Lucifer went straight to the Dream Realm to get some answers from that windbag, Morpheus, but when he arrived, he found the palace reduced to ashes, the gardens destroyed, the slaves dead, and the man himself nowhere in sight. The same went for the Blood Countess. He promptly returned to the Circles, expecting to find Bathory in her chambers, but she wasn't there either. He went from door to door until he came upon little Kitty Howard.

"Katheryn, have you seen Bathory?" he asked.

"Yes, she returned some time ago with Lucrezia Borgia."

"What, with Borgia's sister?"

Katheryn nodded. "I found it strange since you hadn't told me you were planning to reunite Cesare with her, so I followed Bathory afterwards. She entered the Angel of Death's chamber. He came some moments later. I lingered to see if they came out, but they didn't."

Lucifer immediately left to check on his son, but found his room empty. He did notice the bloodied dagger on the table and the arrow shafts on the ground. Bathory must have been wounded in the fight at the Dream Realm after all. But why come to Samael to lick her wounds?
Suddenly, Lucifer noticed the sheets and pillows in disarray on the bed. Had Samael... with Bathory? Surely not! Then a terrible thought occurred to Lucifer. Did she know who Samael truly was? Was she planning something, using his son to get to him?

Damn that witch! What did she do to you, Samael?

When Lucifer tried to summon Bathory to him again, his amulet burned his chest. He hissed at the sensation. Someone was calling out to him. He gasped when he heard Margaret's panicked voice ringing through his mind, as clearly as if she were standing next to him, pleading urgently for help. Lucifer did not waste another second and opened a portal that brought him straight to her. His wife stood outside a hovel and ran to him as soon as she saw him. 

"Lucifer, thank God you came!" She fell into his arms. "I've been calling Samael, but it was taking too long! I didn't know what else to do!"

Lucifer shushed her and glanced around. What the hell was Margaret doing at Pergamum?

"Marina, how did you get here?" he asked. "What's going on?"

"It's Joan. Her water broke; she's in labour. Lucifer, we cannot let her give birth here. You have to take her away right now."

"You know it's dangerous to move her once labour starts. I arranged for Joan to give birth here, so you should have everything you need. You can —"

"Lucifer, listen to me, please," insisted Margaret. "If you let the baby be born here, it will become a vessel for darkness. Look around you. Everything that grows here lives in utter decay."

"Marina, this baby is a raw force of pure goodness. If Joan delivers at any random place, that energy will wipe out everything in a five-mile radius. The forces here will balance that energy."

"If that's the only reason, then why not the Circles?!"

When Lucifer opened his mouth to speak, he came to realise something. Why not the Circles? That had been the plan, hadn't it? Six hundred years ago, when he learned of God's intentions for Gabriël and Joan (which had regrettably also led to the quick disposal of the spy he'd placed on Adam's Peak), he had carefully designed every aspect. Gabriël was always the soft one, letting his heart lead him. It was only a matter of time before he would be drawn to Joan and she to him. To immortal beings, time meant nothing. Time and patience were all they had.
It had been such a simple plan; once the two came together, he could set the pieces in motion so Michael would be forced to take action against his best friend and confidant. Joan and Gabriël would be taken to the Circles the moment they set foot on Earth, and God's perfect family would become the weapon of Michael's demise. So when had that changed? When had the most important part of the plan been altered, where the sweet lovers would forever be tied to him and the Circles through the birth of their child?

"What of Pergamum?"

"Pergamum? That place is rotten to its very foundations, Samael. How do you even know of it?"

"Countess Bathory told me of it when I brought her down. She said it was her deepest regret that she could never travel there to give thanks for the powers you gave her."

"Hmph, those are nothing compared to what lies buried in Pergamum. It is the cradle of darkness in the Mortal Realm, almost equal to the Circles."

"Precisely. Father, we speak of a child conceived in the Vale and sired by an Archangel. If Joan is brought here to deliver, the darkness may consume the child, just as it almost did me. If we want it to tap into the gifts God will undoubtedly bestow upon it, it must have a sliver of light left."

