At the very heart of the Seven Hells, on the Infernal Peak, Lucifer knelt to the ground as he looked to the dark sky above. In his eyes reflected Earth which was now covered in a veil of scarlet.
His face was twisted in sorrow as he watched the three divine lights shower him with a power he was very familiar with. It was the very same power that gave birth to his mother, and the very same power that was lent to her mother to give birth to him.
It was the Original Breath, the very first form of the Final Breath that he himself had witnessed in a time long passed. It was something he never thought he would see or feel ever again.
Such an intimate power, giving one's breath to another. It was the same as giving them a part of one's self. Not many in Existence even have the capability of doing such a thing. And there are even fewer who are willing to do it in the first place.
It was a selfless act reserved only for those one truly trusted with their life.
And with tears streaking down his face, Lucifer raised his hands and pushed the divine lights away together with the breath they carried.
It was a difficult thing to do, almost impossible. The three divine lights were heavy, their authority much more imposing than anything Lucifer had ever seen before. They came to do their master's bidding, and there would be nothing stopping them from completing it.
Lucifer's body quivered as he glared at them. His heart was torn and conflicted, but in the end, he had chosen. He shouted to the divine lights irregardless of his Pride.
"Ancestor, I dare not receive your Grace for I am unworthy! My hands are stained by blood and my heart is a slave to my Pride! I can no longer return to your embrace…"
As he yelled in anguish, the Anchor of the world, the Infernal Heart unleashed its power to aid him in pushing back the divine lights.
The divine lights were too strong, however, and the Infernal Heart could only barely keep them from reaching its True Avatar, Lucifer. It could not even afford to worry about the other Avatars who were being pressed to the ground by the terrifying level of Divinity surging from within the lights.
After all, what could a mere Anchor that was not even at least a Divine Instrument ever hope to do against the combined powers of three Divine Constructs.
The Infernal Heart was powerful even among the thousands of Anchors to ever exist, but in the end, it was only a Divine Conception. It did not even have a true physical manifestation. In terms of power and authority alone, it paled in comparison even against the Akashic Records and the Divine Obelisk, both of which were Divine Instruments.
So how could it ever hope to resist the power and authority of three Divine Constructs all at once?
At this moment, the Infernal Heart was began to waver. It could feel that if it continued resisting, even if the divine lights did not attack, it would shatter. In the end, it was a mere breeze trying to push away an entire mountain. It was simply impossible.
But just as it was about to withdraw its power and let Lucifer resist it alone, the divine lights pulled away as though acknowledging Lucifer's plea.
He did not want the blessing as he believed himself to have already fallen too low for redemption. And although his grandfather's blessing was an act of kindness and care, he could not help but feel as though it was a mockery of his existence.
It was not his grandfather mocking him, but his own blood mocking the life he chose to lead.
He had embraced his Pride and the Infernal Heart. This was a power he had obtained for himself through many sacrifices and torture.
And yet as though to say that all his struggles were inconsequential, a simple blessing from his grandfather could easily give him power equal to or perhaps even greater than what he currently had. What was that if not an insult?
The Infernal Heart acknowledged his will and fought together with him, but it could not help fearing the existences behind those terrifying divine lights, and most especially the being who could call upon them with just a few words.
However, it also felt something from the divine lights. One of them seemed to have pulled the other two away, making them withdraw. It pulsed with recognition the moment it felt the Infernal Heart's power. If not for that, then the Infernal Heart would have already shattered.
As the divine lights withdrew from the Seven Hells, all the beings of the Hells were finally freed from the pressure.
While many of the weaker beings died, the stronger ones like the Avatars were only exhausted.
Asmedai, who was right beside Lucifer, felt especially weak and helpless. She could only stare at the man she feared and respected above all with trembling eyes.
Because as everyone in the world finally stood up, Lucifer alone continued to grovel on the ground as he wept.
"My lord, please stand up. The other demons will be coming soon. They must not see you like this."
She pleaded, hoping to ignite his Pride and restore him to his former glorious visage. But all Lucifer did was look at her.
His eyes were once again open, but they did not contain the beauty she once saw in them. Instead, they were filled with anguish and guilt.
This was not the man she swore to serve. This was a child lost in his ways.
"In the face of his forgiveness, what can my pathetic Pride do? It does not matter if the whole world sees me weep. But those two alone…, I can never show them my wretched self."
"Who do you speak of, my lord?"
"Mother… and Grandfather."
Back on Earth, Caelum sensed something and turned his head. He looked past the scarlet veil and across countless stars. Finally, his vision arrived at a certain world.
Through his divine lights, he could see, hear and sense everything in that world. And so he saw the man whose body seemed drenched in blood and yet from his eyes spilled tears of sorrow.
Caelum instantly knew that this man belonged to the House of Grace. He recognised him instantly as one of the strongest beings he had created. But he also recognised the power within him and the aura of the Infernal Heart.
He now had the perfect opportunity to destroy one of the remaining Anchors to bring this war closer to its end, but he did not do so.
He made the divine lights withdraw from the Seven Hells, sparing the Infernal Heart in the process.
It was not because he did not want to destroy the Anchor, but because he realised there was no need to.
This particular Anchor held a power that was familiar to him, just like the power within Lucifer whom he assumed to be the True Avatar of the Infernal Heart judging by how the Anchor helped him resist the blessing.
But that was all the more reason why he could not destroy the Infernal Heart right away. As one of his children, he needed to teach Lucifer a very important lesson.
"Foolish child. Why deem yourself forsaken when judgement has yet to befall? You carry great Pride, but it seems you have yet to understand the truth to it. I shall teach you when next we meet."
~~~
Time… there was never enough time.
Ask a man wasting his time alone in an empty house and he will tell you of a bastard who protected his kingdom, but failed to save his family.
He will tell you of the skies that wished to cry, yet all they could do was dim. The darkness brought by the wicked covered his home, but he could not even turn back to check that no one had slipped past him.
He stood at the front, the ever stalwart shield, the guardian hero, the divine blade.
And yet behind him was a tower, the symbol of his hometown, brought to the ground. Beneath its historic weight lay his wife and daughter.
He had won, but at what cost?
Ask a cheery girl teaching life to others and she will tell you of a fool.
She was the most lovable fool and also the strongest. She streaked the night sky like a meteor and shone like the moon.
She was resplendent, but like the one who went on ahead, she was the final night's glow.
She continued on like an everlasting starfall, yet there was ahead lay a longer way still.
And so she smiled. And they sung for one final time, one final rhyme.
For all the beauty in the world, she would shine.
But there was never enough time.