Danika

✢ TWO ✢

The tall gothic gate rattled, immediately catching the eye of a monstrous demon. The gate shook harder before exploding off its hinges landing on the ground in large pieces. The demon couldn't believe what it had witnessed but this was its chance to escape with no one else around to stop it.

Abaddon couldn't run fast enough to Lucifer's chambers, probably because he was pulling Gabriel along to keep up at the same pace. He ran so quickly and almost ran past the locked door, but slid in his tracks to stop. Gabriel chuckled but Abaddon chose to ignore him.

"Lucifer, open this door right now!" he slammed his fist against it, causing the wall to shake. No one answered nor did he hear a peep. "Lucifer!"

He had every intention to pound on this door until Lucifer answered, even if it meant standing here all day. His knocks grew louder and more intense until it opened. Valerie stood there in a laced robe, covering absolutely nothing. He shoved past her, pulling Gabriel inside the poorly lit room. Lucifer relaxed on the messy bed; his waist and legs being covered by the satin sheets.

"Get up at once!" Abaddon ordered. "something's happened to the gates. The underworld is open; demons have escaped, and the fallen are trying to keep the rest at bay. We need you!"

Lucifer slowly lifted his head from the pillows, appearing weaker than normal. Seven years apart from Estrella felt like slowly coming off a drug, and it was brutal. He would rather die.

"Stop fucking with me. God wouldn't have opened the gate after all these years."

God closed and locked the Underworld after Danika was born. There was no way in nor out, and only He could open it again.

"Really, captain obvious? I don't think Father did this. You need to come look for yourself."

Lucifer didn't understand and he didn't want to get up, but ordered his body to and threw on clothes anyways. For seven years now he's failed as a king and retreated to the bedroom to continue growing weak in private, but he allowed a handful of visitors and it was an honor to be chosen. Fallen angels formed a line of unity in front of the open entrance to keep the demons inside. Chaos didn't describe the situation while Lucifer pushed through the angry crowd with Abaddon following close behind. He pushed the last demon out of his path, and the shouts from both sides fell silent in the Devil's presence. Lucifer wasn't expecting to see the gate lying on the ground in broken pieces, the scene looked like a dynamite had gone off. This wasn't the work of God but something else unknown. He approached a broken piece and picked it up, turning it around in his palm when an image filled his mind. A little girl laying in bed crying, and the words "I want my daddy here" echoed in his ears. He dropped the piece in a state of shock, then looked at Abaddon.

"Danika."

"Danika?" he paused. "she did this?"

Lucifer's mind was running a marathon but he knew that he needed to find out for sure. Lucifer hurried back to the kingdom with Abaddon on his heels.

"Brother, shouldn't we talk this over? If Father finds out he'll---"

"He's the least of my worries," Lucifer simply said. "not even I can undo what he does but Danika was able to. I don't think there's any concerns."

"Okay, so what's your plan?"

Lucifer hesitated then turned to face his brother.

"I'm reuniting with my daughter."

Holly ran frantically towards the Archangel room, slamming open the doors. The highest rank of Archangels sat around the table with God himself as a host. Their heads turn towards her direction silently, but it was God who greeted her.

"Holly, dear. What has brought you to this room?"

She allowed the doors to close, then slowly approached the table.

"Father, the Underworld's gates are open," the smile on God's face vanished and anger overwhelmed her brothers. "some demons and hounds escaped but most importantly Lucifer is gone."

"How can this be? The gates could not be open!" Raphael roared, standing up from a chair in a panic.

"He will reunite with the child and try to invade our home!"

"Not if we get to the child first, we can end this before it's too late!"

"That is enough!" God said aloud, silencing the Archangels. "Lucifer's daughter; my grandchild, is a seven year old half human girl. She will not understand her abilities until she is much older, we will not take her life away. I forbid it."

"What do we do, Father?" asked Uriel.

"Find Lucifer and let me handle it. If a rotten demon or hound gets in the way of finding him; destroy it."