"You forget one thing, Samael; light casts shadows about. And in shadows lies even greater darkness sometimes. So, no, I do not believe Pergamum is a good idea."

"I trust your judgement. Forgive me. I only meant to help."

"I know, and I appreciate it, son. Hm, I... I suppose I could rethink it."

Samael... Samael had been the one to suggest Pergamum after Bathory had mentioned it to him. And both were now missing. If there was one thing the Devil did not believe in, it was coincidences.
Lucifer looked over Margaret's head toward the hovel. Pergamum had always seemed like a bad idea, but Samael had convinced him it was for the baby's sake. Now, he wasn't so sure about his son's motives anymore.

"Do we still have time to move her safely?" Lucifer asked Margaret.

"Not much." Her eyes pleaded to make the right decision.

"Very well. Go inside and tell Joan. I'll come and help you once I've opened a portal to my chamber in the Circles."

"Isabelle and I can manage."

Lucifer grabbed hold of her wrist, forcing Margaret to stay put before she could run inside. She raised a brow at her husband's surprised expression.

"Isabelle? As in Joan's mother? What is she doing here?"

"Samael brought her like you asked him to," she said, confused at the question. "You wanted us to deliver Joan's baby together, didn't you?"

"What? No, I never told Samael to bring anyone here," said Lucifer.

"But... h-he came to me when the fighting in the Circles started and said you told him to take me to where Isabelle was waiting. He was going to get Joan next because she was close to giving birth."

"Borgia was supposed to get Joan out of the Dream Realm! I never even saw Samael!"

"I-I don't understand. Why... Why would he lie?"

Lucifer's entire body went numb. His heart rate slowed, and he felt an ice-cold tsunami crash on top of him.

"Your son is a monster! Samael is not your family! Not anymore! He will turn on you, just like he turned on Azrael! He will kill you!"

Michael's words, which Lucifer had tried so hard to forget, echoed through his mind. Had it happened? Had his own flesh and blood turned against him?

***

Samael had heard his mother's pleas but had stayed hidden in the shadows of the ruins until Lucifer showed up. He just had to see it. He had to see Lucifer putting the pieces together when he learned the truth. That expression of utter shock and disbelief upon the Devil's face when he finally realised he wasn't the one holding the strings, but the one trapped within them was absolutely priceless. When Samael finally revealed himself to his parents, Lucifer moved in front of Margaret.

"Samael... what have you done?" he demanded.

Samael shrugged. "Just patiently planning revenge on the Vale and all of God's angels. My plan, that is. Not yours, no; yours lacked... the vengeance part. Taking away everything Michael cares about was a good start, though. But simply forcing him out of his position as Lord Protector by revealing his secrets, winning Gabriël and Joan over to your side, making him lose his mind by tormenting him through memories... That is child's play. Frankly, it's disappointing. Just like you are."

He stalked closer, keeping his eyes on Lucifer, who slowly drew his sword. Samael halted and cocked his head. Was Lucifer seriously thinking he could overpower him? 

"You know, I was in awe when I first met you. My father, the Devil himself, the most hated being in the universe, much like myself. I couldn't wait to set our plans in motion. But then I learned how weak you truly are. Simpering over my mother and that bastard... If you were half the Devil the mortals make you out to be, you would have annihilated the Vale in a heartbeat. You would have destroyed Michael, Gabriël, and all the other Archangels until you alone remained. Then you would have ruled the Heavens and Hell with your wife by your side as Queen, and I would have been the true Prince of Darkness!"

"Samael..." His mother whispered his name in a broken voice, eyes brimming with tears. 

Samael felt his heart twist when he looked at her face. It still wasn't enough. The lies, the deception, the pain... None of it would matter if this woman could still make him feel.

"Make it easy on yourself," he spoke coldly, burying his emotions. "Leave now, and I will allow you both to live quietly in my kingdom as a thank you for playing some minor role in my creation."

