Rapture - The Slow Fall

by Uros Osium

With the truth of Extermination brought to bear the youngest Seraphim makes a choice; if her sister thinks Sinners and the overpopulation in Hell is a danger, then let's solve it. She concocts a plan in record time through desperation and hope. But said plan is mostly good intentions and a wish. And we all know where good intentions lead...

18. Chapter X

Chapter X

Okay people, so there will be two to three (doubt four) chapters that should be (SHOULD BE!) shorter than usual. Just one part, a few shorter scenes. Need to set a few things up and show certain things.

That is the plan.

Let's see if I fuck it up.

Besides, sad as it is to say, I don't have the most time IRL now for various reasons, so these shorter chapters are somewhat mandatory for now. The good thing? I had planned for these shorter bits for a while now. The bad thing? They are shorter bits :P.

Anyway, let's get the first one going. We'll meet with DEEZTructor (Tobias), his mother and his godmother (so we get some angels in the mix on Earth at last). After this we'll pay another visit to Italy with Father Luciano as he gets a brief conversation with an old friend. Finally, we'll go on and visit Hell, because it is high time Lucifer finally pays a visit to another person very dear to him…

* Green Leaves City - Lighthall residence *

Tobias felt a bit o f unease for the first time in his life while in this house.

The Lighthall residence.

Ophelia's home.

His godmother, his aunt in essence, had always looked like a very motherly and friendly woman, if very strict and no nonsense when it came to one's duty. It didn't matter if it was homework, cleaning the dishes or what have you. Ophelia was in the vicinity? She makes sure you DO your job. Why? Because if you did as you had to, and you kept your mind always sharp, then you would be forever safe.

For a long time Tobias thought it was just her upbringing to be carefree and nice when not in some kind of duty, but he had never thought of just how right he was.

Ophelia was a tall woman, short haired, brunette, with half lidded eyes and a perpetual thin smile that meant all was good… until it changed. Because Ophelia not smiling usually meant someone was getting a whippin'. She was no beauty, that was true, but she was incredibly fair; soft, peach colored skin, gentle brown eyes that looked more like chocolate than anything else, a small nose, modest figure and general gentle look. The only impressive thing about Ophelia was her two meters and twenty or so in stature, marking her as a gigantic figure at 7' 2".

To many she had always looked like a very icy figure. Conservative clothing showing little to no skin, very guarded from strangers, even to those she considered 'friends' but not 'close friends' and, more often than not, very curt and dry with her replies. No one found it weird, after all most people saw her from the outside an faced her more serious and no nonsense side that focused on security first and everything else second. But when you had faced the woman with most of her guard down? Then you'd find out that she was a very sweet and friendly lady that could be constricting and strict, yes, but only because she worries.

Which, yet again, brought us to the reason why Tobias felt as if his mouth had dried up.

"I have to say, my dear Tobias, that I truly dislike this." It didn't help that Ophelia's voice, once melodic, but very measure, was now echoing through the house. "Fear is not what I wanted from you, or any of those I consider friends and family."

Easy for her to say.

She was a fucking angel after all.

Not only that. Her previously tall physique was now taller, easily scraping by eight feet in total, probably eight three, but Tobias wasn't about to measure her. That alone would be otherworldly to many, and indeed it was to Tobias, as such individuals in the human species had been… rare? Had there been someone as tall before? Tobias wasn't sure now.

But forget that! The fucking head was what killed it. I mean, it didn't help that her hands only had four fingers and were like those of Slenderman (long, spindly and, in this case, gray colored), and her whole complexion had turned the tone of the common rock to boot, true. But her head was just what sealed the deal.

For one? No neck. Because why have one? Instead there was a wheel - no, wait, that was a lie. There were THREE wheels that composed her head: Three golden wheels surrounded by some unnatural fire that neither burned nor gave light away. Every wheel circled a central eye, half as big as a human head if not bigger, with a myriad of eyes populating the golden wheel on top of it all. How many were there? Good question, one Tobias wasn't about to answer because he wasn't going to count them. It was unnerving enough that the chocolate eyes of the woman he had considered an aunt for so long were now so eerie despite being almost, and this is the key point, as human as they had once been.

At this point the toga that the woman was wearing looked more like a fucking joke. Like 'Here, let me wear something more comfortable and natural while I SHOW YOU THE TRUTH!'.

This would've been far less brutal to his psyche if his father was here. But he wasn't. Only Tobias' mother had come with. Electra had always appeared to be on friendly terms with Ophelia, I mean, she SHOULD, considering Tobias had Ophelia as an honorary aunt and all that. Still, it felt somewhat unnatural for Tobias to see his mother so chill with Ophelia in her natural form.

Right now Electra was beyond relaxed. Tobias' mom was smelling and enjoying the warmth of a cup of camomile tea as Tobias tried, and failed, to make this look like a normal visit.

"Oh, like I was any better the day you came down here." Electra chuckled as she took a small sip of her tea. Tobias knew she wasn't a great fan of it, but Ophelia loved many different blends and had gotten Electra used to a few over the years. "I had expected him to be at least tense, if not sweating, Ophelia."

"There is a difference." Ophelia hummed as her many eyes focused on Electra. "You were still weak and had been born in Hell with a culture meant to fear Heaven." The Ophanim turned her attention back to Tobias. "Tobias has grown with me always being close to him, if not directly present in many of his life's benchmarks. And he is very knowledgeable about fantasy themes and creatures with his love for games to boot. I had hoped he took this more like a plot of the X-Men instead of whatever is crossing his mind."

"New X-Men or old-"

"If you dare mention the modern incarnations I will send you back to Hell." Ophelia's reverberating voice turned to a more 'normal', almost singular, voice as she glared Electra's way. "I despise that filth."

Electra inched closer to her son as she tittered. The living room was spacious, but Ophelia had insisted on being close for this. Being a small tea table away from the much larger woman didn't make Tobias appreciate the humor the scene tried to portray.

Looking from the outside? It was probably something to do with Ophanim, and angels in general, liking order and a status quo, even when leaving Heaven. Ophelia? She enjoyed it as much as everyone else… just not in her entertainment. And she LOVED entertainment in general.

Soap operas. Dramas. Love stories. Comedies. Horror. You could mention anything, from the sweetest and gentlest child book to the more brutal, horrific and gore porn filled slasher flick and Ophelia could tell you the good and the bad, because she had likely seen it. In Heaven she was most likely barred from such things so as to not deviate from her duty, but here, on Earth, her main Sin came from Sloth and her appreciation for her own downtime and her own entertainment.

