“Yes, I’ve heard those rumors, too. In fact, that’s why I was away when they brought you back. I was actually meeting with Cross about this very matter.”
“But that means someone knew Lucifer was in Hell and that he was being transported by Beelzebub’s people,” said Mara.
“A potential traitor in Beelzebub’s kingdom,” said Lilith. “But why were you going to Cocytus in the first place?”
Mara sighed. “There’s something you need to know about that…”
16
Raum’s followers had dragged Lucifer to a small chamber within the cavern. It was far smaller than the ones Lucifer had seen up until now and there was nothing really in the room other than some shackles hanging from the wall. They affixed the manacles around his wrists and ankles and then left him hanging limply, his body still weak from the beating he’d experienced and pain continuing to lance throughout his body.
Raum entered the room once they left and closed the entrance behind him. It was just the two of them now. He approached Lucifer and grabbed his chin, holding his head up so Lucifer was forced to look at the demon.
“It’s sad, really. To see how the light has gone out of your eyes. To see how far you’ve fallen from the leader we all expected you to be,” said Raum. “And now, what are you? A rebel who forgot his cause? A king who gave up his throne? A celestial who’s weaker than a kitten? Such an absolute waste.”
Lucifer began to chuckle.
“Something funny?” asked Raum with a tilt of his head.
“Ever hear of Gehenna?” asked Lucifer.
Raum nodded. “Heaven’s prison. What about it?”
“Before the war began, the Divine Choir attempted to imprison me there. The tortures I experienced were unlike anything you’ve ever imagined. After all, where do you think the first demons learned the art of torture from? So if you think you can put me through any kind of suffering, just know this, boy—pain and I are old friends. There’s nothing you can do that I haven’t seen before.”
Raum studied Lucifer’s face for a few moments and then began to snicker himself. He patted Lucifer’s cheek.
“Oh, my friend,” said Raum before he gestured around the room. “Look at this place, what do you see?”
“Nothing,” said Lucifer. “Nothing other than a pathetic demon with delusions of grandeur.”
“That’s right, you see nothing,” said Raum. “No knives, no whips, no electrodes to be hooked up to genitals…none of that. No torture devices of any kind.”
“I assume you’ll be approaching something resembling a point soon?” asked Lucifer.
“I’ve never really been a fan of physical torture,” said Raum. “At some point, the body eventually shuts down. The pain just becomes like white noise. You adapt to it, you become used to it. And what fun is there in torturing someone who can no longer react?”
Raum leaned against the wall beside Lucifer.
“No, I’m not interested in that sort of torture. What I prefer is to torture you with your own mind. Because it’s true what they say—the greatest enemy we ever face is ourselves. So let’s have a look at what’s inside your head, shall we?”
“Do your worst, you little pissant,” said Lucifer. “But just know that when I get my powers back, filleting your soul will be the first thing I do.”
“I’m quaking.”
Raum placed his hand on Lucifer’s head, his fingers spread out over the Morningstar’s scalp and digging into his hair. Lucifer felt the pressure on his head, like Raum’s fingers were trying to burrow into his skull. But the sensation changed. It was as if white-hot needles were drilling into his brain. He opened his mouth in a silent scream and then his vision faded.
Everything turned white for Lucifer and slowly, his vision came back into focus. He was in a room constructed completely out of crystal, with an open balcony attached and perfect blue skies beyond that. As he looked around the room, his memory was triggered.
“Isn’t this cozy?”
Lucifer spun and saw Raum standing behind him, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. Raum stood upright and looked around the room, nodding appreciatively.
“So, this is what the homes are like in Heaven. Very impressive,” he said.
“What is this?” asked Lucifer.
“Isn’t it obvious? This is your memory,” said Raum. “We’re inside your head right now, rooting around.”
Lucifer heard a rustling sound coming from behind. When he faced the direction, he was surprised to see a large bed with white sheets. And a figure beneath those sheets, stirring awake. A man rose from the bed and stretched out his arms and yawned as large, feathered wings emerged from his back and reached their entire span. He moved past Lucifer and Raum and stepped out onto the balcony, then leaned against the railing and looked out over the Elysium skyline.
“That’s me,” said Lucifer.
“Back in your more innocent days, I’d wager. But I’m curious why this specific day is the one that we’re seeing.”
Another sound came from the bed. Lucifer and Raum looked at it again and they both realized that there was still someone lying under the sheets. The memory of Lucifer came back into the room and looked at the dark-haired woman that awoke in his bed.
“Anael…” whispered Lucifer as he watched the memory of the angel with a soft smile on her lips. A smile he hadn’t seen since that day.
Raum gave a wolf-whistle. “Normally I’m not one for angels. But I’d definitely make an exception for her.”
Lucifer ignored Raum’s comment and watched the memory of his interaction with Anael. He moved closer to them and reached a hand out. But his fingers just passed right through her.
“Sorry, no can do,” said Raum. “Think of this like a fully immersive movie. You can look, but you can’t touch.”
Lucifer’s fingers tightened into a fist and he rushed at Raum. He raised his arm and threw it forward. But all he succeeded in doing was going right through Raum.
