𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗢𝗠

𝘈 𝘋𝘌𝘈𝘓 𝘞𝘐𝘛𝘏 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘋𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘓

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Luna was too busy glaring at the devil to notice the burn on her fingertip. His presence was overwhelming, he was stirring up a mix of emotions and it was difficult for her to understand everything that was going on. Oh, but she was alert for sure. It was uncomfortable to have him hold her hand, but it wasn't as painful as the first time he touched her. Could she be getting accustomed to this?

No, there had to be some other explanation. He didn't feel entirely evil, or at least, she didn't feel like she was touching the deepest root of all corruption and depravity. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was once an angel, even though he's long strayed off that path. Nonetheless, this was going to scar her, that much she already knew. Even the lowliest of demons left permanent scars on holy beings, let alone their ruler.

For angels, those scars were something to be proud of. They got them in battles and they served as a reminder that although evil beings could be eradicated, they left these marks as consequences. However, there was no battle going on, yet the devil was scarring her skin and she was willingly letting him do so. There was no way to erase these scars off her skin, but perhaps God will forgive her when she brings Lucifer to the Divine Court.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, following him through countless of doors.

She could still hear the faint sound of the club's music, but they were far from the party. This building didn't seem as big from the outside, but it had hidden doors almost everywhere, like some sort of labyrinth one could easily get lost in if they didn't know their way through it.

"To a rather more private place," said Lucifer, pulling her towards a staircase.

They began to walk up what felt like never ending stairs. After a while, Lucifer pushed open a final door and Luna felt the night's chilly breeze in her hair. Soon enough, they were standing on the rooftop, all alone, surrounded by nothing and no one but the bright and starry night sky.

Luna clenched her jaw and whisked her hand out of his grip, starting to slowly rub the area his fingers touched. Looking down at her wrist, she saw the traces of his fingertips turning into small burns.

"How about you stop touching me?" she muttered under her breath, clicking her tongue in disgust. "Last time I checked, I wasn't cutting your skin open with my spear and leaving marks all over you."

Lucifer let out a low chuckle. "An angel with a sharp tongue, I'm starting to like you even more, love."

"—It's Luna. Stop calling me love."

"Luna," he whispered back, as if he was trying out the way her name felt in his mouth. "How fitting. Maybe you were indeed created to rule the skies at night and illuminate the paths of the lost ones."

"That's the purpose of the North Star. Now, can we go back to whatever it was that you wanted to show me? Or, if you prefer wasting my time, you can keep talking nonsense until the first morning ray and I'll ignore you until it's time to cuff you and bring you to your trial."

"You should really think twice before mentioning cuffing to me," Lucifer joked, but before Luna could snap back at him, he lifted both of his hands in the air. "Alright, alright. Back to business, pretty star."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes at the new nickname he gave to her. Somehow, it was better than love, but it still sounded like he was mocking her.

"Are you familiar with the concept of the Gospel of Lucifer?" he asked.

"I'm not. Have you started writing a book?" Luna's voice was full of irony. "Because if so, you could resume your creative work in Hell, where you belong."

"If it were up to me, I'd reward you nicely for all these snide remarks of yours, but you've just complained about the scars I gave you, so I doubt you'd appreciate some more," he pointed out. "Anyway. It's not entirely my work and I didn't name it like that. In fact, I didn't name it at all, but people started to call it by this name, so it stuck. I did start putting my memories into words. As eternal beings, some of our dearest recollections fade with the centuries and it's a shame. But before you call it a diary, I can assure you that it's not. It's more like a set of debunked rumors and my truths. You'd be surprised, but I'm not the one that brings out the worst in people. Sometimes, they do it themselves and blame it on me, or even worse. They commit these atrocious crimes and claim it was all in the name of God and necessary against the devil—"

"I still don't see your point."

"I believe I finally find something Father forgot to teach you, pretty star. You've got to learn patience." Lucifer sighed in a dramatic manner, then snapped his fingers. Before them, a book appeared out of thin air. "You might not believe me, Luna, but I do not thrive on all the evil in this world. Sure, it's fun, I'm often taking part in the humans' debauchery, but at the end of the day, I'm not pleased with what I see."

Luna frowned. "Why's that?"

"I have to work more because of them, of course!" he pointed out. "The Earth is full of sinners and Hell isn't big enough for all of them. What's worse is that they're corrupting others; have you ever seen the line of souls waiting to be sorted into Hell?"

