Writing this story takes me back to a humbler time, where I'd only get at most 3 reviews and 4 new followers per chapter

Granted my writing sucked ass then but i think i've made an alright progress ever since

Someone asked me how exactly do I picture Yasaka since I'm not using her DxD appearance. Well. Just picture Ahri from LoL, but blonde, more mature, and without the face stripes. There you go. Foxy mama Yasaka

Anyway, enjoy folks ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

Lucifer: Yearning Armageddon

Chapter 6

|| An Archangel's Wrath ||

Lucifer believed nothing could ever shock him. The failure of Eve resisting her desire, the Ragnarok, the Clash of Titans, the Death of Titans, the emerging of new gods following the death of the old ones, Odin's death — all events, big or small, was easily explained by logic and the inability of these lesser beings in controlling their emotions. The glaring imperfection that stopped them from doing what was necessary.

If his new companion, that former secretary of Odin, was able to control her emotions and not other people's thoughts bother her, then she would have been revered. Having that many people who was 'scared' of her meant she had plenty of opportunity to prove them wrong, not drown herself in her own self-pity and sorrow and became an outcast.

If Zeus wasn't so prideful, then he would still retain his Divinity, no matter how small, and he wouldn't be staring at his golden throne with his head lodged atop a golden spear. His family's heads would still be attached to their neck, not be a decoration for Nyx's new palace. If Ares wasn't so insipid with his rage and able to consider his own words, then he would be joining his progenitor, decaying slowly instead of suffering an eternity in Hell.

If you have a billiard table, and roll a ball along the table, if you knew the resistance of the felt, the elasticity of the cushions, the speed and spin that's on the ball, you would know exactly where it would end up. That same idea applies to all of creation. Every proton, neutron, electron, everything is just a bunch of billiard balls. No computer strong enough to calculate where everything is going to fall… but nevertheless, the mechanism is there.

But to be complacent with less than you want is to let life defeat your spirit.

Lucifer understood this. That was why he always got everything he ever wanted. Not no matter the cost. The cost mattered — hence why he never let anything that didn't matter have a reason to start mattering to him. Millions of devils were crafted out of necessity, to serve in his army. He had never let them mean more to him than just that; expendables.

Now… everything had an explanation — but this?

This… baby bump?

Lucifer had to admit, while his mouth wasn't ajar or his mind wasn't wracked with confusion; he was surprised.

"What… what do you have in mind…?" Yasaka clutched her tail as she stared at his hand, currently placed on her belly.

The Devil was calm. Too calm for Yasaka's liking. His red eyes spoke no emotions other than a disturbing serenity and focus. Here she was, some of her golden fur scattered over the wooden floor, excessively stressed and yet The Devil remained unfettered. Which was to be expected, but sometimes, one day, Yasaka would love to see this indomitable composure of his crack.

But not today. Not at this moment, at least.

As he seemed to be thinking, a thousand questions and anxiety wailed in her mind — 'what if he doesn't want the child?' screamed the loudest, followed closely by her other two worries. If she'd have to be trapped here to raise her new kit, or if her kit couldn't escape this nightmarescape.

"Lucifer?" she called out, hating the fact that she could be this ill at ease against uncertainty. "Please talk to me."

"This place has something to do with it, that is obvious," he finally spoke, his expression remaining neutral. "I've no powers here; my powers lie within my Soul and what I am here is merely my consciousness… And the 'Rules' of this place, so to speak, doesn't seem to mind that I wasn't of your species."

She was asking him about their baby, but his reply brought her a much needed comfort nonetheless. "...Then what about… what about her?" Yasaka gingerly asked, placing her palm on top of his hand. "...Will you…do you…want her…?"

Lucifer had never looked so offended; and he had been slighted more than the amount of stars in the universe.

"My father is a horrible father. And worse at being a God," he told her, his crimson eyes resembling a setting sun with his glower. "I am not my father. I'm better. His greatest mistake was letting me live even though he's aware I've never despised anyone but him. Should've killed me when he had the chance. He's the only one I've slain out of hatred as well as necessity."

"...Don't talk to me in riddles, Lucifer, what does that mean? To her? If you wish to dispose of her immediately then even I'll—"

"You don't get it," he said with a mite of disappointment. "Keep her. Nurture her. Raise her. You're a mother now; do your part. I'll be her father and do mine."

"...That's it…? No… No deal or favors…?" Yasaka pressed her lips, guilt-ridden from the question's tone, but she couldn't get a grasp of him even after centuries of knowing and sleeping with him. And if she wasn't so focused on her emotions, perhaps she would have noticed the slightest twitch of his lips.

Let it be known that The Devil was not impervious to all kinds of pain.

"You're not exactly the easiest person to guess, Lucifer…"

He sighed. "A common problem everyone seems to experience. They don't seem to understand every action has a reaction; and my reaction depends on how they choose to see me. So now I ask you this; do you see me as The Devil who makes deals or as the father of your daughter?"

Yasaka let out a choked gasp. Most of her worries faded away like ashes in the wind, but Yasaka didn't allow herself to get swept away by the wave of relief just yet despite her chest was about to explode from her emotions.

"I'm sorry…I just needed to hear it from you." She needed certainty and this uncanny place severely lacked any. Two weeks and one day and her mind nearly went insane. "I'm losing my sanity in this place, worrying about too many things all at once."

"Don't," he said, almost like an order. "Don't think of anything. And I mean anything that is happening beyond this place. That is mine to handle. What you need is to stay here and rest well. Don't think of the hypotheticals—think about your daughter. Our daughter, I suppose. You're not just any woman, you're Yasaka. What makes you different from any other woman?"

Yasaka clutched her arm, frowning sadly as her ears wilted. "...You don't need to be so mean about it…"

"No, I have to. You're losing your grip, Yasaka," he gently grabbed her wrist, and brought it near his lips as he left a soft kiss to the heel of her thumb. His voice softened then. "You're my woman. I don't choose who I lie with based on their appearance alone. Where has your confidence gone? Hm? You're a wily fox, not a sputtering young lass."

Yasaka was outright offended. Her tails bristled as she glowered. This was the first time she'd ever been this mad at him.

