The Heads of the Snake
Author's Note: This story has all been fun and games for me and my Half-OC so far as you can see, but the outcome this chapter alone is gonna carry on until the end of the story. I can only imagine most of you anticipated that, but here I'm officially confirming it. I'm trying to make every little detail relevant to the overall picture in the end, so I ask that you read this chapter and pay attention the best you can since the small things said in this chapter will be more important to the rest of the story than any chapter prior. Enjoy! :)
Magne Palace Theater Room: Backstage
Douglas and King Lucifer both stared down their foe speechlessly for almost a full minute. Though Douglas had finally begun trusting the king, he now feels both entirely betrayed, and his odd feeling of vengeance has returned. A feeling he hasn't felt since the day his family was murdered. Lucifer on the other hand feels a lot of reluctance. He's battled and left so many demons injured over the reign of his monarchy, but the feeling of regret is finally coming back to haunt him. Regret isn't something he felt since the day he died, which allowed him into Heaven. And after fully abandoning regret, he'd shown his true colors and betrayed God. Only now does the potential of killing a young boy come back to him.
"Listen dude, I don't want to do this any more than you do." Lucifer says, holding his staff out. "If we must commence anarchy, one of us will fall, and it'd be a shame if God had to collect a victim that he sent here from the man he banished." Douglas breaks his silence.
"You're bluffing your highness." The young warrior remarks. "You've wanted me dead since the moment I got here and that's why you gave me a cyanide beverage." Lucifer's eyebrows lower.
"If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have stopped Seviathan when he was about to gut you." He responds, casually retracting his staff. "But you and I need naught to engage in combat. For if you surrender your soul to Satanism, then we can part our differences, and become friends one and the same." Douglas charges forward and swings a pumpkin.
"NEVER!" He shouts loudly. The King quickly catches his wrist before the pumpkin hits him, causing the holy soldier to flinch at his intense reflexes.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," Lucifer says as Douglas's fingers catch fire.
"AH!" He suddenly drops the pumpkin and watches the fire burn through the stem like a fuse on a bomb. The pumpkin explodes all over once the fuse reaches the center. "What the hell?!" Douglas exclaims as fragments and orange pulp splatter onto his clothes. Lucifer held up a forcefield to remain clean.
"Magic is my specialty." He states before glaring darkly. "And my next trick will be making you disappear!" He threatens before mumbling. "Too bad no one else is here to see it." Douglas pushes another pumpkin at him, but the king swings his staff at the incoming object. "Four!"
"Whoa!" Douglas leaps over the heavy orange projectile, surprised at the king's strength and speed. Suddenly an apple comes his direction. The apple hits him in the chest and explodes, leaving an acidic mist behind. "Ah! What is this?!" He exclaims as he captures the air inside his mystical cylinder.
"Since you gave me a taste of your power, I thought I'd let you taste mine." Lucifer comments, withdrawing three torches from his shirt pocket. "Time to turn up the heat!" He exclaims as they catch fire and he begins to juggle them. The young warrior lunges forward and attempts to hit him again. Suddenly Lucifer blows firmly out a ring of fire his torches set up, scorching the pumpkin out of his hand and burning his wrist.
"OWW!" Douglas screams loudly at the sudden pain. Suddenly the torches disappear, and Lucifer makes a clamping motion with his hands. Two heavy heat waves come together and start to severely warm Douglas's skin. He feels like he's sitting in front of the coals in a hot sauna, with all his clothes on. "Ah." He says in a dry voice as sweat forcefully leaves his pores.
"Seems you're not one for hot environments." Lucifer comments. "Perhaps you'd like some apple juice." He says as he stuffs an apple into his white hat. He then does a casting motion and a cloud of cyanide rain forms above Douglas's head.
"Whoa!" The holy soldier teleports behind the king before the chemical touches him. "Repent your sins!" He shouts as he casts a light explosion at the king's head. The blast shocks the back of his neck and knocks his hat off his head.
"Ouch!" Lucifer yelps as he catches his hat and turns around. His frown turns into a light glare. "So you really can teleport to huh?" He comments. "Well then let's see how good you are at it." He challenges, setting his hat on the floor.
