Chapter Text
*Hell Feb 20. 2019*
You could hear a pin drop with how quiet the street was. My heart beat rapidly against my chest, adrenalin and magic pulsed in my veins as I kept a soft smirk on my face.
Lucifer glares at me with such loud hatred it would send most of the bravest overlords tripping over their tails to get away. Me? I just hold his gaze with taunting silence.
He takes a step off the sidewalk onto the street that separates us. I mock his movements. As I set down the curve, my bones shift as my form changes to its more wendigo appearance. The king shakes his head with disappointment.
"I really thought you'd have moved on by now, y/n." He simply shrugs, "But threatening the safety of my daughter is one of your dumbest moves yet. What are you trying to get at?"
My smile reveals sharp teeth as I look down at the king, "I simply wish for peace. I want to relax on a large chair. And watch the sun rise red as blood." I'm a good head taller than Lucifer when I reach the center of the street. "I want to put you on your knees in front of me, begging for mercy. I want to watch you try and reason with the humanity you think I have left." Lucifer stiffens so slightly I almost missed it. "But most of all Luci, I want to lay my family to rest."
Lucifer raises an unamused eyebrow and grows in height to appear taller than me. "You don't know who you're crossing little doe." he hisses.
I chuckle a little, "There is nothing you can take from me that I have not already lost 80 years ago." My bone crack as they shift beneath my skin. "Threats only work when you've got something to lose. And unfortunately you've already taken everything from me." I step backward away from the king. Dark purple light swirls in my eyes for a brief moment before disappearing. "But you've got a lot to lose. Don't you... your highness."
Lucifer charges at me with a blade drawn. A large smile decorates my face as I use my enhanced speed to dodge his attack. He whips around to attack again, and I raise my scythe to block it. The clash of metal against metal echoes down the empty street.
I spin my scythe and manage to land a small cut on Lucifer's cheek. He smiles as he steps back and wipes the blood.
"After all that talk was was expecting more." The king smiles, "You're still as disappointing as I remember." He uses his magic to pull a large chunk of cement from the ground. The chunk floats there like a bobber on the water before the king throws it in my direction.
I spin my scythe in front of me. The blade cuts through the rock like warm butter. The pieces land on either side of me. Lucifer just smirks and picks up both pieces to throw at me.
I continue to cut the pieces as Lucifer throws the smaller and smaller pieces at me. Soon it's just gravel and sand at my feet. Lucifer uses his magic to create a dust screen from the sand at my feet.
Tears well in my eyes a bit as the dust clouds them. I blink my eyes clearly and search around for the hiding king.
"And you're still as cowardly as I remember." I call out. In the corner of my eye, I see a dark shape move in the dust. I spin my scythe like a fan, and all the dust flies in Lucifer's direction. I charge forward, and he blocks my attack with his sword. "What kind of king spends years hiding behind his walls in fear of one of his subjects?" I ask, judgment dripping from my words.
Lucifer shoves me off, "It was not fear little y/n. I was simply reveling in the anguish I brought you. Your temper tantrums are most entertaining." He swings his sword in a slashing motion even though I'm not in range. A trail of dark red aura follows the curve of the swing.
I hold my arm up as purple covers my skin. The red makes contact with the purple and fades away. "I'll make you regret that anguish." I hiss.
Lucifer smirks, "I doubt that." I swing at him, but my blade cuts through nothing but golden streaks of light. The bastard teleported. My ears flick to the sound of movement behind me. I whip around and block the attack Lucifer sent my way.
My breath hitches when I feel a second blade slip past my guard and enter my stomach. Lucifer wrenches the knife out and stabs it in my chest, hitting my heart. Black ink-like blood pours from both wounds. He shoves me away, leaving the blade embedded in my flesh. I stumble backward as my scythe falls from my hands. My knees grow weak before I fall down to them. I feel the gravel under my knees digging into my skin.
"It's a shame." Lucifer wipes his blade off as he walks closer to me. "I really believed at one point we could have been better friends. We're very alike, you and I." He stands before me with his sword raised to cut my head off. "Goodbye, my friend."
As he swings his blade down, I reach my hand up and catch it between my claws. Lucifer looks startled as he tries to pull the blade out of my grip but fails.
