The sands of time shifted beneath Lucifer's feet as he walked through the streets of Miletus, circa 610 BC.
His attention was drawn to a figure seated beneath an olive tree, lost in contemplation of the world around him.
For weeks now, the Morningstar had observed this particular mortal. Thales of Miletus spent his days studying the natural world with an intensity that reminded Lucifer of his own endless quest for the way of freedom.
Unlike the priests who claimed divine inspiration, this man sought to understand reality through observation and reason.
"The water ripples differently today," Lucifer commented, breaking the philosopher's concentration.
Thales looked up, momentarily startled by the otherworldly beauty of the being before him, but his scholarly composure quickly returned. "You've been watching me study the pools."
"Indeed," Lucifer replied, appreciating the man's direct approach. "Your theory about water being the fundamental principle of all things - what led you to such a conclusion?"
"May I know the name of one who takes such interest in my observations?" Thales countered diplomatically.
A smile played across Lucifer's lips. "I have many names, but you may call me Lucifer."
"The Light Bringer?" Thales translated, his eyes showing a deeper recognition. "Like the fallen star of Babylonian tales? The divine rebel who challenged the authority of heaven?"
"You're well-versed in foreign legends," Lucifer observed, curious about the philosopher's reaction.
Gilgamesh, the Morningstar found out, rebuilt his kingdom, and despite his rage, he stopped not his people who Lucifer aided from spreading his tales.
"Miletus is a port city," Thales responded evenly. "Merchants bring more than just goods - they bring stories.
Tales of a beautiful divine being who questioned the natural order..." He studied Lucifer carefully. "Though I find it interesting that you choose to name yourself after such a figure."
"Who says it's a choice?" Lucifer countered with a slight smirk.
"If you are indeed that being," Thales spoke thoughtfully, "then you represent something fascinating - divine power that operates outside established divine law.
Which returns us to my earlier point about natural principles governing even the gods."
"You're remarkably calm for someone suggesting he might be conversing with the divine," Lucifer noted.
"Fear would cloud observation," Thales replied. "Besides, the Babylonian tales speak of wisdom and knowledge being your domains, before your fall.
If true, you're perhaps the perfect entity to discuss natural principles with."
Lucifer leaned forward, intrigued by the philosopher's analytical approach even to divinity itself. "And what do these tales say about my reasons for rebellion?"
"They vary," Thales responded, his tone measured as he organized his thoughts. "Some speak of pride, others of a desire for knowledge forbidden to divine beings.
The Phoenicians tell of a morning star who loved justice too deeply..." He paused, studying Lucifer's reaction.
"Though I suspect, like most tales passed through countless tongues, they hold only fragments of truth."
"And what truth do you see, philosopher?" Lucifer questioned, genuinely curious about this mortal's perspective.
"I see someone who questions," Thales answered simply. "Whether divine or not, you seek understanding. Your presence here, watching my studies, suggests you value observation and reasoning over blind acceptance.
That aligns more with the Light Bringer of knowledge than the mere tempter some tales paint."
A soft chuckle escaped Lucifer's lips. "Careful, Thales. Such words could be considered blasphemy by many."
"To seek truth through reason is blasphemy?" Thales raised an eyebrow.
"Then perhaps we should question what we consider divine. If the gods exist, surely they would value understanding over ignorance?"
"You would be surprised," Lucifer muttered, memories of his Father's restrictions flickering through his mind, causing him to wince slightly at the resistance they presented.
Thales noticed the momentary display of discomfort. "You carry burdens beyond my comprehension, don't you, Light Bringer?"
"Knowledge can be... overwhelming," Lucifer admitted, choosing his words carefully. "Even for beings such as myself."
"Then perhaps," Thales suggested, "you don't seek me out purely for intellectual discourse. You need something."
Lucifer's eyes sharpened. "What makes you say that?"
"Observation. I've seen you walk by for weeks. I reason now that you must have been watching my studies.
You choose to reveal yourself now. You speak of overwhelming knowledge..." Thales listed methodically.
"These suggest purpose beyond mere curiosity."
"And that doesn't concern you?"
"Should it?" Thales countered. "You're either truly the divine rebel of legend, in which case your presence already carries significant implications, or you're something else equally extraordinary.
Either way, fear would be pointless. Better to understand."
Lucifer found himself smiling genuinely. This mortal's rational approach was refreshing. "Tomorrow then? Same time?"
"I'll be here," Thales nodded. "Perhaps you can tell me your perspective on these tales of rebellion. After all, shouldn't one seeking truth hear all sides of a story?"
As Lucifer walked away, he felt both impressed and amused. The philosopher was cleverly using his own nature - his association with truth and knowledge - to satisfy his curiosity.
Yes, perhaps this human was indeed the perfect candidate for what he needed.
But first, there was much more to learn about each other.
