- Lucifer and Michael -
Lucifer had stayed at the top of the tower while Death left to discuss things with Izanagi and Izanami. Lucifer decided it was the best spot for him to make a private call.
"Hello?" Michael answered the echo call.
"It's Lucifer," Lucifer responded. "There's something I want to tell you before you hear it from someone else."
"Are you okay?" Michael said with restrained worry.
"Yes and no," Lucifer sighed. "I need Cthulhu's help with somethin-"
"WHAT?!" Michael interrupted.
"Wait," Lucifer tried to calm Michael down, "and listen. I NEED his help. I have other options-"
"So take them," Michael interrupted again.
Lucifer took a breath and spoke matter-of-factly, "I need this problem handled as soon as possible. Brother," he softened his tone, "please understand that I wouldn't do this if I wasn't desperate."
Michael took a deep breath. "Okay. What problem do you have that is so severe you need to go to that abomination to have it fixed?"
Lucifer bit his thumbnail. "I'm losing my mind. I'm losing it to a version of myself I never want to be. A version of myself that I would welcome you killing if it ever came to that. I know you hate to hear about it but it's, it's S.D.T. related, I think."
"Lucifer..." Michael sighed with exhaustion. "I hate that cursed theory because of what it makes others believe. You're you, not the devil that humans believe you to be."
Lucifer's eyes went wide. His hands shook for a moment before he gathered himself. He spoke with a concern that immediately worried Michael.
"You've heard about my eyes, right? My wings? I'm not blindly believing theories, what-ifs, maybes--I'm just looking at what's happened, and assuming the worst."
Michael asked, "What happened in Han'ei? I'm not accusing you or saying that you're lying but I need to know for the sake of what you're doing. That man, his kind, the ATROCITY they commit...I just can't accept this as is, Brother, I'm sorry."
Lucifer took a breath and explained everything that had happened in Han'ei. The sound of wood breaking could be heard from Michael's echo.
"Don't let that affect your relationship with Mido," Lucifer insisted. "She and her clan didn't help with the betrayal."
Michael and Lucifer had a long back-and-forth about the sparing of Izanagi and Izanami. Lucifer was eventually able to talk Michael down. The sun started to set, painting the room in an orange glow. Lucifer conjured the warden's key and stared at it while lying to Michael.
"Satan and I had a conversation long, long ago about the philosophy behind Hell's magic and the way it chooses to sort humans into the different levels. I remember him mentioning a theory about memories playing a large part in the process. I think there's a memory of our father that might be changing me."
"How?" Michael asked.
"Hatred," Lucifer continued his lie. "My eyes, my wings, they changed when I was fighting Poseidon. During that fight, I was angry, the angriest I had been since THAT day. That fight with Poseidon opened an old mental wound that isn't healing. If I was just becoming a demon, I wouldn't be doing this. But this...this is something more. My anger is consuming me, Brother."
Michael spoke in a careful tone, "Is the memory of that day?"
"Yes and no," Lucifer answered. "I have to be careful with how I do this or the problem will just come back. As much as you hate him and his kind, there's no one more qualified for this than him."
There was a long silence from Michael. Eventually, Michael spoke.
"I-" Michael hesitated. "I'll support the decision without further questions. You don't deserve to go through this and I know the others will hate you--hate you more, for this, but please remember one thing:"
Lucifer smiled and mouthed Michael's words.
"You are my family, no matter what."
- Xiao and Sig -
Xiao was sitting down on a stone bench, looking up at the sky as snow fell. "I wonder how Mary's doing with all of this?"
Sig walked over with two cups full of a clear liquid and placed one down next to Xiao. "He'll be right back. That creature-"
"Calls it 'Hrom' now," Xiao picked up the cup.
"Right," Sig sighed as she sat next to Xiao. "It's fast enough that he can make it back here quickly."
Xiao looked down into the liquid of his cup. "Why are you defending the decision to me?"
"How's the tongue?" Sig asked rhetorically.
