Author's note: Hello dear readers! As promised, here is a chapter entirely dedicated to Lucifer. I need to thank my super Beta, Bebec, who helped me a lot with this one to ensure that it doesn't feel too static. I adore you, Babe! And now, place to the story. Enjoy!


Chapter 4

An Act of Creation

Lucifer sat stiffly on his throne, still thunder-struck by all the revelations made by his Father only moments ago. God had left, bringing with Him the two heavenly stone medallions, thus making sure that no one could even think of using the artefacts to create another connexion between Hell and Earth. Lucifer had a hard time wrapping his head around everything he just learned. It felt like his world was upside down and his very existence a complex lie. All those millennia of hating his Father and even in some way defining his life by that, while all He was apparently trying to do was allowing him freewill to pursue his destiny. And to think of what He had just promised him...

Lucifer gripped tighter the precious little box his Father had gifted him with. The action helped still his shaking hands. He gently stroke the engraved golden trees on the wooden lid, lingering over their entwined roots. With that gift, he could finally have the one thing he would never have dared to dream of, the one thing that could bring his existence close to a blissful perfection. If everything he went through since his Fall was the cost he had to pay to get there, then he knew he'd be ready to do it all over again.

He let go of a wet sob of amazement and disbelief. It was all still too unconceivable for him to entirely grasp what his Father had offered him.

He could finally be with her! Not just for a lifetime, but for eternity...

Chloe...

She would be his in every ways possible and he would be hers...

The urge to fight his way out of Hell and be with her already was overpowering and left him shaking even more. Yet, he knew he couldn't leave now, as much as that knowledge killed him. The Hellmouth could not be reopened yet. Not with the chaos that was still raging down here and Vasariah who could be a danger if he ever found a way to escape his confinement and heal his wings, or if a demon helped him get out of his holding cell. No, he had a job to do first and he would hold his end of the bargain he'd struck with his Father. He just had to find a way to quench the revolt down here and impose order, then he'd be free to go back to his soulmate and never leave her side. Ever again. That thought brought a bemused smile on his face and soothed a little his distressed heart.

However, how he could ever achieve that was still the question.

After weeks of fighting, even with the support of Baal, Lucifer wasn't closer to make any of the twelve other Demon Kings bend the knee before him. And on top of that, murder attempts were made weekly if not sometimes daily against his person. He was exhausted from lack of sleep, lonely, and yes, scared for his life.

Lucifer laughed dryly at the remembrance of a comment his Father had made just before disappearing earlier, about Lucifer not really being alone down here. How could his Father believe something like that? Lucifer felt utterly alone, with nobody to trust, no one to have his back. His omnipotent Dad should know better. So why had He say that? The question was still nagging at him.

Aside from Maze, there had never been anyone here that he trusted entirely. No one, except maybe...

Lucifer startled upright, suddenly realising what his Father might have been referring to. Or more precisely, to whom. They might not be the most trustworthy, but could still be as close to it as could be. With everything that happened lately in Hell, Lucifer had completely lost track of their whereabouts.

The Devil walked decidedly towards the back door of the throne room where he had the best chance of finding his first counsellor.

The closest guard behind the door jumped in surprise as Lucifer opened it in haste. "Malphas!" He bellowed.

When no one answered, his direct glare at the poor guard was enough to send him scurrying away as if his life depended on it. Well, he probably thought it did. "I'll find him, My Lord!"

Lucifer returned in the great room where he walked up and down, now eager to find out if there was any potential to his new path of thinking.

Malphas finally appeared, out of breath, certainly from having ran all the way to his master.

Lucifer stilled his pacing as the demon stopped and bowed lowly in front of him. "My Lord! I heard of the murder attempt. I already had your room cleaned up and the body disposed of. I also started an inquiry to discover who orchestrated it."

They hadn't find out much about the four firsts attempts, aside from the name of the Demon kings who most likely sent them to do the deed, an information he couldn't do much with. What Lucifer would rather like to learn was who, among his own men, could have helped them get so close to him in the first place. Considering the difficulty of finding useful information, Lucifer wasn't very optimistic that this time would be any different.

