Rewrites... rewrites... rewrites! x.x
Hahaha, yeah, I modified the chapter by a lot so sorry for taking a while to give you peeps an update sooner as I hoped : ). But I wasn't happy with it before. Now, I'm like... somewhat happy with it, hahaha x.x
I want to thank Luna and Oxblood for beta reading and editing the chapter and providing feedback : D
Hopefully the chapter is angsty enough, well, it will be one of the 'big' angsty chapters in the story. I say there are two more later, and different in some aspects : 3
* Now, I want to let peeps know that this story has a 4 part to the story, well, in a way. This chapter ends the 1st part : ), which i guess we can consider the 'prologue' hahaha
ps - Zerachin is the angel that threatened to take adam's wings in chapter 4
Enjoy the longest chapter yet~
The Present
Adam stepped through the portal, expecting to find himself standing before the gates of heaven. Instead, he found himself in a vast expanse of nothing, a blank canvas stretching endlessly in all directions except for the ground he stood on, grey and solid. No angel was present, leaving him to stand alone in the emptiness.
For a moment, he thought maybe Lucifer had tricked him. He quickly glanced back at the still-active portal, showing no signs of it closing anytime soon.
He had the urge to go back through the portal, but he hesitated, since it would only lead him back to hell and to his enemies.
Unconsciously, Adam drew his wings closer to his body, wincing at the lingering pain radiating through them.
"Sera…?" Adam called out tentatively into the void, expecting the high-ranking angel to materialize before him, but he found only silence. He cautiously took a few steps forward, scanning his surroundings before coming to a stop, his heart beginning to race once more.
He despised the stillness. He couldn't stand to hear nothing but his increasingly rapid breathing. So, to help distract himself, he turned to look at the portal, the shimmering surface helping him feel grounded, because at least it wasn't just blank like the rest of the dimension he was in.
Then unexpectedly Charlie came running through the portal – he disliked how it made him feel slightly calmer.
She blinked in confusion as she glanced around. Lucifer followed closely behind, causing Adam to step back instinctively from them and pull his wings back, ready for an attack in case he had to defend himself.
"Charlie, you really need to start listening to me," Lucifer pleaded with his daughter.
"Where are we?" Charlie asked, her brows furrowed, completely ignoring her father complaining. Lucifer took a moment to survey their surroundings before responding.
"It's a pocket of nothingness," Lucifer explained. "I'm not entirely sure why it exists. I've only been here once when I was younger because I was curious about it. I'm not sure if Heaven uses it now, but back then no one would bother to come here."
"Then, why the hell are we here?" Adam asked with annoyance.
"Sera just told me to bring you through the portal so we could meet with her."
"Well… she ain't fuckin' here…"
"Relax, it's not like we're stuck here," Lucifer reassured him in a deadpanned voice. "I can just make us a portal out of here in case they don't show up."
Adam turned away with a scowl, missing the loss of his ability to create portals, since it was one of the most useful powers he had been blessed with.
The three waited for a while in an uncomfortable silence before a glimmer of light caught Adam's attention from above, prompting a sigh of relief, his wings lowered down by his sides like he usually had them.
A group of high rank angels, Sera among them, and some of his exorcists descended, but at a distance from him. The exorcists stood in front of Sera with their spears in hand. Adam was confused to see so many high rank angels appear, especially some he hadn't seen in so long. He also frowned, disappointed that Lute wasn't among the exorcists. And of course, he could tell his ladies apart behind the masks and uniform, especially Lute. They were his girls, after all, made for him, all unique in their own ways, even though they weren't as close to him as he was with lieutenant.
Meanwhile, Charlie was in awe to see so many powerful angels, and basically her 'family', through her dad's side. They all looked so powerful, so radiant, and their wings beautiful. She noted that the majority of the angels present had not been in the courtroom when she visited Heaven.
She wished that Emily was among the angels.
Charlie fought the urge to run over and greet them, but she noticed from the corner of her eye that her dad kept his glance away from everyone, keeping her in place.
Simultaneously, Adam noticed everyone was regarding him with a look of shock, some disappointment etched on their expressions, especially from Sera, but he pushed it aside as he had been used to such looks from them for the past years, especially when he would sometimes play his electric guitar so loud during his concerts that would cause all of Heaven to shake.
Of course, he rocked Heaven because he was a rockstar.
