Lucifer motioned for the cards, but Serah snatched them up before he could get his hands on them. She sat back in her chair and started shuffling, eyes fixed squarely on him, waiting for him to object. A smirk turned his lips as he waved her on.
"You can shuffle all you want," he said. "War is a game of chance. It’s all the luck of the draw, no more calculated than the spin of a gun barrel in Russian roulette."
"I think I’d rather play that at this point," she muttered. "Too bad you’re immune to bullets."
He laughed. "Ah, don’t be bitter. You should accept the fact that maybe you’re not supposed to get your answers. Maybe you’re just destined to spend more time with me."
"Rubbish," she said, narrowing her eyes. "God is on my side. I’ll win."
She split the deck in half and flipped over her first card, more determined than ever to beat him at his game. Less than ten minutes later, Serah held one last measly card while Lucifer’s stack towered above hers.
Lost. Again.
"Thought you were going to win, angel? Thought Daddy was on your side?"
"You’re infuriating."
"Likewise."
Serah turned her last card over and stood up, not bothering to wait on him to flip his. She stalked to the wooden double doors and stormed out without saying a word.
Orbs of color streaked through the pitch-black sky, not a cloud to be seen anywhere. Reds, and blues, and greens, and vibrant yellows burned brightly, patterns of light originating from deep in space. Shooting stars, the mortals called them. Dozens streaked above them, trails of fire burning in the atmosphere.
"Make a wish," Hannah muttered.
"I haven’t seen a meteor shower this bad in a long time," Serah said, staring up in the sky. While beautiful, she knew it wasn’t a good sign. It was never good when pandemonium reigned.
"We did our best to ward off the asteroid, but so much broke through," Hannah said. "Next time, we may not be so lucky. The universe is in chaos, and it’s only getting worse. The hurricanes, the tsunamis, the earthquakes—it’s only a matter of time now."
"The apocalypse."
"Conquest, War, Famine, and Death will soon surface, and then life as we know it will be over," Hannah said. "Satan will rise."
"I don’t understand," Serah said quietly, still gazing at the frenzied sky. Lucifer seemed so sedentary. How could he be moving them closer to the apocalypse when he was trapped below with no way to escape? He seemed to almost accept that fact.
She needed answers, and she needed them fast.
"Hannah, do you know anything about War?"
"I know nobody truly wins at war. Everyone loses."
"Not actual war."
"The Horseman, then?"
"No, the card game."
Hannah’s brow furrowed as she glanced at Serah, her eyes leaving the hectic sky for the first time that night. "A game? You know more about human pastimes than I do."
The air in the field crackled behind Serah, Michael’s overwhelming essence radiating through the land around them. Hannah glanced back at him, but Serah didn’t move. She fixed her gaze on the sky, purposely avoiding him.
"I said it wouldn’t work," Michael said straightaway. "Just look at that prophetic sky. Judgment Day will soon be upon us."
"I don’t need an ‘I told you so’ lecture," Serah said. "It helps none of us."
"I’m lecturing no one," Michael said. "I’m simply stating the truth, Serah. All of this time you’re spending with that depraved miscreation is irrational."
Serah held her tongue, her jaw rigid as she purposely held in the words she yearned to say: That miscreation is your brother, like it or not.
Hannah sighed, nudging Serah’s arm lightly and giving her a sympathetic smile before teleporting away. Serah remained still as Michael walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her toward him. She didn’t fight it, didn’t pull from his embrace, but she didn’t melt into his arms like she would’ve in the past.
"I miss you," Michael said. "I miss us. Don’t you feel the same way?"
"I do," she admitted. She did. It was true. She missed the comfort he used to bring her, how safe she felt with him, how infallible he used to seem.
"Do you still love me?"
She couldn’t be certain, but she thought she sensed a bit of doubt in his voice. "Of course I do, Michael. You just don’t stop loving someone. Love changes you."
"Then why are you so standoffish?" he asked.
"Because love changes, too."
