Down, below the city, past the passages concealing the mutants and under the concrete bunker where Sherlock devised his next strategy the world shifted.
If you burrowed through the soil below the rock and beneath the moving plates linking continents like a jigsaw you would discover more, than just magma. You would expose a realm. A domain where natural laws ceased to function, where heat could liquefy flesh and bone immediately and where the darkness murmured hidden truths of disintegrating sanity.
There was a throne here.
It wasn't a throne crafted from gold or plush velvet. Rather it was formed from the planet's bones situated at the heart of a stronghold forged from fire and shadows. This was the seat of the being that the world dreaded above all.
LUCIFER.
He rested on the throne, one leg draped over the other appearing unconcerned. To a spectator he could pass as a man clad in a suit the type that exceeds the price of a home but his aura was commanding. It weighed heavily on the atmosphere as if a force amplified a thousandfold. He was the King of Hell sovereign of evil, insanity and ruin.
Within the throne chamber the heat was searing. The atmosphere wavered, heavy with the scent of sulfur and charred ozone. This heat surpassed anything on Earth. A normal human present would instantly turn to vapor. However the beings inhabiting the space horned demons and spirits drifting in the shadows—felt no agony, from the blistering flames touching their skin. For them it was simply their surroundings.
Lucifer tapped his fingers rhythmically on the thrones armrest.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The noise reverberated across the chamber drowning out the cries of the tormented.
Next, to the throne was seated a woman..... At least she appeared to be one for the majority of the time.
"Lilith " Lucifer said. His tone was cold, profound and earnest. It did not roar like a storm; rather it sliced through the clamor sharply like a knife.
Lilith approached him. She was undeniably captivating. Her charm was designed to entice, to ensnare and draw souls into bargains they would eventually rue. As she shifted her figure shimmered. It resembled a glitch in a video game. One moment she looked like a woman, in a gown, the next her skin turned clear unveiling the gleaming white bones underneath.
This is how she was created. She functioned as the Death Guide, leading souls, into the abyss.
"Yes my Lord?" Lilith answered. Her voice was calm laced with a hint she couldn't hide. It was an element of her strength.
She observed him intently. Her heart. The ghostly force pulsating within her chest quivered. She had adored him for years. It was a concealed feeling, veiled beneath her devotion. She understood Lucifer did not desire her romantically. He craved power. He sought a lasting impact. She kept silent restraining herself from revealing her emotions to the Lord.
She believed he was already aware. He was Lucifer, the entirety. He held the understanding of all things.
Lucifer exhaled deeply a stream of smoke drifting from his mouth. His gaze remained locked on the molten river streaming, beside the throne room's staircase.
"I require a child " he declared, his gaze tightening. "A princess. A spirit to amuse Hell. Someone to govern with spite when I am… otherwise engaged."
He rose, his presence commanding the space. The shadows appeared to reach out to him wrapping around his legs. "Humanity grows stronger. The mutants grow bolder. I require a successor who moves between both realms."
Lilith interlaced her fingers. The joints, on her hands produced a clicking sound. She had been anticipating the moment to talk uncertain if it had come yet compelled to continue.
"Certainly my Lord " she replied, moving nearer, to the throne. "I possess information for you."
Lucifer gradually shifted his gaze. He despised events. Those moments were often tedious or irritating. "Talk."
Lilith inhaled deeply. She braced herself for the blast.
She declared, "Your son has passed away."
The quiet that ensued was more overpowering, than any shout.
For a moment nothing occurred. Lucifer just stared at her his expression inscrutable. Then fury erupted.
It wasn't a shout. It was a quake.
Lucifers expression contorted with rage. The earth, under their feet broke apart. CRACK! An enormous crack tore through the throne rooms floor tiles. The stone pieces broke as if glass broken by a hammer. Molten lava erupted from the crevices bubbling and blazing with fire.
The whole area trembled intensely.
Lilith hesitated. The ground beneath her moved, leaning perilously toward the lava. She lost her grip her hands reaching desperately for anything to grab. She was seconds, from plunging.
Whoosh.
Right before she reached the ground Lucifer materialized. He immediately teleported, appearing behind her. His hand, firm and scorching clasped her back to keep her steady.
For a moment she remained enclosed in his embrace. Her heart pounded within her chest. He had rescued her.. When her gaze met his face there was no hint of tenderness. Only terrifying fury.
"How is it possible to call this news!" yelled Lucifer.
His voice did more than reverberate within the chamber it resounded across Hell itself. It thrummed through the walls dislodging dust from the ceiling. Lesser demons fled, shielding their ears and shrinking into the shadows, paralyzed by their Kings fury.
He assisted Lilith to stand his eyes shining faintly like fading stars. "My son is gone? You just stand there grinning?"
Lilith adjusted her dress. Gathered her composure. She realized it was necessary to clarify things before he caused ruin to the palace.
"My Lord this is news " Lilith announced, her tone firm, amidst the surrounding turmoil.
Lucifer looked at her with anticipation. The atmosphere surrounding him buzzed with energy.
As Lilith kept moving beside the fissure in the ground she stated, "Your daughter, Chloe remains alive. This catastrophe was necessary, for her."
Lucifer paused. The trembling of the ground ceased. "Clarify."
"Your daughter presently has the chance to realize her potential " Lilith declared, a smile pulling at the edges of her lips. "She can explore her self."
Lucifer cocked his head to the side. He moved backward toward his throne crossing the lava without a glance. "How?"
"Grief " Lilith replied plainly. "Your daughter laments the loss of her brother. She witnessed his death. She believes he is truly gone." Lilith's gaze sharpened. "Pain is the spark, my Lord. Joy weakens people. It fosters complacency. Suffering? Rage? Grief? These shatter boundaries. They might unlock abilities she has never imagined."
Lucifer leaned further into his throne. Resting a hand against his chin he pondered her remarks. The fury engraved on his face dissolved transforming into an expression of deep thought.
He glanced at Lilith. He was genuinely astonished by her skills. She was correct. A joyful child wasn't what he desired. He required an one.. Nothing fostered toughness, like the lack of an one.
"She is going to be shattered " Lucifer murmured, a sly smile creeping onto his lips. "She'll be furious, with everyone. She'll seek vengeance."
"Precisely " Lilith murmured.
"Once she arrives she will reign over Hell alongside me " Lucifer declared, his tone growing more animated. A sinister plan was taking shape in his thoughts. "She is ill prepared. Innocent. Unstable. If I summon her now she will shatter."
He tapped his fingers over and over.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Initially Lucifer declared, his smile broadening, "She has to attend a school. A specific location. In another dimension.".
Lilith arched an eyebrow. Her trembling eased. "The academy, for witches and wizards you mention my Lord?"
"Yes."
Lilith paused. "Well… she's not a witch " Lilith explained. "She's a demon princess. She carries your bloodline. Wouldn't she seem… out of place?"
Lucifer chuckled quietly. It was a noise. "No. That is the intention. I want her to doubt herself more. I want her to face challenges. I want her to find her identity independently without my guidance."
He rose, lifting his hand higher toward the throne room ceiling. In his palm a vortex of energy emerged, spinning purple and black like a galaxy.
"Take her away " Lucifer ordered, his tone firm and commanding. "Unlock the portal. Transport her to that domain. Allow the witches to instruct her in control… Once she understands that their sorcery pales against the blaze, within her… then will she be prepared, for me."
Lilith inclined herself respectfully. "I am, at your command, my Lord."
Lucifer gazed into the shadows imagining his daughter. Chloe. Did she believe her struggles stemmed from the prison? From the agents? From losing her brother?
She was completely unaware. Her adventure was only starting.
TO BE CONTINUED