Unaverage

Ch 7:8

"I do not expect you to forgive your father but know that it is truly my fault that he is the way he is. LUCIFER!"
Marcus flinched when Death suddenly screamed. The devil man walked in." Oh, hello again Marcus. What do you need, Sir?"
"Show the boy what happened to Grim! Before the war!"
"Alright then. Please get closer, Marcus."
Marcus did as he was told and the devil placed his hands on Marcus's head. He recognized that his father once did something similar. Then, the room began to change.

"You see, I don't have direct access to your father's memories. But I was always around him. Whether he noticed or not."

Marcus found himself looking into a mirror. But he didn't see himself. He saw the devil frowning at- presumably- himself. He was carrying a baby with white hair.

"Your grandfather wasn't able to care for the babies. So a group of his close friends and I split the responsibility of caring for them. I suppose that's where his problems first began. I was never a good caretaker."

A slightly older Grim, perhaps a toddler, waddled after the devil. He tugged on the man's tail but his hand was quickly slapped away.

"I was often tired from my own duties. Why would I learn to care for a baby? I guess that never stopped the boy from sticking around."

The toddler sat on a table as Lucifer did paperwork. The former looked exhausted and nearly malnourished.

"Eventually, we were able to dump him off into a specially made school. Of course, the saints funded the whole thing."

Grim at the human age equivalent of six waved at Lucifer. Grim then held the hand of a creature made of ice. The creature spread out it's icy wings and lifted up the boy. It then took off into the sky.

"There, I took the form of a counselor. If Grim ever wanted to talk, I was there. I was to be dismissed from my other duties as well. Soon, Grim would be taking over as a reaper instead of my various slaves. But, that isn't too important."

Grim looked about Marcus's age now. His head was on a table and he appeared to be speaking.

"He told me he couldn't sleep anymore. The training had started to haunt his dreams. He had to see so many deaths. He also needed to get used to the constant insults. The council insisted that we tell the world that he and Death were the ones they made them pass away. That they made their loved ones leave them. Grim became bitter but he nonetheless started work."

"Then on a business trip with me and a girl, we visited heaven. We were to take a group of advisors to the underworld. Then- haha- all hell broke loose. One thing led to another and suddenly we were in a war."

A fully grown Grim was addressing a small group of men. He was wearing a military uniform. But he didn't have a look Marcus had seen him wear before. He didn't look angry. Instead, he looked serious.

"He was so good at his job back then. No one could beat him. Not his strategies or in battle. At least, that was the case until those- those saints unleashed a weapon that shouldn't have ever existed. It was a bomb that could damage the soul. But it didn't damage just us. It damaged everyone in the area."

Lucifer was beside Grim, staring up into the sky. There, another ice creature was flying above the heads of thousands. It was holding a cube that was overflowing with black energy. Grim bared his teeth and began teleporting forward. Suddenly, he was above the creature. Grim punched the creature to the ground before grabbing the black cube. Then, he vanished again.

"I wasn't able to find Grim again for many years. I was sure that he had sacrificed himself and was punished severely for it. But the council was never able to truly understand souls. Even now, they can't. But I was wrong. I'm sure you know exactly where he ended up."

Marcus was able to see the present again. He was still crying. Lucifer smirked," you are quite the crybaby, aren't you? You're the opposite of your father."

"Why did you show me that? So I can see how hard his life was?" Marcus asked sarcastically.

"I guess so, yeah. But it's really your decision. He's already accepted your anger."
Marcus sighed," I'd just like to sleep, sir."
"That can be arranged. We have an empty room."
"Thank you."