Last chapter didn't gain as many followers as i'd hoped and was depressingly barren of reviews, but fair enough. Time to floor the gas with this chap. If this chapter doesn't warrant at least a follow or 15 reviews, then… well.
guess I'll die ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ
Lucifer: Yearning Armageddon
Chapter 4
|| Needs and Wants ||
"What the hell happened here…?"
Raynare stood in abject horror as she beheld the current state of her hideout, hidden in the underbelly of the abandoned church outside of Kuoh Town. Just skirting around Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri's territory. The mounds of black soot; a deep black powdery and flaky substance consisting largely of amorphous carbon, produced by the incomplete burning of organic matter, which she could only suspect as the remains of her subordinates and her exorcist mercenaries.
"...Who could have done this…?" One of her companions, Kalawarna, a woman taller than her with a bust two sizes larger than hers, let the question hover in the air, free for anyone to answer.
"The devils?" Dohnaseek threw in a guess. The only male fallen angel and apparently the only able-bodied. His brutish strength made up for his lack of deductive skills.
"They couldn't have found this place… Not this soon. Not when the preparation wasn't yet done. Not when a single devil contractor hadn't been murdered." said the yellow-haired midget, her voice rich with youth. Of course, Mittelt could be anything but if she so wished, but she maintained this Gothic Lolita look for a specific reason. While many were easily tempted by her body or Kalawarna's, certain exorcist priests would rather lay with people that looked a third of their age.
"It can't be that Gremory…" Raynare muttered, clutching her head as a headache had decided to test her already thinning patience. Stumbling over an absent pews to sit down and process this… predicament. "And if it was them, this place would have been a shipwreck. They're brutes without finesse over their powers."
Indeed. The place would have been totaled. Not… pristine as if they had never left it. Counting out the deceased remains, that is.
"The Sitri's peerage?" Dohnaseek proposed.
"They take care of the administrative end. Gremory's group is the one who handles this sort of thing… and with the capacity to do so." Kalawarna reminded, her reminder said lined with annoyance. Both from the unexpected outcome and Dohnaseek's forgetfulness. Typical of someone a generation above hers.
"We were gone for a day! A single day! How the fuck did this happen?!" Raynare gritted her teeth, seething as she conjured her violet lightspear, and lobbed it across the dimly-lit room, destroying the half-broken statue of Virgin Mary and demoted it into rubble.
With a sigh, unimpressed by the youth's excellent display as to why youth shouldn't have taken the charge of the group, Dohnaseek calmly took a seat at one of the wooden pew, taking off his fedora to fan his face as this place was quite hot and his suit wasn't made of the most breezy material.
"There goes our shot at promotion…" Mittelt followed, sighing like a deflating Gothic Lolita balloon. "...Welp. What do now, guys? Raynare? Any ideas?"
Burying her face in her hands, lifting her black bangs as she did, Raynare gave it a thought, and she thought audibly so these people wouldn't interrupt it. "...We no longer have the men to take on the devils… But Freed is taking the… That blonde brat— whatsherface?"
"Uhhhh her first name's a continent and her last name means silvery white— Africa? A…merica Argentina?"
Mittelt guessed wrongly.
"Asia Argento," Kalawarna muttered. She didn't have time for stupid jokes. Not when her future was at risk. "Even if we do have her, what do we do? Our subordinates are dead; all of them. And the ritual needs sacrifice and I'm not going to risk my head killing contractors. It's what those exorcists were meant to do."
"You think you need to remind me of that?" Raynare growled, and huffed as her blue-haired compatriot simply shrugged in response. "...There's no other way. We'll ditch our initial plan. There's no way of saving it."
"Gonna double-cross Kokabiel?"
"Don't you ever think we were ever on his side… He's a warmongering maniac. I was using him to get these men," Raynare griped, offended that Mittelt would assume she'd betray the Governor. "Lord Azazel thinks he's nothing but trouble… and you're an idiot if you think I'd ever consider switching sides."
"Fine, fine," Mittelt waved her hand dismissively, tying her black ribbon to keep her sunflower yellow hair in place. "So what's our move here, Boss Lady?" she said mockingly, "I don't wanna sit around and listen to you gush about your dear lord and savior… Especially not in a musty church. Next time, I'm choosing our hideout."
"This is the safest spot," Kalawarna grunted, offended. "I'm sorry this isn't a five-star amusement park, but we're not here to play around in the ballpit."
"Tsk. Why not? It's fun. Know what fun is? You should try it sometime."
"Why you little yellow midget…
"Oooh… Calling me names. How very mature of you, Cow Tits."
"You're a little brat that doesn't even know how to tie your own ribbon."
"How can I physically do that?! My eyes don't reach all the way up to my hair!"
"Maybe you'd be able to when you grow a brain."
"Zip it you morons. If you want to fight, take it somewhere else where I can't see or hear it or regret the fact I'm stuck with you." Raynare stated, wondering why on earth her friend must be this challenged. …Oh right. They were the only people with guts to make a name for themselves. A bunch of low-ranking fallen angels with the dream of having better pay and more holidays. Just like her.
Yawning, wanting to see his wife's face and eat her dinner and then her body as desert, Dohnaseek stared at their semi-competent leader and asked, "You haven't answered the question; what now? You brought us into this mess with your bright ideas, I'm expecting you to have a way out of this pit."
"...Tsk—" Raynare clicked her tongue. If Dohnaseek was half as skillful as he thought he was, then Raynare would happily let him take the wheel. But he was an imbecile that wouldn't be able to tell the difference between blue and purple. Calling him an idiot would be an insult to idiots.
But at least he was a loyal guard dog.
"We'll do our job as we're originally meant to be," Raynare decided. "We'll bring Asia Argento to Lord Azazel… and pray that the opportunity to tweak with her Twilight Healing will be enough of a bribe to lift his opinion on us…"
"Could always offer your body on the side." Kalawarna added her two cents.
"You think I haven't?"
Dohnaseek's boisterous laughter filled the abandoned chapel. "Hahaha! And yet he rejected you every time without fail! Offering your body is the same as offering pearls before the swine!"
Raynare narrowed her eyes sharply. "Are you calling our Governor a swine? You want me to tell your wife that?"
While the other two chuckled, the suited man clamped his mouth. "That's not what I meant when I made that comparison." He then cleared his throat. "We agreed to leave our relatives alone when we made this group."
"Then shut the hell up. Our little group is disbanding. Has disbanded. Whoever did this, dealing with them is more trouble than it's worth." Raynare said pointedly, standing up as she folded her hands under her impressive pair of breasts that failed to sway the only person they were meant to sway.
"Let's leave this place to the rats," she declared. "We'll lay low, no more walking into the Town, no more killing that lucky bastard, and once Freed gets here, we'll take Asia, and leave him to the devils."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Because it is."
"It's an expression you Titty Monster. Don't you ever feel bad for your buttons? They're bursting at the seams."
"Not as bad as I feel for your face once I shove this lightspear down your kiddy throat."