"We were never friends, Lucifer. I was always just a pawn to you." I push myself to my feet with the blade still stuck in my grip. "A piece in the game you played." I hold it over my head as I stand face-to-face with Lucifer. "Another sinner for you to torment to your heart's desire." My voice begins distorting the air around us. "You should have picked someone else to entertain you."
"You should be dead." Lucifer snarls, "I pierced your heart."
I laugh lowly, "For you to hit my heart, I must have a heart." I tighten my grip on the blade, and it shatters. "And you cut mine out years ago." I hum, and the broken blade pieces float in the air around me. I kick Lucifer in the chest to send him stumbling back before I cast the shards after him coated in dark purple mist.
Lucifer uses his blood-red magic to create a shield to block all the shards. All the pieces embed themselves in the magic barrier. I notice Lucifer's eyes dart down to the purple coating the blades. His eyes widen as he looks back at me.
"Souls." He mutters.
I reach up and grab the hilt of the dagger still embedded in my chest. I pull it out slowly as more black ink blood spills from the hole. Dark purple swirls beneath my skin, and the wound is no more.
More of the purple aura swirls around my neck, protecting it from the magic Lucifer used in our first fight to cut off my airflow from a far.
I spin the dagger in my hand and step toward Lucifer, who has taken down his shield. The air grows heavy as I begin humming. Lucifer summons another sword.
"I wake up to the sounds of the silence that allows
For my mind to run around with my ear up to the ground~"
Lucifer swings at me, but I teleport the same as he had, so his blade cuts through empty air.
"I'm searching to behold the stories that are told
When my back is to the world that was smiling when I turned~"
Lucifer spins around as I appear behind him. Using the hilt of the dagger, I bash him across the head, causing a second cut to begin dripping blood on his face. He wipes the blood and glares at me. "You'll regret that." He hisses.
I laugh and shake my head as more purple energy swirls in the air around me.
"Tell you you're the greatest
But once you turn, they hate us~"
He teleports toward me, and I duck out of the way of his swing. I spin and elbow him in the cheek.
"Oh, the misery
Everybody wants to be my enemy
Spare the sympathy
Everybody wants to be my enemy~"
I teleport out of Lucifer's grip and hover above the ground a few feet away. Look out for yourself~ The purple aura pulses around me.
"My enemy~"
I send a wave of energy his way, and he draws up another shield for the aura to crash against. Look out for yourself~ The aura is relentless against the shield. It seeps into it and destroys it from within.
"But I'm ready~"
The shield explodes, causing Lucifer to get pushed back a bit. He meets my gaze with murder in his eyes.
"Your words up on the wall as you're praying for my fall
And the laughter in the halls and the names that I've been called
I stack it in my mind and I'm waiting for the time
When I show you what it's like to be words spit in a mic~"
His own power builds around him as he teleports at me in a blinding flash of red magic. I raise my hands, and his attack gets halted a few inches from my face. The purple aura surrounded me like a shield. I can see in his eyes: Lucifer is getting annoyed with the mimicry.
"Tell you you're the greatest
But once you turn, they hate us~"
I cast a large explosion of aura between us, causing us to both get knocked through the sky. I glance over where Lucifer should be; only he isn't there.
A second later, I feel his hand around my neck as he shoots us into the sky. His grip tightens as he tries to stop my voice. However, even up here, the air is still thick with my power. The black ink from my scar spills out to cover his hand. I grab his wrist and push him off me.
"Oh, the misery
Everybody wants to be my enemy
Spare the sympathy
Everybody wants to be~"
Lucifer grunts in pain as the ink burns his hands.
"My enemy~"
I twirl the dagger in my hand before teleporting behind the king. Look out for yourself~ I draw the blade lightly across his neck.
"My enemy~"
My voice is right next to his ear. He flinches and swings around to hit me, but I'm already gone. Look out for yourself~
"They say pray it away
I swear, I'll never be a saint, no way
A chair in the corner is my place I'll stay
I shakе and I think about the powers at play, the powеrs at play~"
I put my hands together for a thunderous clap before slowly pulling them apart as dark purple power builds between them.
"And the kids at the dark are doomed from the start
They shout at the dark, with the face to the pavement
Oh what a statement!
Love is embracement
Love is a constant
Love is the basis~"
With each word, the spell builds. Lucifer stares me down as he readies himself to dodge. I raise an eyebrow in challenge.
