The first thing he noticed about this new place was how red the sky was. It reminded him of that time back in Eden during Lucifer's rebellion, except this time, there were no rumbles of thunder or bursts of lightning.
But that still didn't make it any less unsettling.
Even from his bird's eye view, he could see Hell was the complete opposite of Heaven. The buildings here were dark and dreary, built atop molten rock. Smoke and ash would billow out from the ground sporadically, casting a haze in the air. If it wasn't for the crimson sky providing some source of light, it would have been pitch-black.
"Just get Eve and Abel, and get the fuck outta here," Adam told himself as he sunk down closer.
"Shit." He was having some trouble with his wings and plunged closer to the ground than he wanted. Still not used to the new appendages, Adam would dip up and down in the air like a dying fly.
From his vantage point, he still couldn't make out anyone down below. But what was weird was how there were more people down here than in Heaven. Well, even one other person would have been more, but he counted at least a couple dozen already.
As he got closer, he thought some of the toxic fumes spewing out of the ground were messing with his head. Because these people weren't actually people as he knew them. They were bipedal and vaguely humanoid, but that was where the resemblance ended. These... things were grotesque and monstrous. They shared more in common with the beasts of the Earth than with any human.
"What the actual fuck..." Adam gaped at the monsters walking around. He was so distracted by them that he almost crashed into a leafless tree.
"Son of a bitch!" He barely dodged faceplanting into the tree but was spun off course. After coming to a halt in midair, Adam tried to gather his bearings and looked around. But there was only an endless ruin as far as the eye could see.
Desperation was beginning to set in. Adam had to come to terms with the fact that he was way out of his depth. He was in a frightening new place with no sense of direction and no way of knowing where his family could be.
The sweet sound of a woman's voice suddenly filled the air, and it was like a wave of calmness washed over him. For a moment, he even forgot all his troubles and worries. Until he recognized the familiar melody and the sense of calmness was shattered into a million pieces just like his heart.
Lilith.
Any prior warning Sera had given him had been erased from his mind. All that mattered now was following the sound and finding its despicable source.He had no doubt that Lilith and Lucifer had something to do with this. In fact, they were probably keeping Eve and Abel prisoners somewhere.
Adam glanced down and saw a group of those abhorrent creatures gathered together. They were standing in a park filled with even more dead trees and blackened grass. And there she was, leading them in some sort of demonic choir.
His chest tightened the moment he spotted her.
"Okay, that was better! Let's try it one more time." She waved her hands in the air, and they all opened their mouths to sing.
"LILITH!" He crashed to the ground, interrupting the choir and sending them scattering like roaches. "Where are they?!"
Lilith turned around, a look of surprise briefly coming over her face. "Adam? What are you doing here? Who let you in?"
"I'm here for my wife and son, so where the fuck are they?!" He marched up to her, giving her a once-over. It seemed like almost a thousand years had done nothing to ruin her beauty. She look just as he remembered her, except now ram-like horns jutted out of her head, and her eyes were the color violet.
But what really caught his attention was the visible bump swelling out of her purple dress.
"They're not here." Her gaze hardened under his stare.
"Bullshit!" Adam returned her glare. "Sera told me they're here! So where are you keeping them?!"
"I see you still have problems listening. As I said, we're not keeping them here. Why would I even want your wife and son here?" Lilith's tone remained cold despite the sweltering air.
It was true. Even after close to a millennia, Lilith was still the same uncaring, frigid woman he knew her as. And it was this same apathetic attitude that made Adam finally lose it. "You fucking bitch! What did you do to them?!"
He wrapped his hand around her slender throat and squeezed. Lilith must've not been expecting this since her eyes grew wide, and it sent a thrill down Adam's spine to see even the slightest hint of fear from her.
"Get your hands off my wife," a voice warned from what sounded like all directions.
Adam didn't even need to turn around to know who was behind them. He simply laughed before slowly releasing Lilith from his grip.
"It's nice to see you too. Luci." Adam's tone dripped with venom as he leered at his once best friend.
Lucifer merely scowled at him back at him.