"What exactly are you doing?" Douglas asks, summoning a pumpkin in his hand. His eyes widen as Lucifer removes the hat and a full apple tree appears where the hat was. "WHAT?! HOW?!" He exclaims in surprise. Lucifer casts a beam at the top of the tree and pulls his staff back, bending the entire tree along with it.
"A true magician never reveals his secrets!" He exclaims spiritually as he releases the tree. A barrage of apples fly towards the holy soldier, but he blocks his face with a pumpkin to shield some of them. He makes a few painful grunts as a few of the apples hit the top of his head or his body. "You didn't teleport to avoid that?" The magical king asks in shock. Douglas lowers his pumpkin and frowns.
"I didn't want to teleport into a different apple that would hit me in the wrong spot." He comments in annoyance. Lucifer chuckles.
"Ha, you're a lot smarter than I assumed!" He compliments, before grimacing darkly. "But let's see you dodge them when they go off!" He shouts as he raises his arms in a casting motion. Douglas gasps loudly as all the apple stems ignite. "Be warned, they'll all go off at absolute random." The king adds in a dark tone.
"Okay, I'm not-" *BAM!* "AH!" Douglas freaks out and reflexively steps back as one of the apples explodes near him, causing an acidic juice to splatter around the area. Suddenly a second one goes off and this one splashes lightly against the back of his left leg. "AH!" He exclaims as the hot pain comes to him. *BAM-BAM!* Another couple apples explode as Douglas swiftly jumps further back to keep his distance. He teleports with his right foot on an apple and quickly loses his balance. "Whoa!"
"Gotcha!" Lucifer shouts as he fires a bluish beam out of his staff. Douglas hits the floor, but suddenly everything around him is so much larger.
"What the hell?!" He exclaims as all the other apples detonate. A burning yellowish mist fills the entire room, and the young warrior has to shut his eyes to avoid the pain of it touching them. "What is this?!" He shouts loudly and coughs a couple of times. Lucifer steps forward and picks him up.
"Say that again little boy? I could hear you all the way down there." Douglas glares firmly at him.
"Did you just... SHRINK ME?!" He screams loudly in frustration, causing the king to chuckle.
"You bet I did. Tada!" He taunts. Douglas tries to break his grip, but his will is now far inferior to that of the king's. "Now, let's get to our finale." He says as he turns around and walks up to the apple tree.
"Wait, what finale?!" Douglas asks in slight fear. Lucifer grabs the empty flask Douglas drank holy water out of and drops him inside of it. "Hey! Let me out of this!" He demands furiously.
"Since I'm a gentleman, I'll give you an instant death." The king says as he aims the staff at the tree and bends it backward with a gravity beam. "Just hold tight while this tree falls on top of you like an insect under a shoe." Douglas watches as the king steps back behind the tree. "But first, let's make this tree a little bigger!" He states.
*Now's my chance!* Douglas thinks as he stares at the area right in front of Lucifer's eyes. Just as Lucifer casts the beam at the tree, Douglas teleports directly in front of the beam and a light explosion goes off in front of the king's face.
"AH! MY EYES!" Lucifer shouts as he drops the staff. However, Douglas had stood in front of the beam just long enough to regain his original size. He swiftly pushes a pumpkin his direction and it hits his right leg. "Ouch! Whoa!" He tumbles forward and his face hits the floor. "AH!" He reacts painfully.
"You're mine now!" Douglas exclaims victoriously as he grabs the apple staff. Lucifer gets up and rolls over to face him. He flinches and gasps once his vision returns.
"Wait, let's talk about this!" He pleads. Only for Douglas to cast the shrink ray at him. "NNOOooo!" Lucifer screams as his body shrinks to an insect-sized level. Douglas sets a pumpkin on the ground and grabs him.
"How does it feel to shrink?" He asks the king, now only two inches from his eyes.
"I will admit it's a lot more preferable to be normal size!" He says with a forced nervous smile on his face. Douglas stabs the top of the pumpkin with Lucifer's staff and pries the stem off. He then drops the small ruler inside the pumpkin and puts the stem back over the top. "Hey! Let me out of here, please!" Lucifer calls out desperately.
"Yes, your highness." The holy soldier replies as he aims the apple staff at the orange plant. The king gasps as he hears an energy beam being casted to generate at the tip.