"Oh, thank God you're here, Sera," Adam straightened himself as best as he could, attempting to not look so pathetic in front of her and the other angels. "You have no fuckin' idea what a fucked up time I've had. And look at what these assholes did to me, making me look like a fuckin' loser like them." He started walking towards them. "Was Lute too busy to come or somethin'?" he asked with amusement, but the moment he was within arm's lengths of the exorcists, spears jabbed at him, aiming for his torso. Adam, even though he was hurt and tired, narrowly avoided the sharp points just in time as he jumped back.
Charlie immediately frowned with confusion at that moment, now taking notice of the way all the angels were regarding Adam, while Lucifer was now watching ever so quietly.
A part of her wanted to run over to Adam, to stand by his side, feeling like she had to, because now she was starting to have a bad feeling in her gut.
"Whoa, what the fuck! Careful with those, you idiots!" Adam exclaimed with annoyance at the exorcists. "I know I may not look like it, but it's me, fuckin' Adam."
The exorcists maintained their stances and their spears pointing in his direction.
"Um, hello, are you even fuckin' listenin' to me? I'll blast out one of my songs if I gotta prove myself. Though, I can't use the guitar right now cause my arm's jacked." Adam expected some kind of reaction, but he received a stone silence.
Sera glanced over at Charlie and then at Lucifer with a frown.
"I only requested you to bring Adam here," she said to Lucifer.
"What can I say? She's strong and independent, like her mother." Lucifer shrugged, but with a hint of pride in his voice. "She does what she wants."
"Sera…?" Adam's voice sounded more uncertain now, reminding Charlie much like when Vaggie had questioned him at the courtroom about how he had gotten into Heaven.
She couldn't help but feel her heart ache when Sera turned to Adam with a condescending look.
"I'm talking to Lucifer, Adam," Sera lectured him coldly. "Do not interrupt us."
"But Sera, I-" He faltered as Sera cut him with a sharp glare.
Adam stared at her in utter confusion before something red welled up inside him and he couldn't help but lose his cool. "What's your fuckin' deal, Sera!?" he snapped at her, drawing disapproving glances from the surrounding angels. "Can't you see I'm in fucking pain?!" He struggled to contain his rage, but honestly, he was fed up with the aching agony in his body. He wasn't sure how much more he could take.
He didn't understand why an angel wouldn't just take him back to heaven and start healing his injuries as soon as possible while they dealt with Lucifer and his damn brat.
Sera simply diverted her attention to Charlie, completely dismissing Adam, causing him to stare at her in shock.
"Well, seeing as you're here, daughter of the Morningstar, I'll address you directly instead of relying on Lucifer," she started. "The Council has decreed that you must end the operations of your hotel immediately."
Charlie was caught off guard by the unexpected demand. "What?" she asked, brows furrowing. "Why…?"
"It's threatening the order of things," Sera replied calmly, her tone firm. "I cannot permit you to cause any more disturbances."
Charlie paused for a moment. "How is trying to redeem a soul disturbing anything?"
"Charlie…" Lucifer warned softly, placing a gentle hand on her arm.
"No, Dad, I want to know how saving a soul is causing problems for them," Charlie said, pulling her arm from her father's grasp. She then walked over to stand by Adam so she could face the group of angels before them. "Look, I know it may seem impossible, but my people can change for the better, and they deserve to be rewarded if they do."
"They are not owed anything, not after failing during their time on Earth," Moro stated simply.
Charlie narrowed her eyes at him. "You can't mean that…"
"They are sinners. They are nothing more but mistakes to be erased. Why should we care of such things?"
Charlie couldn't believe what she was hearing from a high-ranking angel. His words churned in her stomach. "I don't understand… You guys are angels. You're supposed to be compassionate."
"Compassion has its place, child," Zerachin, the angel with rings as a head, stated coldly. "But we must consider how to protect heaven at all costs, no matter what."
"And your hotel is only causing us problems," Moro stated.
"You… you guys aren't making any sense," Charlie let out with a tinge of exasperation hating how the angels were avoiding explaining to her how a redeemed angel was a threat to them. With an annoyed huff, ready to tackle their argument no matter what, she took one more step forward. "So, my people can't prove themselves worthy to get a second chance and go to heaven," she began. She then turned to Adam with frustration before directing her attention back to the angels. "But Adam just gets a free pass just because he's one of you? How is that fair?"
Adam glared at her for pulling him into her argument.
"You're assuming things, child," Zerachin said. "Adam is not returning to Heaven," he revealed firmly before silence fell on both Adam and Charlie.