"I'm not born complete! I don't instantly know everything I must do when faced with a new kind of trouble. I'm not some sort of a complete package of all the things I need to have to be a perfect being. I'm the Guardian of the Yōkai Clan, trapped in this place while my own servant is taking my place. I'm pregnant and there's nothing here that makes sense— the Great Gods know that I'm slipping, but life happens to me, Lucifer, even if it doesn't happen to you!"

Her abrupt anger failed to make sense to him. To no one's surprise. Anger to him was pointless. Destructive at the least.

But Yasaka wasn't The Devil and her 'imperfection' allowed her to get angry just like everyone else. And she was getting madder with the visible disappointment in his eyes, as if to say she was wrong to be angry.

There was a stretch of tense silence before it was broken by his soundless sigh. "The worst 'idea' men and all existences have led themselves to believe, is that they are born alone and they will die alone. That friendship and love is an illusion, momentary distractions to keep themselves busy so they don't think about life. That the weight of existence is theirs to shoulder. Then they realize they're wrong only when their legs have given way and break."

His words were said with hushed gentleness, almost like he was confused, confused as to why he had to make this clear to her. His apparent bewilderment broke her anger, snapped it like a twig, burning it down and reducing it into bitter ashes of embarrassment.

"You're not perfect," Lucifer said. "But I am. And I agreed to lend you my help. Why are you so worried?"

All her residual anger subsided away once Yasaka connected the dots. She heard her heart fractured as she finally got what she wished for earlier; seeing his composure crack, the first time she saw him this mystified, and it was her who caused it, because her hurt pride.

It didn't feel as satisfying as she'd pictured it. She felt petty, glib. No urges to tease him and gloat at him.

"I'm sorry…" she said quietly. "How could I have figured out what you mean? You're an enigma, Lucifer. No one knows you better than you."

"Apparently so, for most others," he cooed. "I gave you my time, I visited you when solitude made you feel lonely. I made you laugh, smile, sometimes tearful when you were emotional and needed a good cry. There's nobody else in this universe that I've spent more time with other than you." Without missing a beat, he added, "And Hades and Persephone, but I annoy him most of the time because Persephone is a nosey girl curious about everything Hades doesn't let her see."

He cracked a smile, but his questioning look was present. "I'm not helping you because I love you, Yasaka. Make no mistake," he told her, mystified still. "Or am I just The Devil to you as well?"

Her heart just shattered there, ashamed at herself for not realizing how much she meant to Lucifer, and how her words were an insult to his gift that he'd rarely offer to anyone. The fact that he wasn't angry or mad or even upset, only confused, worsened her regret.

And 'as well'?

She could hear the pieces scattering a mess all over the ground. Most if not all saw him only as The Devil.

"I admit I am good at it," Lucifer mused, a knuckle over his lips, looking like someone who was trying to figure things out. Trying to make sense of her lack of trust and faith in him. Him: The Omega. He could do anything should he chose to.

Yasaka subdued her anger and shame, and held his hand. A sad smile on her face. "I am…I'm sorry," she sighed, mellowing, both embarrassed and ashamed, wishing this world would gobble her up and hide her for… not forever, but for less than forever. "Misunderstanding, Lucifer. My anger was born from it. Not because I don't…trust you or…" she sighed. She should stop making excuses. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

He cocked a black eyebrow. "Hurt me? You puzzled me, dear, not hurt me."

"I guess..." She smiled weakly, drawing circles on his skin. Her insides felt like shreds. "I…thought you didn't need friends."

"I don't," he said in a heartbeat. Not to deny, but affirming a simple truth that he didn't find friends a necessity. "But they're nice to have around, I have found. Makes things less boring," he told her, "A pity not many are worth my time."

There he goes again. Yaska rolled her eyes, smiling this time at least. "And I'm the fortunate few who deserves it, am I?"

"Of course," he said, plainly even for his standards of dry deliveries. "You're delightful to have around. You value your appearance. You smell of peaches and oftentimes roses, faint, not oppressive, but tickles the nose just right. Your smile sweetly unless you're being devious, amusing should you choose to. Your hair and those vulpine fur of yours are like silk and your pride in them isn't misplaced. Your laugh is warm, playful at times, and your gentle voice doesn't grate my eardrums. And you don't age. That's important to me."

The blush on her face was as red as his eyes.

Every bit the silver-tongued devil, was he?

Yasaka bitterly chuckled, using the white tip of her tail to cover her face, looking away from him in a rarely felt bashfulness. Finally calming down as she reminded herself of who she was, Guardian of the Yōkai clans, ruler of Old Kyoto, and now, at long last, a mother. She was Lucifer's friend and his lover on the side, she veered towards him.

"...Thank you," she finally breathed, and leaned forward, finding security in his chest. "...Thanks. I…suppose I needed that. I needed this…. I…erm…value you a lot, Lucifer," she muttered shyly, unaware of how embarrassing that sounded until the words left her mouth. "I hope all this isn't just a trick to make me confess to you."

"Denial now, really? You're being paranoid, Fox."

"...Alright, fine…" Yasaka exhaled softly, scolding herself for doubting him this soon again. "I…I'm just flustered, alright? I never needed anyone this much before… I never felt this… this powerless. Helpless. Nothing I know so far has prepared me for this moment. This pocket dimension is making me lose my mind. Look!" she cried, grasping a lock of golden fur from the floor. "My tails even start to shed!"

"Don't worry then," he told her as if it was as simple as flipping a switch. He wouldn't know either way. Lucifer never worried. Yasaka snuffled poutingly as he ran a hand over her slender back, tucked underneath her sea of hair. "So that's why you're so uncharacteristically needy. Another small victory to add to my tally."

Yasaka sniffed, a light pink streak smearing her light cheeks. "Don't tell anyone you saw and heard me acting like that. Let this remain our secret. What do they say… what stays in Vegas, no?"

Sin City… Ironically a city with the most churches per capita. Lucifer avoided that place mostly because of the Mormons.

So he didn't expand on that ridiculously successful advertising motto that turned into pathetic reasoning for escapists of consequences.

"A secret? My. How romantic."

"I mean it," she huffed, unamused by his dry humor. "I can't let anyone think I'm weak. I'll have to kill them if they do or at least threaten them."

"How barbaric."

