Lucifer landed among the sprawl of stone columns that made up most of Heaven's Gate with his favoured Transformative revolver at the ready, his eyes flickering around in suspicion. He saw nothing except shadows generated by the spotlights that surrounded most of them. Why the columns existed no one was sure. They were simply there, consisting of crumbling stone that tilted in random directions, emerging in their hundreds from the single stone tablet in which they stood. If some were to be believed, this place predated the metal cities that made up Ethero, harkening back to times when the Divinity roamed the world. It was said he would appear before the Council here, which prompted Lucifer to look around, seeing no sign of him or of anyone else.

  Where are you? Lucifer wondered, half debating whether he had made a mistake in coming here. Scowling, he relinquished his revolver before placing his hands in his pockets, walking forward as the wind whistled angrily around him as it rained. Lucifer advanced, prepared to engage anyone who emerged to face him. Only thunder boomed in the sky, accompanied by streaks of lightning. For a moment, Lucifer glanced up at the pitch blackness above him, wondering if that was a sign.

  'I'm ready,' he muttered to himself, before he felt something disagree with that very sentiment. Lucifer frowned at that, figuring it to be the presence within.

  Then why did you urge me to come here? he thought, shaking his head. He proceeded forward and approached the centre of the site. It was here a small dip emerged on the stone tablet, creating a bowl that possessed a single obelisk that was covered in text Lucifer couldn't read, its language ancient. A few rings surrounded it. What purpose they served, no one knew. Still, he hopped down towards the obelisk and allowed one hand to brush against it, half expecting it to glow or at least do something. Nothing happened. The rain continued to fall upon him.

  'But there's a reason I'm here, isn't there? You told me to come here. Nothing happens without a reason,' he said, while something stirred within once again. Coldness enveloped his skin, his wet clothes clinging tighter than before. Still, he waited for the voice to speak.

  What are you? he asked. This brought with it the greatest of stirrings from within. Maintaining his silence, he closed his eyes and searched inside, hunting down the voice.

  Why do you evade me now? After what you've shown me, after everything you've said. Why do you hide? Why do you refuse to answer me?

  The sound of something landing behind him snapped Lucifer from his thoughts, causing him to bristle as he turned. Vennifer stood on the edge of bowl, regarding him with an agitated look.

  'Why didn't you wake me?' she asked. For a moment Lucifer smiled at her without a word, wishing he could be in her arms again.

  Yet every single time I get close, I want to run away, he thought, despising himself. He watched as Vennifer shook her head before looking at the obelisk, her expression regretful.

  'Are we going to keep doing this?' she asked, though Lucifer wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or to him, before she returned her gaze to him. 'Why do you run away whenever we get close?'

  'I don't know,' Lucifer lied, knowing that she'd see right through it. Vennifer scowled at him, her agitation growing before she shook her head.

  'Sometimes, I just don't understand you,' she said, speaking as though the words hurt her to admit. 'You care about me, yet you seem to do everything to push me away. Whenever anyone tries to help you, you choose to face it alone. Why? Why can't you see that we're trying to help?'

  Because everyone suffers enough without me having to add to that, Ven, Lucifer answered within, knowing that the words couldn't be uttered aloud. I would rather bear it all than give any of it to you.

  'Suffering is universal, Ven,' he said, jumping to stand alongside her, wishing for nothing more than to touch her. They regarded each other in silence, listening as the rain and storm appeared to ease off, leaving with it many unsaid thoughts.

  'Luci—' she began, but was interrupted by a terrifying shriek. It came from the south, from within the city. Lucifer and Vennifer fell silent as they frowned with concern, casting their gazes towards the stone columns beyond. Lucifer couldn't see anything, but the monstrous shrieks were growing louder, approaching.

  What in Divinity? he wondered, narrowing his gaze. Alongside him, Vennifer had tapped into her own Transformative Blessing, generating a sniper rifle from her right arm, which she used to look through the scope.

  'See anything?' Lucifer asked, unable to hide the tension in his voice.

  'Three shapes, hastening towards us,' Vennifer answered, her voice steady. 'I can't make out any details.'

  Sure enough, Lucifer saw the three shapes emerge in his sight, blurring between the columns as they advanced. He chose not to tap into his Blessings, wishing to see what they were dealing with. He had known nothing that could move this fast, while he found it coincidental that whatever was coming had arrived here alongside Vennifer and himself. He questioned the voice within, garnering no response, which he found suspicious.

  Is this why you urged me here? he demanded, but still the voice wouldn't answer.