Adam and Charlie slowly processed the words, initially thinking they had misheard, but as their meaning sank, confusion overtook them, leaving them to stare at Zerachin in disbelief.
"Sorry… can you… repeat that last part?" Charlie hesitantly asked to make sure she had heard correctly while feeling dread making its way in her heart.
"Adam will not be allowed to return to Heaven," Zerachin clarified with the same tone as before. This time, his words mentally smacked Adam to finally react.
"W-w-wait… hold on… what do you mean I'm not allowed back in heaven?" Adam managed to ask while he started to panic. Then quickly he tried to pull himself together as he reassured himself there was no way Zerachin was being serious, though, he tended to be. "Ah, wait, I got it, you're all joking. Ha, hilarious, you guys got me." He tried to sound amused and glanced at any angel who would hopefully admit they were just pulling a prank on him, even though they were never the sort to do such a thing.
"You are fully aware that we don't jest," another angel stated dryly, causing Adam's fake smile to drop.
"And you know very well heaven does not accept sinners nor fallen angels," Moro added.
"But I'm not a fuckin' fallen angel!" Adam yelled back with annoyance, losing his patience. But no angel seemed to believe him, they all just continued to wear looks of disapproval and disgust, prompting Adam's heart to race now against his chest as he began to fully worry that things were taking a nasty turn for him. "I swear I'm not! Look, the only reason why I look like this is 'cause the clown and his hellspawn did some shit to me." He glanced at Charlie out of desperation, hoping she would admit to the angels what she or her dad had done to him, but instead, he met Charlie's eyes, which mirrored his disbelief.
"They've done nothing to you, Adam," Sera stated, pulling Adam's attention. "We can detect if you're under a spell, yet we sense nothing."
"But-"
"Lucifer informed us you were still alive and of your state," Moro said, cutting off Adam. "And we all came here to bear witness to what is true."
"And what we see is that you have failed us," Zerachin stated coldly.
"No, I… I didn't," Adam stumbled over his words, shaking his head quickly. "I-I didn't fall. I swear, this has to be a mistake. How could I've fallen? I'm Adam, the first human to enter Heaven, the only human who was in heaven for over a thousand years before any other soul also joined, remember?" Adam desperately waited for one of them to respond, but everyone just stared at him as if he were some insolent child.
"I feared this would happen," Sera confessed. "Over the past decades, we've watched you deteriorate. You're hardly the same soul who was blessed into heaven. Look at yourself, we can hardly recognize you."
Charlie's stomach twisted and turned as she heard every word from both Adam and Sera. She was shocked to hear that no other human soul joined heaven after Adam for a thousand years. Then she couldn't help but feel rage when Sera dared to shame Adam by his looks, especially when she saw how distraught he was when he pulled his wings around himself to hide his body, glancing away with shame.
"You've succumbed to temptation, allowed corruption to seep into your soul. And worse still, Adam, you've influenced others in heaven with your crude language, music, and behavior. You've become rash, self-centered. You've become tainted, akin to many of our descendants in hell."
"I…" Adam felt as if his throat ran dry.
"For years, we tolerated your behavior. We hoped you'd break free from the darkness you welcomed in. Instead, you've tested our patience, and it appears whatever you've done during the last attack in hell was the final straw."
Adam squeezed his eyes shut, unable to deny the questionable things he has done in Heaven. He had believed he could get away with them, considering his status as the first man in heaven, and because he honestly didn't think he was doing anything terrible.
Yes, his swearing habits were not so great, and he definitely took notice of how some people and angels picked up after him. Having slept with some of the angelic locals was probably not the wisest thing to do in heaven and slacking on his 'heavenly' duties was not cool.
But… he couldn't understand how the music he played for himself and for the people was always frowned upon by the high-rank angels. Many of the 'winners' loved his music, his performances. It made them smile, made them reach out for more. Heck… it was the one thing that brought some light into him after having such an unbearable life for so long, it had given him the push to continue existing some days.
And if everything he had done up in heaven were truly sinful acts, then how come he hadn't fallen before?
Now that he thought about it, what exactly did he do to have made him a sinner?
Was it everything that he's done after his visit to Earth seen as mistakes?
Though, knowing the angels, they wouldn't care exactly what he did to have become a sinner. All that mattered to them was that he had fallen.
"So, what if he messed up?" Charlie asked with annoyance at Sera. "You're just going to abandon Adam because he made some mistakes?"
Abandon… the word made Adam feel sick.
"You confuse me, child," Zerachin said calmly. "You called us out about the possibility of not holding Adam accountable for his actions. Now you chastise us for doing so?"