Which also translated to utterly HATING it when one of those stories, movies, comics or other entertainment she had once perished got a new incarnation. It didn't matter how good or how bad it was, she hated it.

If it was a single movie or whatever? Then that was meant to be it. If it was meant to be two, three or four things? Fine. No matter what, if it was pre planned and meant to be, Ophelia was fine with it.

Add something LATER because it was popular or it could make money? Ophelia hated it on principle.

Probably the 'love of order' bit in her rearing its ugly head. Once a thing was done, it was DONE. She would not have it any other way.

"Fine, I won't tease you with this." Electra took another small sip before placing her teacup down. "Now, where is Maribelle?"

Ophelia seemed confused for a moment as she tilted her head, the many wheels composing it rotating round for a moment. "I thought you knew?"

Electra clearly didn't, and a quick questioning look at Tobias made the young man shake his head 'no'.

"Ah. It seems your husband hasn't told you." Ophelia hummed before her form slumped ever so slightly. "My daughter is with Earl."

This didn't seem to make it any better. Tobias could understand his mother's confusion. WHERE was Earl? That man was attached to the hip to his wife. If there was a couple worse than Electra and Terrance, it was Ophelia and Earl.

Big difference between the two? Earl and Ophelia kept their lovey dovey stuff for private moments with friends and family. Tobias' parents, as already shown, did not give everyone else the chance to ignore their perpetual lovesickness. So of course Tobias had done his best to escape his mother a lot as a child so he could be with his 'cousin' and 'aunt' and AWAY from his parents' kissing and other stuff.

Earl had always been close whenever work wasn't the order of the day, though. Showing affection or not, the man had been near Ophelia almost all the time. So, could this mean-?

So, to answer the unasked question, Ophelia offered a simple answer. "Mirabelle did not take the news well."

This made Tobias frown. "What do you mean?"

It looked as if he hadn't been heard or if he was ignored. "Mirabelle has always known, of course." Ophelia finally decided to nurse her own drink. How could an Ophanim drink or eat? Tobias couldn't tell you. He only saw the drink being 'siphoned' into the fire that made Ophelia's head. "I could not keep it from her. An angelic child has just too much magic. Even Cherubim would have difficulties."

"That is why I ask." Tobias stressed. "Mirabelle has always known, and she hasn't told me a thing." He didn't sound angry, but there was a hint of betrayal there. His own 'cousin' had kept him in the dark for so long! "What-?"

"I never told her WHY I left Heaven." Ophelia cleared the air as soon as her tea was gone. "I told her my idealized vision. I barely spoke of Hell. I did not tell her more than she needed to know because it was never meant to touch her in any way. All I told her was to never spread the knowledge. Others, like you, Tobias, would never see the real world." Ophelia's many eyes showed clear hurt as they laid on her godson. She never meant to hurt him or her daughter, Tobias could see that. But in the end it happened. "She honored my request. It hurt her every time she saw you, or those with parents that were in hiding. Mirabelle always wanted to help people. And keeping things from others? Keeping this? I knew I asked a lot of her, but I hoped someday she would understand."

Tobias couldn't help his frown. Ophelia obviously felt bad, but both his parents and Mirabelle's own had kept secrets. So he crossed his arms as he spoke, tone perhaps a bit harsher than he intended. "You knew it would hurt her, aunt Ophelia."

"I was aware it would yes." She said this trying to keep her cool, but the many eyes betrayed what she tried to hide. " And sadly, I am now shown the extent of that pain." Ophelia admitted as she averted her gaze. "But I didn't imagine just how much…" A pause, then a sigh. "My only consolation is that she has always been a daddy's girl. Earl will get through her, and your father will help."

Ah. So that is where his father was and WHY he was there. Earl was good friends with Terrance, obviously, and both Tobias and Mirabelle had very clear preferences: Mirabelle was a daddy's girl, which also included seeking attention from Terrance, while Tobias had been a momma's boy, in turn hanging to Ophelia just as much.

Tobias would've preferred for everyone to be together, but he could understand. Mirabelle had been keeping a secret for so long, only for this to reveal it all? That only meant he had a particular question to air.

"So that means mom sent you the links yesterday." And he didn't wait for a nod, even if Ophelia quickly gave one. "And you showed the videos to Mirabelle?"

"It was her right to know about this development as quickly as she could." Ophelia admitted with a sigh. "She may have known many things for as long as she could understand, but I kept her in the dark when it came to many secrets she wasn't ready for. Now all that work is undone." Her eyes all turned her 'face' into one of anger. "All because of a princess' petty, ill conceived dreams."

Tobias frowned. Petty? Ill conceived? "This doesn't sound like you are sorry for doing this." Tobias felt himself pressing, almost inching closer, only for his mother to stop him.

"I am not." Ophelia's words were flat, as if obvious. She even looked at Tobias with slight confusion. "Tobias, do you not understand what I think of this whole mess? Why this is destined to fail?"

Tobias looked at his mother, but she was being quiet. Far too quiet in fact. Tobias just turned to face Ophelia again, by now his apprehension about this side of her long gone, but not the little bit of rancor that was left thanks to his family's (and extended family's) actions.

"I don't know, aunt Ophelia." But he was still sincere when he spoke. Sincere and… tired? He felt like it. Perhaps it was the clash between a twinge of anger and his previous nervousness about the sight that was his godmother as she truly was. "So, please, be open with me. Be open with your daughter when she comes back. There is no reason to keep any of this secret anymore. Tell me what is the problem here."

Ophelia gave a quick nod. "Then let me be as frank as you ask of me." She let her hands rest on her toga, a spark of something lighting it up. "Princess Charlotte is bringing death to us all."

And so the clothing changed.

Gone was the white, featureless toga and Ophelia's fire truly lit the room.

From out of nowhere Ophelia grew large wings of apparent light behind her head. Her toga, now trimmed with gold, had a labyrinth design to it going down the front and back, with the motifs of gates etched on the edges on the bottom and the cuffs, with golden wheels similar to those on her head marking the neck. Ophelia hadn't moved, but for some reason she now appeared *more*; bigger, stronger, as if she had 'awakened' from some kind of slumber.

"It doesn't matter if I hide myself or not anymore, Tobias." Even her voice was much more powerful now. It felt somewhat alien and, for Tobias, only his constant presence close to Ophelia allowed Tobias to have some kind of control of his own body. "Heaven will come. Judgment is now a matter of time. And as for the mortals that Charlotte is trying to help?" Ophelia made a wave with her hand, as if discarding something unwanted. "She has likely offered a pass for the worst of them to keep going as they are."

