PART THREE

THIRD OPTION

The sky, cut in half with the sword, and light appeared from the veil. A voice screeched to the frightened crowd.

Be not afraid. A voice screeched.

Who would want a slave who would scream instead of obeying?

LUCIFER

In order to get out of the punishment area, you have to die. Or get the exit. If you want to get out of the forsaken area, you have two options: Take the exit or go to the area of punishment. That is what Ukko explained to them inside the wagon. If they could survive the pyre, they had to find a way out of Naraka. He knew the exit.

But for that, they need one more thing. Distraction. It was an easy task for the girl from Diyu to accomplish. Falling on the soldiers, grabbing the keys, and handing them over to the prisoners. The prisoners could manipulate electricity, striking the soldiers' bodies. The ones who controlled the earth caused earthquakes and spikes to grow out of the ground into mortals' bodies. By controlling the water and filth, their lungs are poisoned. Death was upon them, and people ran, fought, or even prayed. And yet, the green fire on the pyre did not fade

''We have to do something'' Ukko yelled.

''Brilliant idea'' Mordred mocked, pointing his head at Hephaestus

The pain was still in her veins, in her skin. She could feel her body weakening. Whatever Lucifer and the others drank. Nothing happened to them.

''This is all your fault'' Mordred yelled.

''Excuse me'' The heat rose. ''I just suggested a plan'' They pointed out. 'And it was brilliant''

''I apologize for your mindset,'' Lucifer shouted at them. ''But how in the name of Spirits, was it a brilliant plan to place us in the stakes with Naraka in terror?'' She frowned.

''We lived longer than I had calculated'' they explained. Lucifer became even more frightened.

''I will die like a beast with a bunch of ...''

"Done!" The girl shouted from behind Lucifer.

The girl was free from her shackles and hers were frozen and broken when Lucifer turned around. So where are the rest of them? Hephaestus almost fell to the ground before Mordred grabbed their waist, pulling them close to his body.

''How did you?’’

''Not time for talking princess'' The girl grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from the stake. As her eyes fell back, she could still see her aunt, terrified as she ordered soldiers to chase them. There was a mere second that Lucifer could sense guilt in her proud expression. But only for a second. As Lucifer looked back at the girl, who was lowering herself from the pyre point, she noticed that the others had gotten farther away from it.

''I told you that I would help you'' the girl promised.''I do not like breaking my promises''

Eyes, crimson like blood. Ears pointy like two pieces of broken glass. But Lucifer could not feel any sort of fear towards her at that moment.

Running was still difficult for her, especially with soldiers hunting all of them down. There were warlocks in every corner, but the iron was stronger. Ukko tried to guide them to the exit but the gunsmith and the masked person were slow.

''It's my leg and cane that I need'' the gunsmith screamed.

''My pistols too'' The masked one added.

''Well, I need a new dress'' the girl complained, showing her ruined red fabric. ''We can't have everything''

Go left. A voice whispered into Lucifer's ears as Ukko was ready to turn right.

''No'' Lucifer shouted in disbelief. ''We have to go left''

''I know the way''

Left. The rough voice whispered again. 'Trust me,' she said, blocking the screams of the fight. ''We have to go left''

Her friend let out a long sigh, turning to the left as it was getting inside a dark pit between two prison buildings. Cylinder pipes stuck to the almost decayed marble walls. Someone could even climb those pieces of earth.

Stop. The voice ordered. When she did, her gaze turned to one of the buildings.

Two.

''There is something on the second floor.''She said certain things and looked at the girl, waiting for her to climb.

''Why should I know how to climb it?'' She crossed her arms around her waist cockingly.

''I thought that you...''Lucifer frowned with a stutter. ''Because you are a..''

''So what because I am a thief I can climb the walls?'' The girl raised her left eyebrow.

''Can't you?'' Hephaestus asked, confused. The girl sighed, relaxing her arms.

