The devil's twin brother


Chloe glanced at Lucifer and Azrael. They look as confused as she felt herself, so she asked: "What exhibition? What does it has to do with Michael?"

"There is, or there was an exhibition." Olivia said.

"And walking down Ocean Park Boulevard he was heading there," Ella interrupted.

"Thirty-one statutes of Saint Michael," Olivia continued. "Could it be he hides between those?"

"Where exactly?" Azrael asked.

Ella used google and pointed at the map.

Azrael had already folded her hands. "Are you sure about the thirty-one?"

"Yes," Ella said.

"Definitely," Olivia said at the same time.

"Father senses thirty-two statues," Azreal said.

"But not his soul," a voice behind them said. "Although… There is something."

They turned and faced Lucifer's dad, again with the grey wooden cardigan, the buzz cut and the sandals.

"Father?" Azrael said.

"God," Ella whispered.

God smiled to both, then laid his fingers on Olivia's cheek. "Thanks for helping us, lieutenant." Looking around he added: "We shall take a look."


The next moment Chloe found herself standing in a large space, she staggered for a moment and it took another moment before she could see sharp again. They were in a kind of conference room for a large audience. Around the walls were statues: wooden, marble, bronze, limestone, with each time roughly ten yards between two statues. Olivia, Ella, Azreal, Lucifer and his dad were standing around her and also looking at the ring of sculptures.

"Thirty-one statues of my son Michael," God mused. Then pointing at a motionless body that looked as Lucifer with cheap clothes. "And the real one."

"But no soul," Azrael said. Lucifer nodded and God frowned while he walked to Michael.

"What, no soul?" Chloe whispered.

"Ray-Ray and I are not as sensitive as dad, detective. But we should be able to sense any angel's soul when this close."

"There is something," Azrael said.

"Yes," God answered. He laid his hands on Michael's head. "But not in… Wait. How did he figure this out?"

"How did who figure what out?" Lucifer asked.

"His soul is… can be in all thirty-two. It is spread. This is the reason I overlooked him when searching mentally from heaven."

"Michael divided his soul in thirty-two pieces?" Lucifer asked.

"No, you can't split a soul." God looked at his son with a small smile. "Ah. Didn't you watch the Half Blood Prince with Trixie last week?"

"We did."

God shook his head. "Forget you can split a soul. No. But his soul can be in all thirty-two and it is not decided in which."

"A Quantum Mechanical superposition?" Ella murmured.

"Exactly. If I look at one…" God touch one sculpture. "No, his soul is elsewhere. But when I step back, it is just uncertain again."

Chloe shrugged. "I have no idea what that means, but if we destroy the thirty-one statues, wouldn't that force his soul back in his own body?"

God glanced at her in surprise. "Yes, of course." He pointed at the statue opposite of Michal's real body and with a popping sound it turned in a cloud of dust that slowly sank to the ground. He spread his arms, gesturing along the ring of statues and within ten seconds all thirty-one were just dust on floor. They all looked at the real angel.

Micheal's face came alive, his eyes blinked. He opened and closed his mouth and stepped back, only to bump into the wall. "Father… what a pleasant surprise." His squeaky voice showed that 'pleasant' was not what he felt.

"Why do you hide for me?"

"I don't…"

The room went dark, apart from light that came from God's eyes. Golden light, brighter that the red light that could come from Lucifer's eyes. Michael dropped on his knees . "I didn't do it. Father, it was only… I would never…"

"What was your plan?"

"With the sword I had to slice through the fabric of space and time so Dahhak could enter this creation."

"Dahhak?" God stepped back and took a deep breath. He turned and looked at Azrael and Lucifer. "It is better to hear this story while all my children can listen to it. Let me first bring Michael to a save place."

A flash of light and both God and Michael were gone.

"Who is Dahhak?" Azrael asked.

"I have no idea," Lucifer answered.

"What should we…" Chloe started to say, but was interrupted by a new flash of light in which God appeared again.

"My wife keeps an eye on Michael," God said. "I don't think Dahhak can reach to him in the Silver City, but one never knows. Olivia, I will bring you back to the precinct. I want to keep the hearing of Michael family only, but Chloe can update you later." In a next yellow flash God and Olivia disappeared and again God came back alone.

"I already warned Raziel and Amenadiel I will pick them up together with Mazikeen and Linda," he said. "But let me first bring the four of you."


Bring the four of us? Chloe wanted to ask where, but apparently she was taken there, for again she was staggering for a moment and it took again a second before she could see sharp again.

"Help Ella to process," God said to Azrael and the next moment he was gone again. Chloe, Lucifer, Ella and Azrael were standing in front of a large marble building, a colonnade stretched to the right and left, high relief images covered the wall. On the other site was a garden or a park, with fountains and sinuous rills, flowering shrubs and a few gigantic trees, higher than the giant sequoias and giant redwoods she had seen back in California. Far in the distance walls and towers around the garden were just visible.

"Where…" Ella started to say, but then shut her mouth. Shaking, eyes wide open she looked around.

"Heaven," Azrael whispered. "And you're not dead. I can bring you back to Earth any moment. This is the Dome of Gathering, where father can speak, speak to billions of souls if he wants to bring them together and they will fit in what looks as an infinite amphitheater or he can speak to a few of my siblings and the Dome will be a cosy sitting room."

Lucifer's dad had only told Azrael to help Ella, Chloe realized. Not Lucifer to help her. She looked at him. He was pale with a grim expression, lips pursed. It was more that she needed to help him. "Lucifer? It's ok. Your dad lifted the ban."