"And who deserves full credit, then?" spat Lucifer.

Samael smirked. "Who do you think?"

His accomplice appeared at his side, right on cue. She smiled wickedly at Samael before turning her attention toward the Devil.

"You should be proud of him, Lucifer," she said. "Your boy has become quite the man under my care."

Lucifer clenched his jaw and glared menacingly at her. He reached for the pendant around his neck and grasped it. Bathory's own amulet, broken in two as punishment for having given Borgia the instrument of the Boleyn family massacre, glowed faintly but did not destroy itself like the Devil had no doubt ordered it to. When he tried again, she laughed.

"Oh, please, Lucifer, stop embarrassing yourself. Those little parlour tricks you perform are cute, but the truth is... you never controlled me."

She closed her eyes, muttering incomprehensible words in a long-forgotten language. The black velvet gown that covered her transformed into a sheer gold-threaded dress that fitted tightly around her body - a body that was no longer rotting, but new and flawless. Her facial features grew softer. Lips full and as red as blood. Eyes shimmering like rubies. And cascading down her back, long waves of scarlet hair. A work of art, a perfect sculpture, come to life.
Samael had forgotten how truly enchanting Adam's first wife was. Perhaps he would reconsider his previous notion of disposing of her. He looked at his father, curious about his reaction. Lucifer was, after all, the one who forced Lilith to deny her husband. And all because the other Archangels had dared him to do it. The corner of his mouth curled up when he saw the horrified expression on the Devil's face.

"Lilith... No, I banished you from the Circles centuries ago!"

"The Circles are my domain," said Lilith irascibly, speaking in a clear and dainty voice, free of Bathory's accent. "I am the mother of the first beasts of Hell! I am its rightful ruler! And then you waltz in, Mister High and Mighty, and dare to take it away from me again! Did you honestly think I wouldn't find a way back in? That I wouldn't take back what was mine?"

"Then take it if you want it!" yelled Lucifer. "Just leave my family in peace! Stop using my son for your games!"

"Oh, Lucifer." Lilith threw him a mischievous grin. "If only you knew how many games we play. In every way imaginable. And I must admit, the son outdoes the father marvellously."

Lucifer's head jerked back to Samael. The consternation in his eyes was more than satisfying. 

"Lilith saved me from the Circles when I was a baby," Samael explained. "She found my soul, ripped to pieces because of Michael's poison, and cured me. But she was forced to leave me again when Azrael was sent to retrieve me. Even after Azrael made me her apprentice, Lilith still cared for me from the shadows. When I learned how you drove her out of the Circles, I helped her get back to where she belonged.
"Erzsebet Bathory provided the perfect persona for her to adopt. I disposed of that crone's soul before it arrived in Hell, and the amulet you so graciously bestowed upon Bathory when you two made that pact paved the way for Lilith. All we had to do was wait for the same thing you were waiting for; Joan and Gabriël. You were so wrapped up in your obsession with punishing Michael that you couldn't see what was right in front of you. It's pathetic, really. Especially when you consider that your former lover and the reason we're all standing here was right about me all along."

"No, he wasn't."

Samael's breath caught when his mother stepped around Lucifer and walked toward him.

"Michael wasn't right about you," she said in a firm voice. "You are not a monster. You may have been touched by the darkness in the Circles, and this witch may have twisted your mind into believing you are just as depraved as she is, but that does not make you like all those other creatures. It does not make you evil. You can't be. Because you are my son, Samael. Mine and Lucifer's. You were born from love."

Samael gasped silently when she placed her hand on his chest. A warmth crept up from deep within him.

"You know who you are," she continued, "in here. I know it too. I saw your kind heart when you came to me in the Vale, and I will never forgive myself for not realising who you were then. And I... I know I have no right to call myself your mother. I couldn't protect you from the true evil in this world or even give birth to you. But despite everything, you will always be my beautiful boy, Samael, and I love you more than anything. I beg you, don't let Lilith's words and actions change you. Don't embrace her darkness and make another family suffer the same fate we did. You are better than that; you are good. Please, don't do this."