"Wait, DON'T DECI-" The beam hits the pumpkin and the entire thing explodes. "MAAAAAAATE!" Lucifer shouts as his body is launched to the end of the hall. "OW!" He screams loudly once his back crashes against the wall. Douglas casts a growth beam at him before he lands, giving him back his size, and causing him to bounce off a table with a few carefully placed apples, leading them to scatter and fall on the floor and him hitting the floor with them. Douglas steps forward and pulls an apple out of his own pocket. Lucifer weakly looks up from the floor.
"Just so you know, this would've never happened if you just stayed in Heaven." Lucifer's heart stops after hearing this, but before he can move, Douglas lightly tosses the apple forward and it lands on his head.
"Oag." The king falls unconsciously on the floor as the apple rolls beside him. The young warrior summons another pumpkin.
"Checkmate." He says quietly as he pulls the pumpkin over his shoulder and prepares to swing, but suddenly a very sharp hot pain sears into his shoulder. "AH!" He screams and drops the pumpkin on the floor. Using his right hand, he attempts to aid his injury, but feels something smooth and cold.
"SSSSS!" It was Eden, burying her teeth into his shoulder.
"EDEN?!" Douglas exclaims as he grabs her by the neck and tries to pull her fangs out of his skin. He winces loudly as she bites harder while he pulls her out. "What the hell?!" He asks firmly as the serpent gives him a sharp glare.
"Nice try you immature little boy." A deeper feminine voice says. Douglas turns the direction, and as predicted, he spots Lilith.
"What are you doing here?" He asks in an annoyed tone. Lilith points at Lucifer.
"Do you really expect me to just let you kill my husband?" She asks as she points to the table with only one apple left on it. "I heard a loud noise, and I didn't naturally assume it to be my husband hitting the wall." The holy soldier glares and wads Eden up. She makes a couple attempts to bite him, but misses his hands.
"Well at least keep your goddamn snake to yourself!" He exclaims furiously as he chucks the serpent back at the tall lady. Lilith gasps as the snake hits her in the stomach. She quickly catches the small creature and she shivers in her arms. She then shoots an intimidating glare at the young boy.
"You insolent brat!" She forcefully exclaims in a voice louder than Douglas was used to from her. "You have a lot of nerve abusing a small defenseless animal!"
"Defenseless or not, she bit me. Therefore, I have every right to chop her head off if I feel like it." He then points at the dark queen. "And I'll do the exact same to you if you dare attack me again!" He says with newfound strength, no longer fearing her. Lilith inhales deeply and sighs lengthily.
"It appears this was an inevitable fate." She says as she holds her fist out, causing her purple-painted fingernails to sparkle. "Say goodbye to God." She says darkly. Before Douglas can move, a dark purple liquid is cast out of her hand and squirts him in the face. He immediately teleports after it touches him, appearing behind her.
"That didn't even hurt." He replies. Lilith smirks.
"It will soon. You've been poisoned." She states, causing him to flinch. "You'll be dead in about five minutes." Douglas grabs his last flask of holy water.
"Not if I drink this!" He says as he starts to pull on the cork. Lilith quickly punches the air, allowing Eden to slither up.
"Eden! Don't let him drink that!" She orders as the serpent leaps off of her arm and onto his. She quickly wraps and constricts his left arm firmly, causing him to lose his grip on the bottle.
"Gah!" He grunts as the bottle rolls over to Lilith. "GET OFF!" He shouts as he slams the snake against the wall. Eden yelps softly as certain parts of her body feel the impact.
"I've got it now," Lilith says as she steps closer to the apple tree and holds the flask out. Douglas's glare returns.
"Give me back my holy water." He asserts in a calm aggressive tone. Lilith holds the water a little higher, close to the leaves on the tree.
"Come jump for it." She dares. Douglas swiftly pulls out his Glock and fires a bullet directly at the bottle of holy water. Lilith gasps loudly as it explodes in her hand. Douglas then teleports and opens his mouth, allowing a few of the sacred drops to enter his body while a few other droplets land on the branches of the tree.
"Ah, refreshing," Douglas says as Lilith sneers quietly at him. "And now!" He teleports back to Eden, who failed to teleport with him. She's still in her constricting pose, and with little effort, Douglas binds her body in a small knot.
