LUTE'S POV
Heaven.
A lot of people had many thoughts in their minds when the word Heaven was said to them.
The sight of shining golden gates that greet the souls of saints and winners who had earned their eternal paradise.
Clean and cloudy streets, filled to the brim with happy, smiling angels. Rows upon rows of golden towers, shining as bright as the stars above.
Mouthwatering meals and unlimited prizes, all as a reward for the merry and good lives winners lived in their time as humans.
While many religious folk or philosophers would say that such thoughts are only interpretations of what people think Heaven is, many thoughts were accurate to what Heaven was.
A shining, golden, everlasting paradise where the Winners of the human world would come to reap the words of their good deeds and near-sinless characters.
What those thoughts didn't take in mind, however, were the sides of Heaven that no one considered. The shadows that were hidden underneath that holy light…
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
A loud cackling echoed throughout the halls of one of Heaven's buildings, specifically a white and gold one that almost resembled a church had it not been for the large clock-faced tower attached to it.
Inside the tower, two figures growled and grunted, swinging their weapons at one another as they were locked in an intense duel.
"Come on, Lute, show me what you got!" Adam shouted, grinning wickedly as he playfully whirled around his large, golden guitar-like ax, making a pose as he readied himself for his sparring partner's attack.
His sparring partner, Lute, took a moment to position herself and stare at her opponent. As always, Adam looked like his usual self: an angel wearing a smooth white and golden cloak with a large 'A' symbol emblazoned on its front. His large golden wings were outstretched, ready to fly, as he tightened his ebony-colored hands on the handle of his ax.
His black, golden horned mask emphasized his excitement in this fight, and his yellow eyes and grin practically showed it. His golden halo even glowed brighter than usual from the anticipation.
Smiling underneath her mask, Lute answered this excitement by raising her wings high.
With a push from them, Lute jumped from the ground and charged forward with a quick thrust. Pushing her sword forward, both it and Adam's axes clashed as a loud clang rang from striking one another.
Gripping her sword tightly, Lute grunted, and she put more force into her sword to push Adam back. However, Adam's strength and height proved too much for her, and Adam pushed her back instead.
Lute cursed as she heard her sword clanging to the ground as she had dropped it from Adam's push.
This caused her to stagger momentarily, giving Adam time to raise his ax and swing it at her. Fortunately, Lute laid down in time before the ax hit her.
Thinking fast, she motioned her body on the flow and gave Adam a spin kick to his foot.
"Hey!" was all Adam could shout as he fell face first on the floor, dropping his ax to the floor. It gave Lute all the time she needed to stand up and pick up her sword.
She wasted no time as she thrust her sword again at Adam, but he intercepted it with a blast of holy light, knocking her back farther away.
"Cheap move, sir!" Lute said as she stood back up,
Adam chuckled in response.
"Just using an advantage, dangertits!" he responded before picking up his ax and charging toward Lute. Lute bent her knees and moved backward to avoid Adam's strike before countering with a slash from her sword.
However, as soon as she motioned to strike at Adam with her blade, Adam quickly dodged it with the handle of his ax. Adam then proceeded to kick Lute in the gut, pushing her away just enough for him to leap in the air and raise his ax once more.
Lute's eyes widened in surprise as she noticed Adam's ax glowing in an intense, bright light. Knowing what would happen, Lute tried to fly away, but it was too late, as Adam's actions impacted the ground.
The entire tower shook as a seismic wave of holy light coursed throughout the area. Only through sheer luck did Lute fly away just enough to avoid most of the damage. However, the force of the impact did manage to make her collide with a wall, effectively knocking her down.
Once the dust settled, all that was left of the training room was a downed Lute and a triumphant Adam, who flew on top of the smoking crater he had left in his wake. Adam took a brief moment to glance around the destroyed surroundings.
They were lucky that the tower's architecture was made of a material that could withstand such power. Otherwise, there would've been a hole in the wall that Adam and Lute had to explain to Sera.
But that thought wasn't in Adam's mind as he cackled in delight at the damage he just caused.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You see that, Lute!?" he exclaimed, gesturing at the collateral damage left in his spar. "I kicked! Your! Fucking! ASS!"
Adam then continued to cackle, practically basking at the glory of his victory, while Lute groaned in pain as she clutched her head.