"Are you complaining about your workload?" she squinted her eyes, unsure of whether she understood him correctly or not. "And that is how you plan on convincing me not to drag you to trial? Because you're on some sort of vacation and I'm supposed to feel sympathy?" Luna scoffed.

"No, that was one of the reasons why I started writing my gospel. That, and also because the lies Father told have been surviving for too long, and they're the real reason of all filth in this world. The line had been crossed too many years ago and He's not doing anything to fix all the evil He's done."

"Don't be ridiculous. Are you saying God lied to us and to all humanity?" The blood in her veins was starting to boil. For such words, he should be executed, not allowed to speak further. Luna's hand reached out and a golden spear materialized out of air. "Choose your next words carefully, devil."

"This venom you're spitting.. You were taught I was the enemy. It's not far from the truth, but it's still wrong." With a swift move, Lucifer closed the space in between them and grabbed her spear, but he didn't throw it away, neither did he threaten her with it. No, he was simply holding it, his hand close to hers, and he leaned in to whisper the next words to her. "Father is capable of anything in this world. He created it, there's nothing that can happen on Earth that he couldn't do Himself. Believe it or not, but He can lie, He can kill, and He can do so much worse. It's a matter of choice and He usually chooses not to."

Her gaze shifted to the hand he was holding her spear with, and he saw a faint light where the blade met his skin. It was crafted with holy arts and materials, her spear could take his life, yet he didn't even wince. Right now, it was scarring him, but he was holding it willingly.

"I'm not done yet," he warned her. "What do you know about me, Luna?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's a simple question. What were you taught about me?" he repeated.

There had to be a catch, but she couldn't tell what it was. Not yet, at least. "You were once God's favorite angel, the one He was most proud of, but you were destined to fall. And you did, and after that, you've been condemned to rule the Kingdom of Hell and you've wrecked havoc on Earth my spreading lies and terror among human souls."

Lucifer pressed his lips together. For a moment, Luna was certain she almost saw the ghost of a sad smile, but it faded just as quickly as it came.

"What was my sin? Were you told that?" he asked.

"You wanted to take God's place. Your pride pushed you into thinking that you could rule Heaven, and you had your own army of corrupted angels that helped you with your rebellion, but there is no room in heaven for two kings and instead of killing you and your army, God allowed you to rule, but in your own domain. That's how Hell was created."

"I always thought I had a nice way with words, it seemed I inherited it from Father," he said sarcastically. "You're not wrong, but again, you're not right either. I never wanted to rule and I never corrupted any angels. The pride you're talking about is not what you think. Long before you were created, things looked different in Heaven. All the other angels knew it, it wasn't just me. However, I was the only one brave enough to call Him out on His tyranny. I warned Him that if He kept going like this, He was going to lose the world He created and held so dearly. But because it's easier to shift the blame on someone else, instead of agreeing with me, He decided I should be painted as the villain. The angels who fell with me were the ones who weren't afraid to speak out their truths, they left Heaven willingly. After all, there is nothing more dangerous than a kingdom of lies. To all of us, Hell sounded like a retreat."

"No, you're lying—"

"If that were true, why would He not erase the last trace of holiness off me?"

"You're not holy, you're a filthy piece of—"

Before she could finish her words, Lucifer grabbed the back of her head and pressed their foreheads together. He closed his eyes and whispered a silent prayer and when he did, Luna felt warmth throughout her body. She pushed him back, but her eyes widened in shock.

Every single scar that was on her body before was now glowing. And once that glow finally faded, she felt as if she was staring at a blank canvas. They've all disappeared.

"—holiness," she muttered, not being able to believe her eyes.

"Funny, I doubt I've ever been called a filthy piece of holiness," Lucifer joked.

Luna tightened the grip on her spear and pointed it at him, taking another step away from him. "Stay back!"

Lucifer did as he was told. He's scared her enough. Besides, she was acting like a cornered animal and he knew better than to poke a bear until its claws came out. "I know you're surprised, but you could at least thank me for wiping out these ugly scars off your skin. You're now even more beautiful, untouched even."

"What trick are you playing on me, Lucifer?" she asked. Her stomach was twisting and turning; she was starting to regret this. Instead of agreeing to make a deal with him, she should have dragged him straight to Heaven. Now, he made his way under her skin, but that's what she deserved for making a deal with the devil himself.

"I'm not playing any tricks, I'm just showing you that there's more to the truth than you think you know. Are you willing to listen?" he asked cautiously.

"Go on."

