"Relax," he said, holding his hands up defensively. "Can’t hurt you, remember?"
"What is this place?" she asked, her eyes darting around. "Where are we?"
"Hell," he replied. "Someone’s Hell, anyway."
She gaped at him. This is someone’s Hell?
"It’s one my favorite," Lucifer continued. "Most of the cages are dark and ugly, but this one . . . it feels almost like really being outside. Well, except for the fact that it reeks of blood and burning flesh, but I take what I can get."
Serah was quiet as she tried to process that. It seemed so peaceful and innocent, almost an exact replica of a few Heavens she’d encountered along the way. It was strange to her, seeing Lucifer standing in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, surrounded by hardy trees as sunlight streamed down on him. His tanned skin seemed to glow under the rays, the red entirely gone from his eyes; much browner today than the black she was accustomed to.
"Come on," he said, nodding for her to follow him as he took a few steps backward. "Let me show you around a bit."
She slowly shook her head, refusing, but her feet didn’t seem to get the message. Curiosity fueled her steps as she moved forward, following him down the street. Lucifer ducked between two houses, jumping over the boy’s discarded bicycle, and made his way into a backyard. Serah continued to follow him, watching as he leaped over a tall, wooden fence and landed out of sight.
Serah climbed the fence, startled when she jumped down on the other side and found herself in another place, another time. A crowd roared around them as she and Lucifer stood in the middle of a dusty arena, gladiators in full gear bludgeoning each other mere feet from her. Gasping, she stepped away, looking to Lucifer in horror as blood splattered her direction. "I like the other one better."
He smirked, snapping his finger, their surroundings changing instantly. They stood in a massive red tent, spectators surrounding the outskirts as a group of clowns performed in the middle of them. Laughter swarmed the tent, above it the sound of a tiger roaring just outside the entrance flap. "Well, clowns are terrifying, I suppose."
Lucifer snapped his fingers again, everything going black. Serah blinked rapidly, trying to see in the darkness, but there was nothing there . . . nothing at all. The space seemed entirely void of everything, a massive black hole of nothingness.
But then she felt it, the prickly sensation on the back of her neck, the humid warmth of a shuddering breath against her skin. She spun around, finding nothing there, but she heard them. She could hear the low, aggressive growl, hungry and angry, like it yearned to devour her. She trembled at the thought. "Okay, I get it. Enough."
A loud snap sounded, and Serah found herself standing on the peaceful neighborhood street with Lucifer again.
"Right down the street, in the blue house with the bike in the yard, a man is forced to watch his family murdered every day," he said. "The gladiator is bludgeoned to death every hour, on the hour. The ringmaster of the circus is eaten alive by the tiger."
"And the last one?" she asked hesitantly. "Whose Hell was that?"
Lucifer cocked an eyebrow at her. "Yours."
"Mine?"
"Curious, isn’t it? Your worst fear is oblivion."
"What was that thing there?" she asked. "That . . . monster?"
A small smirk tugged the corner of his lips. "That was me, angel."
A lush forest of autumn trees surrounded the crystal blue water, so crisp and clear it resembled a reflection of glass. A rocky cliff to the north fed the river, water cascading down the natural stone steps of the falls. Serah stood at the edge of the river, gazing out at it, as Lucifer tore off his shirt and tossed it to the ground. Grabbing a branch above them, he pulled himself up into a tall, twisty tree and scaled it without much effort to where a long, knotted, rope swing hung. Wordlessly, he took a flying leap, swinging right past Serah and out onto the water.
He let go when he reached the middle, flailing his arms and legs as he landed in the river with a colossal splash. Water rushed over the bank from the waves as more flew straight at Serah, lightly splashing her peach dress. She backed up a bit, stunned as Lucifer disappeared into the deep water.
A minute passed with no sign of him, then two. She started panicking after five minutes had come and gone. She called out his name and stepped toward the edge just as he popped out of the river a mere foot from her, drenched, water running down his face and dripping from his hair.
"Come in," he said, waving her on with his hand. "The water’s cold as fuck, but that doesn’t matter much to you, I guess, since you can’t feel a damn thing."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, her hands on her hips. "I’m not getting in there."
"Why?"
"Because," she said, "this is no time for fun. We have a game to play."
He snickered. "Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Do you hear yourself?"
Even she had to admit how absurd that sounded. She shrugged halfheartedly, in no mood to argue with him when he was being somewhat agreeable for once.
Lucifer didn’t wait for her to change her mind. He slammed his hands down on the surface of the river, sending mounds of water splashing her way. It soaked the entire front of her dress, the material clinging to her skin as water dripped onto her bare feet.
Grumbling, she jumped into the river, splashing him right back. The moment she opened her eyes underwater, she was met with vibrant colors, an entire universe existing under the surface. Multicolored plants flourished, growing and intermingling, while creatures flitted around. Schools of animated fish circled her while river turtles swam by at a slow pace. Serah blinked rapidly as she resurfaced, spinning around until she saw Lucifer. "It’s beautiful down there!"