"That was an…impressive show of strength, sir…" Lute complimented before wincing in pain, the bruises and wounds she had gotten from the spar now setting in. This momentarily put Adam out of his ego-induced self-basking, making him walk in Lute's direction.
"Hey, Lute, you alright?" he asked in a cocky, condescending tone that masked his genuine concern for her. "Don't tell me your weak ass couldn't handle something small like that."
Lute couldn't help but smile as Adam held up a hand for her. She chuckled in response to his remark.
"Nothing, a trip to the infirmary, wouldn't…ugh…fix," Lute said, wincingly slight as she took Adam's hand and got up from it.
Lute blushed as Adam helped her up. The man gently placed his wing on her as they began to walk to the infirmary.
"Hehehehe, you saw that move I did, didn't you, Lute?" Adam asked, his ego slightly returning as they went on their walk.
"Of course, I saw, sir," Lute responded, slightly smirking as she glanced at her and Adam's surroundings. They were now walking down the hallways of their primary headquarters, heading to the infirmary for some rest and rejuvenation.
As Lute and Adam walked through the halls, they noticed the hustle and bustle throughout their headquarters. Exterminator Angels were running and flying around, preparing themselves for the upcoming Extermination.
In the various training rooms all around them, Lute heard the grunts and shouts of Exterminators engaging in their own sparring sessions.
With a slight whiff, Lute could smell the sulphuric scent of angelic steel being smelted and shaped into a new supply of holy weaponry for their righteous crusade.
And from the sounds of steel being sewn together with clothing, it was clear new Extermination uniforms were being made, just for the new recruits who'd be partaking in what was going to be their most excellent extermination yet.
The death of Lucifer's brat, Charlie Morningstar, and the destruction of her Hazbin Hotel.
That bitch had been an annoyance to Adam and Lute since she started promoting her silly, little idea of redeeming Sinners, souls that have already lost their chance, into Heaven.
The notion of giving such heathens a second chance disgusted Lute.
Every human on Earth had one shot at earning their place in Heaven.
They were given one shot, and one shot was all they deserved to earn their ticket to eternal paradise.
As such, the idea that Lucifer's brat presented…that sinners had another chance to "redeem" themselves and enter Heaven, despite having failed at their shot…
The thought sickened Lute to her core! As such, all efforts were made by Heaven's council and the Exorcists to undermine Charlie's efforts.
There have been…issues with it. A lot of Heaven's populace and even the Seraphim of Joy, Emily herself, were horrified by the Exterminations that go down in Hell. Regardless, they managed to gain approval from the High Seraphim of Heaven to shut the Hell Princess' operation down…permanently.
"Everything seems to be ready for tomorrow's extermination, sir," Lute said, smiling in approval of the progress being made in preparation for the event.
"No shit!" Adam said with a smug laugh. "Weapons ready! Bitches ready! And power…"
Adam paused to motion his free hand as sparks of holy light emanated from it.
"What happened at the training room was just me holding the fuck back!" Adam shouted before kicking the door to the infirmary. "Can you just imagine how much fucking damage Lucifer's little bitch is gonna feel once we get there!?"
"Oh, I can imagine, sir…" Lute said with a wicked hiss, smirking gleefully at the dark thought of Charlie, the traitor Vaggie, and all the Sinners siding with them, burning in eternal holy fire as their blasphemous hotel crumbled into dust.
As Lute lay down on the infirmary bed, she began to close her eyes and go to get some much-needed rest. She was certainly going to need it for the upcoming Extermination.
With everything they'd already prepared, Lute was certain that tomorrow's Extermination would turn out just right.
. . .
The Next Day…
Things weren't turning out right. Things weren't turning out right at all!
In hindsight, starting their extermination at a location that fully expected them to attack and had a whole month to prepare wasn't the best idea.
The moment the Exorcists swooped down and attacked, they were immediately greeted with all sorts of things they didn't think Lucifer's brat and the traitor would do.
First, there was a barrier created by the Radio Demon. Not only did it delay their glorious Extermination, but it also gave the hellspawn time to land the first blow first…
And to her and Adam's horror, their first blow killed many of their Exorcist forces!
