Lucifer was dreaming. He knew that because he hadn't stood in this room in years. It also informed him that this was the first dream that hadn't repeated itself. The room was tiny, rectangular, with a single bed running from one wall towards the centre, flanked by a bookshelf on one side, a chair on the other. There was only one window. A beam of white penetrated through it, originating from the many streetlights that populated the city. However, this was not Exia. This was Kyrios.

  It's like I never left. I feel everything. The fear. The hatred.

  Something shifted behind him, bringing with it an icy shiver that froze him for a moment. Lucifer guessed what he would find as soon as he turned, grimacing as he fought the resistance to turn.

  I will not run from you. I am not that child anymore.

  Lucifer forced himself to turn then, finding a small Hateful boy, his face half shrouded with long silver and gold hair. Even then, Lucifer could see the lines of tears marring his cheeks, the one visible eye glaring, condemning. Lucifer understood that expression. He knew what the boy had just endured, the conversation that had changed everything.

  'Now you know what failure feels like,' he whispered, watching as the boy's face tightened. 'You despise everything about yourself. All those years. All the effort. It was for nothing. You gave, submitted, and yet it still ended this way. He didn't care. He was a coward, a weak man who wanted everything from you. You were not his perfect son, and that's why you'll leave tomorrow, journey through the Darklands until you reach Exia. Then, you'll remember this moment and why you stand for your race.'

  Lucifer squatted down to one knee then, reaching towards the child, brushing his hand across his shoulder, beckoning him to step into him.

  'Come, let me help you,' he said, yet the child remained still, regarding him. Lucifer frowned, knowing what the child wanted at that moment.

  'I'm here. You're not alone.'

  The child shook his head, his face contorting into a sneer. Lucifer opened his mouth to speak, yet words would not come. A light gasp left his lips before the boy cried more silent tears, prompting Lucifer to reach his other hand towards the boy's face.

  'Please,' he said, unable to hide from himself that he sounded as though he were begging. 'Let me help you. I may not be her, but at least I can—'

  Lucifer was stopped by the boy's right hand, which shot towards his throat like an Ethero Mantis, seizing him. By instinct, he drew both his hands towards the boy's, finding that it would not move.

  'Why?' he croaked, while the boy pulled him closer, his single visible eye glaring into him, flickering violet and red.

  'I see through you,' the child hissed, speaking as though a demon had possessed him. 'I see your lies. You despise me, hate me for what I didn't do. You wish I didn't exist, because I remind you of what you were, what you strive not to be. I am your shame, your guilt, your hate.'

  'No,' Lucifer squeezed, weakening with every second that passed. His mind rushed in panic as he tried to free himself, confused as to how the boy was capable of such strength. Inside, he felt the being within stir.

  You…You're doing this. You're the one making this happen.

  No, the voice replied, its tone resolute, final. This is all you, Lucifer. Stare into his eyes, try to comfort him again. Try to act as though you care, that you forgive. But we both know the truth, Lucifer.

  'I see through your lies,' the boy hissed, drawing Lucifer closer. 'You hate me. But most of all, you hate what you are, your race.'

  No, I don't want to, Lucifer thought, still struggling as his consciousness waned and his grip loosened around the boy's wrist. I want to be better.

  'You fool,' the boy sneered, baring his teeth. 'All you're doing is running from me.'

  'No,' Lucifer croaked before his vision faded. Upon this, the grip on his throat was gone, replaced by a pristine total whiteness as Lucifer dropped to the floor. Looking around, he believed he was dead, that this was the infinite void that befell all living things, the place of absolute end.

  Such a beautiful place…

  A warmth emerged from within, prompting Lucifer to look around himself with a grimace, seeing nothing except complete whiteness all around him. Despite his confusion, there was something purifying about it, something cleansing and freeing. The whiteness wiped out everything that was wrong in the world, reducing it to complete nothingness. Existence was nothing here. Pain was nothing here. Life itself was nothing here. These sensations whirled within Lucifer, who almost felt like he was floating as he cast his gaze towards this void, his face relaxing.

  'What is this?' Lucifer asked aloud, listening as his voice echoed. He felt no sign of anyone else within or around him. He was alone.

  'But I'm not, am I?' he asked, before something materialised before him. It was like watching speckles of bright white dust crystallise, manifesting into another being. It reminded Lucifer of the one within, but it contrasted greatly. This being was of an almost ghostly white, including his hair, which floated upward towards the sky. His skin was unmarred, unblemished and pure. The being smiled in his direction, opening his arms.