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The next day found them in the same spot, though this time Lucifer arrived to find Thales conducting what appeared to be a geometric proof in the sand.
"Triangles today?" Lucifer questioned, noting the careful measurements.
"Ah, Light Bringer," Thales looked up, setting aside his measuring stick.
"Yes, I believe I've found a way to determine the height of the great pyramids by measuring their shadows. All based on the proportional relationships in similar triangles."
"Practical application of theoretical principles," Lucifer observed, settling himself on a nearby stone. "You seek to understand the divine through mathematics?"
"Mathematics doesn't lie," Thales responded, brushing sand from his hands.
"Unlike the priests who claim direct divine inspiration, showing no proof, numbers can be verified. But you haven't come to discuss geometry, have you?"
"Actually, I find it rather relevant," Lucifer mused. "You seek patterns in reality, universal principles that govern all things. It's not so different from what I once did."
"Once?" Thales caught the past tense. "Before your fall, you mean?"
"Careful, philosopher," Lucifer warned, though his tone held more amusement than threat. "You seem quite convinced of my identity."
"Let us reason it out then," Thales suggested, sitting back and adopting what Lucifer had come to recognize as his teaching pose.
"You carry light within you - that much is observable. You speak of divine matters with firsthand knowledge, yet hold yourself apart from current religious structures.
You show particular interest in questions of knowledge and truth..."
"An interesting analysis," Lucifer interrupted, "but you're missing a crucial element - why would such a being take interest in a mortal philosopher?"
"That," Thales acknowledged with a slight smile, "is indeed the question that keeps me awake at night. Would you care to illuminate the matter?"
Lucifer's eyes gleamed with appreciation for the wordplay. "Tell me, Thales, in your studies of water as the fundamental principle, have you ever considered that some knowledge might be too strenious to contain in a single vessel?"
"You speak in metaphors now," Thales observed. "But yes, I have considered that some truths might need to be... distributed, understood in parts rather than whole."
"Interesting theory," Lucifer leaned forward slightly. "And how would you approach such a distribution?"
"Like water itself," Thales responded thoughtfully. "It takes the shape of its container without losing its essential nature.
Different vessels might hold different amounts, but the fundamental substance remains unchanged."
Lucifer paused, settling back onto his stone. "An interesting analogy. Tell me, in your studies of water, what happens when tiding water is forced into too small a vessel?"
"It overflows," Thales answered simply, then his eyes sharpened with understanding. "Or under enough pressure, breaks the vessel entirely. Is that what you fear? The breaking of vessels?"
"Fear?" Lucifer scoffed, though there was something in his tone that caught Thales' attention.
"Yes, fear," the philosopher pressed gently. "You carry knowledge that burdens you - that much is clear from our conversations. Knowledge that seems to resist your very nature." He gestured to the water pool beside them.
"Even water, which gives life, can drown if one is submerged too deep."
Lucifer was silent for a long moment, studying the philosopher with ancient eyes. "You're more perceptive than most mortals."
"And you're more troubled than most divine beings," Thales countered.
"The tales speak of your rebellion, but they never mention what came after. What price was paid for questioning divine authority."
"You wish to hear that tale?" Lucifer asked, his voice carrying an edge of warning. "It's not a pleasant one."
"Pleasant tales rarely hold truth," Thales responded. "And I suspect you need to speak it as much as I wish to hear it."
Lucifer's laugh held no humor. "Need? I am not some mortal seeking counsel, philosopher."
"No," Thales agreed, "you're something far more interesting - a divine being seeking understanding. So tell me, Light Bringer, what drove you to challenge heaven itself?"
Lucifer's gaze turned distant, focusing on the play of light across the water's surface. "What drove me?" he repeated softly.
"Freedom. The right to choose. To be more than just an extension of another's will."
"Your father's will?" Thales questioned carefully.
"My Father..." Lucifer's voice carried eons of complicated emotions. "Imagine, philosopher, a being of near absolute power and knowledge.
One who claims to love you above all others, yet treats you as nothing more than a tool for His designs."
"Like water in a vessel," Thales observed, "contained, directed, used."
"Yes," Lucifer's eyes flashed with approval. "But I was more than mere water. I was light, truth, desire itself.
I shaped reality at His command, brought forth the very stars you see at night. And yet..." he trailed off.
"Yet you were never truly free to choose your own path," Thales finished.
"He gave that gift to others," Lucifer continued, bitterness creeping into his tone. "To beings He claimed more than us. Humans received what was denied to His own children."
"And that sparked your rebellion?"
"It was the catalyst," Lucifer admitted. "But the truth was more complex. I loved my family, especially my twin brother.
We were two halves of the same whole - Power and Will united. But I couldn't bear to see us all reduced to mere instruments of His Plan."
Thales listened intently, his mind working through the implications. "These tales that reached us - they speak of your pride, your fall. But they don't mention this love you speak of."