…as it turned out, the Exorcists' own weapons were able to kill them…
... and as much as Lute wanted to deny it, they had no one to blame but themselves. Their own hubris and arrogance allowed the hellspawn to have a chance at winning this conflict…
And she'll be damned if she'll let that chance slide!
Thankfully, Adam managed to use his holy light to break Alastor's barrier and even a good chunk of the Hotel itself. It allowed for Lute to swoop down and finally join the fight.
There were hundreds of demons for her to exterminate, all trying to fight back against her and the other Exterminators. However, there was only one target she focused on.
Hearing the roar of a dragon from behind her, Lute turned and saw that very target riding a demonic dragon: the traitor, Vaggie.
Letting out a ferocious roar, Lute flew toward the dragon and slashed one of its wings off with her sword. The beast let out an agonizing roar, which increased as Lute stabbed it again in the chest.
Vaggie, with her wings now for reasons Lute couldn't fathom, tried her best to escape and only barely managed to escape being crushed by the falling dragon's hide.
Dust, rubble, and debris filled the air as the dragon impacted what was left of the Hazbin Hotel's roof.
Vaggie coughed from the dust, taking a moment to stand up before looking forward. She gasped at seeing the dragon's corpse…and Lute standing menacingly above it.
"Before I take your life, I'm going to tear that other eye out of your face…!" Lute declared, making her intent evident as the traitorous fallen angel in front of her raised her arms and went into a fighting stance.
"Try it, bitch!" Vaggie retorted, the proverbial fighting bell ringing in their heads as they began their clash.
Lute growled ferociously as she thrust her sword forward at Vaggie to impale her. However, Vaggie dodged just in time and caused Lute to impale her sword into the wall, effectively sticking it there.
That didn't stop Lute, however. She immediately lunged at Vaggie, effectively grabbing her by the back of her head and slamming her face onto a nearby table.
And she did so again.
and again.
and again!
However, Vaggie grabbed her by the arm and tossed her aside, momentarily freeing herself to catch her breath. However, all that did was enrage Lute even more. She immediately lunged at Lute, punching her numerous times before knocking her back onto the floor with an uppercut.
Vaggie was fortunate enough to land close to her with her spear, but as she attempted to reach it, Lute intercepted and grabbed it.
"You always were weak…!" Lute mocked, smiling as she heard Vaggie's screams as she stabbed the spear's tip into her hand. "So, I'll spare you the pain of seeing your demon bitch die…!"
Lute's sadism was completely controlling her at the moment, her mockery being made to gloat over how Vaggie would die painfully before losing everyone she loved in the Hotel.
It was meant to give Vaggie absolute despair for her betrayal and actions.
She didn't anticipate Vaggie grabbing her by the arm and tossing her onto some rubble nearby. Lute groaned from the pain as she felt the rubble hit her back, but when she glanced up and saw Vaggie using her spear to push more heavy rubble onto her…
"AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!" was all Lute could let out as the rubble fell onto her, covering and pinning her down. As the dust from the impact filled the air, Lute coughed out profusely as she tried to move, only to feel immense pain in one of her arms. Glancing at it, she was horrified to find that arm crushed underneath the rubble.
She struggled to get herself up, but stopped when she turned and saw Vaggie standing over her, glaring at her.
"Do it then…" Lute spat, glaring back at Vaggie. "Correct your mistake…!"
"Seriously, you're pathetic, you know that?" Vaggie spat back, thrusting the bladed tip of her spear near Lute's throat. "Willing to die rather than accept mercy."
Lute said nothing as she glared at Vaggie, not showing an ounce of fear as she expected the traitor to end her.
But to her surprise, she instead lowered her weapon.
"Live," Vaggie said. "Knowing that you only do because I let you."
Somehow, that wasn't any comfort to Lute. If anything, it enraged the Exorcist even further as everything suddenly went silent around her due to her rage taking over.
The sight of Vaggie flying off to help Charlie only enraged Lute even further, causing her to try to free herself from the rubble she was trapped in. She pushed herself, but had yet to free herself as her arm was still caught underneath the rubble.
But that didn't matter to Lute. With vengeance completely engulfing her mind, she pushed herself away from the rubble that caught her arm. This time, however, it was with enough force that she could feel her nerves and muscles responding to the pain.
