II. Gods and Monsters

Elsewhere

The Lord stood in the emptiness of the realm. It served as neutral ground, a place where those from Heaven and Hell can meet. As one can imagine, it was rarely used, but drastic times called for drastic measures.

"We have to stop meeting like this," a voice drawled behind him.

"The potential end of both our worlds, and us, is at hand and you still find the time to joke," The Lord shook his head.

Lucifer, the king of the bottomless pit, strolled up to stand beside God. Dressed in a pure black, three-piece suit and overcoat, he looked like he was attending a high-profile funeral. His metal, intricately carved cane was topped with a small, crystal, human skull which he held onto when he walked. Even in a situation such as this, he still managed to have the demeanour of someone who had utter control of the situation.

"What can I say? As an agent of chaos, I have become very used to these types of situations."

"When your incessant scheming eventually backfires?"

"Yes," Lucifer replied curtly before smiling again. "But this isn't my mess this time. It is your pet project that's caused this little meetup, isn't it old friend?"

"Hades was your mistake," The Lord replied flatly.

"That would not have had a purpose had it not been for your Frankenstein's monster."

God put his head in his hand, shaking his head in frustration.

"You know, for a God who prides himself on being such a noble one, you have done some terrible things," Lucifer continued, pacing around the back of God. "I mean, you covered up the murder of your most trusted messenger, wiped the memory of his murderer and put him through so many operations that he's practically a walking weapon that will attack whatever it's pointed at. Did you ever tell Gabrielle? Or even Quintessa? Imagine explaining that one to the wife..."

"Enough!" God roared in a voice that would have scared any mortal into silence.

Lucifer only stopped out of smugness in achieving his aim.

"I did not come here to have you of all people list my flaws. We have come here to fix each other's grievous mistakes."

"Excuse me?" Lucifer asked.

God waved his hand once across the air, summoning a mirror-like object. Inside it, Metatron and Hades fought like wild animals.

"No matter who wins in this duel, the other will seek to destroy us. If Metatron wins, the greatest warrior our worlds have ever known will destroy both our armies without a care. If your monster wins, he will paint the very fabric of reality red with our blood."

"You raise a valid point..." Lucifer conceded, stroking his chin with a gloved hand in thought. "I propose a deal..."

"None of your contracted nonsense, trickster! Now is not the time to play your games!"

"At ease, your highness! I only mean to offer you a solution. My Rider."

"Your favourite creation. How, dare I ask, do you propose he shall win the day for us? He hasn't exactly had miraculous success so far..."

"I say we level the playing field. So far, Oliver Knight has been fighting these two foes, but only under contract. This contract makes whatever action The Rider commits totally beneficial to me. Every kill sends the soul to Hell, or removes them from the playing field completely. I remove this obligation from the contract and he becomes a free entity. His soul is fully his own and can fight for whatever he feels is right. Whether that be beneficial to you or me."

"So you're saying that he will serve us both?"

"Not at all. He shall serve neither. He shall fight for himself and himself only, thus wiping our competition clean. We have upset the balance of our conflict too much, allowing three higher-beings to enter the Earth realm at once. All three players that have thus-far been on the board will no longer be in play, therefore removing any extra influence either of us has over Earth."

"You understand gaining a foothold on Earth will be almost impossible if I agree."

"I do, but it will be equally difficult for yourself. Therefore, we simultaneously win and lose at the same time. A fair and equal price to pay for saving our very existences, don't you think?"

A long pause followed.

"I agree..." The Lord replied, offering his hand to seal his deal with the Devil.

Lucifer extended his own hand, taking the Lord's and gave it one firm shake. The pair then turned back towards the image in front of them as Metatron delivered a devastating blow to the side of Hades' skull. An eerie silence fell on the realm as the lords of order and chaos stood with bated breath, awaiting the decision on both their fates. It was in this silence that a thought struck The Lord. A piece of this intricate puzzle that seemed out of place.

"You allowed him to escape, didn't you?" The Lord asked quietly.

Lucifer gave a sly, sideways look.

"You honestly think it took a human with no previous knowledge of our worlds just a single year to escape mine? If that were the case, old friend, everybody would do it," Lucifer drawled.

"You wanted this agreement..." God realised, bowing his head slightly.

"Whatever gave you that impression?" The Devil asked with a twisted grin.