Daily Disclaimer: Check out my DA for art and type EmeraldOverlord in the search box since I have art of my fic on there.
"Well well well," Henroin sneered,"Look who's back and you've come empty handed at that. Guess looking for him wasn't as easy as you thought it would be was it?" He mocked.
"Actually, I didn't come back empty handed,"She replied flatly,"I got his number and his card, meaning I'll actually be able to contact him. It ain't much but it's a lot better than you've been doing."
"Don't flatter yourself, Cherri, you're going to need more than that to secure Arackniss."
"You think I'm not aware of that? It's still a start,"She huffed, folding her arms over her chest,"In the very least we have a way to directly contact him without risking Val finding out. There's still more to be done but it's at least something to go off of."
Henroin narrowed his eyes at the cyclops,"You seem mighty confident little girl, be sure not to let your arrogance get yourself killed."
"I've been dead long enough to know my way around the block, Henroin,"She spat,"Wouldn't have made it this far if I hadn't. I ain't some kind of innocent lamb and I'm more than ready to kick some ass. Just cuz I'm wearing this frilly dress doesn't mean I'm going soft and I'll show it to ya if you think otherwise."
"Oh so you wanna go, girlie? Is that how you wanna be? Because I've still got some juice in me at this age. I'm more than willing to put a brat like you in her place.."
"Gladly…"
The two glared at each other hatefully, eyes flaring with rage as Cherri began pulling up the sleeves of her dress in probation for an all out brawl. That was until Rosie abruptly appeared between them and yanked them by their ears and harshly scold them,"Henroin, Cherri, we've gone over this before. What have I said about no fighting in this Emporium?"
Cherri pouted,"That we shouldn't fight and that we gotta get along…"
"Exactly, and pray tell what were you two doing?"
"About to start a fight,"Henroin grumbled.
"That's what I thought. What a pity, you two would be such great teammates if you didn't fight all the time. I think you two owe each other an apology."
"I ain't apologizing to that old fart!""
"Neither will I apologize to that little brat!"
"I'm a jackass in my twenties!"
"You sure as hell don't act like it!"
"This is exactly what I'm talking about. You two can't even get along for five seconds. It's embarrassing. You two should apologize to each other."
"He started it!"
"You started it, Cherri! Don't be telling lies!"
"I ain't lying jackass, just because your memory can't keep up doesn't mean I'm wrong!"
Rosie scoffed at their bickering,"I couldn't care less about who started what, you two are in my domain and I've been quite patient in tolerating this nonsense yet even I have my limits. Refrain from tearing each other's throats out, especially since we all have the same goal at the end of the day. I understand not liking each other but we will not get anywhere nor save the ones you care so deeply about if you two keep trying to tear each other apart. How do you expect to put Valentino in his place if you can't even settle the differences between yourselves?"
The two fell silent and Rosie saw this as a reluctant agreement between the two and continued speaking,"Exactly. Even you, as stubborn as you are, are aware of that fact. We won't ever be able to stand up to Valentino if we're always at each other's throats. Because like it or not, Val grows stronger with each passing day and it's only a matter of time before he decides to focus all of his attention on us again and we'll need to work together and gather more allies if we want to stand a chance, understand? Because we won't be able to get revenge nor get your son back if we're fighting each other, right?"
The two nodded their heads reluctantly, shame lingering with their eyes.
"Good. I understand that working with people you don't like isn't exactly your cup of tea, however this fighting has to stop, especially if we ever want to gain the upper-hand in this situation. If you want to get back at Val, you need to put your rivalry aside because at the end of the day, our goals are the same. We're all different people with very different backgrounds. I don't particularly know any of you that well but I do know that Val has wronged you just like he's wronged me and we refuse to stand for it. There are far more people out there like us than he wants us to realize. It may seem like Val's invincible, but I know better, because for all his grandeur and laced words, even he's not indestructible and he can be killed. If we gain enough support, we might be able to put an end to Val's reign once and for all…"
""I have my ways of locating help. There are others who have scores to settle with Val, you just need to know where to look. They are out there believe it or not, they're just lurking in the dark, in places where Val wont get them. And it's our job to look for as many allies as we can so we can convert them to our cause."
"Are you speaking from experience, Rosie?"
She nodded at Henroin's question,"Indeed I am. And I've discovered someone recently who might be of use to us. The two of us have been communicating through letters and he seems to have a grudge to settle with a certain purple pest…"
"Oh yeah? What's his name?"
Rosie seemed ready to respond where there was a knock at the door,"Oh would you look at that, he's here! Be on your best behavior with you two and be pleasant to our guest…"
The Overlord then dashed to the door and opened with a pleasant smile,"Welcome inside, dearie! Feel free to make yourself at home!"
