- Lucifer -
"Is that everyone?" Lucifer asked Mira.
"Yes. I swear. Please...leave them be. They aren't problems for you." Mira's voice was shaking.
Lucifer sighed and looked around at everyone.
"You know that's not true. As much as we both wish things were peaceful, our kind is vindictive." Lucifer's eyes were melancholic. "I have no plans to march into Heaven looking to collect heads." He looked over at Elijah. "Hand me the dagger."
Mira flinched. She knew this was it.
Elijah handed the dagger to Lucifer.
"Catch," Lucifer told Mira, tossing the dagger to her.
Mira didn't understand what he was doing.
"You attempted to kill me and my team. Under normal circumstances, I would just slit your throat myself, but this is a more severe situation. Let me use your echo for a moment," He looked at Death. asked.
'What are you doing?' Death wondered as he tossed his echo to Lucifer.
Lucifer called Michael.
"Yes?" Michael answered.
"I have some serious information for you." Lucifer's voice was monotone. "I need you to be quiet and not interrupt. This is in regards to Cytus."
Michael recognized the tone as a sign to just wait and listen.
"Okay."
Lucifer recounted an abridged version of what had happened. He told Michael of Azriel and Mira's treachery, along with the names of the other angels Mira had given him.
"Uriel's body?" Michael asked.
"Charred. I assumed you would understand given the situation." Lucifer responded.
"Of course. We had planned on giving him a pyre anyways." Michael's tone was sad.
"This is a severe problem. I don't blame you, nor do I want any further conflict." Lucifer assured.
Lucifer gave Mira a hard stare.
"Mira is still alive. I wanted your input on how to handle her punishment."
Mira and Death realized what Lucifer was doing.
"It's up to your discretion. She is a fallen as far as I'm concerned." Michael said with a bitter edge.
Mira felt sick. She looked at the ground and the dagger in her lap.
"I'll contact you again later. I have one last thing to settle here." Lucifer said.
"Thank you for the information and for Uriel. I'll be calling Ezekiel after this. I'll let you know how Heaven plans to move after this."
Michael ended the call.
Mira was now crying while looking at the ground. Michael had been her biggest inspiration among angels. Hearing him call her a fallen broke her. Her hands shook as she unsheathed the dagger.
Death and the others were readying to move until Lucifer put his hand up to signal them to stop.
"What's it like feeling betrayed? I know how you feel about Michael so I can imagine it must hurt for him to call you a fallen." Lucifer put emphasis on "fallen"
Mira shook as she lifted the dagger up and pointed it at her stomach. She stabbed herself with the dagger multiple times until eventually, she slumped in her chair, dead.
"Throw her body on top of Azriel's." Lucifer stood up. "Michael will want to bring them back to Heaven."
He walked over to Mira's body and pulled the dagger out of her. He wiped the blood off on her shoulder, sheathed the dagger, and threw it to Elijah.
Elijah was so stunned by what he had witnessed that he didn't catch the dagger, letting it land by his feet. He went to pick it up, still questioning what had just happened.
Death put his scythe away and walked up to Lucifer.
"If you dare give me a speech about that being too much." Lucifer looked up at Death.
"It was a bit much for a new recruit to see." Death motioned with his head.
Elijah was staring at the stained scabbard.
"He'll get over it. She deserved worse. Most don't get to end it themselves, especially not traitors."
- Everyone -
Time passed and it was sunset.
Lao had woken up and was told by Sabu what happened to Mira.
"Surprised he'd do that in front of a new recruit," Lao said.
Death had gone into the non-destroyed parts of town saying he was "Going to pick up something that might help ease the tension." Everyone except for Elijah was standing by the uništi.
"It's your decision. Do what you think is right." Lucifer's voice could be heard.
Elijah was sitting down on a stone bench Heinrich had made, still staring at the dagger. He had played the image of Mira's suicide through his mind dozens of times.
"She deserved it," Lucifer said coming up behind Elijah.