"He cannot be, she cannot be, they cannot be changed
But keep on praying~"
The spell releases from my hands and disappears. Lucifer smiles as if nothing seems to happen. A look of shock passes my features, and Lucifer laughs. The shock on my face fades away to a smirk. With a tilt of my head, my figure disappears. The king whips around as the illusion disappears.
Behind Lucifer, the real spell streaks toward his back.
"Goodbye~"
Lucifer is barely able to dodge. A good portion of the spell connects with his back and sends him flying through the sky.
"Oh, the misery
Everybody wants to be my enemy
Spare the sympathy
Everybody wants to be my enemy~"
I teleport over to him with the dagger ready. We collide and begin to plummet toward the ground below. I shove the purple-coated dagger into his side. He hisses in pain.
"Oh, the misery
Everybody wants to be my enemy
Spare the sympathy
Everybody wants to be my enemy~"
As we get closer to the ground, I push myself away from Lucifer and use my power to slow my descent. Lucifer, however, crashes straight into the ground.
"Pray it away, I swear I'll never be a Saint, no way~"
My feet touch the ground as Lucifer pulls himself out of the small crater. My enemy~ He pulls out the dagger only for it to shatter in his hands.
"Pray it away, I swear I'll never be a Saint~"
I summon my scythe, and Lucifer pulls yet another blade out of thin air. The king dashes forward toward me with more speed than I thought. Look out for yourself~ With a spin of my weapon; I push myself forward to meet him, the ground cracking a bit under my feet as I do.
We clash, and I feel my scythe crack slightly under the pressure. I send more of the aura to reinforce it and notice that I'm starting to feel weaker.
I'm running out of juice.
But I'm so close. Lucifer is hurt badly. Despite how hard he tries to hide it. He's bleeding a lot, and his moves are becoming sloppier. I just need to wear him down a little more. I notice we're in the courtyard of his house/castle. Perfect.
Without him noticing, I teleport the both of us to the throne room, where he's humiliated me countless times. It's poetic that our end shall be in here.
I teleport out of Lucifer's grasp to flip us around. I've now got the blade of my scythe to his throat. My eyes barely flicker to the echoes on the wall. They both silently nod their heads; it's time.
The spell I have in mind for finally beating this tyrant isn't all that complicated. The hard part is getting Lucifer wound down enough for me to create the cage without him noticing.
But I think he's getting there.
I whistle sharply, causing a large burst of energy to push the king away from me. At the same time, I send some of the "borrowed" souls to the echoes. They peel away from the wall, becoming 3D as they do. The three of us surround Lucifer, but he hasn't seemed to notice the shadows behind him.
The echoes kneel down and begin drawing on the floor around Lucifer. They draw different runes and symbols while I send another blast of magic toward the king.
Lucifer tosses up his shield to take the blow. He smirks as he watches most of the purple aura fade away while the rest returns to me. "You've got to be running out by now, y/n. You've used a lot of souls already." He sends back his own version of my blast.
Duck out of the way instead of using a shield to block it; that would waste more souls. I risk a glance behind Lucifer to see that the echoes are almost done with the runes. I just need one more thing.
"Is that way you're keeping your distance now, y/n. Scared. After all that big talk I expected more from you, honestly." Lucifer calls.
"You've already called me disappointing." I teleport closer to the king in a flash of purple. "You should get more creative." I state as I appear right in his face. Quick as a blink, my hand is latched to the collar of his shirt so he can't pull away.
My claws glow purple as I lengthen them. As I pull Lucifer closer to me with one hand, I thrust the other into his abdomen. He coughs as my hand is quickly covered in blood. I pull out my hand to see a large amount of blood completely covering my skin.
Before I can react, Lucifer swipes across my face with claws of his own. Blood fills my mouth, and I feel skin tear all along my cheek. I stumble back a bit as my non-coated hand comes up to feel my cheek. The skin is shredded. My face is warm and slick with blood.
Lucifer grabs my scythe, which I left discarded by his feet, and stabs me through the chest with enough force to send me flying back into a wall. I groan as the pain spreads throughout my body.