It was sore and felt like fire, but that didn't matter as she continued doing so.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Lute roared out, the pain of her skin and muscles tearing off as she pushed herself farther and farther until…
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPP!
If Lute's screaming was loud before, it was practically a blood-curdling roar that echoed throughout the battlefield.
Whatever shining, yellow blood wasn't leaking out of the fleshy stump where her arm used to be; it was boiling within her as her heart raced in her chase.
Despite losing her arm and bleeding profusely, rage and adrenaline were coursing intensely throughout her veins as she bit down her pain and spread her wings high.
Her vision was blurry, and her head was spinning, but her focus on the traitor was spot on. She wasted no time and rushed towards Vaggie.
"What the—!?" was all Vaggie could shout before getting a punch in the face by Lute.
"I'm…not…out…YET!" Lute roared out, using her own weight and punches in a rage-fueled attempt to crash them both to the ground. Vaggie tried her best to fight back, but Lute was ferocious.
"Stop! Somethings going…STOP!" Vaggie shouted, but Lute was too enraged to hear it. All that mattered was getting back at Lute, bashing and clawing at her with her remaining arm and even the bone protruding from where her other arm was once attached.
For that moment, nothing seemed to go on for Lute apart from her desire for vengeance. For retribution.
To make the traitor pay for what she did and what she made Lute do.
And for ruining what should've been an easy Extermination!
"AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!"
But as a sudden familiar scream filled the air, Lute's senses returned to her. Looking around, she saw the devastating state of what had once been the Hotel.
The corpses of fallen demons and Exorcists lying around.
And most of all…Adam, lying face-first on the ground, bleeding profusely as he had been stabbed numerous times by one of Morningstar's demons.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lute cried out, her rage fading as she let Vaggie go and immediately rushed to Adam's side.
Upon getting there, she knelt, flipping her boss face up and being horrified at the sight of his shining yellow blood soaking his robes…as well as the fact that he was bleeding still.
"Sir? Sir…!" Lute shouted, placing her remaining hand on his chest in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. She was horrified at the sight of him becoming paler and paler from the blood loss. "Speak to me, sir…please…!"
He couldn't do it. How could he, after having been stabbed so many times? He did respond to her in some way, though. As she desperately tried to firm her grip on her wound, Adam used what was left of his strength to grab her hand. He held it as tight as he could, stared right at her with weak, blurry eyes…
He flashed one final, gentle smile to her before finally giving out and closing his eyes as Lute was beside him in his last moments.
And as if to seal the deal and to prove he was completely dead, Adam's halo dimmed to the point of turning completely black.
"Sir..no, please, please…Adam! ADAM!" she wailed out, but it was no use. Her boss…no, her friend was dead. All that was left of him was his stabbed, bleeding, and oddly peaceful corpse. "Adam…"
"Ahem," a voice said above Lute. Looking up, she saw no one other than Lucifer, standing above her with a stern glare as his daughter and the other Hotel Hellspawn glared at him.
"Take your little friends AND GO HOME!" he ordered, his voice booming demonically at the last three words. Lute glared back at him with gritted teeth, wanting nothing more than to attack him.
But she was too injured to fight, and her forces had dwindled tremendously from the battle. As much as she hated to admit it…the demons had won this day.
"Exorcists RETREAT…!" she ordered out with whatever loudness in her breath she had left before picking up Adam's halo and spreading her wings wide. She leaped into the air in an instant, ready to return to Heaven and plan her revenge against the Hellspawn for Adam's death in the next Extermination…
But the adrenaline and rage that kept her awake and active throughout the fight had worn off by then, so instead of flying high alongside her sisters, Lute fell face-first onto Hell's soil.
The blood loss from her injuries and the concussion she knew she likely got from the high jump made her groan weakly from the agony as her vision blurred by the second. She only had a few seconds of consciousness to move slightly and see the blurry image of the other Exorcists flying back onto the portal to Heaven as she faded into unconsciousness.
. . .
CHARLIE'S POV
Once the Exorcists had fled and the portal to Heaven closed, the Princess of Hell Charlie Morningstar, her father Lucifer, her lover Vaggie, and the rest of the Hazbin Hotel's staff were silent as they stared at the unconscious body of Lute, Adam's…well, lieutenant.
