??? years ago
Lucifer kneeled as he approached God’s throne. He wore the military coat of an ancient empire he had taken a liking to despite his father’s objections. Pure white leather was accented by a yellow trim. Without his wings, he would have looked the part of a normal ‘Fusilier’ in the ancient empire’s military. Pristine ivory angel wings folded as he showed his respect to the King of Heaven by lowering his head and placing an open palm on where his heart would be located.
“Father, I have returned.” announced Lucifer
God regarded the archangel before him with an indiscernible expression. His eyes were naught but pure light. He had taken the form of an adult man in his prime. He sat on his throne completely nude, his chiseled body laid bare for all of heaven to see and worship. His fingers tapped the arms of his throne as Lucifer tensed in anticipation of his father’s response. Lucifer had been on one of his missions: passing judgement and smiting a kingdom of men that had dared question God’s power.
After a few seconds had passed, God smiled and walked down the steps of his throne.
“So you have, son.” laughed the king. “So you have. Now, raise yourself so that we may converse about your trip down to the mortal land.”
Lucifer smiled warmly as he looked up at his father.
“Of course.”
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“-and that is all.” concluded Lucifer. He and his father were currently taking a stroll through the divine garden. “Their technological inadequacy, partly due to their reliance on ancient Teknite mechanisms, had been the most notable cause of their downfall.”
“Were you wounded?” prodded the father with a worried tone. “You’ve told me that they had found and utilized the weaponry of the Teknites.”
“One of their magic amplified cannons grazed my leg. Other than that, I am fine, father.”
God frowned in disappointment. Both the fact that his son had gotten hurt and the idea of Lucifer being vulnerable to mortal weapons brought out a rare wave of emotion from the immortal being. Glancing at his son’s leg, the father saw no blemish or obvious wounds that would imply that his son had gotten hit.
“Is your leg completely fine?” questioned God, his tone filled with worry and anxiety. “If you want, I can summon Raphael to check everything.”
“No, father.” Lucifer chuckled. “I’m fine.”
“You must remember that we cannot afford to have mortal eyes see us be injured, Lucifer.” God placed his hands on Lucifer’s shoulders, grasping them tightly as he stared at the archangel’s sapphire eyes. “They see us as perfection given form and we must keep it that way. Should one of us fall in front of them, our image as untouchable beings will crumble.”
Lucifer stared back softly before placing a hand on his father’s.
“I know my limits, father.” the archangel reassured the deity. “I know my role in your kingdom. I promise you, I won’t fail.”
The deity smiled gently and patted his son’s shoulder before walking further into the garden, leaving Lucifer to contemplate on his father’s words.
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Present
“Satania!” Adam shouted, snapping his fingers as he tried to get the demon lord’s attention. “I swear to god I will-”
“I told you to call me Lucifer, hero.”
“And I told you to stop calling me by my title!”
The pair were currently having breakfast in Lucifer’s cabin. Lucifer had been seasoning his mashed potatoes with herbs while Adam was munching on a sandwich he had made himself. The demon king was dressed in a tank top and shorts, his horns and wings concealed once again by magic while his long red hair was tied up into a ponytail. Adam had borrowed some of Lucifer’s casual clothes since his were all damaged. The hero wore a grey shirt and overalls. His black hair also tied into a short low ponytail.
“Wha’s wit yu anywys?” voiced Adam as he chewed on his bacon sandwich. Lucifer sighed and looked up from his bowl of potatoes.
“Don’t talk while you chew, Adam.” admonished the red haired demon, an amused glint in his eyes. “Weren’t you taught manners?”
The black haired man glared at him, swallowing the remains of his breakfast before huffing and walking off to the kitchen to get more.
Lucifer chuckled before finishing off his meal. He looked out the window onto the farmland outside and smiled. It had been a long time since he had been able to speak freely to someone else. The occasional visitor would pass by but never was he able to speak without any reservations. It was honestly refreshing for the red haired man.
“Oi, Lucifer.” Adam spoke up as he leaned on the kitchen counter while nibbling on an apple. “Mind if I call you something else? Lucifer is a really wordy name and just won’t roll off the tongue right.”
The aforementioned man looked up with an eyebrow raised at the comment.
“Our souls might be bound together, Adam.” replied Lucifer. “But I still do not see us as anything but partners working towards the same end. There is no reason for you to call me by anything else.”
“It’ll improve communication if you let me.” Adam argued back. “Imagine if we’re in a fight and I had to shout Lucifer all the time.”
The demon king’s eyebrow twitched as he glared at the stubborn man in front of him. He picked up his bowl, stood up from his seat, and moved past the hero to wash the dishes.