Tobias felt his mouth dry again, just as it had been when he first saw Ophelia shedding her disguise, and as he was before the talk finally began. His aunt had just let her strength show, and now she likely was nothing less than a beacon in the dark for those in the know.

"B-but Charlie-?"

"Charlotte has a good heart." Ophelia cut. Candidly. Gently. But she made sure to make it known with her tone that SHE was to speak now. "But she is beyond naive. I despise the yearly Extermination and adore her attempt at helping others. But just how wide is this net of acceptance she is casting out?" The Ophanim inched closer. Her eyes, no longer chocolate in color, looked as if the earth itself was bubbling, about to become magma. "What will she do with the worst scum of the Earth? Those that not only don't want to get better, but want to get worse? Will she extinguish the souls of the truly wicked and allow them to go back to the cycle of life and try again? Will she perhaps set a bar of how 'evil' one must be for that to happen? Or will she find herself unable to extend punishment when required?"

Before Tobias could speak Ophelia pressed her point. "And what of Heaven? I have no illusions that they, I, have become complacent. I am ancient, Tobias. I have surrendered myself to a life of mortality just to live it and pass on. I have willingly looked away as Heaven went from the promised land to a stagnant, yet beautiful locale. I know of its purpose, of its potential, and of how easy it could become that again… But I also know the 'why' of its situation." The angel sat back down, resting her back against her seat as her form looked as old, and as tired, as she truly was. "Our duty to God came before our duty to His creations, at least to most of us. His Word mattered the most. After so long it… it is all that we, that THEY, have left." She shook her head. "They will not take to this kindly, much less if mortals left and right begin to fight them. We, all of us, are on a timer."

Tobias felt his mother going for his hand. Electra had a smile on her face, but it didn't reach her ears. She had clearly thought of this long before coming to Ophelia's house. In fact Tobias realized his mother likely thought of Heaven at the very least, and what could happen.

Did it matter what she thought of Charlie? Did it matter what Tobias thought or felt? In the end, if Ophelia was right, the worst of the worst could find solace in the message sent by Princess Charlotte, no matter what the heir of Hell wished to convey or how much she wished to help. And Heaven? They would for sure have much to say about this.

Much to do…

"Then…" But Tobias didn't want to give up this early. "Is that all? Do you want to just sit there, feel tired and allow it to happen? Do you want to have such a bleak outlook of what could happen, of Charlie's naivete, of the faults of it all… And allow the worst to happen?"

There was a moment of silence as Ophelia closed her eyes. Tobias could hear his godmother breathing almost in perfect silence, yet with a reverberation that not so much as sounded as it made his whole body pulse. In his mind he heard it as the beating of large wings taking flight.

"No." And when her voice returned gone was the echoing and power. Ophelia quickly returned to a more subdued form, hiding, or at least containing, all she had shown. "I was asked to lead everyone in the city, all of the demons that make this place their home. I have a family. I have charges. I have friends." Ophelia inched forward, a determined look in her eyes. "Mirabelle will come back sooner or later, and we have days before Charlotte comes back, Tobias. So as one of the first to learn of this, I need you, your mother and your father to help me."

Electra squeezed her son's hand hard. Tobias could understand, far too well now, just how far his mother was willing to go to keep them safe. Ophelia and her had that in common. So it was no surprise when she pushed.

"You already have a plan, don't you?" Electra asked. There was no bad blood, doubt or anything. She just looked for confirmation. "Have you talked with the others?"

"Yes when it comes to the plan. But as for the talk? No." Ophelia lifted a finger and Tobias felt a wave of warmth. A moment later Ophelia was refilling the tea cups with what smelled like the tea was made just now. "We have two days. I need to get in contact with everyone today, we need to have a meeting tomorrow and have all our children informed by the third day at the latest."

Tobias felt himself relaxing here. It was as if he had accidentally defused a bomb. Something told him that Ophelia had come very close to giving up. As if she was about to let it all go and allow self hatred, age, tiredness and just the disillusion that comes with eons of watching a perfect world being destroyed by greed and pettiness without any care of what comes after.

Dangerously close didn't even define what it was. Something in his core told him that it would've ended a lot worse than Ophelia doing something stupid if he hadn't faced his godmother.

But if there was one thing that Tobias had, it was faith in his godmother. His aunt had never failed him, so he knew she wouldn't now.

… Wasn't it funny? In a way it felt as if FAITH itself had been the key here.

Tobias couldn't help but look back and away, through the closed curtains and towards the sky.

Maybe…

* Italy - Villavalde Church *

Father Luciano had left Federico and Anita to deal with the congregation alongside Sister Delizia. There had been a surprising number of people that had watched the stream, then the videos that came before it, the day prior. Today had been a busy day, if not for the right reasons.

Luciano felt as if the return of his people should've come as a willing acceptance of the faith, not because they had to be shown the light by a veritable angel and the daughter of the devil himself. Funny how literal demons had shown far more empathy than you could expect from many of his fellow humans.

But I digress. Luciano hadn't taken a seat in his personal chambers just to rest. It was a bit too early for him to enjoy his bed and the tranquility brought by sleep. That is why he had his old styled phone in hand, waiting for an answer.

Finally Luciano heard a clearing of the throat. "Agapetus speaking."

Luciano offered a kind smile under his beard. "Hello, his Holiness."

A chuckle came through. "Of course it was you, Luciano." A tired, but not unhappy sigh came from the other side of the line. This had no negative connotation, none beyond the current Pope's age at least. "I was wondering when you'll come through. And none of that 'Holiness' stuff!"

"I am not calling you 'Agh' again, sire." Luciano jested back. "We are a bit too old for that."

"And yet you tell everyone that ever heard of our connection that you 'had talks with me' or that 'we meet in passing'." Agapetus snorted through the phone, coughing a bit, but clearly happy with the joke. "You can be a piece of work with twisting the truth, you know?"

"Apparently that is our work nowadays." Luciano's mood quickly darkened. "It would not be wise to let others know of how long we have been friends, sire. Formal only. There may be far too many interested in reaching you after certain… developments."

This made Agapetus' next words sound tired. "Yes, because the appearance of angels and demons is going to make people run to me before anyone else."

Luciano seemed taken aback by this. "So you already know."

"Remember when we were kids, Luciano?" Agapetus sounded much happier now, reminiscing about the past. "I remember how we always got into trouble. We didn't care about our parents, the teachers, the holy book…" And he almost felt drawn away into his mind, Lucianoc ould empatize. Those were happier days, distant ones. "I also remember I should've died during one of our stunts. That bull horn went right through me."

"A dark day that one." Luciano nodded quickly, curtly. So many decades ago now. They had done such stupid things. "I remember carrying you towards Elmer's house. The old man almost finished the job."