"SSSS!" Eden hisses fearfully as she struggles to move an inch of her body without feeling soreness.
"You disrespectful bastard!" Lilith yells as her palms start to radiate purple aura. "TAKE THIS!" She exclaims as she casts another poisonous spell at him. But this time he teleports before it can get to him.
"Nice try!" He shouts as he hits her back with a pumpkin.
"Oh!" Lilith reflexively takes a step forward upon impact. She then swings her hand forward in a slashing manner, causing her venomous nails to draw blood from the back of Douglas's neck.
"AH!" He quickly teleports behind the tree and aids his neck, wincing once he touches the wound. "This calls for some holy water." He says as he gently sighs and begins to meditate in place. Lilith steps up in front of him.
"What are you playing at now?" She asks. Suddenly a large cloud appears above them and it begins to rain. "What is this monstrosity?! Rain inside the theater?!" She asks in disgust. The young warrior is silent for a moment, but then opens his mouth once some water droplets have entered his neck wound.
"Purification Lilith. Sheer purification." He says quietly. The queen looks up as the water splashes her on the face.
"This... is oddly refreshing." She admits as the droplets continue to soak her dress. Douglas begins to smile, keeping his eyes closed.
"Indeed your majesty. This water is the elixir of life." He says as he teleports over to Eden and softly unties her. The serpent gives him a confused look, but then hisses softly, showing appreciation for being untied. He then walks back over and sets her in Lilith's arms.
"You're... being kind?" The tall woman asks with surprise in her eyes and tone. Douglas nods peacefully.
"Of course I am. The feeling of this rain has only brought us both comfort, and in comfort, we have no need to commence violent acts upon one another anymore." He states as he points at the tree. "Just look at how beautiful nature is." Lilith faces the tree as beautiful pink and white flowers begin to bloom on it.
"Wow..." The queen says softly in awe. "It... really is beautiful." She says as she begins to smile. The holy soldier nods peacefully and steps closer to her.
"You see Lilith, though you and I represent different sides of the afterlife, what makes me proud to represent Heaven is the ability to show mercy at times that call for it." He then holds out his hand. "Now let's call a truce. Then I can heal your husband and we both live on." Lilith couldn't believe this offer. Someone who was just trying to kill her husband is now being civil? She has a tough time believing it, but she smiles sweetly at the young boy.
"You charming soul," She states happily. "I accept- huh?" Just as he holds her hand out to shake his, she notices her nail polish is completely washed off. "Wait, what happened to my purple nails?" She asks as her smile disappears.
"SSSS!" Eden hisses at Douglas.
"Don't worry Lilith, I haven't hurt you." He says peacefully. "I've merely been purifying your soul with my holy water." He says softly. Lilith points her hand to the wall and tries to cast her purple poison, but nothing leaves her palms.
"I knew it!" She asserts firmly as she scratches Douglas painfully across the chest, cutting off his zen state a causing the raincloud to vanish.
"Ow!" He reacts as he looks back up at the intimidating woman as she glares harshly. "What's the matter?" He asks prayerfully.
"Your retched rain spell has been weakening my poisonous powers!" She says in frustration. The young warrior jumps onto his feet and holds out his hands defensively.
"Please calm down Lilith!" He says in a desperate tone. "I was only trying to purify your sins, you don't need toxic spells anymore!" He states in a panicked tone. The queen lowers her tone.
"My sins have given me the strength I have, and I will never give them up." She then puts her hands together and casts a mystical bluish gas out of her hands. Douglas steps back.
"Not another poisonous fog!" He exclaims as the mist begins to surround him. He inhales deeply and feels his lungs start to shrivel.
"This gas is anti-oxygen. You will now die a slow and painful death after you release your current breath as your suffering lungs will no longer work after inhaling too much of this." She threatens. Douglas backs up and bumps the tree trunk.
"Hm?" He turns around and his eyes widen. He grips onto the trunk and climbs to the top of the tree.
"What do you think you're doing?" She asks as she hears him finally breathe out.
"I'm breathing of course." He states, causing Lilith to flinch.
"What?! How?!" She asks in a demanding tone. Douglas leans in and smells a flower.