"I should burst in flames, detective," he hissed.

"Not anymore."

He took a deep breath. "No. No, not anymore." He gave her a shy smile. "Not afraid, detective?"

She was not. "I've been to hell. Heaven should be a better place, everyone tells me."

"A boring place."

God brought Linda, Amenadiel, Raziel and Maze. Linda was pale, looked around eyes wide open, holding Amenadiel's hand. Maze growled. "This place sucks." She sniffed. "Poison gas?"

"The smell of incense and flowers," Raziel said and laughed.

"I'm sure it will kill us." Maze grinned. "It's easy to prove my point; this place is literally full with dead people."

"A demonic point of view, my daughter-in-law," God said, shaking his head. He offered her his arm. "Let us go inside."


The Dome of Gathering revealed itself that moment as a small auditorium, a stage in the front, eight rows of seats, a dozen chairs in each row, with each next row a few inches higher than the previous one. Large windows in the ceiling allow sun light to warm and to illuminate the room. Lucifer's mum was on the stage, with Michael on his knees next to her. "My children will join us," God said.

The first one that came in was Rory. She hugged first Lucifer and then Chloe. "I was in the neighborhood, mom," she said. "Not by accident."

More angels entered, some alone, other with two or three. They all hesitated, staring eyes big at the group on the stage. God than turned to them and asked them to sit.

"Father, that is…" a woman said.

"I know, Saraquel. This that is a she and she is a demon. Just sit."

Raziel put an arm around Maze shoulders and kissed her. A murmur came from the dozen angels that were already seated.

A woman with a spear asked loudly: "Father, how can the fallen be here?"

"Wait and see, Remiel."

After her, no more angels came in. Chloe now counted thirty-nine archangels sitting, forty-four with the five on the stage, twenty male, twenty-four female. She didn't add Rory to that number.

"Each of you already heard your mother and I have talked," God said to his children. "You will hear more later, for now it is enough you know we agree on what our future steps will be."

The angels sitting around the stage, looked at each other, frowning and looking uncertain, but not one spoke.

"Most of you will know Lucifer and Amenadiel spent their time on Earth. Both did fall in love. Please meet Chloe and Linda. Only a few of you might know Azrael and Raziel also more or less live on Earth nowadays and again because they found someone to love, Azxrael is with Ella, Raziel with Mazikeen. I welcomed all four as my daughters-in-law."

The audience was dead silent, all eyes on Maze, who just smiled when Raziel kissed her and then leaned into the angel.

"And last but not least to introduce is your niece, my granddaughter, and Chloe's and Lucifer's daughter, Aurora."

"Daughter? She is how old? How long are Lucifer and the human together…" Chloe could here someone whisper.

"Not now," God said. He gestured the angels, humans and demon around him to also take a seat, so it was only God, the Goddess and Michael who stayed on stage. "You're here to hear Michael's testimonial. Michael?"

Michael shortly looked at his father, then he looked away, chewing his lip. God's eyes flashed with golden light. Michael shivered and nodded.

"I had a dream."

"When?"

"Four hundred and seventeen years ago. It showed me how dirty, sinful humans overwhelmed the angels and loathed the Silver City. And that will happen. I'm the only one that can prevent that," he suddenly shouted.

"Tell us more about your dream."

"A voice told me…" Michael started.

"His name?" God interrupted him.

"He said his name was Dahhak. He would help me to destroy."

"Destroy what?" God asked, his eyes burned with the golden light. The shine from his eyes was far brighter than the sun light. It blinded Chloe and she had to shut her own eyes.

'To destroy… this creation." Michael went silent.

"Not just humanity?"

"No, everything."

"Destroy Earth and its plane?"

"Yes. Every star, space and time, all."

"Hell?"

"Yes."

"Heaven?"

"Yes."

"Your brothers and sisters."

"Yes."

"Uriel, Ibriel, Varael, Naskiel, who supported you to get Azrael's blade? Do tell."

"They will be destroyed. With the blade I can open the dimensions, so Dahhak can come and wipe out everything. He will show me how to make my own creation in which I will rule. Several times he came to me in a dream to explain me what to do."

"He told you how to hide your soul?"

"Yes."

"You can open your eyes," Lucifer whispered in Chloe's ear. God's eyes were normal again.

"Father?" It was again the angel with the spear.

"Yes, Remiel?"

"Who is this Dahhak?"

God laid his handon the arm of the Goddess, who answered: "Dahhak is one of our brothers. When your Father and I choice to unite to create this universe he was angry."

"Jealous," God suggested.

The Goddess shrugged. "Another word to describe it. He told me he would not allow us to do so. Well, he can't enter this universe unless Azrael's blade cut through the fabric of space and time to let him in. There is no way anything can enter or leave our universe without using the blade."

"And now we have captured Michael, there is nothing Dahhak can do," God said.

"I don't agree." It was Maze who spoke up. Chloe looked at her and noticed that everyone else did also.

"Demon," Remiel shouted. "How do you dare to…"

"Silent, Remiel," God said. "Why, Maze?"

"This Dahhak succeeded in sending dreams to Michael while you thought nothing could enter this creation," Maze said. "Now you have eliminated this pawn of him, he will try to find a new one. You better find out how he could send dreams, before he find his next puppet."

For a many seconds God and the Goddess looked each other in the eyes, then the Goddess said. "Of course Mazikeen is right."