After-Life

Chapter 31. Transformations

"Any further annoying questions?" Lucifer's frustrated drawl carried out over the murmuring babble of voices all speaking at once. At the sound of it, the gathered group fell quiet and looked at him expectantly. Adrian, Pete, Eric and Jésús all swallowed hard as their soon to be riders stretched their joints and allowed the façade of their diminished statures to fall by the wayside. As the beings rippled their shoulders, reached out their limbs and flexed their muscles to the accompaniment of creaks, cracks and unending clicks; their bodies grew, upward and outward.

Kristoph's jaw dropped as a pair of leathery, batlike wings erupted out of Asmodeus's back. Two horns that reached up and around to the nape of Lucifer's skull erupted out the front of the Devil's head. Samael's already impressive frame dazzled them all, as his lean physique filled out to reveal a surprisingly muscular figure with remarkably chiselled features. Finally, Caine, who had seemed so unassuming, grew in stature to a height that rivalled the Angel of Death. His whole body was shrouded in a fine, powdery mist which Mabel could only assume was a culmination of the sand they were standing in, mixing with his own ominous aura.

The four riders had only just settled into their true forms when Lucifer started to twist, hook, writhe, and stretch his long, taloned fingers. Electric flashes of blue light sparked between his claws. His eyes, which were a naturally violent red, glowed with an evil delight as he channelled the energy into four floating orbs that drifted lazily in the air, stopping in front of their destined targets.
"Gentle deities, if you would be so kind," Lucifer spoke in an authoritative voice, excitement rippling through his entire being. "Reach out your left hand, declare your preferred appearance and consume the orb, whole. Do not fight it, do not recoil from its burn or else your final figure will show the scars of your regret. Have an image of your desired alias in your mind's eye and NEVER let it slip from your imagination."
"Is that why your father created the tiny water basilisk?" Thet smirked, at Lucifer, "a lizard that runs on water with a surreal horned crown?"
Lucifer growled menacingly, "How was I supposed to know he saw my beleaguered attempts to transform into a snake? Have you ever tried to transform into something that has no legs? It's a truly surreal feeling and I have no shame in saying I panicked a tad."
Samael snickered, "I remember the fury he had in the aftermath of your revolt and the casting out. He kept such a close watch on you from thereon. When he saw your first abysmal attempt at transformation, he laughed himself to tears. He created the little lizard as a miniature reminder of it and kept one as a pet. When you corrupted the minds of those two," he nodded at Kristoph and Mabel. "He cast it out of his office and left it to fend for itself. Ironic really, he hadn't realised the little devils could run on water. You can imagine his frustration when the humans he loved started to call it the Je..."
"HUSH you idiot!" Snapped Lucifer, "we don't want to alert him, just yet!"

Rolling his shoulders and taking a deep breath, Lucifer closed his eyes and furrowed his brow in concentration. Purposefully, he reached out his left hand and gripped the orb.
"The apocalyptic horseman, War," he said, in a clear, concise, and deadly voice.
Gripping the ball of energy that floated before him, in both his large monstrous hands, Lucifer crammed the orb into his mouth and tensed his frame as an internal battle ensued.
Mabel saw the strain it took for the devil to not spit the thing out. In her mind, she envisioned a gobstopper, bigger than any sweet she'd ever seen, and they were to swallow it whole! She cast a nervous glance at her friends, the soon-to-be steeds, and hated the look of fear and nervousness adorning their faces. Would they even consider her to be a friend after this debacle?

Finally, with a loud gasp of air, Lucifer successfully knocked back the ball of energy. Everyone watched on, transfixed, as his lean torso bulked out into one of immense power and strength. His arms stretched outwardly as muscle piled upon muscle. His long, silken, raven-black hair receded to a short buzz cut. Scars and lacerations split across his arms, torso, and face and two tremendous slashes tore across his abdomen.
Lucifer bared his teeth and the straight pearly white tombstones, started to shift, and became crooked. Blood oozed from his canines as they grew in length. His lips went from pale to purple. His snow-white skin turned to charcoal, rippling with red lights of energy. His violently red eyes turned to black with no white to be seen. As a final afterthought, a shredded cloth made up of what looked to be skin, sewn crudely together, wrapped itself around Lucifer's thick neck and trailed down his back like a grotesque cloak. His trousers tore and ripped. With a final crack, the horns from his head snapped off, close to the skin, and fell down his back. As they tumbled down heavily, the cloak seemed to embrace them and pinned them to his shoulders and before everyone's eyes, the two impressive demonic horns moulded together to create the deadliest looking battle axe they had ever seen.