"You want to be a strong, independent woman who doesn't listen to any man. And yet, you still have a man come in to rescue you," Adam mocked his former wife before turning his attention back to Lucifer. He looked pretty much the same as well, minus the halo—which had been replaced with a hat—and a new set of razor-sharp teeth.
Despite their punishment, they still looked so beautiful. None of the curses he had to bear like wrinkles, balding, or blemishes had befallen them.
It made Adam hate them even more.
"What is it you want?" Lucifer's scowl deepened.
"You know damn well what I want! So I'm going to ask again, and if you give me the same bullshit that they're not here, I swear I will bring Heaven's wrath on both your heads!" Adam raised his fist at the fallen angel.
"Okay," Lucifer sighed. "It's true that they're not here. Not anymore, at least. But I can show you what happened to them."
Whether Lucifer agreed because he knew Adam was serious about his threat or because he just wanted Adam to leave, Adam didn't know. But Adam didn't care as long he got his answer.
"Darling... Don't." Lilith shook her head.
Lucifer gave her a mournful smile before glancing back at Adam. "But before I do, I need to make a deal with you."
"Oh, fuck this!" Adam's wings started to flap from behind him. "You're just buying time! You don't know where they are, do you?"
"We do! But before I show you, I need assurance that nothing will happen to me or my family." Lucifer stuck out a pale hand for him to shake.
Adam narrowed his eyes at him and scoffed. "Like I'd make a deal with you!"
Lucifer withdrew his hand. "Then I can not show you where they are. And our business here is done. You need to leave."
Luci and Lilith started to walk away, leaving Adam there trying to decide whether his love for his family outweighed his hatred for them. If he knew the angels knew where Eve and Abel were, then he wouldn't be standing here. But they told him they were in Hell, so where else could they be?
"Ugh. Fine," Adam said, making Lucifer and Lilith come to a halt. "But how do I know you won't lie to me? It wouldn't be out of character for you two!"
That same mournful smile returned to Lucifer's face. "After you see what happened, you're going to wish I had lied to you."
The cryptic answer only made Adam more curious. He knew he shouldn't trust this man. Every instinct in him was screaming not to. But damn it, he needed to know what happened to his wife and son.
"We have a deal then," Adam spat before grabbing Lucifer's hand and giving it a firm shake. There was a low hissing sound and to his alarm, the outline of a snake looping around his wrist and linking it with Lucifer's materialized.
Instantly, everything around him vanished in a cloud of black smoke and he was transported to what looked like the throne room of a castle made from volcanic rock. Lucifer and Lilith were no longer beside him, now placed in different positions. Lucifer sat slouched atop his throne and stared off to the side in a daze. Lilith had just entered the room and was talking to him, but it was obvious Lucifer was barely listening.
"He never opened his eyes," Lilith said. "He was gone by the time he entered the world."
"Mm." Lucifer nodded.
"I buried him with the others." She paused to stare down at her feet. "He looked so much like you."
Lucifer remained silent, the absent glaze still over his eyes.
Meanwhile, Adam continued observing in silence, realizing that this was a memory. And he would be lying to himself if he didn't feel something twinge from deep within him.
But just as he felt the wisps of sorrow tugging at his heart, the door to the throne room opened, and in came someone dressed in a black robe. This caught everyone's attention. Even Lucifer had snapped out of his stupor. He perked up and asked, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
The figure pulled down the hood of his robe, revealing a human skeleton. Adam had never seen the skeleton of a human before, but it was clear that's what it was supposed to be.
"My name's Abel," the skeleton answered. "I'm the son of Adam and Eve. And I'm here for my mother."
Adam, Lucifer, and Lilith all gaped at the skeleton. He should've known based on the wings attached to its back, that something was up. But Adam was too horrified to see what had become of his beloved son to realize.
"I see," Lucifer said after a long pause. "It's only fair I take you to her then."
The scene changed, and they were all now standing at the mouth of a cave surrounded by deserted wasteland. But Adam could only focus on Abel, still unable to believe this was him. He tried reaching out to touch him, to reassure him he was here, but his hand only went through Abel's robe.
