Divine Intervention - Chapter 4 - Derpmaster9000 (2024)

Chapter Text

Back in Hell… Pride Ring…

Charlie Morningstar would be the first to admit, she might’ve had a bit of a sheltered upbringing.

Much of her time in her youth had been spent in private tutoring lessons from those her parents hired, or spending time with said parents, either within their family home, or wherever in Hell they chose to take her.

Even as she’d reached adulthood, most of what she knew came directly from her parents, in one way or another, who raised her as best they could. Or, as best as they knew how to, anyway.

It hadn’t always been great, and she’d certainly bore witness to more than a few arguments between her mom and dad, well before their divorce and separation, however, Charlie had always liked to think she had a good grasp on who her parents were. After all, she’d had that book, the ‘Story of Hell’ to explain their origins. How they came to be together, and ultimately, the injustice brought upon her father, for being a dreamer, and her mother, both for her fierce independence, in refusing to be subservient to Adam, and leaving him, when he attempted to control her, and then for aiding her dad in showing Eve the truth. Giving her the apple, which granted Free Will to all of humanity.

Within the back of her mind though, something had always tickled at the princess of Hell, since she’d grown up and repeated her reading of the storybook. Something she’d never spoken to anybody about, bar one exception, as she felt she was just being silly.

A part of her, for reasons she’d never been able to decipher, couldn’t help but believe that there was something missing when it came to the story. Or, well, more than something, actually. A bunch of things, really, as reading it over enough, she couldn’t help but get the sense that there was not only gaps between each event in the book she was given, as a child, but also that there was something off about one of the details presented.

That last bit she’d gotten a hint of from her mom, when she was little. Every time it had been her mother that was retelling the story to her, Charlie had seen her estranged parent frown in displeasure at the detail of her and Adam being created by the angels. Not the bit about them being made to be equals, or Adam demanding control, the latter getting a different, complicated look from her, but specifically, the bit about the angels being their creators.

At first, Charlie had chalked that up to her mother simply disliking the angels who’d made her, but the more time she spent around her mother, as mysterious as she could be, at times, Charlie had come to find out that her mom always used that very same expression, whenever she was being lied to, about something. Her mom had even said so, herself, when she’d asked.

In retrospect, she should’ve been bold enough to ask her mother about it, when she could, but she’d always dismissed it, instead. Telling herself that what her father had told her once, when she brought it up to him, was true, in that she was making something out of nothing, and that even if some things had been left out from her parents’ tale, they just simply weren’t important enough to be included, unlike the rest. It wasn’t worth dwelling on.

Right now, however, in this very moment, as Charlie stared out across from her, at her quivering father, and the majestic being that’d taken over the First Man’s body, she just knew there was much more. So much more to her father and mother’s past, which she wasn’t privy to, and which absolutely seemed to be important enough, to have been included in her story book.

The being felt so familiar to her, as though she’d known about him all her life, despite this being her first time seeing him. The entity who Sera, Emily and what appeared to be a bunch more Seraphim sang toward, as being the Lord God Almighty.

God. She’d heard a few sinners mention this name before, usually when cursing. She’d never pried into it, but the name – or was it more a title? She had no idea – was one that always garnered this weird feeling in her chest, whenever it was uttered. It passed quickly, every time, but it stayed long enough for her to notice, though she’d never asked about who He was.

He was clearly a big deal, beyond the power that radiated from him. Power that he’d used to effortlessly shut down her dad’s magic, and then, in a moment that was still giving her chills, even after it’d passed, had sent out a wave that made her feel more at peace than she’d ever been in her life, beforehand. Not even her most tender nights with Vaggie came anywhere remotely close to the sensation God had brought, with but that simple gesture of touching his feet down on Hell’s soil.

The simple fact alone that both Emily and Sera, the latter who her father had sent her to meet a month ago, touted as the highest authority in Heaven, were singing above-head right now, in pure bliss and reverence of God, alongside a bunch of other Seraphim and those other angels, just said it all. It sent the message that for all Sera’s power, this being, the Almighty, as they were referring to him as, was above them in station, in every way imaginable and unimaginable.

“Suh-So…” Charlie heard her father say, voice coming across clearly, despite the singing Seraphim and other heavenly beings buzzing above-head, as she noticed him gulp down a knot in his throat. Tension clear on his shaking form, as he stared with fear and nervousness at the entity known as God. His next words stunning Charlie to her core. “H-How’ve you been, dad…?”

Wait… Dad!? The princess of Hell had to physically stop her jaw from dropping in disbelief, wide eyes flitting between the fallen angel, and the being controlling Adam’s body, as her father dropped that proverbial bombshell on her. This guy controlling Adam’s body is… my dad’s dad!?

Despite the situation, Charlie silently gasped, almost like a child, as she realized that made this being called God her grandpa!

“How have I been?” The Lord rose a brow at his son’s rather poor and awkward greeting, especially after that rant he’d just thrown in his face, believing him to still be the First Man.

“U-Uhh… Yeah!” Lucifer nodded, barely hiding his wince, as he splayed his arms out, trying and failing to get his shaking under control. “I-I mean, we haven’t seen each other since the early days of Eden! So, uhm, it’s a fair question to ask, right…?”

Charlie had to visibly stop herself from cringing, given the one-eighty flip her father had just done, from the attitude he was touting just a moment ago, bragging about taking both of Adam’s ex-wives from him, to now, as God’s expression appeared unreadable. Her grandfather – and she could hardly believe she’d just thought that! – seemingly boring a hole through her dad, with his piercing, glowing eyes that radiated with a sense of incomparable power, along with endless wisdom and knowledge.

God then, surprisingly, to both of them, smiled.

“That it is, I do suppose.” He nodded. “To answer your question, my boy, I had a lovely time out there, creating other universes, as well as those who will preside in them. One of my most recent, in fact, was one where there was three layers to it. The Heavens, which had a solid dome of brass for the top, hidden by an aether of blue during the day, and by a revolving cloak of darkness with countless, twinkling dots woven into it, to act as the stars, for the night. Then, naturally, of course, in the middle, I had Earth – which is flat instead of curved, like the planet Earth I created for here – and water of the seas for the middle. And finally, beneath that, an underworld that, in itself, is multi-layered, with as much gloom to it, as it does beauty, with fabulous fields that house the most gorgeous of flora spanning on seemingly without end.”

Charlie noticed that the hymn of the angels above had quietened down, though it was still going, as all of them within the sky, even the Exorcists to a lesser extent, were clearly listening to God’s every word with fascination and rapt interest. And they did so in a way that oddly reminded her of herself, whenever her parents had read her a story, be that the ‘Story of Hell’ again or something else. It was almost baffling to consider, given how frightening a lot of them appeared, but they all almost looked like children gathered around God, waiting on his every word with wonder, anticipating what would come next, in his great tale.

“And the best part?” The Lord went on. “All of what I’ve mentioned is embodied and personified by divine beings that I jumpstarted the creation of, and got to watch as they fleshed out much of it by themselves, procreating to have many more beings similar to them to both populate and add to the tapestry of that universe!” God’s expression turned somewhat sour then. “Though, unfortunately, the self-designated ‘king’ of the cosmos, who embodied and personified the Heavens, erred in his thinking, in the way he chose to treat his own children, causing their mother, Earth itself, great pain, when he forced the eldest of them inside her belly, to act as a prison. All because he was repulsed by the mere sight of them.”

The Almighty shook his head with visible disgust. An emotion mirrored by all the angels above, as they listened to his tale. “Just before I left to create another universe, though, I bore witness to karma coming back for him, as his wife and children taught him a lesson he won’t soon forget, and he was supplanted by his youngest son, who I can only hope will set a better example than his father before him.”

Near Charlie, Angel Dust blinked at this recounting. All of that sounded oddly familiar to him, as though he’d heard something similar before, from his mother, when he was alive on Earth.

“Th-That all sounds amazing, dad!” Lucifer stutteringly exclaimed and did so genuinely with awe. His fear and tension somewhat receding, in the wake of his father’s regaling him, of the creation of one of various universes he was responsible for the making of. “Y-You definitely haven’t lost your touch in creating new and interesting things, that’s for sure!”

“I would certainly hope I never do, my boy!” God appeared to lighten up and laughed for a bit, and what a joyous thing it was to hear! Just about everyone who heard it, felt like they were melting into bliss from the purity of it.

Charlie found herself smiling, as her father’s shaking morphed somewhat, becoming more like a giddy little kid that was over-excited to be conversing with his dad, on something they both enjoyed doing, which was creating.

The scene, as wholesome as it appeared though, was not made to last.

“Enough about me, though. How have you been, son?” God asked pointedly, with an expectant look.

“O-Oh!” Lucifer couldn’t hide his awkward cringe, as he glanced away. “Well, uh… haha… you know… things could be… better, I suppose?”

“Hmm. You’re dissatisfied. And why is that I wonder?” God questioned, as he stroked his beard. “Could it have anything to do, perhaps, with you being mostly confined to the very realm I find myself in now, which shouldn’t exist? Surrounded by what you call ‘Sinners’, which also shouldn’t exist?”

