LUCIFER

They burned their bodies. They used every fabric they could find to wrap them. They landed near the wall, moving each of the bodies out. She got used to the smell, to the feeling of the cold bodies. And yet she still hated it.

Mordred prayed for every person they lit up with the fire of a golden light. Branches which Ukko carried on his own since the others were far too exhausted. Even the girl hadn't woken up yet.

The last ones were Talus and Orion. Hephaestus did not let out a single word. Their hands now burned, heated as they let a pair of mechanical eyes into Orion's wrapped body. A screwdriver to Talus'. And right on the ground, where there was nobody to be found, a bare military badge laid down there. A badge that belonged to a guard. After that, they walked back to Mordred's side.

She did not ask for them. They were things that she knew she wouldn't take the answers from. Maybe it belonged to someone they knew. Someone they had loved and lost.

Talus and Orion were two people that she never had the chance to have a proper conversation with but she knew them. She had met them. And she saw them die.

And yet she did not shed any tears for them.

May the Lord Death send them to the world of Spirits.

Third floor, fourth room. 19 empty bunk beds. One full.

''I missed a fire show?'' Mara whined as she was munching the apple Lucifer had picked for her.

Two days passed and they hadn't moved a foot from the ground.

Two hours since Mara had woken up from her knockout.

''People died'' Lucifer reminded her with a scolding. ''You missed blood and violence.''

''Yes, but a fire show''She kept whining. ''Colors, anguish.''

She had taken the coat out of Mara’s body and she had now realized how peculiar the fabric was. Soft and delicate. Something that a thief or any citizen from Diyu could not find. And now she was dressed in new clothes that they found the downside of the bunk beds. A terrible olive green oversized shirt and pants.

Green was not her color either.

She kept informing her of what happened the last few days as she kept munching on the red fruit.

Hephaestus tried to fix the damaged engines with Ukko’s help while Mordred was trying to release them from the pain while they still kept wearing bandages.

So they are closer? Mara asked her worriedly. Lucifer shook her head.

A million Eke’el if they will end up together at the end of the year. She laughed.

You will lose your imaginary money because they will be in five months. Lucifer predicted with a mimicking grin.

But they did not lose their playful personality. They even gave a name to the machine. Icarus. It was simple and yet interesting. None had a complaint about the name.

Lucifer could not help them at that part so she decided to visit Mara, bringing her food from outside, from the forest. She hadn’t yet found what the other rooms had for them to discover. And after all, the girl’s eye preferred to look at the cold winter sky.

They discussed what happened when they saw the white-haired man. Hephaestus seemed to have seen it too once. It had a connection with Ma’at. Lucifer did not want to believe that but every part of him felt familiar.

Great. More dreams. Mara groaned.

Lucifer rested a grin on her face and took one deep breath before she asked Mara.

''How do you feel?''She pressed her lips into a thin line.

She let out a dramatic gasp. ''Princess'' She flattered her long lashes.

Lucifer held her laugh and waited for an honest answer.

Her smile faded and she flexed her fingers. Her gaze fell on her ruined hairpin next to her heavy gray coat.

''I will be fine, I think''She frowned, and her crimson eyes seemed to look back at her.

''So, you will ..''She did not need to finish her sentence.

One of them will betray you.

''The sun is new''Mara answered with a grin. ''I am here.'' She reassured me.

She will betray you.

She knew it from the beginning. And yet, why did she find that thought entertaining? She wanted to see how she would betray her. How far she would get for her to betray someone.

A new start.

''I am glad'' she finally admitted.''May I know the reason?'' She arched her brow and moved closer to her.

Her dark thick raven hair had a pale like snow stripe to the left side of her face. The scars around her face had been almost healed, making the scars on her cheeks look old and harsh. Fierce and yet the girl looked confident. Majestic.

Her eyes were drawn to her again. Lips parted as the girl tried to let out words. The right words. But she shut her mouth as she looked down ashamed of the thought. Her ears flushed red, exposing her truth.

She scoffed and fixed her shoulders.

''I am not going to miss THE story.''She gave a half-shrug. ''Especially if me inside makes it more special''

Lucifer rolled her eyes and held her laugh.

''Whatever you say.'' She slipped one of her brown curls behind her ear, feeling Mara keep watching her, studying every last detail of hers.

