Heaven, a place of order and peace, a realm so beautiful and inspiring most refer to it as paradise. But it is not simply due to the unbelievable sights and wonders that exist within its space, for would it even be considered Heaven if there were no angels? Commonly believed to be humans wearing robes and garments while white feathered wings spread out from their backs, the truth is angels much like humans come in many different varieties. This is due to the fact that beyond governing Heaven the angels also manage the circles of Hell, for with there being so many unfortunate souls who fall to corruption, there must be just as many dark realms to accompany them.
Yet what should happen if a dark realm governed by a particular breed of angel falls? Until recently such a question should it ever be posed would be scoffed at, for the idea of a dark ream suddenly falling in any way, shape, or form sounded ridiculous. But then HE appeared, though at first a mortal man simply scorned by the unholy flames of Doom he soon became what most saw to be a god, though this of course was not obtained without divine intervention. For it was one of the angels who governed Doom, a Seraphim to be precise, who had first seen his merciless onslaught. And whether it was out of intrigue or perhaps a simple desire to aid him, the Seraphim along with his superior the Khan Maykr, would give him divine power that most would trade their eternal souls for.
Suddenly what was once a normal mortal became something no one had ever seen, with speed unrivaled and ferocity unmatched he would go on to be entitled "The Doom Slayer". And while most were astonished and even elated to see him slaughter the denizens of the darkest realm, including the very angels responsible for overseeing it, there were also just as many who were wary of it. For while the Maykrs had not broken any rules or laws in aiding the Slayer, as bestowing divine blessings to the worthy was a fairly common practice, never had any mortal been transformed like this. Then the day came when the last of Doom's dark lords fell to the cursed soil, and for the first time that any holy figure could remember, all of Heaven fell silent.
But it was not due to countless bodies and pools of blood amassed by the carnage, it was the Slayer himself who brought them all pause. No longer could he be called mortal, barely even a person, whether it was due to the violence he enacted or perhaps the blessing itself, he by all accounts had become a beast. This alone was enough to unsettle most of Heaven's inhabitants, but when they discovered he sought to destroy ALL of Hell is when a call for action was made. Yet due to the very laws and rules they swore to uphold, as well as many of them fearing his wrath should they anger him, they could not directly intervene and bring his crusade to an end.
In times such as these where something must be done while staying within Heaven's order, a meeting in which all angels is held to discuss the matter. Though in light of the peculiar nature of this situation, one could argue that this meeting was more a trial than an equal discussion.
"IT'S THE MAYKRS FAULT!" "THEY CREATED HIM!" "THEY'RE TO BLAME FOR THIS
MONSTER!" Were but a few of the shouts that could be discerned from those that were panicked.
"It seems as though our plan has caused an uproar." The Seraphim whispered to his superior who kept a calm and composed expression, despite the insanity that surrounded them.
"HOW DARE YOU INSULT THEM!" "WITHOUT THE SLAYER WHO KNOWS WHAT DOOM MIGHT'VE DONE?!" "IT WAS THE WORST OF THE CIRCLES! IT'S A GIFT THAT
IT'S GONE!" Were some of the shouts that supported them.
"Yes, but we expected this." The Khan Maykr whispered back to him as a small smile crept onto her face, "We knew we would cause a disturbance by blessing him, there is no reason to be worried." She assured.
The shouting between both sides of the issue went on for several more minutes, before finally the loud booming sound of a gavel hitting its mark silenced them. Looking slowly to the stand that towered over the room, all eyes fell onto the radiant visage of an archangel. Now Archangels in the hierarchy of Heaven were not necessarily the highest position, less of course they had served in Heaven's army for a great deal of time. This was the case for this particular angel, known by all as Gabriel he was created for the sole purpose of carrying out justice, which was perfect for times such as this.
"That is enough." Gabriel spoke, though gentle in tone his voice was still powerful and commanding, "We have all gathered here to discuss the recent demise of Doom, and the nature of the one responsible for achieving this feat, any who cannot speak in a civil manner will leave now as no further disruptions will be tolerated." He instructed.
Waiting a few seconds to ensure they all understood, he then moved his gaze to the two Maykrs.
"Khan Maykr, please come forward." He beckoned.
Doing so in silence, the tall and honestly intimidating leader of the Maykr angels floated towards him slowly.
"Now, I shall ask this only once of you, so I expect nothing less than the truth." He told her. "Of course, great angel." She replied while nodding her head as she did.
"The mortal in question, though now recognized as a god by both Heaven and the remaining circles of Hell, was given a blessing by you and your Seraphim Samur, what exactly was this blessing?" He asked.
"He sought to kill all of Doom's denizens, from the lowly imps and soulless husks that shambled across the umbral plains, to the mighty titans and lords who towered over all, it would have been irresponsible of us to give him anything less than our own power." She explained.
"You gave him the powers of an angel?" He questioned as many who watched on felt their eyes widen in shock.