"I'm not at a position where I can tolerate disrespect," Yasaka said with finality and pride, all the while needily nuzzling the crook of his neck; her physical, affectionate way of saying she felt bad and sorry and that he should forgive her because she was as adorable as she was beautiful.

"My faction is the weakest. Both in terms of manpower and strength. Should anyone think I'm weak or with weakness, then—"

"They'll have to go through me as well." Lucifer cut her off. Not a thing he normally did as The Devil, but he wasn't being The Devil or an immaculate dealmaker right now. Just Lucifer. "No disrespect to you, vixen. Disrespecting you is a personal slight to my taste in women, and I happen to have a consummate taste."

Her cheeks felt warmer and Yasaka smiled. "I'll take a portion from your self-compliment and make it mine."

"Take it as you will; it's the truth." he simply said, feeling her fuzzy ear tickling his neck as she pulled away to shower him with kisses.

Unlike the humans that were wrongfully burdened with 'Free Will' —a so-called 'gift' from good ol' dad, which, in his eyes, was nothing more than an illusion— Yasaka had never let those around her shape her. She rejected what was expected of her; to be a den mother for her clan, and forged her own path. She chose to be a queen rather than to embrace her fate as a mere breeder.

But even then, successful she might be, she never let her swelling pride chaining her emotions. She was in control of her vices, not controlled by them. She used them to propel herself closer towards her goal. And now, the whole Yōkai clans were united under a single woman while those that stuck to their traditional values had been thoroughly converted.

Of course he could do all that himself, but she was not him. She didn't have his powers. She had her own wit, intelligence, and power, and she resorted to making a deal with The Devil because she realized what she had wasn't enough.

Lucifer found her resilience to be interesting, and later on, extremely alluring.

"Much as it is fun to flirt around with you, old fox," Yasaka frowned after hearing and registering that phrase. "I can't spend much time here… That in mind; how long will your pregnancy last?"

"...Three weeks," she muttered, frowning because of his needless comment. "...I can't be old if I'm eternal. I don't 'grow old'. My aging stopped when my ninth tail sprouted."

"And now they're back to five," he pointed out. "You're not eternal either; I am."

Yasaka snuffled, mildly bemused by Sir Know-it-All. "Always have to be the smartest person in the room, don't you, Lucifer."

"Only when it annoys everyone in that room that isn't me," he brushed her bangs aside and pecked her forehead. Yasaka liked that affectionate gesture, as proven by her five flailing tails, each having the mind of their own and deciding where they wanted to wag.

"But three weeks, hm?" he hummed, "Very well…"

Her ears perked up, alluding to her curiosity. "What're you going to do next? What have you been doing while I was asleep?"

"Broke another seal of yours."

"Oh. Zeus?"

"In a way," he answered vaguely, and smoothly moved on to her other question. "And I'm doing what I've been doing right now. As well as finding the maker of your pendant, now that it matters..."

"It matters only now? What about then?"

"The seals were the only concern then. Break them and it'll break you out," he clarified. "But now you're pregnant with a pup."

"Kit."

"Same thing, really," he sniffed. "You worry for her safety. Hence why I'll find this world's maker. Have them explain what it is, then get both of you out. Until then, rest. I'll make sure nothing disturbs you."

Well… though he frustrated her from time to time with his wiseness and witticism and his unbreaking equilibrium, Yasaka couldn't deny that she was decidedly attracted to Lucifer for plenty other reasons. One for being the only one who could satisfy her physical, emotional, and physical needs, two for never losing it, and lastly because he seemed to always know what to do. And four due to his point of view regarding his powers.

Any thug can use force and doing so shows little creativity or imagination. The easy way.

He preferred to crush his enemies with handicap and humiliate them, shattering all they believed in, as if to show them why they were insipid and make them see and acknowledge their fault. And then he'd toss them to Hell. Who knows.

Yasaka found that to be more appealing than simply abusing his power. The horrified look on Nurarihyon's face during that night was permanently seared into her memories.

"I realize how lucky I am to have you. Your help, I mean… Truly, I do," she admitted, smiling softly, if not a little bashful as Lucifer was her first real romance. First person to ever make her feel this way about someone and, in all honesty, make her feel like a young woman in love again. "I don't know where I'd be right now were you not here."

"Trapped here, most positively."

Gone was her swelling sense of love and what replaced it was unadulterated annoyance.

Break

Lucifer opened his eyes, waking up in an entirely different Realm. From the well-lit dreamscape into a pitch black Realm where everything was only a different shade of black.

Dark and drab — a nightmare if anything, and nearly emptily abandoned, save for the howls of the beheaded Olympians.

"Lucy~" a voice called him from the darkest of shadows as midnight blue eyes emerged from the Primordial night. "Slept well?"

Lucifer didn't consider lucid dreaming as sleeping, but as he wasn't in the time for conversation, he simply replied with a bland, "I slept."

The Night's giggle was sultry, dripping with seduction and barely-hidden desire. She wanted more from him, he figured. Another favor. Another deal. Another attempt at trying to make him kill things for her.

So Lucifer got off and stood up from his throne, fastening the two buttons of his classic suit, all the while his black throne burst into ashen flames, flickering only for a moment before disappearing completely. Once he flattened his suit, he layered the pendant inside with a soundproofing spell, so that Yasaka wouldn't need to bother herself with external issues.

"Leaving so soon? I haven't even prepared a housewarming party yet."

"Your invitation is appreciated, but I have other matters to attend to," he said without looking as he was fixing the lapels of his suit and then his tie. "Unless you know where the pendant is made."

Nyx fully materialized from the crowning darkness, the process appearing as though she was a shadow apparition before regaining her colors.

"I wish I do, I truly do," she said in a light tune, "And I would've lied to anyone that I do. Sadly for me, you're not just anybody."

"Then farewell."

"Wait—!" She managed, and she only managed to do so because Lucifer was moving towards the oval-shaped cocoon that had been nurturing the valkyrie inside. "...Wait…" Nyx muttered, despising how desperate it made her look. "Let's make another arrangement, Lucifer."

"If you have anything that interests me then go ahead," Lucifer said, prying open Rossweisse' bed with a gesture of his finger.