“Ehehe… heh…” Tugging on the collar of his suit trepidatiously, with sweat beading down his pale skin, Lucifer’s laughter became downright painful to listen to, with how uncomfortable it was. “I… I can explain…?”

“Really? Well then, please, feel free to do so, my son.” The Lord stretched his arms out wide in either direction, signalling for Lucifer to do so. “Enlighten me, on why this infernal realm exists. And why you, who before I left, was considered the most beautiful and beloved angel in all of Heaven, by his peers, are considered its king, and have lost not only your halo, but also the pure, white glow of your wings, for a bilious red that now stains much of them, and the majestic whites and blues of your eyes, for a sickly yellow and red. Explain to me, why when humans and most angels speak of you now, they call you the ‘Devil’, speak of your villainy, your unmatched evil, and even proclaim you to be the most hated being in all of Creation?”

“Uhhhhh…” At that, Lucifer knew not what to say.

Meanwhile, Charlie blinked in confusion and disbelief. Wait… Most beautiful and beloved? That didn’t sound right. But… I thought dad was seen as nothing more than a troublemaker… What’s God talking about…?

“And while you’re at it.” God continued, his smile remaining, but the edge coming back to his tone and gaze, as he looked upon her father. “Apprise me on why it is, then, that after I had finished those other universes I’d intended to make, and made my way back to the first one I ever created, expecting great things to be abound, with the plan I’d set in place for all, I was met with a badly wounded Creation, instead!”

“Ngk!...” Lucifer’s tongue caught in his throat, as he flinched under his father’s stare. His giddiness long gone now, as all the tension and fear that was lost, returned with a vengeance most strong.

“Because you can only imagine my shock, then, when confronted with this, I also found the soul of my First Man – who should’ve been ruling Paradise on Earth, alongside Lilith – on his way to oblivion. Set to fade into nothing, within the void, had I not intervened.”

Lucifer grit his teeth. “And let me guess, he told you about everything from his perspective?”

“Partially, though there was no need.” God shook his head. His smile falling completely. “As I saved his soul from eradication, I used my power and took the opportunity to view for myself all that I had missed. And might I dare say, I have missed much.”

God raised His hand, a silent command for His angels to cease their song, which they did immediately, showing total obedience before Him.

Charlie caught Emily though, out of the corner of her eye, peeking her face out from her wings, just a tad, to lay eyes on her, and everyone around her, with the exception of the Almighty, before she covered up again, not wanting to show disrespect to the Lord, by gazing upon Him, when the other Seraphim did not.

“Imagine my surprise, when I peered into the past, and I saw all that’d happened, in my absence.” The voice of God rang out like no other, reaching the ears of everyone in Pride, despite the Almighty not raising it, for He had no need to. “How everything that was setup for Eden devolved. How Adam suffered, and was damaged deeply, with his relationship with Lilith first, deteriorating through the meddling of a certain someone, and then, the tragedy of his relationship with Eve, despite his and her best efforts to keep it afloat.”

God eyed Lucifer, as the latter appeared ready to say something about that, but kept quiet for the moment, to let his father continue, even as annoyance flashed through his eyes, hearing this.

“I saw how he was stripped from much of his grace and forced to claw his way back to Paradise.” The Lord went on. “Not the one promised to him by me, as the kingdom he would rule for eternity, alongside Lilith, so long as they did their parts, and everything went to plan, but Heaven, when what had once been an immortal body withered away and died, after working himself to the bone for his family. Something he did for over nine centuries, on the untamed, primordial Earth, even as he bore witness to many horrors, not just from the outside, but from within his own family. One of which I know most are aware of, in the murder of one of his sons, the very first in all of Creation, at the hands of another.”

The Lord then sighed, as he briefly closed his eyes. “I watched as he dealt with betrayal after betrayal, and how each wound inflicted by them upon his soul never healed, and with the growing atrocities of his descendants, which ultimately sent countless of them to this infernal pit, upon their deaths, he eventually closed himself off. My son, who was once full of such kindness and love, devoted and as selfless as he could be towards those he cherished, now refused to truly let anyone into his heart ever again, for fear of being wounded once more, going so far as to wear a mask of obnoxiousness and cruelty. Not only to push people away, but also aid him in hiding away his pain, as he ended up in the most foul position of slaughtering his own descendants. Training himself to enjoy it, to laugh at their suffering, even as each soul he destroyed carved into his very being, and forever haunted him in his nightmares.”

He was… what? Charlie couldn’t believe what she’d just heard, and nor could Vaggie. Kindness and love? Devoted and selfless? Adam? He’d actually been like that, at one point? That sounded like a tall tale, considering what they’d seen of him. And he was haunted by the Sinners he killed? He trained himself to enjoy it, even while it hurt him to do so? Charlie wondered how God knew such a thing, even as half of her told her the answer was clear, whilst Vaggie wanted to outright reject the notion of it, and would’ve, too, if anyone other than the Lord had said it. Her full angelic instincts telling her that God spoke no lies, no matter how much her negative feelings toward Adam wanted to have her say that he must be.

Though unseen, Sera’s head dipped in sadness and shame at the Almighty’s words, having seen much of this for herself, and having done nothing to assist him, whilst Emily glanced toward her, wide-eyed at this new knowledge, which her soul told her was no lie. Lute, meanwhile, clenched her remaining fist and gritted her teeth with a pained frown, indicating she too had known, to at least some extent, of what God spoke of, while the remaining exorcists simply appeared befuddled at this information, having clearly not known any of it.

“Tch! Asshole did that to himself!” Lucifer, however, bit back foully, unable to contain himself. “He was a terrible husband and father, and a disgrace of an angel! If he’d been better, none of that would’ve happened! And as far as the exterminations go, if they were so damaging to him, father, he could’ve called them off! He had the power to do that, or at the very least, get Sera to put someone else in charge, if they bothered him, like you say!”

At the fallen angel’s words, with the exception of Emily, the Seraphim, Cherubim and Ophanim all glared at him with judging eyes of scorn. And Sera, in particular, struggled not to speak out of turn, at what the Morningstar of all people, had just attacked Adam’s character with.

Lute, however, had no such reservations about speaking up. Her voice howling angrily, as she glared and pointed down with contempt upon the devil. “You piece of sh*t! You dare to insult Adam like that, after what you’ve done!? Did your fall cause you brain damage or something, you f*cking clown!?”

It spoke volumes that her hatred of Lucifer, in that moment, was so grand, that she hardly winced at all, knowing she was in the presence of the Lord, which graced her soul, while cursing like that.

“Does it count as an insult, if it’s the truth?” Lucifer countered with the kind of look to her that had Adam’s lieutenant ready to soar down and puncture more holes in his body, then there were in Swiss cheese, as she snarled at him.

“Why you-!?”

“Enough.” God’s voice, powerful enough to make every molecule in the air of Hell vibrate with intensity, commanded, and Lute found her head whipping in the Lord’s direction, almost forgetting who it was, that’d said it.

Almost. For when her striking, honey-gold pools met the glowing, flaming eyes of God that looked back at her, whatever outrage and bloodlust she’d felt was almost instantly subdued, in a way that only Adam had ever managed with her, before, when he got serious.

“Your willingness to come to my son’s defence is admirable. Though certainly of no surprise, given the lengths you went to, to be by his side, in his last moments, so that he wouldn’t be alone.” God said unto her with an appreciative nod that had her feeling both shocked and humbled. The exorcist feeling her soul trill with bliss, when the Lord smiled upon her, in earnest, and in gratitude. “Though you may be rough around the edges, no more so than Adam himself became, through his experiences, you’re loyal to a fault, and showed such in your actions toward him. And it speaks volumes, when considering the state he was in, that you moved him enough to earn perhaps the most genuine smile he's given anyone, in a very long time.”

Her fellow exorcists whispered amongst themselves at this, briefly, while Lute tried her hardest not to blush golden, at the implication.

“Please…” Lucifer scoffed, earning him an immediate scowl from Lute. “It was probably just him trying to save whatever scrap of dignity he thought he had left. He did get snuck up on and killed by a gremlin janitor, after all.”

“He knew she was there you know.” God revealed without missing a beat, as he turned his sights back to a surprised Lucifer, and away from a now just as surprised Lute. Their expressions mirrored by the remaining Sinners that resided in the hotel, who were near Charlie. Said princess, alongside her girlfriend, also having a similar expression at this news.

“Wait… he did? But if that’s true, why didn’t he stop her?” The fallen angel questioned, for basically all of them. “I mean sure, I kicked his ass pretty bad and all, but I doubt he was weak enough to where he couldn’t have avoided her taking him out, if he was aware.”

“Why would a man, who knew death was approaching, not attempt to stop it? You do not need me to answer that for you, Lucifer.” God answered back, anger flickering through his tone.

It took the Fallen Seraph and everyone else listening a tick to understand what the Father of Creation meant, but when they did, Lucifer’s and everyone else’s eyes widened.

“Wait, he…!?” The Sin of Pride stopped himself, mulling over such a realization about the First Man’s mental state. Pity soon finding its way into him, before he squashed it down, as he let another thought take centre stage in his mind. “Hold on, if that’s true, then that only backs up what I said even more! Adam only damaged himself to that point with the exterminations, which, as I’m sure you know, dad, were his idea!”