"It doesn’t have to."
"It does," she disagreed. "Everything changes eventually, not necessarily for the bad, but not always for the good, either."
"What does that even mean, Serah?"
"It means that the world isn’t always black and white," she replied. "Sometimes, it’s gray, and sometimes that gray explodes into colors you never knew existed before."
"I still don’t understand."
Serah frowned. She didn’t think he would.
Serah walked swiftly down the long corridor, leading to the room at the end. She came upon the massive, wooden double doors and yanked them open, her mouth moving as words started spilling from her lips. She expected Lucifer to be sitting in his throne, shuffling the deck of cards, but the sight that met her was quite the opposite.
Sunlight blasted her as she stepped through the doors and onto a long, winding, asphalt road, flanked by freshly painted sidewalks. Modest two-story houses lined the road on both sides, their driveways filled with cars and minivans. Trees were scattered throughout, vibrant green leaves rustling in the light breeze as luscious grass coated the yards. She could hear birds chirping as they flew through the air, whirling around the quiet neighborhood.
Serah was so dumbfounded she just stood there, staring, unable to move until she heard a noise behind her. She spun around in just enough time to see a child on a bike speeding right toward her, the street ongoing for as far as her eyes could see, the doors she’d just stepped through gone. She froze, expecting him to move right through her as if she didn’t exist, but the boy swerved onto the sidewalk to miss striking her.
"Sorry, lady!" he yelled as he peddled past. "Didn’t see you!"
Her eyes widened with shock. "What in Heaven’s name?"
She spun around again, flinging herself in a circle, and let out a startled yelp when she came face-to-face with Lucifer. He grasped her arms to stabilize her, his sudden presence throwing her off-kilter. She gasped as he touched her bare skin, shockwaves of electricity running through her body, flowing down her spine. Immediately, she stepped away from him.
"Relax," he said, holding his hands up defensively. "Can’t hurt you, remember?"
"What is this place?" she asked, her eyes darting around. "Where are we?"
"Hell," he replied. "Someone’s Hell, anyway."
She gaped at him. This is someone’s Hell?
"It’s one my favorite," Lucifer continued. "Most of the cages are dark and ugly, but this one . . . it feels almost like really being outside. Well, except for the fact that it reeks of blood and burning flesh, but I take what I can get."
Serah was quiet as she tried to process that. It seemed so peaceful and innocent, almost an exact replica of a few Heavens she’d encountered along the way. It was strange to her, seeing Lucifer standing in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, surrounded by hardy trees as sunlight streamed down on him. His tanned skin seemed to glow under the rays, the red entirely gone from his eyes; much browner today than the black she was accustomed to.
"Come on," he said, nodding for her to follow him as he took a few steps backward. "Let me show you around a bit."
She slowly shook her head, refusing, but her feet didn’t seem to get the message. Curiosity fueled her steps as she moved forward, following him down the street. Lucifer ducked between two houses, jumping over the boy’s discarded bicycle, and made his way into a backyard. Serah continued to follow him, watching as he leaped over a tall
, wooden fence and landed out of sight.
Serah climbed the fence, startled when she jumped down on the other side and found herself in another place, another time. A crowd roared around them as she and Lucifer stood in the middle of a dusty arena, gladiators in full gear bludgeoning each other mere feet from her. Gasping, she stepped away, looking to Lucifer in horror as blood splattered her direction. "I like the other one better."
He smirked, snapping his finger, their surroundings changing instantly. They stood in a massive red tent, spectators surrounding the outskirts as a group of clowns performed in the middle of them. Laughter swarmed the tent, above it the sound of a tiger roaring just outside the entrance flap. "Well, clowns are terrifying, I suppose."
Lucifer snapped his fingers again, everything going black. Serah blinked rapidly, trying to see in the darkness, but there was nothing there . . . nothing at all. The space seemed entirely void of everything, a massive black hole of nothingness.
