Caught in the Fire

Chapter VII: For Tomorrow

"For you, Chloe," Lucifer said.

"Your beloved detective cannot save you from eternal damnation, Satan," Michael said, putting his wings away.

The twin brothers' swords clashed for the first time in eons. But as the Sword of God overpowered the Devil, he knew that he was as outmatched today as he was back then, when they fought during his failed rebellion in Heaven. There was a real possibility that he could fall again, and this time, he would fall for all eternity. But he couldn't leave Chloe behind. She was his light, his strength, his rock, and he had to fight for tomorrow; for her.

"Your bravery is admirable," Michael said as he effortlessly held Lucifer's sword at bay with his superior strength, "But you only have two choices: surrender, and I will take you to Hell peacefully. Fight me, and you will suffer my wrath before I take you to Hell."

"Are you still angry with me over my ill-conceived rebellion? That was eons ago for me, brother! You're fine, aren't you?! Who are you, Indigo Montoya, on a years-long quest for vengeance?"

Michael stared at him for a moment, stunned into silence. Finally, he spoke up. "What did you call me?" he asked in confusion.

"Hello, my name is Michael Demiurgos," Lucifer said in his brother's Enochian accent—or whatever he was calling that interesting combination of Enochian and American—as he struggled to hold his own against Michael's strength. "You killed a human. Prepare to be damned." Michael continued staring at him soundlessly, jaw dropped. "And this is the part where I escape my fate, unlike Count Rugen."

"Oh, is that more human slang?" Michael asked, unable to resist rolling his eyes, "You never could take anything seriously, could you?"

"It's a movie reference," Lucifer said, trying to keep Michael distracted. He gave Michael's sword a tentative shove, hoping that it would give, but Michael pushed back and stood his ground. "And it's fitting, don't you think? How often does one get to play out that epic sword fight, hmm?"

"Movie...?" Michael asked, looking confused, and then he shook his head and focused again. "Enough of this foolishness, brother. You will not charm your way out of this one."

"Foolishness?!" Lucifer laughed and reveled in the look of utter annoyance on his brother's face. "Oh, brother, you simply must see The Princess Bride! You can watch it on my tapestry!" He tried again to get the upper hand on his twin, figuring that he'd annoyed him enough, but once again, his twin simply pushed back. "And this is the part where we're supposed to banter as our swords clash."

"Brother, if you believe that you can annoy me into relenting..." Michael jabbed Lucifer's sword toward him, making him stumble back, and then he delivered a hard kick to his midsection, sending him flying. Lucifer rolled across the sand from the force of the blow until he finally came to a complete stop, dropping the sword somewhere along the way. "You are sadly mistaken."

On the ground, Lucifer struggled to catch his breath after that kick. When he recovered, he looked to where he last saw his brother, but he was no longer standing there. He looked up and saw Michael swooping through the air, sword down, coming straight for him. Lucifer rolled away just before the sword found its mark, and the sword instead plunged into the sand.

"Bloody Hell," Lucifer breathed out, staring at the sword impaling the sand, "Are you trying to beat up the beach or me?"

Michael pulled the blade out of the sand and went after him again. Lucifer quickly searched on his hands and knees for the sword he'd dropped. He spotted it nearby and instantly lunged himself toward it, grabbed it by the handle, whirled around, and raised the sword to block Michael's strike. He was down on the ground, a sword just inches from his throat, overpowered by his stronger twin. Defenseless, the only thing he could do was grab a handful of sand and throw it in his brother's face.