Heaven - Lucius
❝He was a love that became violent.❞
Hell - the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
❝In the midst of destroying chaos, they became it.❞
***
The heart betrays all. For Lucius, the betrayal that was served to him cost him the life of the o...
LUCIFER'S STRONGHOLD WAS undoubtedly beautiful. The structure dripped with elegance, saturated by the color of magnificence and gleamed with the reflection of glory. It was the perfect castle, its walls climbing towards the sky in what seemed like an endless onslaught. It kept the people that Lucifer did not want in his new home out and kept those he wanted in.
Or at least, that was what Dimitri thought. The fortress that Lucifer had constructed and called a home was nothing but a fancy new prison for the four fallen angels.
"Your rooms will be here," Lucifer instructed, gesturing at four doors that lined the corridor. They were made of mahogany, its dark rich color tinted with the red of the colored windows. "The north wing will be yours to share."
The specific location brought a pang to Dimitri's heart. His home had always been in the North Garden back in Heaven. Even though Dimitri loathed Lucifer, he was silently thankful for the latter's decision in giving the four of them the north wing to call theirs. That hint of reminiscence was enough. Powerful.
"Thank you." Calvin nodded his head once in gratitude. Shelter above their heads will always be something they would be thankful for. "We will make sure to keep out of your way unless otherwise instructed."
"In that case, we will all be happy," Lucifer agreed with a beaming broad smile. "Rest up. I am sure you four had a tiring day."
Without another word, Lucifer turned on his heel, quickly devouring the distance with his long strides. In seconds, he was gone. He disappeared so quickly that Dimitri allowed himself the luxury to assume that it was because Lucifer felt uncomfortable in their presence. Then again, it was probably not true.
Lucifer was never uncomfortable with anything.
"Well. Eventful, no?" Wilhelm was the first to break the silence, his hands clapping. The sound reverberated through the empty corridor, bouncing down the halls in an eerie chiming reminder.
Calvin rolled his eyes. "That may be the greatest understatement you've put forth so far," he snorted.
Undignified, Wilhelm's lips parted, ready to argue with a cheeky retort. However, before he could even utter a single word, Dimitri stepped in.
"Like Calvin said, today was an eventful day. Get some sleep. Only the heavens know what will happen to us tomorrow."
Just like that, Dimitri was gone. He quickly picked a door at random, flinging it open with more force than what was necessary before stepping in and locking it behind him. It felt good, for once, to have some form of privacy instead of sleeping out in the gardens for the world to witness his vulnerability. Although the blanket of stars was beautiful beyond any doubt, it did not provide a sense of security and protection. It was not like Dimitri needed that back in Heaven but the feeling of owning something of that sort was an unspoken pleasure.
Unlike the wooden and straw huts that line the inner sectors of Heaven, the room that Lucifer provided was luxurious. The walls were lined with smooth black polished marble, decorated with drapes of red embroidered with gold. When Dimitri ran a hand across the sheets, he realized that Lucifer had made the bed with silk covers. Four plump pillows were poised at the head of the four-poster bed. The material that hung from the four posters were also silk, colored in the shade of rich wine.
A large window was placed at the wall furthest away from the door that led to the corridor, and on his right was another door that led to a private washing area. Beneath the window was a long couch, backed up against the glass and covered in golden velvet. Empty walls were filled with paintings and artwork, scrolls hanging delicately from a height so that their inked words could be read.
Yet, with all the grandeur of the place, there was nothing Dimitri wanted more than to sink into those silk sheets and rest his tired eyes.
Eagerly, he shrugged off his torn shirt, discarding it carelessly to the ground without much thought before sliding beneath the covers. The cold sheets were freezing. Even after Dimitri had tossed and turned, the temperature of it only seemed to drop, never rise. Eventually, Dimitri adapted to it, allowing the cold to soothe his aches and he no longer craved for the warmth that would relax his muscles.
Like all things in the world, there were different remedies in place for different people and different problems. If a possible solution turned impossible, another will always appear.
It felt strange to seek comfort in the cold when he spent most of his days basking in golden sunlight back in Heaven. However, change will always be necessary for the sake of survival. At least, if it wasn't before, it was now.
The longer Dimitri stayed under the covers, the more his thoughts began to fill with the faces of his angelic friends. Most of which, however, were ones that Dimitri knew for certain were long past the gates of death. He saw visions of them, repeated scenes of their dying moment, and then a wisp leaving their lips and into the sky in an eerie swirl.
Dimitri shivered. He tried not to think about it, willing the goosebumps that rose to his skin to level back down. Yet, the hair on his body stood to their edges, afraid of what was slowly happening to him.
With the curtains pulled down, light could not enter through the windows. In the darkness, a faint green started to glow, mixing with the red of silk to create a purplish hue. The dark-haired fallen angel jerked up, his heart thundering against his chest at the sudden intrusion. When he realized that the faint glow originated from his own skin, he could not help himself but gasp out loud, shuffling away slightly for he could not believe he was glowing a pale green.
"What?..." he trailed off, muttering the words for no one in particular to hear. Yet, he did not need anyone to notice his disbelief.
His body was changing, the glows that emanated from him brightened and darkened to the beating of his heart. That made it seemed as though the light was alive and breathing with a soul of its own.
Lightly, Dimitri trailed his index finger down the line of green that was dashed across his arm like a work of skillfully plotted art. He could still feel every tickle, every sensation of the touch. That was what finally made Dimitri rest his head back into the soft feather pillows, sighing in relief.
Beneath all the inordinate color, despite Lucifer having labeled him as a demon of Hell, Dimitri sought solace in knowing that he was still him.
The world's views need not bother him. What mattered was what he thought of himself. He then concluded that if this change would not cause himself or the people he loved harm, he would be okay with it.
Despite how uncomfortable it might seem in the beginning, Dimitri always had the ability of adapting.
It was a necessity, after all.
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