"He took the pain." Satan heard Diavolo's disbelief as he spoke the same statement over again, but this time the detective-loving demon was not frozen in shock. He watched Diavolo closely rub his chest as the prince looked like he wanted to reach out to Baphomet. Following the lead, Satan's green gaze shifted to Baphomet. The guy didn't look like a threat–as Lucifer seemed convinced he was–and he shuddered at the last word Diavolo spoke. Pain. While the blood had been washed away from Baphomet's figure, it wasn't hard to see that there were purple bruises scattered across tanned skin. That's what Satan thought he saw at least.
"Baphomet, I do not see you as a threat, and I want to explain some things to you if you would like." Diavolo received no objection, so with an affirming nod from Satan, he proceeded. "Centuries ago, Satan began to form within Lucifer. He was originally the embodiment of Lucifer's rage, and was expelled from his body after Lucifer experienced a traumatic event. Satan became his own person, and is now the avatar of wrath. They are here because we believe that you have undergone the same process as Satan, but from me. It is evident that you were not born from rage, but from pain."
Something that everyone knew about Lord Diavolo was that he never lied. He was brutally honest and tended to also show his blatant oblivion at times. His statement that Baphomet was not a threat in his eyes surely calmed Lucifer a bit and seemed to strike something within Baphomet's eyes too. Once again, though, at the last word… Baphomet changed. With a wince, small goat-like horns grew from within his unkempt hair, and red and gold birthmarks painted his skin. Golden lines that looked like tear tracks framed his face in contrast to the dark black and red hair, and the black lines that, on Diavolo looked like a laced corset were instead straight edged lines emulating indents of barbed wire. He had no wings, and if there was a tail it was too small to be seen.
Satan was not unfamiliar with demon forms, but this was quite the transformation. The golden tear tracks really were a statement. At least, that's probably what Asmo would say. Demon forms were the purest versions of a demon, and encapsulated the unrestricted power that a demon truly had. That was why in fits of rage, demons as reserved as Levi or Satan himself would have a tail, horns, or fangs slip into their more humanoid form. For avatars of sin, it was especially easy to slip into a demon form when engrossed in your sin. Why else would the sadistic Lucifer continue to let Beel eat the entire kitchen? None of them wanted to see Beel's hunger get the better of him in demon form.
Baphomet still seemed quite in control, but seemed to quake as they buried their marked face under their arms again. Diavolo, Lucifer, and Satan waited for who knows what until Barbatos quietly interjected. "Sleep calls upon Baphomet, my Lord." Both Lucifer and Satan checked the door with a glance to see if Belphie was there, but both had made the same oversight in that Belphegor rarely ever put others to sleep in non-urgent situations. Diavolo nodded, and then gestured to Satan since Baphomet still had his dim eyes on the avatar of wrath.
"Your body needs rest. You can close your eyes and allow sleep to overtake you." He still remembered feeling the fatigue and mistaking it for weakness. He had fought against the tiredness that threatened to close his eyes until Mammon had gone to Lucifer and said that it was torture if he kept himself awake for much longer. Lucifer had agreed begrudgingly and let Belphegor put him to sleep.
"I believe we should take a break, gentlemen. I would like us to have a meeting together, Satan, and I would like your brothers to all be present to listen without interruption. Do you think we could take this to another room and allow Baphomet to rest? Barbatos can stay and tend to any needs he may have." Satan once again felt himself flushed with something as the soon-to-be King regarded him so highly in front of Lucifer. Barbatos stared on, closely observing Satan as he thought through his response. He was revelling in Lucifer's obvious jealousy right now, but he also knew that there would be consequences after Diavolo left him alone with Lucifer. Right now, Baphomet should be his priority though.
"Yes my Lord. Barbatos, it will be much easier to offer options that can be answered with yes or no, or multiple choice with Baphomet. He also may not be ready to try and walk or stand yet. And… he may be cold." Those were the main pieces of advice he could give the royal butler, and it felt awkward because it truly felt like he was rewriting his own history as he would have liked it. With a nod, Baphomet watched silently through unreadable eyes as Barbatos held the door open for Diavolo and Satan. When had Lucifer left? As he walked with Diavolo through the halls of the castle, he couldn't help feeling something unspoken under the surface. He tried to prod at that unknown thing lurking between them with a simple side glance at Diavolo, and the prince got the hint.