There were four stone benches circled around a stone plate that was maintaining a campfire. Lucifer sat down across from Elijah.
"Given the chance, I would have killed her. Probably would have stabbed as many times." Elijah's voice was quiet. "I'm curious. Where would Mira end up in Hell?"
Lucifer didn't expect that question.
"Level three."
"So would she be eligible for a contract?" Elijah asked.
The crackling of the fire filled the quiet air as Lucifer gathered his thoughts. He could tell this was a serious issue for Elijah and that it needed to be handled with care.
"If possible, not right away." Lucifer sighed. "Treachery is a complicated issue in Hell. I understand what you're getting at, but I couldn't look past what she did."
"Don't compare sins. There's something Satan said a long time ago that I like to repeat every now and again; "Misery and sins are not competitions or things to bond over. They are chains that one must slowly break." "
Elijah didn't know how he felt about something so philosophical coming from Satan.
"Never met him, but he still doesn't seem the type to say something like that."
"He can make a cogent point every now and again." Lucifer frowned. "I'm sorry that you saw it happen." He lied.
Lucifer wasn't sorry. He was more concerned about Elijah's mental state, especially with everything that had gone wrong on the mission.
Elijah attached the scabbard to his side. His thinking was still filled with thoughts of Mira's final moments, but at least for now, he felt like might be able to move past it.
"Those illusions, in Hell, they change you," Elijah spoke while staring at the fire.
"I feel weaker. Even in this new body, I feel weaker. Mentally, physically, emotionally, all of it. I...I just don't feel like myself."
Lucifer was curious about the statement.
'You're not the first. I still don't fully understand Hell's magic myself.'
Lucifer hadn't expected to be questioning these types of things on this mission. He longed for the monotony of his office.
Everyone else in the group besides Death and Peter walked up to the two. Yvere sat next to Elijah, Lao next to Lucifer, and Heinrich and Sabu took the seat to Elijah's left.
"How're the injuries?" Yvere asked Elijah and Lucifer.
"Fine, thank you. I'm sorry you have to keep replacing my hand." Elijah said, still looking at the fire.
"The pain is mostly gone. Sorry about making you need to use Death's mana." Lucifer said.
Yvere laughed.
"It just figures that a near-infinite tank of mana would taste so awful."
Lucifer grinned while the others chuckled.
Death walked up with a barrel over his shoulder.
"Is that?" Lucifer asked.
"Sure is. A small price to pay for some peace of mind." Death put the barrel down.
"There are mugs in the supply cart," Lucifer said.
Death walked over and grabbed seven wooden mugs and a large pitcher.
"Make sure to leave some for Peter," Lucifer said to the group.
Death handed everyone a mug.
"This is what's known as Ra's own brand of beer." Death said to Elijah. "It is considered by most to be among the best tasting alcoholic beverages in the world."
Death took the top off the barrel, tipping it and pouring some golden liquid into the pitcher. He filled everyone's mugs and then tipped the barrel into his mouth, downing two large gulps.
'Wouldn't think Death was the type to do that.' Elijah thought, staring at the drink.
Everyone was watching Elijah, eager to see his first taste.
Elijah drank from the mug, and for a brief moment, he forgot about Mira.
"How? How does that taste so incredible?"
"Magic," Lucifer responded taking a sip. "And Death's "small price" he paid is a great understatement. One of those barrels is worth as much as an uništi."
"I had planned on purchasing the barrel on our way through here from the start. I just thought that sharing it instead would be better." Death said.
Everyone was smiling except for Heinrich. Lucifer noticed his lack of enthusiasm.
'If you're not grinning ear-to-ear for this you must be readying to tell him.'
As Lucifer predicted Heinrich put his mug down behind him and started to speak.
"You alright?" Lao asked.
'He's going to tell Elijah.' Everyone of the group except for Death thought.
'Wonder what's going on?' Death wondered, tipping his mug into his mouth.