"Um…are we sure, she isn't dead?" Charlie was the first to speak up. All of them were hesitant to touch the Exorcist's body, mainly out of caution.
"I mean…she's got her arm torn out, and she fainted," Angel Dust pointed. "Ain't no way anyone's goin' to survive that."
"Most people wouldn't," Vaggie responded, "but Lute isn't most people."
Vaggie then hesitantly approached Lute's body. Pressing the tips of her fingers against her neck, she let out a dismayed sigh.
"She has a pulse," Vaggie said, unsurprised by the outcome. "She's still alive."
"Oh…oh God…!" Charlie exclaimed softly, her eyes widening at the implications of this moment. "W-what are we gonna do with her?!"
"Stab!" Nifty immediately shouted and would've rushed forward to do so if Angel wasn't holding her.
"I dunno…" Angel said, motioning his eyes around in uncertainty. "I guess…leave her there? I know you might not like it, Charlie, but she's probably going to die out anyway even IF we did somethin'."
Charlie opened her mouth to protest, but Vaggie immediately spoke up.
"No, we're not leaving her," Vaggie said. "In fact, we might just have our newest guest in the hotel now that Pentious…"
Vaggie paused as she felt a pang of guilt and sorrow over mentioning the late snake demon's name, but maintained a stern, calm composure as Charlie and the others looked shocked at her suggestion.
"Are you fuckin' insane?!" Husk shouted in protest. "I know you and this Angel bitch probably knew each other before, but I don't think we should help her out after what she did!"
"Yeah!" Angel added. "We're seriously not considerin' this, are we?!"
"Think about it," Vaggie said. "What we just did? Canceling this Extermination, finding out the Angels' weakness, killing Adam? We just made history today, and it's the kind of history the higher-ups in Heaven would love to wipe out or correct in the next Extermination! What if this makes them do something we wouldn't even see coming?"
Charlie, Husk, Ange, and Cherri all grimaced at Vaggie's statement, seeing the huge point she made. Lucifer, on the other hand, remained silent and nodded as he fully understood what his fellow fallen angel implied.
"Like it or not, we'll need Lute alive," Vaggie said. If Heaven tries to counterattack or send anything at us, she could make a good insurance policy against them. Besides, it lets us keep an eye on her because, let's face it, she'd be way more dangerous if she ended up back in Heaven."
"I…I don't know about this, Vaggie," Charlie began, her voice trembling with uncertainty. "Going against the Extermination was one thing, but keeping an angel captive…?"
"I know it doesn't feel right, Charlie," Vaggie responded, standing up to approach her girlfriend and tightly grasp Charlie's hand. "But with everything that's happened, we need every advantage we can get. And besides, our Hotel is about redemption, isn't that right?"
"Y-yeah, right…" Charlie mumbled out, still unsure of the whole ordeal.
"Then why not try to give her a chance?" Vaggie suggested. Frankly, she didn't believe that Lute deserved or even could be redeemed. But she was someone they needed to monitor, and given her effectiveness in battle, she was the most likely candidate to take over Adam's position now that he was dead.
As she stated before, keeping Lute in Hell was the best way to prevent her from becoming a major threat in the future and provide insurance against Heaven.
Charlie herself was still unsure of the idea. Part of her wanted to reject it right away and even leave Lute to die. The woman was just as unpleasant as Adam was and held a great role in the Exterminations. And there was also the fact that she was responsible for the death of Dazzle, one of her bodyguards, and countless demons in today's battle alone!
Many of Charlie's emotions screamed at her, saying she shouldn't be naive and disregard Vaggie's idea. Lute probably didn't even WANT to be redeemed, let alone get help from demons.
But she couldn't bring herself to do that. After all, the purpose of her Hotel, her very cause, was to bring redemption to everyone who needed it.
And if an angel like Lute could possibly be redeemed, then who knows? The rest of Heaven could change their minds about redemption.
With a great sigh, Charlie looked at Vaggie and flashed a small smile. "Alright, let's do it."
. . .
LUTE'S POV
One week later…
Lute's eyes suddenly opened, a jolt of shock surged within her as she sat up. Hyperventilating, her eyes darted around surroundings, where she found herself in…a bedroom?