"Yikes. Pedo alert. I knew hiring those exorcists was a bad idea."
"Oh for the love of— will you two cut it!?"
Mittelt shrugged. "Only if you agree to treat us to dinner."
"I can at least agree to that", Kalawarna said.
And Raynare wished she didn't value her life enough to impale herself against a lightspear. "...I'm surrounded by idiots. Broke idiots."
"Hahahaha!" This was the only reason Dohnaseek agreed to tag along. Their constant bickering reminded him of a simpler time. "Come, come, children, there's no need to fight. My house is open 24/7."
"Like your wife's legs?"
Kalwarna snorted. Even Raynare chuckled at that. Mittelt was every bit the bratty persona she was, but she was quick witted with her insults.
"Alright. That's it. You're on my shit list. Effective immediately."
"Must be one empty list."
"Yes. I don't have many enemies."
"Not many friends either." Dohnaseek launched his lightspear, but Mittelt scampered away to safety with ease, all thanks to her slender body and minute figure. "Ha ha~ better luck next time, gramps! Try not to break your spine!"
Break
"You don't need to do this."
That scathing sentence that was the result of a wounded pride was met with one both casual in tone and delivery. "I don't always do the things I need to do. Most of the time I do what I want."
"Want. Need. Where exactly do one start and the other end?"
"Want is whimsical, need is a necessity. Basic knowledge," Lucifer stated as the sound of thunder reverberated through the luxurious prison cell. Idly, he gazed at his conjured screen, watching Thor summon pale blue thunders and lightning from the supercell high above Asgard. One last salute. Gods had always appreciated sentiments more than they were willing to admit. "Aren't you supposed to be the smarter sibling, Loki? Or did that role fall to Brynn? Or, Lord forbid, your thunderous brother?"
The black-haired Jotunn scoffed derisively. "I'd have to die first."
"Would you like to?"
Loki's smile faded, and he nervously shifted on the pure white, two-person bed of his. He hated and liked Lucifer for this exact reason; he could never tell what was going on inside The Devil's head. Whether he was saying things in jest or it was a genuine offer. It was difficult enough when Lucifer was an Archdevil, and now that he had taken the Biblical God's power for himself, the line had thinned. Thinner than Thor's patience. It might as well be completely nonexistent.
"...You wouldn't lay harm to your friend's son."
"Aren't you adopted?"
"...Will you ever give it a rest?"
"Don't hold your breath." Lucifer pointed out, smirking. His voice was unlike Loki; while Loki's were lined with cleverly placed intonations and pompousness, Lucifer's delivery was as dry as Garden of Eden was, before the First Men walked there. Which would be 6,000 BC. Five thousand and three hundred years before the Greek Protegenoi, Chaos spawned, from the Void between Heaven and Earth.
Yes. Lucifer was older than the eldest Greek God.
Of course he was. He was The Creator's first creation. The Creator was the First Light before he demanded, 'Let there be another light'. Thus Lucifer came into existence, carrying a giant light in his hands; hence the meaning of his name — Light Bringer.
The Morning Star.
Helel.
Then the light-obsessed father of his demanded even more light, and so Helel popped his light; and voila. The Big Bang, as humans deemed it several billion years later. It really was the biggest explosion, unmatched by any supernovas that occurred in galaxies far, far away, where the Eldritch Gods swam and driveled thanks to one guy named H.P. Lovecraft. What was his full name again… Harry Potter Lovecraft?
Bah. Whatever.
Then Michael popped by, followed closely by Gabriel which was a few stars in between, and then a bunch of other siblings he couldn't be bothered to remember or care. Some became his minions either way.
For a fact, Lucifer was present when Odin Borson had Thor. Roughly a thousand and five hundred years ago. Then five hundred years later, Lucifer said it was a bad idea when Odin strolled into Jotunheim and kidnapped (adopted) Loki, triggering the war between the Frost Giants and the Asgardians, where he sat around and watched, popcorns in a golden bowl borrowed from Odin's pantry.
Several thousands years ago, popcorns had been invented by an accident.
As useless and powerless as humans were, Lucifer must give them a round of applause for their creativity and inventions, especially when it came to inventing weapons to kill each other better. The nukes were amazingly effective, and still they researched ways to improve it. They could reach the moon and still… still they fought among themselves like the prehistoric apes they are.
Whatever good his dad ever saw in them; they had become tiny lights in a sea of sin. Lucifer believed his dad was delusional. Just like senile old men in general, who refused to see the truth; that his adorable little goblins were better at killing and sinning than any other living thing. This was a fact. An impressive feat at the same time.
His inner pondering was halted as the God of Mischief started questioning his motive.
"What are you gaining from this… This needless display of your fake sympathies… A favor?" Loki began, distrustful as always, regardless of how many years he had watched him grow. The adopted Jotunn always liked to believe he was as smart if not smarter than his late adoptive mother Frigg or Frigga, the wisest Queen of Asgard. Believe as hard he liked, beliefs had never been able to twist fact.
And the fact is, Loki was not as smart let alone smarter than Frigga. Probably never will if he kept acting like this. Doubting his sympathy? Really now? The Devil had always been nothing but sincere when it comes to sympathies and condolences.
He knew how it felt to lose everything, after all.
And the absolute satisfaction when he took it back. Ripped it away from his father's decaying soul.
But perhaps, perhaps by Odin's death, the God of Mischief might consider trying to be wiser, and avoid becoming the second Lucifer, because then Lucifer would have to sincerely kill him.
What? There could only be one Lucifer who is a God. There were already three others who had stolen his name. Those identity-thieving bastards. Lilith was lucky she'd died and her soul got sucked into Hades' Realm instead of Hell, because she chose to believe in Hades than stick to Christianity.
Damned snake. Slippery to the end.
But they were meaningless devils and demons anyway. Unlike certain gods of a certain Pantheon — Lucifer found no entertainment in abusing lesser beings. They weren't worth the time or effort, until an interesting deal suggested otherwise.
"No…" Loki muttered, thoughtful as he was doubtful, shifting Lucifer's attention from weighing if he should borrow the Holy Grail or not just to bring Lilith back to life. "You're too clever of an entity to make deals with an imprisoned God. You'd never settle with a simple gratitude and you certainly will never get one from me."
"Mhmm." Was all Lucifer said, still watching the spectacles the new King of Asgard was displaying. Lots of sparkles. Way to go, Captain Sparkles.
The Devil observed the thunder and covered his eyes with a sunglass made by the Power of Destruction, whilst Loki considered the possibilities for a moment, as he only needed a moment to consider all possibilities.
Or so he'd believe. "What is it that you seek…" he demanded scathingly, frustrated at Lucifer's unreadability. "Asgard? You want Asgard? No… Asgard will never accept you as their king…"
Lucifer decided to humor him. "Maybe not, but they might accept any Odinson."
The God stammered, his lips quivering at the thought of ruling Asgard as a puppet king. A puppet, but a king nonetheless.
His lips gaped for a word before he firmly shut them close, and spoke properly. "I will not have you make a mockery of me. Cut it with your jokes. Tell me what you want."
