Hellbound - Chapter 4

Empusa continued to guide the carriage through the busy, winding streets while the pair of them sat in a tense silence. Lucifer had a great deal to think about as he watched the demonic city pass by. In some ways, it was completely different than Earth, but in other ways, it was all too similar. He wondered if he had seen this place before the betrayal, if his own pride and hubris would have allowed him to even recognize that much.

The city was filled with carriages. Some were pulled by lizard creatures similar to the one pulling their carriage, while others were being pulled by large, horned beasts that Lucifer called Hellbison. Hellbison were a delicacy among the Earth population. Allegedly, the moment the Hellbison died, its body self-emulated to the perfect temperature as to be edible for human consumption. It was the steak that cooked itself.

There were also countless creatures walking, sliding, or crawling down the sidewalks. Although they all contained the same name, demons, they were far more diverse than humans. Some had scales while others had fur. Some were pale-skinned while others had dark green, blue, or red skin. They traveled on feet, paws, hooves, and even the underside of long, slithering bodies. Earth had always believed the demon tribes were separate. When they did missions, they were usually paired by demonic type. If it were a team of werewolves, you would expect all werewolves. If it was lamia, the entire party were snake people.

Yet, this tiny view outside the carriage window had already dispelled countless myths about the demonic people. They were far more diverse, organized, and spread out than Lucifer had ever been told. He wondered if anything he had ever been told was the truth.

Even the city itself had massively tall buildings that suggested a level of construction and infrastructure equal to humanity. Most humans believed demons lived in mud huts and spent as much time killing each other as invading Earth. If humanity truly knew how intelligent and prepared they were, would they recoil in fear or rise to stop it?

The answer really didn’t matter to Lucifer. Nothing would change in the immediate future. This war had been going on for centuries, and even the apparent death of the Demon King didn’t appear to destabilize things down here. The riots, fear, and devastation I had been anticipating weren’t there. It truly showed that everything about my life and subsequent death had resolved nothing.

The carriage came to an abrupt stop in front of a towering structure of black stone. It was a tall, gothic building covered in hauntingly beautiful décor. It seemed to be carved of volcanic glass with veins of silver and gold running through it. Pointed arches formed a vast portico, while windows stained obsidian glowed with light from the inside, creating some kind of intricate mosaic.

“Mistress, we have arrived,” Empusa announced, jumping down from the front of the carriage and opening her door for her.

Lilith stepped out casually. When Lucifer followed her out of the carriage, Empusa gave him a wink. He wasn’t really paying attention to her, though. His eyes were on Lilith, who was heading straight for the building’s entrance. He followed after her, but as soon as he got close to the door, a large demonic eyeball sitting above the ornate double doors suddenly opened up and looked at him.  Lucifer couldn’t help but freeze.

This was a detection system he was all too familiar with. The eye of perdition could detect humans. It was one of the most basic and most common detection systems demons used. Of course, humans had their own demonic detection systems, but there was something quite unnerving about the inhuman eye suddenly locking onto someone.

Lilith seemed to notice Lucifer freezing, looking back while tapping her heel. “Are you coming?”

Lucifer couldn’t help but look back up at the eye. It suddenly closed again as if to say it had lost interest in him. Lucifer could only take a breath. He really wasn’t human anymore. He had chosen to give up his soul and become a demon, but it hadn’t really clicked until that moment.

Lucifer quickly followed after the annoyed-looking Lilith while Empusa seemingly parked their carriage. She didn’t start moving again until he reached the steps of the building. She then turned and pushed through the massive doors, which led into a large ornate lobby. Unlike the outside, this was tiled black and white and draped with red velvet, giving it a somewhat posh feel.

“Hmm? Lilith! Welcome home, my dear.” The voice came before Lucifer noticed the source.

There was a large gargoyle standing on a platform. On Earth, one would have confused this for a fountain statue, but the being on it actually was alive. It could fight too. Gargoyles were among the more difficult demon types. Being made of stone, they were especially hard on weapons, and for a sword-user like Lucifer, they could be the bane of his existence. Taking out even a few dozen of them could force him to blow through five or six swords that might have served anyone else in battle for decades.

“Gareth…” Lilith’s frown became temporarily less severe as she looked at the gargoyle with something approaching fondness. “Do you have time to speak?”

“I am always here.” The gargoyle responded. “You need not ask…”

“I’m afraid this is something…” Lilith softened her voice. “That needs a bit of discretion?”

“As a resident of the Obsidian Spire, your problems are my problems. It is my job to keep the residents here safe.”

“You don’t say…” Lucifer muttered, his voice catching in the acoustics of the lobby so everything he said was heard clearly.

