them but the words forced themselves out of her mouth, "The Darkness."
She flinched, realising the involuntary action. A shiver threatened to shake her to the core. Amidst the white noise, a longing, feminine cry faded into earshot. Her heart trembled at its wavering timbre, feeling the voice's agony as her own. It was dizzying.
"We're close," she said, breaths becoming heavier. They descended further.
And then they reached the ocean floor, far deeper than any mortal managed to go. The only way was forward. Lo and behold, the large stone doors came into view. Lucifer set her down on her feet, entranced by the monolithic structure. Black carvings engraved every inch of its exterior. The slightest tremor pulled at his eyebrows, contorting them in an anguish no one else could understand. He laid his palm flat on the door. "I'm here, my love," he whispered with a gentleness he hadn't exercised in eons. "I told you I'd find you, didn't I?" There was no response from the other side. He'd expected at least a shuffle. What was this silence to mean? Then, suddenly growing conscious of his emotion, he took a swift inhale and beckoned to Zara. "Do your thing."
That snapped Zara out of her daze. She looked around herself, feeling like she suddenly came to. It was weird, like she had been looking at things from someone else's eyes, just like that night in Carthage. This time, it was much stronger and took her even without her awareness. Now she could only look back on it like a distant memory, even though it was a mere moment ago. That being inside… it wanted to see him.
Zara and Lucifer stepped back to observe the whole design of the doors. Again, there was that ancient script that she couldn't read. But in the middle of it all, a strange pattern woven by reptilian shapes bound the two doors in a tight lock. It was the shape of one snake curving and twisting in a long, familiar motif, until its head met its tail again.
The song picks up tempo with drums and wind instruments coming into play. The immortal guides the instruments precisely with his hands as the conductor of an orchestra would. It is important to build up the momentum slowly rather than rush into it all at once, if the ritual is to be done correctly. He certainly didn't want Zara to be overwhelmed. She would need the mental tenacity very soon. He wasn't going to take any chances with this. One misstep and the whole world could come apart. He prays. He holds Zara in his heart.
'Up from the stinking dirt she rises
Ghastly pale
Shape-shifting soon but now she's rigid
Stiff and stale'
"The ouroboros… the cycle of life and death," Zara recognised. Except the snake wasn't a circle at all – it was some contortionist imagination. At each bend of its elongated body, there was a hole. There were ten, to be precise. Each just big enough for her arm to reach in. The unidentified voices whispered to her again. Their noisy murmuring protested her thoughts, leaving no chance for reconciliation. She hissed.
"What?" Lucifer questioned, mildly annoyed.
"Don't you hear that?" she winced. From his puzzled expression, she guessed the answer was no. "I can't think."
"Maybe you're not supposed to," Lucifer said. He grabbed her by the shoulders and placed her before the snake formation. "Just pick one."
"You want me to stick my hand in without knowing that it'll work?" she shot back, exasperated.
"You don't need to know anything. You're just the key to a lock," he firmly stated, growing impatient. "The way I see it, you have four limbs. Four tries. Don't fuck it up."
Zara released an exhale. She pressed a hand to her head, unable to anchor her mind to anything else. She closed her eyes. Images flooded her mind at once. She couldn't make sense of any of it. "The serpent rises… a new eternity comes into existence. The fall of the bright son, the rise of a new mother, mankind falls into ash so the next cycle can begin…" her hand reached out and traced the snake's scaly body. Her lips spoke these words while her hand traversed the different holes on the door. "None may walk her path. Spill the blood of Void and feast on this mortal flesh, for the cosmos may begin again."
Zara's eyes shot wide open. Panting, she found her hand resting on the hole right where the serpent bore its mouth wide so its fangs encircled the crevice in an attempt to seize its own tail. Without a second thought, she slid her arm into the hole.
Zara shrieked.
The stone had come to life. The serpent's head animated itself and sunk its fangs into her arm. Zara was quick to try and retrieve her arm, but Lucifer was faster. He held her down as the serpent drew her blood. When it was satisfied, he let go and she staggered back, trembling. Wisps of blood leaked out of her arm. The initial shock wore off and she saw Lucifer, completely fascinated, as the blood offering travelling up the snake's mouth and throughout its body. Its scales acquired a fresh red glow. There were sounds of gears and cogs clicking as they moved into place. The serpent itself slithered along its own pattern until its head was in a diametrically opposite position. It then solidified again and allowed the doors to separate. The stone blocks shifted to reveal an ominous chamber.
"You did it," Lucifer said coldly, briefly glancing at her.
Guess that's his way of saying thanks, she thought, still cradling her bitten arm. He grabbed her by the shoulder and led her inside. Inside the vault, there was a sudden silence. No voices, no white noise, no cry of agony. That seemed like a greater punishment than anything else – not hearing any sign of life for eternity. Maybe that's why she was angry. That's why… she brought all those seafarers and air-travellers down. She wanted company. In death, they were all compliant subjects of hers.
The tunnel eventually brought them to another door. This time, blue flames lit torches on both its sides. When light conquered the walls, a stranger sight yet greeted them. Two large stone figures stood guard by the door. They had the heads of canines but the bodies of warriors. They both held spears which were extended to form an X before the door.
An incomprehensible growl stormed through the air. Zara assumed it was one of the two 'guards'. Lucifer seemed more privy to it than her. "(I am the archangel Lucifer)," he said in return, with his native Enochian tongue. "(I am here to retrieve a stolen treasure)."
Another growl answered him. Lucifer listened intently. "What are they saying?" Zara dared ask.
"They… are the guardians of this vault. Sophia is here," his voice hardened at the mention of her name. He stared despondently at the door.
"Is- isn't that a good thing?" Zara wondered. She hoped his grip on her arm would ease, to no avail.
"Like the 66 seals that opened my prison, hers requires but three to be broken. The guardians offer me an ultimatum. A riddle, because nothing is ever direct in these things," he clarified with a tinge of bitterness. "'The law is threefold: one arm reaches the Keeper, one arm binds him to the Vessel and the third promises the Fruit to the warden of Chaos.'"
Despite everything she'd seen so far, it was this that furrowed her brows in confusion.
"It rhymes in Enochian," Lucifer shrugged.
"I don't understand," Zara plainly admitted. "What does any of that mean?"
Lucifer rolled his eyes. "It's a deal. For this vault to open, we need a fully-consenting vessel – that's you – and someone to 'keep' your soul – that's me – and we need to give somebody a fruit," the archangel grumbled condescendingly.
"Wait, wait, wait. What's this about my soul?" Zara asked, reasonably alarmed.
"You don't have any use for that thing, do you?" Lucifer said half-seriously. Her head tilted sharply. "The terms state that the Keeper protects the soul from corruption."
"W-why? And how would it be corrupted?" Zara worried.
"Oh you know, by Hellfire. It's how demons are created," Lucifer dismissively mentioned, much to Zara's shock. "Such a fragile thing, a soul. Guess I'm supposed to get it off your chest."
"O… kay," Zara's eyes paused at a single spot on the ground. "So that's two out of three, right? But what about that last condition?"
"Not sure, but it doesn't seem important for this transaction," Lucifer gestured with his gaze towards the guardians. One of them stretched out their non-wielding arm, offering a palm. The archangel didn't hesitate to return the act. He looked to Zara expectantly.