"From you? Nothing," said Lucifer, simply, matter-of-factly. "But if you accept suggestions, then perhaps consider cutting your hair. A shorter crop. It could use a little trim."
Loki didn't buy the devil's bullshit. Lucifer was like him; always scheming, always up to something. Something that he hadn't managed to see. Yet.
"You always do one thing in order to gain five things. Don't lie to me. I know your ways."
"Knowing isn't the same as treading a single one of them." The God-Devil said. "And lying? Me? Loki, please… Lying is for amateurs. You tell one little lie and all your big truths become questionable at best."
"I have tread your paths," Loki insisted, disgruntled. Fed up with his roundabout ways of answering. "We are not so unalike, you and I…"
Lucifer made a face. "Our hair might have the same color but I objectively have the better look."
Loki ignored The Devil's jest and continued, standing up and clenching his fist. "We have been banished by our so-called father figure. Family issues? Check. Our brothers and sisters despise us. Distrust us. We are outcasts and yet we are both the son of a dead God. I manipulate perceptions while you manipulate sins and desires; both are only equal in terms of abstractness. We failed our rebellions—"
His monologue halted to a full stop as Lucifer raised just a finger. "I'll have to stop you right there, Lewy."
"Do NOT," Loki snapped, eyes flaring mystic blue; trademark of a Jotunn. "Refer to me with that name. EVER."
Try as he might, no one could threaten Lucifer and expect to be treated seriously. "Why not? It sounds familiar."
"I have. A name."
"Mhmm. And it's Loki Odinson."
Loki nodded. "Finally. A common ground. Now go ahead and tell me why you stopped me and why I'm wrong to believe as such."
"You're wrong the moment you think we are alike," Lucifer started, Thor's fireworks becoming quieter as he and his people and Odin's closest confidant was about to take turns to say their eulogy. So he turned the volume down to a mute.
Odin's dead and that was that.
"Well?" Loki probed, impatient to be proven right.
"I was God's Executioner, Loki. Just like Hela was to your father, except I don't feel the urge to go on around and kill my siblings," Lucifer said, sighing a little. It was his fault for raising his expectations but it was Loki's incompetence for failing to meet it. "And I didn't fail my rebellion. I got what I wanted."
"By sending millions to die."
"They were my minions. Don't pretend like you care about replaceable casualties… You're better than that."
"I am," Loki chuckled. Talking to Lucifer was amusing, at least. Though he did frustrate him from time to time with his dry wit and know-it-all, he was more receptive than Thor or Brynn. And, of course, more pragmatic. As should be expected from The Devil.
"I'm admitting I am in awe of how you raised your army to be slaughtered in the battlefield while you've gone elsewhere. And instead of returning to win the battle decisively with your new power, you abandoned them."
"Why yes. I needed to adapt. It was the first time I died, after all, and dying felt strangely comforting. I'd like to meet Death again, one day."
"Hades?"
"He's the God of the Dead, not Death, the aspect," Lucifer detailed. "The Horsemen."
"Ah."
"Perhaps soon, when the Apocalypse started," he muttered and moved on before Loki could ask any questions about it, "Back to your earlier comparison; you excluded certain key differences too. True, we both have been banished, but have I ever been welcomed again in Heaven? Hell was meant to be my prison."
"You think this is home? I live in a cage, Lucifer." White padded rooms not too dissimilar to an asylum ward found on Earth or Midgard, as the Asgardians called it.
"A comfortable cage nevertheless."
"Still a cage."
"Mhmm," Lucifer smiled. Yasaka must still be sleeping elsewise she'd have cheered for Loki for the mutual understanding of being trapped. Except one could escape while one was completely encased in a rock.
"Go on. Gloat to me how you're correct."
"I'm not gloating, I'm telling you the truth. Gloating is what I will do once I've done something no one else has ever accomplished."
Loki crossed his hands. "Such as?"
"You'll see," Lucifer said ominously, inherently vague. "But I digress yet again."
A sneering smirk. "I do tend to distract my interlocutor."
"Don't pretend it was your doing; I enjoyed our conversation. That's why I get sidetracked. If I don't, you'd be talking to a wall."
The Jotunn gnawed the soft flesh of the inside of his cheek. "Fine. I'll give you that."
"It was never yours to give, but I appreciate the sentiment."
"You always have to one-up me don't you."
"I like teasing people. Gods even more so."
"Quit it."
"If you were me, would you?"
"Absolutely," Loki paused. "Not."
"Well there you go. Another common ground."
Loki actually smiled. If Thor or Brynn were at least half as stubborn and half as hopelessly romantic, then… he'd still prefer to talk with Lucifer. Regardless of being in control of the flow of the conversation or not. Lucifer was the elder brother he always wanted. Not that blonde brute that wouldn't understand the importance of subtleties and subterfuge. There were more in how to run a kingdom than to just rule.
"What about our siblings," he said, no longer interested in the funeral, forgetting the fact he was secretly grieving. "At least I got that right."
"Partially," Lucifer said, and Loki scowled, doubting Lucifer, thinking The Devil was saying that just for the sake of having a differing opinion. "My siblings despise and distrust me, that is true. And while yours do distrust you, they don't despise you."
The God of Mischief laughed an ironic laughter. "Hah! Have you become as deluded as your father, Lucifer?"
"Nothing in this world is impossible… but that is close to it," Lucifer replied, his temper as calm and even as the universe before it was ruined by existence. "If you really believe Thor and Brynn hate your guts, then you ought to buy yourself a mirror. Or ask a guard to get you one. Whichever is easier."
"How can they not hate me? They locked me in here! Never once did they visit me!" he seethed. "Not even after the death of our father! And you out of all beings, think they don't at the very least hate me?"
"How many times have you escaped?"
Loki grinned. A chance to brag? Don't mind if he does. "The same amount of times I have been locked here. Minus one."
"Then why haven't you."
"Because—" Loki stopped himself. Because he wanted to give that one-eyed Odin his last regard? No. Of course not. It couldn't be that. "...Because I am just biding my time. Jailbreaks require planning and planning requires time—" his black hair swayed as he shook his head, realizing Lucifer had him sidetracked. "Bastard— what does this have anything to do with how they feel about me?"
"Because they put you here. They know you'll escape, and yet here you are… Why do you think they placed you here?"
"To annoy me," Loki sulked, sitting down at the edge of his bed stuffed with the feathers of Asgardian swans. "What else could it be? If you're going to say they care about me then don't bother."
"Still, they don't despise you. That's obvious. They're cautious towards you, and for a good reason as well." Lucifer pointed out. "If they despised you, they would've sent you to Hel. Along with that wolf of yours."
"His name is Fenrir." Loki seethed, going silent for a moment as he ruminated on the fact that Fenrir would be forced to participate in the fight against Trihexa. "...He deserved better than to be treated like a caged animal."