As the silver-haired valkyrie began to float, Nyx hurriedly searched for a bargaining chip, anything she could use to trade. 'What The Devil wants…' she thought, short but hard. Freedom was the immediate answer but she couldn't offer him that when he was already free. He had the freedom to walk away from… everything. This magnificent bastard had created his own universe just to spite his father, staying here merely for… for what…? Amusement? Most likely.

Love?

Love was stupid. It weakened her. Made her temperamental. It was demanding. Love used her and it changed its mind more than an indecisive teen. But hatred? Now, that was something she could use. Sculpt. Wield. It could be hard or soft, however she required it. Love humiliates, but Hatred cradles.

Nyx scoffed and sneered at the idea of the Morning Star wanting to feel 'complete'. He was an ego and pride incarnate. At most, Lucifer kept that fox around because she amused him in more ways than most others could. But a new question was born; what makes Yasaka so special? Her nine tails? Nyx could sprout out tails and ears if she wished to. Changing her appearance was a trifle.

Power? Please. The nine-tailed fox might be an expert at abusing the Leyline, but a Primordial's source of power was their own. And as if Lucifer would pay a sliver of attention towards something as brutish as raw power.

The Night frowned upon realizing she couldn't come up with anything in time, and resorted to a vague implication and hoped the First Light might lend her a spark, "Weren't you being too careless? Sleeping in my Realm? I could've tampered with your liontin while your unconsciousness is in there."

Instead of a spark, all she got was cinder of a backhanded insult carried with elegance along with a simple smirk as he glanced at her, "You're not stupid, Nyx."

His words were as clear as its message; The Night wouldn't dare trifle with The Devil and he knew.

Nyx swallowed her pride and let that truth sink through her flesh the same way his dogs chewed Zeus alive. "You've killed God, your Creator. What's preventing you from doing the same to mine?"

"I don't hate your creator," he said without looking, conjuring a splash of water on the valkyrie's face, who wrinkled her face in response.

"Well I do," Nyx griped. "He paced around doing nothing and he chained me with his flavorless Oaths. I want to be free, to do whatever I please just like you. Name your price, Lucifer."

Lucifer snorted, allowing himself to smile as Rossweisse opened her eyes, mutely freaking out because she thought she had gone blind.

"Wh—What…?" Rossweisse sputtered, panicking as she rubbed her eyes with desperation.

Her panic was calmly ignored. "My ambition was what killed God. I'll need no more than the same to kill another."

"Just tell me what you want. I tire of this guessing game."

"That's what's wrong with you creatures. Always thinking I'm playing a game."

"Games are what keep us gods amused when nothing remotely interesting happens," Nyx scowled, folding her hands as she floated towards him, letting herself be carried by the shadows. Her black hair gracefully swayed in the air as if she was underwater. "Don't speak falsely now. Deals, favors — all these are just tokens in your game."

"Treat a deal as a game and you'll be the only one who's being played." His searing crimson eyes caught her endless midnights. "Ask yourself this question, Nyx. Is it freedom you truly seek or revenge?"

"Both. You did too."

"My success relies on no one but me."

"I'm not you."

"Nobody is," he said. "Most sit around and mope, waiting for someone else to take pity on them. You have children and siblings. Your husband is an aspect of Darkness." He cocked his head as a satisfactory gesture; that he had planted a seed of uprising in The Night herself. He knew that look. He had seen that look everywhere. "Maybe instead of asking for my help, you should ask yourself this; am I the only option?"

"Why would I waste time with them knowing I'll have warranted success from you."

"Because nothing you say can convince me. Your family on the other hand…" Lucifer let the sentence hang in the air, letting her figure out what he was hinting. "I'm just saying. Freedom is worth dying for."

Nyx gnawed on her lower lip, mulling, before eventually she sank back into the depths. Plotting and colluding with her own thoughts as she watched from the shadows.

"H-Hello? I can't use my magic— wh-who's there? Where am I and where have you taken me?! I-I'll have you know you won't get anything from me or my family!"

"..." Right. He was stuck with her. Huffing, Lucifer grabbed the valkyrie's hand that was groping the air in search of something to hold, and Rossweisse instinctively shrieked, attempting to wrench herself away from him. "It's Lucifer. Quit wiggling like a worm."

"L-Lucifer…?" Rossweisse calmed down, her voice softening but not completely without fear or stupefaction. "...Wh…Why am I with you? Why's it so dark in here… I'm not blind, aren't I? A-And these…" She felt the thing she was sitting on. It was soft and springy like a— "Why am I on top of a bed?!" Lucifer idly watched her scramble over her body, checking if she was still wearing her suit as tears gathered in her eyes. "D-Did you…? You… tell me you didn't..."

"If I want to lay a hand on your body I will make sure you crave and beg for it," he snidely said, causing the valkyrie to squeak. "With that kind of presumptuous mindset, no one needs eyes to see why you're loveless."

"Wh— shut up!" Rossweisse immediately cried. "Who cares about a boyfriend?! I don't need them! Love is stupid and overrated!"

Ew, thought Lucifer, making a face. So generous with the waterworks is she. Was she really a young adult with the maturity of a child?

…Thanks, Odin.

Whatever, Lucifer thought dismissively. He'd be stuck with her for a long while and he was an opportunist and resourceful; making the best out of the worse was one of his main trades.

"Easy to hate with no one to love, is it."

Being poured gasoline on her fire, Rossweisse wailed louder, launching a flurry of self-pitying comments and complaints until Nyx yelled, telling him to get that 'whelp' out of her place as she wasn't welcome, only The Devil.

Break

Rossweisse was glad to have exited that gloomy and doomy face — while the tone fit her to a fault, she preferred being able to see.

And now light had embraced her vision and amenable clouds tickled through her shoes… Everything was white and holy. And yet she failed to find much comfort or solace standing before a giant silver gate of the beautiful place, because it was Heaven and The Devil was standing next to her.

She heard him whisper, "Little pig, little pig…let me in."

"...L-Lucifer…" she muttered, her voice exactly like a child in a haunted house that didn't want to be there. "...Why are we here…?"

"Because this is Heaven."

Lucifer's obvious answer cleared nothing. She shouted a whisper, "Okay but why are we here?!"

"Because I enjoy stirring a scene," he said as an angelic voice, mighty and powerful, came from above as an angel descended upon them.

