BROKEN SOUL - Lucifer's Invitation, Appearance of Heaven's Scribe

Finding himself in the weird black landscape became a common occurence when he slept.

James started to learn all the spirits he encountered, every single one of them, were people he killed. It didn't matter if he killed them when he was alive, or in Hell. Apparently they were all the same.

They died to him, had a slight grudge against him, and he needed to find out a way to… "help" them. He honestly despised it, but he also found out if he didn't help them, he would be stuck in his mind until he did.

The names of dozens upon dozens of souls blurred past his mind as he boredly attempted to help them. Slowly though, he began to get into a routine. He'd help about 15 souls, wake up, go help out Charlie and the others in any way he could, go back to sleep, and try to help another 15.

He began to see less and less negative impulses inside of his soul as well. Normally, when he'd go out into Hell for supplies and encountered some Demons, he'd just kill them for an extra power boost. Now, he'd just ignore them unless they challenged or attacked him, and even then he started to leave a rare few half-alive.

Currently, James was hanging out at the bar with Husk and Alastor, mainly talking with his fellow Demons about Charlie's plan. James wasn't a true doubter anymore, sure he still had a part of him that was unsure, but he now was mostly onboard. If he could help out the people he killed, the people that once hated him, and make them tolerant and even pleased to be around him… Maybe Charlie's hopes of redemption weren't impossible.

"So what you're saying is that you've been sleeping all this time to help and/or redeem the damned souls inside of you?" Alastor raised an eyebrow, still doubtful of James' tale. The Soul Demon nodded slightly.

"It's been hard, and some souls still hate me, but I think I should be done in roughly 10 days." James responded, as Alastor shook his head. He still couldn't believe James, his senior in terms of how long he lived in Hell, was actually trying to go along with this crazy redemption idea. He noticed his violent tendencies lessening, and it was slightly concerning to the Radio Demon to say the least.

James looked over to Husk, who seemed to be a bit cold. He knew the heaters rarely worked in here, so James snapped his fingers, summoning a candle and lighting it with his powers. The candle gave off a good amount of heat due to the magical properties James gave it, and he was pleased to see Husk wasn't shivering as much anymore.

James hummed to himself boredly, closing his eyes as he was about to talk with the souls he befriended. He was then immediately interrupted by Charlie bursting in, jumping up and down with excitement. The Soul Demon lazily looked at her, raising an eyebrow curiously. What was so exciting?

Husk, however, was a little agitated as he was rudely awakened as soon as he was about to fall asleep. "WhAt thE fuCk iS goiNg oN- w h a t?" He growled as he sat up, only half-awake. Charlie pulled out her phone and showed the three an invitation to some party being thrown by…

"LUCIFER?!" James jumped out of his seat, backing away from the invitation. "Nuh-uh, count me out-" Alastor, meanwhile, was having the opposite reaction to the invitation.

"A party? During the extermination? Oh, how wonderful! I'm sure James would love to join us!" Alastor smiled darkly towards his old 'friend', as Charlie turned to him with a big grin.

"Uh… come back to me on that. Besides, can't you bring someone else? Like Vaggie, or Angel Dust? Maybe even Husk!"

"LeAvE mE oUt of ThIs!-" Husk cried out, wanting nothing to do with that party. Powerful demons were sure to be there, and he didn't wish to find out what happens after dying in the Afterlife.

Alastor disappeared and reappeared next to James, slinging an arm over the Soul Demon's shoulder. "Come on old friend, you need to live a little! What's there to be afraid of, when you're one of the most powerful Demons in Hell?" James glared at Alastor from the corner of his eye.

"Oh, I dunno, maybe the King of Hell himself? I'm pretty sure Lucifer is worth being… careful around." James wouldn't admit it, but even though he and Lucifer had a mutual respect thing going on, he still was terrified of him. "I'll just stay behind and continue giving my souls therapy."

Charlie knew of James' issue, they had talked about it about a day ago in private. She still, however, wanted her new friend to come with her to the party. "Come on James, it'll be fine! Dad wouldn't do anything to harm or kill you… unless he had a reason to of course."

"I-" James stumbled over his words, before sighing and relenting. "Fine, I'll go. But only because I know you guys won't give up, so I'm sparing myself the headache later." Charlie and Alastor seemed pleased, as they both went off, most likely to get ready for the upcoming party.

James sighed, still bored (with the extra addition of nervousness), until he sensed a strange presence near the Hotel. It felt familiar, holy even, yet had hints of darkness. Curious, he walked out, traversing a nearby alleyway until he found himself face to face with a familiar being.

"...Brother?" James managed to croak out, disbelieving in what his eyes were showing him. The golden haired, blue-eyed angel smiled at his younger brother, his wings hidden with his magic. James saw that Vincent hadn't changed much from what he looked like back on Earth, with the new additions of his eyes glowing brightly and a faint halo hovering and flickering above his head. He was wearing a white suit with a loose blue button-up shirt underneath and a gray tie. His shoes were dress shoes. James smiled, slightly comforted with the knowledge that his brother's fashion sense still hadn't changed.

"Hello Jay." Vincent's smile grew as he used his affectionate nickname for James. "How have you been?"

"I've been well…" James' smile was weak, as he had to keep himself from tearing up. It has been ages since he's heard, let alone seen his big brother. "It's nice to see you again, Vincent. What brings you to Hell? You haven't… Fallen, have you?"

Vincent laughed, amused by his brother's concern. "No, don't worry your little head, Jay. I haven't Fallen. I just decided to visit my brother… and give him a little something before you go out to Lucifer's party." The Angel tossed a golden watch, as James looked at it confusedly. "It should help you with your soul count for a while." Vincent then tilted his head, as if listening to something. He grimaced, before sighing. "Looks like I have to cut this visit short. I'll see you later. Angel business."

James nodded, as Vincent disappeared with the sound of flapping wings. He then looked at the watch Vincent gave him, putting it on and feeling his power being sapped by it as the watch turned red and black. If James had to estimate, he'd say 20% of his power and souls were now stored in the watch. James then sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

Why did he feel like he was about to do something risky and outright stupid tomorrow?