''And you?'' She finally asked. ‘’What will you do, Princess?’’

Mordred told her that they needed time to rest. How many though?

And what's next? Go back to Babel? Mordred admitted what happened between him and Hermes. Being alive now meant that he made a choice that would regret if he returned there.

She did not want to go there either. How many people were working for Boudica? For Ma'at?

A Made One. She reminded herself. She did not want to believe the myths. She did not want to believe what she saw. And yet there was nothing more she could do,

I want to sleep. She thought.

Her body felt heavy as her head was light, making her close her eyelashes vividly and cover her lilac eyes. And now she was trapped inside a dark room.

A cold wind rushed to her body, making every part of her shake. She wrapped herself in her arms and shoved her head deep into her red gold dress.

Next to her, a little girl at the age of seven was crying. Clothes rugged and dirty, eyes red like apples, and hair dark as a raven.

Lucifer approached her curiously and got on her knees.

The girl lifted her eyes and sniffed when she saw her.

Lucifer tried to speak to her but the girl stood up, cleaned her clothes with her dirty hands, and walked away from her.

‘’Do you know where I am?’’She asked the girl calmly as she was panicking from the inside.

No response. The girl started running far away from her, letting out small squeals.

But Lucifer was faster than the girl. She turned behind and looked at her with fear and fell back to a wooden door.

Lucifer could see her bleeding nails and trembling, darting eyes.

‘’Don’t hurt me,'' she begged. Lucifer chuckled.

‘’I won’t. I promise.'' She sat down right in front of the little girl. The girl nodded and offered her two different flowers. She pointed to the one with the biggest petals.

‘’This is Camelia,'’ she explained to Lucifer. ‘’And this one is tiger Lilly’’ She showed the one long flower with the strange seeds hanging from the small branches Lucifer had never seen the last flower in her life. Or she had heard about it.

‘’And what is your name?’’ Lucifer asked. No answer. She lifted her red eyes upon the door. ‘’Who are you hiding from?’’

‘’My father’’ The girl answered quickly. ‘’I saw him doing things...’’ Her voice was shaking.

‘’I see’’ Lucifer nodded with a soft chuckle and played with her ring finger. ‘’I saw my aunt doing horrible things too’’ She responded and let out a soft hum, hoping that the girl would open up more.

‘’Can you show me what he did?’’ She asked the girl with a curious frown.

But these words did not belong to her. She did not want to speak. As if someone else was making her talk.

The girl agreed and moved her hand up, targeting Lucifer’s eyes.

‘’Are you sure? It's pretty scary stuff.’’ She asked her one more time. Lucifer smiled and agreed. She had to find a way to get out of the darkness. And the little girl seemed to be the answer.

But in truth, Lucifer was terrified.

''Then take my hand'' The girl's voice became rougher, more mature than before.

Lucifer looked up into her eyes and back at her wounded hand. Her fingers touched her and when she vanished, the entire room changed.

The floor drew Lucifer down, almost sinking inside it as the heat was striking the top of her head. The room was showered with bright light so sudden that made Lucifer close her eyes. As she let her hands rest on the floor she realized that it was no floor, either ground. But dirt. Dirt is so soft that it made her sink even more. As she opened her eyes to adjust to the light she could see a clear warm sky. And an endless dry ground with strange dirt.

The sun was on the top of her hot and ready to pass out.

She had heard myths about lands like these. Long ago, the areas of the forsaken were created and after the fall of the spirits, the ground became dry, only for the richest to have a shadow and the trees to feel the cold wind around their bodies.

Desert. Lucifer thought. She was in the desert.

And in that desert, there was a crowd walking close enough to a crimson lake. Lucifer's feet started walking in front, ready to be at the crowd's side.

By now, she could look at everyone clearer. Four soldiers with four horses, two front and two back. Their old, half-naked armors were dressed in their gigantic bodies as their spears and swords were attached to them closely.

The rest of the crowd was far more than tired. Far more than poor. They were chained from limb to limb with the chains moving to the limbs from the ones who were behind them. They were lifting to their back heavy rocks with their bare feet being dragged to the sand. Their clothes were just pieces of old rugs. And their faces were painted with sweat and exhaustion.

