Hell. The abode of his damned brothers and sisters. The place he was most fond of, despite the groans from every corner that suggested otherwise. The desperate screams of helpless souls gave him chills down his spine. He relished in the suffering that surrounded him. How could he not? This world was all that he had ever known. He was created to be a tormentor of Hell, and this is where he wanted to be.
Finally, he was on top after constantly being overlooked by his sister, Mazikeen, and conquering his once upon a time king. The old king, who was now his prisoner. Everything he had ever wanted was in the palm of his hand. Complete control of how Hell would be run and an army of demons to do his bidding. Absolute power.
The only thing that would be sweeter would be the domination of the Earth. But unfortunately, his former Lord had ruined those plans. However, that hadn't stopped him from torturing the priest for a way around the enchantment. And Lucifer, for that matter. But both were stubborn or really didn't know how to reverse it. He refused to believe that.
Eligos walked out of the priest's cell, frustrated and still with no information on how to break the seal that Lucifer had placed there. He left his siblings to continue the interrogation. He could still hear the screams: "Even if I knew how I wouldn't help you. I'd rather die... AHHHHHGHH... a million ti– AGHHH... times."
The self-appointed king started walking down the corridors with the vast obsidian walls on either side. Wondering what other tricks he had up his sleeve to make the worthless zealot speak. He quickly turned on his heels when he heard whispering from behind him.
"You tell him."
"No. You do it."
"Tell me what?" Eligos bellowed, annoyed with the interruption. Two of his brothers were standing a short distance away, and the thicker demon was pushing the scrawny one towards him. They both stopped and looked up when they heard the booming voice. They timidly approached their self-appointed king, and both were extremely nervous about muttering a single word. "Well, out with it," the commanding demon demanded.
"There's a…." The little one began with a stutter. "There's some... something... well, someone…that you...you should go see. Who wants to see you," he finally finished as he stepped behind his large companion.
"I'm intrigued. Who is it?" A smile grew on Eligos' face. As he took a few steps, his hands clasped behind his back.
"It's… it's just an angel...he..." The demon gulped past the lump in his throat. "He wants to s– sp– speak with you," he stammered.
"I thought I made myself very clear: any trespassers are to be eliminated. Destroyed!" the head demon roared. The two insignificant minions looked at each other. "Well, what are you fools waiting for, an invitation? Go get rid of him."
"But he's an angel." The small one looked confused.
"Oh, you are afraid of him because he is an angel, are you?" Eligos chuckled with frustration. "Well, don't be. We have thousands of weapons that can destroy him. Or did you forget that we have been forging them by the thousands ever since... HE left us."
"Y– y– yeah, we know." The voice trembled. "But he was waving a white flag."
"I don't care. A white flag means nothing to me." Eligos pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know what, I'll deal with it because all of you are complete idiots. Where is he?"
The two demons led Eligos up to the wall where Lucifer had sealed the gates of Hell, and beside it was the tall, dark angel. His wings were tucked away, and a white handkerchief was in his hands. There were half a dozen demons standing guard, their blades at the ready if the angel decided to make a move.
"Eligos, I presume. Lilith's Firstborn. Maze has told me all about you." Amenadiel took a step forward. "You are the demon of envy, wanting what others had. Lusting after the throne." The angel noticed the demon's hand on the hilt of a sword in its sheath attached to his waist. "But now you have Lucifer's throne; that's what you've always wanted, wasn't it?"
"Yes. And no one will take it away from me, so if you don't mind." The self-appointed king wrapped his fingers around the handle and pulled out the sword, and he held the tip inches away from the angel's throat.
"I don't want to take it away from you." Amenadiel smiled. "By all means, keep it. It's yours." The blade lowered slightly.
"Then what are you doing here?" the demon sneered, his brow furrowed in confusion. The angel sighed, but before he could speak, Eligos said, "You can't be here for him." He finally clued into why the angel was here. "None of his siblings care for him. He told me himself."
"Once upon a time, maybe." Amenadiel's heart broke just thinking of his brother alone. He remembered a time when all he wanted was to see his fallen brother in Hell. "But that was a long time ago."
Eligos lowered the sword. He took a confident step back to get a better look at the celestial. "They certainly make them tall in the Silver City, don't they? But we have taller." The demon had a sinister grin across his face.
"Where is Lucifer?" Amenadiel ignored his comments and went straight to why he was there.
"He is around here somewhere; I can't be too sure. It's hard to keep track of all the tormented bastards." Eligos relished in the vague answer and started to pace around the angel. "Don't worry; I'm sure he is in good hands."
"Somehow, I doubt that." Amenadiel looked up at the empty throne in the distance. "Listen, I hear you. You want to be King of Hell. Great! It's yours. I can make it official. I know a guy. But there is no need to keep Lucifer prisoner here. So why don't you just let him go, and you can continue ruling how you see fit. I think it's a win-win for everyone. Don't you think?"
"Will you open the gate? Hmm? Eligos scoffed, his eye wandering to the marking on the stone wall. The one thing standing in his way to expanding his operation of torture.
"No. I can't do that." Amenadiel glanced over his shoulder.
"That's what I thought, so I guess the Devil will stay right where he is." Eligos brought the sword up to the angel's throat. "And you, my feathered friend, can go back from where you came from or die in the next ten seconds."
'Wait." The angel put his hands up. "Can I at least see him?" The blade under his chin did not waver. "I'm outnumbered; even if I try anything, I know you could kill me. I wouldn't..." He paused, thinking about his son back on Earth. "I won't try anything; I just want to make sure my brother is okay." The demon just glared back at him. "I will see what I can do about the gate, but I can't make any promises. Just let me see that he is... in one piece, then I will talk to the big guy about... the gate situation."