"Part of you fears Lucifer's reactions to what you have to say, do you not?" Diavolo of course was as blunt as always. Usually Satan would rush to lie and say that he could care less about Lucifer. Today was not a usually day. And Diavolo was not his usual self right now; he was openly vulnerable but also determined to do his best in the wake of his father's death.
"I don't know if fear is the exact feeling, but something, yes. The last time we confronted this subject did not end well for anyone. I do not wish to put those same effects on you, my Lord." Satan knew that the best plan of action with Diavolo would be to be honest without giving too much of himself away. The wrath demon liked to believe that he was a fairly introspective person, but much to his own dissatisfaction, this situation proved to deny the description. Did Satan fear Lucifer's punishments for speaking poorly of him to Diavolo? Did Satan fear Lucifer, as he often feared himself? Did he fear the conclusions they would reach upon digging deeper into Satan's creation? He did not have an immediate answer he could deduce–at least not a singular answer. Diavolo thought he saw fear. Satan knew only that he felt. That was enough to reassure him that he was a person. Lucifer felt things, but Satan also felt things. As long as there was that distinction between himself and Lucifer, he would be able to hold himself together.
As he and the ruler of the Devildom approached their agreed upon meeting room, Satan was quick to decide that he would avoid his brothers for the time being. He did however make the mistake of taking one sweep of the room, where he saw a variety of things. Beel was consuming everything in sight as he hugged Belphie who seemed very distressed. Lucifer sat beside the head of the table with his hands neatly held in front of him ignoring everyone. Levi and Asmo were whispering to each other behind Mammon who stood with his arms crossed and an intense stare directly at Satan. Great. When Satan suddenly broke the eye contact he had with his older brother, he noted the fierce worry and conviction in the blue and yellow eyes. Thankfully, Diavolo softly pushed him along to sit at the table with him before Mammon could get a word in or Satan could crumble under the attention. Not so thankfully, he sat face to face with Lucifer on Diavolo's other side at the head of the table. On their end of the table just happened to be a pot of black coffee, a teapot of Barbato's famous tea, and a plate of Hellfire Mushroom Rolled Cigar Cookies–the favourite snacks and beverages of Satan, Lucifer, and Diavolo respectively. At the other end were stacks of sandwiches, burgers, and a pot of hellfire curry rice. For now.
They should have gotten an award for how skillfully Satan and Lucifer avoided each other's eyes as they both sipped their beverages from their cups and listened to Diavolo munch on his cookies. Belphie was beside Satan and Mammon was beside Lucifer with equal tense expressions as they tried to plate some rice for themselves without risking their fingers to Beel. Eventually, someone had to break the silence, and of course the person to do it would be Mammon.
"So the new guys's a masochist right?" For the record, the younger brothers who weren't currently glaring into their cups were impressed with how quickly Mammon flicked the switch from worried-mother to idiodic-brother. Diavolo luckily seemed pleased with the change from the tense atmosphere, and huffed a smile at the second born.
"Thank you for lightening the mood, Mammon, but let's get on with the real discussion now. Please feel free to continue satiating yourselves–quietly." The collective glance at Beel eating four sandwiches at once was not missed by the avatar of gluttony, but Belphie just patted his head and smiled at his twin to hopefully will some quiet eating onto him. Diavolo swiftly used his magic to refill Satan and Lucifer's cups as they avoided eye contact with each other again, and Diavolo looked upon the group.
"It is not lost on me that our situation with Baphomet and the passing of my father are of great importance to you all. I understand that stress is high at the moment, so I thank you for being here and supporting me at this time. I am also aware of the family tensions that are brought to light by these circumstances, and would like to preface this: as my fellow student council officers, my citizens, and my friends, I care deeply about your wellbeing. This includes the emotional wellbeing of you each individually, and the wellbeing of your family as a unit." Although Satan was definitely not watching Lucifer in his peripheral or over the cup of his coffee, he may have noticed the eldest brother softened at Diavolo's compassionate words.