Samael met his mother's emerald eyes. She looked straight at him, unafraid of the freak everyone else saw. Did she see the man she wanted and hoped for him to be? If she did... she was a fool.

"You should have left when you had the chance."

He snapped his fingers. A black blur rushed up behind him, and suddenly, Margaret was on the ground, screaming and kicking at the giant Hellhound dragging her away, her leg clutched between its razor teeth.

"MARINA!"

Lucifer lunged forward, ready to strike at the beast, but two more Hellhounds blocked his way. One ran head-on toward Lucifer, and he pierced it with his blade. The other gave him no time to retrieve his sword and attacked, forcing Lucifer to defend himself with his bare hands.
As Samael watched his father fight and listened to his mother's dreadful cries, a small part of him wanted to help them. But he didn't. He shut every sentiment concerning his parents off and turned to Lilith, who beamed at him.

"You did it!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"And now it's your turn," he replied.

Lilith's grin widened. She flicked her wrist, and the French dagger Michael wounded her with appeared instantly. Samael raised his brow.

"You don't think you're being a little too theatrical now?"

"Maybe." She shrugged. "But I'm sure the Fallen Angel is just dying to have it back."

***

The contractions were getting closer together. Joan's hair stuck to her temples, and her cheeks were flushed from the exertion. She barely heard her mother's encouraging voice. All she heard were her own cries. All she felt was her racing heart thrashing against her chest as her body protested against the sudden strain.

"I... I can't do this," Joan panted after another contraction. "Maman, I... I can't."

"Yes, you can," retorted Isabelle. "You're almost there."

Joan gritted her teeth as her body spasmed again.

"Don't push," warned her mother, feeling her belly. "The baby is still turning. I'll tell you when."

"I don't want to push at all! You heard Marina! I can't have the baby here!"

"Joan, you have little choice in the matter. This baby will not wait until you've moved to a safer location."

Joan sat up, supporting herself on her elbows as another contraction hit her. She glanced at the door. Margaret had gone outside to call Lucifer, but it was taking too long. She feared something had happened. Maybe whatever was lurking had attacked Margaret. Or maybe Lucifer came after all, but refused to help. Would he do that? He promised he would keep her and the baby safe from harm. He swore. Lucifer was many things, but from everything Joan had observed and learned from Gabriël, she knew he had honour. He wouldn't let her deliver in a cursed place. Maybe Margaret had overreacted. Even so, she should have returned. Something was wrong.

"Joan, I need to help the baby get into the right position; she's no longer moving on her own. I'm sorry, ma fille, but this will hurt even more than it already does."

Isabelle gyrated her hands on Joan's belly, pushing hard to make the baby move. Joan cried out as the pain tore through her. At that moment, another scream nearly drowned out Joan's.
Mother and daughter froze and listened to the voices behind the closed door. Cries, growling, the sound of a steel-forged weapon falling to the ground... All Hell had broken loose.
Isabelle took the only weapon she had, a small knife meant to cut the umbilical cord, and held it out as she faced the door.

"Maman, no!" shouted Joan. "Go! Break through the window's latch with your wings and leave me! There's nothing you can do!"

"Je ne t'abandonnerai pas."

Joan tried to get up from the bed, but her body refused to cooperate. She groaned and looked up at her mother with pleading, teary eyes.
But it was already too late... for both of them.

***

Their wings cut through the threatening clouds. They broke free and saw the ruins of Pergamum beneath them. Gabriël squinted at some movement on the ground.

"Hellhounds!" he shouted at Michael. "Lucifer and Marina!"

"I see them! I will deal with them; you get to Joan!"

Gabriël swooped further down toward a hovel, which he recognised from his vision. The closer he came, the more his heart clenched in fear. Nearly there. Almost... But as soon as his feet touched the ground, Gabriël was thrown forward by a powerful gust of wind.

"Well, who do we have here? If it isn't the new Lord Protector of the Vale, Saint Gabriël."