Heaven and Hell

THIRTY-FOUR

D E P R I V A T I O N

———

IT WAS EASY to decide where Lucifer should be locked, along with the rest of the demons. After the mortal souls were brought back to the village, the five sworn-siblings all split up with different objectives in mind.

"We need to rebuild the village, expand it so that it can accommodate more people," Calvin noted, scratching at his chin.

"I agree. The death toll only ever rises and will never see a decrease. To prevent more demons from spawning, we should find a way to deal with the impure souls that are deceased." Dimitri nodded, sighing as he thought of the faces that had appeared in his head during the Battle of Hell.

Among those faces were children, elderly, and people who've committed various unforgivable sins. Both murderers and the murdered were on the list and there was no way to allow both of these vastly different groups to co-exist for all eternity in the afterlife.

"What if only pure souls are given the opportunity at an afterlife?" Qiu Xia suggested, perking up instantly. "The evil are reincarnated, doomed to forever suffer in the mortal realm until they can learn to be good. No one is born evil, after all. After a few rounds, they will start to change."

"And if those people aren't good nor evil? What if they still carry regrets from their life?" Dimitri asked, his hands furiously writing down notes in a small journal he carried with him. "What happens then?"

"Then they'll be stuck in limbo. They won't be dead nor will they be alive. Stuck in the mortal realm with the body of a spirit. If they can solve their woes or do enough good or evil to tip the balance, they'll be sorted as follows," Calvin supplied.

"Perfect," Dimitri beamed, jotting down the final notes of their quick discussion for future references. "I'll put this in place once we get back to the castle. For now, let's help the men, women, and children to move back. Roll call should also be done to make sure everyone's back. And also to take note of the fallen."

Calvin nodded just once before darting off, parchment and pen in hand, ready to bark out orders for the villagers. Just as Dimitri was about to head back to the castle to prepare the spells needed to put their new rule in place, he was stopped by Qiu Xia.

"Where did Fabian and Wilhelm go?" She asked while looking around.

"They went to make sure Lucifer and his demons are properly locked up in the cave. It seemed fitting to put him there, considering how the place can only be found by people that have no intention of seeking it," came Dimitri's response.

"Will they be alright?"

"Of course," the reply was immediate. "This is Fabian we're talking about. He's always been meticulous with his work. Lucifer will be dealt with appropriately and he will never be able to cause harm ever again."

♔ ♔ ♔

"You will regret this!" Lucifer roared from within his cage, hands clawing at the ground desperately as he heaved and gasped with great pain.

From outside the prison bars, Fabian watched calmly as Lucifer groaned, clutching at his chest. His fingers clawed at his skin so deeply that wounds had started to appear, blood flowing like molten gold onto the ground beneath him. A mist evaporated from Lucifer, growing thinner as the seconds passed. His magic and strength were drained out of him and every second longer made him weaker than the last. The devil hacked and coughed, spitting out mouthfuls of blood with each breath he took, causing him to crumble to his knees.