This is before mortals stole power from the spirits. Lucifer thought. Back where the world was just beginning, kings and Rulers were few and riches were enough to buy the desperate and weak ones.

Her attention fell on one of the people who were carrying the rocks. It was a boy, far younger than her. He misstepped and fell on his knees without dropping the rock. But everyone else did. One of the soldiers fumed with rage as he got down from his horse and showed the boy a key.

We are losing so much time for you. He growled as he let him free from his restraints. There was a light of hope in his dark eyes. That soon faded when the soldier took out a whip from his belt.

Stop. Lucifer screeched as the image changed. Now the boy's back was naked, drawing blood from the open scars as he almost crawled to the red lake.

His legs gave up with his eyes drifting at the lake. His breathing was harsh, in pain and gain for something.

So his hands did the work as they moved inside the red liquid and cupped it so he would pour it inside his mouth.

What are you doing? A guard screamed from behind.

I am thirsty. He replied with liquid falling from his lips shaking.

Two more guards appeared and tried to drag him far from the lake. The boy tried to resist by shoving his hands inside the lake.

One of them drew his whip out and hit it in the middle of the air, cutting the wind in the middle.

Maybe you need another lesson.

And there it was, fire in the boy's eyes as he turned back with his hands up in the air.

Leave me alone. He screamed.

All three of the soldiers laughed as the one with the whip took one step closer. And his last. The gold armor started becoming tighter around their torsos, squeezing their skin enough to make their breaths quick. Blood dripped and flesh opened with their organs exposed as they fell.

Everyone looked at the sigh of the kid still standing alive with no scratch from this strange attack. The other soldier hit his horse and ran away.

The boy took three deep breaths, letting down his arms and back into the red river.

The rest of the slaves moved slowly to his side as they took the keys from the fallen bodies to set them free.

The boy tried to move to their side but he did not have the strength anymore. Blood dripped from his eyes as he fell. His flesh changed color and texture. His panicked breath did not appear ever again.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

But the rest of the slaves took one look at him, scared, and then back to the lake. Everyone was now taking every sip of the lake.

''That's how warlocks were created?''Lucifer asked out loud. ''They did not steal it, they did not take any offer, it was not a virus, they...''She frowned and turned back to the boy's body with his now pale eyes looking at the sun.

''They did it to survive,''She muttered. And some of them couldn't survive their incantations.

The area changed again. This time she could feel a cold rush down her spine. Looking up, she could see that she was standing below a tree, next to an old cream-white pillar.

Looking around she could see pillars similar to this as there were more plants and flowers, species that Lucifer had only seen in ancient books. And there was a fountain, white like the pillars with people sitting down as the golden guards were on each side of the pillars.

Each of them had light-colored clothing, completely different from the people she saw earlier.

And instead of chains, their limbs were dressed in golden jewels.

Those beasts have increased in the past decade. A man said, fixing his dark beard with his fingers. Unlike the others, he was wearing a golden crown around his forehead. Probably one of the first kings before the creation of Diyu. Back when Akhet was broken into many kingdoms.

They can command the elements. Someone shouted and panicked.

I heard that there is a girl who can burn villages to the ground, like the salamanders.

Demons and things like them are destroying towns, armies

And normal weapons cannot work for them. A young woman said.

Maybe they are Made Ones.

‘’The Made Ones are all dead.’’

A voice was announced far from the crowd. They turned their eyes to Lucifer. She faced her head over her shoulder, looking back to notice a raven-haired girl helping a wrinkled-clothed figure move a few steps closer to the fountain. The figure was walking down slowly without the help of the girl. He would probably collapse.

The guards took two steps first, releasing their swords made of pure gold.

''Please don't'' the girl said. Lucifer noticed her white dress.

‘’Apophis.’’ The bearded man stood up with a strict posture. ‘’What is the meaning of this?’’

''He saved me from an attack by those beasts,'' she explained calmly.

Apophis? That is the name of...

The cloaked figure took a few steps alone, moving away from Apophis.

‘’Please do not be afraid.’’ He reassured, lifting his palm slowly.

The soldiers took a step in front.

‘’Wait.’’ The bearded man halted and took a peach from the tree right above him and munched harshly, letting the juice spread to his clothes.

‘’He saved my daughter. Let's see what he wants as a reward.’’

