5. Lucifer

Lucifer

Being adrift in a torrent of emotions paralyzed Lucien. He returned to Hell to see his father.

Satan's castle rose in the heart of a desolate landscape, atop an active volcano, seeming to taunt the very force of nature, daring it to erupt. Long, dark spires twisted and reached toward the heavens, reminiscent of a demon's horns. These spires were not mere architectural embellishments but a manifestation of the malevolence that dwelt within the castle.

The walls, forged from obsidian, stood as an impenetrable barrier, reflecting the fiery glow of the lava. The obsidian's smooth, jet-black surface held seeds of evil within its walls.

The castle was a place where darkness thrived, and hope withered away. Lucifer was home for the first time in centuries.

Though he had wings, Lucifer climbed the steps leading to the castle. His heart no longer beat, but if it did, it would tap out a fierce rhythm as though he were about to face impending doom .

"Welcome home, young master." The underworld creature bowed to him as he entered.

Aside from demons and tortured souls, there were many castes of creatures and other beings in Hell.

His father's advisors possessed serpentine bodies that slithered with eerie grace, while their humanoid features made them ghastly.

They possessed a deep-seated knowledge of the arcane secrets and intricacies of Hell. They understood the dark mysteries of the underworld and how to harness the dark powers.

They had taught Lucifer how to disguise himself in human form and how to call upon his demonic self as needed. They taught him how to harness his powers over the element of fire, which connected him to the magma of his home.

The loyalty of these creatures was unwavering as they carried out their tasks with a sense of devotion that bordered on fanaticism. From time to time, one of the creatures would escape the bowels of Hell and appear among the mortals. They sowed discord like any minion of Hell, except they drew mortals into satanic worship.

In doing this, they were quickly caught by demons who recognized their brutish nature and lack of subtlety. They swiftly dispatched the lower creatures and sent them to oblivion, a void where everything ceased to exist.

Creatures were indispensable assets and used as pawns in grander schemes to seize power and influence.

"I'm here to see, Satan," Lucifer said.

"Of course, Your Highness," it hissed.

Lucifer's wings folded against his back, their gray feathers remaining dull in the dim light of the corridor. His footsteps were silent as he walked with regal grace against the floor.

The air was heavy with anticipation as they neared the throne room. His mood dampened with animosity like a storm gathering strength.

Satan's aura encompassed the entirety of the castle, making every being within its walls hyper-aware of the subtlest shift in his mood. Lucifer's senses were on alert.

He paused and took a deep breath before the grand doors. A confrontation between father and son was inevitable.

"It is time for you to sire an heir, Lucifer."

Lucifer had been summoned to Satan's throne. The air crackled with electricity as father and son stared at one another. There were no similarities in their human forms as it was the demonic form that father passed to son.

The only feature they had in common was the darkened eyes that all demons possessed. They burned with an otherworldly intensity as they came face-to-face. Lucifer's eyes blazed with a mixture of defiance and pride, reflecting the inner turmoil that consumed him.

"No," he said firmly.

Satan's armor clanged as he stood. The man was dressed in heavy metal to protect his body at all times. It had been a millennium since the last insurgence rose and culminated in an attempt at his life, but he refused to give a lesser demon the chance to strike him down again.

The demon's presence commanded respect and fear in equal measure, his very essence embodying unyielding darkness. There was no room for sentimentality or compassion in him. The angelic side of Lucifer was treated as a defect.

His father often attempted to beat the good out of his son. Lucifer had been left with many broken bones; sometimes he would be knocked unconscious for days. He had been thrown into the mouth of the volcano and swallowed by magma.

Though the flesh melted from his bones in an instant, the excruciating agony lingered. He was reduced to nothingness and resurrected only to face the same fate repeatedly. This torment went on until he learned to stop screaming from the torment of regeneration and threw himself voluntarily into the angry abyss.

The smell of sulfur was imbued within his skin. The demons cheered at the destruction of the good in him. Not only did they watch as his wings burned in the lava, but they would pluck the feathers out of him the moment they grew back.

Lucifer was full of hatred when he stared at his father in defiance. His rebellious spirit refused to bow in Satan's formidable presence. He didn't give a shit about his father's demands. He would sire no heir.

"Let my brother do it."

Cain was shrouded in darkness and tormented by his jealousy long before Lucifer was born. He killed his twin brother, Abel, due to the festering, deep-seated envy that blackened his soul. It was after this that Cain was welcomed into Hell as Satan's son .

The wretchedness of Cain's bitter resentment continued to grow. When Lucifer was sent to his father's side in Hell, the brothers became rivals. The torture and torment that Lucifer endured at the hands of demonic forces were a testament to the depths of his brother's hatred.

Satan encouraged this rivalry between his sons. He nurtured the festering wounds left behind until he sent them to the surface world of mortals. Cain was a true harbinger, harvesting multitudes of souls for his father, while Lucifer spent his time in solitude.

Yes, Lucifer indulged in pleasures of the flesh, plucking an errant soul occasionally, but he didn't relish in it like his brother. Lucifer searched for meaning in his bleak existence.

The profound question that echoed through his heart remained with him: Did the absence of love between father and sons truly matter? Why was he desperate to find meaning and validation in a world without affection?

Cain's story should serve as a cautionary tale regarding the power of jealousy and the lengths one might go in pursuit of recognition. His black heart was far better suited to ruling those in Hell, not Lucifer.

"It is not for you to defy my will. The oracle has seen your future. Your son will bring demons out of the shadows and usher in a new era for Hell."

Lucifer had never entertained the notion of siring a child before. Demon males lay with innocent maidens and poisoned their wombs with their seed. In most cases, the mothers didn't survive birth as the tiny demons clawed their way out of the birth canal .

In Lucifer's case, since he was part angel, only a specific type of soul could bear his heir. She had to be pure of heart, soul, and body. His child would be born part demon, but mostly pure and innocent.

For the first time in a long time, Lucifer thought of the angelic part of himself. His mother had been one of those pure souls and ascended to gain her wings. Would the woman he sired a child with do the same?

It was a path Lucifer never envisioned. Yet when he imagined a tiny child in his arms, he couldn't help but feel a foreign surge of emotion. He had never known love or tenderness, but he was willing to offer it. He was willing to protect and nurture his child even though he had no idea what it took to guide an innocent soul through the corrupt world.