But then she felt it, the prickly sensation on the back of her neck, the humid warmth of a shuddering breath against her skin. She spun around, finding nothing there, but she heard them. She could hear the low, aggressive growl, hungry and angry, like it yearned to devour her. She trembled at the thought. "Okay, I get it. Enough."
A loud snap sounded, and Serah found herself standing on the peaceful neighborhood street with Lucifer again.
"Right down the street, in the blue house with the bike in the yard, a man is forced to watch his family murdered every day," he said. "The gladiator is bludgeoned to death every hour, on the hour. The ringmaster of the circus is eaten alive by the tiger."
"And the last one?" she asked hesitantly. "Whose Hell was that?"
Lucifer cocked an eyebrow at her. "Yours."
"Mine?"
"Curious, isn’t it? Your worst fear is oblivion."
"What was that thing there?" she asked. "That . . . monster?"
A small smirk tugged the corner of his lips. "That was me, angel."
A lush forest of autumn trees surrounded the crystal blue water, so crisp and clear it resembled a reflection of glass. A rocky cliff to the north fed the river, water cascading down the natural stone steps of the falls. Serah stood at the edge of the river, gazing out at it, as Lucifer tore off his shirt and tossed it to the ground. Grabbing a branch above them, he pulled himself up into a tall, twisty tree and scaled it without much effort to where a long, knotted, rope swing hung. Wordlessly, he took a flying leap, swinging right past Serah and out onto the water.
He let go when he reached the middle, flailing his arms and legs as he landed in the river with a colossal splash. Water rushed over the bank from the waves as more flew straight at Serah, lightly splashing her peach dress. She backed up a bit, stunned as Lucifer disappeared into the deep water.
A minute passed with no sign of him, then two. She started panicking after five minutes had come and gone. She called out his name and stepped toward the edge just as he popped out of the river a mere foot from her, drenched, water running down his face and dripping from his hair.
"Come in," he said, waving her on with his hand. "The water’s cold as fuck, but that doesn’t matter much to you, I guess, since you can’t feel a damn thing."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, her hands on her hips. "I’m not getting in there."
"Why?"
"Because," she said, "this is no time for fun. We have a game to play."
He snickered. "Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Do you hear yourself?"
Even she had to admit how absurd that sounded. She shrugged halfheartedly, in no mood to argue with him when he was being somewhat agreeable for once.
Lucifer didn’t wait for her to change her mind. He slammed his hands down on the surface of the river, sending mounds of water splashing her way. It soaked the entire front of her dress, the material clinging to her skin as water dripped onto her bare feet.
Grumbling, she jumped into the river, splashing him right back. The moment she opened her eyes underwater, she was met with vibrant colors, an entire universe existing under the surface. Multicolored plants flourished, growing and intermingling, while creatures flitted around. Schools of animated fish circled her while river turtles swam by at a slow pace. Serah blinked rapidly as she resurfaced, spinning around until she saw Lucifer. "It’s beautiful down there!"
"I know."
"How?" She shook her head, absolutely dumbfounded. "It doesn’t make sense how this could be. How can something this glorious exist in a place this wretched?"
"It’s best not to question it," he said. "Just go with it, angel. Trust me—it’s better that way."
She shrugged, not pressing the issue, and dove back under the surface. Lucifer joined her, the two of them exploring the deep, lively water. He took her to a cave underneath the falls where tiny yellow fish swarmed, glowing in the darkness like fireflies in a night sky. They splashed and played around, Lucifer grabbing her feet and yanking her deeper into the water, the smile on his face wider than she’d ever seen it before. She kicked away from him, silent laughter erupting from her chest in the form of a jet of bubbles.
Hours passed, the two of them losing themselves in the underwater world, everything else forgotten and falling away as Serah, for the first time since she lost her brother, truly felt a sense of joy again.
She resurfaced, still laughing, as Lucifer popped up beside her. The moment he appeared, she splashed water in his face. He splashed her back as she tried to scamper away, not getting very far before he tackled her, dragging her back underwater briefly.