"Please remember that as we proceed with the situation at hand. Satan," he felt all eyes on him–even Lucifer's, "I do believe that your unique wisdom will be the most helpful in guiding me through Bahpomet's experiences. I wish not to repeat your upbringing, or to correct it, but your insight and recommendations will help me understand how I want to move forward." Satan wouldn't exactly call himself an introvert or an anxious person, but dammit he hated feeling eyes on him. He didn't think Diavolo was done speaking though, so he kept his mouth shut and eyes on his coffee as he nodded and evaded everyone's gazes.
Diavolo then turned his attention to the otherside where Lucifer sat and stared intensely at Satan. "Lucifer, do not be deceived. You will forever be my right hand man and best friend, but you lack the experience and understanding that Satan does of Baphomet. I will still require your support, as I always have, but I wish to hear Satan's thoughts first." Okay he definitely just stroked Lucifer's chest. Satan pointedly decided to shove that into the back of his brain while Diavolo then addressed the remaining five brothers in the room.
"I am aware of how this specific subject has affected your family in the past, and I do not wish to infringe upon your family matters, but I see great opportunity for a learning experience here." He turned back to Satan and asked the question the blonde had been dreading. "Satan, please share any and all advice you have in the steps moving forward with Baphomet based on your experience. I will enforce that no punishment or blackmail is prompted by anything you say in this meeting by anyone in the room. I also ask that no one else speaks until Satan has finished his words."
The room fell silent as Diavolo waited for Satan to start talking, but what could he possibly start with? Lucifer's blood red eyes stabbing into him didn't help his indecisiveness, and he felt himself be plunged back into memories. He remembered how it felt to knock on Levi's door and be yelled at in response. He remembered the words that were spat with the true power of a sea demon behind them. He felt like a drowning man as one name filled his dreams every night. Lilith. He remembered how Beelzebub wouldn't look at him because his blonde hair was the same texture and colour as her's. He remembered Asmo taking one look at his face and nearly burst into tears because his jawline was similar to her's. He remembered Mammon muttering about how his bouts of anger reminded him of Lilith's fury.
He had fought so hard to separate himself from Lilith, but the further he got from her, the closer he got to Lucifer. He was caught between two beings that he had to resemble, and Satan still doubted his individuality on bad days. He was literally born from Lucifer's grief after the death of Lilith, and all of his stolen fragments of Lucifer's memories were of the lost sister.
"Don't make him think he was a tradeoff for the King." He definitely should have worded that better, but between his own emotional baggage and Mammon's talk from earlier, he couldn't stop his mouth from moving. If you know what we should have done, then we can do it now. Diavolo nodded his confirmation as his mind pieced together what exact experience Satan was drawing from. Whatever Baphomet had done to take the pain from Diavolo earlier, it apparently made the mention of his father's death bearable in conversation.
Mammon had been the only one who he knew no longer saw him as a replacement for Lilith because he had been there to see Satan find himself. If Mammon's word was to be trusted, apparently Satan melted into the sidewalk when he came across a cat for the first time. Mammon also said that his love for reading books originated from his own self discovery that he already knew how to read back when he was still getting used to speaking. Apparently Mammon had stumbled upon him reading the newspaper, and the blonde was just in awe that he could do it for himself. When Mammon brought him a random book from the library after, Satan beckoned his older brother over and began pointing to words to form a sentence which he could not yet speak aloud: I understand these. Get out. To which Mammon chuckled and left to go find books for him.
It was during this time as well that Satan recognized how Mammon was the only one who was there for him. He recognized the toll it was taking on the white haired demon, and tried to find his own independence so as to not burden his brother. Satan believed that Mammon also sought Lucifer's attention and care which was why he initially defended the eldest's absence from his life, but over time it became evident that whatever Mammon and Lucifer had between them was something that existed prior to Satan's existence within Lucifer. He saw as Mammon did more that got himself in trouble, and how he also grew more distant to Satan. Perhaps Mammon's greed had gotten the better of him eventually. Instead of succumbing to the greed of taking care of a new brother where that role had fallen primarily on Lucifer before, now he was greedy for money and selfish about it. Satan, for a long time, believed that his insufficiency had driven Mammon to his poor habits with money. Maybe he still believed that, maybe he didn't. Regardless, when you feel as if there is only one person who knows you in your life and they begin to pull away because you no longer depend on them to live, it hurts.
