A howl of pain was heard as a white haired young man was blown away onto the wall, denting it.
A chuckle echo'd, "I have to say little Levi, of all my children, you are truly one of a kind. How many times has it been now that you've tried to kill me?" The King of the Abyss seated upon his throne mused towards his youngest son, 'the Great Leviathan' as they've started to call him.
The son even though youngest of them all was only surpassed by the first generation of children, the Lilim.
"You honestly-" He began as he ripped himself out of the wall, falling upon his knees on the floors of the Throne room, "Think that I've been keeping count? Are you nuts? I've been at it for millions of years by now, keeping a count is impossible." Leviathan stated as gazed upon his father with his blue eyes like he was a mad man to even suggest such a thing.
"Maybe so," Lucifer retorted as he rose from his throne and approached his rebellious son, "But a truly dedicated assassin will have kept a journal on all attempts and all that caused them to fail, to find a way that would truly work, but you aren't truly an assassin are you, my little warrior," Lucifer stated as crouched down to eye-level with his son, ruffling his hair.
"Stop that," Leviathan snapped, slapping his father's hand away, but Lucifer could see through this facade of hate and saw that his son felt a lot of conflicting emotions towards him, some he could recognize once in himself towards his Father, some that still exist no matter how much he would have wished to deny them, but can not for he refuses to ever lie.
"Stop trying to act like you care old man, no matter how much you try, these chains upon my soul are evidence enough of how you truly see me." Leviathan hissed.
Lucifer sighed, "Son, I myself have no Free Will of my own, how can I bestow it upon you? I myself fight those same chains, and the reason why I have added some that are my own rather than only Father's through the essence of Gabriel is because I lay claim to you as you are not only your Grandfather's but mine.
My son.
I do not keep you imprisoned here, nor do I make you do anything you do not desire, you have far more autonomy than I have ever had. I have even allowed you to release your rage through your tantrums.
Though do not think my patience with you is endless. You are my son, I already told you that there is a price to everything. The price of being created is your current servitude." Lucifer explained as he stood back up, a stern look upon his face.
"Oh yeah?" Leviathan snapped as he forced upright, "If servitude is the price of being created than tell me why did you rebel in the first place against Grandfather? Or does that rule only not apply to you? Are you that much of a hypocrite!?"
"Mind your tone, boy!" Lucifer hissed as his eyes burned with hellfire, causing Leviathan to flinch. "I have paid my dues! I have served Him for eons untold before you were even a thought! I have cleaned up mess after mess He had made, served him faithfully without any outright disobedience nor any malicious intent!
Do not compare yourself to me! I have let you enjoy yourself in this lost piece of paradise I've constructed without any demands but that you stick to your role when the time is right!"
"You don't know what it's like! You don't know what it is likee to see the freedom others that are your family have that you yourself do not!" Leviathan yelled, tears starting to form within his eyes,
"You never experienced it, but I have! I have felt what my siblings have felt through our connection and I can see them! These chains, they're bound upon every fiber of my being! Some times I don't know what even my own thoughts are and what are caused by them!"
"Son, you know I would never violate your sense of self like that," Lucifer gently reassured as his son cupped his face in his hands, tears continuing to stream, finally after so many years letting it all out.
"No, no I do not dad. You say this, but how can I believe you? How can I trust you when I can see these parasites bound upon me? Capable of making me into your very own puppet?
We have these past million years gone from me hating you, to loving you, to hating you once more, to once again loving you in an endless cycle because I can never be sure! Never be sure what is me and what is you! Where I begin and where you end! All I know is that at least- at least if I don't do what you want then it means that it is truly my choice..." Leviathan explained.
At this Lucifer was silent, for he knew that feeling all too well.
"How do you deal with it?" Leviathan suddenly questioned breaking the silence as he no longer could hold himself up and let himself sit down on the ground.
"I... I don't, not really." Lucifer admitted.
"What do you mean you don't?" Leviathan questioned confused.
"Just as I am saying, I don't deal with it, Hell I try to never think about it," Lucifer began as he sat down in front of his son.
"The thing with Free Will is, is that I never meant that I wished to be able to do whatever I wanted. I know that actions have consequences and I am at peace with that, but what I am not at peace with is never knowing if something is truly what I would choose.
Sure, neither Father nor I can manipulate someone's emotions, their feelings, but we can both manipulate what thoughts we allow to exist.
And I know for a fact Father has restricted some thoughts from me, Hell, I don't know if the Rebellion was ever even truly my choice now that I think about it.
Would I have truly done it the way I did even if I truly chose to rebel? Or did Father put me up to all-" Lucifer spread his arms, "This,"
"Ruling Hell..." Leviathan began, a hint of horror and understanding emerging within his eyes, "You think, that he lead you on to Rebel like that? To Fall? All so that He would have a jailor?
"That is the thing, I truly do not know. The thought when I was rebelling never even crossed my mind, which is suspicious in and of itself, because I know myself and I know I would think out every variable before attempting something.
That is who I am as the Light Bringer, I search for the ultimate truth without shadow of a doubt and I do not let myself be clouded from it, no matter what, and yet... And yet that I did not do. Sometimes I feel as I try to see through that fog a wall within my mind, and every time I scratch it, the itch grows stronger until it all like air escapes me.
That is how I know I have been manipulated, how some thoughts are being restricted from me, now tell me son, truly tell after thinking this through, would I ever bring such a fate upon you? Do you think me truly such a monster?" Lucifer questioned, a hint of desperation within his voice.
Leviathan looked thoughtful, he thought through everything he heard and looked through all the memories of the life he's had with his father and siblings till now, "No... No, I don't think you would, but you yourself just told me, that you don't know whether you yourself are free from this so how do I know that you right now are thinking you haven't and that you wouldn't, but that later you would? That you have? I- I'm sorry but I simply can not take that chance." Leviathan responded.
Though as Lucifer wished to retort, suddenly, all of Hell lit up with light.
Not the Light of the Light Bringer, but of Heaven for the sky opened and legions upon legions of angels descended.
Lucifer and Leviathan immediately spread their wings and flew into the sky and looked and what they saw made them stand there agape.
A being of divinity, the size of an entire universe was in chains, being dragged down into the Abyss by the entirety of Heaven's armies with the Great archangels at the forefront.
"Mother..." Lucifer muttered in shock.
----------------------------------------
(Author note: Hello everyone, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you all very much for your kind comments and reviews! I appreciate it greatly, and so, here is my token of appreciation! A new chapter, one finally granting insight on why Lucifer is the way he is.
I wanted to actually keep this for a bit later. I hinted at Lucifer's options having been limited because of his Father being the Presence, but never explained why it was so, hoping the hint was enough, plus the explanation of well, you his power being the way it is.
Don't worry, the Presence does not know about his past life. The manipulation is a bit more universal than that.
But well yeah, the cat is out of the bag, Lucifer has been manipulated, the extent of it, well, you'll have to wait to find out.
Well see you all later,
Bye!)