"Eve!" Lilith called into the entrance of the cave. "There's a visitor here to see you!"
If Adam thought what happened to Abel was bad, he sure as hell wasn't expecting what Eve had turned into. From the waist up, she was mostly the same beautiful woman she had been in Eden. But from the waist down, her lower half was that of a snake's tail. Her once-round pupils were cut into slits and green scales covered her torso like armor.
"I thought we agreed that we would stay as far away from each other as possible." She slithered out of the cave, now baring a pair of fangs.
"Yes, but I think you'll want to see this." Lilith gestured to Abel.
"Hi, Mom." Abel raised a bony hand. "It's me. Abel."
Eve gasped before rushing over to him. "Abel? What– What are you doing here?"
"I came down here to see you. I couldn't let you be here alone with these awful people." He glanced back at Lilith and Lucifer, who were trying and failing to hide their evident discomfort.
"No, no, no! What did you do?" Eve embraced her son as tears streamed down her cheeks. "You shouldn't be here!"
"I've waited a long time to see you again." He returned her hug. "How could it be Heaven if I wasn't able to be with you?"
Eve continued to weep. "I had given up hope that I'd ever see you again. I'm so sorry it had to be under these circumstances."
"Don't be." Abel wiped away her tears with the sleeve of his robe. "We're together now. And that's all that matters."
Adam rubbed his own watery eyes and glanced over at Lucifer and Lilith. He had expected them to be relishing in the scene in front of them. But to his confusion, they looked anything but smug. Their eyes were downcast, and their mouths were twisted into frowns.
They looked... ashamed.
"Your father," Eve said. "When he finds out where we are, he'll want to come dopitiful that happen. Not again. He already gave up paradise once for me."
"Then I think I can work something out. For the both of us," Lucifer finally spoke up.
Eve snarled at him and pushed Abel behind her. "You've tricked me once before, Lucifer. I won't fall for your lies again!"
"No tricks! I want you both here as much as you want to be here. Having your wife's ex-husband's new family is awkward for everyone." He let out a strained chuckle. "While I can't send you to Heaven, there is somewhere else you can go."
Eve didn't look convinced. "What are you suggesting?"
"It's a place you're quite familiar with!" Lucifer stepped closer to the pair, a forced smile on his face. "Earth."
"We can't go back to Earth. We're not alive–" Abel started to say before he was interrupted by Lucifer.
"No, no. You wouldn't be coming back to life. I can do many things, but that's even beyond my power." Lucifer gave another nervous laugh. "You can go back to the Earth as spirits."
Eve and Abel remained silent, and Adam could tell by their expressions—well, as much as an expression a human skeleton could have—that they were considering his offer.
"I would be able to see my son again." A small smile spread across Eve's face.
"Yes! And if Adam is sent to Heaven, he could go down to Earth. It would be like a neutral zone between Heaven and Hell." The despair in Lucifer's eyes disappeared for a moment, and he actually looked like the cheerful angel Adam once knew him as.
"Mom, I don't know about this." Abel tugged at her arm. "Cain is the last person I want to see right now."
"Anything is better than having to spend an eternity with these two," she growled at Lucifer and Lilith. "Take us to Earth. I refuse to spend a minute longer with you."
The cave faded from view and, in its place, appeared a gigantic structure made of obsidian. It towered several feet in the air, making them mere specks in comparison. But it wasn't the impressive size of this structure that drew everyone's attention. It was the door in the center of it, whose threshold cast an eerie red glow over their faces.
"Well, this is it." Lucifer gestured to the enormous gate. It seemed to pulsate as they all stared at it, the reddish hue growing even brighter around the gaps in the door.
Eve threw her head back and snickered. "You expect me to go through that? I'm not the same naive girl you met back in Eden, Lucifer. Try harder."
Lucifer visibly cringed. "I know it's scary. But I assure you, if you go through that gate, you will be taken back to Earth."
Eve and Abel exchanged wordless glances. And even though Adam couldn't read their minds, he knew them well enough to understand what they were going to do. He wanted to scream at them not to fall for Lucifer's pretty words. But he knew they would never hear him.