"This tree is full of plants, and plants are what create oxygen for our planet." He answers. Lilith turns around and walks over to her unconscious husband.
"Fine then, we'll do this the hard way." She says as she reaches into Lucifer's pocket and grabs one of his torches. She accidentally bumps the table, and the final apple rolls off the edge. It then rolls on the floor until it softly bumps Lucifer one the forehead.
"What do you mean by 'hard way?'" Douglas asks as smoke begins to form. His eyes widen as the queen holds the lit torch down at the base of the tree.
"I'll have to burn the tree down!" She calls up to him.
"Oh no," Douglas mumbles as the trunk begins to catch fire. "Not if I put the flame out!" He says as he enters lotus position. But upon inhaling deeply, he reflexively coughs as smoke enters his nostrils.
"Good luck meditating with smoke around you," Lilith says darkly. She then turns toward Eden. "Let's watch him die together, sweetie." She says evilly as her pet hisses with a dark look in her eyes.
*Is this it?* Douglas wonders to himself as he clings onto the last breath of fresh air he can consume. *I never thought I'd burn until cremation after I die. I wanted to let the scent of burnt incense fill the room, not pure smoke* ...
"Any second now, he'll fall out of the tree unconsciously and we'll watch his body burn on the floor," Lilith says somewhat impatiently. She hears him move around a little, but she doesn't see him fall. "His breath time is impressive, but he has to exhale sometime." She says while Eden hisses. "WHOA!" Suddenly a burning pumpkin falls out of the tree and splats hard against her chest. Her body instantly loses its balance and she crashes to the floor on her rear. Eden leaps off of her and slithers away swiftly. Suddenly the tall queen begins coughing uncontrollably as a strong scented smoke surrounds her. Douglas swiftly jumps down from the tree and casts around the room with his hands, purifying all the air.
"And that's how you clear the air." He says rather egotistically. "You enjoying the smell of that fresh incense I made from burning flowers?" He asks with a savage smirk on his face. Lilith continues to cough until her makeup begins to run from warm tears the mist is causing her to release.
"In- *cough* cense?" The queen asks with a worried look. Douglas steps forward and grabs her by the neck, gently leaning her on her back. She finally stops coughing, but she feels very weak, and has no strength to counter him.
"Now you understand why global warming is bad, right?" He asks.
"Y-yeah." She chokes up. "Un-huh." The holy soldier frowns.
"And you also see why poison doesn't feel good. That incense had an effect on your lungs equivalent to your gas spell's effect on mine."
"Affirmative." She says quietly. Douglas sighs and pulls out his Glock, causing Lilith's heart to leap. "Whoa! You're not gonna shoot me, are you?!" She asks frightened.
"I really wish I didn't have to, but I have no choice." He says as he aims the gun at her forehead. "I tried to be peaceful when I let holy water rain, and you decided not to accept mercy when it was offered to you." He then holds the tip of the pistol right to her forehead. "Now say goodbye to your kingdom."
"Mm, MM!" Lilith holds her eyes closed and hums in a stammered tone, feeling too intimidated to speak. Just before Douglas pulls the trigger, the gun is dropped beside her and the young warrior is propelled all the way against the wall. "Huh?" Lilith sits back up and flinches once the crash is heard.
"OW!" Douglas yells in pain upon hitting the wall. Both his and Lilith's eyes shoot to the other side of the room.
"Nobody chokes my wife, except me." It was Lucifer, back on his feet looking fully refreshed. Lilith's wicked smile comes back to her face as he tosses an apple her direction. "Eat up Lil, we're gonna need nutrition for this battle."
"Thank you Apple Pie." She comments as she takes a bite of the sweet fruit. The king smirks and steps closer to the holy boy with a shiny apple in his hand.
"Would you like one to Douglas?" He asks with an evil look on his face. Douglas stares at the bright and shiny fruit, only recognizing where it's from.
"Never! I'm not eating an apple that will kill me!" He establishes.
"Well, it was worth a shot." Lucifer remarks as he slides the fruit into his pocket. Lilith stands up and approaches her husband. They both give each other a cute smile and then face the young soldier again. "Do you now see why Lily and I rule Hell?" He asks, casting a gravity beam onto Douglas to keep him from teleporting.