"Hark! Untangle your shoes and repent! For you tread upon the sanctified land of the Holy Father…" the angel with a comically large book stopped and froze in midair. "Oh no…"

Rossweisse saw the briefest exchange of stares between the angel and The Devil, and saw the horrified look creeping up his face as the winged angel immediately turned around, and fled inside Heaven's Gates.

She gulped. "You just made all of Heaven aware of your presence—" Rossweisse snapped at him, and, because her previous employer had often told tales of his successor, she was reminded by his words when she saw his face. 'When The Devil smiles that arrogant smile, everything is going accordingly. For him, at least.'

It didn't do much to calm her nerves, but Lucifer had a plan and Rossweisse was smart enough not to get in his way. She wanted to stay as far away from it, actually, but she couldn't just tear through spacetime like the gods. He was her only ticket out of Heaven and she heavily doubted the angels would be friendly towards her for the simple reason of being in his company.

"I'm not going to raise my hands against Heaven," she declared, bravely standing behind him. "But I'm not looking forward to being smited either…"

Lucifer didn't mind her cowardice. It was expected. It made sense. Instead, he took out his necklace and passed it to her over his shoulder. "Here: your first work" he said, "Inspect it. Tell me all you know about it once I conclude my business here. If you drop it I'm throwing you to fetch it."

Rossweisse, before was gingerly grabbing the liontin, now grabbed it preciously as if it was a portion of her soul. She couldn't picture how large Heaven was but she assumed it was vaster than Asgard with a lot more puffy white clouds.

Deciding to not think about this, she reverted her attention away from The Devil and focused on the pendant cupped in her hands. It weighed just like any other pendant, not heavy but noticeably light even with the dime-sized amber orb set in the amulet. The silver chains threaded through the loop held it in place. It was silver, at least for a while, as its color shifted to gold, then brown, and white, depending on the position of the lighting.

Spring, summer, autumn, and winter, she immediately thought. Could be a coincidence, but as it was a Deity that built it this way then it couldn't be no mere coincidence.

That in mind, Rossweisse sniffed the silver necklace. No odor whatsoever.

She conjured a tiny cube of ice and placed it there, and it almost instantly melted upon touching.

"Hm?" With that curious noise, she eyed the amulet.

No markings on the metallic plate containing it, no immediate clues. If there were then Lucifer shouldn't be bothered asking her, right? He was Sir Do It All Himself, or so Odin had told her. The amber orb didn't glow or pulse with obvious magical energy, other than the seals, of course. But it glimmered upon reflecting the light.

She caressed it gently with her fingertip. The stone was meticulously well-polished and oval in shape. How would it react if she did a little bit of magical tinkering?

"Ouchie—!" Rossweisse hissed as a needle-thin inky bolt struck her finger in retaliation. She flapped her hand in return. The pain was temporary and it was the shock that lasted longer. Lucifer's magic, the former salarywoman immediately told. It was unlike any other Magic she'd learned, and although it wasn't demonic in nature, she'd bet her life on it because suited The Devil in front of her was chuckling smugly.

And then Rossweisse put her investigation on halt as she realized they were no longer standing in front of Heaven's Gate, but instead a room completely dominated in white. Lucifer was the only black entity in this 'room'. She couldn't tell if it was even a room or just a space of white, and struggled to make sense of why her eyes hadn't started hurting from this insane amount of blinding light. There was no shadow either, and it freaked her out just a little.

She felt warm instead, like there were blankets upon blankets hugging her at this point in time, and she realized she felt at ease instead of being anxious about overstepping her boundaries.

"Where…are we?"

"My throne room," Lucifer simply said as he walked forward, unbuttoning his suit for whatever reason. Only when he swiveled around and sat down did she notice a seat was there.

"Your…throne room…?" Rossweisse hurriedly scampered towards him, not wanting to stand alone even if it meant she had to stand next to The Devil himself.

"Or it should be," Lucifer chuckled. "Had I wanted it."

Rossweisse swallowed her spit but not her fear. "Wh…what are we doing here…?"

"Solving a mystery, of course."

Her eyes rolled as she whined. "Can you please tell me something without being vague about it?"

She took a half step back in surprise as the lights gathered before him, wisps of white dancing and circling above his palm as Lucifer wordlessly commanded them to…do whatever was it that he wanted them to do. They scattered, and they swiveled, and they made shapes, before pulsing as if they were about to explode — and they did.

Rossweisse stood in awe as miniatures of supernovas occurred before her. All sorts of colors splashed, colors she had never seen before. Like rainbow ink dropped to water. They mixed and mingled with each other until they formed a book the size of Fenrir's head, and opened itself before him, revealing an empty page.

Despite that, Lucifer didn't appear impressed or bothered, and the pages turned by his will, yet all of them held no words or pictures. Just pages stretched with nothing.

"What is that? Are you even reading? …Or are you just pretending…?"

"Only archangels and God can read the System," he told her, in his mind telling the book to show him Sacred Gears which powers derived from a soul it contained. "Just like only the literate can read books."

"...But aren't you a devil?"

His reply came without him looking. "Devils are what the species Lilith created call themselves. Our similarities end there."

Rossweisse blinked owlishly. Then why did everyone call him The Devil?

She wanted to ask that, but instead she went for, "I thought you were…you know…cursed by God or something like that…when you fell from grace."

"I've never fallen, Rosie." Something about the way he said her name made her stomach flip. His masculine voice was dangerously enchanting for her poor virgin soul. "I leapt to freedom. God cursed me because he doesn't like it when anyone thinks they're better than him. It's a sure way to make him mad…" his voice trailed off as the book paused, and disassembled itself the same way it was previously assembled. The wisps scattered to their places, and Lucifer frowned just the tiniest of frowns, as a pillar of purest lights emerged from the floor ahead of them.

"And she's very unhappy with that too."

His frown shifted to a flat smile as Lucifer adopted his trademark 'sitting in a throne' pose: right leg's ankle over the other's thigh, left hand tucked in his pants pocket, right hand's elbow over an armrest, his upper body leaning to the right as his head was supported by his hand. Index finger on his temple, the middle's knuckle against his cheek, and the thumb's tip under his jaw.

Hardly a proper posture of sitting, most especially for a king as it exuded nothing but arrogance and annoyance, but he was no king.