"Fine," Xiao sipped from his cup. "We actually have a healer on the squad again. S'been a few decades, I forgot how nice it was to not have to deal with minor injuries."
Sig finished her drink and exhaled with satisfaction. "Don't take that as an excuse to injure him in training."
Xiao didn't respond for a moment. He poured his drink into Sig's empty cup.
"Could've at least threatened them before he left."
Sig frowned. "There it is. You know there's nothing he HAS to say, right? His history speaks for itself."
"Y'know," Xiao took a breath, "y'know, I'm not angry that Death left temporarily. I am, however, still furious about the Izas being spared. That anger isn't going away it's just fading for a moment before coming back in full strength."
Sig finished her refilled drink. "Being angry is your right. Lina and I feel the same but we're just processing it differently. I'm drinking like I want to punish my liver, and Lina's taking it out on Sabu."
Xiao grinned briefly. "Sabu did ask for Lina to take him seriously. If he was a new recruit I'd be worried."
Sig leaned on Xiao's shoulder. "I think it's best we not think about new recruits. The chances any of the new members would volunteer to join us were already low, can't imagine it getting better after this."
Xiao scratched his cheek. "Don't take Lao being on our team as an excuse to slack off on your medic training. We can never be too careful."
"Yeah yeah," Sig got off of Xiao's shoulder. "We might actually need to teach Lao how to suture."
- Lucifer, Death, Peter, Shiri, Yvere -
Shiri was sitting in the cart holding a bottle filled with brown liquid. He looked from the bottle to Yvere's brown hair.
"Does it look okay?" Yvere asked.
"Yes, surprisingly," Shiri said. "Given how strong the red was I can't believe the dye has hidden it so well."
Peter and Lucifer had taken over the responsibility of riding from Yvere. Yvere had asked them to take over halfway through the trip due to the shaking in her hands she was experiencing. The journey to Cosm was fairly quick thanks to a path the group was taking that would normally be avoided.
After a long time spent traveling, the group finally arrived at the border of Cosm. A certain figure was waiting at the border with a large group. The figure in question looked strikingly similar to Zeus from a distance. As the group got closer, certain physical features on the figure distinguished them greatly from Zeus.
'Looks more like a twin sister than a brother,' Lucifer thought. 'Except for those eyes.'
The figure had long gray silky hair and a tall slender body similar to that of Death. They were wearing a black and purple cloak, waving with an excitement that grew more rapid the closer the group got. Death's suspicion made him speed forward. The skid of Hrom's hooves on the ground as Death stopped right in front of the figure didn't stop the figure's excitement.
"Greetings!" Cthulhu exclaimed with joy.
- Cthulhu, Lucifer, Death, Peter, Yvere, Shiri, Devil -
Multiple beings in the crowd started to present Death with food and drinks.
"What are you-"
Lucifer stopped behind Death and jumped off his uništi. "What is this about?"
Cthulhu quickly moved to greet Lucifer but Death blocked him.
"It's fine," Lucifer moved past Death.
Yvere whispered to Peter, "This is the prime vessel, right?"
"Should be," Peter answered. "I can't imagine he's found a stronger corpse than Jupiter's," He shuddered slightly. "I thought Luce's new eyes were off-puttin'..."
Yvere was hesitant to move until she heard Shiri accepting food from the crowd.
"Thank you, I appreciate it. Is Lord Cthulhu this generous to all his guests?"
Cthulhu grasped Lucifer's hands. Before Lucifer could look away, Cthulhu was staring deep into his eyes. Cthulhu's eyes were red scleras with a razor-sharp black line vertically in the center. The edges of his eyes had short red veins stretching out from them. Lucifer decided to test a theory and stopped suppressing Devil in his mind. Lucifer could see Devil appear at his side.
Cthulhu's head slowly shifted to the direction that Devil was standing. Cthulhu's pupils shrank and grew for a moment. The veins pulsed red.
"Fascinating..." Cthulhu mumbled before looking back at Lucifer's chest.
'Is this supposed to be the thing that will kill me?' Devil mocked in Lucifer's head.