"Focus on helping him learn how to use his body and mind freely. Have a variety of people there to help him find himself." This was his social strategy now: to be a floater. Satan wouldn't call himself popular, but his placement in the top ten most popular people in RAD said otherwise*. He'd tried to explain it to his brothers before, but he simply likes learning about people. He makes a variety of acquaintances who he holds at arms length while maintaining a level of mutual respect, and it worked well for him**. No one got close enough to pick at his brain, and that was just the way he liked it. It's also more or less how he formed fresh relationships with his brothers after Mammon and him grew distant. Now, if one of his brothers didn't talk with him for an extended period of time because they had their own shit going on, he was fine with it because he wasn't dependent. Hopefully giving Baphomet a larger more distant social circle would have similar effects.
Part of Satan felt like his advice was taking him through memories which all had a specific association with a location in the House of Lamentation. To elaborate, his sibling's rooms were all affiliated with the comparisons to Lilith for obvious reasons, and his own room was associated with his guilt over burdening Mammon since that was where he first read a book and where Mammon would hang out with him before they grew apart. What other memories were there to be had in the house?
Oh. Well, he had skirted around the topic enough already. He trusted Diavolo to keep his word about ensuring Lucifer didn't hang him like a chandelier after this, and he was feeling pissy enough to call out everyone else right now too. Covering up his pain with ruthless sass was his favourite coping mechanism, after all.
"Don't tie him down with chains, and don't use a barred cell to contain him if he becomes violent." Satan did not hide the sly smile he sent Lucifer as all of the demon brothers felt their hearts stop momentarily. He did feel slightly bad for calling out Levi, since the sea demon was particularly vulnerable to the hell fire that he summoned when blinded by wrath in the beginning.
He hadn't been lying to Mammon when he had said that he understood why they took the measures they did; he was dangerous to them at first. He was born in a pool of blood, and all he saw was a pair of disembodied angel wings and the brothers crowding around Lucifer. He had reacted instinctually with rage at the mistaken thought of Lucifer being dead because of him. When Levi had tried to approach him, he attacked with all the power of an avatar of sin, and did not let up. His body still was wrapped in the broken chains that Lucifer had used to keep him contained for centuries. All he knew was that he was now free, and that meant he could fight back with all of the wrath that he had.
When Lucifer's voice gave the order to hold down his chains again, his animalistic mind said that he couldn't be trapped again. He wouldn't be imprisoned again. He couldn't. Levi and Mammon were the only two he could see as they used his broken shackles to subdue him. Belphegor managed to put him to sleep until they had sorted out their deal with the Demon King, and got settled in the House of Lamentation. Satan woke up in what he now knew was the attic, in a cage that was meant to house Cerberus when he was a young… dog. The cage was barred, and very reminiscent of how he felt while a part of Lucifer's psyche.
The feeling of being caged and contained against his will brought out the worst of him.
Lucifer was questioning if he was going to have a stroke at the moment, as all of the demon brothers took in Satan's blatant call out. It wasn't as if any of them were unaware that locking Satan up as a… newborn… was not the best first impression, but they had all virtually chosen to not talk about it. Levi looked like he was about to melt into his jacket, and Mammon looked more crazy than usual.
Thinking through it, Lucifer knew about the shackles that Satan had been born with–the ones that he broke free from as he was separated from Lucifer. He hadn't thought about how restraining Satan during his outbursts may have brought back memories of when he was part of Lucifer. Lucifer specifically remembered how much intention and effort he put into trying to lock away the wrath that became Satan. He tried so desperately as one of the top angels to keep this beast inside him from escaping. He never thought that Satan would remember that. He always said that he didn't have many coherent memories from when Lucifer was an angel. I guess memories aren't the same as remembering sensations and feelings.
Lucifer thought to the few times when he would punish Satan for his misbehaviour now that they had moved past his era of upbringing. He usually tended to find specific punishments for all of his brothers; his favourite for Mammon of course was hanging him from the ceiling; Levi's ultimate punishment was having Mammon hang around him in his room for a day and taking away his headphones so he couldn't block Mammon out; for Asmo, he'd put a curse on him so that the avatar of lust was unable to see any reflections of himself. Satan's punishments were the most scarce since he was generally the least problematic brother.
