Prequel

“Ardent are those whom fate has ruled against.”

Lucifer's eyes opened slowly, like the petals of the sunsinger, as he regained consciousness.

Again.

He shook his head, his long hair whipping about. As he stretched, a searing fire shot up his back, and he let out a hoarse cry of pain.

Wonder how grievous the wounds must be, even death always takes time to heal them.

Slowly, pushed himself up, the motion leading to a million points of pain all over his body. The pain was crippling, his breath came in ragged gasps. He fell again.

Patience. Just, patience.

He lay prone, his body numbed, unable to even feel the wind that he was sure blew those noxious fumes towards him. He didn't even bother trying to looking at himself – he knew that there was no part of his him that was unharmed; looking at it would only make him more conscious of the pain. Lucifer had learnt the value of patience a long, long time ago.

Finally, after what seemed like endless hours, he finally moved. He looked towards the skies, looking at the boiling clouds, billowing red and black, like cloying, congealed blood, with no indication of a true sky behind it.

Nothing has changed. Nothing ever changes. Why?

He finally decided to try standing again. Surprisingly, he found he had regained some feeling in his body – he was healing fast. Way too fast. Usually it took seven tries before he even got this far, and at least twenty more before he could even stand. Curious, he decided to try standing up. Again, to his utter amazement, his feet actually supported him, he tried to straighten his torso and -

Aaaaarrrgh!

Searing pain shot up his wrists and ankles. He almost fell down again.

How could I forget the manacles?

He looked at them, the manacles that bound his arms and feet. Utterly black, they were extremely glossy and smooth, like polished onyx. Long, thick chains of the same material connected to his manacles and crawled away, until they went down in a hole, to who knows where. All he could tell is that they were bound to something strong, as even when he bore the pain to try and break free, he simply couldn't, until he simply fainted from the pain.

Patience. Just, patience.

He must repeat the cycle anew. He would have to wait for what seemed like endless eons again, starving, his body slowly withering, whatever strength he possessed, sapping, until he was thin enough to slip from those manacles, and then try to escape again. Not that he would succeed.

What other choice do I have?

He looked about. He had seen this place endless times before, and he would likely see it for all eternity. He utterly detested it, detested everything that existed here.

Always, always on the summit on this black, perfectly hemispherical mound of not-obsidian. Always bound to manacles that fell down a hole right at the apex of the hill, always with that blackened pool of blood for a sky. Always with an endless horizon, with everything around the hill shrouded in a rolling, black mist. Always the sounds of infernal screams and terrifying growls escaping the mist. Always, always, always, always, always.....

He fell into a stupor, lost in his thoughts. He was tired, so tired. The endless deaths sapped his willpower. It was always the same. The same waiting to decay enough to escape. The same slipping down this infernal mound, as slippery as grease and as dark as midnight. The same running into the forest, and then – that’s where the memories always ended. He speculated that it must be some sort of magic, speculated as he'd always speculated an endless number of times before. And then, always, the same waking up and discovering pain again. The only thing that changed was the pain, its patterns and its intensity.

Must be different kinds of death.

A grim smile traced his lips.

They'd trapped him in an endless cycle. He still remembered them. He remembered the betrayal from one he had once called brother. He remembered his fall.

Gabriel.

That single word ignited an inferno of incandescent fury in him. He had called him brother, given meaning to his creations. They'd worked together, with perfect, unquestionable trust. He'd trusted Gabriel more than he'd trusted their own creator. Only for -

Betrayal.

It had been ages since he'd last remembered his binding to this place. Casting his mind back, he couldn't even remember when he'd last thought of it. But now he remembered, he remembered it in painfully, exquisitely vivid detail.

The Fall of Lucifer

Lucifer was working on the doe, and having finished her body, was crafting horns for her, when suddenly, he heard the creator's call. For some reason, something seemed wrong with the call, as the ground itself shook, the air trembled. The creator had called for Lucifer himself.

Expecting to be asked to display his latest crafting, he took the incomplete doe along. The horns would have to wait.