"Before this mission continues, I need to tell you something, Elijah," Heinrich said.
Elijah lowered his mug and wiped his mouth.
"Okay?" Elijah was curious.
Heinrich's legs started shaking. He was clearly nervous as he spoke.
"It's about my past. I was going to wait to tell you, but I think it's important you get the truth."
Heinrich took a breath.
'This isn't going to go well.' Lucifer thought.
'Please be understanding Elijah.' Yvere hoped.
'This is bad timing. Then again he might just want to say it while he has the courage to.' Lao thought.
'Just remember that we all went to Hell for our own reasons Elijah.' Sabu gave a sideways glance to Elijah.
"I was a level three prisoner in Hell. I had a sentence of one hundred years."
'Wait. He can't be a...' Elijah's grip tightened around his mug.
"I was..." Heinrich took another breath. "A former nazi."
"EXCUSE ME!" Elijah stood up, spilling most of his drink.
Elijah looked at Lucifer with pure anger.
"A Nazi?! Really?!"
Lucifer maintained a calm composure.
"I've been questioned on this thousands of times already. I gave him a contract so he could atone. He's been incredibly valuable to me and everyone he's worked with."
Lucifer's words did little to calm Elijah down.
'I should probably go if I get the chance.' Death thought, feeling out of place in the current situation.
"I guess that explains the tattoo. Tell me, if he thinks he's unforgivable, then why don't you?" Elijah almost spat as he said "you"
"We are often our worst critics." Lucifer took a sip out of his mug.
Elijah looked around at everyone.
"All of you have been a team for some time so I'm guessing you knew about this?"
Everyone, except for Death nodded.
"I could tell you all the things Heinrich has done for us and humanity as a whole, but I believe he should defend himself," Lucifer said while looking over at Heinrich.
Heinrich had his head down. He was still piecing together his thoughts when Lucifer turned to him.
'Now or never. If he doesn't trust you, he doesn't trust you.' Heinrich thought, looking up at Elijah.
"I would never ask your forgiveness. Just your patience."
'Patience?' Elijah thought.
"I, for as long I draw breath, will never forgive myself for the things I've done. The day Lucifer offered me a contract I swore to spend the rest of my life, eternal or otherwise, atoning."
Elijah, slightly less angry, decided to ask a taboo question.
"What illusions did you see while you were a prisoner?"
That question was explicitly stated in the guide to be off-limits. Discussing one's illusions was perfectly fine, but asking someone else about theirs was strictly forbidden.
"Elijah!" Yvere said in shock.
No one else spoke up, but they all agreed with Yvere's shock.
"I'll tell him. It's only fair after what he's been through. Brought on a mission he was greatly underprepared for and nearly dying twice." Heinrich's tone was firm.
"I saw a variety." He looked at Elijah. "The worst of them was the corpses of citizens crawling up from the ground and smothering me in a pile of bodies."
Elijah didn't expect something so extreme. He had been a level two prisoner, and while his illusions would occasionally still haunt him Heinrich's seemed far more nightmarish.
"One illusion-" Heinrich continued. "was me watching myself, in my uniform, brutalizing my family as they begged for mercy." He started tearing up. "Over and over again I watched, unable to block the sound out even if I covered my ears and screamed."
Elijah was horrified. He thought it was an appropriate punishment, but hearing it directly from Heinrich had quelled his anger.
"I don't want your sympathy or even your pity. Just...just your patience. I haven't done nearly enough, not that I ever think I will."
Elijah sat back down. It felt like he had just experienced a lifetime in one day. He made an exhausted sigh.
"Patience, huh? Yeah, I can do that. Just stay away from me for now."
Heinrich stood up and walked over to the empty cart. He climbed in, leaving his mug.
Sabu placed his mug on the ground.
"Seems like the best time to tell this story," Sabu said, scratching his arm.
"You don't have to, really," Lucifer assured.
'What now?' Elijah wondered.