"Well, I wasn't expecting you to actually turn your backs on him!" Charlie argued. "He's been one of you guys for so long. And the fact that you want me to close down the hotel because you think no souls can be redeemed is telling me you don't expect Adam to ever return to heaven. I'm sorry, but that's fucked up!"
"Why do you defend him?" an angel named Vineat, a small one, questioned with confusion. "He's done so many terrible things in Hell. He's killed many of your people. Shouldn't you hate him?"
"Yes, he's hurt and killed my people, but you guys are also at fault for that," Charlie responded sternly, jabbing a finger at the angels, causing Adam to turn to her with utter confusion. "You may not have taken the lives of my people with your own hands, but you all allowed it to happen. You are all as guilty as he is. So don't you dare try to shift all the blame onto Adam, because without your permission, he wouldn't have led those attacks on my people."
Most of the angels frowned at her, displeased with her response. A few looked away in shame.
"Killing sinners was the right thing to do," Moro said matter-of-factly. "So don't try to make us feel guilty for doing what was best for Heaven."
Charlie glared at him.
"So, you're just sending me to hell just like that?" Adam asked Sera through clenched teeth, struggling to control his anger, still unable to believe what was happening to him. "After all these years, you're just fuckin' banishing me there?"
"You misunderstand, Adam. We're not sending you to hell," Sera clarified.
Adam furrowed his brow, completely lost now.
"We can't risk any other angel discovering your downfall. It'd spark panic among the souls. Some of us felt erasing you from existence would be too cruel, especially after you've been among us for so long. So, we've chosen a different approach."
As Sera and the other angels began to ascend, Adam, Charlie, and Lucifer watched with confusion.
With a nod from Sera, one of the angels gestured in a circular motion with their hand, then upward. Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to quake, and Adam felt a surge of energy enveloping their surroundings.
Gradually, trees, plants, flowers, and rocks materialized out of thin air. A serene lake shimmered into existence. Before Charlie, Lucifer, and Adam's eyes, a large forest took shape around them. However, the sky remained plain white.
Charlie quickly stepped aside as a tree sprouted where she had been standing, observing the landscape's evolution in awe.
Meanwhile, Lucifer hurried over to her side.
"I can't believe this," Lucifer remarked once the forest had fully grown around them. "I think this is the Garden of Eden."
Sera, now hovering halfway up the trees' height, looked down at Adam, who was surveying his surroundings in silence. "Consider yourself blessed, Adam," she said. "Instead of hell, you'll spend eternity here, in a replica of the Garden of Eden."
Adam looked up at her with surprise. He had not expected the turn of events. Their decision though was surprisingly better than being sent to hell. But an important question nagged at him, causing him to feel anxious again. "With who…?" he asked quietly.
Sera gazed down at him, her expression unreadable, before finally responding. "We cannot allow you to influence any other souls nor angels. And to preserve yours from further corruption, we decided you shall exist in solitude within this realm, forever."
Adam slowly processed Sera's words before his eyes widened in horror, he felt as though everything around him went deadly still, his body growing cold. "What…?" he let out, barely above a whisper, while Charlie had fallen silent, dumbstruck on the side.
"It was a hard decision to make, believe me, but we couldn't think of any other alternative."
"You… can't be serious," he stammered in disbelief as dread came crashing down on him.
"And the people from heaven requires-"
"No, please, Sera, you can't leave me alone here," Adam broke from his trance and began to beg, his breathing growing frantic, his eyes trembling with fear. Memories, so many that he had locked away, flooded his mind: the days he waited for Lilith, the agonizing pain in his heart as he spent years alone in Heaven, waiting for another soul to pass through the gates. He recalled the ache of loneliness as he was unable to interact with other humans once they arrived in paradise, and the pain that he felt when the high-ranking angels had ignored him, barely giving him the light of day.
He couldn't bear the thought of being alone again even for a moment, especially forever. He refused to drown in such misery.
For fuck's sake, he had, in recent years, finally been able to connect, in some way, with others up in heaven. He finally had someone who seemed to actually care about him. He had finally had people looking up to him, hoping for his attention, wanting his presence. He was finally seen!
And most importantly, he was close to getting Lilith back!
He couldn't lose everything and everyone now!
