Narrator's POVHell was restless. The rivers of flame churned, demons whispered in the caverns, and the air carried a crackling tension that spread from the throne of the Dark Lord himself.
Lucifer Morningstar was in no mood for patience.
Lucifer's POVHe paced before his throne, hands clasped behind his back, golden eyes burning. Word had reached him of Keiran's interference again — shielding Sabrina, slipping deeper into the Spellmans' circle.
His lips curled into a snarl. The boy thinks himself clever. Thinks he can play protector while undermining me.
He stopped, slamming his hand against the obsidian throne. The impact echoed through the chamber. "He forgets he is mine!"
Lilith's POVLilith stood nearby, watching. Always watching. She had grown skilled at hiding her thoughts, but tonight… she could not help the flicker of defiance in her gaze.
"He is not yours," she said softly. "He is his own."
Lucifer turned sharply. "You dare—"
"Yes," she cut in, voice trembling but firm. "He chose free will. You gave him life, Lucifer, but you do not own it. You may be his father, but you will never command his heart."
For a moment, silence. Then Lucifer's laughter rolled through the chamber, cruel and thunderous.
"You think free will will save him? No, Lilith. It will doom him. I will see to it myself."
Narrator's POVLucifer descended the steps of his throne, his towering form casting a shadow that swallowed Lilith whole.
"Perhaps it is time," he murmured, "to test my son. To see if he is truly mine… or yours."
Lilith stiffened, her heart twisting. She knew what that meant. Lucifer would unleash something upon Keiran — something meant to break him.
But she also knew her son. He was not weak. He was not hers, nor Lucifer's. He was his own.
Still… she feared what this trial might cost him.
Lucifer's POVHe spread his wings, black and glorious, filling the chamber with their shadow.
"Let him prove himself," Lucifer declared. "Let him bleed, let him suffer. And if he survives, then perhaps… he will finally remember the truth of who he is."
Narrator's POVThe King of Hell's decree rippled through the infernal realm. Somewhere in Greendale, shadows stirred.
And Keiran — half-brother, protector, anomaly — had no idea that his father's fire was coming for him.