"This is incredible," she said, resurfacing again.
Lucifer raised his eyebrows. "Incredible?"
She nodded. "And I mean it in the good way this time. It's incredible. You . . . you're incredible."
Surprise flashed across his face.
"I haven’t laughed this much in a while," she continued, staring up at the sun peeking through the gaps in the trees. It seemed so real.
"Me, either," he mumbled, drifting in the river near her. "It’s been a long time for me. A very long time."
A cloud covering appeared as he spoke, thick and merciless, blocking out every bit of sunshine. Darkness overcame the river, the crystal blue water blurring, morphing to the shade of ink. A chill shot down Serah's spine, goose bumps coating every inch of her flesh. She shivered forcefully, her teeth chattering, the sound echoing through the murky air.
Lucifer gaped at her. "Are you cold?"
"I, uh. . ." She glanced at him, absolutely staggered when she looked him in the eyes, seeing the splatter of sky blue mingling with the darkness. "Maybe."
Something swam by then, a massive block of rushing water circling them. It struck Serah from behind, brutally shoving her into Lucifer. Her chest constricted as she yelped, a pressure building underneath her skin, tightening against her ribcage. The blue all at once faded from Lucifer’s eyes, replaced with the swirling red as his face hardened.
"Time to go," he said, grabbing her tightly and yanking her out of the water, setting her on her feet on the bank of the river. Thunder roared as lightning flashed in the sky, the wind picking up. The river shifted, turning into a swirling vortex, an underwater cyclone.
"What was that?" she asked, trying to stop from trembling.
"I told you—it’s best you don’t ask questions," he replied. "There are things in that water you’d rather not encounter."
"They can’t hurt me," she said. "Only an angel can."
"Yeah, well, we’re not taking any chances."
Lucifer snapped his fingers. In the blink of an eye, Serah was standing in the middle of the dim meeting room, candles flickering all around. Her dress was bone dry, her soft hair cascading over her shoulder. She ran her fingers through it, trying to detect dampness, but there was nothing. It was like the past few hours hadn’t even happened.
"That was. . ." She wasn’t sure what to say. "Wow."
"Take a seat," Lucifer said, his tone clipped as he pointed
toward the end chair. He didn’t look at her as he put on his shirt again and sat in his throne, his expression as hard and unyielding as the marble. "Or don’t. Whatever."
Hesitantly, Serah slid into the chair, watching him peculiarly as he shuffled the deck of cards and split them in half. He flipped his top card over with the stiff flick of a finger, still not looking at her as he waited for her to play.
"Are you okay?" she asked, turning over an ace and taking both cards.
He scoffed. "I don’t need your pity, angel. I don’t want it."
"It’s not pity," she said quietly. "It was a genuine question. I was—"
"Concerned?" he asked. "Poor pathetic Satan, right?"
She shook her head. "I don’t think you’re pathetic."
"But I am Satan."
"You said it, not me."
She flipped a card over and he followed suit. They played a few hands in silence before he let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Let’s just play this game so you can be on your way. I’m certain you have better things to do than sit here with me all day, every day."
Dejection laced his soft voice as a hint of vulnerability showed. Serah slowly shook her head. "No, not really."
Everything changed that moment, although it was only vaguely detectable in the gloomy shell of a room. A gentle breeze stirred the flickering flames of the candles, rustling Serah’s hair, carrying her fragrance to Lucifer. He inhaled, closing his eyes momentarily as it washed through him, the scent striking something deep inside of his body, a tiny pickaxe piercing the wall he’d long ago built—the wall that kept everything and anything from weaseling its way under his toughened skin.
The hole in his barricade, hardly noticeable, was enough for everything he’d fought to keep in to start slowly seeping out, pure emotions flowing through his body, mixing with the unadulterated sin that always seemed to flood his system. The need, the want, the lust—the pride, the greed, the envy—it screamed out to him, begging him to satiate it, to give in to the desire.
He tried to ignore it.