‘’I want nothing, your Majesty.’’ The man kneeled with his hands spread to the ground.’’ I want to make the world peaceful.’’ His voice was calm with no fear and no emotion drawing it back as he said every word clearly. He was far too formal to be a beggar or a con artist.

Apophis' father laughed. ‘’And how do you think, you will do it?’’

‘’I can help you, your majesty.’’ He lifted his head.

Everyone began to whisper as the king gave a narrowed gaze to the kneeled man.

‘’How did you help my daughter?’’ He asked.

The man stood up straight and fixed his cloak with his left hand while his mother pointed at the peach that the king was eating. He looked down as he noticed roots growing from his fruit. He let out a panicked shout and threw it down disgustedly. The man kept moving his fingers with the roots now getting inside the ground with the seed. Then, out of the ground, there was a plant slowly growing.

‘’You are like them.’’ The king hissed, shocked. The soldiers rushed to his side and moved their golden swords to his throat, making him unable to move.

‘’I am not. Your Majesty.’’ The man insisted. ‘’I am just assisting to help you.’’

‘’He can do it, father.’’ Apophis laughed. ‘’He promised to save us all.’’

The king's eyes softened to Apophis' innocent face and he looked back at the terrified people.

‘’What can you give me?’’ The king asked calmly to the man.

‘’The new threat has the name Warlocks.’’ They stole from the Spirits.

Lies. Lucifer thought and moved to his side with a judging gaze, trying to take a better look at his clothing.

‘’They are powerful but not like demons,’’ he explained. ‘’But both demons and warlocks have iron as a weakness.’’

Everyone gasped amused from the man's knowledge. The king remained silent.

‘’I can make weapons, I can tell you more when.’’ The man looked left and right. ‘’When the ones that cannot be trusted will be far from you.’’

‘’How dare you?’’ A woman hissed and tried to move to his side. The king stopped her with a raised hand and ashamed, she moved back.

‘’You have an interesting arrogance.’’

‘’All I need in return is... ‘’The man tried to speak and everyone laughed. Especially the king.

‘’So you need money.’’ He laughed. Just like every other for their assistance. ‘’Or do you need something more? Men? Women?’’ His face fell to his daughter. And just by the idea, his eyes snapped with rage and disgust.’’ A crown?’’

‘’My king’’. The man looked down, the sword barely touching his skin. For my work to succeed I will need special dust, crystals...His head tilted to the left where two soldiers were standing straight. Assets. I need assets, nothing else, nothing more.

The laugh vanished and the king stroked his beard once more and faced his daughter with a rare gentle smile.

It would be worth a try. He said and jerked his head to the soldiers so the man would breathe freely. But Lucifer did not assume that he had trouble breathing or was struggling at all.

What is your name, strange sir? He said with his eyes falling on the small plant.

The man's hand moved to his chest and he let his head down.

My name, my king. It is Ma'at.

''Ma'at?'' Lucifer panicked when calling her name.

The Made Ones are dead. She frowned, remembering his words. Cold wind showered her skin as the view shifted once again. But this time there was no sun, no sky, and no flowers blooming all around.

The room was almost dark with few medical tools being bright enough down to a wooden table for Lucifer to see.

She moved to the table and touched one of the daggers, feeling the cold blood at the top of the blade.

A door opened and she turned back to listen to four feet moving to her side.

Two people.

''Are you planning to tell me what is going on?'' A rough voice from a familiar woman asked. Lucifer looked at her hand and concentrated to make a small orb of light.

The room was no different from the lab she had seen in Elysium that belonged to Ma'at. Books, medical tools, scales. But the technology was not there unlike the 'current' lab. And the most interesting thing inside the lab was the jars, filled with organs and a peculiar liquid. One of the jars even had a beating heart.

Nope. I am not going to puke in a dream. Lucifer shook her head and her head turned back looking now at the cloaked figure with a woman, standing a few feet far from each other. The cloaked figure was standing straight, formally as he did not want to show his face to anyone. And the woman was wearing a crown. Raven hair, white dress, eyes filled with rage.

Apophis

Ma'at shrugged. ''I do not know what you are talking about.''

Apophis' eyes narrowed.

''The demons are gone'' She finally said, lifting her chin with her eyes and trying to look down on him.