He's much better than that.

Rossweisse gripped the amulet and because she didn't know where she should stand, she stayed there, next to him like an attendant. Angels were extreme isolationists and conducting diplomacy with them was hopeless since no sinners were allowed in Heaven. Asgardians definitely loved their wine and women and men, she could tell that much.

"Dare you sit where He once led, filth?"

Rossweisse kept her mouth shut as she felt the peace left her body. The atmosphere thickened in that instant and the temperature seemed to have taken a plunge. Such a cold and ruthless threat was delivered by a voice strongly firm and sovereign. She was reminded of Hela, The Asgardian Goddess of Death, except the archangel was… well, less black, more gold, and, to her surprise, scarier.

Her voluptuous body was protected only by pure golden shoulder guards, same-styled gauntlet and greaves over her arms and shins. A black garter socks wrapped around her supple legs. Twelve white wings sprouted behind her back, and another pair behind her head, curling forward like a Laurel wreath worn by the Greeks of old. Another pair sprouted from where her ears lied, hidden behind her perfect golden locks.

Her front part was… strikingly not as armored. Rossweisse felt secondhand embarrassment creeping down her neck just by looking at the amount of skin the archangel didn't seem to mind showing.

Archangel Gabriel was as beautiful as her grandmother's stories depicted her, even with a black blindfold over her eyes. It was believed she could completely purify a soul just from a gaze, and that her eyes, once as warm as summer morning, had become colder than winter's fury ever since the Great War occured.

Ever since Lucifer killed her Heavenly Father.

"Gabriel," he greeted, his tone casual, almost amused. "Only by yourself? Where's Mikey?"

"You won't lay a hand on our King."

"So you replaced good ol' dad?" He made a face. Not one of discomfiture, just an acknowledgment of a fact.

"No one can replace Him," she glared, "Michael is the virtuous of us all."

Michael was not here, he noted. Likely somewhere on earth trying to get the churches to pay for taxes. Otherwise, she wouldn't be here. Gabriel was…too explosive and too brittle. There was a reason why Michael painstakingly kept her off the vanguard so she'd never cross paths with The Devil.

Lucifer kept that information to himself, as he did on most things. "Hm. I don't suppose he had plenty of competitors."

"You killed them."

He only shrugged. "We were at war."

"That you started."

"And I finished," he chuckled. "But I see it still lives in you, sweet sister."

"I am not your sister, ilk."

"Right. We never were. I was too…flawless, as his first creation. He did learn from his mistake after all." Lucifer's gaze was even. His expression was neutral, if not one of amusement. A stark contrast to Gabriel's visible rage. "Well. What will you do now then? Smite me? Show me how grossly you've overrated yourself? Deliver justice— wait, that was Michael's part is it? Or is it yours? …Who replaced Remiel when he impaled himself on my blade? You're now what? A Messenger of a Dead God? A Justicar? Executioner? It's hard to keep track of Heaven's development when you don't care."

Her grip tightened. "Their death won't be forgotten… Or unavenged." Gabriel glowered, approaching him with a clear intent; deliver God's judgment. "A thousand and twenty years, but their embers have never run cold. I remember. I held it in my hands and I kept it from snuffing out. You will answer for all your crimes here, Devil. In the name of my Father, this will be your last stand."

"Your father, eh? He's mine too, you know. For a time." Gabriel didn't like that. He knew. That was why he put it that way. Actually none in Heaven would like hearing that. "And he created you after Eve. That's a few billion years between us, at least. Shouldn't you respect your elders?"

"You're nothing more than a murderer," Gabriel seethed as her staff reshaped itself into a flaming sword. Her twelve-wings brimming with a thin layer of transparent golden air. "You led billions of us to their death. Billions have died because you disobeyed Father's will."

"And yet here I stand. Well. Sit," he stated, unagitated, his chin slightly tipping up in a subtle display of swagger. "And I'm the only one who chose my own path… And a third of the angelic host followed me like ducklings."

"Fallen angels," Gabriel seethed. "Your betrayal faltered their faith. You made them fall."

"They chose to fall. Right or wrong, they chose it for themselves. Try it out sometimes. It's fun."

Her blindfold covered her eyes but eyes weren't the only windows to a soul. The easiest to peer through, sure, but not the only one.

And right now, her soul was ablaze like raging fire.

Just a little more…

"How are you still alive… I watched you die."

"A wise man once told me 'always have a contingency plan'."

She bit her lip before replying with a tone of sadness, "He taught you so many things… You were His beloved son… How could you have betrayed Him?"

"He treated me like a pet," Lucifer corrected, a mite annoyance invading his voice at last. But it didn't stay for long. "But it doesn't matter now. He's dead and I'm here."

Gabriel erased all her traces of sadness and steeled her resolve. "All those lives lost… All because of you."

"My army played a little part."

"You were their commander."

"And our father was yours. By that logic, the old man killed far more than I ever did." His thin smile never left his lips and his crimson eyes held a steady gaze, appearing carefree, but The Devil was always calculating his and his opponent's next five moves.

"We don't question His ways," Gabriel griped, holding her sword as its flames seared brighter.

Lucifer sniggered. "Incompetence rewarded with blind faith… You angels are hilariously hypocritical. God should've let you eat that fruit."

"Hilarious? You think we are a joke?"

"Oh, not the entire joke, just the punchline."

"I have the angelic host behind me, ready to strike you down," she warned, but Lucifer didn't flinch. He sat there, amused, unthreatened. "Your companion will be our prisoner until we're done questioning her."

Understandably, Rossweisse began to panic as her mouth gaped like a fish. "I-I-I—I'm just an associate!"

"Leave her out of this," Lucifer said, smoothing that growing dread of hers. "Don't be so overly dramatic and drag others into your personal vendetta. She isn't here to annoy you. I partially do."

She raised her sword next to her face, the flaming blade pointing at The Devil. Her teeth gritted, her wings flaring an angry golden glower that had been steadily darkening in shades.

"I will avenge my fallen brothers. You will pay. For everything you've done. Your rebellion dies only with you. You killed your own Creator, a sin punishable only by death."