“I shall not argue with you, on that last point. I even told him myself, that I was disappointed in him for putting himself in such a position.” God replied, and Lucifer nearly grinned at his father taking his side.

It didn’t last though, for the Almighty frowned deeply at him. “As for the exterminations themselves, I have seen for myself how they came about, and while I am disappointed that he chose to lead them, and even more so that they even came about…” At this, the Lord gazed at Lucifer as though it were the fallen angel’s fault. “Despite the cruelty of them, I can not only understand my son’s reasoning for leading the exorcists, but also why the exterminations had to happen. And so do you, Lucifer, even if you wish to play dumb before me. Such a tragic, yearly event hardly came out of nowhere, and despite what some here may choose to believe, is not something Adam and Heaven chose to do, one day, without good reason.”

“Lilith’s rebellion…” Lucifer muttered beneath his breath, recalling that moment in time vividly, and how brutal Heaven had been, in its response to his then-wife’s challenge, spurred on by what she felt were injustices against both herself and the Sinners.

“That was but merely the first nail in the coffin, Lucifer. I know you have not forgotten the two occasions afterward, where Hell became so badly overpopulated, that what holds this infernal pit together, within reality, began to wane.” God’s glare was accusing, and Lucifer felt himself shrink back again, as the Lord’s form suddenly loomed over him, barely half a foot separating them, as within the First Man’s body, the Lord towered over the clown-dimpled Seraph by over a metre. “I know you have not forgotten how the excess Sinner demons, including Overlords who had become too powerful, some rivalling even the ‘Sins’ themselves, who spawned shortly after this abominable pit’s creation, suddenly began to flood out of Hell. All as the walls holding them in this realm tore apart, with one hole after another… allowing those fiends right back unto Earth, where they caused nothing but carnage and devastation. Entire settlements and cities destroyed. Countless living souls murdered, raped and enslaved. Those demons forcing many an innocent soul as much as they did wicked ones into soul-binding deals that damned them to this accursed plane no matter how good they were in life!”

Hell itself shook once more, as God’s words became more and more powerful, by the end, to the point where there wasn’t a single being in Pride who didn’t feel the heat behind him. Feel the justified anger.

And all the while, Charlie and Emily, most of all, were shell-shocked the most by what they heard.

That… That had really happened…? Twice, no less? The princess of Hell and the youngest Seraph didn’t want to believe such atrocities had occurred, but the lack of a denial from those much older than them, who would’ve been around during such a time, to what God said, was starkly telling.

For Emily, it was turning to see the way that Sera went stiff at the reveal, the way the eyes on her wings squinted, like they were ready to weep in sorrowful agony, that let her know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, leaving aside her soul singing that God spoke the truth, that such a horrid reality, had indeed, come to pass. And it had clearly left scars on Sera that Emily had never known about, demonstrating for her, just how horrific such a period must’ve been, to get that kind of reaction. And that only left her horrified.

For Charlie, however, watching her father make no move to deny such atrocities had happened, atrocities which she had never been told of, caused a tremendous, twisting sensation in her gut.

The worst part came, however, when instead of denying it, her father effectively confirmed his father’s words, with his next response.

“Those were… awful times…” Lucifer voiced with clear pain in his tone, as he looked down at his feet. “Don’t know why you’re looking at me like it’s my fault, though. I had nothing to do with any of it. I hated witnessing that, just as much as Heaven did.”

God’s gaze was as unimpressed, as it was furious, as his hand suddenly thrust down and grabbed Lucifer by the back of his collar, earning a yelp from him, as he was raised off the ground, bringing him to eye-level.

“While it is true that you did not assist those Sinners in their terrible actions and were certainly not the one responsible for such holes opening up in the first place to Earth, I know that you also did nothing to stop them, either. Even when you figured out what was happening, you did not step in to bring them back, nor even attempt to close the holes that’d opened up. You let them run amuck on both occasions, instead of getting involved and mitigating the situation as much as possible. You forced Heaven to have to clean up a mess that was your responsibility, given the Sinners fell under your watch, as the ‘King of Hell’.”

“W-Well, dad, I was-”

“Lucifer…” God cut the fallen angel off with a low growl, before he could finish. The lights of his eyes burning like supernovas, with the way he glared at him now. “I swear upon Creation itself, if the next words out of your mouth are, ‘doing something very important when those events happened’, when you and I both know you were sat in your workshop in a sulk, while making those rubber ducks of yours, I will slap you hard enough to send you through the firmament of Pride itself!”

The blonde quickly snapped his mouth shut, letting out an audible gulp, as he stared down at the earth of Pride.

“Meanwhile, Lilith, on the other hand, misguided as she was, for rebelling against Heaven, showed some level of tact, and did get involved. Assisting where she could, to help Heaven bring those Sinners back to Hell, even though she disliked Heaven, at the time, because she did not want to involve the souls of the living in anything to do with Hell’s affairs. She went above and beyond to mitigate the damage, especially during the second incident. One in which you both knew the signs now, for such an event occurring, but only she, out of the two of you, bothered to act. She, unlike you, acted like a proper ruler for this place, carrying this infernal pit upon her back, even when it was abundantly clear that this den of decadence, depravity and evil would do nothing but show her efforts were a waste.”

Lucifer said nothing to this, while Charlie, despite the horrors she’d just learned about, couldn’t help the swell of pride she felt for her mother, hearing of how she’d stepped up and helped.

“Speaking of her, though…” God’s scowl was mighty, as he dropped Lucifer unceremoniously unto his ass, earning a grunt from the short, fallen Seraph. “From my viewing of the past, I saw how Lilith, my daughter, was seduced and led astray from the path she would’ve otherwise walked, when she knew no better, promised the world as she did, only to be given nothing but a kingdom of ash and hollow words. A life that held no light for her, no matter how hard she tried to fruitlessly convince herself otherwise, and no matter how tirelessly she worked as its queen, for thousands of years, until a wonderful daughter was bore, to brighten her otherwise dreary days.”

“Th-That’s not true…” Lucifer shook his head in denial of what the Lord had said about his ex-wife. The memory of her departure from him and Hell, years ago, still lingering in his thoughts and emotions like a foul darkness.

“W-Wait, what…?” Charlie muttered, before she stiffened up, as God’s glowing gaze briefly shifted to her, and she felt spellbound by the Lord’s glare. Intense, but kind, as he regarded her in a way that presented no hostility, but instead, a bit of pride, and even love. Something that made her very soul soar in happiness, gaining his recognition. Her expression was caught between pleased by his praise, and confused by his words regarding her mother, though.

“You appear befuddled, my dear granddaughter.” God spoke to her gently, with a gaze of both sympathy and empathy, that almost immediately had her relaxing, as it seemed as though the Lord just had that kind of natural effect. “Please, do not be afraid to speak in my presence. If what I have just said confuses you, then do not hesitate to ask me about it.”

“O-Oh! R-Right... Right!” Charlie nodded. The spotlight now suddenly on her, which should’ve made her quite nervous, what with everyone, demon and angel alike, with the exception of her dad, shifting their attention to her, in that moment, and yet, it didn’t. For she could feel God’s presence, warm and comforting against her, as though he had her in a tender, supportive embrace, despite him standing a good distance across from her. “Sorry! Y-You’re right, grandpa – w-wait…” The princess of Hell stopped herself with a small grimace, as she felt the glares of most of the angels on her intensify. The worst coming from the Seraphim – with the exception of Emily – and those super creepy wheels within wheels, that were full of eyes. “I, uhm… I can call you grandpa, right?” She asked of God, while pointing at Him awkwardly. Unsure if such a title was appropriate, even if her dad had referred to him as his own dad.

A soft smile returned to God’s features, for a moment, and Charlie felt herself sag with comfort beneath it, her soul feeling like it was singing, as He gave a delighted, elderly chuckle toward her. “I have already acknowledged you as mine own granddaughter, dear Charlie. It would be rude of me to not allow you to address me as what I am to you, in turn.”

Charlie, despite everything going on, found herself beaming at God’s approval, for when it came to her more childish side, she was ecstatic at the idea of having more family, outside of her parents.

“Right! Okay then…” Charlie’s smile dimmed, as confusion returned to her features. “Uhm, grandpa? Can I, respectfully, of course, ask what you’re talking about, when you say my mom was ‘seduced and led astray’?” The blonde asked, while making air quotes with her hands, as she also thought back to what was previously said about her mother’s ex. “I mean, I’m still processing everything else that’s been said, but what you said about Adam before, and now, about mom, has me really confused. Because from what I’ve always been told, my mom left Adam of her own volition, because he was awful and tried to control her and make her subservient to him, and then met dad, where they ended up falling in love.”

“He tried to control and make her subservient to him, did he?” God’s eyebrow was raised, as he turned his gaze back down to Lucifer, who was currently looking at his feet, rather than his father. Almost like an unruly child who’d just been caught red-handed with their hand in the cookie jar. “That’s rather amusing to hear, as from my delving into each event of Eden, I did not once perceive any moment, where Adam genuinely attempted to do such a thing.”