His face then contorted to one of anger. Lucifer sensed it. Tasted it. It tasted as spicy as red hot ice on his skin. "If the prophecy is true, I refuse to have my sons die defending the people who banished and prayed for their demise to arrive sooner than later."
Well that confirmed that Odin spoke to Loki at least. Good on him to stay to his word. Not like Odin was one to break it.
"Maybe consider telling them not to eat their children."
"They're free beings. Isn't that what you like? Freedom?"
"I do but I made sure I can always handle the consequences and complications it entails. Your sons are in chains because you haven't prepared as well as you should, Loki."
The Asgardian scowled. Bitter to be told his plan wasn't as thorough. He was right to expect other Pantheons to avoid getting dragged with matters from other Pantheons, but Loki failed to foresee the Allfather would request help from the Underworld Empire of Devils — his most recent ally. Damn that Ajuka… That freak of devils.
Loki lowered his eyelids slightly as an expression of his exasperation. Idly, he glanced at the screen Lucifer had magically projected.
It was a rectangular screen, similar to Midgard's television except more magical and less electrically intricate and higher definition. Its sparking edges blurred into its surroundings. It had ceaselessly projected the scene of the Allfather's funeral. Thor was giving an eulogy. It was quite poor and stammery and he barely held it together. He was Odin's favorite son for a reason.
Still, Loki found himself unable to pry away his eyes from the screen. Sentiments? No… This wasn't sentiment. Why would he grow fond of a father figure who had banished him once and now locked him in prison for releasing a caged wolf?
Regardless of his denial, thousands of starry lights glided towards the heavens of Asgard as Odin's funeral ship gently drifted into the edge of the great waterfalls. The moment the ship was about to fall into the Sea of Space, it hovered for a moment, before a million of golden dust exploded, marking Odin's journey to Valhalla had begun. Then the ship fell off, scattering, breaking apart to symbolize the departure of a soul from a broken body.
The two outcasts watched in deferential silence.
Then Loki remembered his father's last words to him, and just barely managed to stifle his tears. He wasn't going to show The Devil his weakness. He couldn't afford to show Lucifer a way to wrench favor from him
The Devil didn't need to see it to know anyway. Loki had always been perceptive to anyone aside from himself, and his hatred towards Odin had never been one of pure Wrath. Pride and Greed were the main components. Loki was too proud of himself to admit that he cared for his adoptive Asgardian family.
But here stood The Devil himself, remaining apathetic towards most things that didn't concern him. Even his own former Empire and the titles he had.
"Out of curiosity; you were once the Great King of Hell, Lucifer. You were an Emperor."
"I was, yes." Lucifer blandly nodded, forging his floating throne made from the Power of Destruction. One of the few 'blessings' he granted to his minions before he waged war on God.
"Why throw it all away?"
"The same reason people throw away trash; I no longer have any use of it."
"I don't understand why you don't want your own kingdom. It's right there," Loki urged.
"I never wanted a kingdom. People tend to make presumptions without bothering to learn the truth," corrected The Devil, wise and yet so annoyingly insufferable in many ways — mostly because he spoke as though he was higher than everyone else. Which he now was. "I wanted to kill my father. In order to do so, I need to draw him out from his retirement facility called Heaven. To draw him out, I need to give him a reason to. So I started the biggest fire all Realms had ever seen, and I did so by building an army, gathering the people, uniting them in one banner… until they were big enough to be considered a threat that might set the world on fire."
Loki was in mute disbelief and yet also awe. "You're telling me… you did all that… Just to murder your father?"
"And take his power," Lucifer added. "That's nearly equally as important. A close second. A hair thin difference."
"And once you have… you just… threw it all away? The kingdom you built? The people who adored you? They don't mean anything to you, no more than tools?"
"Of course," The Devil confirmed without hesitation. "Once I gained the Creator's Divine Mandate or Will — whatever you Gods call it — their role simply shifted from expendable to replaceable. In fact, I have a much better army now. Their only necessities are souls to torment and they all obey me without fail. No personal agendas, no need for political intrigue, and they don't fear death… Because they are all creatures made in my universe… And there, the concept of death doesn't exist. Why do you think those sinners burn forever? It's not because they're made of candles, I can assure you that."
For once in his life, Loki stared at him in abject horror, horrified, and yet, at the same time, morbidly amazed. And all he could say to all of that was, "You really are The Devil."
Lucifer made a face. "Technically it's an occupation that grew on me. I'm an archangel still. And a god, I suppose…" his voice trailed off. "Why are you bothered? You don't even want a kingdom. Not even this kingdom."
The Trickster God sneered a derisive laugh. "If given the chance, I'd take over this kingdom in a heartbeat."
"Perhaps you will, but not because you want the throne, is it? You think you need it since you think being their king is the only way to have the Asgardians see you. For you to be seen as an equal to your brother and sister."
Loki paled at that. "No I do—"
"I'm The Devil, Loki," Lucifer told him. "Innermost desires sing to me, regardless of your permission or awareness of it. You're always so perceptive to anyone other than yourself… as I believe, is what your mother used to say to you."
Gone was the Trickster God and what replaced him was the child of a Frost Giant that just wanted to feel accepted. Loki's face shifted just slightly, but as per tradition, he blockaded his wave of sadness with a dam called Wrath. "Don't you speak of my mother as though you knew her better than me."
"I know many things better than you. Including yourself."
Loki shot up as he clenched his fists, glaring at him with thinly veiled anger.
Lucifer remained unmoved, his crimson eyes calm and unperturbed. Normally, he would have sent anyone straight to Hell for even trying to threaten him, but the Asgardians —their Gods at least— were a very special case. Maybe this was Odin's intention from the beginning, to befriend The Devil so his sons and daughter were spared from serving an Eternity in his Hell for unwittingly crossing a line.
Props to the One-Eyed King, if that was the case. He wouldn't even be mad about it; rather, he would be impressed. From one shrewd entity to another. The Devil knew to give credits when it was due — sadly others rarely paid their debts to him.
But Lucifer supposed it was time to stop poking at this God's Pride. He wasn't emotionally stable at the moment, and the amusement for succeeding to tease Loki had been significantly diminished thanks to that.
"Who do you think accompanied Frigga to pick her dress a day before she went on her first date with your father? No one has an acquired taste of fashion better than me," Lucifer joked, and he nudged at the well-dressed Prince of Asgard, whose Asgardian black and green clothes verily matched his whole 'i am a lying snake' persona. "I helped her pick that suit of yours, you know."
Hearing that, Loki's anger eased. It was a gift from his mother, and it was the reason why he had always worn these intricate layered clothes. It was the only thing he had to remember her by.
"...Learning you helped her slightly tarnish this clothing."
"Planning on burning it?"
Loki grimaced. "You always knew what to say, didn't you."
"I get a kick from other people's reaction to the words I say. Knowing what I need to say is a necessity."
The Trickster God snorted, fully understanding what he meant. In spite of his earlier rage, Loki at least rarely ever let it control him for too long. What was he, his idiot brother of thunder?
That said… "If there's anyone in this world that I'd want to be remembered by, it'll have to be The Devil."