"What is this place?" she asked, her eyes darting around. "Where are we?"
"Hell," he replied. "Someone’s Hell, anyway."
She gaped at him. This is someone’s Hell?
"It’s one my favorite," Lucifer continued. "Most of the cages are dark and ugly, but this one . . . it feels almost like really being outside. Well, except for the fact that it reeks of blood and burning flesh, but I take what I can get."
Serah was quiet as she tried to process that. It seemed so peaceful and innocent, almost an exact replica of a few Heavens she’d encountered along the way. It was strange to her, seeing Lucifer standing in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, surrounded by hardy trees as sunlight streamed down on him. His tanned skin seemed to glow under the rays, the red entirely gone from his eyes; much browner today than the black she was accustomed to.
"Come on," he said, nodding for her to follow him as he took a few steps backward. "Let me show you around a bit."
She slowly shook her head, refusing, but her feet didn’t seem to get the message. Curiosity fueled her steps as she moved forward, following him down the street. Lucifer ducked between two houses, jumping over the boy’s discarded bicycle, and made his way into a backyard. Serah continued to follow him, watching as he leaped over a tall, wooden fence and landed out of sight.
Serah climbed the fence, startled when she jumped down on the other side and found herself in another place, another time. A crowd roared around them as she and Lucifer stood in the middle of a dusty arena, gladiators in full gear bludgeoning each other mere feet from her. Gasping, she stepped away, looking to Lucifer in horror as blood splattered her direction. "I like the other one better."
He smirked, snapping his finger, their surroundings changing instantly. They stood in a massive red tent, spectators surrounding the outskirts as a group of clowns performed in the middle of them. Laughter swarmed the tent, above it the sound of a tiger roaring just outside the entrance flap. "Well, clowns are terrifying, I suppose."
Lucifer snapped his fingers again, everything going black. Serah blinked rapidly, trying to see in the darkness, but there was nothing there . . . nothing at all. The space seemed entirely void of everything, a massive black hole of nothingness.
But then she felt it, the prickly sensation on the back of her neck, the humid warmth of a shuddering breath against her skin. She spun around, finding nothing there, but she heard them. She could hear the low, aggressive growl, hungry and angry, like it yearned to devour her. She trembled at the thought. "Okay, I get it. Enough."
A loud snap sounded, and Serah found herself standing on the peaceful neighborhood street with Lucifer again.
"Right down the street, in the blue house with the bike in the yard, a man is forced to watch his family murdered every day," he said. "The gladiator is bludgeoned to death every hour, on the hour. The ringmaster of the circus is eaten alive by the tiger."
"And the last one?" she asked hesitantly. "Whose Hell was that?"
Lucifer cocked an eyebrow at her. "Yours."
"Mine?"
"Curious, isn’t it? Your worst fear is oblivion."
"What was that thing there?" she asked. "That . . . monster?"
A small smirk tugged the corner of his lips. "That was me, angel."
A lush forest of autumn trees surrounded the crystal blue water, so crisp and clear it resembled a reflection of glass. A rocky cliff to the north fed the river, water cascading down the natural stone steps of the falls. Serah stood at the edge of the river, gazing out at it, as Lucifer tore off his shirt and tossed it to the ground. Grabbing a branch above them, he pulled himself up into a tall, twisty tree and scaled it without much effort to where a long, knotted, rope swing hung. Wordlessly, he took a flying leap, swinging right past Serah and out onto the water.
He let go when he reached the middle, flailing his arms and legs as he landed in the river with a colossal splash. Water rushed over the bank from the waves as more flew straight at Serah, lightly splashing her peach dress. She backed up a bit, stunned as Lucifer disappeared into the deep water.
A minute passed with no sign of him, then two. She started panicking after five minutes had come and gone. She called out his name and stepped toward the edge just as he popped out of the river a mere foot from her, drenched, water running down his face and dripping from his hair.
"Come in," he said, waving her on with his hand. "The water’s cold as fuck, but that doesn’t matter much to you, I guess, since you can’t feel a damn thing."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, her hands on her hips. "I’m not getting in there."
"Why?"
"Because," she said, "this is no time for fun. We have a game to play."
He snickered. "Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Do you hear yourself?"
Even she had to admit how absurd that sounded. She shrugged halfheartedly, in no mood to argue with him when he was being somewhat agreeable for once.
Lucifer didn’t wait for her to change her mind. He slammed his hands down on the surface of the river, sending mounds of water splashing her way. It soaked the entire front of her dress, the material clinging to her skin as water dripped onto her bare feet.
Grumbling, she jumped into the river, splashing him right back. The moment she opened her eyes underwater, she was met with vibrant colors, an entire universe existing under the surface. Multicolored plants flourished, growing and intermingling, while creatures flitted around. Schools of animated fish circled her while river turtles swam by at a slow pace. Serah blinked rapidly as she resurfaced, spinning around until she saw Lucifer. "It’s beautiful down there!"