Lute blinked in surprise as she stared at her surroundings. It was a bedroom, a rather comfortable and luxurious one at that.
Glancing down, she saw that she was now sporting a pink hospital gown and that surprisingly well-kept bandages now patched up the stump where her arm had been.
Lute raised her brow at this.
Did Heaven rescue me? she wondered to herself, but that thought didn't feel right. The red coloring of the room's walls and slightly gothic decor didn't fit Heaven's usual aesthetic.
With a grunt, she slowly got out of bed, wobbling slightly from dizziness and imbalance from now lacking one arm. Slowly, she headed to the nearby window covered by crimson drapes.
Pushing them aside, her eyes widened in terror as she saw an all-too-familiar pentagram that shone ominously in the sky.
"I'm in Hell…!" she mumbled out ominously, her body trembling before she screamed in absolute panic. "I'M IN HELL!"
Her heart racing from the fear coasting through her body, Lute didn't think as she attempted to jump out of the window, only to crash face-first into an invisible barrier that knocked her onto the room's wall.
"What the—?!" Lute exclaimed, trying to get through the window again, only to crash again.
Seeing that the window was inaccessible, Lute immediately rushed to the door. She turned to the doorknob, only to realize it was locked.
"No, no, nonononononoNO!" Lute shouted as she frantically tried to get the locked door to open. Realizing that she couldn't turn the knob, Lute began bashing her shoulder against the door. She crashed herself against it again.
Bang!
And again.
Bang!
And AGAIN!
BANG!
But no matter how hard she tried, the door still wouldn't open.
"MOTHERFU—ARRRRGGGGHHHH!" Lute roared in absolute fury, grabbing a nearby lamp and tossing it at the door in frustration. She tried to go out of the window again, only to crash at the invincible wall that covered the window once more.
She then crashed and banged against the window again, only for nothing to happen.
Lute then kept crashing and banging herself against the walls and door of the room, making enough of a loud scene that caused the door to open.
Lute suddenly stopped and blinked in surprise as she saw Charlie and Vaggie rushing into the room, both wearing pajamas.
"What the—oh, she's awake," Vaggie said in a deadpan manner, unsurprised but mildly annoyed.
"YOU!" Lute shouted before lunging at them, only for her tentacles to suddenly sprout out from her own shadow and pin her down.
"Uh-uh-uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you, darling," the mocking voice of Alastor the Radio Demon echoed throughout the room as he stepped inside, causing Charlie and Vaggie to jump in surprise.
"Were you there this whole time?" Charlie asked.
"Were you sleeping in your suit?" Vaggie snarkily remarked, earning Alastor's narrow-eyed glare before they all focused back on Lute, who was struggling to free herself from the tentacles entangling her.
"I swear…as soon as I get out…I'll DESTROY YOU…!" Lute shouted, only for her to cough violently, her voice hoarse from not having drunk anything for days.
Charlie couldn't help but feel sorry for the Exorcist despite everything she's done.
Alastor, on the other hand, looked completely unimpressed. "You two still think keeping her around is a good idea~?"
"Keeping me around?! Hah! As if that would happen!" Lute shouted back. "Keeping me hostage is only going to incur Heaven's wrath!"
"Well, considering it's been a whole week, I doubt we've incurred anything, dear," Alastor said, his constant grin widening somewhat as Lute looked surprised by his stare.
"A week…?!" Lute asked, her hoarse voice noticeably tensing from the revelation. How could she be in Hell for a week? Surely, Sera or her fellow Exorcists would've come to save her by now!
Adam certainly would have saved her by now, so surely the rest of Heaven would've done the same, too!
…Right?
"Why am I even still here…? Tell me now," Lute demanded them. "Are you holding me hostage?!"
"Well—" Charlie was about to say, but Alastor butted in once more.
"Taking you hostage means we'd have something to gain from keeping you here, my dear!" Alastor said, his voice now more noticeably juvenile. "Our dear Hell Princess decided to keep you here and tend to your injuries out of the kindness of her heart!"
"Kindness of her—don't make me laugh…!" Lute shouted hoarsely, only for her to cough again from the stress.