Or perhaps Satan actively evaded his punishments due to what they were. The enchanted power-dampening shackles were in his office at all times–welded to the floor under a rug he kept on top. Satan's punishment was sitting in Lucifer's office in chains with nothing to read while Lucifer did paperwork at his desk and ignored him. His original thought process was that Satan despised spending time with Lucifer, which was why he hated the punishments so much. Perhaps that was an oversight, and it was the shackles that Satan hated most. Being forced to be locked up with Lucifer of all people likely didn't help if his current suspicions were true.
Lucifer did not feel guilty about his actions… no. He may have made choices that were not considerate of the glaring evidence, but he did NOT regret what he did. Every choice he made was calculated and certain. He did not…
Fuck. He fucked up.
And he had said the same to Baphomet. We will be forced to contain you. He had seen the chains that held the figure that tried to push through Diavolo's skin. He had seen the helpless position that Baphomet had been in while bathed in blood. How could his first intentions have been to restrain the newborn being? Was he really so spiteful to the wrathful part of himself that he viewed a similar being as nothing but a threat?
Diavolo cleared his throat and broke all of the brother's (minus Satan) from their internal breakdowns. Lucifer went back to avoiding Satan's eyes again, and realized that Satan was taking an awfully long sip of his coffee. "Fortunately, I do not predict that Baphomet will be violent if we proceed thoughtfully, so restraints will not be in consideration." Silence settled upon the table as they all nodded again, but this time he noticed Diavolo's expression change.
The sudden crack as Satan's grip on the mug tightened so hard the ceramic broke drew all eyes to the blonde demon again. The cup was already set down, so nothing spilled, but Satan awkwardly set down the detached handle of the mug next to his plate. He looked to Diavolo, starting to apologize before something clicked in the prince's head.
"No need to apologize, Satan. Forgive me for my wording. I did not intend to imply that you required restraints." Oh. Oh. Once again, Lucifer had fallen short in his ability to understand the Avatar of Wrath. "I do believe that is enough for now, though. I'd like to discuss with everyone more about Baphomet's powers. From what I understand, Satan's powers and strength were presented in full force from the very start?"
Now was his chance to get a word in and hopefully restore some of his pride that had slowly been chipped away with each word that Satan spoke. "Yes. He showed immediate powers relating to his wrath and, like all of us, was vulnerable to be consumed by his sin if met with the wrong circumstances."
The rest of the table now jumped in as Satan refused to add to the conversation now. Lucifer supposed that it was earned, but it did indeed leave only him and Diavolo to describe what happened with Baphomet after the blood was cleaned up. They all threw in their bits of input, shutting down Mammon's masochist comments the most, as they discussed the being that was born from pain.
"So if rage birthed wrath, then stress and loss could have birthed-"
"Pain." Barbatos appeared at the end of the table, clearing the crumbs from Beel's surroundings and refilling their beverages. Lucifer noticed that Satan's mug was fixed. "Lord Diavolo, I have seen it. Baphomet is the Avatar of Pain, represented by the spirit of the goat." The butler showed them a symbol not dissimilar to their own animal symbols, but this one was intense. Instead of showing the form of an elegant animal like Lucifer's peacock, or even Belphegor's cow, this was only the head of a goat. A circle with an inverted pentagram framed the goat head, and the horns matched those he had seen earlier on Baphomet.
"Unlike your family, the Avatar of Pain is not related to sin. Baphomet is rather… how shall I put it?
An embodiment of pain itself."
* From the OG game, there's a RAD Newspaper Club chat about the in-game popularity contest and Satan comes 6th behind Diavolo, Lucifer, Beel, Solomon, and Asmo which is followed by a chat in the 345 group where Satan states that he'd prefer not to draw attention to himself. Even when frames it by saying 'I think you could stand up to Lucifer if you tried'
** In the Devilgram 'Why Do People Love Cats' Satan explains the social floater energy he has and the brothers agree that he is a cat (vanishing without a care in the world and then just showing up somewhere else offering no explanation).