Her chest resonated with a strange concoction of trepidation and adrenaline. This moment was everything. Lucifer awaited her decision. Her whole life flashed before her eyes, as if she was walking into death. But it only made things clearer. Her whole life was spent unnoticed, a nobody whose pain didn't matter. Here, there really was no witness to her choices. Who cares what happens to one person among seven billion, right? Zara placed her palm on Lucifer's, supported by the stone guardian.
A visible black thread connected Lucifer and Zara. Purple marks were inscribed on their arms, identical for both of them – a contract replicated on both their bodies. Soon, the light and the thread faded away. The guardians shifted to retract their spears. The door slid open with a rough clamour.
Lucifer's immense relief emanated from him as a refreshing, cool wave. He roughly grabbed her again and charged into the vault.
Inside, a vacant, spacious chamber appeared before them. There were four pillars arranged in a rectangle in the centre. Within that rectangle resided a quiet black pool. As Zara neared it, Lucifer seemed distracted by a trident that rested against one of the pillars. For a metal that was soaked this deep underwater, it had barely any rust or moss. From the eerie silence of his attention, it clearly meant something to Lucifer. He ran a finger along one of its tips and recoiled at what was on it. The memories came to him like it was just yesterday. You'll get your comeuppance, Raphael, he thought.
Meanwhile, Zara was drawn to the pit. A voice called to her, caressing her ears. It was that voice. The voice that had always sought her. Hearing it now, in person, sent sparks through her veins. I never knew I was missing a piece until now. Zara knelt slowly, developing the curiosity to go closer. The voice beckoned again and Zara took a swift inhale from just how pure it felt. She reached a hand into the black substance that formed this pool. "Yes," she whispered.
Something from beyond gripped her wrist back.
The grand symphony morphs into a conclusive crescendo. As the Being feels the shift in the cosmos, both the song and the event induced such an ecstasy – such a powerful rush – that it commanded him onto his knees just as the song reached its peak.
'Zombie Queen!' he practically yells the verse, tears raining from his eyes. His wings extend far behind him, almost filling the whole room. His scarlet eyes aimed for the Heavens.
'Zombie Queen!
Black light guides you!'
I opened my eyes – and Zara's, to be precise. I felt every photon hitting her retina. Or was it mine? I supposed these distinctions didn't matter anymore. Last I remembered, the door shut right in front of me. Raphael's smirk never left my eyelids. It was quiet. I could hear the air. The hissing had stopped. I stiffly sat up. Nothing seemed to register clearly. I looked around me and saw all these things but what they were eluded me. These stone walls, this furnishing… wait, I knew this, didn't I? I directed movement to my legs and they obliged. I felt the floor under one sole, then the other. I carefully pushed my weight on each foot as I moved forward.
Drip. Drip. I looked down. These strange material robes were soaked completely. Now that was new – water dampening my garments. Having a vessel was nothing like I'd experienced before, that was for sure. If I really paid attention, I could feel her apprehension inside me. I quelled it. It would be dealt with later. My reflection appeared before me in a standing mirror. I reached curious fingers to my cheeks. I still couldn't believe it – standing here, I was a spirit bound to the material realm. Her face was just like mine, if it was limited by the architecture of mere organic constituents. Her features were certainly more delicate than those of the hunter-gatherers I'd known. I traced my jaw and my forehead. It felt real under my touch.
Her clothes, however, were of the strangest design. Was this the modern fashion? Tightly-fitted tops that stopped at the hips and pants that were a snug fit? I supposed it was ergonomic and comfortable for the vessel. I peeled the wet clothes away from my skin. I angled myself away from the mirror. My hands, hugging my torso, traced the questionable scars on her back. What happened here? I dug through her memory. And then it hit me. Lucifer.
That was a name that had stayed out of my consciousness for a long time. And this place… it was Hell. This was my room. It was all starting to come back. It was at this opportune moment that I found a pair of icy blue eyes watching me silently. I froze. He simply stood there, by the door, and he must've been for a while now. My heart stopped. Our gazes connected immediately. Under that human skin was a face that I recognised so intimately. The dewy air seemed to undulate as we remained in uncorrupted silence.
"Is…" I spoke through unpractised lips. "Is this real?"
My voice sounded like no more than a whisper. His lips quivered and his brows contorted. The very sight elicited the same from me. He approached cautiously, stopping only a foot's gap away. "Real as it gets," he confirmed breathily.
I, shaking, reached for his hand and pressed his palm to my cheek. These were the same hands that held me during the Fall – firm and tender at the same time. A lone tear masqueraded down my cheek. "H-how? How can this be?" I asked.
"Sophia-"
I shut my eyes. Another droplet was wrung from my eye. Arms enclosed me and pulled me close. Just like that, my head rested against the shoulder it always sought. His hands ran up and down my back. I melted helplessly in his arms. I felt I could die in his embrace and leave with the peace of infinity. I practically shivered as his touch.
"You're here… You're safe…" he lulled me into calmness. When I had arrived at the realisation that this was what it was, I craned my head up to look at him. I caressed his cheek, finally taking notice of the bloody sores on his vessel.
"You're burning out," I worried. A simple magical intent from my fingers patched them up right away.
"A temporary tribulation. Nothing that can't be overcome with you," he answered.
"Oh Lucifer," his name tasted sweet on my lips. The room grew warmer. The lights dimmed. Then it was just us and this bed which accepted our morphing and intertwined forms. My legs twisted around his torso as he settled comfortably atop me, mouth digging into my neck. A chill shot through me, giving me the invigoration I needed to pull him closer. His shallow breaths tickled my skin. He savoured every drop of seawater his tongue could lap up. The sparks erupting on my skin swallowed me up and stole my self-control. It was overpowering. The sudden feeling of unpossession—a black pit of competing forces pulling me apart into pieces—invaded my every sense. I gasped.
"Stop," I beckoned him with a light push. Our faces were mere inches away from complete fusion. I was practically panting for breaths at this point. "I'm sorry but I… I can't-"
"It's too soon," Lucifer understood. The weight of a thousand worlds seemed to bear down on his shoulders. He glanced away cursorily, sighed, and resigned to a spot next to me. "I should've known."
The repulsion of our planetary bodies left us in bitter discontent. I turned my head towards him, though my gaze was caught by a familiar bronze hawk. A tear strolled down my cheek as I vacantly stared at it. "I just don't understand. I'm not supposed to be here," I reluctantly pushed air out of my lungs. "Why am I here, Lucifer?"
"What do you mean?" he softly argued, wiping away the dampness on my cheek. "It is the prophesied year. The age of the final retribution."
"But the prophecy doesn't require me," I recalled. My head sunk into the pillow as if I was still in the ocean. "God doesn't want me out here."
"Who cares what He wants? This isn't about Him," Lucifer said in one exhale, exasperated. "This is about us getting justice for what they did. I can't do this without you, Sophie. Especially knowing that you were out there…" he held my chin and moved closer. "…suffering all alone." He pressed his forehead against mine. "How can I walk into battle with half of me defeated? I am a dawn without a horizon if I do this without you. A bird without its wings. The pain alone will kill me."
