Whoosh. Whoosh.
The sea murmured against the shore, a gentle lullaby of foam and pull. Zoey stood barefoot at the water's edge, her white robe billowing around her knees. Cold waves lapped at her ankles, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she closed her eyes and let the morning breeze brush through her hair like a memory. It smelled faintly of salt, lavender, and something old—like grief.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
The voice came from behind, low and smooth, like smoke curling around her spine.
Startled, she turned.
Him again.
Her expression dropped like a curtain. "What do you want with me?" she asked coldly, eyes narrowing.
Lucifer's smile didn't waver. "Every time we meet, you ask that," he said, stepping out of the mist like he belonged there. "And every time, I tell you—I'm only trying to help you."
She turned back to the sea, arms crossed. "Help? Is that what you call this?"
"We're more alike than you care to admit, young one," he said, wings folding behind him like smoke-streaked steel. "We've both lost someone. And to whom? Those insignificant mortals." His voice sharpened. Sparks flared at the corners of his eyes. With a sudden strike, he shattered a marble pillar beside him, the sound echoing across the cliffs.
Zoey didn't flinch.
"You know my father hates it when you talk about them like that," she said softly, eyes still on the sea.
Lucifer scoffed. "Daddy this, Daddy that. Grow up, Zoey. If you keep hiding behind his rules, you'll never find out what really happened to your mother."
She stiffened.
He softened his tone and took a step closer. "Look, I know it hurts. But if you don't fight for her, no one will. And you know how this works—if we miss the red moon, you'll have to wait another hundred years. I don't think she has that long."
He held her gaze, then slowly faded into shadow.
As he vanished, tears slipped down Zoey's cheeks.
Her mother used to bring her here at sunrise. They'd sit together, toes in the surf, whispering stories about stars and kingdoms and everything in between. But one day, she stopped showing up. No goodbyes. No explanations. Just... gone.
And no one—especially her father—would tell her why.
In Hell...
"Master Lucifer," rasped a demon with a rhino-shaped head. "How far have you progressed with the Creator's daughter?"
Lucifer lounged on a molten throne, watching blood ripple through a crystal basin.
"She'll be here by sunset," he replied with certainty. "Get Kane the Manipulator. We've got a young angel to ruin."
Back in Heaven...
Zoey stormed into her father's study, slamming the golden doors behind her. Light cracked through the stained-glass ceiling, painting holy patterns on the marble floor—but her rage burned brighter.
The Archangel Michael didn't look up. "Zoey. I told you not to disturb me during council hours. Must I confine you again?"
She marched toward him, unafraid. "What happened to Mom?" she demanded.
The air tensed. The pages of his open scroll stilled. For a moment, he said nothing—just stared into space like he could unsee the question.
"I want the truth," she added, softer now. "Please."
His shoulders sagged under the weight of her voice. But then, like a mask slipping back into place, he stood tall.
"To your room. You will remain there for the remainder of the month."
Zoey's voice cracked with fury. "Why won't you just tell me? Are you hiding something? Did you—did you do something to her?!"
Michael's eyes glowed with restrained fury. "You know nothing of what happened. And for the good of all realms, it will stay that way."
"But I'm not a child anymore!" she shouted. "I deserve to know—"
"Enough!"
His voice thundered through the palace like a storm breaking against heaven's gates.
...
Below...
"Not good, Master Lucifer," the rhino demon groaned. "If she's locked up until next moon, the prophecy window closes. We'll have to wait another hundred years."
Lucifer stood. Calm. Controlled.
"I'm aware. That's why I laid... alternatives."
He turned toward a ring of summoners. "Begin the spell. She'll be here before the stars blink."
...
Zoey left her father's study in a blaze of righteous fury. The anger was molten inside her—hotter than sunlight, sharper than angelic blades.
The golden doors slammed behind her. He wasn't just her father—he was Michael, Archangel Regent of Heaven, appointed to rule when the Creator entered the Celestial Slumber. Since that divine withdrawal, Michael had borne the Creator's seal and the unbearable weight of holding Heaven together. But in this moment, none of that mattered to her.
She reached into the folds of her robe and pulled out the talisman; a gift, a forbidden one.
She closed her eyes and whispered the ancient words—the kind of chant that burned its way through bloodlines and only answered those marked by loss.
"By flame unchained and oath undone,
Let ash be gate and soul be stone.
Cast down the stars, split sky from sea—
I call the path, and Hell calls me."
The talisman burned red-hot. Wind howled like a beast. The shadows opened—and swallowed her whole
The wind howled. Her body pulled.
When she opened her eyes, she was in a shadowy room where a demon couple froze mid-climax.
"Oh, gods—sorry," she mumbled, shielding her eyes and running for the door.
Before she could touch the knob, it flung open.
Lucifer.
He smiled like he'd planned this exact moment down to her blush. "I've been expecting you."
Zoey stepped back. "Why were you so sure I'd come?"
He walked her through the corridors of his obsidian castle. "Because you're desperate. And desperation breeds obedience."
She froze. "That's not what this is."
"No?" he smiled. "Then what do you call storming out of Heaven with a stolen talisman to seek help from your father's sworn enemy?"
Her silence answered for her.
A guard accidentally struck Lucifer's arm with the gate as they passed.
Lucifer turned, still smiling. "Don't worry. Your family will be compensated for their loss."
The demon didn't even have time to scream before he was beheaded.
Zoey stopped walking. Her stomach turned. "That was... excessive."
He tilted his head. "It's called discipline. You'll get used to it."
Her hands trembled. "What happened to my mother?"
Lucifer gave a lazy shrug. "No one really knows. What I do know is that she's not dead. She's somewhere... down there."
He gestured toward the distant mortal realm, swirling like smoke in a crystal sphere.
"I can help you find her," he said. "But you'll have to walk through the fire first."
Zoey hesitated. Her thoughts tangled. Was this real? Was this a trap? Was he using her?
But the ache for her mother was louder than her doubts.
"Fine," she said. "Deal."
Lucifer grinned. "I knew you'd see things my way."
He conjured a portal, unstable and sparking red. "Step through quickly—it won't hold for long."
Zoey placed one foot into the void, but hesitated.
What if this is all a lie?
Lucifer, sensing her hesitation shoved her in.
And just like that, everything went black.