"It's because Lucifer and I love each other and won't let a single soul tear our soulmate down." She adds, casting another acidic spell at him. He grunts as the stinging mist burns his skin. But he continues to step off the table, causing Lucifer to light a match.
"Not so fast!" He puts his hands together and another fire environment surrounds him. Nothing catches fire, but the atmosphere feels above 100 degrees. "Did you really think you could just come in and defeat the strongest overlords in Hell?" Lucifer asks. Douglas backs up against the wall, sweating uncontrollably.
"Bad move son, bad move." The tall queen comments as something slides onto Douglas's arm. It was Eden, who swiftly wraps around his body and holds him in place.
"And now you will suffer the fate God has chosen for you. Death right here in front of the king and queen of Hell." Lucifer says before his mocking smile vanishes. "And to think you could've just joined our kingdom instead. You seemed like a good son." He adds as Eden bites Douglas's neck right where he was wounded.
"Ah." The young warrior lets out weakly. He feels his soul about to drift away.
"But look on the bright side, now you can see your family again," Lilith says before making a mock frown. "Though it's a shame you failed God, isn't it?" That sentence pierces Douglas's heart. Was this something he was lead to? Was Alastor trying to lead him to his death by suggesting he come here? The only thing he could ask is why. Why is this his sudden bitter fate? Why was he here to begin with? Why didn't Judge Tytus come to kill Lilith and Lucifer himself? And most importantly, why has God abandoned him?
*No!* He thinks to himself as he continues to sweat. *Who am I to say God has left me? He's been there for me for the past eight years without my parents, and now he's gonna extend his hand to a failure who never did anything good with his life.* He thinks as he slowly opens his eyes, his vision is getting blurry with Eden sucking his blood, but even so... he doesn't feel weaker. Perhaps the holy water in his bloodstream is countering Eden's venomous fangs... or are they not venomous? The holy water in his blood must be why Lilith's cut didn't kill him. But now Eden's fangs don't work either. *Wait a minute!* He thinks to himself as he slams his back against the wall, enduring the serpent's sharp teeth as her head is smacked against the wall.
"Do you think he's had enough now?" Lilith asks. "Maybe you should turn the heatwave off." Lucifer nods.
"Good ide- Whoa! OUCH!" A pumpkin flies out of the heatwave and hits the king firmly on the chest and knocks him over. "Ah!" He exclaims as he crashes onto the floor. Lilith gasps and then growls.
"HEY! Huh?" She turns back to the end of the room, but Douglas isn't there. "Where'd he-"
"Right here!" Douglas shouts loudly as he shoves the unconscious snake's razor-sharp fangs into the tall woman's neck.
"AAAAHHHHH!" Lilith screams at the top of her lungs and falls to her knees, followed by her arms on the floor. Lucifer rolls toward her and gasps.
"Eden, why are you biting Lilith?!" He asks in a highly concerned tone. Lilith tries to pull the fangs out, but even the slightest touch hurts her neck even more.
"Get her off! PLEASE!" She screams in agony. Lucifer tries to reach out and grab Eden's tail, but the holy soldier teleports in front of him.
"I don't think so!" He says as he kicks Lucifer in the face.
"OW!" He yelps as he tumbles over on his back. Lilith continues to lay where she is and tries not to move as Eden's purified fangs remain in place under her skin.
"You're not going to help your wife. After you've both backstabbed me, I won't allow you to!" He says darkly as he knees Lucifer in the face as he tries to stand up.
"OW! Right in the same spot!" He pouts as Douglas grabs his apple staff out of his hand. "Hey! That's mine!" He says with both anger and desperation in his voice. Douglas stares at the staff for a moment before tossing it behind him.
"As if I need your cheap toy to win a fight." He says as he grabs another pumpkin. "I've got my pumpkins for that!" He says as he swings the plump item upward, hitting Lucifer in the chin.
"Mm!" He steps back and missteps, causing him to land on the floor. He then looks up at Douglas with an evil grin as blood drips from his gums. "You're very powerful. But my apples are what keep me going no matter what." He says as he pulls that shiny apple out of his pocket. "You may have used one lucky apple to knock me out a while ago, but no matter how much damage I take, these fruits keep me strong." He says as he takes a big bite of the bright fruit. Douglas's smile returns.