I couldn't help but break down, weeping. I pulled him to unite our lips. The feeling of him against me helped memories and thoughts come back to me. "But what did it cost, my love?" I remained concerned. "I rue to think this, but our happiness rarely comes free."
"You must cast these thoughts out of your mind," his voice grew more determined. "Our army supports us, just as it did the day before we left. I scoured this planet to look for your vessel. No one knew that you were to have one. So no one else knew where to look."
"And how would you know?" I wondered.
"I… I didn't," he confessed. A gulp slid down his throat. "I just had to try. I had to try everything. And from there it got a lot easier."
I nodded. "A little too easy," I mumbled, sitting up. I pulled my knees up to my chest.
"Stop," he commanded endearingly. "Let's not dwell on it. It's in the past."
"How can I not? There were 66 seals that opened your Cage. There were three for mine, and only two have been broken," I argued.
"The hardest three seals, especially if no one knows what they are or how to break them," Lucifer said back. "The Keeper, the Vessel and-"
"The Fruit," I completed. "Promised to the warden of Chaos. What does that even mean?"
"Apparently, it isn't important to your freedom. You are here and I am not going to, as the humans would say, 'look a gift horse in the mouth'," Lucifer stated as matter-of-fact. "Soph, I beg you—just let this go."
His words simply passed through me. I was lost in a daze. It was still so surreal to me that I was no longer in that prison. His hand traversed my spine again, over the topography of wounds. Zara's screams echoed in my mind. "You didn't hesitate to leave your mark on this girl," I told him. I heard some confused mutters from him.
"She was misbehaving. I needed to bring her in line," he insisted.
"She is my vessel. Would you expect her not to be morbidly curious?" I questioned. "You punished her for her curiosity."
His lips pursed to form a tight line. "Her curiosity cost me manpower, and time away from you," he defended. A belated sigh escaped his lips. He ran a palm down his chin. "Are you really going to argue with me over this?"
I was silent far longer than I should've been. Placing a hand on his thigh, I said, "No." I pushed my lips into a curve. "I'm sorry. I can only imagine what the Cage must have been like."
I leaned to rest my head on his shoulder. His chest sunk to welcome me. "I felt every second of those two hundred thousand years. All of me dissolved like atoms in the Sun, and every cry to God lost in a black hole. Father just… locked us away for eternity, like we meant nothing," anguish peppered his tone. It quaked in his chest and I soothed him with smooth strokes over his ribs. "But I wasn't about to let it go to waste. I came up with a plan. All the pieces are in place. We just need to let this play out. Soon, I will face Michael and Raphael and demand justice from them. We will rise again. I promise you."
"They must pay for what they did to us," I added. Fiery images were seared into my mind by now, and the flames danced before my conscious mind. "We must destroy their hold on Earth and make them burn the way they made us."
"If they've managed to turn a dove violent, they deserve what's headed their way," Lucifer agreed. He stroked the back of my damp head. "What happened to you in the Vault?"
I pushed attention inward but nothing revealed itself to me. "Frankly, I don't remember it," I said dismissively. "I'm not even going to try."
"Something must've happened," he guessed. "It has changed you in some way. I can feel it. Whatever's happened, Sophie, you can't hesitate to tell me. Our rage must be shared. We will draw strength from it."
"I don't know what I feel," I answered truthfully. "There is nothing to hide."
After some quiet moments of reacquainting with his touch, I got dry and dressed up. Lucifer picked a long, flowing black garment that he knew I'd love. I let him put it on me. Though some kisses were stolen in between, we managed to leave the room. Memories of this place came to me in an instant. His hand in mine, we sauntered side by side into the throne room. My sharp heels clanked with a precise frequency.
The demons that saw us silenced themselves right away. This lot was far better presented than the haggard bunch from the old days of yore, but one survey of their spirits was enough to conclude that they were just as brutish. We walked down the aisle to our juxtaposed thrones. The demons sunk to their knees as we stood before them.
"Children," Lucifer announced. "Behold your Queen, Archangel Sophia! Today I tell you that Hell is whole again. Our enemies quelled her name, erased her from the annals of history, and regarded her with disgust, as they do to you. To that, I say, no more! From now on, we shout her name. We write it on the walls. We hold her in our hearts. Slay those who would harm her, as you would do for me. Make her known to all corners of the Earth!"
Roars of support erupted. "Hail Lucifer! Hail Sophia!" they chanted. All Lucifer had to do was raise a hand for them to calm down to pin drop silence. He'd always had such sway over lower minds.
"Forget not the injustices done to us. We will have our reckoning soon. We will bring Pandemonium to Earth and reign over it forever. But today—today, we celebrate our Queen's freedom," he declared.
It was so like Lucifer to arrange for a party. He always did know how to enjoy luxury. Intestines lined the walls and stomachs were stuffed with unidentifiable chunks of meat. Demons would take turns to hit it while blindfolded and they cheered when a blow caused the tattered ball to drop. They called it a piñata. Such curious traditions. While the demons scrambled for their fleshy trophies, absinthe was served and pure depravity ensued. I expected nothing less from these creatures. It wasn't long before the instruments of torture were brought out for the demons to tickle each other.
As Lucifer and I sat on our thrones, enjoying the sights before us, some demons came forth to offer us gifts. Rubies from a long dead king whose demise came at the hands of one of our own, wine fermented from the blood of slain monks and a witch's eyes turned into crystal. All satisfactory on their own. Then one demon hobbled up to us and knelt before me. Her hair hung in interwoven clumps. Her hands were roughened by time and her garment was a dusty grey sack. When she looked up at me, I could see the lines deeply embedded into her darkened skin from age and symbols of devotion tattooed above her eyebrows. Her body was so frail, it appeared like the cracked grounds of drought. It was a surprise her bones didn't break on the three steps leading up to the throne.
"Dearest Queen, I must confess," she began, her every word a sharp hiss. "I stand before thee, as one converted by a Gnostic long dead. From the moment thine name was uttered have I been turned away from the one they called God and unto thee. Centuries have I spent in deserts, crying thine name and slaying false prophets and bearers of false knowledge. There is no true Wisdom before thee."
My mauve-lined lips turned up on one end. "And for loving truth itself, you were sent to us. To Hell," I sympathised. "What is your name?"
"Glasya-Labolas," she told me, bowing her head. "I come to offer thee anything of thine desire. Name it, and I will bring it."
"Well, Glasya-Labolas, what do you want?" I questioned.
Her mouth opened and closed a few times, stunned by the question. After some thought, sorrows of lives past coalesced in her geriatric eyes. From that sorrow, a hard-earned relief emerged as tears. "All my life, I thought I would unite with thee in the Pleroma. All I wanted was to be one with thee," she hoarsely whimpered. "To be consumed by thine Light."
"Hm," I gave it some scrutiny. Her wobbling hands begged me in prayer for what she thought was absolution. "Oh dearest…" I cupped her cheeks and brought her face close to mine. She dared not look away from my eyes, even as a plump tear descended her cheek. "…it isn't Light that consumes. It is the Darkness."