“What is that?” The gargoyle glanced over at Lucifer with a frown.

“Ah… I was just admiring your demonic marks.” Lucifer pointed to the writings carved into the walls. “Not even an angel would be able to open a portal into this building, and are those restriction runes? What kind of demons live in this place? I’ve seen cathedrals less defended.”

“We… take the security of our residents seriously,” Gareth explained slowly before glancing at Lilith. “Is this… person with you?”

“Just ignore him.” Lilith shot Lucifer a scathing look, as if it was his fault she was asked a question. “Keep your mouth shut. What would you know about demonic seals?”

Lucifer shrugged. It would be too much effort to explain that he had some experience with demonic runes, too. Every hero at a high enough level eventually found their movies restricted by runes. The powerful tended to keep themselves safe. This was why battles with demon kings or high-level reavers who died were exceptionally rare. Even if a mission could bring two powerful enemies together, powerful wards were often used to tip the scales.

Earth and Hell had been in a magical arms race for centuries, each trying to build barriers and wards to keep the other from intruding. Of course, even the strongest seal could be broken, so other wards would debuff the enemy. This is why attacks on facilities or major cities were exceedingly rare. One would need to not just be strong enough to survive the constant siege of being in enemy territory, but also overcome those debuffs.

Of course, high-security places could be broken into, but it definitely took time and effort. Usually, these were places that housed powerful artifacts, extremely important demons, or intelligence. Why would a random apartment building like this have security on par with an angelic citadel?

“I’m just wondering what a girl who works on the racks is doing in such a nice place.”

Gareth raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me, is this a boyfriend?”

Lilith whirled around, her face filled with flames. “That’s enough. Empusa! Take him up to my apartment, now!”

Lucifer glanced at the doorway to see Empusa had just walked in from dropping off the carriage. She let out a strange giggle as her eyes darted between Lucifer and Lilith.

“Yes, mistress!” She then ran over to the elevator and began to rapidly hit the button.

Lucifer opened my mouth to say something, but Lilith merely stared back at him coldly with her arms wrapped under her chest. He closed his mouth and joined Empusa as they stepped into the ornate, golden elevator doors. Empusa pulled a switch, and the gate closed, and the elevator began to rise. Lucifer could only watch as Lilith began whispering something to Gareth, whose expression had switched from teasing to serious as he nodded to what she said.

Lucifer’s view of them broke as the elevator continued to rise story after story. He noticed that the elevator didn’t have floor numbers, but instead a single key port. Empusa had put a key into it and twisted, so the elevator would only rise to the specific floor unlocked. She seemed to notice Lucifer watching, and so Empusa looked up at him and winked again. Lucifer continued to ignore her as a chime finally came, and the doors slid open. Instead of entering a hallway, though, the elevator opened to the entirety of the top floor of the tower.

It was a massive open-concept suite. As he stumbled out, he couldn’t help but be awed by the floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a breathtaking view of the red-skied city around him. From the outside, this had all appeared as black glass, meaning the view was one-directional.

“You like it?” Empusa asked, practically skipping past Lucifer before doing a twirl. “This will be your new home.”

“My home?” Lucifer blinked. “Isn’t this Lilith’s home?”

“Lilith is now your minion, so her home is now your home?”

“And don’t you work for Lilith? Should you be saying that?” He looked over at her, unsure how else to talk to her.

“I am Lilith’s servant… and since you are Lilith’s master, by extension, that means I serve you too!” She giggled, and then took a sniff and made a face. “That’s why I recommend you take a bath! You smell like the racks?”

Lucifer sniffed his tunic. Although the cloth was barebones and cheap, it wasn’t particularly filthy.

“What does the racks smell like?”

“It is an unpleasant smell…” She made a face. “It smells like… misery… and humanity.”

Remembering the eye locking on him earlier, perhaps he did still stink of humanity. He couldn’t detect it on himself, but perhaps her demon senses were more acute. At least, he agreed. It was time that he left his humanity behind.

“Fair enough.” He allowed Empusa to guide him to a large bathroom, one of the few parts of the apartment that had its own walls.

It was still larger than the living quarters he had back on Earth. In the center, there was a massive bathtub carved in white marble that could easily fit three or four people. The faucets were golden in color. This was the kind of excess that he had denied himself back then. This was the kind of decadence that the Hero Association Council enjoyed. His expression hardened for a moment, but then he began to fill the tub with water.

How could one defeat an enemy they didn’t understand? Although he wanted revenge, it would also be some time before he’d obtain it. In the meantime, he planned to live this new life as differently from his old life as possible. He wouldn’t waste it a second time.