“…Yeah, well, maybe you just didn’t look hard enough, dad…” Lucifer muttered, just loud enough for those nearest to him to pick up his words. His head still not turning up to look his father in the eye, as he moved back to his feet, on shaky legs.

“Hmm. Is that so?” God, in response to his son’s childish rebuttal, as well as to Charlie’s questioning, used his power to conjure a red-covered book that floated above his open palm. “And I suppose that this holds the true reality of what happened? The ‘Story of Hell’, I believe you and Lilith called it, Lucifer?”

“Well…” Lucifer still refused to look at his father, as he articulated his reply. “Admittedly, it glosses over a few things, here and there, but it’s more or less accurate…”

“More or less?” God deadpanned. “Quite the bold statement to make, given it omits many details, such as my entire existence, and how I was the one who made Adam and Lilith, not your angelic kin, and even downright fabricates at multiple points. Such as stating you to be seen as nothing but a troublemaker, by your elder siblings, left out from aiding with Creation, because of it, and refers to yourself and Lilith as ‘misunderstood dreamers’, as you arrive by her side, after she fled from Adam, as if this is the first time you’ve met.”

“I-Is that not what happened, grandpa?” Charlie spoke up a little timidly, seeing her father refuse to respond, when he should’ve done so immediately, and she couldn’t understand why, as her gaze shifted between them. Her mind calling back to what God had said moments earlier, about how Lucifer was viewed, at one point, which clashed so heavily with what she’d been told.

“Not even remotely, dear Charlie.” God shook his head, as he addressed her again, giving her a somewhat pitying look. “In reality, your father was involved with the Garden from the very beginning and was trusted by all of his peers to add to Creation! And that is something that persisted well after I left, up until he successfully seduced Lilith away from Adam completely, using lies and falsities.”

“Th-That… No! That can’t be true!” Charlie shook her head in vehement denial, even as a part of her soul sung to her, that God spoke nothing but the truth. “There’s no way dad would do that!” She asserted, before snapping her gaze to her father, her eyes pleading. “Dad! Tell Him He’s got this all wrong! You wouldn’t do something that underhanded! Not now, and certainly not before you Fell, right!?”

“Even if he does, granddaughter, it would just be another lie. And deep down, he knows it.” God cut in, before Lucifer could say anything. The fallen angel clenching his fists tight, as to the surprise of everyone watching, other than the angels who knew God well, the Lord suddenly materialized right in-front of Charlie, without any movement or action on His part. Not even so much as a flash of light or spark of something to indicate teleportation. He was just simply there, as though bypassing both time and space with the greatest of ease.

“Woah! Holy sh*t!” Charlie exclaimed in her own shock, seeing her grandfather suddenly before her, subconsciously wincing at the fact she’d cursed before him, as she flinched back in fright.

“Hon!” Vaggie, breaking from her own stupor, was quick to place a hand on Charlie’s shoulder for support. The fallen angel couldn’t bring herself to glare at God, though, for she knew He meant her girlfriend no harm.

“Apologies for startling you.” God said in earnest, before a soft glow enveloped over the storybook floating above His hand. “You were read this many times, as you grew up, Charlie. Certainly, a nice little fairy tale conjured up as a bedtime story, but as an accurate account of what happened in the past, which led to our current circ*mstances? It does a very poor job at that. What you need now, more than ever, is truth.” The Lord relayed, as the book floated away from his hand.

Compelled to grab it, out of intrigue, Charlie’s hands took hold of the book, as the glow vanished, revealing a white-covered book, instead of red, which was a good bit bulkier than the other one was.

“Contained within the pages of this book, is everything as it really happened, when it comes to Eden, your parents, Adam, Eve, how Hell came to be, and how even the horrid reality of the exterminations came to be. It’s all there. Magically enchanted, so that when opened, your mind will be transported to view each event, as they occurred, within their full context.” God told her, as she looked up at him, and he laid a gentle, soothing hand upon her shoulder. “I advise you to save it for later, Charlie. You’ll need all the time you can get to process what you are about to witness, once you open it.”

“H-How do I know that what you have in here isn’t a lie, though?” Charlie tried – she really tried – to glare at God, but faltered all too quickly, under the Lord’s light, which was a ray of goodness and comfort upon her being. Even her protest felt weak to her, as she questioned the Almighty. “How do I know that what’s in here, isn’t what you claim the ‘Story of Hell’ that I’m used to, is full of?”

Above her, many of the angels shook with outrage, hearing their Lord and father be doubted so heavily, the exorcists among them, feeling their own connection to God, as well as natural bias toward those from Heaven. Sera, in particular, looked ready to give the princess of Hell a piece of her mind, for daring to suggest the Father of Creation would speak falsehoods to her, or anyone, for that matter.

Sensing her and the others anger, though, the aura of the Lord intensified ever so slightly, embracing each and every angel who felt such a way, in an assuring manner, calming them almost instantly, as God made it clear He was not bothered by Charlie’s scepticism.

“A fair concern.” The Lord nodded to his grandchild. “I can assure of you this, though, Charlie. The moment you begin to see the book’s contents with your own eyes, you will know in your heart, more than you will, with but my words, that it is all true. No matter how much I know you will wish it was not.” He gave her a sad look. “Rarely does a son or daughter enjoy seeing either of their parents at their worst, after all.” He then glanced over to the former exorcist, who almost jumped, having His gaze focused upon her. “Be sure to have Vaggie with you, when the time comes, for you will need her by your side then, more than ever.”

“Y-You know my name, Lord…?” Vaggie’s one eye was wide in surprise.

God gave her a neutral look, as he glanced at her. “But of course, I do. I know of everyone’s name, Vaggie. And yours sticks out more to me, given your connection to both my son, Adam, and my granddaughter, Charlie here.” He laid his other hand on her shoulder. “I know of your entire life, of every success, of every mistake. I know of what led you to being here, like this. How for the first time, during an extermination, you hesitated to kill a Sinner, because they were a child, and let them go, breaking the protocol you’d been given, and were thus punished too harshly for your transgression. You lost an eye and your wings, when your action should’ve resulted instead, in you being brought to Heaven, before a trial of your peers, to argue your case, where if you were voted against, at worst, you should’ve been exiled from the Exorcists, but still kept within Heaven’s boundaries, instead of grounded to Hell.”

Vaggie couldn’t help it, when she smiled, hearing the Lord Himself state that she, in fact, had been unfairly treated, in that situation, as her remaining eye swivelled almost smugly over to Lute, as if to say, ‘even God says what you did to me was unjust’. Something that Lute caught, and scowled at her for, with parted lips and gritted teeth.

“That being said, Fallen Daughter of Heaven,” The Lord continued, grabbing the ex-exorcist’s attention back, as she felt his tone take on a very displeased edge, while gripping her shoulder just a little tighter. “I am also aware of your conduct in choosing to fight against your sisters today, alongside cannibal demons, and allowing their holy bodies to be defiled, ripped apart and devoured like livestock, without so much as batting an eye, even for those who were still alive as it was happening!”

Vaggie spluttered and shrunk back, removing her hand from Charlie’s shoulder beneath the Lord’s words and presence now, feeling his judging gaze for what she’d participated in weighing down on her shoulders, causing shame to gnaw on her, like it hadn’t before, as she turned her gaze downward, away from God, even as she tried to defend herself. “Th-They were targeting the hotel, Lord! And we needed all the help we could get to defend it-”

“And so, you resorted, without any remorse or guilt, to striking a deal that allowed them to feast upon the flesh of your fellow angels?” God’s gaze was piercing, as it bared down upon Vaggie’s soul, making it cry out in anguish for having displeased the Creator.

Lute, all the while, felt her scowl turn into a smirk at this, seeing the Lord reprimand the traitor for her folly.

“G-Grandpa, please!” Charlie immediately came to her girlfriend’s defence. “I know it’s terrible, and I wish it didn’t have to come to it, but we didn’t have much of a choice! Adam made it clear he was gunning for us first, and we had to defend the hotel! Our options were limited, and-”

“Your options weren’t as limited as you believe, granddaughter.” God shot back smoothly, cutting her off before she could try to justify what’d happened, anymore, as he turned to her. “There was no need for you to have fought, in the first place. Your father over there wouldn’t have hesitated to have taken you in, had you asked, even with your hotel’s residents in-tow. The worst that would’ve occurred, then, is another extermination, which involves your hotel building being destroyed. Which means nothing, as it is but a building, at the end of the day. And buildings can be replaced, rebuilt, and in this case, very easily, given your father could’ve remade the whole thing by himself, even, with but a light flex of his magic. A soul, on the other hand… when that is fully destroyed, it is forever lost.”

Charlie’s eyes watered at these words. Tears threatening to cascade like rivers down her cheeks, as she immediately thought back to the most recent loss, that of Sir Pentious, at Adam’s hands. The gravity of which truly hit her now, harder than ever.

“Even if you’re right, grandpa… Why…?” She found herself asking of the Lord, after a moment of contemplation, as she met his eyes, clutching the book he’d given her to her chest. “Why did it have to be like this? Why exterminations? If Adam truly was, as you said he was… then why…” A sob broke through her, making God’s expression soften. “Why didn’t he… or Heaven ever consider redemption an option…?”