"Okay," Eve said. "But don't think this changes anything. Don't think this suddenly makes everything right."
"I know that–" Lucifer started to say, but Eve cut him off.
"No, I'm not finished yet." A forked tongue hissed between her fangs. "Look at you two. You could've had everything. You used to have everything. And look how far you've fallen."
"I think we're done here–" Lilith closed in on Eve, but she easily evaded her.
"Oh, I'm far from done! I used to think the angels had been too easy on you. I had wanted you both dead. But now I see that death would've been a mercy." Eve smirked at Luci and Lilith, who could only glare back in silence.
"Lucifer, I know you were the one who tempted me to eat the apple. But the words that came from your mouth were Lilith's." Upon saying her name, Eve locked eyes with Lilith and sneered.
"You told me if I ate it, I would be even more powerful than Adam. As powerful as the angels. I wouldn't be bounded to them or their will anymore," Eve said. "And in my hubris, I listened. And when I ate, you said I should share the apple with Adam and make him fall with me. Otherwise, I would be replaced with a new wife."
"And that's what this is all about, isn't it?" Eve chuckled darkly. "When Adam was created, you were no longer at the top, Lucifer. You didn't have a Lilith, so you took her. And when I was created, Lilith couldn't have paradise, so you took it from us. Because that's all you two do. If someone has what you don't, you destroy it and bring them down with you."
"Okay, you need to go now–" Lucifer tried to escort her out, but she slithered away again.
"The angels didn't know it, but you two are perfect for each other. The king and queen of ashes." Eve let out another laugh. "Even despite what's happened to me, I am still nowhere near as pathetic of a creature as you both are. So thank you for sharing with me the knowledge of good and evil. Because I see you for what you really are. Two of the biggest failures in all of creation."
From the shadows, Adam watched the scene unfold, mentally screaming and cursing Eve. Because with each word she spoke, Lucifer's form started to contort with unbridled rage. Horns protruded out of his head, and flames burned in his eyes as he let out a bellowing roar. His wings sprouted from behind, and he flew over to both Eve and Abel, grabbing them with his claws.
"Luci! Wait!" Lilith ran forward, but Lucifer didn't stop. He had Eve by her hair and Abel by his robe, dragging them towards the gate. They shouted and writhed in his arms to no avail. Even as a fallen angel, he was still stronger than them.
The gate opened as if accepting his offering, its red glow making Lucifer look even more demonic as he stood in front of it.
Adam wanted to turn away. He wanted to close his eyes. Because maybe if he didn't see it, it would mean it wouldn't come true. But he could only watch helplessly as his wife and son were pushed into the gate. Their screams echoed through the wasteland long after they had vanished. Flames shot out of the gate, licking at both Lucifer and Lilith before the door slammed shut.
Almost immediately, Lucifer returned to his usual appearance, and there was a horrified look on his face. Even Lilith, who was normally calm and collected, was left with her jaw hung open.
"Nononono," Lucifer repeated as he waved his hands in the air and a portal appeared. Or more accurately, a window. Lucifer, Lilith, and Adam all watched as Eve and Abel burst into the Earth but no longer as themselves.
Abel's once completely empty eye sockets were now ablaze with burning embers, and if it weren't for these cinders, the inside of his hood would've looked like a black void. Undergoing her own transformation, Eve's amber eyes gleamed even brighter and her nails grew into talons. Etched across her forehead and along her cheeks were red veins and her skin turned gaunt and grey.
They entered into a town filled with humans, invisible to them since they were spirits. Out of nowhere, Eve gave a loud cackle before slamming her fists on the ground. Everything began to shake, and people started screaming. A large crack formed into the land, splitting it in two. It was complete chaos as people and their homes were swallowed up into the Earth. Abel swooped down in after them and disappeared from view.
Suddenly, a bunch of those same creatures Adam had seen earlier manifested in front of the gate. They looked just as lost and confused as Lucifer and Lilith.
"Uh... Where are we?" one of them asked.
"What...Did...You...Do..." Lilith turned to her husband as he sunk to his knees and buried his face in his hands, not able to utter a sound.