As the night of Christmas Eve descended, Asmo set up a bonfire in the hopes that his brothers would join him around the crackling flames. Satan was the first to arrive, but Asmo suspected that he was only there to see if he could take advantage of the situation. Using his telepathic abilities, Asmo summoned Madeus, who materialized just in time to make Satan move to the farthest side of the seats encircling the bonfire. The flames danced and crackled, casting flickering shadows on the faces of the three brothers as tension hung heavy in the air.
"Asmo also blurted out what Satan was itching to know,"Brother Satan, or Saturn, whichever you prefer, I just want to inform you that I am not the one with the nuclear codes for the missile. The reason there is an internet connection on the island is because of an AI which remotely controls the technology. I made sure there were no humans here, so I had to get an Artificial Intelligence assistant to clean up the mess you guys would end up making. Using an EMP won't work either, as the missile has a mechanical system that detonates if its connection with the AI is disrupted."
Satan let out a sigh and relaxed in his seat before saying, "I see you've thought this through, but what in the hell gave you any idea that I would want to do a Carols night?"
Asmo stood to his feet and exclaimed, "I want to do it because it's therapeutic. And why would I need therapy? Well, I..."
Asmo burst into laughter once he saw that Satan was intrigued and hooked with curiosity. Who on earth wouldn't want to know the trauma a Prince of Hell was suffering from? Just as Satan was about to vacate his seat, the other brothers appeared. The six of them had finally converged for the inaugural edition of the Devil's Carols Night of Seven Confessions and Seven Lessons.
Lucifer spoke as he saw Satan attempt to leave, "Saturn, join me for this torture, for I can't bear it alone. You are the only reason why Asmo wanted to do this in the first place, so unless you sit down and hear what he has to say, we could be seeing another Carols Night tomorrow." Satan took in one deep breath and sat down. He could never refuse Lucifer. They were basically twins with their hearts and minds intertwined. Whatever Lucifer wanted, Satan wanted it too. Satan was the only one Lucifer really felt okay sharing Lilith, the love of his life, with.
Madeus surprisingly broke the ice for their carols night discussion, "So Asmo, do you mind telling all of us why this Carols Night was so important for you?"
Asmo took in a deep breath and began, "For a long time, I suppressed the trauma I dealt with since the events that followed the birth of the Divine one. Tonight I want to air it all out just to keep myself sane, and I know deep down you all want to do the same thing." Satan had to cut in as usual, "Oh, come on! The King Of Hell having mental issues and suffering from trauma. Can anyone tell me why we picked him to be the Devil again?" Asmo stood up and replied violently, "You are the reason I suffer this trauma for over 2 millennia. What you and Beelzebub did to those babies, it... it was..."
Lucifer was next to cut in, "Asmo, it was necessary." He showed no sign of remorse, no hint of doubt, and above all, he sounded like the cold-hearted devil he was.
Asmo broke down, almost shedding a tear, and fell on his knees with his hands almost touching the flames. He said, "I still hear their cries in my head when I'm alone at night. Why do you think I always wanted women around at night? It wasn't just for sheer pleasure; I really tried to mute the sound of screams from my mind.
Honestly, Satan, you surprise me; how do you sleep at night?"
Satan was now the silent one. He also knelt down at the other end of the flames and actually put his hands in the fire as he answered, "I sleep like a baby at night, knowing that what I will experience for a thousand years in the our Father's latest creation, you all know to be the Bottomless pit, is nothing compared to the pain those kids endured for a few minutes. This is war, Asmo, and the quicker you understand that, the better."
Asmo then asked,"What about you, Mammon? How do you deal with your trauma?"
Mammon scratched his head as if he was new to the word "trauma," then he said, "You know, I wasn't actually there when you guys did the genocide. I was busy calculating the cost of living for the next year using the data from the census I convinced the emperor to take." Lucifer interrupted Mammon, "Your stupid Census is what allowed the Divine one to be born unnoticed." Mammon stepped in again to defend himself, "Hey, how was I supposed to know that my Census would cause him to be born in a manger?" An awkward silence followed, right before Leviathan decided to join the conversation, "I envy those kids. They went to heaven to enjoy forever without seeing the hell of a world we made." Belphegor agreed, and so did Baal. They all had mixed feelings about that even.
Lucifer concluded with a chilling admission, "I regret not handling it all by myself. I pressured all of you, and we messed everything up, pleasing our Father and glorifying his Son, the Divine one." His words were cold and unapologetic, revealing his heartless but honest nature.