  The three large shapes landed on the surface of Heaven's Gate. They were unlike anything Lucifer had seen before. They were gangly monsters, with human-like bodies but moving on all fours. Their skin was a strange light green that could pass for blue, covered in crimson markings like tattoos. Their heads possessed only a mouth and nothing else as they drooled, as though they wished to devour them. After a few seconds, the creatures crawled towards them, possessing a slight hunch that almost disguised the fact that they were splitting up, moving with predatory precision.

  'What are they?' Vennifer asked, her voice wrought with tension.

  'I don't know,' he replied, considering which Blessing to tap into. 'But I don't think it's a coincidence that they came here. Someone knows about us. Someone sent them here.'

  'Who?' Vennifer asked, incredulous.

  Lucifer considered that, not sure how much to say. 'I don't know,' he settled on, pondering. 'But I doubt they're going to let us walk out of here.'

  He tapped into his Blessing as a Transformative, changing his hands into large silvery claws with bladed fingertips, seeing if the creatures responded to it. They did, shrinking back a little and uttering gargled roars in response. That was useful information. They could think. They possessed intelligence.

  'Don't just dive in,' Vennifer warned. 'Try to communicate with them first.'

  'I doubt they're capable of speech.'

  'That's not the point. We don't know what they are,' Vennifer said.

  There was a pause before Lucifer shook his head. 'Fine,' he said, a little begrudgingly. 'Be ready.'

  He lowered his posture, as though ready to pounce at the creatures, keeping his claws turned upward. They bristled in response and glanced between themselves, electing to spread out a little as one occupied the centre and the other two covered the flanks. The movement struck Lucifer with a strange sense of fascination, causing him to tilt his head to one side.

  They're strategic, communicating with each other with just a glance.

  'What are you? What do you want?' he asked. None of the creatures replied verbally, instead almost disappearing from sight before reappearing on either side. Lucifer and Vennifer braced themselves, but nothing happened. The two creatures on the sides maintained their distance, while the central one remained, tilting its head and gargling, as though to prove a point.

  That was a demonstration, Lucifer realised, impressed, holding out his clawed hands. They're testing us.

  Lucifer hoped Vennifer had come to the same conclusion, allowing a smile to curve on his lips in anticipation.

  'I underestimated you,' he admitted aloud, not doubting that the creatures could understand him. 'However, you've just committed a fatal mistake. We know what your Blessing is, and how we can counter it.'

  Lucifer tapped into his Blessing as an Illusionary, while simultaneously relinquishing his Transformative claws. He focused on distorting the creatures' senses, aiming to disorientate them. Sure enough, the creatures on either side stumbled and groaned as they fought to remain upright. Yet the creature before them appeared unfazed. Lucifer, surprised by this, focused his Illusionary power towards it. A few seconds passed, and the creature wasn't reacting. Something was wrong.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Why's it not working on you? he wondered, noticing that a chill had filled the air, while a strange mist-like substance emerged all around them. His frown deepening, Lucifer regarded the creature before a layer of ice formed on the surface beneath them. Lucifer turned towards Vennifer with concern, realising that she was looking at him in the same way, asking the same question in silence.

  Is that you?

  At once, Lucifer and Vennifer regarded each other with horrified expressions, both coming to the same conclusion before Lucifer returned his focus to the creature standing before them.

  'Wait…Can you—'

  His instincts ordered him to jump, which Lucifer obeyed, launching himself into the air as he cast his eyes to the floor. Spikes erupted from the sheet of ice beneath them, becoming a bed of blue knives. Lucifer turned and saw that Vennifer had avoided the same fate, spinning in the air before white feathered wings emerged from her back and she hovered. For a moment Lucifer contemplated doing the same thing, before an amber glow caught his vision just below to his left. He turned his gaze, seeing the creature on the left flank looking up with its mouth wide open, containing the amber glow as it appeared to charge.

  Oh shit.

  The creature unleashed a beam of fire, seething flames that gave him only seconds to respond. Recognising that there was nothing he could do to evade the attack, Lucifer tapped into his Transformative Blessing, wrapping his arms around his body and generating a cocoon of metal to encase him. As the protective shell formed, heat rose all around him, lasting a few seconds before he felt gravity take him. The cocoon crashed upon the sheet of ice, shattering it before Lucifer heard sniper fire fill the air. Vennifer was providing cover fire, giving Lucifer an opportunity to remove his protective shell and rejoin the fight. Needing no further invitation, he obliged, tapping into his Blessing as a Physical and filling his muscles with power, while the cocoon faded around him.

  Just hold on, Ven.

  Lucifer kicked against the floor and launched himself into the air to avoid any impending attacks, performing a backward somersault before landing in a crouch. A quick glance on either side revealed the two creatures on the flanks had gone. They were running towards Vennifer, who was perched atop one of the taller columns, firing sniper rounds while maintaining her white feathered wings. Lucifer spun on his feet before launching himself in their direction, almost clearing the entire distance before he remembered a vital detail.

