The Ruler of the UnderKingdom rose to his feet, coming to stand before the newcomer to his realm. He gave a small gesture behind his back, encouraging Edward to remain behind. Lucifer gave a small, almost inaudible grunt of irritation, seeing that Orion stood two inches taller than he did, but his devil's grin did not slip from his lips.
Peering around the Archangel, Lucifer caught Zerachiel's attention. "Not to dismiss you or to sound ungrateful for bringing me dear Orion here, but I can't risk you getting caught – for your sake or for ours. But it's always a delight to see you, pretty boy." He put his arm around Orion's shoulder, and began to lead him away from the Great Hall, leaving the Seraphim behind.
Lucifer's boots padded silently along the black marble hallway, making Orion's armored boots sound even heavier as the Fallen man led him away from Zerachiel, away from all things familiar. The fine hairs on the back of Orion's neck stood as his senses screamed that he was no longer alone with Lucifer; he shrank back as the demon from the throne room appeared on Lucifer's left side in a cloud of red smoke. The pale man did not look over as he appeared next to his master, but simply kept walking alongside.
"Edward?"
"Yes, sire?"
–Edward. Okay, I can remember that. He seems to be important to Lucifer. Edward.– Orion repeated the name in his mind, knowing he was always bad at remembering names.
"The Barrier is sealed?"
"Yes, sire. Adam wanted to help distract William from his incident with Ravenna, so the others are out in the training grounds. It will do Adam some good to get away from the Aether, and a new opponent will be beneficial for William."
The three men walked down the long, winding hallway, before Edward took a lantern from the wall and began to lead the way down a steep staircase, Lucifer gesturing for the Arch to follow. Orion swallowed back his discomfort - he was following a pair of strange men who were hardly acknowledging him into the depths of what he assumed was Lucifer's palace.
After what felt like an eternity of hearing only the Archangel's boots strike the floor, Lucifer finally spoke up. Orion nearly stopped his steady trudge down the poorly-lit stairs, but was afraid that if Edward did not notice that they stopped, they would be alone in the darkness, in the unfamiliar, and he would be at a disadvantage. "So, Orion, your kind are the warriors, yes?"
"Yes…sire?" He mimicked the way Edward addressed Lucifer, but the title felt wrong as he said it.
A snicker came from behind the Arch, but he didn't dare turn. "Only the demons and the Lost call me that, darling. Just 'Lucifer' will do. No need for formalities." Amusement danced in his words. "A warrior, come to seek refuge from the Ruler, if what the Seraphim tells me is true?"
Orion's wings twitched in discomfort as the man questioned his choices. "Yes…I am a well-trained warrior, but I was not content with the Ruler's plans for me. He wanted to raise me as a mindless killer, a weapon. I wanted to be more."
"And what do you expect to accomplish here?"
The question hit Orion like Azazel's blades on the battlefield. His heart felt as if it lodged in his throat, and he looked at the stairs he descended. –What do I expect to accomplish in this realm? I don't know. I wanted to get away from the Kingdom so badly, I hadn't even considered what to do next. I can't seem useless to him, I cannot risk Lucifer driving me out of his realm.–
The man Orion had followed had come to the end of the steep staircase, leading the way down a dank hallway. Feeling more secure on even ground, the Archangel waited until Lucifer walked beside him. "What do I expect to accomplish here? You have demons training here, but you haven't encountered my kind. I can teach you our ways. Training by someone who has known nothing but a warrior's life for two hundred years. I can make your men something you've only ever dreamed of."
"We've arrived, my lord." Edward's serpentine voice cooly cut through the Archangel's attempt at pleading his case. Orion followed the lantern light to see a large set of metal doors before him, and wondered where the men had taken him.
"Orion, I have every single intention of using you to your fullest potential here. But for you to come to offer it yourself? You will find yourself quite at home in my realm." Pleased, Lucifer put his hand on Orion's back, his palm landing between the young Arch's wings. "But before I introduce you to your army, please, let us show you the weaponry. You had quite the impressive collection with you on your arrival, but we use our own blades here."
Lucifer pushed open the door to the weapons room, and Orion's wings twitched as he took in the sight. Seeing the Arch's reaction, Lucifer let a low chuckle fall from his lips. "Impressive, is it not? We had these blades infused with my blood upon their forging, so only myself and my demons may use them. Once one of my men have fed the blade with their blood, the weapon recognizes them and accepts them, and a bond is conceived between them. Only once the weapon has been fed may a demon wield the blade."
"That's brilliant," Orion whispered, his attention still on the collection of weaponry. "You're impossible to properly disarm. I can knock a blade free from you, but can never use your own weapons against you. My brethren would never consider that. Edward, you've fed these blades?"
"I have. I am the only one aside from Master Lucifer that every single blade accepts. The other demons have their favorite weapons, and have only fed so many. I believe our newest recruit has now forged his bond with twenty-seven weapons, which puts him ahead of even Adam, who has a total of six."
Orion's silver eyebrow rose. "Only six? Does that not leave him at a disadvantage?"
Lucifer laughed heartily. "Forever a warrior, whether you wish to change your path or not. Adam is not one to engage in battle often. He guards the Aether, and prefers to use his javelin over traditional blades."
"May I try to bond with the blades?" Curiosity got the best of the Arch, and he could no longer keep his excitement contained at the sight of such an exquisite collection of weaponry.
"That is exactly why we have brought you here. This is an interesting experiment on my part. I know my demons can forge bonds with the weapons, but as someone who has angelic blood, I do not know if you can. See, the demons come from my blood and magic, but you are a different entity." Lucifer's eyes gleamed with his inquisitive desire, and he guided Orion into the weapons room, Edward tailing closely behind.
Edward grasped one of his preferred weapons from its place on the wall, savoring the weight in his hands. He flipped the stiletto in his palm, the carved handle cold to the touch. Reluctant to part with the blade, he asked Orion to pick another to attempt to feed. The Archangel seemed to pick a weapon at random, settling on a small dagger.
"Your hand, if I may?" Edward held his pallid hand out expectantly, waiting for Orion to surrender his flesh to be pierced. Lucifer leaned against the wall for a better vantage, his curiosity nearly tangible. Reluctantly, Orion placed his left hand in the demon's, and Edward punctured the pad of his middle finger with the stiletto.
A small hiss escaped the young Arch - he was no stranger to pain, but he still did not particularly enjoy the sensation of the prick in his skin.
"Go on now, give the dagger your blood! I want to know!" Lucifer pushed Orion closer to Edward, his experiment so close to completion. At the Fallen man's insistence, the Archangel offered his blood to the blade, covering it from hilt to tip.
The three men watched as the blade drank in the blood eagerly, as if the steel had not feasted in decades. Edward turned the dagger around, offering the handle to Orion. "Well, we will know soon if it accepts you or not."
Lucifer trembled in excitement as he watched the Archangel reach for the blade. As Orion grasped the handle, the weapon crumbled into dust.