"We got all his animals to all but stampede through his lands. I think wanting to strangle us was no less than we deserved, considering all the damage we caused." Agapetus chuckled. Yes, good times… They were two little shits, but good times. Still, memories alone were not enough for Agapetus to bring this up, Luciano knew that much. "But do you remember what happened after?"

Oh, he did. Luciano remembered that month. Luciano remembered just how messed up Agapetus was; pierced chest, massive concussion, internal and external bleeding that almost killed him. It was a literal miracle that the friends hadn't been separated in more permanent ways.

But they still went their own way after all. They didn't stop contact, but their paths would not physically cross for many years.

"You changed, far sooner than I." Luciano admitted as he went back to the day his friend opened his eyes again. "You told me, as you did your parents, that you saw what lies beyond. You say the light… Even after finding my own path I had doubts about what you saw, my friend."

"All Popes come to this position because they have seen as I have. Because they have seen what the world is now seeing." Agapetus' trip down memory lane was over. Now he sounded as if this was all business. "Do tell me. Did those videos have a particular effect on you, Luciano?"

Luciano wasn't particularly surprised. "Do I really need to say it?"

"Of course not. I knew for a while that you would be strong in magic, much as I am." Agapetus let out a conspiratorial chuckle. "But you have more pressing matters to discuss now that you know I am aware of Princess Charlotte and Lady Emily, as well as all those working with them."

Indeed he did. And it came down to a simple question.

"Are we doing the right thing, Agapetus?"

Which came with an equally simple answer.

"That is up to you to decide, friend."

'Simple', of course, meant anything but. It was simple for the two friends, but not so much for everyone else.

"I cannot speak of, or for, our heavenly host." Agapetus found it simple to explain further. "I have had contact, this much I can convey. But did I know of their actions and endeavors in Hell? No. I can safely say this came as a shock to me… all paired with the knowledge of groups within our holy church finding and training people to hunt demons and the damned as it was done in the dark ages."

This made Luciano almost stand up. "Is this some form of inquisition, Agapetus!?"

"I am unsure." And this time the old Pope sounded tired. "It…" In fact he wasn't just tired. He was also exasperated. "Seeing demons like that? It is clear that they, much like the angels I have managed to talk with, are also people, as young Jack mentioned. They are not humans, much like angels aren't either. They are different in their making, priorities and ways of being. But are they all evil, just as angels are all good? No. Both sides are flawed, for they are not the Creator Himself. And, as it is clear He has allowed ALL of us, not just humans, to do as we please, I cannot venture if ANY of us are doing what is right."

It was one of the few times since Luciano joined his friend in preaching the Word that he found himself truly lost. He had expected Agapetus to give him straight answers, but here his superior and oldest friend seemed just as unsure as Luciano was.

"That… that does not tell me much, Agapetus." Luciano admitted. "I doubt our work as much as I ever did after joining, that is to say: I don't. But I fear we don't know the full extent of what is going on. Even if following these events is the right course, I fear we will not be told the whole truth for one reason or another."

To this Agapetus had little to say beyond what the old Pope thought to be right. Not what he KNEW to be right, but thought. "There are three conflicting views, my old friend. Humans, angels and demons. We are in the middle, and many think us divine, with all those imperfect, or willingly committing Sin, to be fit only for damnation and suffering. Angels, from how little I have interacted with them, seem to try and convey an image of perfection, peace and harmony, but this has recently shown not to be true. And as for demons? The hellborn were always poised to be chaotic entities, but they are clearly not monsters, at least not all of them. They may be combative, far too free spirited for most, and, indeed, likely dangerous and murderous in many cases, but that is their way of being, how they are likely meant to be."

"Thus, I tell you this." Luciano could hear his old friend sitting up. This part was clearly important. "I am kept in the dark about more than I should. All Popes have. This is, as I have come to understand, by design." Agapetus' voice hinted at resignation, but Luciano couldn't be sure. There was something else to it though, and Luciano's old friend still had more to say. "Our position is to be shepherds, but just as a shepherd is important to his flock, to show kindness, compassion and wisdom. Yet he is also meant to follow someone, to show trust in his Lord and to navigate all challenges that we find while also guiding our own followers through moral dilemmas and life's hardships."

Luciano did understand here. It was no different than it had been until now: To follow the Lord and His teachings and to help others if they asked for their aid. Except for one glaring change that is. "But what if our Lord is no longer the one guiding us, old friend? What if even His most direct creations are losing their way? What if, in their desire to do as He commanded, they become no better than the many of us that ended up misguided and causing pain?"

Agapetus clearly had thought of this before. His answer was as sad as his voice. "Then we may have to do as humans have always done: Fight for change. And yes, Luciano, I know. Not all change is good when it finally comes to pass, just not all fights are worth the pain and sorrow they bring. But if His word has been used to cause more damage to not only us, His children, but His home in Heaven and even those in Hell that could find a better way? Then it is our duty to stop it and work together to make our world, ALL of our worlds, more than they are now."

"... If that were to be the case then, would you be alright?" Luciano dreaded this question. He had guessed Agapetus could end up in danger if Heaven was truly more ruthless than it was believed to be originally, but he hoped that wasn't the case. "Could I he-?"

"There are many things that will change soon, Luciano. It matters not who must face the greatest challenges or who has their time run short." Agapetus stopped his friend before he could continue. "I am, as I have always been since my eyes opened, here to work for our fellow man. No: I am here to fight for all souls, as all Popes should. I am here to help, to guide, to better both myself and others. If it comes to it? Then do not risk yourself for me, Luciano. We both have lived long and have done much as it is, but even if my time has to end because I stood for all, then that won't change just how little of it is left."

Luciano's eyes widened. Was he saying what he thought he was saying? "Agapetus, are you-?!"

"I have been sick for a long while, Luciano." And now part of his tiredness was explained. "You know as well as I do that I never healed from our little stunt. I have taken great care of myself in every sense after that, but I was never meant to live this long. I thank the Lord Himself for what time I have been given, and for a chance to grow old while helping those around me." Acceptance was, at least, something Luciano was thankful for. Agapetus would not go into the void in fear. "I may hope for Heaven to welcome me, but even if they despise that I don't fall in line, or even if I am tossed into Hell for looking at this revelation with a critical eye, I will keep doing my job and doing it with a smile. That is exactly what I expect YOU to do too, Luciano."

Of course Luciano would. They had both come a long way from their youthful and rebellious early years. "You know I will, Agapetus. But will you really be fine?"