Rosie moved out of the way, granting Cherri and Henroin a view of the guest. Cherri's heart nearly exploded out of her chest in fright at the familiar face at the door, the sight of him was enough to make her skin crawl.
He looked just as she remembered seeing him, it had been several decades but even in death, he hadn't changed much. The only difference was his singular yellow eye and gray skin with white clothes, wearing a trench coat and black gloves and boots.
The moment both their eyes met, his stitched mouth twisted into a sick grin as he said in a scratchy voice,"Hello there, Cherri,it's been quite a while since we've seen each other, hasn't it?"
"Izzy…" She growled,"You've got a lot of nerve showing up here…"
"Is something wrong?" Rosie asked concerningly.
"Oh nothing, Rosie," Izzy cooed,"Just catching with an old girlfriend of mine, that's all…"
"Girlfriend?" Henroin asked,"This blonde bitch is your girlfriend? How come she never talked about you?"
"Because he's not my boyfriend, not anymore at least," She huffed,"We're fucking over, Izzy, move the fuck on already. It's been decades and you still haven't moved the fuck on. Don't tell me you're seriously here to try and revive an old flame are you? Because what we had is long dead."
He chuckled,"Heh, still feisty as ever, Cherri. I always loved that about you. Though you are right, I did come here for other reasons, much more…professional ones. You see, I've been hearing of this resistance of yours and I just felt the need to join in…"
Cherri scowled,"What for? Since when did you have a score with Val?"
"I've had one for quite a while actually. You see, I'm a freelanced assassin nowadays since I gotta pay the bills somehow in this godforsaken hellhole. To get the point, Val owes me a few thousand dollars and I'm gonna get it one way or another."
"Is that all?" Cherri asked,"God, I knew you were always greedy, Izzy, but don't you think trying to take down Val for the sake of a few thousand dollars is a little petty given your life on the line? This isn't a game you know."
He grinned,"Oh I'm well aware, sweetheart I know this is no game, but that doesn't mean I won't get back what's rightfully mine. Because anyone who messes with my money makes things personal real quick. You of all people should know that about me given how long we've known each other…"
Cherri growled, boy was she well aware. Izzy was always a greedy guy and he'd take whatever wasn't nailed down. Messing with his money was a great way of getting on his nasty side and would often end with the other person having a bullet lodged through their skull.
Rosie then placed her hand on Cherri's shoulder,"Cherri, control yourself. I understand you and Izzy have a…complicated history however, he is here to help. I'm not asking you two to be friends, but I am asking you to tolerate each other's existence until Valentino is dealt with because at the end of the day, we all have the same goals. Val's the enemy here and we all need to focus on taking him down, got it?"
"Crystal clear, Rose," Izzy retorted.
"It's Rosie,"She corrected.
"Yeah yeah, whatever," He shrugged his shoulders,"Just saying, you all better get used to me, because I ain't going nowhere…"
Looks like they had a new addition to their party, and Cherri was far from pleased with Rosie's choice of allies….
Something told her this was going to be a VERY long year…
The investigation into Charlie's disappearance was going nowhere. They searched up and down for her, using just about every resource they could think of yet it yielded no results. They had every Sector under lock down and yet no matter what they did, Charlie simply refused to be found.
To The Queen of Hell, this was more or less a giant goose chase, a search that would lead to nothing and was just a waste of time. At this point and time, she doubted Charlie was even alive, let alone still in Hell.
Lilith was exhausted and felt hopeless, she had spent countless hours pouring money and the greatest detectives in Hell for the sake of finding their lost daughter to no avail. Nobody could find her, no matter how many search parties looked for the Princess, all of them came back empty-handed…
Ultimately, Lilith's faith in finding Charlie grew dimmer and dimmer by day. If they had something to go off of perhaps she'd be a little more optimistic but it wasn't like that, because one day Charlie was there and the next…she was gone.
She didn't even leave a trail to follow. Just left a letter sending her regards and vanished into thin air with Vaggie, who too left no trail to go off of.
It was despairing and the Queen had become demoralized over the situation. There was no progress and she had been sulking around the mansion, making miserable phone calls to those around her and exhausting herself in hopes of finding a small crumb of something, anything really that would lead to her finding her daughter safe and sound…
Speaking of being exhausted, Lilith had once again fallen asleep on her desk. It was a reoccurring thing, working herself to the bone only to randomly black out and wake up a few hours later…
"Ugh…" She groaned,"Again? That's the fifth time this week…Or was it the sixth? I…I don't care to remember anymore." She sluggishly rose to her feet, her body struggling to keep up. Her memories mashed together over the days and the constant neglect of her body and health was weighing on her in more ways than one.