"Well…it's sort of true," Charlie said, opting to omit Vaggie's reason for allowing this situation to happen for now. "My Dad, Lucifer, is already in discussion with Heaven about the canceled Extermination. He already informed them that you're here, and…they haven't gotten back to us about the whole thing, you know…?"
Charlie chuckled nervously as Lute looked at her with shock. Heaven knew she was still here? Heaven knew she was still…alive?
If Heaven had assumed she died alongside Adam in the battle, it would've made sense to Lute as to why they hadn't sent a rescue party to her aid.
But it was knowing that she was still here and not doing anything? Why was that the case?!
Was it because they assumed she'd die from her injuries? That made the most sense to Lute, but it was Heaven. Any survivors would've been given the best medical treatment since that place was perfect.
Was it because of Adam's death? Yes, Lute blamed herself for not sticking closely to him to prevent his death, but it was the fault of the Morningstar brat and her demon filth, not hers!
So why did they leave her…?
Was it because of the Exterminations? was a dark thought that filled Lute's heart with dread. No, no, that can't be right. Sure, what we did seemed…less than conventional to Heaven's standards, but we were necessary. We were needed to maintain the order between Heaven and Hell…!
But that still didn't explain why Heaven abandoned her while the Princess of Hell ended up nursing her back to health.
It didn't make any sense…
"Um, Lute?" Charlie asked, genuinely concerned. The exorcist froze, unmoving as thoughts of her abandonment overtook her. "Lute, are you okay? Lute!"
Charlie's shout suddenly snapped Lute back to reality. There was a long, uncomfortable pause as all four people in the room stared at each other.
Vaggie stood by, ready to attack if Lute broke free from her restraints and tried anything.
Alastor didn't care what happened next, as he knew it'd be entertaining to him regardless.
As for Charlie, she and Lute stared at each other momentarily. Lute did so out of the hope she might find something that would indicate the Hell Princess was hiding something.
This was an indication that she was playing some sort of trick on Lute, a deception that she can see someone with the tile of the "Princess of Hell" performing.
But she saw none of that. What she saw instead was Charlie's sympathy and pity for her.
And somehow, that disgusted Lute even more.
"What do you want from me…?!" Lute asked with a snarl, trying to hide her inner turmoil.
"What we want…" Charlie paused before taking a deep breath. "Is to help you."
Lute scoffed, baffled and ready to retort to the Hell Princess' words until she continued.
"Look, I know you don't like us, especially with what happened to…Adam," Charlie began, feeling a twinge of regret over what happened to Adam. The man was a certified asshole, but she knew he meant something to Lute, given her reaction to his death. "But with it, you can see how damaging the Exterminations are to Heaven and Hell now, right? If it keeps up, there won't be a victor coming out of it, only losses that'll devastate us both…!"
There was another awkward pause as Charlie pondered what else to say to Lute. Normally, the Princess would've probably made an improvised song that would've helped convince Lute to see reason.
But she knew that wasn't going to work. If it did, every event in the last six months wouldn't have happened.
"And so…" with a deep breath, Charlie began to say. "We're going to keep you here and make sure you're properly taken care of, at least until we get word from Heaven to bring you back."
"W-wha…what…?!" Lute exclaimed, surprised by the idea. "Y-you can't be serious…?!"
"But I am," Charlie said, looking more confident as she gestured for Alastor to let Lute go. To Lute's surprise, he did, and she was left kneeling on the floor, surprised and overwhelmed by her situation.
"I know what's going on right now must be a lot," Charlie said, doing her best to sound reassuring. But despite everything that happened between us, I want to help you. We want to help you. And who knows, maybe that'll be a new start for us—a chance for redemption that we both need…"
Charlie then stepped forward, reaching her hand out for Lute to grab, causing the exorcist to look at her with stunned, widened eyes.
"So what do you say?" Charlie asked gently, flashing an assuring smile to the angel.
Lute looked at the hand as if considering it before glancing up at Charlie…and glaring at her hatefully before tackling her to the ground.
"Charlie!" Vaggie exclaimed before rushing to help her girlfriend.
Alastor, on the other hand, stood by and chuckled in amusement as he saw the three girls practically wrestle with each other and make utter fools of themselves as they did.
"Now, this is certainly going to be fun~!"
TO BE CONTINUED