"Not necessarily, as you are all well aware we are in direct contact with a race of mortal beings known as the Sentinels, and in our interactions with them a machine created by both Maykr hand and theirs was made, this machine was designed to seek out and remove all impurities within the Sentinels' bodies and souls, we simply re-purposed it in order to bless the Slayer." She clarified.
"Go on." He urged wanting to know more.
"In order to purge any corruption found within the Sentinels the machine, while using holy energy, does not imbue its participants with any powers, however the Slayer's soul was already impervious to corruption, by simply placing him within the machine and exposing him to this energy, it increased his natural capabilities tenfold." She explained.
"Khan Maykr, are you implying that this once mortal human, before coming into contact with your angels and this machine, already possessed a soul that is similar to our own?" He
asked.
"That is exactly what I am saying great angel, while we did in a sense bless him with divine power, his soul was already as pure as one born of Heaven's own light, and as such what we did only empowered him, it did not transform him as it would have any other mortal." She revealed.
Upon hearing this every angel beyond the Khan Maykr and Samur began whispering to each other, as a mortal possessing a soul as pure as an angel's by default was unheard of. Even Gabriel, who was one of the oldest of Heaven's kind was caught off guard by such information, yet try as he might he could see no signs of deception present in her face or her words.
"Very well, this meeting is adjourned for now, another shall be held once a proper investigation is conducted into this, Slayer." He said bringing it to an official end with another swing of his gavel.
With the meeting concluded all of the angels present rose from their seats and began leaving, each and every one continuing to talk about what was just learned. As for the Khan Maykr and Samur they too took their leave, though they waited until most of the other angels had done the same so they could speak freely.
"You seem surprised Samur." She noted as she looked down to him, somehow able to see this despite his hood.
"I did not think you would reveal the nature of his soul so soon is all." He responded.
"Oh? It's not as if it matters when or how they learned about that, it would have been discovered eventually." She reasoned.
"True, still I believe it would be best if we kept some secrets for now, we would not want to show our hand completely correct?" He asked.
"Indeed, though all I said to the great angel was true, I anticipate by the next meeting more questions will be asked, we need to make sure we have all our answers prepared before then." She stated.
"What of the Slayer? Should I speak with him again?" He asked. "Do you believe there is a need for that?" She asked in return.
"No, despite his focus and determination, I do believe we can trust he won't reduce Lucifer's Hell to nothing as he did Doom, so long as no one is foolish enough to anger him." He answered.
"Someone in Lucifer's Hell angering him? Perish the thought." She replied somewhat sarcastically.
Roaring fires...burning flesh...the smell of blood mixed with gun powder...most people would be driven insane by such things...but for him...it only fueled his resolve. So many faces...so many screams...the dead all around him...along with those demons...never ending...always more. Step by step...bullet by bullet...bone by bone...he would march against the hordes...no matter how long...no matter what cost...he would stop them. The portal...that's the only way...the only way to stop them...but it can't be closed here...so Hell is where he must go...and where...he must stay.
Rip and tear...until it is done...
"Are you alright?" Vega asked as the Slayer had been motionless for quite some time.
The ten minutes in which he had told Lucifer and the others they would be gone was nearly up, yet just as the Slayer had begun to head back towards the lobby, slowly his footsteps lessened until he came to a complete stop. At first Vega simply assumed he was taking another look at the hotel around him, but as a full minute passed by and he just stood there still as a stone, it was clear something was wrong. Sadly there was no real way for him to know what it was, as due to his partner's constant silence he had to determine what the other was thinking solely on his emotions and occasional grunts.
But in this moment there was nothing to go off of, all the Slayer did was remain motionless with his eyes closed, breathing slowly as if focusing on something. Then that's when it hit him, and for the first time in his artificial life Vega felt like a fool, as it was so obvious as to why his companion was acting like this.
"...It reminds you of before doesn't it?" He asked, to which almost instinctively the Slayer clenched his fists, "It must be difficult seeing demons, regardless of how different they are from those of Doom, living and thriving within a world very similar to your own." He reasoned.
Noticing that his heart rate was beginning to climb in reaction to his words, Vega for a moment feared he may have gone too far in pressing the issue. Yet as a few more seconds passed it slowly went down, along with the Slayer slowly opening his fists.
"I apologize, I did not mean to agitate old wounds." Vega apologized swiftly once the tension of the moment had passed.
Managing to earn a light grunt in response which in his way meant it was fine, the Slayer now over his trip down memory lane continued towards the lobby.
"And that's it." Lucifer concluded, opening his eyes once he was finished.
Over the last ten minutes Lucifer had talked non stop, only taking pauses and breaks when he needed to breathe. Because of this, even in the window of ten minutes he was able to say all that he needed to, which while liberating to him was devastating for his daughter and her girlfriend. Even though she was the princess of Hell Charlie knew just as much about the other circles that existed as Vagatha did. So when her father, the king of the Hell she knew to be home, began describing and recounting the history of another that seemed closer to that of a nightmare made real, her normally bright and warm face slowly resembled that of a corpse.
