Lucifer’s eyes opened agaiing theirs with a quiet iy. His fiery gaze held an unspokeion as though he sehe storm in their mind. “But I appreciate your kindness,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Truly. In all my eons, none have shown me such empathy. You are unlike any other I have entered.”

  His words snapped Shay from their reverie, and they felt a pang of guilt for their wandering thoughts. But the questions lingered, coiling in the depths of their mind like a serpent.

  If God is responsible, then who am I to speak of justice? If He cast Lucifer into the darkness, knowing the pain it would bring, then is it truly rebellion... or is it cruelty disguised as righteousness?

  Lucifer’s gaze drifted to their lips, the memory of their kiss burning fresh in his mind. Deep and uing, a longing stirred within him, but he resisted, unwilling to cause them further harm.

  Shay’s own thoughts quieted as their eyes met his again, and in that moment, they felt the fragile e between them—a bond fed not in rebellion but in shared pain.

  Shay’s fingers moved tenderly over his face, their touch feather-light against the heat of his skin. Their heart ched as they gazed into his eyes, the crimson light within them dimmed by turies of pain and isotion. It was unbearable to think of someone so majestic, so extraordinary, cast into darkness without reprieve.

  Their voice wavered as they murmured softly, almost to themselves, “How could this be justified? How could God cast you aside without hope of fiveness? What is the point of punishment if it never ends? Without redemption, what lesson be learned?”

  Lucifer’s expression hardened for a moment, his jaw tightening as he processed the angel’s words. He wao scoff, to remind them of the divine cruelty they were questioning.

  Yet their siy was like a bde, cutting through the defenses he had built over millennia. A shadow of bitterness crept into his tone as he replied, “You speak of fiveness, angel, as though it were a gift freely given. But some sins are so great that not even God’s mercy absolve them.”

  Shay shook their head, their brow furrowing with quiet defiance. “I don’t believe that,” they said, their voice trembling but unwavering. “If God is as merciful and loving as we’re taught, how fiveness ever be denied? How love—true, unditional love—be so limited?”

  Lucifer’s lips twitched, not quite a smile, but something darker and more plex. “Perhaps because fiveness is not about love, but power,” he said, his voice low and ced with venom. “What better way to ensure obediehan to let even the mightiest of us burn for all eternity?”

  The angel’s heart wavered, a flicker of doubt sparking within them. Yet, it only strengtheheir resolve. “No,” they whispered, their thumb brushing lightly over his cheekbohat ’t be true. If it is... then what does that say about God?”

  Lucifer’s breath hitched at their words, the question hanging like a dangerous threat. He leaned into their touch, his fiery skin dev the ess of their palm, and for a fleeting moment, the weight of his exile felt lighter.

  “You’re a fool to think there’s redemption for someone like me,” he murmured, his voice thick with weariness.

  Their eyes roamed his face, searg for some hint of relief, some sign that their words might offer soce. “How they not see your heart?” they whispered, their voice trembling with quiet desperation. “Even as the Prince of Darkness, you’re still an angel. You always will be.”

  Lucifer’s gaze flickered, his crimson eyes narrowing slightly. “An angel cast to the pits,” he said bitterly, his voice low and sharp. “If that is still an angel in your eyes, then you are as blind as those who ned me.”

  Shay shook their head, the sorrow in their expression deepening, but a spark of quiet defiance burned beh it.

  “But what if... what if your fall art of His pn?” The words escaped them in a rush, soft yet filled with vi. “If God is all-knowing, He must have foreseehing—even your rebellion.”

  Lucifer stiffened, his tail curling sharply behind him in agitation. “You tread dangerous ground, angel,” he warned, his tone dark and ced with tension.

  Yet something in his starayed him—his shoulders had stiffened, but irely with reje. There was a flicker of something deeper in his eyes, curiosity or perhaps doubt buried beh turies of bitterness.

  Shay leaned closer, their forehead brushing against his as their voice softerembling with emotion. “Doesn’t that mean your rebellion wasn’t meaningless?”

  They searched his eyes, their thumb brushing along the curve of his cheekbone in a tender, groundiure. “If He foresaw it, then maybe you’re not the enemy you think you are. Maybe... maybe you’re fulfilling a purpose no one else could.”

  Lucifer’s breath hitched, his lips parting as though to respond, but no sound came.

  A purpose?

  The word settled like a shard in his chest, unfortably sharp yet strangely... possible. He had spent millennia railing against the cruelty of a God who had cast him out, but this—this thought of being an instrument within a rger design—was something he had long buried.

  If so, does it justify my suffering... or even make it crueler?

  Shay’s voice grew steadier, bolstered by their faith. “If your role is part of His design, redemption surely isn’t out of reach. Surely He wouldn’t create you to suffer forever.”

  Their fingers curled gently against his jawline, urging him to meet their gaze. “That’s why I have to believe there’s hope. For you. For us. For everything.”

  Lucifer exhaled, the sound uneven, almost trembling. The vulnerability in their words pierced through his walls, stirring memories and wounds he had long locked away. His cws twitched at his sides, caught between the instinct to retreat and the inexplicable pull of the angel’s vi.

  “You speak as if this hope of yours could ge the course of eternity,” he rasped, his voice thick with aion he couldn’t name. He leaned into their touch despite himself, his fiery skin soaking in the cool fort of their palm.

  “Foolish angel. But perhaps... it is better that one of us still believes.”

  Shay smiled faintly, tears glistening in their eyes as their forehead pressed more firmly to his. “I won’t stop believing.”

  The air shifted, heavy with something unseen. Shay swallowed.

  “Not until I find a way.”

  EverenVale