The evening air was cool and quiet as they left the office together. Lucifer stayed close to Lisa, his senses alert, each step deliberate. The presence he felt nearby was more than just familiar—it was unsettling. He had faced many demons in his time, but this one felt different, her energy sharp and elusive, moving like smoke through the shadows.
They walked in silence, Lisa's eyes darting down each side street, her fingers clutching her bag tightly. But Lucifer remained calm, masking his suspicion as they approached her apartment.
A flash of movement caught his eye. There it was again—a shadow slipping just out of sight, blending in with the darkness as if it were part of it. Lucifer's jaw tightened. He knew exactly who it was, but he'd have to play this carefully. Selene was not just any demon; she was one of hell's most skilled fighters, trained to evade even the sharpest eyes.
"Stay close to me," he whispered to Lisa, his tone leaving no room for argument. She nodded, her face tense as she fell into step beside him.
They continued down the winding streets, Lucifer catching glimpses of Selene each time he tried to focus. She was fast, moving in ways that defied the human eye. He tried to catch her off-guard, changing directions unexpectedly and leading Lisa through a series of twists and turns, but each time he sensed her keeping up, just out of reach.
Finally, he stopped, frustrated, and Lisa looked at him with concern. "What is it?"
"Nothing," he murmured, scanning the shadows. But the air felt charged, like a coiled spring waiting to snap. He leaned close to Lisa, whispering, "Listen. I want you to go straight home. Don't look back, and don't stop until you're inside."
"Lucifer—" she began, but he shook his head.
"Go. Now." His eyes held a gravity that brooked no argument.
Reluctantly, Lisa nodded, her gaze flickering between him and the darkness around them before she turned and began walking briskly toward her apartment.
As soon as she was out of sight, Lucifer's calm demeanor vanished. He stepped into the alleyway, his senses sharpening as he scanned the dark. "Selene," he said, his voice low but firm. "Enough with the games. Show yourself."
There was a moment of silence, then a mocking laugh echoed from behind him. "Is that any way to talk to an old friend?"
Lucifer spun, but all he saw was a flicker of movement. Selene appeared in front of him only to vanish again, her laughter taunting him from the shadows. She was playing with him, testing his limits, just as she always had in the past.
He clenched his fists, forcing himself to stay calm. "You're making a mistake, Selene. You know I don't tolerate being followed."
A shadow separated itself from the darkness, resolving into the form of a woman with dark, gleaming eyes and a smirk on her lips. "Followed?" She laughed, her voice smooth as silk. "I'm only here to protect you, Lucifer. Or have you forgotten who you are?"
He took a step toward her, but she didn't flinch, holding her ground with a defiant stare. "I don't need your protection. I've made myself clear—I want my life here to be my own."
Selene scoffed, crossing her arms. "Your life here?" She shook her head, her tone dripping with disdain. "Is that what you're calling it now? Playing human? Surrounding yourself with mortals like her?"
He felt his anger rising, but he kept his tone cold. "Stay away from Lisa. She's none of your business."
"None of my business?" Selene arched a brow, a flicker of amusement crossing her face. "Everything you do is my business. Or have you forgotten your place, Lucifer?"
He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to lash out. "My place is mine to decide, Selene. I've given you a choice. Leave now, or I'll make you regret staying."
She laughed, a sound that echoed with dark promise. "You think you can make me regret anything?" She moved in a flash, closing the distance between them in an instant, her eyes blazing with a fierce light. "You can't just erase who you are, Lucifer. And you can't pretend that she's safe with you. Not with what you are."
He held her gaze, the tension between them taut as a wire. For a moment, they stood there in silence, two forces of the underworld locked in a silent battle of wills. Then, slowly, Selene's smirk faded, and she gave a begrudging nod.
"Fine," she said, her voice soft but edged with warning. "I'll stay out of your way. But I'll be watching, Lucifer. Because you may fool yourself into thinking you belong here—but hell knows where you truly belong."
With that, she melted into the darkness, disappearing as swiftly as she had come.
Lucifer stood there for a long moment, his mind racing with questions and doubts. He had won this round, but he knew Selene wouldn't be far. And as he turned to make his way back, a chill settled over him. He was no longer just balancing
two worlds—he was fighting to keep them from colliding.
Lucifer lingered in the alleyway for a few moments, the silence settling over him like a heavy shroud. Selene was gone, but her presence still clung to him, a reminder that even in this human world, the forces of hell could never be entirely shaken off. But the encounter had left a mark on his mind—his need to protect Lisa growing with each passing day. His desire to live this normal life seemed further away than ever.
He pushed away the thoughts, stepping into the street and making his way home. The city felt different tonight—distant, as if the neon lights and the bustle of life couldn't touch him. His mind was miles away, caught between worlds, trying to reconcile the man he had been with the one he wanted to be.
