- Hades and Lucifer -
Hades had asked Lucifer to stay behind in the arena while the others went back into the palace. Hades had changed back into his black suit.
"What's this about?" Lucifer asked.
"I wanted to ask you about your blue flames," Hades said. "More so, why are they blue?"
Hades had also wanted to ask about the noticeable increase in Lucifer's strength. As surprising as the blue flames had been, now that he had experienced them he realized there wasn't much difference other than heat. The more he thought about it the more questions he realized he had for Lucifer.
Lucifer scratched the back of his head. "I don't know. One day when I was training they just became blue. I thought it was just a scientific reaction but that doesn't fit with the way fire magic usually works."
"Scientific reaction?" Hades raised an eyebrow.
"The science of flames," Lucifer said. "Hotter flames can burn at a different color. Red and orange are on the lowest end of heat while blue is the next rank up."
"Really?" Hades asked enthusiastically. "What's the hottest color?"
"White," Lucifer shook his head. "But that's not important since magic fire works differently. The woman who trained me had orange flames that were just as hot as my blue ones. Even Agni doesn't have different colored flames."
Hades cupped his chin and looked at Lucifer's eyes. "Does it have to do with "that" at all?"
"That's the only guess I can go off of," Lucifer looked around.
Lucifer held his hand out and conjured a key in a puff of flame.
Hades stared at the key and whispered. "It would be strange if it made your flames blue after turning your eyes red."
Lucifer gripped the key in his hand. "Wait...that reminds me," He made the key disappear. "During the training session where the blue flames first appeared, I was questioning the way my eyes look."
"Questioning...your eyes?" Hades didn't understand.
"Yeah..." Lucifer had a confused expression. "I know it's taboo but I am talking about myself, so it shouldn't matter. A lot of the images humans in the human world have about me are wrong but among those inaccuracies, there are a few truths. The fact that I'm a fallen angel, the fact that I "rule" Hell, and my eyes, to a point. I've heard it a few times in fact from reborn I've given contracts to. They say 'Other than your eyes you aren't what I pictured.' "
Hades looked into Lucifer's eyes. "It's not as though your eye color is anything unique in this world. Most native beings that don't know you specifically would probably think you're a vampire, at least I would."
"Right," Lucifer said. "Anyways, while I was questioning it the flames became blue. I thought it was strange timing and tried to replicate it but there doesn't seem to be any connection."
Hades smirked. "Strange. I don't normally get to talk about such things so I'm curious; what other things do reborn get wrong about you?"
Lucifer grinned. "Well, there's this one thing that seemed very strange to me. Some reborn seem to believe I had a different name when I was an angel."
Hades chuckled. "Really? If you don't mind me asking, what was it?"
"Samae-" Lucifer felt severe pain in his eyes.
Lucifer doubled over in pain as he grabbed at his left eye. He fell to his knees as the pain in his eye grew worse. He started digging into the eye. It took everything he had to not just rip it out.
Hades bent down. "Are you okay?! What's going on?!"
"My...eye!" Lucifer said through pained groans.
Lucifer put his hands over his left eye. As he blinked a glimpse of the eye could be seen through the gap between his fingers. A secondary, spiky ring of orange filled the red iris. The pupil was razor sharp.
"Fuck this!" Lucifer ripped his left eye out.
Hades reeled back. He quickly shifted his gaze from the torn-out eye to Lucifer. He didn't see the changed eye's new look. The speed at which everything just happened froze him for a moment.
"That's better," Lucifer said with a sigh of relief.
Lucifer grabbed the torn-out eye and looked at it. It was back to normal. The pain he had been feeling was gone but he couldn't help rubbing the left side of his face.
Lucifer held the eye up to Hades. "Whatever that was it's gone now."
Hades examined the eye. "Did you trigger a contract?"
"I don't have a contract," Lucifer stood up. "And it's not the first time I've said that name either. In fact," he took a breath in, "SAMAEL!"
Hades moved back in surprise. "Anything?"
Lucifer shook his head. "No. The other eye is fine and the socket, despite the fresh wound, isn't hurting nearly as much."
Hades motioned to the arena's exit. "Well come on, let's get your eye fixed."
Lucifer looked at the eyeball then back to Hades. "Yeah..." He crushed the eye in his hand and flicked the fluids from it onto the ground. "I think getting a brand new eye would be better."
'I guess I'll save the other questions for later,' Hades thought to himself as he glanced at Lucifer's face. 'First...that thing, now this.'
- Lucifer's team, Death -
Lucifer returning to the group without an eye raised alarms. Death and Peter stared at Hades with bloodlust until they both realized Lucifer's bloody hand. Lucifer's team and Death were going to go talk about what happened. Persephone tried getting answers out of Hades, who only answered with shrugs and "I don't know."
Lucifer's team and Death moved to a private room of the palace. Just to be extra careful, Lucifer had asked Hades to watch the door to make sure no guards tried listening in.
"Why?" Peter asked.
Lucifer opened his left eye, revealing the socket to Yvere who put her hand on his head and started healing it. The healing process was far slower than usual for Lucifer. Elijah and Heinrich covered their mouths as they both dry-heaved at the scene.
"Don't know," Lucifer said. "Hades and I were talking about that name humans think I had pre-banishment. My left eye felt like it was being raked by hot metal so I ripped it out, hoping that would stop it."
"Di-" Elijah wretched slightly before continuing. "-Did it?"
Lucifer put his thumb under the socket. "The eye wasn't changed at all when I checked on it. I even said the name again to make sure that wasn't some kind of new trigger, which thankfully it's not," He looked at Death. "You're the only other one here who would know anything about being a warden. Do you have any idea what's going on?"
"No," Death lied.
Lucifer's right eye widened. "What do you know?"
Death was now being looked at by everyone other than Yvere. Peter's stare in particular was filled with restrained anger.
Death looked around at the team and sighed. "It's not a lie...exactly. I have a guess but I don't think it holds any merit."
"And that is?" Peter asked.
"It's not something I can talk about with the rest of you here," Death looked at Lucifer. "You know what I'm getting at, right?"
Lucifer nodded and looked at his team. "Once Yvere is done here I'll need a moment alone with Death."
"I know what ya two are referrin' to," Peter looked at Death. "If ya don't believe me ya can just call Satan and confirm it."
Lucifer sighed. "That's not a problem is it?" he looked at Death.
"Fine with me," Death sighed. "It's Satan's rule, not mine."
"What rule?" Dimitri asked with a snicker.
"The kind Satan eviscerates over," Peter smiled. "If ya really want to know though feel fr-"
Dimitri interrupted, "I'm good."
Yvere was whispering to herself, "It's been so long since I've gotten to regrow an eye. I forgot how disgusting this is."
"While we're all here," Death said, "what did Hades want to talk about?"
"My blue fire," Lucifer held out his right palm and flickered a blue flame. "He wanted to know why it was blue."
Peter leaned back. "He probably sees ya as more of an equal now,"
"I thought asking about magic was rude?" Dimitri said.
"Hades told me about his after our first match," Lucifer responded. "I guess it was his way of reminding me to return the favor," He grinned.