"You should count yourself lucky to be back in a world akin to- "
"Sera, please, listen to me, I beg you, you can't—"
"There are repercussions, Adam, and if you're truly sorry for your actions, then accept—"
"You don't get it! I can't-"
"You should've considered the consequences before-"
"You're not listening -"
"It pains us too, Adam, but we're left with no other-"
"Bullshit!" Adam snapped at her, his voice cracking with emotion, before he held on to his broken arm tightly as his trembling eyes glazed over, immediately regretting his outburst. "I-I-I'm sorry," he stammered, struggling to speak as his throat tightened up, making it hard for him to speak. "I didn't mean to-"
His words faltered, his head spinning, legs threatening to give out beneath him. "Don't do this to me, please, Sera," he pleaded, his voice pained. "I promise I'll-" He choked on his words, desperation taking hold of his heart, but he pushed on. "I swear, I'll change. I'll do anything you ask."
Adam's gaze darted over to all the angels, hoping any of them would change their minds. But they all seemed unmoved by his words.
No… He couldn't give up. He couldn't accept a fate worse than death.
His felt something inside of him breaking as desperation took hold of him. Nothing else mattered to him other than not being abandoned now.
"I promise I'll be the same Adam who walked through those gates, the same great Adam, you wanted me to be," he begged, tears gathering in his eyes. He fought to hold them back, to prove to them all their perfect Adam could still return to them. "I won't swear anymore, I promise. I won't play any of that music you hate. I'll stop playing the guitar, I'll eat less, I promise I won't talk back. I'll stay quiet, please, I'll be good again, I'll be better."
A dry sob escaped him as he sank to his knees, his broken arm cradled close, body trembling. His wings lay limp at his sides, his breathing growing faster and raspier by the second.
Near him, Charlie continued to stand there, a hand pressed to her trembling lips, tears threatening to escape as she watched the once-confident, powerful Adam falling apart, pleading with those who were supposed to be his 'people', only to be cruelly dismissed.
And Adam, as tall as he was, now looked so small, like a terrified, broken child.
"I'm begging you, please, don't leave me here alone," Adam pleaded, his voice trembling without him realizing it. "I can't bear to be alone again. Sera, please, don't do this to me."
Sera glanced away from Adam, turning her attention to Lucifer, who was avoiding the scene before him. He was trying so hard to avoid getting pulled into his own traumatic past when the same angels there left him thousands of years ago.
Lucifer tried to fight the urge to create a portal and dragged his daughter with him so they could get out of there.
"We will cease the exterminations as long as you and your daughter keep your people in check," Sera told Lucifer. "Heaven is severing ties with Hell, so the Heaven Embassy is no longer necessary there. Do not contact us again unless there is a threat to Heaven. Understood?"
Lucifer clenched his teeth and nodded firmly while Charlie continued to stare sadly at Adam's shaking form.
She had a hard time believing what was happening to Adam. She didn't wish for this to happen to him. And she couldn't believe the lack of empathy from the angels, how they were ignoring his please.
'Heaven never listens,' her father's words replayed in her mind.
Unable to hold her own emotions back anymore, Charlie furiously glared up at the heavenly beings. "Are you guys serious?!" she yelled at them, her eyes flashing red. "How could you even think this is okay?! He's one of your own! He's practically begging! Can't you see he's hurting and scared!? Please, you can't abandon him just because he's made some mistakes! It's not right to leave someone alone forever like this!"
The angels disregarded her, and they flew up without daring to spare another glance towards Adam whose eyes widened more from panic.
"Please, Moro, Uner, Wimdor, Vineat, Imen, don't leave me!" Adam screamed sadly as the angels vanished one by one. "After everything I've done for heaven?! After everything I've been through?!"
Zerachin shook his head, his eyes filled with disappointment, before he departed.
Adam desperately turned to Sera, now the sole high-ranking angel there. "Sera, please, whatever I did, I'm sorry," Adam pleaded, his voice cracking with another dry sob. "I'm sorry for everything. Please, I beg you, don't leave me here alone. I can't live like this... Please, I'm sorry, I promise I'll change, I'll be good, just don't leave me here. I don't want to be alone forever. Please, Sera…"
"This is beyond my control," Sera replied, avoiding Adam's glazed, pleading eyes. "You will be remembered as a hero up in heaven and our peaceful world will continue to thrive as it's meant to. That alone should bring you comfort." She paused for a moment. With a heavy sigh, she eventually met his eyes without emotion. "Farewell, Adam" she uttered before she and the exorcists vanished in a blaze of light, leaving Adam to scream her name once more.