''The warlocks are being dealt with. Mortals are now in peace''

''The demons have fled. Warlocks still exist'' Ma'at corrected her. ''Peace is still at work''

Apophis looked down and chuckled tired, eyes moving up. Lucifer could see how much strength she was using to restrain her tears.''And the ones that cannot be trusted?''

Ma'at did not reply.

''My Queen,'' He lowered his body. ''Forgive me but I don't understand.''

''You told my father you wanted assets. Incantated ones. He gave you what you needed. And when he died''She began to walk around him as she flexed her fingers. ''You told me the same. So your weapons would succeed.''

''Correct, your Majesty''

''What you did not tell him or me.'' Her words were cutting deep like daggers. ''Was that you wanted those assets for something else.''

''What are you...''

''What is your plan for mortals?'' She demanded an answer. ''What is that you want?''

''You are upset.''Ma'at insisted. ''The pressure of the crown is heavy isn't it?''

''Oh,'' Apophis laughed at him. ''I am upset but the weight is perfectly fine. What is not is that you have been lying to me for years.''' Her gaze softened and she moved back. ''Father trusted you, the kingdom trusts you, and I...''She took a quick breath. ''I trust you so please, tell me. What do you want?''''

One more silence before the man let out a tired, almost disappointed breath.

''I understand'' Ma'at shook his head and leaned his head against her ear.

Lucifer could not listen to what he was saying to her but she could see Apophis' eyes darting from the horror.

As he moved back, he kept his silence.

''Why are you telling me about this?'' She asked shakily.

Ma'at took one step closer again and showed her a dark knife. ''Because no one else is going to hear you.''

The light vanished on its own, creating darkness all around. Lucifer lowered her head and saw Apophison on her knees, the crown afar as she was hiding her face with both of her hands. Her dress was now painted red but there were no tears, no whimpers. Because she didn't have eyes or a tongue for something to get out of.

''Your father was weak'' Ma'at announced from behind her, cleaning the dagger with a piece of fabric. ''You were far from naive. Stupid even. But your young brother,'' He made a long pause and Lucifer thought that she had seen him smiling. ''I will teach him well, do not be afraid.''

''What is this?'' A voice appeared from behind. Frightened, Lucifer faced the voice, noticing the girl with the red eyes.

Ma'at did not reply. ''It's alright dear,'' He moved to her side to comfort her. To lie to her. But the girl rushed far with tears in her eyes.

''Wait'' Lucifer screamed and followed her into the darkness.

And then she said her name. ''Sedna, wait.''She moved her hand to her side, hoping that she could catch her.

Lucifer wished for the entire vision to change spaces a thousand times. But it was impossible as she was now outside a familiar place.

The sun was bright, people were gathered close to a pyre while a man with dark hair and a golden crown was standing on a balcony, watching everyone with a discussed gaze. Two guards covered with iron armor were between the man, protecting him with two long iron spears.

A woman with dark raven hair, long till her waist was tied up with iron chains in the center of a pyre. But she did not struggle. She was just smiling.

Everyone around her was looking at her, waiting for her body to burn to ashes. A man with a dark cloak was close to her, holding the torch. Lucifer walked into the crowd with no one else being bothered by her existence. She was now next to the man in a cloak.

Then, the newly crowned king opened his mouth and let out his bitter words.

''We are gathered here today for the burning of the blood witch''His tone was clear and formal and showed no disgust or emotion. If this was Apophis' brother then Ma'at taught him surprisingly well to be a tyrant. She could see that most of the people in the crowd were ill-looking, in the verb of death. Their eyes were filled with spite but she knew that it was not for the blood witch.

''The killer of thousands and the one who took.’’He made a long dramatic pause with lips trembling from sadness. His eyes caught the cloaked man and snapped out of it. Instantly. ''Who took our beloved Queen's life? This day will be remembered for the fall of the horrendous witch, Sedna, the mother of the deep.''

Sedna? Lucifer's curiosity made her move closer to the pyre, completely ignoring the crowd that was in front of her, which was now cheering up the woman's death.

She was probably the same age as Lucifer, her face clean with only one scar close to her cheek. Lucifer lifted her eyes and noticed the little girl had now grown up.

Her face had been damaged and wounded and her eyes were empty as if someone had poked them away. And her grin was wide as Ma'at kept moving to her side with the torch.