Lilith stumbled out of her office and walked down the hallway, approaching a familiar space in her sluggishness, as if she was a zombie stalking the hallways without any true purpose in her life. Her mind was dazed and she could hardly think at all.
She headed inside and saw Charlie's old room. It had been quite a while since anyone, let alone Charlie, had stepped foot in there. The place looked like it was trapped within a previous era, a time that had since passed some time ago.
She didn't know why she had headed inside of this archaic room, she knew Charlie wasn't in there and that it was foolish to reside inside, but something was drawing her there, something that she couldn't even begin to explain.
The Queen of Hell rummaged through her daughter's old room, searching through to find what she so desperately craved. She checked under the bed and reached in order to pull out a large photo album labeled,'Charlotte Morningstar's Life Album'.
Lilith turned the page, finding the picture they took when they first found Lilith was pregnant. The photo was of Lucifer putting his head against Lilith's stomach. The King had a large and happy grin like a kid at the candy store while Lilith's smile was smaller and more regal in comparison, as if it was barely there.
Despite their varied expressions, Lilith knew that at that time, they were both equally as happy to have a child of their own. It was the biggest joy a parent could experience, the knowledge of having your own child was enough to make even the most twisted and evil souls in Hell light up with hope for the future.
There were a few photos before Charlie had been brought into the world where Lucifer and Lilith were…learning of the wonders and downfalls of pregnancy. Such as photos of Lilith growing a sudden craving for candy apples(that shit stuck to her teeth and was annoying to get off) and the less lighthearted situations of Lilith puking on the floor(heaven pity the poor fool who had to clean that up).
She chuckled despite it all, she could still remember those times where she would experience nausea.
Poor Lucifer thought she was dying the first time she vomited and called a doctor who informed him that nausea was a common occurrence with those who were pregnant, much to his relief. She could still recall seeing her husband panicking and practically shouting at the doctor,asking if Lilith was going to die because she was puking.
Then there were the other memories, where time eventually passed and the time for Charlie's arrival into the world approached. They had thrown a baby shower and all the other Deadly Sins had been invited.
Bethesda and Frederick were there as well with Bethesda's stomach enlarged due to being pregnant as well. She was further along with the pregnancy compared to Lilith's and just a little over a week later she had her twins, Seviathan and Helsa.
At the time, it was actually the first time they had spoken to each other since the…incident.
Lilith remembered trying to discourage Lucifer from inviting them out of fear they might cause trouble but he absolutely insisted, saying they were respected friends and they deserved to be at the Shower just like everyone else, coming they had been ignoring his other invitations and that he at least wanted them to be here for this one.
When they were there, Lilith could tell neither Rulers of Envy were over what had happened. It was subtle and while they weren't as hateful as they had been before, she could sense hostility within them that still lingered despite all the time that had passed.
It was evident in the pictures as when Lucifer and Frederick had taken a picture together.
While Lucifer was smiling, Frederick's face remained apathetic, his eyes averting away from the King of Pride's. He refused to look at Lucifer and actually shoved Lucifer in one photo when he tried to hug him, glaring at him with disdain.
There was another photo when Lilith offered to touch Bethesda's stomach. Bethesda allowed her to do so however when Lucifer tried doing the same thing, the couple refused with a rather harsh 'no' as a response.
She quickly moved forward to turn the page, relieved when she saw pictures of Charlie shortly after her birth. She remembered seeing that precious face, their daughter was the most adorable baby she had ever laid eyes on and they had fallen in love with her the second they saw her.
Their daughter was so perfect, those rosy red cheeks, those large lashes and beautiful pale white skin. Her curly blonde hair and beady black eyes. It was the living embodiment of beauty and perfection and she felt like she was holding the world in her hands just having her daughter with her…
As she turned more pages, flashes of memories flooded by as she witnessed her daughter growing up in the pictures. Had the situation not been as dire and tragic as it was now, she'd look back on these heartwarming memories with happiness but instead felt sadness and despair.
Time had flown by and as Charlie grew bigger, she had grown to become independent. This was normal of course, they had known that Charlie wouldn't remain their little baby forever yet it was still sad watching your child no longer require you as much as they had before…
Eventually, she began having 'friends', like Seviathan and Helsa, who she had known since they were babies. Their parents always let them spend time with each other, especially since Charlie and Seviathan were in an arranged marriage at the time.
There were some photos of the twins and Charlie together, one of them was of Seviathan handing Charlie a yellow tulip when they were young. Another photo was the aftermath of Helsa kicking Charlie's sandcastle, Helsa triumphantly standing over the remains of the sandcastle while Charlie cried over her destroyed creation.
