Hell
The sky above Hell was not sky at all, but a swirling ocean of crimson fire. It rippled and bled light down upon a shattered throne room carved from volcanic obsidian, where molten rivers crawled like serpents through the cracked floor.
At the center of the throne room sat King Algol, ruler of Hell. Massive and terrifying, his skin was like charred iron and his eyes—two orbs of burning amber—glowed with such fury that even the flame-soaked air trembled before him.
He leaned forward slowly, his clawed fingers clenching the stone arms of his throne.
"You made that big of a mistake," he growled, his voice like grinding stone, "and you still haven't found him?"
His voice cracked through the air like a whip.
"FIND HIM! From anywhere! You idiots!"
The floor beneath him pulsed. Demons surrounding the throne trembled. Some clutched their weapons tighter. Some couldn't even look him in the eyes.
One of them stepped forward, a lesser general with curved horns and bat-like wings folded tight against his back. He dropped to one knee, pressing his forehead against the hot stone.
"Forgive us, Majesty," the demon rasped. "We've sent every scout, every hunter. They roam Earth, the middle world, the hidden worlds. We will find him."
Algol didn't speak.
He merely stared.
The throne room trembled as if his silence itself were a storm.
"Do not return," Algol said finally, "until you bring me the child who was stolen from my dominion."
Thunder cracked through the sky. The fire above blazed brighter. And far away, in a very different world, something new was being born.
---
Earth – The Normal World
The hospital smelled of rain and metal. Fluorescent lights flickered. Storm clouds roared like gods outside, and rain lashed against the windows as if trying to break inside.
The maternity ward was quiet. Too quiet.
A doctor stepped out of the operating room, his coat damp with sweat, his face pale. He looked toward the lone figure leaning against the hallway wall.
A man stood there. Drenched, unmoving. Shadows carved sharp lines across his cheekbones. His coat clung to him like armor.
"Did you tell her yet?" the doctor asked.
The man didn't look up. He answered with a low, flat voice.
"No."
"When will you?"
"When the time is right."
A pause.
The doctor stared at him, frustration in his eyes. Then he sighed.
"She's inside. It's a boy."
The man nodded slowly. Took a breath that shook more than he intended. Then walked forward.
The door creaked open.
Inside, the room was dim. Monitors beeped softly. A pale woman lay in bed, her face tired but glowing, sweat still beading along her forehead. In her arms, wrapped in a white cloth, was a newborn baby.
The man walked closer.
She looked up at him, her eyes heavy but warm. "He's beautiful," she whispered. "What should we name him?"
He stared at the baby for a long time. His eyes didn't move, not even to meet hers.
Then he reached out, brushing a finger across the baby's tiny forehead.
"Fallen," he said.
In that instant, the air changed.
---
Elsewhere – The Rooftop
A figure stood high atop a steel skyscraper. The clouds churned above him, full moon casting ghostlight across his long coat.
He stood motionless, as if listening to something no one else could hear.
Then, slowly, he lifted his hand. Formed it into the shape of a gun.
A faint glow charged at his fingertip—white, cold, inhuman.
And then:
BANG.
A beam of white light shot from his finger. It screamed across the night sky, silent but deadly. It moved faster than sound. Faster than light.
It crossed through dimensions.
It found its mark.
---
Back in the Hospital
"Fallen," the man said again, just above a whisper.
The baby blinked.
The mother smiled.
And then her head exploded.
A flash of light.
A soundless scream.
Blood sprayed across the room like paint from a shattered brush.
She went limp.
The machines flatlined.
The doctor burst into the room, too late.
The man didn't move.
He just stood there, covered in her blood, staring at the infant cradled in her now-lifeless arms.
The baby began to cry.
Thunder rumbled.
Rain tapped harder against the glass.
And somewhere far away, in a throne room of fire, the King of Hell opened his eyes.
He is born.
---
[END OF CHAPTER 1]