“Char-Char…” Lucifer could only watch on in sadness, as his daughter looked to be on the verge of crying her heart out in pain, for the loss of one of her patrons, and there was nothing he could think of, to make her feel better about it.

Emily, meanwhile, firmly in Charlie’s corner, about redemption over extermination, could no longer keep herself contained, especially seeing how emotional the princess had gotten. Her own compulsions overwhelming her, as she rushed down from the sky, much to the surprise of the upper echelon of angels around her.

“Emily!?” Sera called out to her in disbelief, as the eyes on her wings watched the youngest of the Seraphim dart down to the princess of Hell’s side, looking on in shock greater than what she’d felt when Emily had taken Charlie’s side during the heavenly court a month ago, and had sung together with her, about Heaven being a lie, if Hell was forever.

Would she be blasphemous enough to state something like that here, before the Lord, their Heavenly Father Himself!?

“Forgive me for my rudeness, Lord,” Emily began as politely as she could, pushing back against how her soul cried out in blasphemy against herself, as without God’s permission, she pulled away her wings, allowing the eyes of her face to gaze upon the visage of the First Man, altered by the Lord, who now inhabited his body. Her hand coming to rest comfortingly upon Charlie’s other shoulder, causing said girl to look over at the Seraph, as she glanced back at her, with a supportive, determined look, before gazing back at the Almighty. “But I feel I must question that too, as I agree with Charlie!”

“Emily…” Charlie whispered, feeling touched that the youngest Seraph had yet again come to her defence, like this.

God’s gaze flicked to the youngest Seraph. His expression unreadable, as Emily continued.

“Please, Lord, tell me why it is, that exterminations were made the solution, over redemption?” She pleaded. “Even if things were that bad in the past, I don’t feel like eradicating people’s souls was just! Would it not have been better to get them to see the error of their ways and improve themselves, so that they might be redeemed and brought to Heaven, instead of exterminated and lost forever!?”

“You too ask of me why, youngest of the Seraphim?” God began, his tone measured, as he responded to her.

“I do!” Emily voiced without hesitation, as she met the Lord’s gaze, and ignored her own instincts to bow her head before Him in shame, for having done so without His permission. “What’s been happening until now, with this yearly slaughter is wrong! There has to be another way, which doesn’t involve so much bloodshed!”

At this, God smiled down at her, and for a brief moment, Emily felt elated in a way she could scarcely describe, as the Lord removed his hand from Vaggie’s shoulder and placed it upon her head, affectionately rubbing her scalp. His gesture – which had it been from anyone else, especially Sera, at the moment, she’d have taken as one of condescension – carrying a level of earnest warmth to it, that the Seraph had never felt in her two-hundred years of living. A level of tenderness and love being conveyed to her through this one, simple action, that made even her strongest hugs with Sera, in the past, when they were at their closest, feel lacking.

“Joy-bringer of Heaven, you are, without question, a kind-hearted soul. One that I have seen for myself, through mine own vision, has a strong will and is more than ready to stand up for what she believes is right, and for those she believes need her support, the most. These are all good, virtuous traits to have, and I am proud to see that, even in my absence, Heaven could produce someone like you.”

The youngest Seraph blushed, despite her best efforts not to, under God’s praise, as he pulled his hand away from her. An action that almost had her instinctively whining, from no longer being under his direct touch, which made her heart and soul sing with joy.

“Alas, you do hold one major flaw, Daughter of Heaven and of Mine.” God sighed. “One that you share with my granddaughter here. And just as much as I cannot truly fault Charlie for that, given how she was raised, I cannot truly fault you, either, given that you have been purposely kept away from the harsher realities of Creation, by Seraphiel, who sought to protect your innocence for as long as she could. And it is that which, for you to become the best version of yourself, and be capable of helping as many souls as possible, in the future, you will need to shed away. And that is your naivety.”

“Wh-What…?” Both Emily and Charlie muttered in surprise, blinking in befuddlement at the Lord, for His words.

“You have both asked of me the same thing, so I shall tell you. The answer to it, however, is a lamentable one, I’m afraid.” God spoke solemnly, as He now placed His left hand upon Charlie’s shoulder, and His right upon Emily’s, in a gesture of comfort, as he looked into both of their eyes. “At one point, in the past, redemption was considered, before the violence of the exterminations took precedence, but in the end, those who were in-charge of Heaven, in my stead, came to the conclusion, as all the years passed by, and no soul ever rose to Heaven from here, that such a thing simply wasn’t possible… And they were right.”

The princess of Hell and the youngest of the Seraphim gasped in shocked horror, hearing God say this.

“And before you ask, no, it has nothing to do with nobody putting effort into being better people, because they just didn’t believe it would matter. There were those who, in the past, few in number as they may’ve been, sought to redeem themselves, to become better people, even in Hell, and they succeeded, in some cases, despite all odds.” God gave both, but Charlie especially, a sad look, as he thought back to those few, now long gone, who would’ve more than earned getting out of Hell. “It didn’t matter, though. Hell was forever, not because those sent to it, were unwilling to improve themselves and walk the road of redemption, but because this Wound of Creation, which never should’ve existed, kept them here, no matter what.”

“K-Kept them here…?” Charlie was barely keeping in her tears, at this point, as her eyes pleaded with the Almighty to explain.

“The system I put in place, back before I left, was never meant to judge souls and decide who goes where. Humans were originally intended to be timeless, unbound by death. As eternal as the angels which came before them, and I Myself.” God elucidated, reminding all those listening of what he’d said previously, about humans having immortal bodies, once. “The system was meant to allow for humans, once they’d made enough progress on Earth, to be capable of travelling between the Earthly Paradise they would be building and expanding, even to the stars themselves, and that of Heaven. The two were intended to become as linked together, as one could imagine, and live in harmony… but a certain event in the past made sure that such a future could never come to pass, and forced the system I’d left behind to adapt in a way it was not meant to, resulting in it breaking and leading to the current situation we find ourselves in now.”

“What event… was that… Lord…?” Emily tentatively asked, though her angelic soul told her that she already knew what the answer was.

“The event I speak of, Emily, is the one involving the last member of the four central figures in the tale of Eden: Eve.” God said, the glow in his eyes becoming brighter than ever, as he turned His sights back to Lucifer, and the fallen angel flinched yet again, from the light in the Lord’s eyes, which bared into his soul. “A woman who was never meant to be, who shouldn’t have been, and yet, because of Lilith being led away from her true path, she was made to replace her, in her role, only for her to fall to an even worse fate than Lilith or Adam. One that saw her very soul become more damned than any other in existence, as she was manipulated into one fatal mistake that led to the release of Evil and Sin, which took greatest root within her soul, forever destroying the bright future that could’ve been. Replacing it with one of doom, a curse for her and her children, no matter their admirable efforts to survive and thrive, as horrendous pain, suffering and death became their keepers.”

“I-It wasn’t supposed to be a curse! It was a gift!” Lucifer found himself rebuking, indignance taking over from the sadness he felt for his daughter before. His quaking fists clenched as he glared back, almost on reflex, at his father, as he described his giving of the apple to the Second Woman as a terrible thing. “She was given Free Will, along with all of humanity! They just didn’t know what to do with it!”

God’s eyes narrowed dangerously. The light emitting from them growing even stronger and seeping out with a tremendous blaze, like that of two of the brightest stars, making Lucifer shrink back again with fear, as a weight pressed down on his shoulders, forcing his shaking knees to bend, nearly making him kneel.

It was as if the very cosmos itself was bearing down on him with judgment, and the fallen angel felt like he could end up crushed by it, at any moment.

“It is bad enough that you would dare to proclaim such a lie to all others who would listen, and to your impressionable daughter, especially, as she grew up, granting her nothing but an incorrect perception of reality.” The Lord remarked, his resonating tone one of cold steel, barely holding back the flames of anger that tried to beckon their way through, as He turned toward Lucifer fully, leaving Charlie and Emily behind Him. “To have the gall, however, to speak of such a falsity, to me, Lucifer, speaks of either incomprehensible arrogance, or confounding delusion, to have swallowed your own nonsense so much, that you could dare utter such blasphemy with confidence, even when your soul calls out to me, and knows it to be untrue.”

“I-It’s not untrue, though!” Lucifer rose his voice in defiance. The shakes of his body having ceased, for the moment, as he pointed accusingly at God. “Humanity was incomplete! Their will limited! Without the apple, they would’ve been chained down, as they wouldn’t have knowledge of evil, and without knowledge of evil, how could they truly know what good was!? How could they ever truly know themselves and what they want, as opposed to what you or the other angels wanted!?”

God’s eyes became akin to holy infernos, as He heard His son say this. And even having seen it coming from peering into the various futures of this encounter, hearing it for Himself was something else, and the Fallen Seraph wasn’t even finished, for it was about to get even worse. Far more damning.

“And seeing as you brought her up, Eve is a perfect example of this, as she was only with Adam because she was made to be that way, from his rib. She had no real idea of choice, blind with ignorance, until I gave her the apple, and it opened her eyes!” The fallen angel proclaimed, pointing his thumb at his own chest, as he puffed it out proudly. “If she truly had Free Will from the start, actually thought for herself and wasn’t just following the instructions laid out to her by the other angels, like an automaton, then I highly doubt she’d have been so quick to cast aside any supposed loyalty she had for Adam, and sleep with me, when I made the offer!”