"No matter what happens, old friend. No matter what happens." Agapetus let out a chuckle and a cough. Clearly, the man was unwell, but it did nothing to deter him. "But let us worry not about 'what ifs'. The future is uncertain, yes, but it will come to pass in time. And when it comes? We will do our best. So, how about we catch up? You barely call to check on your old friend anymore."

Luciano couldn't believe it. No, wait, he could. Agapetus had this kind of personality. Make light of such a bad situation to try and keep others' spirits up, no matter if it hurts him personally.

At least Luciano could humor his old friend.

"You are busy nine times out of ten." Luciano deadpanned with a groan. Of course Agapetus would at least want to talk with him for a while. Despite the difficulties and clear crisis that was to come, indulging in some banter to calm his nerves could only do good. Agapetus knew this, and he was always capable of getting others to talk and air out their troubles, even before he joined the church. "But I will not waste a chance to finally have a few words outside of work, as it were. So, tell me, how fares your family, old friend?"

Luciano wished he could know more, that his old friend, the supposed HEAD OF THE CHURCH, knew more. He wished that many of his fers could be assuaged…

But talking with an old friend he rarely could get a hold of? Perhaps not the best, but it would do.

Tomorrow more of the city would know. More of the world would know. Luciano too needed his mind as serene as he could have it.

… Perhaps calling his family overseas was long overdue. There was someone to thank for when it came to this discovery anyway. A friendly chat to calm her down was the least he could do.

Hopefully other people would use the time as he was, and get in touch with their loved ones.

* Hell's 'Eight Ring' - The Abyss - Prison 'Betrayal' *

Lucifer, just like any other denizen of Hell, disliked the void deep within this realm. This was the place that everything was meant to go one day. While the cycle of life and death was strong, this place was just 'infinity' and a dark void. But when the universe's time finally came? Then it would be THIS that ended up existence in his realm and everything beyond it.

The Abyss.

A yawning black expanse of absolute nothingness and infinity beyond comprehension of anything but God Himself. A pool of His power and the essence of Creation and Destruction.

An inert goliath with only one use for Hell's denizens: To keep the most dangerous and dastardly from ever seeing the light again.

As Lucifer descended the ebony demonstone that guided him through the immaterial plane that was the Abyss, he couldn't help but shudder. Ancient behemoths from Hell, entities that could not be killed, likely remnants and mutations of God's first creations when He was young, an unfathomable time ago, populated many of the large and complex prisons built within the immaterium that made Hell's 'eight ring', even if no one were to call it that. Only the Sins' Legions, immortal in duty and bound in service were to know of the Abyss beyond those in power, and even if they were released there were safeguards so not even the most mischievous and conniving of them could talk.

A bit of a dastardly move, as this was conditioning and mind manipulation beyond what could be excused by many, but the Abyss held many dangers and world ending events that Lucifer didn't want exposed. However, among these monsters were also normal people, demons and Sinners alike, that had a glimpse of true power, of what lies beyond this reality, or that had managed to break the limits and, in doing so, their own minds.

Despite this, and how many of these monsters were to be forced behind a wall of immaterial forces and demonstone created to withstand anything BUT God's own power, there was one single light that Lucifer had always been drawn off since her fall here. The only reason why the Sin of Pride would ever visit, other than the need of his own strength to keep an impossible escape from escalating.

"Halt."

And even Lucifer needed to go through a check to make sure he could pass.

You'd think that an Imp of small stature, like the one clad in full ancient body armor, would be of no consequence to Lucifer. But this was one of his, a part of his Legion of Pride, the first to be formed after the angels fell from Heaven.

Horns encased in armor and painted red. Black armor with gold trimming. The many eyes painted with sigils and dark prayers so their vigil would be eternal. The halberd wielding Imp was on the smaller size for his kind, yet the legionary could likely outright kill almost any other demon, with the exception of another legionary and, of course, excluding proper angels. He looked like an ancient knight of old, with not even his glowing eyes visible behind the reinforced helmet that covered his visage, only a small hint of light coming from the eternal glow behind those orbs that all Imps had when low light conditions were at hand.

This particular Imp had an ancient, almost Roman, design to his armor. A mark of not only rank, but how old he was. Likely one of the original Imps after their species began crossbreeding with humans in earnest, generating the first, very lizard like, but still capable of thought and emotion beyond malice and pettiness, modern Imps. In fact, Lucifer knew this one.

"Caius."

"Caesar." The raspy, ancient voice of the immortal Imp spoke with his usual monotone and dutiful humm. It took the Imp a second and a glance to confirm Lucifer's identity. With the many magical means at his disposal, and experience granted to him by literal ages of practice, it was unsurprising. "It has been centuries, sire."

"Things have been problematic topside." Lucifer dusted himself. No one had been able to see it, but the magical effect of such scrutiny always made the fallen angel groan in discomfort. "I gather all has been calm since my last visit?"

"No news, oh Caesar." Caius bowed for a second before turning around and commanding all other Legionaries to part. The ancient Imp knew where to go as he walked besides his lord. "Here to visit her again?"

"Is there a need for me to crush another ancient being or uppity upstart?" Lucifer asked without much emotion, getting a negative shake of the head as a response. "Then there is little reason for me to be here, unless you finally want to leave my service."

"Never, your highness." The ancient legionary growled/hissed under his helmet. "I will only depart when an angel blade pierces my heart."

"Which may finally come, old soldier." Lucifer heard just the footsteps as they walked. Long corridors left and right, patrolled by legionaries, his os otherwise, made for little conversation as Caius clearly digested this message. "Has she been active?"

Quick on the draw, Caius answered his lord. "Only to eat, and perhaps once a week, if not once a month. Minimal response since your last visit, oh Caesar."

"I see…" Lucifer let out a sigh. So this was going to be as bad, if not worse, than he thought. Sadly, her cell was far too close for this trip to take any more time. So, with a quick glance at the two legionaries at the sides, Lucifer gave a command. "You two are relieved for the time being." And faster than many could think them capable, the two Imps in heavy demonic armor left the premises, allowing Lucifer to face Caius once more. "Guard this door. Don't come in no matter what is heard. I doubt anyone would try, but if so? Allow no one else to enter and only me to leave."

A quick fist to the breast of his armor had Caius standing ramrod straight. "It will be done, Caesar."

Without another word Lucifer crossed the threshold. The door was just there for show, mind you; only really powerful magic allowed for someone to cross. But the guards WEREN'T just for peace of mind, both for the Legion and the Sins. The only way out was right in front of the door itself, and the process, even for the most powerful creatures here, would drain them.

Now, if it was a visitor the one to cross to the other side? Then the drain would not be as powerful, but it would be there.