“If it stops you from annoying me any further then go have fun.” said the demon as he rinsed the bowl. “However, I will not acknowledge your words unless you call me by my real name.”
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Adam frowned as he finished his apple. Pushing himself off the wall, the hero took a cup from the table and poured himself some water using a wooden pitcher.
“You sure?” asked Adam as he looked outside the window and sipped on his cup. “It would simplify our means of communication if we did.”
The demon sighed and shook his hands free of any remaining droplets. He placed the bowl and cutlery on a nearby rack before leaning on the kitchen counter to face Adam.
“Why are you pushing for this?” Lucifer questioned as he crossed his arms. “I see your point but I think you are hiding your true intentions, hero. As you humans say, why are you choosing such a weird hill to die on?”
The hero looked away and mumbled something incoherently. Sighing once more, Lucifer hardened his tone and spoke.
“If you will not reveal your reasons then I will not permit this unnecessary proposal of yours.”
Adam sighed and ran his hand through his black hair. He grabbed a nearby wooden chair and twisted it so that he could lean forwards on the back rest. Placing the wooden cup on the table, he pulled out a metal flask from his pocket and opened it before taking a long sip of the alcohol held within.
“It’s still early and you’re already drinking.” Lucifer commented, arms still crossed as he raised his eyebrow.
“There’s no problem with drinking early in the morning.” said Adam, chuckling hollowly before taking a sip again. “You asked why I wanted to call you by something else, right?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Where do I begin…” sighed Adam. “Your name directly coincides with the legend of Lucifer the traitor. The similarities in the description of Lucifer’s physical looks are exactly the same as yours.”
“And this is important, why?”
“Because my daughter loved that legend.”
Lucifer’s eyes widened as he heard what the hero had said. Never in his life would he imagine a human become so enamored with the tall tales the civilizations of the past had crafted around him. Most of the books he had read concerning him and his history were hostile in nature. ‘Bastard Son of God’, ‘Mourning Sun, ‘He-who-reached-for-too-much’, and more... imaginative names were used to describe him. Only two books ever existed that had praised his actions.
“Saying your name reminds me of the times I’d read her the book as a bedtime story.” Adam chuckled somberly. “She’d sometimes get tired and ask for a new story but she would always return to her favorite legend…”
Emerald eyes locked onto crimson.
“Your legend.”
Narrowing his eyes, the demon king subtly wiped off the sweat that was forming on his palms. He might’ve been accepting of the hero and the companionship he would bring but he couldn’t say that he trusted Adam enough to be completely comfortable with sharing stories from his past.
“You have no proof that I am the same person as the ones written in the stories.” Lucifer retorted, his voice tinged with a little amount of anxiety that the hero had not failed to pick up.
“Then why are you nervous, Lucifer?” questioned Adam as he stood up from his seat. “Do you think I am a fool to not notice the similarities? The mannerisms? The fact that demonkind sees the legend like how humans see the book of heroes? Everything matches up! The date of Lucifer’s fall from heaven, the first reports of a new demon king sparking the fires of revolution, the fact that you have wings similar to an angel’s.”
Lucifer winced at his words as Adam slowly walked towards the demon.
“I am not a fool or whatever you think I am.” Adam said with an air of finality. “In fact, I think that the years had corroded your mind to think that people wouldn’t be able to piece together the entire picture.”
The red haired demon ignored the obvious insult and suspiciously stared at the hero.
“Why not call me by my alias Satania if you’re so insistent on not calling me by my true name?” Lucifer said curiously. “Why must it be something else?”
Adam’s eyes somehow became somber and happy, as if he was reminiscing a happy memory that had long passed into the annals of his mind.
“Because she called you Luci.” answered the father. “I want to tell her that Luci and I became friends when we reunite.”
Lucifer looked at the daughterless parent and winced. Repressed memories of his were making themselves known once again through the eyes of the hero. The demon did not want to remember her. However, he also couldn’t find it within himself to deny the hero of his request. Was it an effect of the magics or was it something else? He could not say. All he knew was that he disgustingly felt more human after the events of yesterday.
The demon lord brushed past the hero and headed to his room, noticing the slumped shoulders the man had when he passed him with naught a word.
Just as he was about to open his door, something within the demon’s soul twinged with reluctance and made him do an action he would soon regret.
“Luci, was it?” Lucifer nonchalantly remarked. “It has a nice ring to it.”
The demon lord walked in and closed the door gently. Unbeknownst to him, the wide eyed father in the kitchen was surprised at the demon’s acceptance of the affectionate moniker. With a wide smile, Adam set off into his own room to start the day.