She could still remember Charlie crying to her about it and while Lilith tried telling Bethesda to try and discipline her daughter, the Lady of Envy merely scoffed, claiming that Helsa was just 'playing' and that it was hardly anything to be concerned over.
She never bought that excuse of course. It was a lie, and an obvious one at that. Bethesda may as well have said she didn't care because that was what her words more or less meant at the time.
Bethesda always allowed Helsa to do as she pleased, the girl could know wrong in her eyes. Helsa was exactly what Bethesda wanted, a girl who could be as cruel and cunning as she was and the Princess of Envy knew it. She knew she had power and even at that young age, she exhibited cruelty purely for the sake of her parent's approval.
She had never liked the girl, not only because she picked on Charlie but there was something about her that made her skin itch. She didn't know what it was but Lilith always made sure to keep Helsa at arm's length and the Princess of Envy did the same to her.
Now Seviathan on the other hand, she couldn't say she was a big fan of him, especially over the years. In fact, she had a rather intense dislike of him due to how he apparently had abused their daughter and held it against throughout all these years…
And to think he wasn't always that way. He started out nice, but over time, the more unflattering parts of him began to show. It wasn't there initially but time revealed there was a monster lurking in the depths of his heart, a cruel one at that.
When the breakup took place, Seviathan's wicked nature became more evident. It was a nasty breakup and the relationship between the Mage's and Eldritch had become more tense as a result and even now, the relationship hadn't fully mended.
With Helsa, she always knew she was wicked, there was always a park of malice within her eye since she was young, but Seviathan hadn't shown himself to be malicious when he was young, ignorant, yes, but not malicious…
But in due time, his character was revealed. Seviathan's reputation was heavily tarnished with the physical abuse claims and was mocked ruthlessly for blowing his chance at the throne by the masses.
Despite this, The Prince of Envy fought vehemently against these accusations, claiming that throughout their entire relationship he never once laid a hand on Charlie and that the Princess was lying.
Of course nobody actually believed him, and if they did, nobody dared to say it aloud. The Prince of Envy was always a controversial figure after that and the wickedness in his heart became more evident.
She had seen the way he looked at Charlie, the hatred and hostility burning within his eyes whenever he caught sight of her at the parties the Deadly Sins attended. Lilith had been around many people with wickedness in their heart and she herself was no saint, but something about The Prince Of Envy unnerved her more than his sister ever could.
Helsa was cruel…but Seviathan…he was truly wicked. The only thing keeping Seviathan back from being as evil, if not more so than his twin was his ignorant nature.
Yet over the years, that ignorant nature began to wane and she believed it was only a matter of time before that ignorance was replaced with maliciousness. The only thing that brought Lilith ease was that Seviathan had vanished along with his sister and that wherever he was, he wouldn't be a problem for her daughter(assuming she was still alive that is).
Lilith then found it within her to push toward the pages of old memories she and her Husband used to share with their beloved daughter before reaching the final sheet. The final picture was of her, Charlie and Lucifer standing together for a family portrait.
All of them were there, they were all smiling and it seemed like they were at peace with themselves. She couldn't recall the last time she saw herself or Lucifer this happy, ever since Charlie had vanished, it seemed all the light in their lives had been taken with her.
It felt like she was looking an entirely different person when she peered at herself in the photo. She could hardly recognize herself, all the beauty and grace she once possessed had been lost over the months due to the stress, her desire to look after her appearance waned the longer Charlie was away and she struggled to even take a bath, let alone brush her hair.
Looking back on those memories hurt…it hurt her right in the center and a small droplet of water dripped from her eye, landing on the page and leaving a small stain. She bit her lip and resisted the urge to cry anymore, turning away and slamming the book shut, unable to bear peering inside of the contents anymore.
Hopeless and filled with despair, Lilith came to a tragic the months of searching for Charlie had gotten them nothing. What even was the point in continuing this fruitless venture? It wasn't like they had found any leads and no matter how much resources they forced into this project, Charlie still remained missing.
Perhaps it was time to call it off, give their daughter a funeral. She knew Lucifer would take the news hard, especially since he refused to give up hope on Charlie despite the odds but Lilith found her husband's normally endearing determination more of annoyance at this point.
It was going to be hard and it was a topic she had avoided for as long as she could, yet the truth was getting hard to deny. She could no longer hide from the truth.
They weren't going to find Charlie and with how the investigation was going they'd be lucky enough to find her body. Not a single confirmed sighting or a hint of her location. They had been running in circles for so long and Lilith was beyond exhausted of it all..