  The third one.

  It crashed into him, tackling him in mid-air as he felt his momentum being carried to the left, before being slammed against the old stone surface of Heaven's Gate. By the time he realised what had happened, Lucifer looked up to see the third creature standing a few meters away from him, gingerly rising. Lucifer pushed himself up while maintaining his Physical Blessing, conscious of the creature standing between him and Vennifer.

  'You're like us,' he said, the words surprising him. 'You can use all four of the Divinity's Blessings. How?'

  The creature didn't reply, instead transforming its arms into large curved blades, as though to confirm Lucifer's statement. At once, Lucifer tapped into his Transformative Blessing, changing his hands back into bladed claws, while the creature appeared to delve deeper into its Transformative Blessing. Metal spikes erupted from its back and upper body, adapting to the weapons he was displaying.

  Whatever these things are, they're intelligent. Hela needs to know about them.

  Lucifer paused, realising something else Hela needed to know about.

  I need to tell her about you.

  If he hoped the voice would respond to that, he was mistaken. Instead, the only thing he heard was Vennifer's gunfire, coupled with the shrieks of the creatures she was fighting.

  I need to end this before one of them catches her, he thought, scowling as he kept his focus on the creature standing between him and Vennifer, its arms raised in readiness to fight.

  'Alright then. You first,' he said, as he launched himself towards the creature, his right claw swooping in an overhead arc. The creature met this with both its bladed arms, ripping them outward to force the disengagement, generating sparks that flew towards the ground. Hoping that the creature would do this, Lucifer brought his left claw from underneath his body, aiming to dismember the creature's head off its neck. The creature was ready for this, stepping back to avoid the attack before throwing both its bladed arms down in a cross slash. To counter, Lucifer crouched down and missed the attack, finding himself near the creature's belly with an opening. He stabbed both his clawed hands towards the creature, penetrating the gut enough to draw blood. At once, the creature recoiled while gasping, a strange sound that sounded like a shriek intermingling with a deep gargle. Once again, Lucifer sensed opportunity, pushing forward before inflicting two deep slashes upon the creature's chest and stomach, forcing it to recoil once again in audible surprise before falling backward. It collapsed in a heap before scrambling to get up, struggling as Lucifer recognised that the fight was done. The creature spasmed and convulsed before its tongue lolled to one side, sounding as though it were drowning.

  'You're not invincible,' Lucifer summarised, stepping around the creature, which was still fighting for its final breaths, raising his right claw in the air and stabbing down towards its neck. The creature then jolted in a last spasm before it lay still, compelling Lucifer to step back as he regarded the corpse. He noticed something then that emitted from the creature's wounds as it lay dead, causing him to freeze with wide eyes.

  Its blood…It's turning into steam…Like ours…

  'But that's…' he said, turning his head to stare towards the scene of battle taking place further away between Vennifer and the other two creatures 'Are they…related to us?'

  He looked on in concern, glancing between the fallen creature and its comrades, who appeared not to have noticed the fate of their ally. Suspicion rose within him.

  'There's something going on here,' he uttered, not doubting that the voice within would listen. 'Something you're not telling me. You know of my dream, you have helped me push towards this point. Yet, I've never asked you what your motives are. What do you gain from this?'

  Something stirred within him then, as though the voice were contemplating an answer. Lucifer shook his head in disappointment, entertaining thoughts that a part of him didn't want to entertain.

  Am I following my dream, or yours?

  Lucifer forced himself to focus on the task in hand for now, tapping into his Blessing as a Physical and launching himself in the air so that he landed between the two remaining creatures. They both turned towards him, surprised, as he relinquished his Blessing and tapped into another. The creatures hesitated as electrical sparks flickered between his fingers, giving him the opportunity he had been waiting for.

  Now, let's see how you handle this…

  He unleashed a torrent of his Elemental power, generating bolts of electricity before extending his palms towards them, throwing out beams of light. The first attack stunned them before the latter killed them, burning through their skin before the beams of light penetrated, erupting from their backs as the creatures screamed in agony. Another few seconds passed before the screams turned to silence, the creatures remaining standing like inanimate dolls. At once, steam rose from their wounds, drawing Lucifer's concerned look as Vennifer landed alongside him, no doubt noticing the same thing he had.

  'What were they?' she asked, as Lucifer kept his focus on the two creatures. He then looked behind towards the third and noticed that most of it had decomposed in the brief interval between him killing it and the others. For a couple of minutes, the two of them stood in silence, listening to the quiet hiss the creatures generated as they faded from existence.