"Not your parents?"
Loki scowled, aware Lucifer was saying it to tease him. "At the very least, you could've humored me. I rarely ever get sentimental, mind you."
"Sure."
Loki's scowl grew a mite deeper, but he let them go with a sigh. "It's a shame knowing we all would die, swallowed or trampled by Trihexa, all while you get to party with your demons."
"Never my business to save your world."
"Always about business with you, is it."
"Of course," Lucifer chuckled. "But there is always a safer alternative. Your father rejected my offer."
Loki shifted, deeply interested in knowing what his father that was fonder to Lucifer's suggestions would ever reject. "And that offer is?"
"A place in my universe," Lucifer said nonchalantly. "He said he's sworn an oath to protect the Nine Realms. And as he is the King of Asgard, what else can I say to that? But now he's gone and dead. His soul is safe from even Trihexa's reach. He should no longer have the authority to make decisions for the new King of Asgard, don't he? Elsewise, that would be unfair to his own sons."
Loki's blue eyes grew a size larger. "You're willing to harbor the entirety of Asgard? All including its people? And here I thought you despised people."
"I despised humans," Lucifer corrected. "And those who despise me. Are your people human? No. Do they despise me? Annoyed, perhaps, but they did well to remember I had an active role in preventing Ragnarok. While it's true they don't laud me as they laud your brother or your sister, they tolerate me."
"Terrified, more like."
Lucifer grinned, chuckling briefly. "True. While they come from the same place, fear and hatred aren't the same. Hate is what most experience in knowing I am a threat. Fear is what happens when they've found the wisdom to understand there's nothing they can do against me."
"Everyone is never without a weakness."
"And while I do have mine," The Devil easily admitted, "my strength renders it virtually nonexistent."
…Odin's beard, The Devil might be haughty and his pride was grossly inflated and his motives were always self-centered, but damn if he didn't have the power, intellect and evidence to and cunning to back it all up. Loki had all that except for power. The things he could do if he had Thor's might or even Brynn… He could have been the Lord of all Nine Realms and likely more.
But no. His brother and sister just had to be content with what they have. Of course they did; everything was readily served to them on a silver platter. Him? Loki could offer his people the purest of water and still they'd check it for poison, whereas Thor or Bryn could offer them a glass of mud and they'd drink and praise it.
So why was he going to propose this? "If I manage to convince my brother… that it's better to survive than fight a losing battle… Will you grant us a place in your world?"
"I will," Lucifer nodded. "But only you, your siblings, and the residents of Asgards. No humans. If you can convince Thor to accept that, then yes."
Loki thought for a moment, his mind focusing. He'd very much rather not die and save these ungrateful Asgardians. Flawed as they might be, they were still his people, and Loki needed people if he was to be a ruler. Because Thor would never leave Midgard to defend for themselves.
But perhaps… "...He'll stay in the defense of Midgard. He's a fool to have fallen in love with a human and he's successfully added one weakness to himself… perhaps I can make use of it." Lucifer smiled the faintest of smiles. "Not everyone in Asgard is a born fighter, and a good King will never force them to fight his battle."
Loki's grin outmatched Lucifer's thin smile.
"Are you prepared to leave your brother to fight alone?"
"He can take all willing valkyrie and huscarls as he wishes. Clearly I can expect nothing but absolute safety should Asgard become a Realm in your universe, no?"
"Certainly. I intend to be a better God than my father; I'd never have any murderous Gods or races to fill up my rental space."
The Trickster God smiled even wider. "Very well… And what about Fenrir? Midgardsormr? My sons?"
"Your people will never accept them, but they'll be excellent devourers in Pandemonium."
Loki was taken aback. Not because of the suggestion, but the unfamiliar name. "...What? What is that… A tavern or something?"
"Pandemonium," Lucifer resaid, matter-of-factly. "The new Realm of Hell I made. A thousand years ago. Huge place. Plenty of rocks. Plenty of molten rocks."
"I see…" Loki muttered. "Why Pandemonium?"
"I'm open to suggestions," The Devil shrugged. "I've always been horrendous with names."
"Cause of Eden?"
Lucifer nodde. "Because of Eden."
Loki momentarily sympathized with The Devil. He could shatter stars and yet his father tasked him with giving names to a quintillion of animals and insects, and that wasn't including the fish.
That said, "But why Pandemonium?"
"Why not Pandemonium."
"It is a bit much."
"If you want to criticize then at least be helpful."
Loki thought for a moment. "New Hell?"
"That's disturbingly simplistically human of you."
"Nonetheless, straight to the point. It is a new and improved revision of your old place."
"...I'll consider it. It's yet to be written in stone," Lucifer huffed, only to notice Loki's second-guessing face; that look of certainty everyone had at the first doubt that sprouted in their head. "Oh don't give me that look; your hound will have plenty of bones to go around. It's not as if I'm cruel enough to not let you visit them."
"I… while I appreciate it, truly, I do — how can I be sure your demons won't torture him?"
"They're my servants," Lucifer stated, a bit annoyed at the question because of it implicated his demons were stupid and unable to tell the difference between a criminal and a coworker, no matter how furry. "My servants don't kill or torture each other; that's not their job."
"You're going to turn my sons to your demons?"
"Well yes. You don't expect I'd do this for charity, do you? Your two 'sons' for the continued existence of your people is far from a horrible trade."
"...I…suppose that is so," Loki muttered, not yet certain if he wanted to let his wolf and serpent stroll in Hell, but The Devil always kept his exact words. Exact words, as he should pay close attention and mind.
Loki never had real sons or heirs because he feared they'd be impaled to a spear the moment they were born. By his own paranoid siblings nevertheless. That wouldn't be an issue if they existed in another universe, trying to fight for what was right and not what truly mattered; their people's safety.
"If I do, for the sake of argument, do become the King of Asgard in Thor's absence, will I hold absolute authority over the Asgardians?"
"I don't care what you do with your people. If you can handle the boredom and not start anything to ruin my universe's peace, and if you're able to control your people from interfering with my job."
"All I needed to hear," Loki sported his grin. "You have a deal, Lucifer."
"Then you better get to work," Lucifer muttered. "You have time. Just not that long."
"...You don't need to tell me twice," said the Asgardian, shuddering a little because of how callous Lucifer could be. He was everything Loki tried to be but couldn't, all because he was raised by a caring mother. "Odin also left me a message meant for you."
"Did he now?" Lucifer panned his head, his eyebrows raised. That old coot had expected Lucifer to give Loki a pity gift, did he? Impressive. Infuriating as it was to be read like an open book by another entity, by a dying God to top it all, Lucifer supposed Odin was far from the most humiliating thing.
"What did he say?" so he instead asked.
The Trickster God grinned. "I'll give it to you for another favor."
"You already owe me one," Lucifer pointed out. "You haven't even worked on it."
The Trickster God's grin fell off his face faster than it emerged earlier. He cursed under his breath, before sighing in defeat.
"Go on then," Lucifer told him, not wanting to wait. "Out with it. What's his message?"