"I didn't call you to talk about that. I want a report about The Fallen Ones."

Malphas' googly eyes widened in confusion. "A report?"

Lucifer towered above him, clearly irritated. "Do I speak gibberish of what? I want to know exactly what happened with them and where they went. All I've been told when I came back was that they had deserted. I'm sure you know a lot more than that."

The cunning little demon had eyes and ears everywhere in Hell and was disturbingly resourceful when it came to find out about pretty much anything going on in the kingdom. That and his cleverness were the reasons why such a frail demon had climbed the ladders of power up to the top.

Malphas straightened up and flattened his long pointy ears as he prepared himself to answer his bad-tempered Lord. "Well, of course I know more, but it's still not much, Your Highness. Let's see..." The furry cat-like demon seemed to gather his thoughts for a moment.

Lucifer hadn't given his Fallen brothers much thoughts lately, assuming that they had deserted him, but what if he assumed wrongly? What if there was a chance they could come back? He'd never been close to any of them, per say, but it didn't excuse his lack of interest to inquire about their fate. He felt sheepish to only think about them now that he was in need of their help. To his defense, he had been quite busy during the last weeks, to say the least, and he had had little time to think about anything else but survival.

The Fallen Ones, as they were largely called down here, were some disgraced brothers of his who used to be his special guards up until he left Hell for Earth a few years ago. Those siblings, close to two hundred in numbers, had fallen thousands of years ago after taking human wives and impregnating them with Nephilims. The wars that followed, due to the offsprings' distinctive traits compared to humans, brought death to countless human beings. God's wrath had ended that piece of Earth history with The Flood, which annihilated any remaining Nephilim.

All guilty angels had lost their wings and were imprisoned and tortured in Hell's deepest pit during hundreds of years, until God himself released them. Only partly forgiven, they had been allowed freedom but condemned to live in Hell for eternity. They had already gotten more clemency from their Father than the few siblings who Fell with Lucifer during the celestial war. Unlike Lucifer, those had killed other angels that day when they could have done otherwise and for that, God apparently had no forgiveness to give.

So after being released from their cells, his brothers eventually accepted Lucifer's offer to become his personal guards and had since then conducted their duty flawlessly until Lucifer left Hell.

Malphas cleared his throat and brought Lucifer's focus back on him before stating his report.

"Your siblings had been waiting for your return while helping keep order up until Vasariah arrived and took power. From there, everything went downhill. Let's just say that the Angel of Justice wasn't very fond of those Fallen brothers and might not have threated them as well has you used to, My Lord."

Lucifer snorted at the demon's attempt to put it mildly. He knew all too well how much of a condescending son of a bitch Vasariah was and could perfectly picture him threating their siblings as little less than animals. It wasn't very surprising that they would have disappeared as soon as Vasariah took command. On the opposite, Lucifer had been able to ensure his brothers loyalty by always threating them with the utmost respect. He had been commanding them, certainly, yet he'd always make sure to never make them feel as if they were below him. He suspected it to be the only reason why they had stayed by his side for so long.

Malphas continued. "Vasariah made a show of banishing them officially after they deserted him, saying that he would have them killed if they ever came back. Last time I heard of them, they were spotted marching southwards close to the Desert of the Damned."

Annoyed, Lucifer passed his fingers through his hair and started walking restlessly around the little demon. Malphas had to turn on himself continually to keep his Master in sight.

Hell was a very big place, about as big as the largest Earth's continent, so there was plenty of place for his brothers to hide. They could very well stay hidden for eons if they wished it so. And considering the war of power that was taking place in Hell lately, Lucifer had not much hope of seeing them come back only to risk their lives to help him. At least they wouldn't unless they had a very good incentive.

Were they what his Father had been talking about when saying that he wasn't alone? Was He trying to give him a clue to help find a way to settle things down here? It just might be. Count on his Dad to remain cryptic even if He wanted to help.

