D E P R I V A T I O N

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IT WAS EASY to decide where Lucifer should be locked, along with the rest of the demons. After the mortal souls were brought back to the village, the five sworn-siblings all split up with different objectives in mind.

"We need to rebuild the village, expand it so that it can accommodate more people," Calvin noted, scratching at his chin.

"I agree. The death toll only ever rises and will never see a decrease. To prevent more demons from spawning, we should find a way to deal with the impure souls that are deceased." Dimitri nodded, sighing as he thought of the faces that had appeared in his head during the Battle of Hell.

Among those faces were children, elderly, and people who've committed various unforgivable sins. Both murderers and the murdered were on the list and there was no way to allow both of these vastly different groups to co-exist for all eternity in the afterlife.

"What if only pure souls are given the opportunity at an afterlife?" Qiu Xia suggested, perking up instantly. "The evil are reincarnated, doomed to forever suffer in the mortal realm until they can learn to be good. No one is born evil, after all. After a few rounds, they will start to change."

"And if those people aren't good nor evil? What if they still carry regrets from their life?" Dimitri asked, his hands furiously writing down notes in a small journal he carried with him. "What happens then?"

"Then they'll be stuck in limbo. They won't be dead nor will they be alive. Stuck in the mortal realm with the body of a spirit. If they can solve their woes or do enough good or evil to tip the balance, they'll be sorted as follows," Calvin supplied.

"Perfect," Dimitri beamed, jotting down the final notes of their quick discussion for future references. "I'll put this in place once we get back to the castle. For now, let's help the men, women, and children to move back. Roll call should also be done to make sure everyone's back. And also to take note of the fallen."

Calvin nodded just once before darting off, parchment and pen in hand, ready to bark out orders for the villagers. Just as Dimitri was about to head back to the castle to prepare the spells needed to put their new rule in place, he was stopped by Qiu Xia.

"Where did Fabian and Wilhelm go?" She asked while looking around.

"They went to make sure Lucifer and his demons are properly locked up in the cave. It seemed fitting to put him there, considering how the place can only be found by people that have no intention of seeking it," came Dimitri's response.

"Will they be alright?"

"Of course," the reply was immediate. "This is Fabian we're talking about. He's always been meticulous with his work. Lucifer will be dealt with appropriately and he will never be able to cause harm ever again."

♔ ♔ ♔

"You will regret this!" Lucifer roared from within his cage, hands clawing at the ground desperately as he heaved and gasped with great pain.

From outside the prison bars, Fabian watched calmly as Lucifer groaned, clutching at his chest. His fingers clawed at his skin so deeply that wounds had started to appear, blood flowing like molten gold onto the ground beneath him. A mist evaporated from Lucifer, growing thinner as the seconds passed. His magic and strength were drained out of him and every second longer made him weaker than the last. The devil hacked and coughed, spitting out mouthfuls of blood with each breath he took, causing him to crumble to his knees.

All of the pride had been stripped away from him. What was left with Lucifer was a writhing mess of a had-been king.

"Don't bother wasting your strength," Fabian snorted coldly as he watched on. "I personally requested Dimitri to set this special barrier for you. Every second in here will drain you dry of your magic until you're eventually left with nothing but skin and bones."

Unable to speak, Lucifer let out a feral growl instead. His eyebrows were scrunched up, eyes squeezed shut, and muscles wobbling just from staying awake. The mist grew thin, barely even visible.

The process was even more painful than anything Lucifer had expected to be in store for him upon his defeat. After all, he didn't even think that he would be defeated in the first place.

"Let's see how you'll survive here, Lucifer." Fabian slowly squatted down, eyeing Lucifer with a chilly cold expression. "I will rob you of sustenance. Deprived of food and water, stripped of your powers and strength, denied warmth and comfort. Let's see whether you'll enjoy your stay here as much as we did in the castle after your chaos cast us out."

"Heh," Lucifer coughed out a laugh. "So this is what it really is? A child's revenge?"

"No." Fabian stood up.

No one could see it but Fabian felt a strange power curling around his skin. It tightened and loosened, contracted and stretched, beating like a living being's heart. A small glance at the back of his hand allowed him to confirm the sight of dark inky swirls. The final horsemen had been empowered.

"This isn't a child's revenge, Lucifer. This is the angels' fury."

With that said, Fabian turned on his heel, hands in his pockets and ready to never set foot in that cave again. But before he could leave, Lucifer laughed weakly.

On the ground, with his last ounce of strength, Lucifer pointed a threatening finger at Fabian. It began to glow a bright gold like sunlight. "So it is you and Dimitri, huh? Well, I curse you."

At that word, Fabian stopped, turning back to look at Lucifer with a frown. The previous archangel of light had a malicious smirk on his lips, so unfitting of a figure that once represented everything pure in the world.

"I curse you and your brothers for everything you've done. For the rebellion, I curse Wilhelm and Calvin for never being able to be the true ruler of Hell. For this betrayal and this wretched cage, I curse you and Dimitri to be tied to a single soul for the rest of your lives! You will never be the true ruler of Hell until a marriage bound by love with that soul. And to make things fun," Lucifer smiled through a mouthful of blood as he watched Fabian's expression turn into one of horror. "I bind another who's both friend and foe to that same soul in hopes that the struggle for that one girl will tear you all apart!"

The light at Lucifer's finger brightened until it was impossible to open one's eyes. Fabian squinted at the dazzling light, shielding his eyes with his hands as Lucifer's maniacal laughter reverberated through the entire cave. In the brilliance, Fabian felt his wrists getting weighed down ever the slightest. It was as though shackles had been placed on him, chaining him to a single soul just as Lucifer had said.

When the light finally subsided, Lucifer was no longer an all-powerful being. Instead, he was just as powerful as a mortal, doomed to live for the rest of eternity locked behind bars.

However, the delighted grin on his face made it seem as though he was the one that had won. The siblings might have won the battle, but at that moment, Lucifer had won the war.

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