With a simple inhale, her old demon spirit began flowing into me. We were two connected bodies. I saw her every memory, even her human ones. The struggle of a woman to be taken seriously by the Gnostic order, even as they claimed to seek me—a tragedy that broke my heart. When I was done with her corrupted soul, her body fell limp. But that wasn't enough. I absorbed every bit of life force still flowing through her body, making it wither and shrivel. By the time I was done, she dissolved into mere ashes and dust.
All voices came to a stop. I leaned back into my throne, one leg crossed over the other. It was like the demons had never seen an all-consuming force before. I often did forget how young these creatures were—they weren't even around when Mother would pop by and eat a galaxy or two. A double-clap resounded from my side. "Clean-up on aisle seven," Lucifer ordered. Then, it was as if nothing had happened at all. The cacophony resumed, save for a lone housekeeper demon who swept away the ashes. She chanced a side-glimpse at me, and seeing my reciprocal stare, she quickly averted her gaze.
Lucifer reached over to take my hand. His thumb ran circles over the back of my palm. "You're sure you don't remember anything?" he uttered softly.
I slowly turned to him. "Is there an issue?"
"No," he shrugged. "Not at all. It's just unlike you to be so… carnivorous. Not that I mind. At all. You must be so weary after all that happened."
"Two hundred thousand years can change a girl, don't you agree?" I said with a purr that I usually saved for the bedroom.
"I wouldn't mind being clued in on these changes," Lucifer murmured to himself. I raised an eyebrow at him. For a moment I saw genuine concern in his eyes. My lips inched into a smile. "What?"
I said nothing. I stiffly got up and approached the weapons rack. Demons stilled as I neared, instinctively moving out of the way. A crowd of them parted to reveal one dressed in tight leather whipping a bare-backed subservient. When she saw me, she had the sense to pause. I reached out a hand. She handed me the whip. The one on the floor bowed his head to me and prostrated to offer his back. From across the room, I found the curious glint in the King's eyes. Without looking away, I straightened the whip with my other hand and delivered the lash within a nanosecond.
It took a good second before the demon realised the full extent of the pain and let out a laboured moan. Once more I pulled the lash straight with a hand but this time, I ignited its length with a spring green flame. Lucifer looked on unblinkingly. As I brought down the lash again, he flinched as though it were his own skin stung. A plump exhale left his lungs. I shot the lash at the demon again and made it wrap around his neck. As he flailed and struggled for breath, I pulled him up onto his knees.
"D-devour me… Your Majesty…" he begged through choking breaths.
"Eat him!" the demons egged me on.
I pulled the whip free and slashed the demon's throat with my fingers. This one didn't slide down my throat as easily as Glasya-Labolas, but I felt refreshed nonetheless. I hadn't realised I was so famished until then. But this was enough of a show. The demons were getting wild again. Leaving them to their devices, I meandered towards the thrones. Lucifer scanned me up and down as I approached. Without any warning, I plopped down on his lap and put an arm around him.
"Are you but a willing victim to these changes?" I asked as I leaned into him.
"Death by you would be the sweetest of them all," he said, kissing the back of my knuckles.
"Hm," I shot a half-smile at him before getting up.
"Wait, where are you going?" he caught my hand before I strayed too far.
"I need some fresh air. Maybe feast on souls fresher than the ones here," I replied. He had the look of a sad Hellhound. "I'm just going for a walk. I need to see the world."
"It's… chaotic. In need of order," he was quick to answer, wide-eyed. "I could take you."
"No, it's… fine," I refused. I gently removed his grip from my hand. "I need to adjust to things. On my own."
"Fine," he huffed defeatedly, both eyebrows jumping. "Do whatever you want."
"Come on, now. What is that pout?" I berated. "Don't be dour when I leave. It's inauspicious."
He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Is this gonna be one of those walks where you don't come back for a thousand years?"
"Oh, don't even start," I sighed. "You know why I did those things. I even recall having your approval."
"Didn't mean that I enjoyed it," he countered. Despite the tension between us, the demons went on as usual, none the wiser to our conversation. Usually, such dialogue was had in private but I supposed it couldn't wait. Lucifer was clearly bothered and refusing to look at me. "You are the only person who has the luxury of tormenting me."
A stiffness grew in my shoulders. I sat back on his lap, light as a feather now, and ran my fingers through the blond hair of his vessel. "I don't wish to torment you. This is the time for your fight. How could I not do everything in my power to secure my Lightbringer's victory?" I reasoned, warmth billowing from my heart. "All I ask is for a little bit of trust."
"When you put it that way…" he considered. I planted a kiss on his temple.
"So can I trust you to behave?" I playfully asked.
He jokingly pouted. "I won't but you go on ahead, honey."
He wasn't kidding when he said that the Earth would be chaotic. It was barely recognisable. The first thing I saw when I stepped out of Hell was a brick wall – one face of a towering structure. Surrounding me, in the distance, there were more. I had to do a double take just because of all the noise attacking me at once. Electromagnetic waves constantly bombarded me. And life existed here? I shuddered in disgust.
I took note of the hard gravel under my feet. Despite this defilement of a footpath, a little green plant had managed to sprout in one of its crevices. I knelt to examine the organism. It had a tiny ivory flower, no bigger than Zara's thumbnail. "Poor thing. So far from the rest of your family," I caressed her petals. "You had to survive somehow, didn't you?"
With a swirl of my finger, a tiny black butterfly fluttered into existence. It flapped its obsidian limbs to land delicately on the petals.
"Now you will live on in a safer place," I told the plant. As soon as its nectar and pollen were carried by the butterfly, the flower withered and laid her head to rest on the gravel. I whispered words of protection for the butterfly as it carried on its journey out of this place. "Anyone who chooses to live here doesn't deserve you."
I followed the path. It led out to another pavement which lined the road – another tar atrocity. A blaring, coarse honk sounded behind me. I jerked at the noise. Just then, a metal machine zoomed past me on the road and sped off into the distance. That was rude. And again, I felt all these electromagnetic interferences. It was highly vexing, but I traced one source to some lines hanging overhead in the distance. I willed it to stop. Sparks erupted from the lines, littering fiery specks onto the road. I clenched my fists. The lines tore apart in an electrical frenzy. In that ruckus, one of the lines fell on the rude metal machine and set it ablaze. Huh. I forget how easily things burn.
Yet, it didn't seem to make things quiet. I heard screams and soon, sirens pulsating in the air. God, that was an awful noise. I cringed and decided it was best to leave. Tell me, girl, how have you managed to live on this planet without tearing your hair out? I directed the question to the resident soul of my vessel.
Barely, a response visited my awareness. If you got mad at that, wait till you hear about the coral reefs.
What? What about them? I asked. She showed me images—news stories she had seen. I gasped, almost needing to hold a post for support. Dear Mother.
Rarely had I encountered such news as to invoke my odious creator. But so far, this planet sounded like it was in danger. It can't all be that bad, right? I wondered. Her ominous silence wasn't helping, so I decided to take a look myself. Bad idea.
I spread my wings out. I hadn't realised it'd been so long. I stretched them out fully, even cracking some bones, surprisingly. A relieved moan emerged from my lips without my say-so. I heard some more screaming and even smelled burning meat but I left before I could bother myself with the details. My wings showered in cold mesospheric air. My feathers dusted off the sweet dew that settled on them, generating glimmering crystals in the air. As I stared down at the Earth, I felt Zara's voice calling to me again.