And just like that, those who had welcomed him to heaven, the only beings he had interacted with for millennia, were gone. Just like that, he lost everything and everyone he had gained in the past decades. Everything seemed to blur into smudges of ugliness, and he felt as though he couldn't breathe. He was thrown aside like a broken toy. His pleas for another chance were met with indifference from the angels. As if he didn't matter to them…
Slowly, the darkness he had suppressed for so many years began to claw its way back through him, suffocating him. He found himself breathing again, but this time it grew erratic, his chest heaving with each ragged breath that sent his body to shake uncontrollably. He shut his eyes hard as he grasped his head, his claws drawing blood from his scalp in a desperate attempt to calm himself down, to keep the tears still daring to spill out.
Then, he opened his eyes and glared, with detest, with pure hatred, at the very one who had ruined everything for him. The one who had stolen the soul that completed him, the one who filled him with misery that he never asked for.
"Adam?" Charlie's voice was a whisper, heavy with sorrow, while Lucifer met his gaze with a rare moment of apprehension.
Adam rose to his feet, his body shaking as he turned to face Lucifer.
"This… is all your fault…" his voice trembled, his words dripping with venom. "If… you never came down… and meddled with Lilith… she would have returned to the Garden of Eden. If you… never filled her head with all your fucking bullshit, we wouldn't be in this fucking mess!" His voice contorted into something monstrous, the air crackling around him. "You couldn't mind your own fucking business?!" he snapped, a red aura pulsating from him, leaving Charlie and Lucifer stunned from how foul it felt. "You couldn't leave us alone?!" His breathing came out in violent rasps as his body shook before he couldn't hold back all the emotions that were fighting to burst out. "This is all… your fucking… FAULT!" he screamed on top of his lungs, his eyes swallowing completely by darkness, a few short horns shooting out from his head like a twisted crown around his two large ones.
Before Lucifer and Charlie could react, Adam lunged at Lucifer, slamming into him, sending them both hurtling through the forest. Trees shattered like matchsticks as they crashed through the landscape.
"Dad!" Charlie screamed before she summoned her demon powers, her horns and tail bursting out. Quickly, she dashed through the wreckage of trees and foliage, only to stop when she saw her father, in his demon form, fly up to the sky fast. His wings beating frantically, his body shaking with agony.
Lucifer stopped once he was a good distance above the forest and reached behind his head before inspecting the golden blood that stained his hand. He quickly dodged when a burst of flames erupted from the forest below. Trees incinerated in an instant while others caught on fire. Adam shot out from the wreckage, unleashing a torrent of fire aimed directly at Lucifer from his right hand. The flames surged forward, trying to engulf Lucifer who was flying around as fast as he could to avoid getting hit. He darted to the left, then ascended to a higher ridge, weaving through the air, almost getting hit as Adam kept shooting at him.
Summoning his staff, Lucifer spun to create a protective golden barrier against the intense flames. But as he did so, he could feel the heat passing through, and it grew more intense by the second, causing him to clench his teeth when he felt his skin prickle with discomfort under his clothes. He was shocked at how powerful Adam's fire was, and he knew if he didn't do something quick, he would be boiling soon.
Lucifer took a deep breath before shooting up as fast as he could, his shield dissolving in that moment, the fire missing his feet by a mere inch. He then summoned a single, blazing fireball from his hand before hurling it through the sky, aiming directly at Adam's chest. The impact sent Adam staggering backward several feet, abruptly halting his flaming attack.
Lucifer wasted no time and zoomed down into the forest. "We need to get out of here, now!" he shouted to Charlie before he swooped her up by her waist. He pointed his staff ahead of them, but only a spark of the portal shimmered into existence before Adam collided with them, sending them hurtling across the field by the lake.
Charlie gasped in pain upon impact, shockwaves of agony coursing through her body. As Lucifer quickly got back up to face Adam, he noticed Adam's limp left arm before meeting his gaze completely black and filled with rage. For a fleeting moment, Lucifer's vision seemed to distort, as if he saw a silhouette of a woman with a sinister, sharpened smile standing behind Adam. He blinked away the hallucination just as Adam lunged toward him.
Lucifer twisted his body just in time to avoid Adam's clawed hand as it thrusted forward. In retaliation, Lucifer sent a fireball directly at Adam's broken arm. A pain scream erupted from Adam's lips as the fireball seared through flesh and bone with blistering heat. Adam recoiled in agony, clutching his arm, and struggling to maintain his balance.
Then Lucifer felt the rage coming out from Adam grow thicker and watched in horror as crimson fur sprouted across Adam's face.