She was tired of running in circles, tired of staying up at night, working herself to the bone for a lost cause. She was sick of pretending her daughter was still alive, tired of pretending there was a chance for Charlie to be returned to them safe and sound. The hope of them being happy together was nothing more than a pipedream and Lilith was too exhausted to humor it any longer.
She had to put an end to this wild goose chase. It had to end, now…
Lilith stood up and walked the halls, her gaze empty and drained of enthusiasm, her footsteps heavy as can be. When she found Lucifer, she saw Lucifer at his desk, head in his head. He looked like a living wreck and seemed on the verge of collapse just from the look of him.
"Oh hey, Lily-pad…How's it going/" he asked in a horse tone, as if his life was dangling on a thread.
She scoffed, cutting straight to the chase,"Lucifer, we need to talk."
"About what?" He asked, an eyebrow raised in response,"What is there to talk about?"
"It's about this investigation…" She said,"It's getting us nowhere. We need to call it off."
"You're joking…"
"I don't joke in times of crisis," She informed me,"I'm dead serious, Lucifer. This has gone on long enough. It's time to face the facts, Charlie is gone."
"No…"He growled,"She's still out there, Lilith. We can't just give up on her. I know it's been hard but we just need more time-"
"More time!? Lucifer,it's been almost half a year at this point! How long do you need to understand that she's just not with us anymore? There's no point in continuing to look for someone who's likely dead."
"So you're just going to give up on her? I thought you loved her."
"How dare you!" She snapped, hitting him in the face, leaving a mark over his cheek"I love Charlotte as much as you do! Do not accuse me of not loving my own flesh and blood! However, that doesn't mean I'm a fool. This investigation has gotten us nowhere! No bodies, no reporting sightings, NOTHING! It'd be one thing if we had something to go off of but since we don't, this case is colder than ice and it has been since the day we opened it," She growled before grabbing Lucifer by the collar, the dangerous beauty looking like a witch with how wild her hair was,"I loved her, Lucifer. I loved her more than ANYTHING in this world, yet I think it's beyond clear that we're not going to find her, especially not alive. We need to bury this case once and for all."
Lucifer rubbed his cheek,hissing as he said,"We can't do that, Lilith! She's still out there, we can't just give up because the times are hard! Our daughter needs us!"
"She can't be helped, Lucifer, not anymore. Face it, she's GONE. Your pride and stubbornness may hold you back from coming to terms with it, but I am not going to stand idle and pretend that things are alright, I will not pretend that there is going to be a happy ending in this case." She grit her teeth, her head drooped downward in defeat, her voice broken and somber,"I hate that it's come to this, but since I didn't help Charlie while she was here, the least I can do is give her a funeral…"
"You..you wish to have her declared dead?"
"What else would I be implying? It's the only reasonable thing to do at this point. She's been gone for months and no matter how many people we send after her, we always come back empty handed. This investigation has gotten us running in circles…and for what? A misguided hope that our daughter is still in one piece? There's no point in humoring such delusions, especially since no progress has been made. We have to move on, Lucifer. We have to let her go, and this is the first step into accepting what's happened."
He snarled,"No! I…I refuse to give up! I'm not like you, Lilith! I'm not going to give up on our Charlotte just because you feel there's no other option! She's still out there and I won't stop looking until she's found!"
The Queen of Hell scoffed,"You don't even believe that do you? Don't lie to me, Lucifer. I've known you eons, I've been married to you for countless centuries! And for as prideful and as stubborn as you are, I know that you are well aware that I am right. You're just too proud to admit it, because if you did, you'd have to admit that our daughter's death is on your hands."
Rage grew in his voice as his body began to shake uncontrollably."Are…are you ACCUSING me to kill our daughter!?" He screeched,"How could you say such a thing!?"
"I'm only speaking the truth. You were the one who drove her away. You simply couldn't have waited until Charlie grew out of her idealistic mindset, no, you had to try and force her to let go of her childish dreams and now look at where it's got us! Not only is she gone, but we're left in shambles trying to pick up the pieces she's left back!" She choked, her voice cracking as she fought the urge to sob.
"I didn't mean for it to be like this! I just..I just wanted her to stop believing demons could change! I didn't think she'd disappear! I thought that…that…"
"That what?" She asked,"That things would go back to normal? That everything would just be alright? Because if so, then you are truly hopeless. I would've thought that Charlie being gone this long would've made you come to your senses but it seems that it's only made you double down…"
The Devil scowled,"You think you're the first to say that, Lilith? I've been criticized for my pride by my Father and my own siblings, even my own brother, Micheal's said similar things in the past. Your words do not faze me."
