Forgiveness

Chloe, Dan and Ella screamed and ran simultaneously towards the edge of the roof where Lucifer had disappeared. Everything seemed so unreal. He couldn't be gone… but before Chloe had reached the edge, she was thrown back by a sudden gust of wind.

She hit the ground upside down, her impact pressing the air out of her lungs. When she gaspingly tried to get up a shadow cast over her. Confused, she looked up. And immediately closed her eyes again, thinking she was hallucinating. Probably she hadn't just noticed that she hit her head before, because otherwise… Carefully she peered through her eyelashes, but the picture remained unchanged: There was clearly a gigantic bird hovering over her! She blinked once more and shielded her eyes from the sun to get a better look of the bird's silhouette ...

„LUCIFER", escaped her lips in astonishment.

The dust, that whirled up with another gust , made her close her eyes. When she opened them again, Lucifer knelt beside her, anxiously. With two gigantic wings shining fiery through the sun behind them.

„Are you ok Chloe?", he asked worried. His hand, hesitantly stretched out to help her up, stopped. He wasn't sure if she was afraid of his touch.

Chloe involuntarily laughed in irritation. Her feathered partner raised an eyebrow.

„You are overflowing with blood, fighting for a felt eternity and did just fall from a roof and you ask ME if everything's ok?" She laughed again. It was a joyless, confused laugh. Her eyes did not laugh. Her eyes just stared past Lucifer in horror and he knew exactly what they were fixated on.

„Chloe, I ..." - „That's impossible!", gasped Gabriel behind him.

"You fell! You cut them off! " His eyes were horrified and angry at the same time. "We all saw it. FATHER WAS FURIOUS!"

His voice began to shake and roared across the roof.

„They are his gift to us and you just threw them away, like garbage! HOW? How can you have wings again?"

„Oh believe me brother, that wasn't my decision.", Lucifer spat out disdainfully. "If it was up to me, they would be long gone. But they're like a damned curse, they keep growing back, no matter how many times I cut them off!"

Dan, Ella and Chloe looked at each other in dismay. Not only that their eccentric partner was a real angel. He incomprehensibly didn't want his wings and apparently had cut them off several times. Dan dreaded the idea of having to cut off his own arm. Ella stared in admiration at the large, illuminated (or did they shine themselves?) snow-white feathers. How she wished she could touch them. She had been raised as a Christian, but the thought of angels and such really existing was more like a bedtime story than reality.

Gabriel seemed blind with anger. „No, you do not deserve them. They do not belong to you! YOU DO NOT NEED THEM!", he shouted. "How can father forgive you? After everything you did. Your uprising has brought so much suffering on us. And mother! You are the only reason she is gone. It was only because of you that she was condemned to hell, because she wanted to protect her little Lightbringer."

„I don't think father will ever forgive me," Lucifer said softly. „and I don't want it either."

"But apparently it is not always about what the great Samael wants, right? Apparently you have your wings again and you can return to the Silver City. Father wants you back! Why else would he give you wings? After all, you clearly do not need them in hell!"

„Nobody knows why Dad does anything,", Lucifer crunched. "and frankly I don't care, because I won't use them. The sky has lost its charm for me. The earth is my home now. Here I'm a free man and can live my free will."

„Oh brother, do you really think you are still welcome here… after all this?" With a grim expression he nodded in the direction of Chloe, Dan and Ella.

Lucifer followed his look in dismay. When he saw the appalled, horrified faces of his friends, he knew that Gabriel was right. How could it be like before. They had seen his wings, had been exposed to divinity. Had awe, maybe even fear of him. Lucifer took a step toward them and his stomach tightened as Dan instinctively placed a protective hand on Chloe's shoulder.

„It doesn't matter..." Lucifer said sadly and turned back to Gabriel. "Nevertheless , I won't go back to hell."

„Neither to heaven brother, I will make sure of it!" And with a gigantic blast of wind, Gabriel unfolded his wings.