The King's Favor ( Radioapple )

★ Chapter Thirteen ★

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The next morning, after the tense night they'd had, Lucifer and Alastor found themselves walking through the sprawling halls of the castle once more, each step resonating in the stone corridors. Alastor seemed more composed today, but there was a lingering heaviness in the air between them. Lucifer glanced over, still unsure how to navigate what had happened the night before, but the mission remained the same: finding Charlie.

As they walked, Lucifer brought up the topic he'd been circling around all morning. "You said you had a way to trace her? I don't see how we're going to find Charlie without a lead."

Alastor nodded, his expression serious, though there was a flicker of something unreadable behind his eyes. "Yes, but I'm afraid it's not as simple as just tracing her energy." His fingers twitched slightly, as if still haunted by yesterday's breakdown. "I suspect she's somewhere more difficult to reach. Charlie's likely hidden under a veil... or worse, somewhere forbidden."

Lucifer's eyes narrowed. "Forbidden? What do you mean?"

Alastor paused, staring down the corridor as if considering how much to reveal. "Roo was... deeply loyal to my reign," he finally said, his voice lowering. "She wasn't just an ally, Lucifer, she believed in it. Wholeheartedly. Almost obsessively." His tone darkened, a shadow flickering across his face. "She believed in my power so fervently that she started doing things... extreme things, just to show her loyalty."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "Extreme, how?"

"She hunted down anyone who questioned me. Eliminated threats I hadn't even recognized as such." Alastor's lips twitched into a grim smile. "I thought she was just a useful enforcer at first, but it was more than that. She needed control. She worshipped it, almost like she saw me as the embodiment of Hell's order."

Lucifer frowned, considering that. "And now?"

"Now she's targeted you and Charlie," Alastor continued, his voice steady but unnerving. "I think she believes that by taking away those tied to Lilith, the queen who abandoned me, she's restoring some twisted version of balance."

Lucifer's breath caught at the mention of Lilith, a reminder of the complicated history that tied all of this together. "But Lilith's dead. What does she gain from keeping Charlie alive?"

Alastor's smile wavered for just a second. "That's the part I don't understand. But what I do know is where she's likely hiding. Roo always had a fondness for places of power—she thrived in them. If she's keeping Charlie anywhere, it's probably beneath the celestial building in Hell."

"Under the celestial building?" Lucifer echoed, thinking back to the place. "That's practically a fortress."

Alastor nodded. "Yes. But it also has wards—celestial energy that could hide her from any simple trace."

A silence settled between them, heavier than the usual banter. This time, it wasn't just about finding Charlie. It was about unraveling why Roo had done all this and what kind of battle they would face when they got there.

As they continued walking, Lucifer glanced at Alastor, who had become slightly more distant, more focused. "Alastor," Lucifer said, breaking the silence. "Why didn't you stop her?"

Alastor's eyes flashed with something close to regret. "I didn't see it until it was too late."

They walked in silence for a moment longer before Alastor's pace slowed. "But now we have a trail. If we move quickly, we can track her movements, and I believe I can break through the wards."

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In the dimly lit room, the atmosphere buzzed with quiet tension as Lucifer and Alastor prepared for what was to come. Alastor's shadow, as usual, lingered on the walls, its animated features observing the two with a gleeful, almost proud expression. The shadow's exaggerated movements mirrored the growing closeness between the pair, something it clearly found amusing.