"I see. Care you describe the flavor for me?" He asks. Lucifer hums a couple of times as he chews another bite.
"Mm, this is delectable! Thank you for asking!" He says as he gets back on his feet. "You know, I haven't eaten an apple this sweet in ages." Douglas folds his arms and raises an eyebrow.
"Ages? How long specifically?" He asks curiously before smirking darkly. "Maybe... since you were last in Heaven?" Lucifer nods.
"Come to think of it, it does taste- Huh?!" His eyes widen as he stares at the fruit. "You don't mean..." The young warrior smirks and nods.
"Yup, that apple was from the Garden of Eden." Lucifer drops the apple on accident as his hands go numb. "To be more specific, that's from the fruit tree God specifically told Adam and Eve not to eat from." Lucifer begins to sweat uncontrollably. "And it was promised that all who eat this private fruit shall be punished, and this is why I abstained eating it before." Douglas finishes.
"No..." Lucifer just stands there fearfully. "Impossible! HOW?!" He screams loudly, very desperate for an answer.
"I was at the Garden of Eden yesterday. This very same apple almost killed Charlie, but I snatched it from her before she could eat it." He says in an educational tone. "I then kept the apple, knowing it could come in handy later, and now look where it got me." Lucifer just stares, almost unable to produce any words.
"But... you said..." He starts to say.
"I refused to eat the apple a while ago when you offered it to me because I knew it was dangerous." He states before holding his index finger out. "However, why the apple was dangerous is something I chose to stay silent about. It looks like that worked out well." He then makes a taunting smirk. "For one of us."
"Oh." Lucifer falls to his knees and nearly tumbles onto his back, but Douglas grabs him and tosses him next to Lilith.
"Lucifer?" The queen asks weakly. "Why?" She asks helplessly. A tear rolls down the king's eye.
"This is all my fault." He responds weakly. Tears continue to stream down Lilith's face.
"This hurts... so much." She says weakly. She winces and yelps suddenly as Douglas finally retracts Eden's teeth from her neck. Both Lucifer and Lilith give each other a sad look before they turn their heads to Douglas, standing tall and strong in front of them. Douglas sets the serpent between them and then speaks up.
"It would seem every fight, I come closer and closer to death. But unlike you, you guys can't really hurt me. I've been an orphan for half of my life, and I have nobody I really have to worry about protecting." He states as he points both index fingers at them. "But you guys did, and that was your weakness."
"It was?" Lilith asks in a weak tone. Douglas nods.
"Yep. Though you both have incredible power, the need to defend your lover left you both vulnerable." He states as he points to Lilith. "If you hadn't thrown your snake at me, I would've never been able to purify her teeth with holy water." He pauses and closes his eyes. "I have holy water in my bloodstream as a result of Rosie using a bramble spell on me." Lilith gasps.
"Wait! Did you?..." The holy soldier nods.
"You got it. I am the one who killed Rosie and Velvet." He clarifies as he turns to Lucifer. "As for you, your love for apples was your downfall. And as I said before, if you'd never betrayed God, that apple wouldn't have done anything to you." He then gives him a sharp frown. "You have nobody to blame but yourself for where you're at now." Lucifer sheds a tear.
"But... I thought you were different." He says weakly. "I saw so much uniqueness in you the moment I met you, and I honestly thought you and I would become good friends." He states as Douglas rolls his eyes.
"Then maybe you shouldn't have tried to poison me with that cyanide juice."
"But I- AH!" Lucifer's sentence is cut off as Douglas shatters a pumpkin on the floor right next to his head.
"I really wish I could believe you. But the moment someone directly tells me to betray God, is the moment I lose every ounce of respect I otherwise had for them." Lucifer whimpers as Douglas pulls another pumpkin out. "All in all, God has abandoned you, and it doesn't look like Satanism was able to save you either." He steps closer. "Now, any last words?"
Author's Note: And the chapter is over. I hope you guys enjoyed this one, because it was by far the most difficult one to write. I knew Lilith and Lucifer would be tough, so it took a LOT of brainstorming to perfect their defeat the best I could. I hope it was worth it, and I hope you paid attention to some small details, because chances are they'll be referenced in future chapters.
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you'll continue to read this story once more chapters come out!
Deceased:
None