‘’Is this the way you want your life to end?'' He asked her curiously.

She did not reply and kept her wide grin up.

He let out a long sigh and threw the torch to the hay with the fire starting to rise.

‘’No’’ The woman spoke, making the entire crowd silent. ''This is how your life wants to end.''

Ma’at frowned, confused. Lucifer looked back and saw one more cloaked figure, with a long dark sword in its hands. Looking even clearer, Lucifer could see familiar dark hair. Eyes, tongue missing, and now the dagger at the back of the Made One's.

Lucifer opened her eyes wide, surprised.

‘’Sedna please’’Apophis screamed, putting Ma'at on his knees.

A wave of water fell on the fire and a dark blue demon jumped into the pyre with a key. Lucifer noticed his white long hair and realized that Lancelot was telling the truth about knowing her.

‘’Stop this madness now’’ The king ordered the guards.

Sedna stretched her muscles and stood down from the pyre without any help from Lancelot.

She got on her knees and touched Ma’at’s chin, pulling him closer to her.

‘’What are you...’’

‘’I cannot kill a Made One’’She whispered.

Soldiers lifted their swords and bows and shot right at her. She moved her hand at them and every sword became dust.

Lucifer looked up and found a dark shadow slowly covering the moon and the stars.

‘’This is..'' Lucifer lowered her head and took a step back. Oh no.

‘’But I can curse one’’Sedna grinned and pulled herself away from him. Her hand tried to touch the sky.

Her feet slowly get higher, making a distance from the ground. The darkness is becoming closer to the entire area.

Panic was everywhere. People were running, and children were asking for their missing parents. The king was now hidden from his guards like a coward so he wouldn't see what was happening to his people. Trees deforming, the earth shaking.

Then, Sedna said loudly and with pride.

FOUR SEALS, FOUR SOULS THE PRICE. AS LONG AS THE CITY OF DARKNESS REMAINS, AS LONG AS THE SEALS CAN’T BREAK.

Sedna smiled, listening to Ma’at’s screams. Lucifer did not argue with this action as she was grinning satisfied.

''You will bring chaos, child,'' Ma'at warned her. ''Don't...''

Suddenly, everything fell silent. No screams, no wind, no crying. Nothing except for Sedna crying her curse.

AS LONG AS THE MADE ONE STAYS ALIVE….She said with pride.

THE WALL, THE SANCTUARY WILL NOT FALL.

Her gaze found Lucifer and fell with her feet to the ground, walking to her side. ‘’Is this what you wanted to see?'' Her voice was rough like a wild forest, furious and powerful.

Sedna lifted her arm. ''Little princess?’’ She asked with a proud mocking, close to her ear and snapping her fingers. Her body flew back, away from the woman with dark raven hair.

One more vision. She was back in the dark room with her hand holding Sedna's hand. The mother of the deep was guiding her inside the darkness for Lucifer to see something or someone. In the end, it was a man. White hair like the moon, blood stained on his light clothes, and his face and eyes looked down.

Tears fell from Lucifer's eyes. Tears that once again did not belong to her. Her mind burst into a thousand questions as her lips parted and she let out a voice.

''Dievas?'' She asked, broken. The man looked up stunned and then he smiled. Yet, Lucifer could not see the rest of his face except his mouth. Gently as he smiled, he let out a gasping breath and warned her, making her body shake from terror.

With every step you make, the world will either sink or rise.

''Lucifer?'' Mara tugged her left sleeve, snapping the girl from Elysium out of her dream. She was drained with cold sweat as she tried to let out every breath she could take.

Her darting eyes turned fast to Mara and she shook her head slowly, trying to tell her something that her voice couldn't.

Mara lowered her shoulders and groaned.

''No,'' she began complaining, her head staring at the ceiling. ''I just woke up''

''We must talk to the others.''

All of them were now out of Icarus sitting in containers and listening to what Lucifer had to say. About the first kingdom, the first Rulers of how Ma'at twisted history. Sedna's curse. About the man with white hair. But the name Dievas did not escape Lucifer's mind as she thought that maybe she had made it up.

And then, everyone shocked, decided to say everything that they knew about the trouble they were in.

‘’There is an Actual Made One, trying to destroy every warlock’’Mordred said with a prayer.