And so it was that Lucifer crossed from the darkness brought by demonstone into the cell of the second woman to ever exist: The enclosure of Eve, the mother of humanity.

It was a garden, believe it or not. The sounds of nature, the smell of fresh earth, growing grass and the humid mist from a young morning in spring assaulted Lucifer's senses. A peaceful scenario, slightly similar to the day they meet in Eden, all those years ago. A… a much happier day than today, that was for sure.

A day when they all came together.

Lucifer took a deep breath as he walked away from the wall. The demonstone, physically speaking, had this pocket dimension as nothing more than a simple closet. But once you were inside? This place was a massive forest, perhaps as big as an island in itself, if not a small country. But size hardly mattered when a simple thought could use much of this place's magic for a particular task. In this case? Skipping around, like jumping from place to place, until he found the 'mist'.

Created to protect both him and his wi- pardon, ex wife, the 'mist' was a clear barrier that formed around Eve. A barrier that, at one point, had been clear enough to just make it out that there was something there, but nothing else. It wasn't even that distant from Eve back in the day, perhaps a couple meters at most. This was done just because Eve's soul had been as powerful as was fitting of the first proper human woman in creation. Meaning that Eve could easily slap around Lucifer. Kill him? No, not even Lilith could back in the day. Perhaps she could hurt him, very badly, now, but kill him without help? That wasn't meant to happen.

Eve, however, could.

This wasn't so much a sign of Eve's powers as it was a show of how powerful her emotions were. Whereas Lilith was indeed incredibly driven, she was also in control of her feelings most of the time, thus she rarely lost it, like the day she finally decided to leave. The day she hit Lucifer in very real anger, disgust and disillusionment.

For her part, Eve had wanted a piece of them both for eons now.

As such what began as a small separation screen so they could talk ended up growing into a true barrier of mist, almost thick enough to cut with an angel blade, that allowed next to nothing to be seen. But why SEE when you could FEEL? Magic was incredible that way.

"Hello, Eve."

Yes, Eve was there, clearly. But she had made no sound. In fact this place had grown eerily quiet the moment Lucifer landed in front of the mist barrier. It was now as dead as the Abyss intended for this place to be.

And yet, despite the feelings behind the barrier, a voice finally came. "Lucifer… It has been some time."

"Two hundred years, yes." Lucifer didn't sound tired, sad, angry or, well, anything. This visit was, for all intents and purposes, just business. "To be perfectly honest? I didn't think I'd come back."

A chuckle came from within the mist. There was a barely concealed madness in there. "Did I leave a mark, my dear?"

"You did more than that and you know it." Lucifer grabbed his cane so hard that the ancient creation almost cracked. Considering it was strong enough tor ampage through Heaven without a scratch, you can understand the pressure that was forced uppon it. "I am surprised things didn't end just as you wanted them that day."

"As I wanted them?" Lucifer felt the need to take a step back. "Lucifer, my once love turned betrayer… I didn't want TO BE FUCKING ALONE!"

The distortion in Eve's voice lasted long enough, and shocked Lucifer to the point, for another shocker to catch the King of Hell by surprise.

"I died alone!"

Oversized claw like hands shot towards Lucifer. He had the briefest of moments to materialize the mist into a literal, solid cell through his control of Hell, stopping Eve's hands from ripping him apart mere inches before they made contact. Hopeless rage made those hands shake before they retracted, slowly turning into normal, human hands as fury could be felt emanating from the mist.

"My oh so loving husband died without ever caring about me! Why give a shit about the mother of your children when it was all her fault to be in the middle of a fucking wasteland? Why forgive MY indiscretion with YOU when all HE wanted was to create MORE and MORE and MORE!? To surpass YOU and show HE was the MAN of the hour!" Was there sadness or anger? Eve clearly couldn't make up her mind as emotions ran down her very soul, lashing at her own self just as much as she tried to flagellate Lucifer at the same time. "My children ignored me. Their own children hated me. Heaven couldn't give less of a shit! And you!" Eve's voice cracked as dark fluids crawled from the mist obscuring her body. "You and Lilith were sent down here and my idiot self thought she could 'fix' Adam, make him more than God and Heaven wanted him to be! You two said you loved me, that you trusted me, but all you did was leave me behind to suffer! In the end the only one left to rot was ME!"

The mist had remained in place, but Lucifer could see through it as Eve approached. Her once pristine, perfect skin had turned ashen. Her eyes red with magic charged blood, her pupils white with the power of the void and every Sin that belief had forced upon her soul. Her once brunette hair had turned black as coal, with the tips red as blood. Veins darkened by age and her stay in this prison were clear in view.

A woman that had once been perfect remained so in Lucifer's eyes. But her death, while it had left her original body intact, such as it was meant to be with the oldest mortal souls in Hell, had succumbed to her own hate and the magic within.

Eve had stopped being her own self long ago, with loathing, regret and an admission of guilt as the only things holding her together.

"Do you - think - that I wanted things this way, Lucifer?" Eve growled. Her teeth changed into fangs as she spoke, her mouth began to bleed. The light around them dimmed. Such was the strength of souls this old that even in the Abyss itself they could affect things around them. "I loved you, you piece of refuse. I loved Lilith. I hoped you would come for me. I hoped you'd fight to keep my sanity in check. I fought against my anger and hate for centuries, truly hoping you could *fix* how my soul was left after all of this. And the last thing you ever did was come tell me that you finally had a fucking daughter!?"

Eve pierced the mist with her hands again, the flesh melting away as the bone within, changed to barely look human, more like a natural weapon, inched closer to Lucifer. Her anger was clearly more than powerful enough for her to ignore pain and the likely end of her own soul if she ever managed to push past the mist.

"WHY ARE YOU BACK HERE!?" Eve's yell shook the whole Abyss. Even the other cells would feel the shockwave of power and emotions. The pain finally became enough to push her hands away "Wasn't I clear enough last time!?"

Lucifer had wanted to speak before now, but he found nothing when searching for his voice. The emptiness in his chest had been weighing him down for millenia, more so these past centuries. And as of less than ten years ago, it was just soul crushing.

But this was what he was meant to do, right? Suck up his own desires and pain and do his job. He was piss poor at it as an angel…

Lucifer would NOT do the same as a father.

"You were clear, Eve." Lucifer felt his voice crack, but he didn't falter. "And you are right. We should have done more. Lilith, me, my brothers and sisters… We all were reeling from the fight in Heaven. But was that reason enough to leave you to your fate? No, no it wasn't." He did feel his eyes watering, but a simple use of his magic washed the tears away. He wasn't willing to shed anymore, not in front of someone that no longer cared for him. It was his fault, of this he had no doubt, but he was done letting his mistakes break him down any longer. "I should have done more. We should have kept fighting. At least all of us should have visited to try and mend things with not only you, but with Adam. He may be a dick, but he was made as he is and he never saw a reason to change because, to him, it was his purpose. A purpose given to him by Father."