Behind Lucifer, the echoes are done with the runes. Both glare at the king with a burning hatred. With one note from my lips, the shadows are attacking Lucifer. He pushes them off and tries to hit them, but his attacks just phase right through. However, with a bit more magic, Lucifer is able to knock both echoes into a wall and pin them there.
Lucifer glares at me as I stand, the scythe still sticking out of my wound. Black ink drips from my scar to cover the weapon. The scythe turns black and is absorbed back into my body as part of me. Yet the hole it created remains. Mine and the king's blood drip from my hands, mixing on the ground below.
"I told you long ago that you would regret fucking with my family." I state. While we lock eyes, I begin drawing the runes on the ground with my foot. "I begged for you to stop but you didn't listen to me."
"Why would I listen to you, huh?" Lucifer holds one hand to his abdomen. "You were just a weak sinner new in town. What weight did your threats carry?" Blood spills between his fingers as he glares at me. "You are nothing!" Blood shoots from his lips as he spits his insults.
I finish the last part of the rune. "You're right. I am nothing." I accept with a shrug of my shoulders. "But what does that make you?" I ask.
"I am a king!" Lucifer shouts as he takes a step toward me.
"Are you?" I hold my hand out, letting Lucifer's blood drip off it and onto the runes at my feet.
Lucifer watches as the blood hits the runes drawn on the floor. The lines begin to glow and reach out for the other two areas of runes. The three spots connect and begin glowing vibrantly. I cast down every last bit of dark aura I have left into the runes. The king tries to break the lines, but he cannot. He tries to step over them but cannot do that either. Only the caster has the ability to rewrite the runes.
And I am in no mood to do so.
Chains coated with a f/c glow begin to snake their way toward Lucifer. They grab at his ankles as he tries to kick them off. He screams in rage as they continue to wrap around him, forcing him to his knees. The chains wrap around him tightly like coiling snakes and begin to pulse with light.
His screams turn to ones of pain as the chains begin to drain him of his power, feeding it to the runes painted on the floor. The king seems to shrink in size as the chains work like leches.
"I've told you before that a king is nothing without his crown. Without his power." I squat down in front of him with a smirk on my face. "I asked you what would happen if someone took the crown from you." I grab his chin and force him to look at me. "Shall we find out?"
In response to my voice, the chains work faster, draining more power from the king. His cheeks begin to sink as his skin is pulled taunt over his bones.
"S-stop! Stop this!" Lucifer shouts.
"You want this to stop then beg. Beg for your power. Beg for your crown. Beg for your life." I command.
"To you? Never." Lucifer spits.
"Very well." The chains tighten and begin burning his skin as well. The angry red color appears everywhere the metal makes contact with his skin. The smell of burning flesh begins to float around the room.
I pick some of the blood from my nails as I listen to Lucifer's pain. He lasts a good minute longer than I anticipated before his voice breaks through the string of curses.
"Fine! Fine. You win. You win, y/n. You win. You've proven your point. What do you want? You want your mother back? Your brother? I can do that! I can bring them back for you. I'll do anything." Lucifer says.
I stare at him before laughing. "Oh Luci." The chains flare hot again before settling. "I already told you. Beg, not bargain." I tsk like a school teacher reminding a student.
There is hatred so raw behind his eyes as Lucifer meets my gaze. But I do not waver. There is little he can do in a position such as this. What little power he's so desperately trying to cling to is quickly draining away. I know it.
And so does he.
His expression wavers before falling to that of defeat and pain. "Please. I beg you. Make it stop. Please. I'll give you whatever you want. Just please, I beg you. Make it stop. I beg you, please."
It brings the largest smile to my face when I see a tear slip down his cheek. I lean down to whisper in his ear. "Can I make it stop? Yes. Will I?" There's a pause as I pull away slightly to look into his eyes. "Never in a thousand life times." I hiss.
Lucifer's eyes widen.
He thrashes around, trying to break free, but the more he struggles, the tighter the chains become. With one last ditch effort, Lucifer attempts to throw himself at me.
I merely take a step back, and he falls on his face.
The chains dull as the last of his power is stripped from him. "Ain't it fun Lucifer? Now you're just as powerless as the rest of your subjects." I mock.
The echoes return to me from the wall, and Lucifer seems to recognize them before they fade into my skin once again. My wounds heal nicely as my voice begins to bounce around us.