“H-Holy f*ck…” Angel Dust, like the other residents of the Hazbin Hotel, as well as every Sinner in Hell, couldn’t help but be in disbelief, as he broke his silence with a low, muttered curse, at the audacity of the King of Hell, right now. Only Husk and Cherri Bomb close enough to hear, as the spider Sinner winced, just as everyone else had, at cursing before God, but such an error was the least of his concerns, right now. “What Short King said earlier to the Dickmaster wasn’t just a joke to get under his skin? He was actually serious about piping both that dude’s wives!?”

Normally, the spider Sinner might’ve given the King of Hell props for such a thing, bagging the First Two Women and all that, but he got the sneaking suspicion, for some reason he couldn’t quite explain, that something was off. And that didn’t even get into the fact that Lucifer had just proudly admitted to willing adultery, before God, a second time over.

The p*rn demon would be the first to admit, he wasn’t good with self-restraint when it came to sexual matters, never really had been, but even he wouldn’t have been brazen enough, were he in Charlie’s dad’s shoes, to declare something like that to the freaking Lord’s face. sh*t, he highly doubted even Valentino would, either. Not unless he wanted to earn God’s ire, which was an utterly insane thing to desire, in the first place!

Glancing to the side, he and his fellow Sinners saw the stunned look on Charlie’s face, as evidently, she too, hadn’t thought her dad was serious before, until that declaration about the Mother of Mankind.

It was the look on the Lord’s face, however, that made the Hazbins shiver, for the Almighty’s expression was nothing short of thunderous, with the way he scowled down at Lucifer.

“Seeing it before it happens, in some of the various futures I gleamed, is one thing, but to be present before you, and to hear you say such a thing, with such pride, as if what you have done is an achievement worth celebrating… it is a low I had hoped you would not sink to.” God finally said, after a moment of silence. His resonating voice filled with a cold fury that sent a ferocious chill down the spines of all of Hell, with only the unfallen angels being spared it, as the temperature seemed to drop dramatically, all around them.

“Your own ignorance, arrogance, and shameless delusion, when it comes to what happened that day, over ten-thousand years ago, is nothing short of astounding!” The Lord boomed, His voice shaking Hell to its very foundations. “Your belief that you gave Free Will to humans, which only goes to show your lack of understanding of the very concept I created, is bad enough, but to stand there before me, and utter the blasphemy you just have, in regards to Eve… it only goes to show just how warped your perception of events has truly become.”

“Warped? What are you talking about?” Lucifer asked in confusion. “I can remember everything as it happened!”

“Do you?” God questioned. “Do you truly? Because the way I see it, when Eve ate of the apple, and Creation fractured as a result, your perception definitely faltered in a number of areas. For starters, you believing that Eve consented to laying with you, when, in reality, all you did was take advantage of her, in her moment of vulnerability.”

Many around them, Charlie and Emily included, gasped at the implication.

Lucifer bristled. His jaw nearly dropping in astonishment, at his father’s claim. “A-Are you insinuating that I… that I forced myself on her!?”

God’s silence that met him back was more damning than anything else, in the fallen angel’s eyes.

“O-Ohoh… Now I know you had to have seen things wrong, dad!” Lucifer bit out in outrage. “I don’t care what you think of what has become of me, but forcing myself on someone? I would never do that! That sort of thing wouldn’t ever even cross my mind!” He shouted back at the Lord, voice tinged with utmost sincerity.

“And it certainly didn’t that day, either.” God replied, His own glare unwavering. “Your awareness of the situation, however, after the apple was eaten, was faulty, and when combined with the flood of Lust you felt, as a result of Evil and Sin being fully unleashed, you did not pay true attention to Eve. You saw what you wanted to see, rather than what was really going on, and launched into having your way with her recklessly. So drowned with desire, were you, you only paid attention to what seemed like a nod to your advances, and never bothered to truly look into her eyes, before, during or after your blasphemous act, for if you had, you’d have known that she wasn’t truly aware of anything. Her mind lost in the sea of Evil’s knowledge, unknowing of what was going on around her, or being done to her, in her most defenceless moment.”

“N-No… That can’t be right…” Lucifer shook his head in denial, as he took a step back, nearly stumbling back down unto his rear, in the process, as he felt numerous judging eyes on him, from the Seraphim, Cherubim and Ophanim above, as well as the remaining exorcists and Sinners nearby. Though none compared to the panic he felt, feeling his daughter’s eyes on him, and when he passed her a glance, the deeply troubled look on her teary-eyed face, at what God had said, before turning his sights back to the Lord. “Father, she was responsive! She enjoyed what we did together!”

“Did she? Did she truly?” God asked in that knowing way of His. “Or is that merely your own faulty perception speaking for her? Because from what I perceived, her body merely reacted instinctually to the stimuli given to it. From her perspective, during that act, she knew not what was happening, but could still feel it, and it drew reactions from her, even as she knew not why she was taking on such sensations.” Fury bubbled in God’s voice, as he recounted this, but the Lord maintained control over the emotion, not allowing it to take hold. “It was not until her mind snapped back into focus, well after what you had done, and shortly after her expulsion from Eden, did it sink in, what had happened between you two. And would you like to know what she thought of you then, my son?”

The Almighty did not wait for his son to respond, as He suddenly appeared next to him, again. His form yet again towering over Lucifer and submerging him beneath holy light instead of shadow, as he looked down upon him with as much reproach, as anger.

“She hated you.” God said, making Lucifer flinch. “There was not a moment that went by, where she did not despise the fact that you existed, from then on, and in any moment where she was reminded of you, she never hesitated to curse your name, for all that you had brought upon her, her children, and her husband. A husband who you so earlier, I shall remind all, rather foolishly claimed she was only with because she was ‘made to be that way’ and ‘had no real idea of choice’.” God scoffed, showing how ludicrous He found such words. “By your own logic, her eating the apple should’ve made her see this and leave Adam, and yet, not only did she stick by him, when she did not have to, but while her hatred for you manifested, her love for him, in her now mortal life, only grew, as he chose to stick by her, as well. Choosing her over Eden, for not only did he love her, he also did not wish for her to know the same pain of loneliness that he had, when Lilith turned her back on him, thanks to you.”

“No… No, no, no…!” Lucifer shook his head in vehement rejection of this, even as his soul told him that God spoke the truth. “That can’t be true! It… It must be a lie…!”

“Are you, who unflatteringly has been dubbed the ‘Lord of Lies’ by his once peers, and by the humans you facetiously claim to have given Free Will to, seeking to call me a liar now?” God broached with a tilt of his head, as white, holy flames and lightning wreathed through both his eyes and halo.

Lucifer stumbled back again, afraid, yet defiant. “W-Well you must be! I met Eve again, when she arrived in Hell, and she told me the opposite of what you’re saying!” The Fallen Seraph proclaimed, as he pointed accusingly at the Lord, once again. “She said she was thankful to me, for what I did, and was grateful that I’d freed her from where she’d been trapped!”

She’d done more than just speak her gratitude, too. She’d shown him it, quite passionately. Which would make no sense to happen, if Eve had truly hated hi-

“You fool.” The short angel started out of his reminiscing at the Lord’s insult, which to his spirit, and that of everyone else’s around them, felt less like a denigration, and more just a statement of fact. “The one you spoke to, the one that you had interactions with, that day, was not Eve.”

The gears in Lucifer’s brain suddenly ground to a halt. “Huh…?”

“The being you spoke to and interacted with in Hell,” The way the Lord said that again, made it clear He knew precisely what His son and the being had gotten up to. “I shall repeat for you, was not Eve, but an entity bore from the eating of the Forbidden Fruit.” God revealed, dropping a motherload that neither Lucifer, nor the rest around them, were ready for. “Such an entity came about, from the corrupting of Eve’s soul, which was twisted into being in its own image fully, after her death, and which is also responsible for this putrid realm’s existence. All that is Bad made manifest, embodied and personified into a single being, as it spread its full influence across all of Creation, sinking its claws deep into all. The Root of all Evil.”

At the mention of this, all within Pride felt a shiver go down their spines, as God acknowledged the existence of this entity.

“That entity’s birth and release, which did so wound Creation deeply, that is all that you truly accomplished, outside of having your way with a woman who was unaware, on that fateful day in Eden, Lucifer.” God’s bright stare bared deeper into Lucifer’s tainted spirit than ever before. “You did not give Free Will to humans, regardless of what your delusion may tell you, for they already had it, in their ability to choose for themselves. What you spoke of and what you have deluded yourself into thinking was Free Will, and had the audacity to claim before me, the very creator of the concept, to be granting it, when otherwise their will was limited, has nothing to do with it. Knowledge can be learned and taught overtime, to give better perspective, and following my plan, it would’ve.”

“How though?” Lucifer couldn’t stop himself from asking, as he tried to digest what his father was telling him, and failed to do so, as he thought back on what he knew. “How could they be taught of it, when Evil and Sin were not a part of them, or anything else around them? How can one understand something that is not a part of them, that they’re incapable of, and which there is no example to point towards!?”

