Satan's Little Helper

E P I L O G U E - [ L A U F E I A ]

MY TIME HAS ARRIVED.

In less than two hours, I will gain unimaginable power over Hell.

In less than two hours, I will be in charge of everything that goes about in this place.

In less than two hours, I will be announced as Hell's leader, the Devil herself—Satan.

Of course, no one had expected me to replace him. Satans are known to be men and's got blood of the Lucifer line inside them, not a female Little Helper. But since Daemon had no descendant, no demon to pass on his title, I gladly step in; after all, it would be fun, no?

At first, not everyone in Hell agreed to me replacing Daemon. There were disputes among the demons, and they were divided into two—one for me and the other against me.

Lilith, as predicted, stands against me. Bub, however, is on the opposite side with me, saying that he trusts that I can lead the demons well enough. In the end, though, Lilith's arguments have become invalid; the fact is that I had somehow managed to make Daemon perished once and for all, proving that I am stronger than Satan himself.

Hell needs a powerful leader like me.

Knock, knock, knock!

The sound snaps me out of my thoughts, making me swivel at its direction instead. Slowly, the door swings open to reveal Bub, what appears to be a white gown slung over his one arm.

"Hi, there." He says, giving me a tight-lipped smile. "How're you feeling?"

I smile at him back as I walk towards him. "Very good, actually." I reply, taking the dress from him and inspecting it. "What's this?"

"Your dress," He answers, rubbing the back of his neck. "You are expected to wear it this evening."

"I can see that," I chuckle, holding the fabric closer to my chest. "But why white? Why not red or any other dark colors?"

"Ah, it symbolizes purity, obviously. You'll see why later when you have to slay something in front of everyone."

"Oh?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "I'll be looking forward to it, then."

"I'm sure you are." Bub says, taking a seat on my bed.

Instantaneously, silence fills the room. I don't blame him, really; I mean, we like each other and all, but we haven't exactly spent that much time together. Add the fact that I practically murdered his 'best friend' and you've got yourself a whole lot of an awkward situation.

"Daemon would be proud,"

My shoulders tense at the mention of his name, and I swivel my head at Bub's direction. It looks like he was saying the words more to himself than to me, but then he turns to face me like I am expected to say something in return.

What, am I supposed to apologize for perishing him or something?

"How would you know?" I ask instead, my voice coming out colder than expected.

He lets out a light, melancholic chuckle as he looks at the ground. "Laufie, I've known him from the day he was born. He's always been the type to hide everything away from the public's eyes, but I can always read him like a book." Bub then slowly turns to me again and gives me a sad smile. "Just for the record, though: everything he told you was true."

I sigh, trying my best to stop myself from snapping at him—if I'm going to be Satan soon then I need as many people (or demons, in this case) on my side as possible.

"Well, what's done is done, Bub." I state, a tone of finality in my voice.

Bub, thankfully, seems to get it. "I know, Laufie. I know."

Once again, silence befalls the room and we are left there with nothing to say. I, however, decide to use the opportunity to ask him the question that's been gnawing on my brain for days now.

I take in a deep breath and decide to just ask it. "Bub?"

"Yes?"

"Who will be my Little Helper now?" I ask quietly, knowing well that I started off as one myself. It feels a bit odd to talk about all this Little Helper business when Daemon, the previous Satan, was technically betrayed by I, his former right hand, but I can't honestly help that I'm so curious.

"Ah, well." He rubs his palms onto his pants and gets up. "You don't have to worry about that. Malphas will be assigned to do the job. Now if you excuse me, I need to check on final preparations for your ceremony this evening."

||-:-:-:-:-:-||

MY HEART thumps loudly in my chest as I slowly make my way up the steps of the balcony. The sounds of demons talking amongst each other and calling for me rings in my ears, and though inside I am a nervous wreck, I feel prepared to meet my people.

Mara leads a speech before I am revealed to everyone in Hell. It is a tradition, they said, and tradition must be followed so I oblige just this once.

When Mara finally finishes talking, Bub puts a hand on my shoulder just I am about to go up. He gives it a light squeeze of reassurance and smiles at me, before backing off and leaving me once again.

"All hail Satan!" Mara shouts at the crowd, and they all shout the words right back. "May she promise Hell endless power, supremacy and jurisdiction!" He holds a hand out to me and I take it, and together we walk towards the edge of the balcony where all of Hell's residents can be seen. "All bow down," Mara commands with authority, and the demons oblige. "To your new ruler..." He looks at me and nods as I turn to face my new subjects. "... Lady Laufeia."

The demons cheer as loud as their vocal chords would allow, rejoicing the emergence of their new ruler―me.

I may be dead, but never have I ever felt this alive.

||-:- THE END -:-||