"That you shouldn't rely on Zeus. On whatever quest you have," Loki replied, knowing trying to lie with The Devil was a waste of time, and he didn't have the right state of mind to produce half-truths. So he simply laid it straight. "But am I mistaken to believe you don't need him to tell you that?"
"Nah," Lucifer shrugged. Zeus was both a rapist and a wrathful lecher. The Devil had already devised his own plan in regards to the Olympian. He refused to believe Zeus held the only key to unlock Yasaka's prison.
The preparation was in order, only the execution remained… right after he was done humoring this particular god and once he collected his new… traveling partner, he supposed.
"Is that it?" he followed, making sure there was nothing more.
Loki shrugged. "That is it. Quite a short message… If not meaninglessly obvious. Father could've just had his secretary deliver it to you… But I suppose it's hard for her to reach out to you, given you rarely stay in the same place for an hour."
"Curious, is it? It's almost as if he knew I'd come and pay you a visit."
"Because he told you to."
"You really believe I'd listen to a god's demand? Really now… and you think we're one in the same. Forgot what I said about need and want?" Lucifer let his words hovered in the air long enough to see the realization set on Loki's face, as the truth become apparent in his eyes; that The Devil was sparing a time to make sure his old friend's son didn't have to grieve alone, thinking the entire world was against him in his pity-party.
"I'll see you when I see you."
And once Lucifer made sure of that, he vanished the same way he entered the jail cell; creating a wormhole to his Realm that was a perfect fit for him and his entire body only, at the very spot where he stood, granting the effect that he seemingly vanished without a trace, without delay, and without flashy special effects.
Seeing their stupor, Loki chuckled to himself, shaking his head and reclined on his bed, hands at the back of his flock of hair as he muttered to The Devil that had left, "You cocky bastard…"
Afterwards, Loki would proceed to devise his escape plan…
Earlier, Lucifer had placed every guard on stasis so they wouldn't bother their conversation. And when he exited this Realm, he broke the spell and now everyone seemed lost on where they were… Looking around, some feel more nauseous than the others. Being time-stopped had that kind of effect on lesser beings.
This would be easier than he thought.
Shapeshifting into a guard, a female guard nonetheless, Loki got up and banged on the prismatic wall, screaming, "Alert the guards! Loki has escaped! That charlatan has put us all to sleep!"
"How did you get in there?"
"He put me in here as a distraction for you fools! And evidently, an effective one at that. Let me out and find him!"
Break
Searching for a God was easy. There were only three of them remaining in Asgard. Finding a valkyrie was harder. There were hundreds of them. Most if not all of them were gathered with their family, taking a day off, courtesy of Thor, King of Asgard, who had made his job thrice as difficult as he couldn't just find someone he barely even knew. He didn't even know about her name until Odin brought it up.
So Lucifer called for his hunting dogs. With an unrivaled sense of smell and loyalty compared to dragons.
"Yes… Master?" One of the three Cerberus muttered surreptitiously, peering from the wormhole he had created. The reddish backdrop of the hellish skies and a distant cacophony of sound of hell that had never been duplicated on Earth or any other Realms immediately alerted everyone present somewhere in the street of Asgard.
Lucifer was about to speak until a harrowing scream cut him off.
"Quiet!" another Cerberus barked, turning around to look at the pool of lava, then ordering the demons to feed the souls with molten rocks to drown the noise. "Much better," she smiled, innocently sweet despite the blood splatter on her cheek.
The last of the trio scampered over, bushy white tail akin to an arctic wolf wagging behind as she rushed to join her self-siblings.
Noticing The Devil had made his presence and courtesy known once again, every Asgardians in that road awkwardly shuffled away and quickened their pace to their home or their relatives' whichever was the closest. This wasn't the first time it happened, but they always held on to the glimmer of hope that it might be the last, now that they had a new king.
But that'd be unlikely, because no matter where he was, in Rome or Asgard, Lucifer would do as he would do.
"Girls, I need your help."
Those three magic words immediately caused the Cerberus to broaden their red eyes, their sclera turning inky black and their teeth sharpened to perfect rows of canines designed to rip and tear flesh.
They wagged their tails more rapidly in excitement and anticipation.
"Is it time?!" the Alpha exclaimed, her black gloves adapting to the elongated fingernails that had turned to claws. "Shall we prepare the raiding party, Master?!"
"Not now. I need you to find someone for me. Rossweisse. A valkyrie. Silver hair. Rich with…" Lucifer took a moment to recall that secretary's most prominent vice. Every living thing had one… and Rossweisse's was, "Envy. Find her and… tell me where she is. Ensure she's alive, unharmed, and not mentally scarred. She's my new… Aide, I suppose…"
"May we teach her the methods of our efficient torture?"
"No. It's my universe's secret."
"What about the nail-pullers?" The second Cerberus bargained. "Just one fun fact; no matter what language they speak, they sound the same when you pull out their toenails."
"No."
Delta didn't lose hope. "...Our steel-haired toothbrush for compulsive liars?"
"No."
"The falling piano? …Why do we have that one again…?"
"No."
"The pit filled with flesh-eating wombats for animal abusers? That one was cleaned fifteen minutes ago, Master, we promise!"
"It doesn't matter if it's clean or not. The answer is no," Lucifer stated, and this was final. There was a subtle shift in his tone and Cerberus heard it loud and clear. "Demons don't bargain with The Devil. They listen."
"Yes… As you say… Master…" The Cerberus weakly groaned, visibly pouting as they reverted back to their less obvious demonic appearance. They nonetheless crawled out of the Gate bridging the two universes, with one measured leap.
The three snow-haired infernal demons sniffed the Asgard air, and they each grimaced in disgust.
"Ew— why does it have to be so peaceful here…" The Alpha said, wrinkling her nose. "What happened to the chaos? The scream of the damned? Where did that big red horny guy go?"
"Whatshisface?"
"Surtur? Surt? Snort? Heh-"
"Focus," Lucifer reminded.
The Triple Demon kicked a pebble down the street, listlessly replying with a lethargic, "Kaaay…"
Noting his subordinates lack of motivation and their pouty faces, Lucifer wisely thought of a way to fix that — and that was to promise them a just reward.
"Find her for me, and you may each eat two souls of sinners in my Hell, for every day that passes on Earth, for a week." Lucifer had to be specific and use Earth's day night cycle, as the time in Pandemonium (temporary) lasted for Eternity (subjective). An hour on earth could be a day or more in Hell, depending on how corrupt the souls were. And it did matter, because there was another batch of souls needing to be fried alive.
With that, the Triple Demon gasped, their spirit rejuvenated as their flattened wolf ears flipped up like lit candles. "But of course, Master. Nothing fuels our motivation like the soul of a sinner…"
"Vigor is restored!" the third Cerberus grinned, "We salivate already…"
"
That moment, the streets of Asgard were filled with the jovial laughter of the three demons, who followed the scent of sin as shark to a trail of blood. Only that they could hunt as well on land as they were on water, and wouldn't be paralyzed if someone flipped them over.