W- we're- flying! Is this a dream? Oh my God.
No, it isn't. It's all real. Unless you would prefer a dream, I said. Though, I'd much rather have your company.
Oh, she said, as if realising something. I sensed confusion. May I ask… why?
You did free me, Zara. I am grateful. It's no small token in my book. For that, I do hope that it's alright that I 'take' you with me on my journeys. I understand that my celestial experiences can be overwhelming for a mere mortal. You're free to opt out anytime.
Some shifting could be detected within her. I'm- I'm good. This is all just… new to me.
To me as well, daughter. If you want this to get easier, you'll have to trust me. Completely. And frankly, I think I will need your help in adjusting to this place. Good God, just look at that continent. It looks like all life has been run over by Raphael's broom.
More puzzled noises from my vessel. Hasn't Africa always looked like that?
Always? I huffed. When I was here to nurture her? No! What apocalypse could make this worse?
As I roved around the upper atmosphere, numerous things stood out to me. Too many things to fix in one day. Perhaps starting over wouldn't be so bad.
With Zara's recommendation, I set foot on the bustling streets of Tokyo and New York City. There were so many of them – humans – in one place. Like ants in an ant hill. Large screens displayed information whose relevance I didn't understand. People buzzed about all around me, not even stopping to look. They were hooked to their little devices, conversing about things that sounded foreign. These skyscrapers were mere imitations of divinity, of the great architectural feats we had in Heaven. They even lacked the lustre and passion of our structures. Despite all these efforts in building the tallest buildings to reach Heaven, Man was still an animal pretending to be something else. The narcissistic self-aggrandizations that played on the TV screens made it clear that humility was lost on them.
Next, I travelled to Los Angeles. City of Angels, huh? I saw barely any angels here. Just filth and degeneracy. The first alley I passed, I saw a raggedy man puncturing his own arm with a needle. As soon as he pressed the plunger, he seemed to doze off into an induced sleep. I doubted that he would wake up again. Walking down the streets, I passed several women with implants in their body. Apparently, that was something they did willingly.
One woman caught me staring and asked me, rather curtly, why. She had a luscious brown complexion, with long hair that hung in tight black curls. I supposed if I was a human chasing my base impulses, she would be very attractive.
"Your bosom is artificial," I said, pointing with my eyes. "Why would you defile your body this way?"
She huffed, offended for some reason. "Mind your own business, lady," she crossed her arms. "It's my body."
"I wouldn't argue with that, no, but it's just most peculiar that a fecund young woman like yourself would need the validation of something that will outlive your entire body," I passively remarked. "Your coffin will be nothing more than your silicon breasts."
As I continued, men of all manner said things to me in passing, for nothing more than attention. Some even approached in an effort to make conversation. I thought they were being hospitable, but they soon would ask me to follow them to places. Some even opened conversations with lines I didn't understand.
One particular male stood out, but not in his fashion – they all seemed to wear the attire of what Zara termed 'douche bags'. This confident lad paced alongside me and asked, "What was it like when you fell from Heaven, baby?"
I froze in my step, and immediately shoved him against a wall by his sternum. "How do you know who I am?" I demanded to know.
He only screamed in my face and struggled against my grip. I recoiled at the loudness. "Let me go, you crazy bitch!" he yelled.
"Watch your language, young man," I berated. "Or I'll have to burn your tongue."
He didn't mean that literally, Zara chimed in. He was implying that we looked like an angel.
My brows dipped in a frown. But… humans can't see angels with their naked eyes. How would he know?
It's a compliment, Sophia, she said. He was flirting.
I sighed. Humanspeak is so confusing. No wonder you've refused to court any men.
Um… yeah… that's totally why I'm single, she hesitantly answered.
For a brief moment, I saw the image of Sam Winchester flash across her mind. She quickly suppressed it. Oh, Zara. There is no hiding anything from me. And not to worry, darling, you will get all of him soon. It's his destiny.
I didn't mean it like that, she weakly defended.
We passed a few blocks before a crowd appeared before us. They were gathered around a man with black, coiffured hair. He wore a suit and carried a cross and a bible. Of course, it was a preacher. I'd seen some of these back in the day. Raucous personalities with a penchant for targeting others' visceral fears. They were always good at getting people to follow them. Some things never changed.
"The Devil walks among us! Lucifer grows stronger every day! We must all abandon our sinful ways now!" he yelled, exasperated. Most people in the crowd seemed to regard him with discomfort. Some seemed to nod their heads in agreement. Yet others simply ignored him and carried on with their lives. "Save yourselves! Kneel before Jesus and let him into your hearts!"
He just looked silly waving his crucifix around. At some point, it directly faced me. Even in that miniscule moment, its interference repelled me and I just had to turn away. When he pointed the cross elsewhere, I turned back to see his greasy glare in my direction. I rolled my eyes and entered the nearest establishment. A bell rung as I pushed through the door. This place appeared to be some kind of trinket store.
There were shirts hanging with weird signs on them. "I… heart… L… A," I read, with some help. "No, Zara, that can't be a heart. Hearts don't look like that."
Strange ornaments hung from metal rings. One plastic item read 'Hollywood', just like those block letters I saw on the hill. "My God, this is the ugliest thing to grace my fingers," I remarked. With just a thought, I made the item dissolve into atoms. Just as I grew relieved that it was gone, I saw several more hanging on the rack.
There are thousands of these around here, Zara told me.
The world is truly a grim place, I replied. These modern artefacts lacked any kind of soul, which was what I thought the humans were unique for having. Everything we made in Heaven was always made with inspiration from God. Down here on Earth, there was so little of that zest that I was surprised. Despite my grievances, I would never had thought humans were incapable of such a thing. Intent and passion were gifts of sentience and knowledge. Knowledge that Lucifer and I gave mankind. Man was as far from the divine as he was from nature. The apes seemed obliviously ungrateful for what I had given them.
I exited the store and turned into a narrow alley. Footsteps resounded behind me. I spun around to face the stalker. It was the odd priest again.
"What do you want?" I asked him brazenly. He held out the cross at me. I instinctively turned my head away, wincing at its magnetic push. "Put that thing away. It's impolite."
The more I tried to face him, the more of a migraine I got. The pain was bearable, sure, but did I want to put up with it? Not really.
"W-what are you?" the priest trembled. I could see the little drops of nervous sweat forming on his forehead.
"If you put that cross down, I'd be willing to talk. Otherwise, you're just forcing my hand," I warned him. The nasty headache was forcing a glower out of me. My head slowly craned downwards, though my gaze remained on him. His eyes were large and wide. Despite some hesitation, he obliged. The migraine waned immediately and I felt normal.
"God listens to our prayers," he said, shakily extending a black leather-bound bible towards me.
"No, He really doesn't," I corrected him. And just to prove it to him, I placed my palm on the false book. Just as I expected, a faint red glow erupted around my imprint on the book. The glow soon turned to smoulders which burned the book as he held it. He quickly retracted his hand and let the thing fall as a pile of ashes. "I've spoken to Him many times and He still damns me."
"Hellspawn!" he exclaimed, before taking off in the opposite direction.
