Heaven and Hell

SIXTEEN

D E M O N

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HELL.

Such an unfamiliar concept it was. The name itself was enough to make chills run down Dimitri's spine and make the fine hair on his skin stand in fright. It had an eerie ring to it, one that would no doubt haunt his nightmares and creep in the dark corners of whichever room he stood in. In short, the word was revolting to Dimitri's ears.

Lucifer smiled slowly, the corners of his lips creeping further and further up his dimpled cheek. He seemed to be studying the four with great care, his eyes trailing over every movement they made; every twitch of their muscles and every fidget seemed to be recorded by his eyes for later viewing.

Once he was sure that the four fallen angels were not going to speak any further, he started to chime in his own words of persuasion. "You can join me, you know," he said. "We could create a world that is even better than the one in which the Almighty has created. We will rule as royalty, taking land for our own and spreading our own rules across the world. We could be gods."

Insanity brimmed Lucifer's irises. He seemed so convinced in his own theory of ruling the universe that he had not even calculated the risks it would bring forth. However, the four brothers did. They were already beginning to tabulate the scores, silent messages flying to each other through minuscule actions that Lucifer would not find out of the ordinary. In the end, they came to a conclusion, an agreement.

"What will you give us in return of our service?" Calvin asked, stepping forward. He gently pushed past Dimitri to stand in front of the group, baring his injured back to the rest. Close up, Dimitri could count the scars that were carved into Calvin's dark skin. His wings were withered, feathers floating down to the ground and leaving his general body. The bone itself seemed to be cracking off as he spoke, almost as though the mere thought of joining a rebellion had caused him to lose his wings.

"Riches? Gold?" Wilhelm piped up, offering his own thoughts. He, too, stepped forward. "Will we be nothing more than slaves or will we be equal?"

Lucifer scoffed. "In my world, everyone is equal. Hierarchy will be no more. I am simply an elected leader, the first in the line of many dominoes. I have offered my body in service of a collected dream that we all wish to fulfill. Joining me will be joining the mission for balance."

For a second there, it did not sound all too bad. Lucifer's insane ideas had almost worked. To Dimitri, there could be nothing more ideal than living in a land where power struggles did not exist. Everyone could be equal and everything would be fair. However, unlike the balance that Lucifer had promised, Dimitri knew that chaos would ensue without a proper leader.

Besides, Lucifer was a walking contradiction. He was trying to rule above them all, become the leader and the king of his people. He wanted to destroy hierarchy when in truth, he was the one that founded it. Heaven was peaceful without it prior to Lucifer's betrayal.

"You did not answer the question distinctively, Lucifer. What will we be?" Calvin asserted, eyebrows furrowed and fists clenched by his sides.

"I did say that we could be gods in our own right," Lucifer reminded. "But if you want something more realistic, something small, you four would be princes of Hell. To rule beside a king, to create a world better than the one we lived in."

"Princes?" Dimitri scoffed, shaking his head in distaste. "If you were to phrase the position in such a way, with such a word, it would mean that you still believe yourself stronger than the rest."

Lucifer remained silent, his eyes scanning Dimitri's body with great care. Then, something malicious slithered across his sin-filled expression, gliding past the rest on his features to land on his lips, curving them artfully. He gestured to Dimitri's shoulders with a tilt of his chin, eyebrows quirking for emphasis.

"Perhaps you have not realized, Dimitri, that if not for Hell, you will no longer have a home."

Dimitri sneered. "I am an angel without wings. Fallen simply because of your rebellion and your betrayal. The Almighty will let me return to Heaven if I prayed hard enough."

"Do you really believe that? When you are turning into a creature of darkness, etched by the swirls of green that trail down your spine where your wings were? You were a very smart angel, Dimitri. Becoming a creature of Hell does not take away that intelligence." Lucifer paused and took a look at one of the snarling demons. A smirk played on his lips as he chuckled in dry humor. "Not for you, at least."

Immediately, Dimitri looked down at his hands, pupils trailing after the haunting pale green shade that tattooed his skin. It begins near his fingers in a tone that was barely even visible against his skin color before slowly darkening the higher it climbed. Through the tears and holes in his shirt, he could see the path it created, leading all the way to his back and disappearing past his line of sight.

"You are marked by Hell," Lucifer stated. "There is no re-entering Heaven for you. For your brothers, your comrades, maybe. For you?" That nasty smirk broadened. "Never in a thousand years. Demons stay in Hell unless I order them to leave. If you were to become a prince, I think I can loosen that leash."

Jaw and fists clenched, Dimitri turned to stare at the ground. He refused to meet Lucifer's eyes, knowing that if he gave the latter that sort of satisfaction, he would never live the rest of his life in peace. The fair-headed being that stood before him had taken so much away, ruined all that he understood, knew, and loved. If Lucifer's rebellion was a betrayal to the Heavens and the remaining angels, joining him would be a betrayal against Dimitri himself.

He must have remained silent a second too long because Dimitri soon felt a hand on his shoulder. Fabian offered a light squeeze of reassurance, his eyes filled with a silent resolution that he made sure not to direct to Lucifer's line of sight. There was promise in those dark irises.

'We will rise again,' they said.

Willing himself to tilt his face up, Dimitri nodded once in Calvin's direction with pursed lips. The latter immediately took notice, returning the nod before turning to face Lucifer.

"May Hell never fall."

Lucifer smiled handsomely at Calvin's words. He then echoed, "may Hell prevail."

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