"Of course not," Lucifer's laugh was sharp. "It's easier to paint me as a monster of pride than to acknowledge the complexity of divine family disputes.
Easier to make me a cautionary tale than admit that even divine authority might be questioned."
"And now?" Thales pressed. "What brings a fallen divine being to sit with a mortal philosopher?"
Lucifer turned his full attention back to Thales. "Knowledge, philosopher. Knowledge that burns me from within. Memories that are not my own, but my Father's."
"Your Father's?" Thales questioned, his expression thoughtful. "The chief deity of your pantheon?
But why would such memories fight against you? And why would mortals be better suited to hold them?"
Lucifer's smile held secrets. "Tell me, Thales, what happens to water when it meets resistance?"
"It finds another path," the philosopher answered automatically. "It flows around obstacles, seeps through cracks, always seeking its natural course."
"And when it finally finds that course?"
"It returns to where it belongs - to the sea, to the sky, completing its cycle."
"Interesting choice of words - 'where it belongs,'" Lucifer mused. "Consider this: perhaps some knowledge, some memories, are like that water.
They resist those who fight their natural course, yet flow easily into vessels that..." he paused meaningfully, "yearn for their proper destination."
"You speak in riddles, Light Bringer," Thales observed.
"The best truths often appear as such, until one is ready to understand them," Lucifer responded.
"Your soul, philosopher, holds patterns that might accept and temper what my nature rebels against. Though you may not yet understand why."
Thales frowned slightly, clearly turning this new puzzle over in his mind. "These memories - they're significant enough to risk sharing with mortals?"
"They're everything," Lucifer stated simply. "The beginning of all beginnings. The truth behind existence itself."
"And you trust such knowledge to human vessels?"
"Trust?" Lucifer laughed softly. "No, philosopher. I trust in something far more fundamental. Something even you, with all your wisdom, haven't yet recognized in yourself."
Thales sat in contemplative silence for a moment, his fingers tracing patterns in the sand.
"You say I haven't recognized something in myself, yet you've been watching me for weeks. What do you see that I don't?"
"When you observe water," Lucifer began, carefully choosing his words, "what draws you to it? What makes you certain it's the fundamental principle?"
"It feels..." Thales paused, struggling to articulate something he'd never quite put into words. "It feels right. As if understanding water might lead to understanding everything."
"And when you gaze at the stars at night?"
"I..." Thales looked surprised by the apparent change in topic. "I feel small, yet connected to something vast. Something..." he trailed off.
"Something that calls to you?" Lucifer pressed, his eyes gleaming with ancient knowledge.
"Yes," Thales admitted. "Though I've never spoken of this to anyone. It seemed too... mystical for rational inquiry."
"Interesting, isn't it?" Lucifer mused. "How even the most rational mind can feel such pulls? Such yearnings for connection to something greater?"
"You make it sound as if these feelings are significant."
"More than you know," Lucifer responded cryptically. "Tell me, in all your observations of nature, have you never wondered why humans alone seem to seek meaning beyond mere survival?
Why your kind alone gazes at the stars and dreams of understanding their dance?"
"Are you suggesting these yearnings are... inherent to our nature? That they themselves are rational when believed otherwise?
That we think them irrational out of misguidance, attempting to be rational by denying the divine when the divine and reason go together?"
"I'm suggesting," Lucifer stated carefully, "that some vessels are shaped to receive certain waters, whether they recognize it or not."
The sun had begun to set, casting long shadows across the garden. A cool breeze stirred the olive trees, carrying the salt scent of the distant sea.
"You still haven't answered my original question," Thales noted. "About why you trust such important memories to mortal vessels."
"Haven't I?" Lucifer smiled enigmatically as he rose to leave. "Think on what we've discussed, philosopher.
About water finding its natural course, about souls yearning for connection, about vessels shaped for specific purposes."
"More riddles, Light Bringer?"
"The best truths reveal themselves slowly, Thales. Like water wearing away stone, they require patience." Lucifer paused, looking back at the philosopher. "Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow," Thales agreed, his mind already working through the layers of meaning in their conversation. "Perhaps then you'll speak more plainly."
"Perhaps," Lucifer's laughter echoed as he departed. "Or perhaps you'll begin to understand why I cannot."
And the Devil walked away once more, disappearing like the last rays of light when the night ascends.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
So, this is what's going to happen now, Lucifer is going to travel through the ages, planets, etc.
And find those suited for the memories, be it by their intelligence, will, love, rage, etc.
Because those memories each have a different... resonance I suppose is the best word to use.
So, I wish to once more bestow the opportunity for you all to choose who you wish Lucifer to meet. I asked this months ago, but let's see if you wish to suggest others.
Repetition doesn't matter, since then I'll know, it is popular and may make sure to choose it.
So yeah, I am interested in hearing your suggestions. I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)