Not so fast. In the blink of an eye, I appeared before him and halted him in his tracks. "I am no spawn of Hell, preacher," I stated. He fumbled backwards as I slowly stepped towards him. "I am the Queen of Hell, Unholy Consort to the Devil, Mother of Demons, and Daughter of the Darkness, and you should address me as such."
His mortal heart pounded in his chest so wildly that I could practically hear it. "Stay away from me!" he ordered. By then, I'd grabbed him by the throat. I breathed in. His soul rushed out of his chest to satisfy my hunger. When I let him go, he was alive and befuddled, certainly, but his body was a mere hollow thing. "What did you do to me?"
"Just lightened your load, Clifford," I informed him. "Go on, then. Live your life. You'll thank me."
He looked absently at his belongings, and at me, and left me in peace. That was more like it. I detected Zara's discomfort and confusion. I pushed it out of my mind.
Deciding to stay out of the mortals' sight, I wandered into a large building, curious as to what went on in these numerous structures. This one had a pungent smell of rubbing alcohol and sickness. Medics bustled about for one reason or another, most of them occupied with taking care of other humans. It reminded me of my time in Heaven's Infirmary, working under Raphael. Funny how an insidious person like him should have been tasked with something involving concern for another's well-being. Raphael had taken full advantage of the opportunity to overwork me, making me create potions that no one needed, all so that I'd be less present in anyone else's life. What a different time, and what a different matter to worry about. Still, it didn't change the fact that he was an irksome halo-snapper.
The double doors were practically busted open by the rush of an incoming group of medics hurrying an injured woman to the emergency room. They worked in this untold harmony, some connecting wires to her and others trying to stop the persistent bleeding from her lower abdomen. Her blood absolutely pooled everywhere. Soon, a machine beeped according to her heartbeat and someone injected her with something. They performed chest compressions as a last resort but I knew from the moment she entered that nothing they did was going to work.
The beeping sped up and the line became flat. Her pulse was no more. Her soul ascended from her flesh, as natural as a leaf falling from a tree. She saw me. Her eyes widened but an understanding came over her. "Am- am I dead?" she asked me. I felt another celestial presence trying to manifest, but I kept a shield around us to prevent it.
"You are, my dear," I told her, conveying my sympathies. "Heaven or Hell, where do you think you're going?"
"I…" she looked around herself uncertainly. "I'm not sure."
"Then why don't I take you somewhere better?" I offered. "Somewhere… you don't have to pick a side."
"Where's that?" her innocent eyes wondered. I stepped closer and placed a hand on her cheek.
"Have you ever wondered where black holes lead to?" I gazed at her as if absorbing her irises into mine. "Just say the word, and you will leave this mortal coil forever. You'll be somewhere untouchable."
"Um," she gave it a cursory thought. "Sure."
"That's a good girl," I inhaled. Her organically freed soul pumped the energy of a neonatal star through my veins. Her soul was destroyed but her energy was now mine. There would be no pain, no awareness where she went. Just as I turned to leave, I met the unrelenting glare of a special kind of angel – the kind that had a waterfall of black wisps for feet and skeletal features. "Never you mind, Reaper."
"That soul wasn't yours to take, Archangel," the one I recognised to be Azrael said. As with all reapers, he had sunken, brooding eyes that lent an impenetrable shadow to his eye sockets.
"Mine, yours – what difference does it make, really?" I chuckled. "You wish to bring souls to peace. I do the very same."
"You're treading a thin line there," he warned, gesturing with his bony hand. "Leading a soul to its destination isn't quite the same as leading it to complete annihilation. You make light of death."
"Tell me, how many of you were gathered during the Great Flood?" I narrowed my eyes. "Did God not make light of death when he sent millions into your arms, just to prove a point?"
"It isn't my place to question the natural departures of souls from the mortal realm," he answered, unfazed.
"Isn't that right?" I scoffed. "And no, I do not take death lightly. I've felt quite positively dead for millennia. Do you ever feel it, Reaper? Do you feel the lost sparks, the extinguished flames, of those you reap? Do you live in death?"
As his head tilted up, the light illuminated his ghastly pallor—his ivory skull. "All the time," he replied, holding eye contact. I did not doubt him. An unspoken solidarity was shared between us.
"I'll get out of your hairs then," I proceeded to exit the ER.
"A word of caution," Azrael called out. "Reapers serve neither the Light nor the Darkness. Considering your… nature, perhaps you should think about what you serve."
I nodded solemnly. "Give my regards to your boss."
Light or Darkness. As if it were such a clear dichotomy. My nature… I knew what that meant. It always seemed like I had to choose between my two natures – the darkness given to me by Amara, or the light given to me by God. God had put up a Veil between the two universes and perhaps inadvertently within me, as well. Now, it seemed like the wall was breaking. Barely a day topside and I'd let the darkness consume creation. Would Mother be proud of me? I lamented to think so.
Pushing these uncomfortable thoughts away, I chanced upon the wing of the hospital that produced the energy of a fresh breeze. An ear-splitting scream reached out to me. I entered the ward. An act of creation was reaching its fruition. In a mess of blood and violent twitches, a babe struggled to enter the world. The woman shrieked to the Heavens. That was always the wrong call. Was it not the ones above who cursed you with such misery for heralding in new life?
"Just a little more," the presiding doctor instructed. "Push!"
The woman bawled, plump droplets cascading down her cheeks. Still, she clenched her teeth and did as she was told. I placed my hand on her forehead, caressing her hair back. "We sow their seeds, but we are the ones punished," I softly lamented to her. I leaned in close to her and held her hand. "Ol atra'h ig olpir't."
She took a deep inhale. Her next push was imbued with such strength that the babe just slid out. Once the labour was over, she gasped a surprised breath and fell back onto the bed, tired. The nurses were quick to clean the infant and hand her over to the new mother. She had only but a few moments to get to know her neonate before the nurses separated the mother and child. Such a strange practice, I thought, and so I followed the nurse.
I stood behind a large glass window. Such a curious thing – stowing all these infants in a single room while their mothers rested. We used to do this with our cherubs too, but only because they were all children of God, not belonging to the mothers who bore them. In fact, I wasn't even sure what happened to the Gravidas. Last I heard, they were out of commission and assigned to other duties.
It was a room full of fresh souls. I know how much that must have appealed to some, like Lilith. Only a mother abducted from the cause of life itself could turn so bitter to feast on what she couldn't have. I understood it, perhaps a little too much. Maybe that was why I remained where I stood, watching the babes, even when night had fallen. The little humans had barely any idea of what they were, or where they were. They simply yawned and fidgeted in their cribs. No idea that they were already damned, already destined for extinction. As I contemplated this in the dim light, the faintest wave of another spirit's presence brushed against me. I turned to see the vanishing of a shadow from around a far corner.
A soft, silvery crying shattered the air. My attention was brought back to the glass window. A single child flailed its arms about, kicking its tiny feet against the crib. Before I knew it, I was inside the nursery. One crying infant would unsettle the rest of them. So I found myself drawn to this crib, picking up the babe from its soft covers. The moment I did, he stopped crying. I rocked the babe to soothe him further. The charming coos of the child amused both himself and me. Despite myself, a chuckle escaped my lips.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I looked behind me, through the glass. There was no one there.