Finding his own courage, then, and ignoring the heated glares from his fellow angels, Lucifer found himself going all in with his stance, stepping forward, almost aggressively, and asking another question of the Lord, which he believed would put his father on the spot. “And while we’re on that subject of Sin and Evil, dad, if the fruit of the tree was nothing but bad news, then why did you place it there, in Eden, the first place!?”

God did not look the slightest bit troubled by this line of questioning, and He wouldn’t have been, even if He hadn’t already known it was coming, beforehand. The deity only sighing, once more, in frustration at his wayward son’s ignorance. “The First Humans may’ve been created Sinless and without Evil, but that doesn’t mean that they were incapable of it, Lucifer. For if they were, it would matter not what you said to convince Eve to partake of the apple, nor, before then, what you did to have Lilith stray from the path of righteousness, for neither would’ve happened. Both would’ve rejected such advances, no matter what you did, for even if they consciously knew not that it was wrong, instinctually, they would’ve, and yet, they did not.”

God immediately raised his hand to motion for Lucifer to stay silent, for He already knew what His son would say in response to that, as He continued.

“When I made Creation, I contained the bulk of Evil and Sin into the Forbidden Fruit tree but allowed just enough to exist beyond such a prison, for full understanding of Good’s opposite to be possible for my future creations, yet small enough that, they are at low risk of ever being swayed by it. And once understanding is reached, they could never be swayed, for they are naturally predisposed to Good, by design.” The Lord explained, shining light on how the world had been, before Evil and Sin were fully released. “For this reason, the only way any of my creations could’ve ever been swung toward the path of Evil and Sin, before the apple was partaken of, is if they were manipulated into doing so, at the early stages of their development, before they have truly bloomed into their potential, and when they were barely considered as newborns to the world.”

God’s gaze became so intense, then, upon his son, that Lucifer felt as though he was being crushed under the pressure of Creation itself, yet again. “And that is what you did, Lucifer. You were the first to give in to that which was not Good, and never realized you had, even as you involved yourself and seduced the wives of Adam unto paths promising of grandeur, only to lead them to differing kinds of damnation.”

The Lord then raised a hand, and upon His palm, appeared a crimson-skinned apple. The very same that grew from the tree of the Forbidden Fruit. “As for why I placed the tree within Eden, I believed that it was prudent to do so, for those whom I had made in my image to see, to feel, for the aura it gave off would be the first exposure to Evil and Sin. Just gazing upon it alone, was enough to bring about a sense of wrongness, of something opposite to my nature. Its purpose there, was to demonstrate to them what Evil and Sin felt like, without partaking in it, and as they gained better understanding of what is Bad, the tree and its fruit would act as the physical manifestation to assist with this. An ever-present reminder of what they ought to avoid falling prey to, so that they may stay on the path of the righteous, through their own Free Will.”

As what the Almighty said filtered through his mind, Lucifer found himself unable to fully believe in God’s words, and denied his soul, when it tried to argue he should, as he couldn’t help but wonder, if that was all true, then when exactly had he started supposedly following the path of Evil and Sin, that his father spoke of? For if it was true that one, in those days, could only fall into such a trap if they were manipulated, then who or what manipulated him? He couldn’t recall that ever happening, which only made him doubt his father more.

God saw this. He’d seen it already and knew that His son was already reforming his narrative in his head, in a way that billed Him as the liar, and almost sighed again, at the lengths the Fallen Seraph was going to deny reality.

“Back in the early days, before my departure, when I still watched over Creation and oversaw Adam and Lilith, I made one error in judgment, and that was in not keeping a closer eye on you, Lucifer.” The Lord of hosts began, reclaiming his son’s attention, as all others spectated. “You were the youngest of your kin, at the time. Not that much older than the First Humans. And looking back as I have now, I can see it, clear as the cloudless day, that from the moment you laid eyes on the First Woman, you were smitten for her, and such feelings only grew deeper, as time went on, and you interacted with her.”

God’s eyes briefly closed then, as He recounted what He had missed. “During that time, your siblings adored you, and were convinced you could do no wrong, showering you with praise for being the most beautiful of them all. The ‘youngest and brightest of Heaven’, as they’d so often call you, as well, for despite your age in comparison to your elders, you never failed to come up with one spectacular idea after another, that would always leave those around in awe, and when I was there, never failed to have me feeling the utmost of pride in you, for so splendidly living up to your potential.”

A tinge of gold coloured Lucifer’s cheeks, a bashful expression adorning him, as his soul sang with unbridled pleasure, at his father’s compliments, genuine and sincere as they were. And as the fallen angel glanced to the sky, he saw the Seraphim, Cherubim and Ophanim all holding a similar air of reminiscence to their father, thinking back to those days of old that He spoke of, which now seemed like an eternity ago, with all that’d happened since.

“I should’ve seen it, given your lack of experience back then. How it was all going to your head, and how you truly started to believe that you could do no wrong. That you knew better than all those around you. A thought process that, regretfully, your siblings only encouraged with their continued praise of you, and in their humility, admitting to their imperfections to you, they would imply, much too often, that you were without flaw. Something you would pick up on, and while at first, you listened to your virtuous soul and denied this, overtime, especially as I left, and the praise, adulation and adoration of you and your ability only intensified, with your siblings coming to see you as the closest to me, in all regards, you let yourself slip. Your siblings had unknowingly aided in fostering a detrimental ego for you.”

As God said this, the Sinners, Exorcists, Vaggie, Emily and Charlie compulsively glanced toward the elder angels of Heaven and saw how the Ophanim’s flames dimmed and eyes turned down, while the Seraphim and Cherubim bowed with shame, knowing what the Lord said to be true. None attempting to speak up and deny that, whether unintentionally or not, they’d had a hand in Lucifer becoming what he had.

“Though unintended, they manipulated you, to a degree, with their positive reinforcement of you at every turn.” The Almighty went on. “And in the process, with your desire for Lilith only growing, you increasingly started ignoring the virtuous voice in you, whenever it would speak up, that what you were doing was wrong, justifying your actions to yourself as ‘for the better’, in one way or another. Convincing yourself that with you being the ‘closest to me’, as your siblings had put it, that what you were doing had to be fine. That everything would work out well, because you knew what you were doing. And you ‘knew’ that you didn’t make mistakes. That everything you did was for the best, and that everyone would see that, just as they’d always done before.”

By magic, God made the apple replica vanish from his palm and startle Lucifer, as it appeared before him, almost mockingly so, defying gravity while reflecting his face within its clear, crimson skin. And for an instant, he saw his old visage in it, staring back. His yellow sclera and red eyes replaced by the majestic whites and blues that God had spoken of, full of a purity and grace of holiness that had long been absent from the fallen angel, along with his gorgeous halo that had long been gone from him too.

Lucifer could only feel sick to his stomach with yearning, seeing what had once been his, and what he’d had stripped from him, when the Elders of Heaven, in their wrath, had made him and Lilith be the first to Fall.

“But they did not, as you well know. Once it became clear that Lilith had been led astray, their trust in you was greatly damaged, and rightfully so, given you had caused Creation’s plan to veer off-course.” God’s eyes snapped back open then, and white flames poured forth great enough for the embers to swirl around his form. “You could not handle this, given the ego you had developed, being rejected for the first time in your existence, and so, when Eve was made to get everything back on track, once Lilith refused to return to Adam’s side, spurred on by both your wounded pride, and that of the corrupted Lilith’s, seeing herself actually being replaced, you both returned to the Garden. An event that is partially on Seraphiel’s shoulder for allowing, given that she was the one mainly overseeing Eden, at that point.”

God partially turned His head to glance at the High Seraphim in question, who reminded of potentially her greatest mistake, all those years ago, bowed even deeper, whilst muttering what may as well have been a thousand apologies to her father, for her failure in judgment.

“Even after you’d messed up the plan, despite her trust in you being struck, like everyone else’s, she still wanted to believe in you. She still wanted to believe that you had the best of intentions, and so, when you told of her that you would not cause any trouble, and if anything, would ‘make things right’, she chose to believe you, when she shouldn’t have. For when you said this, you already held the firm belief – foolish as it was – that Free Will was not the humans’ own. That the apple must be partaken of, for what you believed to be ‘true Free Will’ to be achieved. And thus, you came upon Eve, preferring her over Adam, not only because you disliked him, projecting all that you had done wrong, unto him, even back then, but also because you knew, understandably so, he would never have listened to you. Never believed your falsehoods, after you caused his and Lilith’s relationship to crumble before his very eyes. And thus, as we all know, what happened with Eve occurred, and the bright future that once could’ve been, was forever lost.”

“Bright future, huh…?” Lucifer muttered to himself, before grabbing unto the apple presented to him, and glaring at God, as he held it tightly in his grip. “You keep bringing that up, dad, but I can’t say I believe it. What’s so ‘bright’ about the future that ‘could’ve’ been, compared to the one we have now? What makes it so much better than the one I gave, which humans mishandled?”

“Have a look for yourself.” Was God’s only response to this, as he then clicked the fingers of his raised hand, causing a flash of light to emit from it, and then also Lucifer’s eyes, as his red pools suddenly glowed white, and his body stilled.