"I don't mind
Letting you down easy, but just give it time
If it don't hurt now then just wait, just wait a while~"
The darkness on my forearms crawls up my skin more as my powers work on fixing the four large gashes in my cheek.
"You're not the big fish in the pond no more~"
I make Lucifer look up at me to see my smile.
"You are what they're feeding on
So what are you gonna do
When the world don't orbit around you?
So what are you gonna do
When the world don't orbit around you?~"
I step away from Lucifer, and the runes begin to glow again.
"Ain't it fun?
Living in the real world
Ain't it good?
Being all alone~"
Slowly the bars of a cage begin to form around him, made from his own blood and magic. Nothing can break them.
"Where you're from~"
I gesture to a painting behind us of Lucifer on his throne with a dark crown of spikes on his head.
"You might be the one who's running things
Where you can ring anybody's bell and get what you want
See it's easy to ignore trouble~"
I turn to Lucifer with a grin as the same crown in the painting appears above my brow, nestled between my antlers. I can feel a new type of power settle under my skin after the crown settles. A power potent enough to crack the very ground beneath our feet with just the wave of a hand. The power of a king.
"When you're living in a bubble
So what are you gonna do
When the world don't orbit around you?
So what are you gonna do
When nobody wants to fool with you?~"
The healing process speeds up greatly as my new magic mixes with my blood. Very soon, only scars remain of the damage that was done to my face. And even then, they are only thin lines of light grey.
"Ain't it fun?
Living in the real world~"
Lucifer stands up and tries to get past the steadily growing cage, but the metal burns him as he gets too close.
"Ain't it good?
Being all alone?~"
Behind us, the painting begins to burn away.
"Ain't it good to be on your own?
Ain't it fun? You can't count on no one
Ain't it good to be on your own?
Ain't it fun? You can't count on no one~"
The black blood from my scar covers me again, and changes my outfit to one fit for a queen.
(Ideas for the outfit because I couldn't choose just one)
"Ain't it fun?
Living in the real world~"
I step up to the bars of the cage and pass right through them. I can feel the hate and rage flowing off the once-king.
"Don't go crying to your papa
'Cause you're on your own in the real world~"
My voice echoes around us as I take a step toward Lucifer. He takes a step back. I laugh and a silver chain appears in my hands, the other end of it connecting to silver cuffs around Lucifer's wrists. I yank the chain hard to pull him forward. He stumbles over his feet and nearly falls down again before coming to a stop in front of me. "Oh how the mighty do fall." I laugh.
"Ain't it fun, ain't it fun?
Luci, now you're one of us
Ain't it fun, ain't it fun?
Ain't it fun?~"
My voice forces him down to his knees again. He tries to resist it, but the weight of my power snaps one of his knees, so he quickly falls, shouting in pain.
"Ain't it fun?
Living in the real world
Ain't it good?
Being all alone~"
I step out of the cage just as it finishes building. The metal glows brightly before dimming. As Lucifer tries to get close to the bars, the ones near him begin glowing and only stop once he's moved away.
"Ain't it fun living in the real world?~"
I turn my back to the cage as I stride toward the throne that reshapes itself to my liking. I summon a scroll to send to Stitches, telling her to meet me here.
"Don't go crying to your papa
'Cause you're on your own in the real world
Don't go crying to your papa
'Cause you're on your own in the real world~"
My steps click like always as I climb the small number of steps to the throne. My voice echoes in the large chamber. I feel the coolness of the throne beneath my fingertips as I run my hand along the armrests.
My voice echoes around us. It rebuilds the room, fixing the damage our fight caused. Magic floats around the cage before dragging it toward the base of the throne. The floor below shifts and cracks as it opens up to reveal a perfect-sized slot for the cage.
Lucifer stares me down with what dignity he can muster as the cage is slowly lowered into the floor.
"Sweet dreams, your highness." I call after him when the cage jolts to a stop.
Once again, the floor cracks and shifts, only this time, it rebuilds itself over top of the cage. When it's done, the floor reflects the ceiling above. I stand in front of the throne, admiring the room as it changes.
The paintings burn. Colors change. Every bit of decoration belonging to that once-king changes to fit my wishes. As the throne room settles, the magic moves on to fix the rest of the castle. I can feel the slight rumble and hear the noises as the rooms change.