"We both know that's a lie," She retorted,"I can see it in your eyes, you know it hurts, even if you don't want to admit it. I suppose this is what I get for marrying the most prideful man in existence. I should've known it would backfire on me one day. You know, Lucifer, there is a saying I've heard someone say once. I never thought much of it until now, but I think it applies perfectly to you…"
"Oh yeah? And what would that be?"
"Most would rather lose their pride to the one they love, rather than lose the one they love because of their pride…." She stated, her eyes piercing through him,"I'm not certain what you plan on doing from here. Knowing you and your stubbornness, you'll likely ignore my advice and heed your own. I won't stop you if you do, but know that I'll be paving my own path in an effort to move on from this awful event in our lives. You can continue your pointless search, but do not try involving me in it. As for me…I'll be arranging funeral plans for Charlotte in private."
The Queen of Hell then turned her back on Lucifer who weakly called for her, arm reaching out desperately"Lilith…wait…"
She didn't respond, refusing to turn his way and walked out of the room, leaving the King alone to mourn the loss. Lucifer's body fell into a slump. The only thoughts in his mind were the conflicting emotions swimming through his mind….
"Most would rather lose their pride to the one they love, rather than lose the one they love because of their pride…."
His mind was stuck on those words, unable to form a possible response to it. Those words…they made him feel things…They made him feel…they made him feel enraged. Fury pumped through his body as he did the only thing he could do at that moment…
He lashed out.
His body shook, gripping the desk before lashing out, horns protruding from his skull as he screamed in frustration, tearing down everything within arm's reach. Lucifer wailed furiously as he tore down his office piece by piece.
By the time Lucifer ceased his tantrum, the room was in shambles and everything around him was wrecked beyond repair. He panted, eyes still blazing with hurt and anger, his rage still unable to be satisfied.
Lucifer's head then tilted his head at the sound of a noise, his neck snapping when he saw a terrified maid standing outside of the door, her jaw dropped and her body shaking with fear when his gaze locked onto her.
There was a moment of silence, the only noise in the room from the maid's trembling. The Devil's back was turned towards her yet even without seeing his face, she could sense just how unstable he was due to his shaken stance.
"Get out," He said, voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm..I'm sorry your highness, i didn't hear-"
"I said, get out,"He growled, becoming more enraged when she didn't move,"What are you doing!? Quit standing there like a moron and leave before I send your soul so far into the depths that no one, not even God himself will save you!"
The maid scampered off in fear of her life, leaving Lucifer alone once and for all. Once again, he found himself left alone, yet he didn't feel better, not even for a second. Instead, he felt more isolated and miserable…
For once, the Devil felt pathetic. It felt like nobody was one his side, the other Sins didn't understand his pain, his wife had given up on the search and was already arranging Charlie's funeral and he seemed to be the only one who truly believed Charlie was still out there…
It felt so hopeless. He felt so alone…everyone was turning their back on him one way or another and he felt more akin to a sacred child than a fearsome ruler of Hell. He could hardly recognize himself anymore, he was an emotional wreck and the only thing he had to keep him going was the hope that Charlie was still alive…
It was a dim flame, a flame that he was desperate to keep alive despite the odds, despite everyone losing faith in Charlie's rescue. He pulled out a photo from his sleeve, an old picture of Charlie that he kept around on him at all times…
He hand trembled, a tiny splotch of water from his eyes landed on the photo as he bit his lip. He grit his teeth, he refused to quit. It may have been a lost cause and his wife could be right about him, about this whole thing…
But that didn't mean he wasn't going to try…because if not for his sake, for his daughter's sake. The world may believe that Charlie was dead, but so long as he breathed, he'd continue searching for her, even if he spent the rest of eternity doing so…
"Daddy's going to find you, Charlotte…and when I do, we're going to do everything we used to do back when you were just a child. I'm certain you remember all the times we used to gorge ourselves on sweets? Heh…Lilith always despised it when we did that, saying you'd get cavities. You know, you always did say you wanted to visit Luu Luu World more often. It's a shame I was always too caught up in my work to take you there when you were older. But I'll right that wrong once I find you…we'll ride on every ride, eat as many candy apples as we want and play all the games! Just like you always wanted to do…Doesn't that sound nice, Charlie?"
With no response, Lucifer weakly said,"I…I thought you might say that. But don't worry, I'm certain you'll change your mind, once I finally get you back. Because no matter how silly your beliefs are…I…I still love you and I can't lose you, Charlie…so please…wherever you are, keep fighting and make it back home, if not for your sake, do it for our's…We miss you…"
The Queen of Hell sat out, teleporting herself to a park and took out a park. It wasn't just any park, but it was a park Lucifer and Lilith owned.