He walked into the Garden of Eden, his true masterpiece. This was the place where he had first created the beings they now called trees, and the creator had blessed one of his creations, creating the greatest spectacle ever. The Yggdrasil, the tree of life. The first, and only object in all of creation to be touched by the creators hand, granting it a divine presence that further enhanced the garden to an almost ethereal beauty. He wondered why the creator would summon him to the sanctuary of the creators one and only creations, the sentient beings called humans. Speculating on the possible reason, he crossed the gilded gates into the garden.

And stopped.

Something was wrong. There were no birds chirping, there was a gale blowing instead of the genteel breeze that was usually present. And then he realized something. The humans were missing. Adam and Eve were gone. Barring the trees, there wasn't a single living being in the garden. Not even those infinitesimally tiny beings he had created. Intrigued, he walked on.

Gabriel was standing under the shade of Yggdrasil, his back turned towards Lucifer. Perhaps he heard Lucifer approach, for he turned around as Lucifer joined him under the tree of life. Lucifer smiled and was about to greet his brother when he saw Gabriel's expression.

Rage.

“What happened? Why do you look upset?” Lucifer inquired

“Dare not apply to me those fiendish creations of your, Lucifer. I had not known what a blackguard you were, you construct of filth! You will pay for your actions!”

“What-?”

Utterly confused, Lucifer tried asking what had happened. But before he could even speak, he felt the creator's presence.

The creator manifested himself in front of them. He appeared as a masculine, man-like creature. However, none of his person was visible as he was armored from head to toe in shining golden armor, inscribed with intricate runes of indescribable power. It was the creator's avatar, at full power. It's mere presence was incredible – like an unstoppable force, but a force of life, a force that had begun it all.

He wondered why the creator manifested an avatar, he could easily speak to them, wherever they were. Even calling them in the same place was intriguing, as they didn't need proximity to communicate. Atleast the avatar explained the absence of higher beings – it radiated an aura of life, of sentience. It would influence creation too strongly. The mere thought had barely crossed his mind when the doe on his shoulder suddenly came to life, proving his doubts true. He put the doe down, and she swiftly bounded away. As she vanished behind Yggdrasil, Lucifer wondered how she would fare in future, being thus touched by the creator.

As he turned back, the Creator addressed him,

“Gabriel has accused you of divine treason, Lucifer, you now stand in trial. Speak your words with care, for it's my judgment that you'll face, unless you prove that you aren't guilty.”

Lucifer was stunned. Judgment? Treason? Gabriel? What was going on?

“You are hereby accused of deluding Adam and Eve to consume the fruit of Yggdrasil, despite my proclamation banning it, and leading them astray. Gabriel managed to stop them from consuming the entire fruit, however, the damage has been done. Gabriel gives his word that the humans said you'd instructed them to eat the fruits, telling them it was my decree. Is this true?”

Lucifer couldn't believe it. Betrayal. It was such an alien concept. He had only imagined it, once, and found it abhorrent. Could it really be happening?

“Do you have nothing to say in your defense, Lucifer? Silence will be considered assent.”

In a perfectly level voice, the creator's avatar spoke to Lucifer.

Lucifer realized that the avatar was saying something critical. However, he couldn't comprehend. He couldn't respond. He couldn't, he couldn't....

Is this really happening?

“Lucifer! Unless you defend yourself, I'll have no choice but to consider you guilty, and punish you. This is your final chance. Do you have anything to say?”

Suddenly it all fell together. Something toppled in Lucifer. He now understood what Gabriel had done. He could now accept it. He turned his eyes towards his brother.

“Gabriel. Tell him it's a lie.”

Gabriel ignored him.

“Don't you have anything better to say, Lucifer? You disappoint me. I didn't foresee this, child.”

Lucifer realized his fate was sealed. He would face god's judgment. There was nothing he could do to sway the decision, to prove himself innocent. He gave Lucifer one more glance.

“Neither did I, father. Neither did I.”

The creator's avatar rose it's arm. And everything dissolved.

When Lucifer opened his eyes, he was on the mound. The very first cycle had begun.

Gabriel.