  'Who are you?' Lucifer asked, sensing peace around this being that he didn't know was possible. Still, the being did not move, maintaining his soft smile. Lucifer looked to the white void that they occupied, wondering where it had come from, why it had followed the nightmare.

  'What is this place?' he asked.

  'Forgiveness,' it said, smiling. Before Lucifer could ask what it meant, the dream faded, his consciousness slipping.

  'That which comes before—'

  Lucifer awakened to familiarity, emitting a small gasp as he allowed his confused mind to settle.

  I'm back in my room, he realised, before looking down and noticing Vennifer lying in his arms, sleeping in a T-shirt and underwear. At once, gratitude arose at her presence. He closed his eyes and realised he'd been crying. Lucifer desired to move then, feeling the contradiction that he despised most rising within him again. Part of him wanted to hold on to her forever, to make love and show her his true feelings, to just be and remove all defences. Yet, another wished to push her away, feeling that she was getting too close. Emotions stirred then, sensations that could take control at any moment, crumbling the mask he worked so hard to hold.

  You always do this to me, he rued. I want to let go so much and be free. Yet it's the thing I fear most.

  Lucifer shook with a mixture of fear and frustration.

  You'll wake her up, you fool. I don't want to ruin this for her. She looks so peaceful, so happy…

  'But why?' Lucifer whispered, thankful that she didn't stir. He released her, gently pulling himself away before he sat on the edge of the bed. Longing flooded every part of him, contrasting with the relief of letting her go.

  If I'm gone, she can't see this. She can't see how weak I am, and how much I want her.

  Shaking, he rose to his feet before picking his jacket off the floor, putting it on before fighting his inclinations to stay as he stepped towards the door. Though he wasn't sure why he did this, he turned and glanced towards her as he reached for the handle, emotion flooding within.

  'I'm so sorry, Ven. You deserve better.'

  Lucifer opened the door, entering the corridor of Tower 3. Closing it, he turned and raised his arms so that he could lean against the door and rest his head on his arms. There he stayed for a couple of minutes, allowing tears to fall as his body continued to convulse, causing weakness to arise. He didn't care. No one was around. He could allow himself just one moment. An interval of time passed before he nodded to himself, knowing that he needed to move on. Lucifer pushed himself away from the door, turning towards the person he least wanted to see. She was standing with folded arms, as though having watched him the whole time.

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  'Hela,' he grimaced, his sadness and weakness evaporating, forming into a mix of embarrassment and anger. 'Not now…Please, not now…'

  Hela remained still, emotionless, not wishing to say anything that could tip him over the edge. She cast a slight glance towards Vennifer's door before looking back at him.

  'I just want to talk, Luci. You look upset.'

  Lucifer knew she could see more than that. Hela seemed able to see everything in him. A stirring inside told him to take this outside, so he followed it without saying a word to her. He didn't doubt that she'd follow him, listening intently while he headed for the staircase at the end of the corridor, tapping into his Blessing as a Physical. Using his enhanced muscles, he launched himself towards the rooftop with great bounds. By the time he reached it, he could hear the wind swirling angrily above, the chill accompanying it a few seconds later as he stopped moving. Lucifer reached towards the door, not doubting Hela had stayed with him. Because of this, he elected to hold it open for her, watching as she walked past him and onto the rooftop.

  'Thank you,' she said, her voice masked by the whistles coming from above as she turned to face him. She folded her arms underneath her chest as Lucifer stepped behind her.

  'You've avoided me for a while now,' Hela said, beginning the conversation that had been coming. A part of him had been sure she had been leaving him alone on purpose. 'Let's talk.'

  Lucifer nodded. He stepped past her as the strong wind fluttered his hair. He made his way across the rooftop until he reached the barrier that overlooked the rest of the city. Looking towards the Rai District, he placed his hands on the barrier, considering how to begin this conversation, knowing that she wouldn't leave him until he did so. Lucifer decided the best way was to address what she had done to bring him back.

  'You ordered her back,' he began, not turning to face Hela.

  'I did, because I believed you needed her,' Hela admitted, coming up behind him before choosing to stand by his left side, facing him. There was a restrained look to her. She was trying to keep herself in check. 'Ven helps you, Lucifer, and I think you need help.'