Back when Charlie was younger she used to take her and the Eldritch twins out to play though they visited the place less after they got older,especially after Seviathan and Charlie broke up.
Now that it was just her, Lilith stationed herself at a bench and sat down. She had a lot on her mind and she really needed some space. The funeral arrangements were going to be such a hassle..the media was going to have a field day and just the thought of having to dig a grave for Charlie made her heart tremble…
She looked at the park somberly, it looked just as she had remembered and it seemed the place hadn't aged. It looked just as beautiful as ever, the flowers were blooming with life, the gardens were rich with an array of colorful flowers and trees that originated from Hell.
The park had just about everything, a large fountain with sculptures, swings and even a sandbox for the children….
Ah…how she remembered those days, back when her little Charlotte was just a small child. Those were the happier times, back when life was almost perfect for her.
Lilith then paused when she heard footsteps on the sidewalk, catching her by surprise. Most demons didn't have access to this park so she was a little concerned someone had found their way inside as there was a magical barrier protecting the park from those on the outside.
Has someone found a way in? Maybe the magic was weakening over the years...Still, she had to be sure this person wasn't a threat to her.
She then demanded them to come out,"Show yourself! This is the Royal Family's property and under no circumstances are commoners allowed inside. Leave or I'll have to take you out by force."
Suddenly a familiar chuckle filled her ears as a feminine voice said,"Oh Lilith, there's no need to be so antsy. That's no way to treat an old friend now, is it?"
She groaned,"Bethesda…what are you going here?"
Bethesda waltzed over to her,"Oh no reason, I just felt the need to speak with you. I was hoping our last encounter didn't leave any…bruises on our friendship…"
She rolled her eyes,"It's fine. Besides, I have bigger problems to think about then some petty arguing…"
"Oh, you do? Like what?"
"I'd rather not talk about it."
"Lilith, Lilith, there's no need to be secretive. I've been your best friend for eons, there's nothing you should feel uncomfortable hiding from me!" She said as she patted the blonde on her shoulder,"Besides,you do look rather down. Maybe talking about it would help…"
She huffed, she knew it was pointless avoiding the conversation. Bethesda was always nosy, especially in her private life. She just had to know everything and trying to hide anything from her was a fruitless venture as she'd weasel her way into getting the information out of her target.
"Alright, fine, if you insist,"She grumbled,"It's just that…I've been coming to terms with Charlie's disappearance and I've come to a decision to mark her as deceased."
"Oh you have?" She asked, slightly surprised,"How odd, I thought you wanted your daughter to be found,especially with how…emotional you were last time about not seeing her."
"Of course I want her to be found..and I still do…It's just that, it's been so long it's almost been an entire year at this point. Nothing has come up from the investigation. We've been running in circles and I don't see the point anymore…"
"Oh I see..you've lost hope. I can't say I really blame you, the investigation was getting pretty unproductive. Though I must ask, how did your husband take the news?" She inquired.
"About as well as one would expect. He didn't approve of my choice to put it bluntly. The man is incredibly stubborn and he just refuses to give up, even when things are hopeless. I'd admire that trait if it weren't so annoying in times like these. He just doesn't know when to quit…"
"Don't be like that, Lilith, he'll give up..eventually. Sure, it may take a few centuries but I'm certain he'll come to the same conclusion…"
"I don't know, Bethesda. He's really clinging onto hope. I just hope he doesn't destroy himself in the process because I still do love him despite his flaws…"
Bethesda shook her head,"Don't worry too much about him, Lilith. He's a grown man, a foolish one, but still grown. Lucifer may be powerful, but even he has moments of idiocy, it's just in their nature to be like this. Even my husband shows himself to be an idiot. It's just something you should expect from him in times like this. Just now it's natural for men to behave foolishly, no matter what species they are."
"Are you calling my husband a fool?"
"Oh, Lilith, honey no, of course not. I'm just saying…he's still capable of being irrational. There's no need to beat yourself up over it. All you have to do is wait for his little tantrum to end and I'm certain he'll be more reasonable in due time…"
"I hope he comes around…else this pipe-dream of our daughter coming home never being fulfilled might cause more damage to him than I'd like."
"Give it time, he just needs to adjust to the situation, that's all. Speaking of your dead daughter…where are you going to put her? Certainly not in the standard graveyards are you?"
"I'd do no such thing. Charlie deserves a better resting place than that. I was thinking of putting it in our backyard but I have the strangest feeling Lucifer might tear it down if I did. Which was why I went here, not only to clear my head, but to ponder if this would be a good spot for Charlie's resting place…"
Bethesda grabbed one of the flowers from the bushes and held it up with a smile,"I can certainly see why, this place is rather beautiful and your little daughter did once enjoy this place. What's stopping you?"
