4. Lucien

Lucien

Freedom was naught but an illusion, threatening to destroy Lucien. Allowing himself to become indignant and angry was the only way to survive their separation. He would wallow in darkness and become adrift in solitude. Sadie wasn't wrong to punish him by sending him away. He'd made false promises and dragged her to hell. So much damage was caused in the name of love, as was his nature. But Lucien wouldn't quietly disappear.

Lucifer was a nuclear weapon waiting to detonate in the cradle of civilization. He was his father's son, after all. Mayhem and devastation repeated themselves many times over as he searched for Constance, Cain, and his son.

Channeling his oldest brother's influence, he sparked many wars. Brothers bore arms against each other, and he whispered in their ears, encouraging them to pull the trigger. Remaining on the sidelines wasn't enough for the son of Satan. He craved blood, he needed to claim souls. In doing so, his demonic side had been set loose.

Unchained, the creature was unstoppable. He'd brought death to thousands as he decimated homes and crops. He tore throats out with his teeth and smiled as blood rolled down his chin. Sadie thought he could be good, but she was wrong.

As a child, heavenly beings who understood his true nature cast him out. Did they stop to think what if they embraced him instead? He'd grieved the loss of his mother until it was beaten out of him.

Self-pity is weakness. Sadie is a weakness. My child is a weakness.

Weakness would be his downfall if he didn't snuff it out once and for all. Damnation was his for falling for a mortal. She spat his gift back in his face by asking him to leave. He'd confessed his sins, and now, it was time to perform his penance.

Sadie's soul had reached out across countless voids of time and space to find him in Hell. No matter how infinitesimal the moment, their connection would never break. Their hearts beating in tandem was insignificant to the piece of his soul that burned within her.

How cruel was fate that it continued to pull the only ones he'd ever loved away? Lucien held Sadie in his arms, thankful she was alive. She'd survived the trials of hell and returned. His demon celebrated by taking its due.

This was all his fault. The son of Satan wasn't omnipotent as he bowed to the mortal maiden who destroyed him. If he lost her again, the consequences would be cataclysmic.

It would never stop for her. Hell wouldn't stand for souls escaping such as Sadie had. Freedom is an illusion . He had to break the cycle.

He was about to enter his father's hall and make a deal with Satan himself.

Satan's castle was erected from brimstone and obsidian on top of an active volcano. Its twisted spires resembled tortured souls screaming in agony. Lava spewed into the lake, fueled by his eldest brother's rage, flowing like blood through veins, pulsing and threatening to destroy anything caught in its path. Immortal beings couldn't die, they merely transformed.

Abaddon's fury continued to erupt in the mortal world. The ground itself trembled beneath their feet through natural disasters. In Hell, his power bolstered his father's very throne.

His sister, Laleh, blossomed every year. Her beauty remained unsurpassed by nature as fields of vibrant flowers bloomed. She was the only demon ever known to have a truly selfless nature.

Abel's heart was gentle like his sister Laleh, but instead of loving him, Satan shunned him and Cain. They grew up in the mortal realm with their mother, Eve, and their step-father, Adam. Cain's dark nature couldn't be curbed even though he was raised as a human. When he slayed his brother, his demonic self was baptized through blood. Abel's body was given a funeral and laid to rest in a cavernous tomb.

It was said he ascended to Heaven to live among pure beings and angels. Though there was no God, Heaven had a ruler as Hell did.

Angels were seen as paragons of good, but they weren't as benevolent as their reputations. Yes, demons sowed discord, but they also committed evil acts for the greater good. Angels snubbed them, yet they rarely left their realm to help humans.

Sadie was destined for life among the immortals. She still didn't understand her place in the world. Their meeting was no mere coincidence that fateful day on the lane.

The oracle had foreseen the young maiden who was meant to bear Lucifer's heir. The woman spoke in riddles and her words were vastly left to interpretation. She was neither good nor evil, but an impartial being older than any immortal in any realm.

As his mentor, she was one of the only beings in existence he respected and feared. She had been the one to hide Sadie's soul among the mortals, waiting for him.

Lucifer walked the crystalline corridors of the castle to his father's throne room. The last time he'd been held in the walls, he'd witnessed his brother and father fucking a succubus disguised as Sadie. The mere thought made his nostrils flare. He wanted to cut Satan's head off and stuff with entrails with horse shit and hot coals.