Lucifer took a deep breath, surprised that Eve kept her silence, glaring all the while. "But we didn't. None of us did. Hell was our new home. Angels and demons clashed regularly before a final 'peace' was set down. I was angry and vengeful, so closed minded in my hate. Yet I missed you, as did Lilith, as did everyone from Satan to Baphomet." Eve tsked, uncaring and angry. "It is true, Eve. But much as they, and many of my followers, wanted us to be there for you, just as many thought that doing so would invite Heaven to come for us again. And in the state we were? Those following Father would've killed all of us, or at least those close to the ringleaders."

"And is that enough of an excuse, Lucifer?" Eve grabbed at the mist as if it was nothing more than bars on her cell. "Do you think that'll ever be enough to bring me back?"

"No." Lucifer promptly answered. "But I am not here to bring you back."

Finally Eve felt herself stumble. "Come again?"

"You said it yourself, Eve: You made your intent clear." Again his voice cracked. He didn't want to, but it did. Lucifer recovered quickly but a pained gasp for air, short lived as it was, was clearly heard. "I failed you as I have failed so many others. Lilith and I, even my brothers and sisters. We all came to you. But after your first reaction to us? After your first attack? Placing you here was the only way to keep everyone, you included, safe."

"FUCK YOU!" Eve crashed against the miss in a rage. "You trapped me just as that old asshole of a Creator did! Where was MY choice, Lucifer? You left me none!"

"I left you plenty!" Lucifer crushed the earth beneath his shoe in a wild stomp that made Eve falter, eyes wide, as the shockwave threw her back. "I came to you, begged you, cried to you! Lilith all but groveled! We loved you, alive or dead, for as long as we had been together! Even after you lashed at her the first time. Even after you tore me asunder so many times during our visits. Even after you cut me in twain and almost killed me for real. I have loved you as much as I ever loved Lilith."

"Loved?" Eve chuckled, back from her previous shock, leaning against the solidified mist with a cruel grin on her face. "And where is that love of yours now, Lucifer? I see no wife or daughter at your side."

Lucifer bristled, but he felt it was undeserved. Eve had every right to hurt him as she did. "Lilith is gone."

Eve snorted. "She is not dead, Lucifer. I know as much. Try as she must, our souls are as connected as hers is to Adam."

"I never said she is dead, Eve." Lucifer grit his teeth, but he had to admit this to the one other person that mattered to him as much as Lilith once did. So, he took his golden band away from that now solitary finger. The motion made Eve's hate pause for a second. "She left… me."

Eve's whole world did a once over as she heard Lucifer admit it. "You must be kidding, Lucifer."

"She left us all, Eve." Lucifer's voice finally cracked. It came and went in pitch and tone. He had been bottling far too many things and even now he forced the worst away from this scene. "All of us. She hasn't even communicated with Charlie in the seven years she has been gone."

Just for a moment Eve looked sympathetic, but soon enough that sympathy evaporated. "The least you deserve, you fuck."

Lucifer had hoped against hope for it to go otherwise, but he also knew Eve was, at best, just partially in the wrong. He HAD worked himself into this position, so Lucifer did indeed deserve to lose as much as he did, perhaps more.

No. Screw that. He wasn't going to lose MORE. He wasn't going to allow others to pay for his mistakes.

"That is exactly why you are here, Eve. Because I lost it all. All, but my daughter." Lucifer took a step closer to Eve's limited space. Both the second woman and the Devil himself were little more than inches apart. "And I know you are itching to make me lose her too, among other things."

Eve's scowl grew in size. "I deserve to make you suffer, Lucifer."

"But you don't deserve to make my daughter suffer, Eve." Lucifer's own enimity clashed against Eve's own.

The woman had never seen the fallen anger as angry and clearly ready to fight her as he was now. In fact Lucifer, while more than ready to fight his wife in the many battles they had had through the eons, had never raised his voice, much less his hand, against Eve. Where Lucifer and Lilith had enjoyed married life, with all its ups and downs, Eve had never been embroiled in the many messes that would've allowed all of them to fight, physically or verbally, instead being cooped in here.

So this was the first time in the history of humanity that Lucifer, Lord of Hell, was ready to slap sense into her. The feeling of danger, distant as it was considering just how powerful Eve was in her own right, made the woman take a step back.

"You'd fight me, Lucifer?" But the step back did not mean she was backing away. "After all you have done to me?"

"Charlie has done nothing to YOU. *I* have. Yet you are willing to spill your anger on others in a petty attempt at getting to me?" Lucifer slammed a fist against the solidified mist, making the whole barrier ripple. Rusty as he was, it was obvious Lucifer would've been more than a match to Eve, and the second woman knew he was making it clear. "I have dreamed of the day you'd give us all a chance. I almost begged Father for you to come to your senses when Lilith and I came here with the good news. And what did you do? You almost killed me."

"That'd be the least you deserve, you swindler!" Eve returned to her previous post. Both ex lovers separated by magic and nothing else as hatred crossed paths. "You offered me all and instead took it away. And what did you give me after millennia of imprisonment? The oh so 'good news' that you had finally, FINALLY, mustered the ability to have a child. A FUCKING FAMILY! WITHOUT ME IN IT!"

"We wanted you to be part of it, you bitch!" Eve was shocked once more. This was the first time Lucifer lost it enough to insult her as he did. His eyes had none, but his magic had to dry tears constantly at this point. "You didn't hear us for a second, Eve! We were begging you for a chance. We wanted you to come join us. We had been trying for so many years, I had taken so many of your lashings out in hopes for it to satisfy you. And all you kept doing was embracing the void, the darkness of Hell, more and more. You stopped being the woman we knew a long time ago, yet we tried to welcome you back, no matter how much you changed."

Shock suppressed, Eve inched her face closer. "I would never come back to you, Lucifer. You burned every bridge you had crossed a long time ago." And the hate in Eve, momentarily gone, returned with as much force as it originally had. "You deserve nothing but suffering from me. I'll take ALL you ever had and make it mine - or - destroy it if I so please. That is the only thing that will satisfy me."

Lucifer felt what was left of his heart break once more. There had been little hope for this to end any other way, but he had some.

He had…

Now, he didn't.

So Lucifer hardened himself and brought the pieces back together. The only one that mattered now was Charlie, Charlie and her friends and the family she had found. No matter who Lucifer liked, or hated, he would fight for his daughter.