Lucifer shook a no. Killing every warlock did not seem to be his plan. In fact, it seemed to be something greater. Something beyond her and the others. Janus warned her, Leviathan, and even her own aunt warned her.

‘’We cannot return to Babel’’They said with another deep breath.

‘’Ma’at’ was Sedna’s father’’Lucifer said, explaining the dream, the memory she saw.

‘’Three more seals remain before…’’ Lucifer spoke, feeling a cold breeze around her. A dark invisible veil covered everyone. They all knew what would happen if every seal was broken.

''Either the world will sink or rise.'' She muttered the pale man's warning.

''This guy sounds pleasant,'' Mara commented.

''Camelot'' Ukko continued. ‘’This is the place of Akhet's mission.''

‘’What is that?’’ Mara turned to him confused with a cold stutter. Lucifer heard it and looked at her as she was covering her nails with her gray sleeves.

‘’I don’t know,'' Mordeard answered. Lucifer thought about Janus' words. Maybe Mordred did not know the entire truth either.

''Whatever it is there''Lucifer looked at Hephaestus with a nervous frown. ''He needs a Phoenix holder. Saying that their eyes are a...map.''

Hephaestus nodded and there was a sudden spark escaping from their eyes. Their lips almost quivered to a grin.

''Perhaps he needed someone like you to find the rest of the seals or...''At that moment Lucifer stopped talking as she could see clearly that this was not the right time to make statements like this towards Hephaestus. Their fingers tapped the top of their newly acquired cane and nodded a yes to continue.

''Well,'' Lucifer cleared her throat and twisted her ring finger. ''He needs a Phoenix holder to find the seals''She explained again. ''And one of us to break them.''

‘’I saw something’’Hephaestus stretched their wrists. ‘’I saw another land, another kingdom far away.’’

Those words made Mara move two feet away from the rest.

''Well,'' Mordred sighed and looked at Hephaestus with a frown and back at Lucifer. ''It might be yes but we have to find more answers.''

''To this Camelot place?'' Mara arched her brow. ''How? We don't know even where it is?''

Hephaestus took out from their pants a white paper. They found it inside a trap box, they said but there was nothing written on it.

Then, Lucifer snapped it out of Hephaestus' fingers and moved her other hand down below the paper, creating soft warm light.

‘’What are you doing?’’

‘’It’s a special paper’’ She explained.’’The ones where you can write everything and vanish unless’’

Words and lines drew not upon the white paper with a reddish-dark color. ‘’Light it bright enough you can find it’’

In the end, there was a map, leading to a land, far away from Akhet with a big river separating them from this land.

Mara leaned to her side and Lucifer could feel her fast frightened heartbeat.

‘’Is something the matter?'' Lucifer asked.

‘’No’’She replied fast and looked away.

She was lying. She was certain of it.

‘’I think that this is where we have to begin with. '' Lucifer showed it to the others.

Ukko sighed and stretched his shoulder.

‘’So, an immortal being is trying to hunt us down’’He said, looking at everyone one by one. ‘’We cannot trust mortals or warlocks'' He turned to Mordred who agreed with a shy nod.

‘’An ancient warlock made a curse that only we can break or make certain it never breaks’’ He said looking back at Mara and Lucifer. ‘’And the map to an unknown place will…lead us to more answers and questions and the seals’’

‘’Also a white-haired man is warning us with riddles’’ Hephaestus implied, pointing their hand to the sky.

Lucifer scoffed.

They all remained silent but they all knew the truth.

A mechanic afraid of their mind and power

A priest who would do anything for their superior, even killing.

A Royal who wanted to see her kingdom in ruins.

A disobedient soldier.

And a trickster, waiting for the right moment to create a commotion.

All five of them were alive out of severe luck or from reckless tricks that might later betray them. But even if they knew it, they would not stop trying to find answers, to find justice. And to make a change to the cruel world they were born into.

The world will either sink or rise.

They cried, and they grieved. But they had to stand out of the darkness.

No mortals.

Mara sighed and looked at Hephaestus again with a small smile.

‘’How much time do we need till Icarus can fly again?’’

Hephaestus raised a brow and grinned, looking at the rest of them.

What do you want? Lucifer remembered Apophis’ words and faced her open hand.

I will find out soon. She replied with a hidden grin.