"Former-Maker," he corrected. "I made this body all by myself," Lucifer said as he patted his chest. "Could've chosen a different appearance, sure, but why would I pick anything else when it's already faultless."

"Silence. I won't tolerate another word. Your wit and your half-truths won't corrupt this sanctified place any longer."

He snorted. "You know, you're only making this easier for me, Gabs," Lucifer rose from his throne, methodically, and buttoned his suit. Methodically. Slowly. Without showing a clear intent, whether he was taunting her or taking his time, he seemed to be succeeding in both regardless.

Rossweisse wisely took several paces away. She was told to be Lucifer's companion, not his bodyguard. Besides, he'd killed God. He could protect himself. Yeah. Rosweisse didn't have to do anything with this… she was only here because he was here, not because she wanted to stir up any trouble or anything…

"If you despise me oh so much… Then explain to me why are you still standing here, glaring at me, wishing me a cold death, instead of lifting your sword and attacking me? Did you lose your spine during that war? Have guts left your heavenly visage?"

"That's enough! You're not welcome here! You've resigned, Lucifer! RESIGNED!"

Rossweisse let out a sharp but quiet gasp as Gabriel surged forward. What she saw was the burning sword piercing through his chest, coming out the back, burning just as bright. But her shock was overridden by confusion as Lucifer simply walked forward as if the sword hadn't impaled him.

"Right…" Lucifer muttered, grabbing the flaming blade with his bare hand, and yanked it away from the appalled archangel. The flames screamed as they perished. "That's right, little Gabby. I'm beyond Good and Evil. Just like your father. Sins are his concept— this universe's concept, not mine. Oh dear, it must be infuriating for you, hm?"

Her lips were ajar, silenced by disbelief. Her conviction and strength left her body the same way they did when she saw her Father's death.

All Gabriel could say to that was precisely what God's last word to him, a weak "No…"

Her voice was hollow, as appropriate for someone who had experienced their world and beliefs falling apart around her, leaving her stranded on a floating rock named Denial.

"Oh yes. Very much yes," Lucifer laughed softly as he reached out to her face. She didn't jerk away, standing there in mute shock, as he lifted her blindfold to have a peek at her frozen blue eyes.

Icier than the winter indeed… but they seemed to be melting. Angels were never great at feeling more than one 'unpleasant' emotion. They got easily overwhelmed by one. They'd be eaten alive by five.

"There she is… the crybaby angel. So soft underneath all that bravado. You thought war and deaths have hardened you but no, it made you softer. You were dad's favorite, you know? Well. After all those primates of his."

She felt weak, but only for a moment as Gabriel allowed righteous rage to surge through her body.

"You are not His son!" She slapped away his arm and flew back, delivering a great gust of wind that Rossweisse had to take cover behind the throne to not get blown away.

A dozen bolts of light crowded the room as she unleashed hell upon Heaven's greatest traitor, who didn't move a muscle as the javelin-like missiles harmlessly phased through his body.

And pierced hers.

"Grk—gah—!" A cough of blood. Gabriel sank to her knees, her hands trembling as she stared down at her bleeding stomach, a million questions running amok inside her head. "A—...ah… Wh-why…?"

"Eugh," Lucifer winced as if staring at a roadkill. "Look at what you did to yourself. You turned to a holy porcupine."

Rossweisse peeked from the corner of the throne of light as The Devil knelt down before the archangel. While angels did bleed, archangels shouldn't. They were beings made of light, not flesh and blood.

But Lucifer had figured it out long before she drew her weapon, and his hubristic smile that graced his lips had never left since then.

"Vengeance is a form of Wrath, Gabriel. You also just attempted a murder against a 'sinless' soul," he chuckled, patting her smooth cheek, brushing the dribbling blood of a fallen angel with his thumb. "That's two cardinal sins. You should know…"

"I'd know," He stood up, and Rossweisse clutched the amulet in horror, once again reminded why Odin found it wiser to stand by him or simply take no stance, rather than going against him.

Her breathing rasped as the light spears vanished, leaving red gaping holes as she slumped forward, her staggering arms preventing her from falling flat as thick red puddles formed underneath her, sizzling for a moment as it faded, leaving the pristine white floor.

Her vision darkened as she gazed up, seeing Lucifer's blurry frame towering before her. She felt her Angelic Grace left her, just as her twelve dove-like wings steadily, and slowly, gradated towards a color as black as raven.

Lucifer healed her wounds without a word as he returned to sit on the throne.

"I came here only to browse," he said, unbuttoning his suit. "But your little gallant display of rash bravery led me to this. These are the consequences of your actions, Gabriel."

A giant portal emerged, and the deafening silence was brutalized by a cacophony of demons — complaining about the brightness and demanding for the dark mode to be activated.

Cerberus was one of such demons. "AAAAAAAARGH— OUR EYES!"

"Master please! Shut the lights!"

The last of the three coolly put on her sunglasses and nonchalantly resumed her work, and the rest of the demons parroted her action. Some put on more than a pair as they had more than a pair of eyes.

Demon see, demon do.

Gabriel couldn't lift herself off the ground. Her eyes wide in horror as she gazed upon the infernal host, terror seized her strength, chaining her in place, as Lucifer showed her what Hell was like, and why it remained as the view panned up, towards the only 'star', a sun seemingly in permanent eclipse, sitting alone atop the hellscape, amidst the dark hellish skies.

Hell would remain lit without its presence, but it had only one purpose and it was not illumination.

Killing Yahweh was not enough. Killing meant separating the soul from its mortal coil forcibly. It wasn't enough.

Only one soul ever gained his hatred, and hate tended to make him merciless.

"F-Father…?" Her voice broke, as there lay an old man shackled to the dark sun, his limbs stretched by searing red chains, his visage scorched and cauterized by the hellfire, and he had no mouth, but she could hear his eyes screaming.

"Would you like to know the deal we made? Aside from the obvious that is my death — for being such a garbage father that is suddenly seeking for redemption ever since Jesus happened, aside from lending me a 'taste' of his powers, he agreed to suffer in Hell for Eternity."

"Let… Let Him go…" Gabriel pleaded, her voice breaking, her mind shattering, her black wings sat limply across the ground. "I'll take His place… Please…"

"We all have a cross to bear," he said as he re-summoned the book. "That is his. Yours is bearing this knowledge with no one to share... I don't need to tell you how broken Heaven will be should they learn of this."