''All right I can'' She said with a relaxed voice, turning to Lucifer. ''But still, it was a quick assumption'' She took two steps closer to the way her hands touched the exposed bricks.

''You wound me Princess'' The girl said with pain and a flirtatious grin.

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Lucifer let out a tired groan, watching the girl climb the wall and get inside a window.

She rested her head against the other wall as she could still feel pain conquering her body. But this time, it was a different feeling of pain. Her head spun around with the voice whispering to her head. And she then turned to her hands which they once were shackled with iron. No sign of burning.

''Your face'' Ukko panted. ''Lucifer, your face'' He sounded frightened.

''What?'' There was a sudden light coming from the scientific lanterns.

''The iron'' Mordred gasped. ''It's gone''

''What do you ...'' She tried to speak but a bullet interrupted her by sticking to her left shoulder. The same happened to the rest of them.

Unbearable pain. Rough burn that could make her scream at the top of her lungs. But this pain lasted for a few seconds. She panted, lifting her eyes up, and found the rest of them, standing alive and unharmed.

’’That was not supposed to happen'' Hephaestus sighed. No blood, no pain was getting out from none of them.

Lucifer’s eyes shifted, looking at every soldier and noticing that they had the same expression. Fear and confusion.

They were ready to shoot again. This time, Ukko attacked first, driving electricity, and lightning from each machine his strength could reach, gathering to his hands and then letting hit the soldiers. A wind of static caressed Lucifer’s cheeks, noticing the bright sparks dancing around the soldiers.

Lucifer knew that after that blast, the soldiers would get up once more. What she did not know was that after Ukko's attack, the soldiers would remain dead.

''Shit'' Ukko screamed, looking at the burned soldiers. Hephaestus covered their mouth as they muffled their disgust.

''I am going to throw up'' They said, moving their head to Mordred.

''Not on me'' He shouted.

Lucifer could smell the burned flesh. The brighter marks as the eyes were looking above.The scent of death. That was enough for her to make her scream. But she held it in by shoving her fingernails into her palm.

But when a frozen body fell from the sky, she let out all her fear, right from her voice. The body belonged to an old guard of Elysium, three times as large in height and width than Ukko. Only a monster could make this man fall from high above.

''It seems that the iron doesn’t work for some reason'' the girl said, landing on her own two feet, holding a big wooden box. She looked left and right, amused by the dead soldiers.

Her lips rested as she scoffed.

''I was missing for less than two minutes'' She said and let go of the box. It had four things. A pair of pistols, a cane, a prosthetic leg, and a dark leather bag.

''My babies'' Hephaestus grinned with relief and lowered their bodies with the help of Mordred and took their prosthetic.

Running once more, Lucifer could not stop thinking about the voice. About the iron. About anything. It is a coincidence. She thought. It must be a mistake. She hoped.

An hour passed from running and they were right in front of the exit, far from the buildings and chaos. The guards were busy stopping the rest of the warlocks. Mordred's pistols had no bullets and yet he could still attack the soldiers by throwing one of them at one soldier and pulling the chain with the other as it got wrapped around the enemy's head.

A few meters away from the exit. Away from their freedom. Lucifer found herself smiling in relief. The girl right next to her shouted with joy. Ukko and Hephaestus did too as Mordred was right in front, leading them right out. And yet, a bullet struck Lucifer's back. And an iron net found her legs.

She looked left and right as she fell to the dirt. Her eyes were found close to them, Her aunt, accompanied by soldiers at her side was milling from relief as her blood was getting dragged like an animal, far from her freedom.

''Wait'' Lucifer turned to Ukko who was trying to reach her.

If it was a mistake then Lucifer knew that this was the end. There was no source for her to create light. There was nothing more than letting out a broken sound.

Everything turned black after that. Lucifer imagined herself being back in her room as if nothing had happened. She dressed in iron, waiting for Hestia to open the door with her food which she had sneaked from Aztlan instead of the one she was supposed to eat. For her to attend her lessons and meet her suitors. For Ukko to come for his position and make fun of each of her possible mates.

