Humanity's first family unit had just had dinner: Adam's latest kill, the deer that Jumella had befriended.

Jumella had been too upset to eat, which led to Adam grumbling about 'the brat going hungry' leading to Eve coming to her daughter's defense and so on.

She sat, looking downcast, on the outskirts of the hut as her parents argued.

She heard her older, teenage brother speak up, "Cheer up, Jumi."

Looking up, she saw Cain give off a teasing smile, "Maybe you'll find a wolf pack to befriend next?"

Jumella began to weep.

Seeing this, Aclima marched over and slapped Cain on the arm.

"Leave her alone," she snarled.

Cain clutched his arm and grumbled, "What's with you? I was only joking."

He huffed, pointing at the smaller child, "It's not my fault she's…"

"I said…", Aclima glared at her twin, "Leave. Her. Alone."

Cain hissed out, "Bitch."

Aclima's narrowed her eyes, "You want me to get Mama?"

Fear shown in Cain's eyes.

He walked away.

Aclima knelt down to Jumella's height, "Ignore him, Jumi," embracing her, "He's an idiot."

Jumella sobbed on her sister's shoulder, "H-he was my friend."

Aclima cooed, "I know, I know…"

…

In a dimly lit room, a large red reptilian man was sitting down in front of a window, overlooking his property: a large farm, surrounded by a wall, where imps worked in the fields.

The man could see that an Angel was flying nearer and nearer.

He sighed, "Let's get this over with."

There was a hiss in the background.

Within a minute, the Angel reached the window, opened it, and was now standing inside the room.

The reptilian sipped his tea, "Hello, Jumella."

A curt nod, "Cain."

Jumella heard movement on the floor and saw a small red viper slithering around.

"Aclima."

At the acknowledgment, the snake came to a stop and rose up, coming into eye contact with Jumella.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite sssister-wife?"

Fierce glares between the two sisters.

Oh no, Cain shuddered at the tension in the room.

"Dad not coming today?," Cain spoke up, "Oh, thank Satan."

Besides owning the farm, he and Aclima had been working for Abel since they had returned to speaking terms with their mother's help. They functioned as bounty hunters to track down those that could or would threaten the Royal Family or Imp City.

However, as that job came with, on Extermination Day, having to interact with their father (who spared no moment to remind his twins of what sickening disappointments they were to him), they took every chance (barring when especially dangerous demons had to be held at the prison) to take the day off and stay home.

Rarely did their father come all the way out here, the outskirts of the Pride Ring, merely to see them.

Only Jumella came out here annually. And, compared to Dad, their little sister was a cakewalk.

Cain spoke tiredly, "You already know our answer, Jumella, so you can be on your way."

"Don't be ssso rude, Cain…"

Aclima slithered forward before turning and going round and round where Jumella stood on the floor.

The Angel looked unamused at the serpent's attempts to intimidate her.

"Sssit down, little sssissster…"

Both Jumella and Cain groaned at the affected lisp.

Aclima was now directly in front of her sister's face, "Let'sss talk…How hasss your day been ssso far? Ssslaughtering any ssspecial Sssinners yet?"

A forked tongue was shaking, "I bet Roo would be ssso proud of you."

A bitter glare in the snake's eyes. The bitter pain of a bloodline long since wiped from existence.

…

A hooded man was riding atop a horse into a small village.

The place looked to be near deserted. Bodies laid out in broad daylight. Signs of a recent battle.

The man strode into a nearby inn, passing by gossiping patrons.

"We should head east then?"

"The Cainite lords have been scattering since the Nephilim mutinied. I hear a band'll be back upon this place by month's end."

The man approached the innkeeper's desk.

He poured out a handful of gold coins.

"I need a room."

The innkeeper looked upon him and marveled at the features he could make out of the man's face.

"Have I seen you before?", he whispered.

He noticed the scar on the hooded man's cheek.

He went pale.

"Never mind," the innkeeper hurriedly said, then rushed to show his new guest the room.

In the middle of the night, the man stirred to find a figure holding a candle had ventured into the room.

"Cain," a woman's voice called out, "I've missed you."

As she approached, Cain recognized an all too familiar face.

That of Aclima. His twin. His wife. Mother of his children.

A few more gray hairs than the last time he had seen her. But still so beautiful.

He could scarcely believe it, "You came…"

"Of course I did."

Aclima gave him a smile as she unsheathed a dagger from her belt.

Cain gave her a warry look.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Cain…", Aclima breathed deeply, "I have tired of wandering this cursed Earth in search of you, tired of watching our children slaughter one another, tired of the beasts that trail our kin."