Though Cain was older, Lucifer was the chosen heir. Strength recognized strength, and as he grew stronger, his father weakened. There would come a day when he would challenge his father, and they would fight to the death. He would begin his reign by anointing himself with his father's blood.

Before the throne belonged to his father, it belonged to his grandfather, and great-grandfather before him. Prior to becoming a hereditary title, wars were waged over the throne. If Satan couldn't defend himself, he was beheaded. His body was thrown into the fiery pits and his head was placed on a pike at the castle gates. To this day, tortured demons were impaled as punishment. Higher demons drained their energy, leaving them hallowed shells for no less than a thousand years.

When his great-grandfather came into power, he had the vision to organize the demons according to rank. The hierarchy of Demons formed a group that became known as The Society. Representatives from each circle were hand-picked by Satan himself. Their seats were assigned and they became advisors to the throne. Sitting menial tasks quickly bored them.

Being the devils that they were, they devised a solution and created the games. They each chose a mortal to champion them and placed them in an orchestrated arena to face off. The demons placed bets and watched with eager anticipation as humans slaughtered humans, until only one remained.

A ball was thrown to celebrate the victor. The honoree was granted a place beside their demon as a consort. Over time, the games evolved to something more sinister, and Sadie was caught in their web.

They spun her time in hell and changed her down to the last fiber of her being. Even now, her blood pulsed through his veins bringing him comfort as he steeled himself to face his father.

Satan sat in his brilliant, plated armor, sipping from a metallic goblet. His blackened horns were the crown that sat atop his now silver hair. The demon had visibly grown older as his strength slowly waned. His wrinkles deepened as he furrowed his brow.

Lucifer stretched his wings gracefully. Each dark feather fluttered with purpose. His display was the equivalent of a peacock intimidating a predator. Satan might've aged, but underestimating his strength would've spelled death.

"Hello, Father," Lucifer said with a bow.

"Welcome home, Prince of Hell."

Not being greeted as son was no surprise to Lucifer. His father was not the paternal type as most demons who sired offspring, due to their narcissism. Demons usually stopped after siring a single child. Lesser demons typically had more than one child because they were more careless.

Children were a necessary evil, Satan had explained occasionally. It was expected of him to sire heirs to the throne. Lucifer didn't care how many children Sadie could give him. His focus was on playing the role necessary to get his child back.

Once his family was safe, he had every intention of challenging Satan for the throne. 500 years ago, he was a child, now he was a man. Lucifer was ready to embrace his fate.

"Take back your invitation. Sadie isn't your toy."

Satan chuckled as his eyes darkened. "No one has escaped Hell before. We can't allow mortals who know our secrets to survive."

"Your efforts would be better spent tracking down the future heir to the throne."

Satan scowled and banged his fist on the armrest. "You act as if this throne serves you. Your offspring are your responsibility. Nature takes its course with the weak. Only the strong survive."

"My son isn't weak!" Lucifer shouted.

"You are weak, Lucifer. Your emotions control you. When you challenge me, I will cut you down by threatening the ones you love ."

"I never understood how you could love my mother and hate me in the same vein."

"I do not love your mother, I revered her. She made her choice and left a sniveling boy in my lap. Love takes many forms Lucifer. You didn't need me to hug you and hold your hand."

His father's words were a blow. Satan had loved each of his children in the only way he knew how. His daughter was the apple of his eye and she was torn to pieces by men. The pride he laid at his eldest son's feet was destroyed. He'd lost child after child, it's no wonder he became hardened.

Lilith, Lucifer's mother, betrayed Satan's affections. While he didn't show his son love, he did everything he could to care for him. He taught Lucifer to be strong and not rely on anyone but himself. In a strange way, wasn't that love?

His anger deflated, but he wouldn't let his guard down.

"I love Sadie and our child, and I will take care of them. They won't see me as a demon like you. The throne will be mine, but I won't rule it alone. A piece of my soul now lives within Sadie."

"So be it," Satan said. "You misjudge my intentions once more. Your hubris will be your downfall."

"You're wrong father. It will be yours."

Father and son stared at one another for a long time. Unblinking. Unfaltering. Both remained rooted in their respective spots; father on his throne, and Lucifer at the foot of the dais.

Lucifer didn't know how he would beat his father. He didn't have an army at his back. Hell, he didn't have a single fucking person at his side—not even Sadie.

Yet, as he looked into the elder demon's dark eyes, he felt his power wane just that much more. When the time came, he wouldn't need anyone. The throne would be won as son slaughtered father, alone .