For her hand to flick a sudden light to her hand. She wished for light to appear.

Instead, a dark haired girl with a scar close to her chin approached Lucifer into the darkness. Eyes red crimson but only her orbs. Not filled with blood like the girl she had met.

A smile caught on her face as she kneeled to be the same height as Lucifer. Gown red with knitted diamonds on the top of her collar bone and cleavage. Flowers were white and red down her feet.

Her lips opened wide and let out a whisper.

‘’Apophis. Nergal. The One. The Girl’’

‘’Who are you?’’ Lucifer pushed her hands to the ground and stood up. So did the girl. Almost the same height as her but Lucifer was the shortest one.

The smile faded from the girl’s face and raised her brow.

‘’I demand to know your name’’She said after.

‘’Apophis, Nergal...The One’’The girl started speaking in riddles once more.

‘’Are you the one who was talking in my head?’’

But the girl repeated her riddles over and over again, Her voice became louder, almost a shout as her presence, her body was fading inside the darkness.

‘’Tell me your name’’ Lucifer yelled as she tried to reach the girl with her hand.

Her name echoed in the dark void. Almost a scream was next, breaking the silence and the pitch-black color of her vision. Head spinning around and body weak, looking at the dark veil.

A pair of crimson eyes looked directly at her, shocked.

Looking back and forth, all four of them stared at her in almost shock. Her ears rang as every sound was just an echo. Ukko helped her move up by lifting her waist higher from the ground.

''You scared us for a second''Hephaestus panted from behind. Mordred rushed to her and took the iron net out of her feet roughly as she could feel her skin getting scratched. But not in the way she expected to react to the iron.

‘’We need to move,’’ Mordred ordered. ‘’Now’’ Standing up on his height, he walked away from Lucifer so he could get to the exit.

The sounds became clearer. There were cheers of joy as people were getting out of the veil. The guards were dispersed. Or so the girl thought. Facing her aunt's side, she found her down on the ground breathing, heavily as her eyes could stare at her niece, now with horror.

''What happened?''Lucifer gasped, standing now on her own two feet. Everything was now clear. Soldiers fell to the ground, eyes, and nostrils filled with blood and mouths open.

The girl looked down at her hands, noticing that her fingers were almost bright. As if the sun had fallen on her skin.

''What..''

''Light got out of you'' Hephaestus explained with a stutter ''Like a wave''

Lucifer shook a giant no and turned back to the bodies. She had killed them. All of them. And she was still alive. She wanted to scream, to ask for help, to cry.

But her tears lasted short as more soldiers came out of the buildings, this time with cars.

''We have to leave,'' Ukko panted and started running to the exit. So did the others. But Lucifer was far too scared to run. Blood was a thick scent on her nose. The faces of the soldiers seemed to see Lord Death firsthand as it was getting their souls out of their flesh, sending them to the world with Spirits and lost souls.

She did this. Light came out of her. Without a source. Within the darkness.

''Come on'' Hephaestus shouted behind her and grabbed her hand.

She tried to breathe as she stared straight at their sky blue eyes. Kind. That was the first word that came to the girl's mind. Kind eyes. Kind person.

''It will be alright''They panted, pulling her to their side.

She nodded in agreement and her feet followed their steps.

They were almost ready to leave. And then, Lucifer stopped. A sudden cold wind caressed her spine as chill gripped her body. Her heart suddenly tightened into a knot as she tried to breathe heavily, looking at the ground.

''What's the matter?'' Hephaestus cupped her face with both of their hands without any hesitation. They lifted their eyes as they darted with hatred and fear right in the center of them. Lucifer knew those eyes well.

As she turned her face back, Lucifer saw a man with a helm standing far inside the darkness.

Tears fell from her eyes, dressing her face. But those tears did not belong to her. The emotions and thoughts that came after were not hers.

I love you.

I hate you.

I will fight for you.

I will fight you.

I will die for you.

I will kill you.

We meet again.