Lost in thought, Lucifer didn't see the boy until he was halfway across the road. A teenager, no older than seventeen, moving aimlessly in the direction of the oncoming traffic. Lucifer's eyes immediately locked on him, and a strange, almost instinctive panic surged through him. The boy didn't notice the car barreling down the street, too caught up in his own world to realize the danger.
"Watch out!" Lucifer shouted, his voice cutting through the air with urgency. The boy didn't respond. Lucifer's heart raced as the car, too fast to stop, bore down on him. It was too close. Too late.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion, the screech of the tires deafening in his ears, the car speeding toward the boy without hesitation. Lucifer sprinted forward, willing himself to be faster, but the seconds stretched impossibly long. The boy didn't hear him. He wouldn't make it in time.
Just as Lucifer's fingers reached out to pull the boy to safety, something inexplicable happened.
The world… froze.
Lucifer stumbled to a halt, his foot still mid-step, as if the universe itself had hit pause. Time hung still, the city and everything in it held captive by an unnatural force. Even the car, inches away from the boy, had stopped in its tracks. The air felt thick, heavy, like something massive and divine had just moved through it.
Lucifer's pulse quickened, confusion flashing across his face. He hadn't done this. This was not his power.
The shimmering glow of angelic radiance cut through the frozen moment, and Lucifer's heart skipped a beat. There, standing at the edge of the road, bathed in a blinding halo of light, was his older brother. Amenadiel.
Amenadiel's towering presence seemed to warp the very air around him, his black wings unfurling like a storm about to break. His eyes met Lucifer's with an unreadable expression, his gaze heavy with eons of history, of divine authority. Lucifer could feel the weight of their shared past in that single look, but it was clear—this was no ordinary reunion.
Without a word, Amenadiel stepped forward. His hands extended in a slow, deliberate motion, and in an instant, the boy, still frozen in place, was gently pulled to the safety of the sidewalk. Lucifer stood there, stunned, as the car continued its path, unaffected by the divine interference.
Time resumed. The air rushed back into Lucifer's lungs, and the screeching of the car echoed around him. The boy blinked, shaking his head as if awakening from a trance, his body still in shock but safe. He looked around, confused, but quickly hurried away, oblivious to the celestial intervention that had just spared his life.
Lucifer turned to face Amenadiel, his chest heaving, his mind reeling. "What in the hell are you doing here, Amenadiel?" His voice was sharp, a mixture of disbelief and frustration.
Amenadiel's gaze remained steady, unwavering. "I could ask you the same question, Lucifer."
Lucifer clenched his fists, his body tense with the need to confront his brother. "I don't need your help. I had it under control."
"You weren't going to reach him in time," Amenadiel replied, his voice calm, as if stating a fact. "The car was too close. You may not like it, but sometimes, you need more than a mortal's speed."
Lucifer's eyes narrowed. "I don't need your help," he repeated, his voice thick with anger. "I'm not your responsibility anymore. I'm not your project."
Amenadiel's eyes softened, but only slightly. He stepped closer, the intensity of his presence making the air around them feel charged. "You can't run from who you are, Lucifer. You never could."
Lucifer stiffened, his jaw tightening. "I'm done being what you want me to be," he snapped. "I'm done with that life. I'm done with heaven. I'm done with all of it."
A flicker of something unreadable crossed Amenadiel's face, but he remained silent for a long moment. "You think you can escape it? You think you can forget what you are?" His voice was low now, laced with something heavier—regret or perhaps sorrow. "No matter how far you run, you'll always be my brother. And that's a bond that cannot be broken."
Lucifer's anger flared, but he suppressed it, turning his back to his brother. "I don't want your pity," he muttered, his words dripping with venom.
"It's not pity," Amenadiel said softly. "It's concern. For you."
Lucifer spun around, his eyes flashing with a mixture of frustration and sadness. "You have no idea what I'm going through. You have no idea what it's like, trying to live as something you're not. You think I want to go back to that place? To that life?"
Amenadiel stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. "I know you're lost. And I know you're struggling with who you were and who you're trying to be. But that's not why I'm here. I'm here because I'm your brother, Lucifer. I'm here because you can't face this alone."
For a moment, Lucifer said nothing, his gaze hard and unreadable. Then, with a deep sigh, he shook his head. "I don't need you. I don't need anyone. Not now."
Amenadiel paused, his expression unreadable. "I don't believe that. But I'll give you space. Just know this—you're never alone, Lucifer. No matter how much you try to run from it."
And with that, Amenadiel turned and, with a flutter of his wings, disappeared into the night, leaving Lucifer alone on the dimly lit street.
Lucifer stood there for a long moment, staring at the spot where his brother had vanished. The words, the weight of their conversation, hung in the air like an unspoken promise.
As he walked away, his mind churned with everything that had just happened. His past was never far behind him. He could fight it, run from it, pretend to be someone else, but he would never truly escape who he was.
And somewhere deep inside, Lucifer knew that the choices he was making now would have consequences that even he couldn't foresee.