I took one last look at the infant before placing him back. "Go to sleep, now," I gently ordered. His eyes closed serenely.
Leaving the hospital, I finally returned to the outside world to greet the waning moon. A place that knew me best had invited me, so I took off my shoes to enter the sacred house. The grass under my feet clasped me with every step in a welcoming embrace. The trees shook their branches in greeting and sent a wind to usher me. I lay in the darkness, reaching into the soil. I felt myself dissolve into the Earth. Every breath, every creature that lived, fused into me.
By now I was in the mud and I had moulded a small depression in the ground with my hands. It was how I communicated with nature, the precious child God had once handed over to me to nurture. "Did you miss your mother?" I whispered. A clap of thunder boomed through the air. I flinched. It didn't feel right. The pit I had carved grew damp. I thought it was going to rain, but the sky was clear. The pit wasn't just damp, it filled up with water. "What is the meaning of this?"
I looked into the little puddle, illuminated only by moonlight. I saw the images of ships wrecked, planes crashed, and marine inhabitants murdered. I knew these things. I did these things. "Do you hate me for this, Gaia?" I wondered, a desolation gnawing at me. The atmosphere seemed to subside suddenly. Perhaps it was an indication that I had been shown what I needed. Then more images appeared. A black disease, like an infection, spread its long roots deep into the Earth. The earthquakes, the fires, the mass unrest – it all appeared to me. Now I knew what bothered her.
"It's the apocalypse. It has to happen," I regretfully told her. The leaves rustled fiercely in protest. "This is temporary, I assure you. God may have forsaken you, but I take your suffering as my own. There is no sacrifice greater than ours. It will mean something. When Lucifer gets his righteous victory, we'll nurse you back to health. I promise."
The winds whistled hoarsely. Now the branches shook even more, but with a final push, a single object plopped into the puddle before me. Then, complete silence fell. I reached into the muddy water and pulled out what looked like an apple. Its texture lacked any firmness and felt mushy. I held it up in the light. Grimy patches of rot covered its surface.
Back in the nether world, I stepped into the Lake of Fire. Orange flames shot high up around me. My feet made ripples on the combustible surface of the ether. A demon stood guard by the entrance to a cavern in the middle of the lake. "Where is he?" I asked the demon authoritatively.
The tunnel's walls were faintly lit with the scattered light of smaller fires. A strong, pungent sulfurous odour wafted through the air. And some iron too. The shadows that danced on the wall showed Lucifer's muscular form pulling back what looked like loose innards. Appropriate crushing and tearing sounds accompanied the actions.
"There you go," I heard him say. A turn around the corner and I saw the large Hellhound feasting ravenously on the meat he held in his hands. He dropped the shredded organs and ruffled the beast's mane.
"Are you favouring Furfur over Ramsey now?" I knelt beside him. I smoothed the hound's fur over its head. She snorted in approval and continued digging into her meal. "Now I should worry about you."
Our hands, caressing the Hell spawn, inched closer to each other. "Furfur here has been tasked with something important," Lucifer answered. "I'm making sure she's well fed before she leaves."
"I can see that," I murmured as I gave him a once-over. We were surrounded by deformed corpses whose ribs were exposed and whose insides were emptied. He was absolutely coated in blood. His hands most of all, but everything else was drenched too. "And here I thought I'd have to explain myself."
"Oh, I barely noticed," he remarked, actually looking at me this time. "Not even ground dirt could dull your shine."
A playful glint shone in his eyes. A warmth grew in my chest. "Look, I… I have to speak to you about something," I said. I took his hand in mine.
"Finally," he huffed. He slid the remaining bits of heart and lung to Furfur. "I'm almost done."
"It's not what you're thinking," I clarified firmly. "I had some interesting thoughts today, on my walk."
"Disappointing, isn't it? The world?" he grumbled.
"Definitely, but even more disappointing was that little shadow you sent to stalk me," I pointedly uttered. "Didn't think I'd notice?"
"Oh," he averted his gaze. "I didn't, but I should've. In our absence, the demons haven't been held to a high standard. Clearly lacking in covert skills. But that will be rectified soon enough."
"Lucifer," I sharply hissed.
"I had my reasons," he immediately defended. "So what? My Queen rises from the ashes weary and I'm not going to make sure she's safe? This shouldn't be a point of contention."
"No one likes being watched," I said through a tight jaw. "And you know, better than anyone, that I am not in need of anyone's protection. Unless, of course, you had other reasons."
"No, of course not," he rejected adamantly. I pierced his gaze for a second. He looked away and shifted uncomfortably. "Martyr me for loving you, if you will, but I did what I thought was best."
"For whom?" I crossed my arms. He rolled his eyes. I eased my posture reluctantly but leaned in closer to him. "Next time, it'll be your guts fed to the Hellhounds."
A sigh billowed from the bottom of his lungs, feeding an unseemly mist into the scorching cavern. "Anything I can do to pacify my lover's heart?"
"I… have some ideas," I suggested, a single brow elevated. He seemed to understand. A reciprocal smile slowly spread across his jaw. "But you'll still be punished."
"I wouldn't expect it any other way," he smirked. Furfur hopped alongside us as we exited the cave. He passed her leash to the demon waiting outside. "I trust you'll escort her to Westbrook," he stated with a fleeting glance at the servant.
Before long, we were both unclothed and in the steaming hot bath in our private chambers. It was a large, round tub. Plenty of space for all kinds of imaginations. "What's happening in Westbrook?" I asked as we both dipped into the water.
"Famine hath arrived," Lucifer replied, less than enthusiastic. He pulled me onto his lap. We both got to work, scrubbing and rubbing off each other's grime. "Of all the Horsemen, he's certainly the most needy. The old rat couldn't even stand on his own. And he's taking his own sweet time recharging."
"And he needs Furfur because…?" I wondered, rubbing away a crimson smudge on his shoulder. Then it dawned on me. I was rightly frowning. "Because he's famished. Shouldn't have asked."
He shrugged. "I need him to walk the Earth, Sophie. And he isn't gonna walk if he's weak," Lucifer explained. "It's not like I want to spend time fattening the Hellhound for slaughter. I'd rather be doing this."
His hand traversed to my rear and slapped it. I gasped. I bit my lip to avoid giving him the satisfaction of a smile. If he thought he could get me to break with that radiant, self-assured grin of his, he was wrong. Instead, I moved closer, put an arm around him. Just when he expected the kiss, I used my free hand to slap him. Now I smiled freely.
His lips formed a tight line. His eyes grew sombre. His fingers, clasped around my waist, dug into my skin. Without a moment's notice, he yanked me close so our bodies would merge. His lips thrust into mine passionately while my hand caressed his neck. In the midst of him cruelly sucking out the air from my lungs, I parried with my lower lip to give me the leeway to go on the offense myself.
"Ow," he winced, letting me go. I savoured the sweet victory, the tinge of iron on my tongue, while remnants of his archangelic infusion revived me. He touched a finger to his lip, even though the evidence was already on my chin. Jaw agape, his eyes darted to me in what appeared to be surprise. I sharply exhaled. I felt my lips stretch into a smile. Then I pounced towards him and melted into his arms. I licked the bite as if to heal it. That was a farce.