.
.
Not one minute later, Lucifer got what he wanted, and the Hounds of… New Hell (temporary) joyously and victoriously returned to their Realm, marching straight to Hell's Kitchen, where they could pester the cooks there and demand all the pancakes in that pantry. Lucifer had always made sure that his demons had no shortage of food and drinks. And although they never required food to operate Hell (temp.) and would have preferred to eat a sinner's soul raw to kill two sinners with one anvil (a Hell's saying), they appreciated the varieties.
Entering a tavern packed with off-duty valkyries and huscarls, Lucifer recalled his future traveling companion was in one of the corners. And he spotted her. Saw the top of her lilac-silver hair, as the valkyrie-turned-secretary-turned-jobless was presently slumped on a table at the far corner, accompanied only with five emptied mugs of what he assumed to be Asgardian ale.
Excellent. She's a nerd and a drunkard. Odin proceeded to annoy him even in Valhalla — which was basically Heaven for Asgardian, except drinking alcohol was allowed.
Heaven varied from Pantheons to Pantheons, but Hell remained universal. Good ole dad being the egalitarian for every creation other than him, had painted all compulsive sinners, mortal or 'immortal', as equal. He believed deserved equal rights and opportunities to experience Hell's Wild Ride, which was comparable to an automatic car wash except the grill brushes were littered with nails and your everyday sharp objects; knives, cutters, a very dull and rusty handsaw…
Very efficient to make an assaulter beg they didn't assault anyone because of their skin colors.
For non physically assaulting racists, they normally spent an eternity drinking a cup of molten rocks and pouring it on their eyes and ears. Hard to stay racist when you can't see or hear or speak.
Lucifer got a tingle from walking past these elevated door-stoppers of Odin, all eyes staring at him with eyes full of suspicion, their mind brewing presumptions of his malicious intent and so and so. Contrary to many assumptions, made up by humans of course, there were more than Seven Deadly Sins. All sins were just as deadly in lethal doses. Self-righteousness and presumptions were merely one of the common ones, and all these guards were drowning in it.
It would be so easy, Lucifer thought, to fill a portion of Hell with valkyries and huscarls. But then he would have 'broken' the rules because sinners whose good deeds outweighed their bad were allowed to enter their idealized Heaven.
Fair enough. Heavens would be terribly empty otherwise.
That said, Lucifer arrived at the round table without anyone making an effort to annoy him. How unexpectedly wise of them. If only they could remain as incurious without requiring a King to be dead.
He didn't sit, because he didn't want or need to stay for longer than necessary. "Rossweisse," he said to the business-suited woman, not yet responding or aware of his presence.
Hmm… What to do here… He could cause a scene and trigger everyone in the room to jump into action. They were raring for it, rather. But in doing so he would satisfy their desire of playing heroes.
So Lucifer knocked on the table.
"Mmmrhgmm… givm'me fyve minush…"
What sort of unholy language was this.
Lucifer knocked again, except this time he knuckled the top of her head.
"Ooooowie…!" Rossweisse yowled, cradling her head as she begrudgingly looked up at him, and gave him a mean look. "...Whatsh YOUR problem?! Hic."
"You, for a foreseeable future," said Lucifer, as dry as a nun's panties. Before they met him, that is. "Get up," he demanded. "You're going out with me."
Rossweisse's mouth was half-open before it clamped shut while her turquoise eyes became as wide as saucers. Substantially red saucers. "...Wuddid yu shay…?"
Lucifer hated being asked to repeat himself, so he cleared her mind; by directly grasping the side of her face, funneling his Divine Will, and enhanced her liver to work five times as hard to simmer down the alcohol content in her body. On her side of things, Rossweisse felt funny in the general area of her stomach.
He set his eyes on her face, at her scarlet cheeks, waiting for it to fade away. Pretty as she might be; Lucifer didn't have time for drunks or pretty women lacking interesting personalities.
"Arr-you maeking fhun ofh me?!" she sniveled, "You fhink dis ish fhunny?!"
"I think this is getting more and more tiresome by the second."
"Shaddup!" Rossweisse hammered the table with her clenched fist, once, causing the glass mugs to shake and the customers to look in her direction. "Havrn't you people mashe fun of me enOufh! Why I'll sshow you—"
"Quit it." Lucifer slapped her face. It didn't have much power behind it and was more of a slightly-powerful-tap. He had no need of slapping her across the face. That would be excessive, and Lucifer hated being wasteful with his power.
Rossweisse stared at him in abject disbelief, clutching her cheek, her eyes brimming with tears threatening to spill. "Y-You slapped me…"
"Tough love."
"...Lies! Why do you people always bully me…! Is not enough to torment me emotionally, now you get physical too? I just— I just wanted to be one of you, you know!"
His brows narrowed, and Lucifer glanced over his shoulders, managing to spot a few valkyries and huscarls chuckling among their peers.
Ah yes. In vino veritas… Odin mentioned she was given the scold-shoulders by her coworkers.
And instead of giving them a reason why, she chose to be a drunkard?
Wasn't she supposed to be valkyrie instead of a human?
"Get up, valkyrie," he said again. "We're leaving."
"I can get physical too! Through my spells! Like this….szzz…" Lucifer grabbed her wrist and put her to sleep right there, stopping her from escalating the scene and possibly exploding the entire tavern. With that Lucifer also realized one thing; judging the looks of relief from her so-called bullies, they never hated her.
They were scared of her.
Because her magic was more powerful than theirs.
What a pathetic bunch.
Yet still, no matter how powerful this ostracized valkyrie might be, Lucifer severely doubted she could provide a sliver amount of help in achieving his goal. Sidekicks? Heroes needed sidekicks. The Devil only had a need for subjects because he wasn't planning to stay in Hell just to chuck irredeemable sinners into a ditch filled with used syringes.
But now he had to be stuck with taking care of this… drunk of a jobless valkyrie… All because he wasn't allowed to say no.
Thanks, Odin, you stubborn dead bastard. How very uncool of you. And Lucifer thought they were friends.
Then without regards to the somewhat awkward mood of the tavern, the door blasted open, and a panicked valkyrie blurted the news; "Loki has escaped his containment!"
As the elite guards scrambled outside the building in a gusto, that would be his cue to waltz away from this place. With the slumbering valkyrie latched to his chest, Lucifer departed the Realm of Asgard, and headed straight to the cloudy Realm of Olympus.
Not to make a deal with a Greek God.
He already made one earlier before he made his trip to Asgard and paid the God of Mischief a visit.
Though the deal was not made with an Olympian.
No Olympian had ever dared to set a foot in that Realm. Not even Zeus dared to tread deep into Tartarus. No Giants or Titans ever wandered to the Mansion of Night, where there resided a Primordial that had several desires unquenched.
One of which was seeing an Endless Night reign over Mount Olympus, where the sun had never set.
Yet.