Raum laughed. “You can’t touch me, either. These are just projections of our consciousnesses.”
“There’s no point to this,” said Lucifer. “This is all in the past.”
“And yet, you seem to be pretty taken with your memory of Anael,” said Raum.
Lucifer didn’t want to give Raum any further gratification, even though it was clear that he was right. Perhaps Lucifer himself wasn’t really aware of how much Anael had meant to him—how much he still longed for her.
“Every time Michael asks you for something, you jump. One would think the angel you never refuse would be the one you’re sleeping with,” said the memory of Anael.
“Ouch,” said Raum. “In retrospect, that probably stings, doesn’t it?”
Lucifer didn’t respond to the goading, but he was feeling the same thing. He’d spent so much time trying to make Michael proud. And though Anael always understood, Lucifer now realized what a waste it was. If he could have that time back, he would have certainly made more memories with her.
The memory continued and Lucifer watched as he left Anael behind. And once he did, she started to fade, as did the entire room until he and Raum were floating in a void.
“Guess that’s the end of that memory,” said Raum.
“This is a waste of time, Raum. I know all too well what happened between Anael and myself, and I know the mistakes I’ve made.”
“Do you? Well, let’s test that theory.”
The void quickly filled with a blinding light, which vanished as quickly as it appeared. Once it faded, Lucifer and Raum stood in a vast expanse filled with clouds, tinted with a calming light. There was a gathering just ahead of them, with the young Lucifer and Michael bowing on their knees. Surrounding the pair were celestial beings dressed in robes, each possessing six wings in total. Their eyes emitted light so powerful, it obscured the details of their faces.
“So this is the Divine Choir,” said Raum. “The seraphim you once worshipped.”
“I ne
ver worshipped the Choir, I worshipped what I had thought they represented,” said Lucifer.
“And what exactly was that?” asked Raum.
A sinking feeling overtook the Morningstar. At first, he thought Raum’s attempts to torture him with his own memories would just be a waste of time. He’d had eons to reflect on those memories during his time in solitude.
But a new sense of dread was rising to the surface. If Raum was going to scrape through Lucifer’s memories leading up to The Fall, then he would uncover the reason why Lucifer chose to rebel in the first place. And that was something Lucifer had kept secret because he feared the ramifications of what might happen.
Those fears still existed in him today. Should someone like Raum learn the truth behind the great lie, it could lead to utterly disastrous consequences.
“Raum,” said Lucifer. “You don’t want to do this.”
Raum just chuckled. “You’re not talking your way out of this one, Lucifer.”
“This is bigger than just you and me,” said Lucifer. “If you continue to traipse through my memories, you will learn things that can’t be unlearned.”
Raum narrowed one eye while the other opened wide. “You’re not making any sense right now.”
“You have to just trust me on this.”
Now the demon laughed. “Trust you? You locked me up in an ice prison! I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t sleep! The only thing I could do was reflect on how much I hated you and your absolute fucking hypocrisy. And now you ask me to trust you?”
Raum’s anger became palpable, his eyes burning with righteous indignation. And Lucifer thought this might actually work out better than he hoped. If Raum wanted to unleash his anger, then he might forget all about his plan to torture Lucifer through memory. And then he wouldn’t learn what really happened.
“Yes, I did imprison you,” said Lucifer. “Because you were a threat to the tenuous balance that had been established in Hell. But more than that, you were a nuisance I had to get rid of so I could get what I want. I locked you up in Cocytus because it was convenient for me.”
Raum’s anger grew as he bared his teeth. Lucifer’s memory flickered around them, like a television signal that was being interrupted. His plan was working, Raum was about to let his anger take hold and give up.
“You’re nothing, Raum. Just an insignificant little speck who thought he could rise above his meager station. You weren’t worth a second thought. Not then and certainly not now.”
The anger began to fade from Raum’s face, replaced with a pondering expression.
“Wait,” he said. His muscles relaxed and his features reflected an understanding that had come over him. “I see it now. What you’re trying to do.”
“Now you’re the one who’s not making any sense,” said Lucifer.
“Sure I am.” Raum turned and gestured to the memory, which was now coming back into focus. “You’re goading me into assaulting you. Because there’s something in these memories you don’t want me to see.”
“You’re insane,” said Lucifer. “There’s nothing in these memories that everyone in Hell doesn’t already know. You’ve heard the stories of The Fall.”
“The stories, yes. But there are at least three sides to every story—your side, their side, and then there’s what actually happened.”
Raum gave a knowing snicker.
“Ever since I was sentenced to Hell, I’d always wondered just what it was that led you to rebel in the first place. How did you, the most beloved of all the angels, the golden child, turn into the ultimate rebel? What made some angelic scholar decide to ignite a war of revolution?
“It’s a secret you’ve kept all this time, isn’t it? And now here we are and you’re still trying to keep it. You’re still doing the Divine Choir’s dirty work, aren’t you?”
“I gave up any sympathy I had for the Divine Choir when I gave mankind free will.”