Only more bites would ensue. On his neck, on his shoulders, on his fingers. I surrendered control over myself willingly, gnawing at him like a hungry creature. Lucifer gripped my jaw with his palm as if to tame me. He delivered soft kisses on my face and neck as if to counter my violence with peace. Soon, it was clear that he was only positioning himself for revenge. We wrestled for control. The water grew bloody and murky. We were both covered in scars.
At some point, he managed to pin my wrists behind me. "Your appetite is voracious," he said in between heavy breaths.
Somehow we managed to take the fight to the bedroom. He pushed me back onto the bed. Looking straight into his eyes, I first spread my legs. Then, I crossed one leg over another to roll my hips onto their side while I lay on my back. His first thrust made my head spin. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but 'they' failed to mention how two hundred thousand years of separation makes you ravenous. Just like that, our desires were fully and remorselessly satiated. It was a miracle that nothing broke from our explosive love-making.
We lay side by side, breathless. We simultaneously turned to look at each other. Now I could fully see the marks I had left all over him. It didn't take long for us to heal them, of course. It was just about the absurdity of having to do so at all. "You sure didn't hesitate to dig deep," he noticed a gash on his upper arm.
"Someone has to train you for the apocalypse," I said guiltlessly as I licked the remains on my lips.
"I didn't imagine Michael's greatest weapon to be his incisors, but sure," Lucifer rebutted. "We should train more often."
Once we'd both calmed down and were wrapped more intimately in each other's arms for the gentler part of the process, my recent thoughts returned to me. "Is this really the right thing?" I asked him. "This apocalypse?"
He pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. "The wrongs that have been done to us need to be righted," he said, the slightest crinkle falling over his brows. "You said so yourself."
"I know. I was- I am angry. Just as you are," I assured him as I ran my hand up and down his back. "But is this really the only way? Michael is your brother. Do you need to fight him?"
He looked away from me to sigh. I knew the same thoughts had probably been brewing in the back of his mind. He seemed to retreat somewhere deep within, somewhere he'd been forced to reside for a long time. "Believe me, I wish it were any other way. Things have escalated so much. I'm not sure I would recognise him if I saw him now. Besides, he seems pretty set on this fight too."
"Have you considered maybe… just talking to him?" I suggested. Trying to find consolation in the rocky oceans of his eyes was difficult.
"Sophie…"
"I'm serious."
"Me too," he insisted. A heaviness radiated from him. A cataclysm underneath his skin. It was like being close to a murky vortex. Before I could ask, he began, "I have tried. Last time I saw him…" he ran a hand down his chin. "It wasn't good. When he and the others came to Hell, I didn't fight him. Not at first. I tried to welcome him. I tried to reach out to him. I asked if we could put it all aside and rule the Earth together, or if we could negotiate at all. I wanted that, Sophie, I really did. I said, 'You're my brother. Won't you give me another chance to make this right for all of us?'" I saw his chest grow tight and his eyes grow damp. "He didn't say anything. It was like a wall came up between us and he couldn't hear me. Or he didn't want to. You should've seen the look on his face. It was impenetrable. That didn't look like the brother I knew. You know what happened after that."
I held his face in my hands. He sunk into them without hesitation. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't know," I muttered. Just thinking about the carnage I'd come back to then was enough to send prickles along my nerves. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I should've been. I wish I never left you."
"It wasn't your fault. This whole situation's a mess," Lucifer mourned, rubbing the back of his head uneasily. "All we wanted was to question God's decisions. Make them see that His head was in the wrong place. And for that, He took our lives away. He could've killed us, but no – He wanted this whole thing to play out like some kind of twisted game, turning our own family against us. Turning their love into venom."
"How can no one see how cruel He is?" I wondered too. "We thought He was capable of limitless love. But it's just the opposite, isn't it? It feels like everything was always a lie with Him."
Mere disgust at the thought made me want to turn myself inside-out. "So you see why we must win. Why we just have to clench our teeth and be done with this awful ultimatum. At least in the meantime, we get to skewer these mortals," an untimely chuckle burst from his lips. "There's billions of them now. Every time you think you wipe them out, more come out of the woodworks."
"But that's just the thing, isn't it?" I frowned. "If He is punishing us still, why would He give us even a remote chance at winning? Like you said, it's just a game to Him. What if this is one too? What if it's a trap?"
Lucifer seemed to think about it, and then just shrugged. "Doesn't matter. An opportunity's an opportunity."
"No," I maintained, much to his weariness. "What if it really isn't? Think about it. He's never made things fair for us before, so why would He now?"
That seemed to give him pause.
"I just… don't have a good feeling about this," I confessed, some events of today plaguing my mind. "Look, I… I was connecting with the Earth today, which you probably already knew."
"N-no," he lied. "The demon was told to keep his distance. So you could have some actual privacy."
I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, I was given a sign," I manifested the apple in my palm. Under the light, its decomposed form was even clearer. "This was after she showed me visions of a… a darkness – like an infection – spreading through her."
We both sat up to inspect it more closely. "What do you think it means?" Lucifer queried. "It's just a rotten apple."
"The apple was our weapon, remember? Our act of defiance which cost humanity Eden," I reasoned. "Our gift to the mortals."
"I don't like calling it a gift," Lucifer protested but quieted down when I gave him a look.
"If the apple is rotten, it means our cause is dead. I mean, I saw that much when I walked through the human settlements. Is this what the dinosaurs died for?" I suddenly said.
"Still mad about the dinosaurs, huh?"
"Always," I huffed. "Why would Gaia show this to me? A warning, perhaps."
"You're reading too much into a fallen fruit," Lucifer dismissed. "Sophie, I need you to be clear on this," he took my hand and beckoned for my attention. "A lot's already gone into this fight. Whatever Father or Michael has planned, it shouldn't matter. We have our strategy. Let's have some faith in us for once, alright?"
That didn't ease my tension. "Do you think I lack faith in us, Lucifer?" I challenged. "That's not the point. Our faith won't make a difference if there are forces beyond our control. We need to get ahead of this. And I don't appreciate you talking to me like I'm just trying to ruin your plans."
"I. Never. Said. That," he uttered pointedly. "I just wish you would support me for once instead of pointing out things that aren't actionable." He averted his gaze, annoyance clearly written all over his face. "What would you have me do, huh? Call off the battalions, all because a wind blew and a fruit fell in front of you? Stop doing my part, so we can all sit around and wait for Heaven's army to come here and slaughter us?"
"I'm just asking you to look at the bigger picture," I asserted. I ran my fingers along his forearm. "I am not your enemy, love. You know my objections are always for the sake of caution. If you want a Yes-man, you can get one. It won't be me."
"Fine," he simply said, shoulders easing. I wasn't sure if it was resignation or acceptance. "But could it be that the fruit refers to something else? Maybe those seals that you were so worried about."
Now that he mentioned it, I had to consider it too. I released a tired exhale and pulled my knees up to my chest. That made the vision even more ambiguous. "I have to find out," I told him.
"You will. You always do," he kissed my forehead and pulled me closer.
A/N: The song sang by the unnamed being at the start is Ghuleh/ Zombie Queen by Ghost BC. It really inspired this chapter!