"I wrote this gospel in many volumes. As you can probably imagine, I have a lot to tell and even more to teach. I don't want to redeem myself in front of anyone, I wouldn't have survived this long if I cared that much about what others think of me. What I do care about, however, is putting an end to Father's lies and opening the eyes of the blind believers. You see, every time I finish a part, I send it to a random place on Earth. Sometimes, it's discovered within weeks and other times, it takes hundreds of years for it to be found. Now, that wouldn't be a problem to me, because I'm not worried about dying, but at some point, I have discovered somebody was stealing the original parts and replacing them with something I didn't write. And, as you probably expected, it's something that harms humanity instead of helping it."

"Who would want to steal your book of memories?"

"Didn't I tell you it's not a diary? You'd be surprised, but it turned out it's a perfect opportunity for the ones who wreak havoc for their own entertainment to stir up even more aggressivity among humankind. They see me as the incarnation of evil, and if they think I encourage such behavior as the one portrayed in the modified books, they'll do exactly as told. That, and there are some false prophecies written in there that demand mass sacrifices."

Lucifer started to walk around the Archangel, circling her as he continued to speak.

"I'm not sure if you're aware, but we're very organized in Hell. Each and every demon has a role they must fulfill and a task they have to carry. That also includes the other Princes of Hell," he explained. "About a hundred years ago or so, I've started to notice something was odd. Some lowly demons were starting to act by themselves and carry out tasks that haven't been given to them by me, which could only mean my dear brothers were plotting something behind my back."

None of this made sense to her, but at the same time, it seemed perfectly believable. Luna had a very strict set of rules that didn't allow her to agree with him, or to believe his words, but for the first time since she was created, she felt those heavily established principles were starting to waver.

"The Earth is in great peril, pretty star, and so is the Kingdom of Heaven you love so much. There's a great conspiracy going on and whether you believe it or not, I'm the only one who's capable of putting it to an end before it's too late."

"That's very vain of you, Lucifer," Luna finally spoke. "There have been threats against humankind and Heaven before, but we exterminated each and every one of them. What makes you think this is something we couldn't handle?"

"By the time the Heavenly Army figures everything out and starts to act against it, my brothers would have already succeeded in overthrowing the rule of my Father. Heaven and Earth will be gone, I will most likely be executed, and the three kingdoms will finally be united as one, but not the one we all want. With no more Heaven and Earth, with no one left to fight back against them, there will only be Hell and I'm afraid you'll all come to miss me. If you're still alive and able to miss anyone or anything, that is."

For a long moment, Luna didn't say a word. She was taking in all this new information. Then, she finally sighed.

"That's an impressive story you just told me, but I still don't see why I should believe you. The only proof you've showed to me is this part of your gospel. I don't need to tell you that it's not enough to back up everything you said."

"Indeed," Lucifer agreed. "But I have nothing more to show to you now. And, as I have already mention before, if you're waiting for more solid proof, you're already losing precious time. I left Hell to test my theory, and right after that, my brothers followed. How did that saying go.. Ah, yes. Hell is empty, and all the devils are here. Brilliant mind, that William Shakespeare. Pity that he's no longer with us."

"What do you want from me, Lucifer? Our deal is almost over, but you haven't convinced me. Not to say that if I let you stay here, I also have to honor my end of the deal, which implies you corrupting the holiness of my body."

"Ah, my pretty star, you're wrong once again. Not that I wouldn't like to have a taste of your holiness, but that's not what I meant. What I want isn't your body—not without your consent, at least—but rather your mind. I want you to trust me and help me stop the other Princes of Hell from bringing such a calamity to this world."

"You can't be serious—"

"Join me, Luna. Fight by my side," said Lucifer, reaching out a hand to her. "You're free to break this new deal whenever you want if you'll start to doubt me. If you feel like I'm lying to you at any point, I'll allow you to carry your task and bring me to Heaven, but until then, you'll have to stay with me. During the day, you can do whatever you please, but the night is when the real devils come out to play."

No, this was even more dangerous than the deal she agreed to before.

If she agreed with this, she'll seal her fate herself and be exiled from Heaven.

Once and for all.

"So, what do you say, Luna? Are you willing to make this deal?"

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i'm back from my hiatus with a new chapter of devildom! how do we feel about this chapter?

if you find any mistakes please note that i didn't proofread it because i was too excited to post it

i also want to thank every single person that has thought about me while i was away, it meant the world. i love you.

yours truly,
vega