  'Yeah,' Lucifer admitted in a half-sigh, figuring there was no use in lying to her. 'Before tonight, I'd been having the same Hateful Dream again and again.'

  'But tonight was different? Is that why you were crying when I found you? Why you left her alone without waking her?'

  Lucifer said nothing, knowing that he didn't need to answer those questions. For a moment, silence emerged between them, filled with the sound of blustering wind.

  'You killed three humans, Lucifer,' Hela said. 'And I've been hearing reports that a Dreamhouse full of humans was also set on fire.'

  'They were suffering, Hela,' Lucifer said, not moving to face her. 'The humans in that place were using drugs to make themselves feel better. I haven't seen anything like it before.'

  'Yet you still think we suffer more? That they cause all this?'

  'They are part of it,' Lucifer said, remembering the child of his dream. 'We all suffer, Hela. It's because of him.'

  'But you can't even prove he's real,' Hela said, drawing Lucifer's glare towards her.

  'He is…Only he could make a world like this. Only a being like him could create beings with our condition, cursing us and humanity with this affliction.'

  'But what if he didn't?' Hela countered, matching him. 'What if you go through all of this and he doesn't exist?'

  'Then it doesn't matter, Hela,' Lucifer said, his expression relaxing. 'Something has to change. Our races cannot continue to live like this. Someone has to make a stand. Our lives can be more than this.'

  'But what gives you the right to decide that? What makes you any different from the rest of us?'

  Lucifer considered that, glancing at his hands while Hela continued to stare at him. He could feel the voice within smiling, knowing what it would say to Hela had it been able to speak. He didn't want to tell her about that, though. He needed to keep the voice a secret.

  'I have the drive, the conviction to make something happen,' Lucifer insisted. 'I can do something. If I don't, nothing changes. Our kind will continue to suffer.'

  'But this pursuit is making you suffer, Lucifer,' Hela said, revealing some of her frustration. 'Look at you. This is hurting you so much, leaving her. Why can't you just find happiness in her? Let me worry about the problems of our race?'

  Because I hate what I become when I'm near her.

  'Because nothing will change unless I do,' Lucifer said, showing signs of a smile. 'Because unless I pursue this I can't make a difference.'

  'But you can, to her,' Hela said, almost pleading. Confusion arose within Lucifer, as his instincts pulled him towards the possibility of returning to Vennifer. He found his gaze drifting towards the door that had taken him here, imagining what it would feel like to—

  Could I? he asked himself, while the voice stirred alongside his inclinations and confusion, providing the one thing he hadn't realised he needed until that moment.

  Stability.

  That's it. The goal. The dream. I will find peace there. I can leave confusion and nuance behind. The dream is absolute and unrelenting, but it also provides focus. It does not possess the emotions that tear into my soul. It is safe, and it is true. That is why I pursue it, why I must pursue it. It is only there that I'll find clarity and understanding. Everything else is just a distraction.

  'I'm sorry, Hela,' he said, throwing his legs over the barrier, stopped only by Hela as she grabbed his hand, forcing him to turn to her in surprise.

  'Luci, you don't have to do this. You do not have to repeat my brother's mistake. Right now, you inspired a human to come to us. That is how you can change things. Your dream won't alter the confusing thoughts in your head, the emotions that terrify you. They're part of being Hateful. They're a part of who we are. Lucifer, becoming a god won't change that. You cannot change the fact that we are Hateful.'

  'No,' Lucifer agreed, nodding as Hela released him from her grasp. 'Becoming a god will not change the fact that I am Hateful. But it can change how we live. It can stop us from being locked away, terrified of the feelings and emotions that tear us apart. This will end our suffering, Hela. I will carve absolution, and human nuance won't cloud us anymore.'

  Hela nodded then, unable to mask her disappointment.

  'If you go out there, I can't protect you. The DFA are after you. If you keep following this path, you'll leave me no other choice.'

  'I understand,' Lucifer said, taking in a breath as the voice guided his instincts towards his next steps. 'I'm going to Heaven's Gate. I promise you: I will free our kind.'

  Without waiting for a response, Lucifer leapt off the rooftop, knowing that Hela would send Vennifer after him.

  Is that why you told her where you're going? he asked himself, free-falling while tapping into his Blessing as a Transformative. Lucifer summoned a pair of black feathered wings, which he opened before the wind took hold. Then he turned left, heading towards the Greyr District and the grand monument that was Heaven's Gate. Inside, his mind cleared again.