But... what if he could find his siblings and convince them once more to follow him? Such a huge force might tip the balance in his favor. Even without their wings on their backs, his brothers were fearsome fighters and way stronger than most demons. They might just be what he needed to achieve his goal.

A long term plan was starting to take shape in his mind, a way to bring order here and maintain it.

His mind set, he rounded on his counsellor. "Send scouts to the South. I want them to locate The Fallen Ones without being seen and then report back directly to me."

"As you know, there are many wild areas to the South. It could take months if not years before we get wind of them." The demon countered.

"Then double the scouts' numbers. I want you to make a priority of it."

Malphas bowed once more in acknowledgement. "As you wish, My Lord."

His counsellor was right though, it could take a long while before they found them, but at least he had a plan to go with. It was a start. He felt some hope blossom in his heart. Some hope of returning to Chloe someday.

However, for that to ever have a chance to happen, he had to stay alive. Which wouldn't be an easy task, everything considered. Lucifer was very conscious of the daily dangers he was in with all the factions trying to murder him, not to mention the numerous fights he found himself in every day on the battle field. If he wanted to survive that long, he had to find a way to better protect himself. His actual guards were obviously not doing a very good job of it. Not to mention that some of them might actually be part of the conspiracy. Not for the first time, Lucifer wondered if Malphas could even be trusted.

The Devil eyed suspiciously the demon who was still bowed before him, waiting to be dismissed to pursue his tasks. Malphas fidgeted under his scrutiny until Lucifer pitied him and waved him away. His counsellor hastened out of the great hall without looking back.

Lucifer sighed loudly. There really was no one he could trust anymore. Musing darkly, he went back to sit leisurely on his throne.

Before, he had Maze to back him up in any situations. He'd never questioned her loyalty until they went to Earth where she started exercising her freewill, and even then, her actions had always aimed at protect him even though it wasn't always done the way he would have like it. He knew he could never expect that kind of devotion from any other demons. After all, Mazikeen was the one and only demon he had ever created.

It had been thousands of years ago, the day his Father came down to Hell, not that long after his Fall, to give him his amber ring, symbol of his new title and source of his powers over Hell. It had also been the day God changed his name to that of Lucifer, to replace his angelic one. At the time, Lucifer considered that name as another way for his Father to remind him of His rejection. But today, Lucifer was beginning to think that his Father had probably done that to help him sever all his attaches to his former life as to better move forward. How much more of his history and experiences would take a whole new sense now that he knew what his Father had wanted all along?

He shook his head in disbelief, noticing how fast he went from hating his Father to excusing Him for His actions. Even if he still resented his Father for his continuous manipulations and everything He'd made him go through, Lucifer found himself understanding why He'd done it. It all made sense, in a very twisted kind of way. Sending Lucifer to Hell where he could finally exercise his freewill without tempting his siblings in doing the same; letting him come up to Earth when he was at last ready to forgive himself for his past mistakes; putting Chloe in his path to help him better see the good in himself and influence him towards the light; and finally, letting Vasariah foment a hellish revolt in the hope that Lucifer could stop him and prove to all his siblings how much he had changed so they would at last accept him back into the fold. And now, with the amazing gift that his Father had given him, Lucifer could hardly hate Him anymore.

Lucifer fished inside his pocket to lift up and admire once more the precious little box which held so much promises for him. The sight of his hellish ring resting on top of the box while he stroke it reminded him once more of the fact that not only was he separated from Chloe, but also from Maze. He groaned in frustration as he thought back about his most loyal demon who had been by his side all that time but was no more.

What he needed right now more than ever was his Maze.

He frowned in realisation, jaw dropping.

Maybe he could simply create another loyal demon who would protect him with its life...

Lucifer didn't consider lightly the idea of creating a being that would dedicate its entire existence to him, to the point of forgetting about any sense of self-preservation when it came to protecting his life. He had done it with Maze, at the beginning, because he was lonely and yes, scared. Back then he had needed a protector, a friend, a lover, and Maze had been all of those things and more. And now he realised that he needed someone like that again to have his back and ensure that he would survive this ordeal long enough to go back to Chloe.