Lucifer quickly summoned golden chains from the depths of the lake. They shot out and seized Adam's wings in a tight, painfully grasping hold from behind, before dragging him into the water. The waters churned and roiled around Adam, and only pockets of air rose above the surface once Adam was pulled deeper into the depths. Lucifer used all his strength to fight against Adam's violent struggles.
If he didn't press on, he knew he and Charlie would be in serious danger.
"Dad, stop!" Charlie finally pulled herself together and ran over to her dad. "You're drowning him!"
"That's the point…" Lucifer said through his gritted, sharp teeth.
Charlie stared at him in disbelief. She looked at the lake with hesitation. The image of Adam on his knees, begging for the high-ranking angels, clung to her mind.
Knowing she wouldn't be able to change her father's mind like she did last time, she ran towards the lake before diving in, ignoring when her father screamed for her.
In the murky depths of the lake, Adam's struggles ceased, the small horns vanished from his head, red fur no longer on his face, and the golden glow returned to his eyes, snapping him out of his blind rage. While being pulled deeper into the darkness, Adam slowly absorbed the emptiness of the lake created by the angels. It lacked the captivating beauty of Earth's lakes, as if the angels wanted to keep it as simple as they could. He wondered if the lake in the actual Garden of Eden was the same way - empty. If so, perhaps he could understand why Lilith didn't want to waste her time diving into it like he did.
Knowing her, she probably knew there was nothing special there.
Tiny bubbles escaped Adam's lips as he almost lost the last breath he had left, the rage dissolving completely and leaving him with numbness. From above, he saw someone swimming down towards him, and realized it was Charlie.
The weight on his wings vanished as Charlie reached out to him. Her hand extended out, and for a moment, he didn't want to take it. He felt tempted to allow himself to slip into unconsciousness, to escape reality in some way. But Charlie had other ideas; she grasped his hand tightly before kicking her legs as best as she could to propel them both toward the surface.
He didn't fight her; instead, he held on to her hand tightly. Once their heads broke the surface, they gasped for air. Charlie wasted no time and helped Adam onto the shore, his body – that felt so utterly heavy - wracked with coughs as he expelled water from his lungs. His legs trembled under his weight. He eventually collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest, his eyes clouded with confusion and exhaustion as he turned to see Charlie hovering next to him, wearing a soft smile. However, her father grabbed Charlie and dragged her away.
"Damn it, Charlie, you have to stop being so reckless!" Lucifer yelled at her, losing his patience as he used magic to dry Charlie up so she wouldn't get sick. "What were you thinking, jumping down there for him?!"
Charlie, still catching her breath, did not respond to her father. Instead, she gave him a serious look that widened Lucifer's eyes, as if he could read her mind.
"No, Charlie, he's too dangerous. He literally was just trying to kill us!"
Charlie stood her ground, her expression not changing at the slightest.
"The angels will never allow it!"
"Dad… you know I can't just leave him here…"
"Damn it, Charlie, you can't save everyone!" Lucifer's voice rose with a mixture of frustration and anger. "Not everyone can be saved!"
Adam glanced away from them when Lucifer's words sank in, his chest growing heavier. Strands of wet hair clung to his face as he shut his eyes tight, tuning out Lucifer's and Charlie's voice. His heart raced again, frustration and overwhelming sadness taking a tight grip on his soul again, leaving him feel beaten, no longer could he find it in himself to be angry at this moment.
The urge to beg for forgiveness clawed at him, to plead with Lucifer and Charlie, to take him with them, to spare him from the impending loneliness that the angels have forsaken him with. He felt utterly pathetic for even considering crawling to them, grasping at their legs in a desperate attempt to keep them from leaving him behind, just as the angels had done.
But he knew it was too late. He had messed up big time. He had allowed himself to lose control, let his rage consume him, and tried to take Lucifer's life. There was no way Lucifer wouldn't want more than to see him suffer more than ever now.
He pulled his broken, burnt arm close, his injured wings folding tightly against his trembling form, the pain through his body aching worse than before. Oh, how despised himself so much for straying away from the right path years ago. He had longed for happiness, because that's the thing - he had been miserable in Heaven for thousands of years and had desperately taken whatever path provided him some comfort, failing to see the right one he was supposed to take.
He had failed heaven.
He had failed Lilith…
He had failed Lute…
He should have begged the angels to have taken his life instead.