“I don’t think you did. Because for all your talk of free will and revolution, at the end of the day, you’re still just an angel. A self-loathing one, maybe, but an angel nonetheless. That’s why you never lost your wings like the rest of The Fallen. They rebelled in their hearts, but you never did.”
Those words cut Lucifer to the bone. He had always prided himself on his independence and how he was willing to do what no other being in history had ever done—to stand against oppression and fight for freedom.
But it was all a lie. A lie that was about to truly stand bare and face the light for the first time. And all Lucifer could do was watch as it all fell apart in front of him.
17
Mara wasn’t sure what kind of reaction she had expected when she told Lilith about Cocytus, but she thought there would have at least been some reaction. However, when Mara told her mistress that Lucifer’s abdication had also given the opportunity for many of Cocytus’s prisoners to escape, Lilith said nothing. One would be forgiven for thinking Lilith hadn’t even heard Mara’s words. Not even her expression shifted. Instead, Lilith simply said it was time for them to visit the current King of Hell.
Despite the title, it was mostly just an honorific. The Hell Lords who ruled over each domain had pretty much no restrictions placed on how they conducted their affairs. So long as the Hell Lords stayed within their borders—as most were fine to do—the King of Hell was more or less a figurehead.
The carriage carried them across the Badlands from Lilith’s domain to the center of Hell. Behind the walls of this land was a single tall tower where the King of Hell was the sole resident. It was the most sparsely populated of all the domains—less people were here than even in the Badlands.
The carriage pulled up to the front of the building and the driver opened the door for the passengers. Lilith disembarked first and just marched towards the entrance without waiting for Mara. The doors opened for them without aid and Lilith walked purposefully inside the tower and to the elevator. Mara caught up with her and once the elevator doors closed, they were alone once again.
“You haven’t said anything since I told you,” said Mara.
“There’s nothing for me to say,” said Lilith.
“Mistress—”
“You were on Earth as my representative,” said Lilith. “Your job was to inform me of crucial developments. And yet you thought the walls of the prison housing the worst Hell has to offer cracking open wasn’t notable.”
“It’s not that simple. The Morningstar said—”
Lilith pushed a button on the console and the elevator came to a sudden stop. She shoved Mara against the wall, her hands around the demon’s throat. Lilith lifted Mara just off the floor, her yellow eyes burning with intensity.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s me you work for, not the Morningstar, isn’t that true?”
Mara put up some struggle, then nodded in agreement.
“That means your loyalty to me should trump whatever affection you have for him,” said Lilith. “But instead, you chose to prioritize his desires over your responsibilities as my representative.”
“I-I’m sorry…” said Mara.
Lilith released her servant and Mara collapsed on the floor, coughing. She turned back to the console and pushed the button to reactivate the elevator.
“Get off your ass,” said Lilith. “We’ll address your insubordination after we clean up Lucifer’s mess.”
Mara stood, still rubbing her sore neck. She stayed against the wall, as far from Lilith as the limited space of the elevator would allow. Mara could have never envisioned a situation in which her fealty towards Lucifer and her responsibility to Lilith would come into conflict. Even at the time when she kept quiet about all this, she felt it was the right thing to do.
The elevator reached its destination and the doors opened. The room was filled with a haze of smoke and the scent of burning tobacco was evident as they entered. They moved through the top floor of the tower, until they found the King of Hell himself sitting in a chair, paging through a lar
ge, leather-bound book. He closed it and set it down on the floor beside him, then reached for a glass of scotch on a side table, right next to an ashtray with a burning cigarette resting on its edge.
If Mara hadn’t known who the king was, she would not have recognized him. Dense hair now covered the formally bald head and the goatee had grown into a full beard. He sipped the scotch as he watched the two of them with glowing, crimson eyes.
Luther Cross rose from his chair and moved towards the pair. Mara noted that he wasn’t dressed as stylishly as he used to be. Instead, she was more than a little surprised to see that he wore plaid pajama pants and a simple black t-shirt. He then surprised Mara by throwing his arms around her and giving her a big bear hug.
Mara’s eyes bulged in surprise. Her and Cross had come to an understanding of sorts when she worked with him on Earth, but they were by no means long-lost friends. His reaction was more than a little surprising for her.
“This is a nice surprise,” he said, patting her on the back and holding her tight as he swayed slightly from side to side.
“Y-yeah, it’s…good to see you, too, Luther…”
Mara gave Lilith a look that begged for some assistance. Lilith let it ride out a little bit longer, no doubt because of her anger at her servant. After a few moments, Lilith finally placed a hand on Cross’s shoulder.
“Luther, we’re here for an important reason,” she said.
Cross finally let Mara go free. He then gave Lilith a similar hug, but Lilith broke it fairly quickly.
“It’s so good to see you both together again,” he said. “Mara, you’re lookin’ great! How are things going up at Lust? How’s Chicago? Y’know, I could really go for some Lou Malnati’s right about now…”
“Luther, please. We really need to talk to you about something very important,” said Lilith. “It’s about the Morningstar.”
Cross’s eyes seemed to darken when he heard that title. “Lucifer…” He turned back to the chair and picked up his drink and cigarette. “Let’s go in the next room and you can tell me all about it.”
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