There was a moment of silence then, as whatever God was showing Lucifer, played through the fallen angel’s head. None knowing of the contents, other than God Himself, and his wayward son.

Those watching him, especially Charlie and her companions, didn’t know what to expect of this, but indubitably found themselves in stupefaction, when all of a sudden, a strangled noise broke through the Fallen Seraph’s throat, and tears began uncontrollably rolling down his cheeks.

“Th-That’s not… That can’t…” Lucifer whispered in astonishment and denial, voice teeming with emotion, at what God was making him see. “This can’t be real…”

“It isn’t son. Not anymore. Your actions made sure of that.” God replied more softly than before. “Again, what you are seeing is what could’ve been, but can never be, after what has been done.”

“No… No, no…!” Murmuring to himself in dismay, Lucifer shut his eyes, as if to reject what he was seeing, but it still continued to play in his mind, regardless. “Something that idyllic… there’s no way humans could’ve ever… There’s just no way…”

“Not with the apple’s taint, they couldn’t.” God shot back. His voice steely. “Indeed, before I came back fully, I saw what the future entailed for those poisoned by the Root’s influence, and their fate was most unpleasant.”

With another click of his fingers and a flash of light, God then showed Lucifer what would’ve been the fate of the humanity he’d ‘gifted’ the apple to. And the way Lucifer clutched his head and hissed with pain and torment, while stumbling back again, was as resounding an indication as any, of just how bad that future was.

“This, I believe, brings us back yet again to your earlier claim of Free Will, and how wrong it is. For you can see it for yourself now. Overtime, as I’ve said already, following my plan, the First Humans would’ve been taught of what Evil was, in relation to Good, to better their understanding, all without Sin and Evil being fully released from their containment, to spread throughout the Universe, for in the end, it is knowledge that can be learned. Free Will, which is the ability to make your own choices, on the other hand, cannot be learned or taught. You either have it, or you don’t. And I made sure that all of my creations had it, from their inception, for I did not wish for those I made to be devoid of the ability to think and do for themselves.” The Lord declared matter-of-factly.

Whatever vision Lucifer was being given that was ‘most unpleasant’ ended then, the glow leaving his eyes, whilst the apple he held faded away from his grip, as though never truly there, in the first place.

“The humans did not ‘mishandle’ anything, Lucifer. They were given that which they were never supposed to be, and fault cannot lie with them, for how badly it has turned out, and your attempt to pass blame on them for the evil that pervades through many and holds them captive, is nothing short of disgusting.” God growled. “And before you even think to try, no, I will not have you attempt to pass any blame on any of your fellow angels, either. Seraphiel, especially, for while she did err in her judgment, allowing you back inside the Garden, she did so, believing you had come to your senses, and neither she nor anyone else, could’ve fathomed what you were actually about to do, given how utterly vacuous it was. For while what you did with Lilith was contemptible, the incident with the apple is in a realm of its own, in terms of foolishness.”

The Almighty stepped forward again, shaking Hell once more, as he pointed at Lucifer. “You know well, my son, that there’s only one person to blame, for all that has gone wrong, in Creation. Only one person who shall shoulder it, and must humbly admit to fault before all, for what they have wrought.”

Wiping away at his face to rid himself of the tears, Lucifer pulled his gaze back down to the ground, as he shook, knowing what his father wanted.

He knew, and his soul knew what it wanted him to do, but…

Those scenes he’d just seen… honestly, given how awful humanity could be, he could see the second future occurring, but the first? No matter what way he looked at it, there’s no way he could ever see that happening, without the apple. That kind of future, it seemed much too perfect. Even if his father Himself had proclaimed that it would’ve been, had he not given humanity the apple, Lucifer just couldn’t find it in himself to believe it.

His dad had to be messing with him, because He was upset with Adam’s death. That at least made sense, and he couldn’t fault Him for it, because that ‘future’ that could’ve been, involved that asshole being half of the driving force behind what he’d seen being as great as it was, with either of the First Women spearheading the over half, alongside him.

After everything he’d seen, the idea of Adam being able to majorly contribute to the scene he’d witnessed, was nothing short of ludicrous. That oaf had done nothing but destroy everything around him and make things worse, at every turn, with his horribleness.

Eve, bless her, as great as she could be, he knew she’d agree with him, had she seen the vision he’d been given, that it was absurd. She couldn’t have made something like that happen, with humanity, and certainly not with Adam of all people, who’d have only dragged things down.

It was the same with his precious Lilith, who his heart still ached for the departure of, from his life. She, as phenomenal as she had been, as the Queen of Hell, her best efforts had only ever amounted to this terrible pit, all rings included, being barely presentable, at the best of times, with how dreadful most folks in this place were, especially the Sinners. Adam’s descendants that’d one hundred percent inherited all of his sh*tty character into themselves, instead of any of Eve, who’d unjustly, in his mind, been thrust down here.

His father may’ve spoke of her, as though she was a different entity, entirely, in the ‘Root of all Evil’, but Lucifer doubted this too. He just couldn’t help, but do so, when thinking back on her, as minus her more demonic physical traits, she’d been just as he remembered her to be, when he’d last seen her, in Eden. A beautiful being far too good for Adam, much like Lilith, and who, in the end, had preferred him too, over her ex-husband, and hadn’t been shy about singing his praises, as they ‘caught up’, letting him know, without question, he was better, and would’ve made a much better husband for her.

He didn’t doubt it. A bastard like Adam who revelled in slaughter of his own descendants, and had tried to kill his daughter, out of nothing but his own pettiness and bruised pride, was a monster. One that should’ve never made it to Heaven, for he was never deserving of such a Paradise, and which he would’ve, without hesitation, claimed to have only gotten in out of nepotism, were it not for the system being automatic and not under his fellow angels’ control.

Then again, his dad had just admitted that the system was also broken, so most likely, his getting in was a cosmic mistake of sorts. That at least, made things make a whole lot more sense to him. That guy, after all, had mishandled his Free Will more than anybody else.

Whether or not Lucifer was wrong about Free Will, made no difference to that fact, as in his mind, everything turning out as it had, it couldn’t truly be, that it was solely on his shoulders. He just couldn’t see it. After all, was it not true that none of this would’ve happened, if more foresight had been used, regarding everything?

The Fallen Seraph frowned deeply in thought, even as his soul called out for him to stop where his mind was leading to. As was always the case though, the voice went ignored, as Lucifer raised his head, and stared his father dead in the eyes again, as the Lord ceased pointing at him. His pools of red and yellow reflecting back at the Almighty the furthest thing from humbleness.

“You say only one person is to blame, dad. That all the bad that’s happened, rests solely on one person’s shoulders? I suppose, thinking on it now, you have a point. None of this would’ve happened, if things hadn’t been set up, like they were…”

“Get the f*ck outta here…” Husk winced, as he muttered lowly to himself, wide-eyed with palpable shock greater than anything he’d possibly ever felt in his existence, as he and everyone else heard what the King of Hell just said. “He’s not about to do… what I think he is, is he…?”

The cat demon was hardly the only one to catch on to what the Devil was starting to insinuate, for all the angels, Vaggie included, picked up on it, as well, leading to one of two reactions. The first, being incomprehensible disbelief that Lucifer may actually go there, while the second, was bubbling fury at the potential lead-up to a spoken blasphemy like no other.

Meanwhile, God said nothing back, though He did tilt His head slightly, whilst giving the fallen angel a stern, appraising look, as though to ask him if this was really the path he wanted to go down, as he continued.

“I wasn’t the one who planted that tree in the Garden.” Lucifer shook his head, holding God’s stare, as he forced down the terrified shakes of his body, as much as he could, as his voice rose. “I wasn’t the one who gave myself the ability to love a human, like I ended up doing with Lilith, or feel desire, like I did with Eve, to free her of her bindings and open her eyes to something better than what she was getting, just as I did with Lilith. And I certainly didn’t gift myself the Free Will to act upon it, the way I did. That was all brought about by someone else dad, who chose to make me this way!”

“Dad, no…” Charlie whispered in distress, unable to believe what she was witnessing, right now, as she clutched the book her grandpa had given her even tighter to her chest. “Y-You’re better than this… please don’t…”

It was as if the Universe itself held its breath, in that moment, as Lucifer let out a shuddering breath, his hand rising to point accusingly at the Lord, one final time. And with eyes locked on his father, for a brief instant, the Fallen Seraph hesitated, with his soul screaming out louder than it ever had before, for him to stop. For him to not utter what he was about to say. The virtuous voice pleading with him, on every level, not to take the plunge he was about to, because that side of him he’d given into all too much, all these thousands of years, refused to yield.

“It was all you, father. You made everything, as it was, allowing for this to happen. If we’re to talk of blame, and who must shoulder it, then, the one who deserves it most, out of everyone…”

Lucifer heard one last scream out from within, from his virtuous voice, begging him to halt, to humble himself, instead of walking to the end of Pride’s road, as he was about to do, and profess an accusation most profane, before his Creator. His Heavenly Father.

He did not listen.

Instead, he took the final step towards the end of that metaphorical road, and he crossed the boundary, of what many a human and many an angel, would call the point of no return.

“The one who deserves to take fault most… is you!”