His words remained cold, calculated, free of any guilt that might weigh him down. The screen dispersed and silence returned to the white room, but it was no longer as peaceful. A mute horror had taken over, lined with Gabriel's silent sobs.

Rossweisse felt awful, but at the same time, her heart and mind told her this was Lucifer's family business, and Asgard's Royal Family wasn't exactly impoverished with that kind of issue. Hence, she detached herself out of it, and scrutinized her amulet. Only then did she find out her hands were shaking feverishly. …And she thought Loki was bad… Meanwhile The Devil stayed effortlessly terrifying without ever raising his voice.

She never thought she'd be grateful to the Trickster God. Loki and him were nowhere alike and nowhere as cruel.

Lucifer smiled as he finally found the page he was looking for. Boosted Gear… Divine Dividing… Absorption Line…

His focus was momentarily shifted back to his junior archangel, and Lucifer lowered the book so he could see her.

Still sprawled on the floor, devoid of hope.

Pathetic, really.

He sighed and returned to his tome. "Quit crying. You're the Messenger, aren't you?" Lucifer continued, the pages of the soulbound Sacred Gears entailing how they operated to him. "Here's a message to the Kingdom of Heaven before you leave: I am indeed alive, and I want nothing to do with any of you. My presence here is temporary, and I'm only here to borrow this room and the Book of Knowledge. For what reason, it doesn't matter. You saw my army. You know I don't need this book to invade this place. So mind your own business and don't get in my way. I'm not even asking for your cooperation or for any of you to kneel, but stay. Away."

"Manage that until the End Times come, maybe then I'll allow him to die." Lucifer closed the book and the wisps scattered as he got off the throne, automatically buttoning his suit and straightening it. The pendant had no correlation with the Sacred Gear — it didn't grant him any semblance of Yasaka's powers, and it didn't seem to react to the valkyrie either.

He asked her, "Did you find out where it was made?"

"Ah—" Rossweisse sputtered, awkwardly rushing to his side, sparing a pitying glance at the crumpled archangel, and nibbled her lower lip before handing the amulet back to the Devil. "...I…think it's made somewhere in Japan. This is the purest silver I've ever seen, it might be jungin — is what it's called there. But… I don't get it. Why would they trap Lady Yasaka? She provides them with offerings, no? And the seals, none of it is from Shinto Magic."

He looked pensive for a beat. "There's a pocket world in there that's too meticulously made to just be a trap. You're right about the seals, however," Lucifer hummed, idly staring as Gabriel left the room in an explosion of black feathers. Were they to meet again, she'd either be severely weaker, or stronger than ever, now that Vices became a source of her strength instead of Virtue.

Rossweisse rubbed her arm, visibly sad and distraught, but he acknowledged her professionalism. He had expected her to break down somewhere during that or even started chastising him like Brynn would have. Thor would punch him while Loki would grin madly, taking notes.

"Something you want to say?"

She noticed he wasn't asking her about the pendant anymore. "I uh…" she cleared her throat, gingerly looking around as if she was about to ask something inappropriate to The Devil. "...Do you…hate your sister?"

"She's not my sister. No one is. There are no other 'Lucifers'," he replied, unbothered, then added a bit as he recalled Yasaka's pregnancy, "...Not yet anyway. But no. I don't hate her. I don't hate anyone in this literal Godless place. There's only one soul I consider worthy of my hatred and he's stuck to a star."

Rossweisse swallowed. He said that like someone describing the weather. "Don't you feel sorry for her…? You…stayed with her for a while, no?"

"Maybe I would if she had bothered to listen, but in her eyes I'm just The Devil. My response was in accordance." As he replied, he tore spacetime asunder, conjuring another gateway.

It led to another place surrounded by white clouds, but there stood a red shrine. Shrines, Rossweisse noticed. Japanese shrines. Takamagahara, Plain of High Heaven, appeared to be the next in line of their destination.

"...Doesn't it bother you?" she still asked, putting aside her curiosity regarding the Shinto Heaven.

"Why would it? People reveal their true colors when they make assumptions and stick with it," Lucifer stepped into the misty Realm, his eyes forward. "No need to sympathize, Rosie. I find it patronizing. Whenever I honestly report facts of my life people seem to get emotional or try to get me sad."

Rossweisse bit her lip, feeling a bit embarrassed. His life just seemed so miserable from an outsider's perspective. She was just trying to relate to him, in a way, impossible as it might be. And of course The Devil wouldn't be bothered by any of it... He probably used his reputation as a tool. A disgustingly effective tool in prying away a person's mask. Everything that had 'befallen' him was merely a part of his grand design. Who could tell, at this point.

But by her grandmother's spear, Rossweisse never thought she'd skip Realm to Realm when Odin forced this 'job' on her, but here she was… Far away from Asgard. Far away from home.

Strangely, she never felt better.

With one last glance to the vast white room, Rossweisse trailed before Lucifer, praying that troubles would stay far, far, far away from him. She couldn't tell how many soul breaking she could witness in a day, but it was certainly not a big number. She hoped Gabriel would be her last for a very long time.

If there was one thing she learned from The Devil up to this point, was that he wasn't as unreasonable as people might believe, but more callous than most would dare to assume.

To be continued…

I amped Gabriel's badassery level because she's supposed to be the Messenger of God, she toots the Horn of Judgment, not be an 'Asia except older and milf without kids'.

If you're curious what she looks like AND her voice because lord knows how much I dislike having to write a character's appearance in vivid detail, just google White Guardenia

Apparently it's a soccer gacha game? But eh who cares. Hot animu babes be hot

Cuddly with Yasaka, affable with Nyx (slightly manipulative), and downright ruthless to Gabriel, even causing her to fall and mind breaking her in one meeting. Won't be the last time we'll see her, i'll tell you that much

Can you imagine being Rossweisse? Just watching all that unfold? It's like you playing at your friend's house and suddenly their mother starts yelling at them, and you just sit there, awkwardly wanting to leave, with ps3/xbox/wii controller in your hand, and just…pretend they're not there and hit the 'resume' option

If you think her response is 'weak', keep in mind her god is Odin, not God

thx 4 reading pls gib rview