But still Cain was troubled.

"But my curse, you'll…"

He flinched when Aclima took hold of his hand.

The first gentle touch he had felt in so long.

"Whatever the next world has in store for us, I cannot imagine it'd be much worse that this life now."

At this, Cain pondered.

He laid back upon his bed.

Stared up at Aclima. Her reassuring smile as she brought the dagger down.

The pain as the blade pierced his heart.

A quiet before Aclima thrust the dagger into her own chest.

The two newly dead souls held hands in the same room as their corpses.

Awaiting the inevitable.

"Hey there, Cain."

A black cloaked figure appeared. The face shrouded in darkness.

Aclima reflexively shuddered at the figure.

Cain looked upon him as if he were an old friend.

He nodded, "Azrael."

"I see you finally managed it."

One would be puzzled if the Angel of Death's tone was congratulatory or condemning.

"And you, Aclima," Azrael sharply took on a more ominous tone, "you know that…"

"Suffer seven-fold, I know," Aclima declared.

She knew all too well what she would be risking.

Bright light appeared where Azrael's eyes were meant to be.

And dimmed after a moment.

"You both have failed the Lord's divine judgment."

Cain gave a chortle, "There's a surprise."

Aclima raised her voice, "Can you tell your fellow Angels this from me?"

Azrael gave a nod.

Aclima flashed a defiant glare, "Do your worst."

A pause.

"Very well, let's be off, then."

A bright light.

They fall.

Fall into the abyss.

Aclima wakes first.

There's scales.

Aclima can't feel her arms. Her legs. Can only move her head.

She sees she's stuck.

Stuck on Cain's back.

She screams.

…

Aclima hissed in Jumella's face, baring her fangs.

Jumella did not step back.

Cain roared, his eyes now glowing.

"Enough of this!"

Aclima gasped as she realized her serpent body was glowing.

She is pulled back in reverse, away from Jumella, who still stood firm.

While being retracted, the top of Aclima's head is bounced against the wall.

"Argh!"

The coils retreated back into Cain's body.

"My head…"

Now, only her head was exposed outside of Cain's back.

Aclima hissed as she extended just enough to be face to face with Cain.

She glared venomously at her twin, her eternal partner, "You dick...you hurt me…"

Cain rolled his eyes, "Oh, knock it off."

"No need to delay or antagonize her and risk Dad coming down here."

"You're a miserable coward," his wife hissed into his ears, "Just like Seth."

Cain closed his eyes, waiting for her taunts to cease.

Aclima huffed at being ignored.

She turned to the Angel, flashing a sneer.

"Say, Jumi, did Mama tell you Lilith's expecting a girl, isn't that great?"

Jumella gave no response.

"It'd be nice to have a kind little sister again."

A bitter smile from Jumella.

"How nice for you, Aclima."

…

Cain and Aclima bore bruises, cuts, even exposed bones. All marks of the night before.

There they stood, chained up, in the courtyard of the prison where, from outside, several of their damned children could be heard crying out in despair and agony.

"Good morning."

Cain looked upon the figure that had teleported in front of them in a wave of black smoke.

It was a tall man with the head of a ram with large, sharp horns protruding. The accusatory glare from those dark red eyes caused Cain to avert his gaze. He was wearing a black cloak.

It was Aclima who rose to look their captor in the eyes.

She pleaded, "Abel, I know I-we did you wrong…But, please, take it out on us, leave our children out of this."

Abel gave a curt laugh and waved his finger, "Oh, your children have plenty of their own sins to pay for, both in this realm and the one before."

He approached, flames emitting from his left hand.

"And as for you…"

Abel was about to blast them when another wave of black mist formed in the courtyard.

It dissipated to show a blonde man with, in contrast to Abel's get up, a white cloak.

Abel bent his knee.

"Sir."

The new arrival grinned at him, "Ah, I see you've got it under control here, Abel", and slapped him on the back, "Good job!"

Abel smiled.

"Thank you, sir."

"Are you kidding me, Abel?!", Aclima shrieked at Abel, "You torment your own blood yet you work for the bastard who ruined our family?!"

Abel glared hatefully.

Lucifer's eyes turned blood red for a moment before, after a deep breath, returning to white.

The King of Hell turned to his apprentice, "Can you give us a minute?"

Abel nodded and disappeared into the mist.

Now, it was just Cain and Aclima. Alone with Lucifer.

"You know who I am?"

"Lucifer," Aclima spat on his robe, "king of this nightmare."

Cain growled, "One of the Angels who ruined our lives."

Lucifer looked offended at the saliva on his robe.

His eyes were filled with disdain.

"You made your own choices."

