Lucifer sat on his large throne, watching a fire dance before him. He sipped whiskey from a glass, swirling it aimlessly between drinks. The UnderKingdom had come a long way since his Fall. His Fall. He cursed the Ruler. One day the Ruler would know He had made a mistake, casting Lucifer out of the Kingdom. Lucifer just needed to bide his time and wait for the right ally. It had been about two thousand years since his Fall, and Lucifer would wait as long as it took. The Ruler would know the pain He caused. Oh yes, He would know.
Lucifer sipped his drink and summoned a demon into the throne room. He took the time to meet every new Lost person who came into his UnderKingdom; those he thought were worthy became his demons, and those he judged unfit continued to be Lost. The demon he summoned was a personal favorite of his; Edward, a petty thief who did not get to go to the Forever as he had spent his life stealing food to feed his family. Lucifer did not feel this demon deserved to be Lost and kept him as a higher-ranking demon. An honor. The demon bowed as he came into Lucifer's presence. "Good evening, Master Lucifer. How may I be of service?"
"Any new Lost enter the UnderKingdom today?"
"No, Sire."
Lucifer looked at the demon and looked at his glass. "Just some more whiskey, then, Edward, and that will be all."
"Yes, Sire."
Edward disappeared in a cloud of red smoke and reappeared similarly. Since Lucifer had bestowed his blood upon Edward, some of his powers were given to him. Edward had been very thankful to Lucifer for his second chance and had thoroughly enjoyed the powers that came with his new demon life. In return, he had been the best servant Lucifer could have ever hoped for. Edward refilled Lucifer's glass and bowed again.
"There is some news in the UnderKingdom, Sire. There is a new Lost person entering. Would you like me to bring him in?" Edward capped the whiskey bottle and took a slow breath. "But there is something…unusual about him."
Lucifer raised one of his eyebrows, intrigued by his demon's words. "What's going on with the new Lost man?"
"He has an unusual aura about him, Sire. We've had Lost people come in with all sorts of unusual frequencies about them. The aura of murdered persons is normal for the UnderKingdom. But this one…the aura is unidentifiable to me, Sire." Edward seemed very unsure about the new resident of the UnderKingdom.
Lucifer put down his glass and leaned forward. He looked at his right-hand demon, whose uneasiness was concerning him. "Edward, Edward. You have my attention. Bring the Lost man to me. I want to know what has you out of sorts." Lucifer crossed his legs as he sat on the throne. Edward bowed low and disappeared in his cloud of smoke. What could have possibly arrived in the UnderKingdom to have Edward so unsettled? Since Lucifer was the Ruler of the Lost, many new arrivals came to his Kingdom. Murdered persons were ordinary, particularly those who were killed for a reason. Their killers often joined them. Lucifer took another drink while he waited for Edward to return.
Edward returned in his red cloud, seeming to struggle. The muscles under his tattooed skin bulged with effort as he strained to hold the Lost man. "No, sir, you don't understa-"
"Get your hands off of me! Don't you know who I am?!" The new Lost Man was putting up quite a fight with the demon.
"You don't understand the position that you're in! You are here in the Hall of our Ruler, please sir, show a little decorum!" Edward continued to struggle with the Lost man.
Lucifer remained on his throne, watching his right-hand demon fight with the new arrival. He sipped his whiskey, watching Edward's slicked-back snow-white hair get tossed out of place. Edward's red eyes flashed angrily as the Lost Man refused to cooperate. Lucifer allowed the fight to continue before finally rolling his eyes at the scene. Edward had fought long enough with this Lost man. He tossed a smoke stone at the fighting men, and an enormous black haze enveloped Edward and the new Lost Man. Lucifer cleared his throat, having had enough of the scene before him.
"Are you just about finished?" Lucifer drawled, still lounging on his throne.
"This man grabbed me and brought me here! He clearly has no idea who I am! I am not going to be treated this way! I am from high society and will not be manhandled as such!" The Lost Man continued to make a scene as the smoke prevented Lucifer from seeing him properly.
He uncrossed his legs, placed his whiskey glass on the arm of his throne, and leaned forward. "Your status means nothing to me. You are in my Kingdom now. Get on your knees, you are here for my forgiveness." Lucifer's knuckles grew white as he rolled his hands into fists. He had never wanted to strike a Lost man with such intensity. He grew more irritated with this new arrival as the disputes continued, and there was nothing redeemable about this man to make Lucifer consider converting him into a demon.
"I will do no such thing! I am from high society! I kneel before no one!" The Lost Man continued his rants about his status. Lucifer rolled his eyes. He hated this type of new arrival. They were so caught up in their past lives; they refused to accept that they were not good enough to go to the Forever and were Lost.
The smoke began to clear, and Edward became visible again, scrubbing the smoke from his eyes. The Lost Man became visible to Lucifer as well. Lucifer sat back on his throne, an ugly twist to his lips. He stared down at the Lost man, but it was likely futile; this man would never rid himself of his pride. The Lost man's neck was at an inhuman angle. He had had his neck broken by something powerful. Lucifer preferred murder victims who didn't have apparent disfigurations like this. If the Lost Man proved himself over time, perhaps he would earn the privilege of fixing his neck to look a little more normal. But his attitude so far? Not.
Lucifer cleared his throat. "You are still not understanding the situation that you are in. You have died. You are dead. Your status means nothing. Your money means naught. You are to get on your knees this instant. I am the Ruler of the UnderKingdom, and you are in my domain. Do you understand?"
The Lost Man continued on his tirade. Lucifer drew his sword from the side of his throne and rushed at the Lost man. Edward quickly moved to the side of the room; he had seen this before, and Lucifer was not to be trifled with. Lucifer pointed his sword at the chest of the Lost man, and his green eyes blazed with fury. "Do you know what happens to those who do not even deserve to be Lost? They drift in endless agony. At least in my Kingdom, there is some mercy. Make your choice. Now."
The Lost man looked at Lucifer with defiance and finally sank to his knees. Lucifer retracted his blade. "Right choice. Now. Tell me your name."
"Peter Jones."
"I would say it is a pleasure to meet you, Peter, but you have been anything but. Now, tell me why you reek of the Kingdom. How did you die?" Lucifer had not detected the aura of the Kingdom since he Fell. No wonder Edward had been so uncomfortable. The demon had detected the aura of the Kingdom on the Lost man.
"That is no business of yours!" The Lost man, Peter, he had called himself, would make his life difficult in the UnderKingdom.
Lucifer took a small knife from his pocket and slit Peter's throat. Silver drops coursed from the wound, and Lucifer collected them in a vial.
"Have it your way. Edward, take this man out of my sight. I'll find things out my own way." Lucifer turned his back on his right-hand demon and the Lost man and returned to his throne to think about the new arrival to his UnderKingdom, observing the small vial.