With each passing moment, the weight of his mistakes pressed down on him, threatening to crush his broken soul. He pressed his clawed fingers into his broken arm, attempting to use physical pain to distract himself, but the tears were getting hard to hold back as they welled up in his eyes, the sadness wouldn't stop pulling him under more into the depths of his agony.
So much for being the man… he couldn't even call himself a man anymore. What was he now, then? Pathetic… that's what he was… a fallen angel who was having a hard time holding back the tears like a defenseless newborn.
"Adam…" the sound of his name made his eyes flow wide open, snapping his head up to lock eyes with Charlie, who stood before him, her horns now absent, her gaze soft and comforting.
He cast aside the small amount of pride he had left as desperation ran through him and bowed his head to her. "P-Please… I don't…" Adam struggled to find the words, his voice cracking as a single hot tear finally managed to trail down his wet, cold skin for the first time in his existence. His lips quivered as he continued, "Please… I'm…" But his throat tightened, keeping him from finishing his sentence.
He panicked, his mind raced, desperate to apologize to her for everything he's done, so she wouldn't leave him behind. He had no one to turn to anymore, except for her now - at least, anyone who knew he was alive.
Then again, he couldn't bear Lute seeing him as a fallen angel and Lilith would have been to disappointed to see him ever again for failing her.
Of course, Adam wasn't going to give up yet.
But try as he might, he couldn't speak, his breaths coming in rapid, shallow gasps that seared his throat and constricted his chest so painfully that he felt as though someone ran the holy dagger into it again.
His eyes shut tightly in desperation to calm his hyperventilating. But he was failing to slow down his ragged gasps. The darkness in his heart was devouring him whole.
He couldn't stop the agonizing pain in his heart, it was too much.
He thought about Lilith, about Lute while he was ruining the last shot he had.
He was falling with no end in sight, and it was all his fault.
He was going to be alone.
Forever.
Suddenly, he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. Startled, he opened his eyes just in time to see Charlie pull him into a warm embrace. Adam's eyes widened in confusion. A hand came to rest on the back of his head, fingers softly caressing his hair tenderly. Charlie pressed her cheek against his head as she held him tightly, her other arm wrapping around his trembling form.
"Shh, it's okay, Adam," her voice was soft and soothing. "I'm not leaving you behind. It's okay."
For a moment, the darkness, that was trying to consume him, seemed to fade. Adam slowly took in her words and felt the warmth of her body against his. He thought maybe Lucifer placed him in some cruel illusion. After all, the only one to have ever hugged him with so much warmth was Lilith… and that was thousands of years ago…
But then Charlie tightened her embrace, pulling him closer to her, as if reassuring him she was real, that she wasn't going to let him go, making Adam's face scrunch up sadly and let out a small, weak sob.
"I'm not leaving you here," she said to him in a quiet voice through Adam's frantic breathing. "I promise I won't, so please, Adam, you don't have to be scared anymore."
He didn't trust her. Why would he, after everything he's done to her and her people? No one would want to risk so much for an enemy. Why would she even care? The questions swirled in his mind, but the sheer desperation and fear in his heart drove him to crumble into her embrace. With each hitched sob that tore through him, he closed his eyes and buried his face against her shoulder. He was unable to suppress the tears that finally broke free as he yearned to believe her with every fiber of his being, not wanting to be left alone, forgotten.
"It's okay, Adam," she murmured softly as his tears continued to flow, his frantic breathing giving away by broken sobs. "Just let it out. You're safe now. You don't have to hold it in anymore." She held his trembling form closer, caressing his head. "I promise… I promise I won't let you feel as alone as they did…"
Adam pressed his face further into her shoulder as the tears would not stop, his weakened wings pulling in closer to his body, allowing himself to be held by the one he had almost killed a week ago, by the one he had mocked and hurt, by the only one who was keeping him from falling further.
He listened to her comforting words and for the first time in his entire existence, he allowed himself to fully break down.
Author's After note
Welp, that happened, hahaha
Part 2 to the story starts next chapter, I bet you all know what that means - To the Hotel! : D. And nope, Adam isn't going to be some broken, scared peep to all in hell starting now. Just want to clarify on that, there will be a process taking place : )
Thank you all for the comments/reviews/feedback : ), i appreciate them!
Please let me know what you peeps think about the chapter : o, hopefully it was emotionally angsty enough, always hard to tell as the writer if it's good. Kind of like... when a sandwich tastes better when someone else makes it than the one one makes, hahaha x.x
Let me know if you cried : o - you can leave a comment here or at archive of our own : ), don't forget to also leave a kudo in archive of our own 3