A sense of certainty washed over him. He knew what he had to do now, without the shadow of a doubt.

Suddenly, as Lucifer was in the process of standing up from his throne, a blinding light appeared a few feet in front of him from which a big mass of flesh and bones crashed down on the hall's floor.

He quickly grabbed The Flaming Sword in its scabbard at his hip and raised it in case that the thing, or whatever it was, would rise to attack him. But it didn't. It stayed inert and lifeless.

On his guards, Lucifer descended the few steps from his throne and walked around the big creature to make sense of its nature. It was definitely a demon, a very dead one. He crouched to better examine the beast. There were burnt marks on its wing and torso, the kind that he had never seen before. Yet another mystery.

A few days ago, guards had found pieces of an eviscerated demon in this exact same spot. It had seemed to be a race of vicious demon rarely employed in any army because of its wild and untrusting nature. It was more of a kind to stay in caves or any other dark spots than one to come in open or crowded areas. Hence his surprise at finding one of them dead in his throne room. Until now, the reason or even the mean of its death remained a mystery.

That another demon landed now in the same place was certainly more than a coincidence. That light had suspiciously looked like a vortex, something similar to what angels created when they travelled through planes. But no one down here should have that kind of power. Where did that demon come from anyway? There was not a lot of possibilities really; demons only lived in Hell or now... on Earth! Goose bumps rose over Lucifer's flesh as he looked more closely at the dead winged demon. The image of that beast was triggering his memory. Now he remembered! He had seen a few of them escaping through Hell's Gates while he was battling Vasariah on Earth. Could someone have sent it back here? But the Hellmouth was closed! No one should be able to pass through. Did Amenadiel of Michael find a way to send demons back to Hell? It was improbable, but still, possible.

It reminded him of the danger Chloe, his brothers, and friends were in now that demons were roaming the Earth. He wanted nothing more than to go help fight those demons and protect the people he loved, but frustratingly, there wasn't a lot he could do at the moment except keep fighting the Demon Kings, hope to find his fallen siblings as fast as possible, and of course, stay alive.

And to achieve that, what he first needed and fast, was a true ally in the form of an entirely devoted demon.

Lucifer stood up from his crouching position with renewed determination and left the throne room with long strides.

Without slowing down, he through orders around at the few guards in the main corridor.

"You!" He pointed at a very large demon. "Go to the throne room to dispose of that dead demon and make sure that the place is guarded at all times until I say otherwise." The demon in question looked a bit lost, but obeyed. "And you two!" he motioned at the remaining guards, "follow me!"

He kept The Flaming Sword out to show everyone that he meant business. The guards he selected for his protection followed him without any comments or questions. They were smarter than that. Since his return, Lucifer had already acquired a reputation for his short temper. Many unadvised demons had paid their mistakes with their lives.

Lucifer made his way through the corridors to the inmost depths of Hell, deep below his castle, where rarely anyone ever set foot. He could feel the increase in temperature as he made his way further down.

When he reached the very center of Hell, he instructed his guards to stay outside the main cave. They looked relieved to not have to go further. Not much could survive down there and most demons felt uncomfortable in that atmosphere even for only a short moment.

The tick smell of sulfur almost choke him when he entered Hell's core. The huge place was dominated by an impressive lake of lava. Walking to its edge, the Devil stood mightily over the bowels of Hell.

He slowly lifted his left hand to place it over the boiling lava. The Flaming Sword cut deeply through his palm, bringing forth a flow of angelic blood that cascaded down into the fires of Hell. Tapping into the power of his infernal ring, Lucifer sent dark energies to mixt with the divine force contained in his blood.

The two opposite energies blended together for a second before hitting the flaming surface with a flash of light in a breathtaking act of celestial creation.


Author's note: We'll go back to Earth in the next chapter to see what happens with Rae and the gang. Thanks for reading and commenting. I love you all! :)