Even if it killed him a little more inside.

"I wish you felt differently after so long, Eve." Lucifer spoke in a low, sorrowful tone. "You know… I didn't come for you just out of fear. I had more reasons to let you live your life as a mortal."

The second woman snorted. "Oh yah? What reasons?"

"My soul broke." Lucifer admitted. And in doing so he made Eve's eyes widen more than ever.

He had never told Eve this. Why do it anyway? She clearly wouldn't have cared, and she probably didn't now. But Lucifer wasn't telling her this because of Eve, he was doing it for himself.

It was time to let her know all he gave up, all he lost.

"In the fight in Heaven a fragment of me was taken. Surviving that had been nothing more than random chance, just pure luck." Lucifer chuckled, but he wasn't sure if this was because he truly found it funny, because he was ever so slightly insane, or because it was either do this or cry. "I was weakened, weakened and angry. I could lash out, likely kill many angels of any kind, even perhaps another Archangel such as I. But in the long term? That loss meant I would never be able to defy Father again, take you and Adam to try and make amends, to help you, and survive. We would ALL have died."

"So you pussied out." Eve muttered with clear disgust. "You choose to back away and lick your wounds."

"I choose to live and allow everyone else the chance to do the same." Lucifer rebuked with an angry snarl. "If I, the strongest among our ranks, was but a shadow of my former self, then what could we do? At the very least I cared more than Father ever did. To Him we are nothing but an experiment."

Eve chuckled darkly at that. "You'll find no sympathy from me towards our dear Creator. But neither will you have any of that either."

Lucifer closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He placed an open palm against the mist. "You'd destroy all of Hell, perhaps even Earth, just to satisfy your grudge."

A laugh loud as thunder and booming as an explosion filled Eve's cell. "And I'd do it gladly, Lucifer! Revenge is one of the few things left to me at this point. That, and time."

"... Then enjoy all of eternity alone, Eve." Lucifer pushed away, and in doing so he injected the magic he had been preparing long before coming here. "Because there won't be any more visits, much less freedom for you."

Eve's eyes widened, first in confusion, then fear, finally anger. There was no visible change on the outside, but she could feel it: The whole cell had been changed. Whatever Lucifer had done ensured that any previous attempts and gains were now gone.

The second woman in creation had been sealed under a new gilded cage. Similar to the first, but much more insidious in its trappings.

"You fucking-!"

"Save it, Eve." Lucifer's tone, for once in his life when dealing with his second love, was as dry and cold as the desert at night. "I have grieved your loss long enough. I have allowed your desecrated corpse to assault me so many times that most of my scars come from your hands and yours alone. I have held hope, memories and sadness to the point that I have lost almost everything I ever loved."

Lucifer pushed away from the mist with a frown. "I will let you hold this over my head no longer, Eve. I am alone. I am a failure in almost every metric. But I will not allow you, Heaven, Father or ANYONE and ANYTHING to make me a bad father. I have done enough of a damn job at that. So now I am going to fix the damage I have done to my daughter's trust and love." He pressed a finger against the mist. Not even he could cross it now. "And you won't ever have a chance of hurting her, Eve. I refuse to give you the opportunity."

"You dare close this off, Lucifer?" Eve smashed her hands against the hardened wall. Even her full might and magic allowed just for the smallest breach that closed a mere moment afterwards. "You have the gall to throw me away again!?"

"I never threw you away, Eve. I let you live your life after all I did was mess it up. And once you landed here? I offered you everything, including my soul, in repayment." Lucifer's anger left so his sorrow could come back. "And you refused it. Every single time." He took a deep breath, looking at Eve one last time. "I cannot keep living in the past, Eve. I cannot keep hurting myself and others. So this? This is goodbye."

"Lucifer-!"

But this time Lucifer wasn't there to hear Eve's words. As soon as he said his goodbyes? That was it. He blinked away from this place, pushed out of the cell and had a brisk walk away from this prison and from the Abyss.

Lucifer was done with his mistakes occupying his heart and his mind.

His mistakes weren't done with him, though.

Eve growled and lashed at the mist. She could move it around, or even dismiss it, now that Lucifer was gone. Her movement in her own cell was no longer restrained and the animals and other creatures, even the plants, that made this cell their home finally came out to watch the enraged second woman in creation do her thing.

Eve had always had a plan in case Lucifer did this. She always knew that, to root her in place as he had done, to hope against hope that she would not break out, he would need to come here.

And he'd need to touch HER magic with HIS.

So Eve clawed at the wall. Eve lashed at it with rage unleashed and empowered. Eve felt her soul and her physical form melt, the damage never permanent but powerful enough to make any younger mortal and immortal alike relent.

Until she tore a piece.

A piece of flowing mist. A piece of Lucifer's condensed magic, almost close enough to his soul. A piece of his being without being him. A fragment that Eve quickly crushed in her hand, absorbing it through her magic and skin alike. She allowed the pain of the merger, of the burning of her soul as angel and demon alike damaged her core one last time.

It was enough.

With a grunt and a scream Eve had enough time to break these hardened walls with a single punch. It would not take long for them to regenerate and for Eve to be forced back inside once more. But now it was a game of waiting, because Eve, just like Lucifer, knew how to play the long term. The only difference? This close to the Abyss Eve needed a few seconds, nowhere near the amount of time Lucifer had to spend on his own ritual, to make her plan a reality.

So when the mist closed down, severing her arm and causing untold amounts of pain, Eve could only laugh. Her severed arm melted into smoke and ash while a new one began to form. The sacrifice of flesh, blood and magic would push her back some time, but she had gained just so much more.

Watch out, Lucifer. You aren't the only one that could fuck with creation and emerge victorious. History could be manipulated by many others. And Eve? She was one of the few among those willing to risk oblivion in exchange for what this could bring.

* Notes *

I had Lucifer and Eve's scene partially planned from BEFORE the day I started this story. So at this point that scene has been in the backburner for almost *EIGHT* fucking months. Glad to finally air it out and let everyone see just how messed up I thought Eve would end after this fucking mess, at least in this universe.

Now, what to expect when it comes to the next chapter? Many things, but I'll tell you just one: A very important set of people are going to make their debut. They will show here and there, but their role is far more important than you may think. So have that eating at your mind when the next chapter rolls around.

And no: I won't tell you shizzle about the other scenes within. I said 'one' and it stays at 'one'.

Beyond that? See you guys next month. Tomorrow (unless something happens) I should upload a new chapter for Ouroboros with a new drawing from me sista for a new character \o3o/.