"It's just…there were so many positive memories I had down here and having my daughter's grave here would make them incredibly bittersweet,"She sniffled as her gaze shifted toward the sandbox,"I still remember her making those sandcastles with that little pail of hers."
Bethesda chuckled gleefully,"Oh I remember seeing those little sandcastles…it was so adorable. Even more so when Helsa thought it was hilarious to destroy them. It was always so funny…"
Lilith frowned,"I never considered it funny, Bethesda…"
"Oh don't be such a prude, Lilith, Helsa was just having fun. You know kids can be cruel, there's no harm in letting Helsa mess around."
"Even if Helsa's definition of messing around included destroying the work my daughter put her sweat in blood into?"
"It was just a sandcastle. Besides, the younger they are, the better they can be taught. Don't lie, Lilith, you can't tell me you never wanted Charlie to be a bit more… in tune with her demonic nature. You know her overly soft approach isn't exactly an amazing quality down here. Kindness is a weakness and Charlie allowing herself to be seen as weak only makes the denizens of Hell think they can walk all over her."
Lilith narrowed her eyes,"I did want her to be more assertive, though I never wanted her to be on Helsa's level of pettiness."
"You act like it's a bad thing. Like it or not, Lilith, Helsa was an example of how a true heir should be. In a world like this, mercy and compassion are beneath those who rule and Helsa's well aware of this fact. I've taught her well, everything she knows is from me and her Father and we made sure she knew her place and how to manipulate those to her whim."
"Did you ever teach her to love someone, you know, in case she ever got interested?"
She snorted,"And why would I do that? Helsa's perfect the way she is, she doesn't need anyone, let alone some man to take care of her."
"I Never said for him to take care of her. But just in case she wanted one-"
"She never would,"She balked,"Because why would she? To her, men are only tools for her own amusement. All the guys in her life are merely just toys, she'll play with them for a little bit but eventually, they lose their allure and she moves onto the next one. It's how she's always been."
"Is it really?"
"Well, I had to…inform her of her status first. Once she asked me for relationship advice when she was just a little girl. I think some bozo asked her out when, you know, kids being kids and all. I of course told her and I quote,"All the men you meet are the same, they only see a pretty face and possibly a chance at the throne. Do not let them inside your heart unless you want to get hurt." And guess what? She heeded my advice, meaning that she understood just how right I was…"
"Is that why you and Fredrick never thought of marrying Helsa off?"
"That and we didn't see any need. Besides, Helsa is a little…promiscuous, the marriage would fall apart within seconds since she doesn't like sticking to one man at a time. Sleeping with men is almost like a game to her, a game where she plays with their hearts, letting some compete only to shatter it all once she grew bored of them. She just excels at cruelty and grace at the exact same time, she really takes after me doesn't she? She has such potential…"
Lilith mumbled,"I guess…"
"You don't sound certain, Lilith, why is that?"
"Your son is who I'm more worried about…"
"You're worried about that disappointment?" She laughed,"Lilith, what for? If this is about the controversy I'll have you know we sorted him out, there's nothing to be worried about…"
"You can't expect me to brush it off,especially since I've seen the way he's looked at Charlie over the years. His eyes are filled with hate. I've seen those vengeful eyes many times in my life and I can't help but feel concerned for those who cross him."
"He's not a threat, Lilith. You worry far too much, I understand you're under a lot of stress but there's no need to be concerned over things that are not that big of a deal in reality."
"You don't understand, Bethesda, that boy is a monster."
"Monster? That's not exactly rarity down here, Lilith. What are you so concerned about? Why are you worried about him and not Helsa?"
"Because Helsa isn't really that dangerous, so long as you stay out of her way. She's a heart-breaker, but her evil tends to target people's emotions. She may call herself the 'Queen of the Beasts' but Seviathan may overtake her crown sooner or later. I sense a dark mark upon him and wherever he is…he's no doubt going to cause trouble for those who defy him."
Bethesda scoffed,"You're being a tad dramatic don't you think, Lilith? I know Seviathan has been…troublesome to your family but he's not that dangerous…"
"Underestimating someone is a big mistake, even if they are your own flesh and blood. Be grateful he's not here, else you might see why I am right. Because if you ever see him again, he'll have changed in the worst way imaginable…."
The Queen of Envy brushed off this statement, believing it to be nonsense, refusing to take heed of her friend's warning.
Thanks for the views, tell me what you think and feel free to ask questions below!
Enigmus-288: Felt the need to give Vark something to do given he's basically stuck there lol. It's better than wallowing around in his own sadness at least.