While Lucifer sat on the edge of the bathtub as it filled, he removed his tunic. His eyes couldn’t help but catch his own image in the mirror. This was the first time he realized that he hadn’t retained his appearance from when he was a human. In the past, he had been a gaunt, dreary man. Although he was muscular, his cheeks were always sunken in, and his eyes had perpetual bags under them. In short, he had looked frightful, and it was no wonder the council had picked Michael as the face of their organization and not him.

However, it seemed like the demonic features his old façade exemplified were exactly the features his body had been missing. His jawline was sharper and more defined. He had higher cheekbones and a more aristocratic face. His skin, which once came off as clammy and pale, now had a grayish hue. His eyes were dark and smoky with ember eyes smoldering from within, and his hair had turned silver with two black horns poking out. He looked surprisingly handsome, reminding him of a dark version of his brother’s good looks.

He went to comb back his hair, but then thought about grabbing a comb. His eyes fell on the counter under the mirror. It was completely covered in salon items. There were scented oils and soaps, shampoos, and conditioners. There was so much stuff covering it that he couldn’t even find a comb.

“Whoever thought she was such a girl?” He couldn’t help but mutter under his breath.

A girl’s voice spoke up from behind, far gentler than Lucifer expected. “Who said I wasn’t?”

Lucifer looked up, shocked to see Lilith standing there at the doorway to his bathroom. She was wearing a pink bathrobe to cover her body, but there was nothing that indicated any of the clothing she had been wearing before. The silk fabric clung to her curves, leaving little to the imagination.

Lucifer quickly lowered his head to avoid any misunderstandings. “Is your business done?”

“My business?” She asked, giggling. “Aren’t you my business, now?”

“What do you mean?” Lucifer asked, noticing from his side view that she was now approaching him.

“Don’t play coy with me. I’m your minion now, remember? Becoming a minion… means I must support my Master.

“Support me?” Lucifer turned away, but couldn’t stop the feel of her approach from behind.

“I will wash your body.” She declared.

Was this why she sent Lucifer up ahead? Did she really intend to bathe him? Lucifer’s heart started to beat rapidly. Perhaps, this was a demon custom he didn’t understand. Yet, as she put a sponge into the bathtub now full, squeezed the water, and brought it to his chest, he managed to grab her wrist.

Just what was he doing? He had been betrayed by the love of his life only a short time prior. Was he really going to allow a demoness to play with him? He had even let his defenses down. Was this the limit of the man who killed the Demon King?

“O-oh… you’re hurting my wrist.” Lilith began to complain.

Countless thoughts went through Lucifer’s mind. He naturally thought about how that woman had used him. How she had played with Michael, all while the pair laughed behind his back. He thought about every woman who had thrown herself at him, despite his looks, and he had nobly rejected them because he thought he was going to have a future with Eve. He also thought about Michael and the rest of those deviants.

He knew they played with women. Many of them were married and committed open infidelity. He even suspected some of them had forced themselves on women before. Yet, he had always looked the other way. He had said that the ends justified the means. He had said that deep down, these men did good, so what did it matter if they had a few vices?

“Stop… let go!” She was starting to try to pull away as my eyes grew darker.

“Shut up!” Lucifer hissed. “Do you think I don’t see through your lies?”

Her eyes grew from fear to panic. “I didn’t mean… I’m sorry!”

She reached out to touch me, but in that moment, all I saw was Eve. “Get away from me!”

I shoved her away. She let out a cry as she hit the ground. Her arm had sprawled out and ended up taking down a bunch of the bath stuff as well, causing it to crash all over the floor. This created quite a cacophony, enough that I finally snapped out of it. As my eyes refocused, the door to the bathroom slammed open.

“What the hell is going on in her-” Lilith froze as she looked at the mess.

Lucifer was standing there, half-naked, breathing hard. His eyes fell on the form lying on the ground. It was none other than Empusa. She was on the ground, holding the robe around her and crying as broken glass and bottles smashed all around her.

That’s when I remembered something about Imps. Imps weren’t a combat demon, so it was rare that heroes encountered them on missions, but there was one thing Imps were known for that made them very dangerous. They were shapeshifters. They could take on the form of other people. This was one of the reasons those anti-demon spells were needed to keep an Imp from slipping in unnoticed.

Meanwhile, the woman who had come onto Lucifer, the one who had touched Lucifer, ended up being Empusa all along.

“You dared to touch my servant?” Lilith’s eyes locked on Lucifer’s.

“Huh?”

“It appears like you have decided to give up on living. It’s time to die, you bastard!”

That’s when he noticed Lilith was holding a long, serrated dagger, and in that next moment, she was leaping at Lucifer with the intent to kill.