The snakes were fuming.

"Bullshit!", Cain shouted.

Lucifer's tone betrayed no sympathy, "I didn't force you to murder your brother so that you two could be together. That was your choice."

Cain snarled, "Fuck you."

Aclima yelled out, "Release our children! Haven't you done enough to us?!"

Lucifer wagged his finger at them.

"Not unless you swear to keep them under control."

Cain rolled his eyes, "You mean under your control?"

Lucifer pressed his hand against his forehead.

He muttered, "I can't have them causing a ruckus in my kingdom."

The King of Hell turned wearily towards the prison.

"This place wasn't my idea. Abel's a good kid, don't get me wrong, but he can get a little…overeager."

A faint smile grew on the fallen Angel's face.

"So, I'll make you a deal…"

Aclima scoffed, "How stupid do you think we are?"

A deeper voice emerged, "Pay. Attention."

The prisoners felt a chill in their body.

"I'll let you out of here if you can get the rest of your kids to stand down."

The snakes were silent.

The King began to vent on his prisoners, "Hey, it's a fair deal. If you had any idea of the havoc, the bloodshed, what they have put the Hellborn, not to mention each other, through…"

Lucifer saw no response from the snakes.

He muttered, "Wonder where they got that from?"

How dare he…

Cain was outraged by the remark, "You're judging us?! You call us, our kin, fratricides! We know what you did to your fellows in the rebellion!"

Aclima added spitefully, "We saw what you did to Camael…"

A rare trace of shame sparked on the Devil's face.

"Look, what happened at Eden…I swear none of what happened then and since was my plan", Lucifer gave a sigh, "You don't know the full story, trust me."

To which, Aclima scoffed, "As if!"

Lucifer held up a placating hand.

"Your mother would like it if yo-we all made peace."

This was the last straw for the snakes.

He would dare invoke their mother after what he had done. To her. To all of them.

They felt revulsion for him magnified when seeing him smile thoughtfully as if he were in a trance.

Aclima lifted her head as far up as her restraints would allow.

She bellowed, "Don't you talk about our mother!"

Lucifer seemed to be shaken out of his trance, jumping at her tone.

"Look, I can't promise we'll be one big happy family, but…"

Lucifer snapped one of his fingers.

Suddenly, the chains binding Cain and Aclima vanished.

They looked at him, astonished.

"If we work together, we could make the best out of the hand we've been dealt."

He held out hand to them, "So, what do you say?"

A pause.

Aclima extracted. She looked Cain in the eyes.

Cain nodded.

Aclima nodded, then extended her coils enough to land a bite on Lucifer's throat.

Cain blinked.

Lucifer's eyes bulged. He let out a cry of pain.

It felt like the most beautiful music the twins had ever heard.

Aclima retracted.

Lucifer knelt on the ground, clutching his throat.

Drops of golden blood dropped on the sand.

Aclima smiled. As did Cain.

Their joy vanished when, after a few moments, Lucifer stood back up, seeming no worse for wear.

The King of Hell looked upon them with a neutral expression.

"Got it all out of your system?"

Cain and Aclima both hissed.

They lunge for him.

…

From the window, a bright light could be seen shining on the ground below.

All three siblings knew what this was.

"Excuse me, brother," Jumella gave a curt nod, "Sister."

She retreated to the window.

As Cain looked glum, Aclima shouted out after her sister as she went out the newly opened window, "Yeah, go see your girl!"

The imp farmhands paused as newly arrived Sinners started to pop up out the soil like flowers.

"Wha-where am I?", one of them asked.

"In Hell."

The Sinners looked terrified at the Angel dressed in white.

She drew her sword.

"You are very fortunate Sinners to have landed on this day."

In their confused state, they were cut down quickly.

"Your pain is over."

Jumella looked upon her handiwork.

Blood covered the soil, the plants.

The imps, having grown used to the sight over the years, casually returned to work.

Jumella looked out onto the fields and grew a smile.

"I know you're there, Lia."

The black-cloaked skeletal vulture from earlier appeared.

And changed form. The beak shrunk and was replaced with a humanlike mouth. Golden eyeballs filled empty sockets. Pale skin grew. Black hair air appeared.

In a moment, the black cloak that clothed specter of death now bore a more humanoid, feminine form.

"Greetings, daughter of Adam."

Jumella removed her mask and flashed an adoring smile.

"Greetings, daughter of Azrael."

At the tilt of her head, her lips touched those of the Angel of Death's.

Author's Note:

Azrael will be a major character in this AU, with a major focus on how 'divine judgment' works with him as the Angel of Death, the deliverer of mortal souls.