Break
In the meantime, elsewhere, in a world inside an amber orb where there was no sun to set — a pair of large, fluffy golden fox-like ears twitched slightly. Snug and contentedly wrapped in warmth, completely without an article of clothing underneath the billowy duvet and the thickness of her tails, Yasaka squeezed her eyes shut and stretched.
Sighing a moan, she let out a mewl of a yawn, stubbornly refusing to exit her futon. The blessing in disguise, she supposed, was that she was allowed to sleep and wake up as she pleased. It wouldn't do her any good on the long run, but being a flexible vixen herself when she was alone, she might as well try to enjoy this place to its fullest.
…No. Wait. She shouldn't get too comfortable here, lest she actually grew fond of this prison.
She thought of Kunou, thought of Tamamo-no-Mae, thought of her people without their Guardian — and those were the three key motivators for her to get up from her bed. Or at least, to sit up. The Devil failed to be part of that list because he could take care of himself.
"...Nn?"
The five-tailed kitsune blinked, noting a change had occurred in her body. For one, one of her missing tails had returned. Her body felt oddly refreshed despite her last night tumble with Lucifer, and the hickeys he scattered on her neck, breasts, back, nape of her neck, the two dimples just above her butt, had all disappeared.
Yasaka tittered giddily as she swished the returnee golden tail, wondering how she got it back the very next second, her left ear tipping to one side as she pondered. Yōkai had always been the most receptive to ki; the circulating force of life all living creatures owned. She shouldn't be surprised that by sleeping with Lucifer and absorbing his life force in the funnest way possible she'd feel rejuvenated, but Yasaka didn't think she'd experience this kind of afterglow in this world. Especially when Lucifer had to sleep to enter it, requiring him to ditch his physical body…
Albeit he did feel just as warm and very Lucifery for her to be just dreaming of him.
…Just what in heaven is this place? What god built this? How could they layer so many seals with different qualities and origin?
Snuffling, she scratched her stomach and idly glanced down whilst her tails fixed the worst of her bed-head. She took a special note of the strange small bump,
and gingerly rubbed her palm over her belly. Could it be… No. While Lucifer did fill her up, generously might she add, Yasaka had never gone to sleep without cleaning herself. Sleeping would feel gross and uncomfortable otherwise.
The other idea crossed her mind just as she sensed an extra soul in this realm, hardly the size of one edamame bean, but a soul nonetheless. In three weeks, she would give birth to a healthy fox kit and become a mother… just like her mother before her.
This… This was what she wanted. Long before Lucifer's Rebellion. Long before she met The Devil, before she unexpectedly grew fonder of him, and he to her. Long before she adopted Kunou… Even after she adopted Kunou. She'd wanted to give her a baby sister. She didn't expect it might happen so soon.
Like the cherry blossoms in spring, happiness bloomed in her, encasing her with emotional warmth. Her tails curled and wrapped themselves around her body, and Yasaka just barely managed to hold it together due to her curious nature as well as the absurdity of this situation.
How? And why?
Well she supposed the 'how' was obvious, and hot too, but the 'why' remained an anomaly… yet another mystery added to this place.
She was pregnant, most definitely with Lucifer's child, and in spite of his view regarding kids, Yasaka wouldn't mind raising their children on her own. She was raised without a father, and as nice as it would be to have a husband, she couldn't impose this responsibility on Lucifer. Devil or God or none of the above, he didn't know this was possible.
Lucifer was cursed by his father to never bear a child. That, and his ego and self-importance alone would have likely been enough of a protection without him needing to be doubly sure by rendering himself infertile with his Divine Will.
Even if he got uncharacteristically careless, Yasaka was a kyuubi. Not technically, but in essence, she was a kyuubi with four fewer tails. Lucifer wasn't even a yōkai or a human.
…Whatever the reason… This was a blessing. She hoped nothing bad would happen to her baby should Lucifer break her out before her due date. She had full faith in him. Perhaps the only person in this universe that placed their faith in The Devil.
But Yasaka couldn't be sure if she could place her faith in this place. What if whatever happened in this place stayed in this place? What if, should she leave, her kit couldn't come with her? What if she had to choose between returning to care for Kunou, or remaining here to nurture her biological daughter? Not even being the Guardian of Old Kyoto could prevent her from being torn should that kind of cruel fate awaited her.
Deeply shaken, Yasaka brought her tails forward and bundled them up with a hug, trying to comfort herself, trying to lower her rising stress level. For the first time in ages, Yasaka felt deathly terrified. Nothing terrified her more than the uncertainty.
Anxiety screamed at her and she clutched her tails tighter, as she called for the only being that could provide her with a much needed reassurance, or at least take her mind off the scary thoughts.
"...Lucifer…" she whined, then cleared her throat to yell, "Lucifer! Can you hear me? Please reply, I want... I need you here! P-Preferably this instance!"
To be continued…
New players enter the game of half-truths and forgeries; Nyx. And Yasaka and Luci's lovechild. I can already picture his smug smirk dropping off his face once Yasaka delivered the news. I'd be very impressed if any of you figured out how the hell Yasaka got pregnant or why she's in that stone.
Got any name suggestions?
I'll beat you over the internet if you suggest naruto
danzy y nyx again. ree
Because it made sense, alright. In Greek myths, Zeus checks his closet for Nyx. In dxd canon, Nyx doesn't show up until volume 24 and that's a heckin long way to go. I needed a somewhat competent antagonist that'll actively try to convince lucifer why longinus are bad ideas and therefore should be thrown in the garbage
I had way too much fun writing Lucifer and Loki's interactions, I admit. It just went on and on and I hope it comes naturally as well.
Lucifer will further fuck with the original plot of DxD too. Keep in mind he still has a side quest of dealing with Kokadoodledoobiel, while settling his Fox In A Rock problem… and his unexpected kid.
devildadi with foximomi pog?
As you can tell, he already screwed up Raynare's plan, and effectively prevented her from being a lame villain memorable only for her tits. The Butterfly Effect is in motion since the first chapter, ladies and gentlemen. Likely only gentlemen because girls are just mythical beings made up by the internet, like giraffes. Like L O L, you'd expect me there's a yellow horse with long neck but a unicorn doesn't exist?
Shut up. Rhinos aren't horses. It doesn't count. And rhinos have more than one horn… except the endangered one in Indonesia ig
Russian warship, go fuck yourself
Slava Ukraini
Somewhat Important Notice
For those that want to give 'New Hell' a name - suggest away. Here's your only chance to have your suggestion be part of my story and referenced in nearly all future chapters
I thought of Paradise Lost, but it is a bit much. Or just plain "Paradise"; just to trick everyone into believing they're going to disneyland when it's clearly anything but. Or Arcadia "a place of rustic innocence and simple, quiet pleasure. "Arcadian" can mean "idyllically pastoral" or "idyllical" — for the irony and in reference of my other story
Hit that follow button and leave a review on the ding dang story. I spent 5 hours on this chapter alone yo ( ͡ಠ ʖ̯ ͡ಠ )
Yes i know effort doesn't guarantee success im just doing a bit of being a review-whore