The doors at the end of the throne room open. Stitches looks around in awe at the room. Her smile widens when she sees me. "Your highness." She throws themselves into a low curtsy before straightening up. "I love what you've done with the place." they compliment.
"Welcome to a new age, Stitches." I smile. "You are hereby under the queen's protection." I wave my hand and a sigil appears on their clothes. "Do what you will with the rest of your afterlife and spread the word. A new queen has won her crown."
Stitches smiles widely and does a little bow before flying out of the room. As the doors swing shut behind the excitable bat demon, I feel four familiar auras floating on the air around me.
I cast my glance to the barren wall to the right of the throne. The echoes appear before me, painted against the stone. Alastor and Harley stare at me with prideful smiles on their faces. Two more echoes join them, Mom and Dan. I step down the stairs and approach the wall before letting the shadows peel themselves from it.
"You can rest now if that is what you wish." I say to the echoes.
They look among themselves with silent conversation. The echo of my mother steps forward first. She puts her arms around me, and though there is no warmth in her embrace, the feel of her arms around me one last time is soothing. She places her hand on my cheek as she steps away. Her thumb traces the new scars, but her smile doesn't fall. She mouths the words 'I love you' before her shadow begins to fade away.
Dan steps forward next. He places his hand on my shoulder as he's done countless times before. He gives a large smile and nods his head. As he opens his mouth, I can imagine the sound of his voice, 'You did good kid.' Dan gives my shoulder a good squeeze before his shadow fades away as well.
Harley throws herself at me. Her arms wrapped around my neck in a tight hug. When she pulls away, there is a large smile on her face. She holds my hands in hers as her shadow begins to fade. 'Don't forget me.' she mouths with a smile.
I could never forget a friend like her.
Only one echo remains, Alastor. He steps forward. My gaze raises only slightly as I meet his eyes. There's a soft smile on his lips as he pulls me into a hug. I close my eyes and, just for a moment, pretend we're both human, well, and alive. Memories flash across my vision. The two of us dancing in the rain to imaginary music, splashing in puddles, and running through mud. We're climbing trees and tossing stones into streams. Happy memories.
When we pull apart, there is warmth in his touch but not much. I reach up and tousle his hair just as I did when we were young. His laugh is silent. Al takes a breath before stepping away from me, 'goodbye, sister.'
His smile never falters as his shadow begins to fade away until there is nothing left. There is no pain in my heart when I feel I am alone. My family is at rest now.
On the ground where each echo stood, a flower lay in their place. Four perfect crimson-colored roses. With a wave of my hand, a pedestal with a vase appears. I bend down to pick up each flower, and they change in my hand. A pink carnation, a purple iris, a vibrant zinnia, and finally purple hyacinth.
One by one, I place the new flowers in the elegant vase. The colors are vibrant and beautiful; I simply don't want to look away. But there is work yet to be done. I step away from the vase and toward the center of the room.
My mind drifts to Charlie and her little hotel. Then it drifts to the memory of Lucifer and Al making the deal, causing Alastor to be bound to Hell for the rest of his afterlife.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I can feel the very thing that makes up this afterlife. I am connected to Hell as its new queen. I can feel the network of power flowing down from me to overlords to regular sinners. But beneath all that, I feel a curse. A hex-like power tainting every soul damned to this place.
There is no escape from Hell, and that's how Lucifer wanted it. More demons in his kingdom, more power in his blood. More control he held over the sinners.
I am not Lucifer.
With the new power building under my skin, I take down the hex keeping all demons stuck in Hell. I know it doesn't make up for the pain my betrayal most likely caused Charlie, but at least now her little dream can become a reality, redemption.
When I open my eyes again, the sky outside the windows seems lighter. A soft smile decorates my lips as I turn away and stride over to my throne, my shoes clicking along the floor. I step up to the large chair before turning and sitting in it.
I may not be a tyrant like Lucifer, but I sure as fuck will never be a benevolent queen. Blood will still be spilled. Pain still delt. Laws limited. This is still Hell.
I will very much enjoy watching the overlords kill each other for a piece of my previous territory. Little will change down here in Hell. But the freedom of choice will now be granted to all denizens. Let them work for redemption and see if they make it.
If they don't: failure is still entertaining.
"Settle in sinners! Hell's under new management."
~End~