"Fine. But if you try anything or say anything to him that I find suspicious, you will never leave here either." Eligos smiled as he lowered the sword. He turned on his heel and started walking. He paused and turned back to the angel for a moment. "Oh, and I can't promise that he is going to be in one piece."
Deep in the chasm of Hell, they reached double doors. Far away from any other cell. There was a large wood plank across the door, resting in the large metal barricade brackets. There were also crisscrossed chains in front of the opening. The angel watched as it took a team to open the doors. The doors themselves turned out to be nearly three feet thick.
"It's a bit of overkill, don't you think?" Amenadiel glanced over to the head demon. Anxiety grew at a steady pace, not sure what to expect when the door finally opened. It was Hell, after all.
"It takes a little extra to contain the Devil." Eligos smiled, his hand gesturing towards the cell. "After you."
Amenadiel hesitated, worried that it was a trap, but he had to know what the demons had done to his brother. Slowly he stepped between the thick stone slabs. Standing in the doorway, it didn't take him long to find Lucifer.
Lucifer was lying on his side, in the middle of the small room, his back facing the wall. The angel then noticed the single manacle around his ankle. The chain was short and was attached to an anchor in the stone floor. He looked back at Eligos, confused. He'd expected more. The demon just flashed a smile.
"Lucifer," Amenadiel whispered; he took a step inside. He watched as his brother slowly stirred from his most likely uncomfortable sleep. "Luci. I..." He started when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Mounted on the sidewall were white wings. But not completely white. Each side had a puncture wound, and dried blood ran down to the tips of the bottom feathers.
"Brother! What are you doing here?" Lucifer\s voice sounded cheerful despite the grim situation.
Amenadiel turned towards his brother. Lucifer was sitting on the stone ground; the only article of clothing he wore was his black trousers. His one chained leg was straight out while his other was bent. His arm rested on the bent knee. A small smile was on his face, but the rest of his face revealed his hopelessness.
"Luci, what..." He glanced back at the wings for a moment. "What did they do to you?" He let out a sigh; the question was rhetorical.
"It's simple, brother: they made sure I can never leave, and they were kind enough to put up a reminder." Lucifer pushed himself off the ground into a standing position. "Clever, really... I would have done the same myself if I was in their shoes. You see, even if I do escape, there is nowhere for me to go."
"They can always grow back. You have done it a dozen times." Amenadiel stepped forward. "You can do it again."
"Not that easy, I'm afraid." Lucifer looked down at his feet. "I... I... what are you doing here?" the Devil's asked, changing the subject. "I thought... I thought you needed to be with Charlie, which is entirely understandable. He is pretty decent for a child." Lucifer let out a big sigh. Slowly his eyes glanced up toward his brother, who had remained silent. "Did something happen? Is Chloe okay?" Lucifer took a small step forward.
"She's fine. As well as she can be." Amenadiel gave the Devil a weak smile. "She longs for you, she... she's the one who asked me to come to see you and to see if I could bring you back."
"Oh, well, I don't think that's possible." Lucifer's jaw tightened as he pushed away the emotions bubbling up inside. "Please, don't give her any false hope. I gave her plenty of that already." He turned around and walked as far as he could towards the back wall. Amenadiel gasped when he saw his brother's back. He expected to see scars, but not this. It was almost as if his wings had been ripped from his back, leaving fragments of bone sticking out. It looked fresh, unhealed. "Please, leave," the broken Devil muttered.
"Lucifer..." Amenadiel took a step forward. "It doesn't have to end this way." He glanced back to see that Eligos was listening to every word. "We will figure out something."
"Don't you get it, brother? This was my choice. I chose to return. This is where I belong," Lucifer muttered, his back still to his brother.
"This doesn't sound like the Lucifer I know." Amenadiel took another step forward.
"Maybe I've grown." Lucifer turned his head slightly over his shoulder. "Maybe I have grown to understand that this is where I belong."
"No, that's not it. You're afraid," the angel stated plainly.
"What? Don't be ridiculous. I'm not afraid." Lucifer finally shifted his body towards his brother.
"No?" The older brother scoffed; he could see a slight tremor in Lucifer's right hand. "Luci, you are the Devil. I know..." the angel looked over his shoulder to see Eligos looking bored, leaning against the side wall outside the cell. "I know that you can take on the demons single-handedly and that you can grow your wings back. But you are choosing to be the victim, to avoid what you are truly terrified of."
"And what am I afraid of exactly?" Lucifer scoffed; he took several strides forward.
"That Chloe is only a mortal; if you were around, you would have to watch her grow old and possibly die. You don't want to be around for that. Not since you already almost lost her. So, you would rather rot down here than face the reality that every human needs to go through." The angel sighed. "I get it. I would do anything to protect Charlie. But Lucifer, knowing that time is short, makes it that more precious. It's what makes the little moments mean so much. You are missing so much. And Chloe, well, she is miserable without you, even though she will never admit it. All this time, I felt guilty for not coming down sooner, only to find that you are doing this to yourself." The angel paused, scanning his brother for a reaction, but was disappointed when Lucifer just stared through him. "I guess you did make your choice. I hope you change your mind and join us again on Earth when you are ready." Amenadiel turned to leave. "Don't wait too long; she may move on." He let out a sigh. "Goodbye, brother."
Lucifer remained silent, his eyes glazing over. The doors of his cell closed, and he was left alone once again. He knew that what his brother had said was on the nose. He was afraid. The Devil let out a long sigh before he sat back down.
Note: Chapter was Beta read by SailorChronos1! Thank You!