So many different emotions were swirling around inside both her and Vagatha, though certain ones like fear, disgust, and bewilderment were the most prominent. Yet among all the countless thoughts and feelings that raged on within them, there was one person who stood at the center of it all. To make matters worse neither of them knew how they felt about him now, as they were still terrified beyond belief by what they had seen earlier. But as Lucifer recounted what he called the "Slayer's Testaments", as well as his limited knowledge of the Slayer's past, there was now a version of him that neither could deny.
The Slayer, despite all his rage, power, and intimidating presence, was at his core a victim of the most vile circle in Hell's history.
"Are you two alright?" He asked as both of them kept silent with vacant expressions on their faces. "How...could that happen?..." Charlie questioned as she looked to him.
"I'm not sure I understand..." He began to respond, but was interrupted by his daughter in an
explosion of emotion.
"HOW COULD SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPEN?!" She shouted loudly while shutting her eyes as tightly as she could, "HOW COULD SOMETHING SO HORRIBLE BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN?! HOW COULD A PLACE LIKE THAT BE ALLOWED TO EXIST?! AND WHY TO
HIM?!" She demanded to know.
Though it might seem strange Lucifer was not surprised by his daughter's sudden concern and compassion for the Slayer, as despite being the princess of Hell Charlie was by far one of the most kind hearted souls he'd ever seen. Sadly this only made it harder for him to tell her the truth, for as he looked to her pleading expression begging for some kind of explanation, all he could do was be honest with her.
"I know you want some kind of answer sweetie, something to make sense of it all, but the reality is everything that happened that made him the monster he is, was entirely by chance." He told her.
"N-No! Th-There has to be a reason!" She insisted as tears began forming in her eyes, "There just...has to be a reason..." She whimpered out.
Seeing his daughter in such distress made his heart twist and tighten, as every fatherly instinct within him wanted to make her feel better. But there was no way he could do that, she and her girlfriend wanted the truth and every single word that had left his lips was exactly that, now all they could do was accept it. Yet before he could think of something to say or do to maybe comfort her in some way, he would feel a sudden warm feeling on the side of his neck. The cause of this new sensation was blood, HIS blood, for while he had been entirely focused on his daughter Vagatha had apparently summoned her spear again, before then stabbing it forward near his head.
"V-Vaggie?!" Charlie questioned as both she and Lucifer now looked at her, noticing the look of pure hatred present on her face.
"How could you do nothing?" She asked him through gritted teeth, her hands gripping her spear so tightly they threatened to break it, "You and however many shit eating devils there are KNEW about this place and what they were doing, about what they did to him! Yet you just stood by and did nothing to stop it?!" She questioned.
"What could I or any of the other devils have possibly done?" He asked her in response, remaining surprisingly calm despite having been nearly stabbed by a spear.
"Anything would have been better than nothing..." She replied with a growl as she leaned in so their faces could be closer, "But because you all just stood by and did jack shit, we are now forced to deal with a man who can single handedly kill us all one by one..." She said.
Even though Lucifer wanted nothing more than to put her in her place by saying something witty or sarcastic, deep down he knew that she was right. But before either of them could say another word, or before Charlie could try and diffuse the situation, the sound of approaching heavy footsteps
from within the hotel brought this whole ordeal to a close.
"What do you know, saved by the Slayer." She told him coldly, as she pulled her spear out from the couch and turned away from him.
Unable to keep a growl of his own from escaping his throat at that remark he still let it slide, choosing to stand while his daughter wiped the tears from her eyes. After a few seconds more they soon all saw the topic of their discussion, as he turned a corner in a nearby hallway.
"Are we interrupting something?" The voice of Vega asked, both he and the Slayer immediately noticing Vagatha's spear and the small cut on Lucifer's neck.
"Yes, but it's a good thing that you did." Charlie answered as a small smile came to her face.
Although a bit suspicious of what had transpired while they were away, they decided to let the matter rest and focus on the reason of why they all were here.
"I see, well then, shall we proceed with the matter at hand?" Vega suggested. "Which is?" Vagatha questioned.
"The opening of the hotel." He clarified before turning his attention to Lucifer, "I assume that is why you came here correct?" He asked.
"Indeed, I plan to make an announcement to the people, where I will not only give my support for the hotel but will also state that it would be in EVERYONE'S best interest to come and give it a try, once it is ready of course." He answered.
"How long until this announcement takes place?" Vega asked.
"My wife is currently reaching out to all news outlets and media platforms to get as much coverage as possible, I should actually check in with her and see how that's going, would that be alright?" He asked.
"Of course, by all means." Vega replied.
Nodding to show his appreciation Lucifer turned around and headed outside so he could call Lilith, leaving Charlie and Vagatha alone to keep the Slayer company.