[Scene: New World...]
Lucifer Morningstar slowly stirred, his body aching with a pain unlike anything he had ever known. Every movement sent weakness crawling through his limbs like poison. His head throbbed violently as fragments of memory slammed back into place.....
The beach.
Lilith running.
Doom.
The siphoning.
His eyes snapped open.
A sharp breath escaped him.
He was trapped inside a massive glass chamber illuminated by pale white light. Strange runes and mechanical circuitry glowed along the transparent walls, pulsating rhythmically like a heartbeat.
Lucifer looked down.
Metal restraints locked around both his wrists and ankles, forcing his body outward into an X-shaped position. Even his wings were bound tightly behind him by bands of glowing energy.
He pulled instinctively.....
Nothing.
Not even enough strength to shake the restraints.
"…Wh…'' His voice cracked.
The realization horrified him more than the restraints themselves.
He could barely feel his power anymore.
Hissssss.
The chamber doors slid open.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the sterile room.
Lucifer slowly lifted his gaze.
Doctor Doom entered.
The white cloak flowed behind him like living divinity, the fabric untouched by gravity itself. Faint arcs of celestial energy still danced across his armor, illuminating the room with flashes of gold.
Doom approached the chamber silently.
Lucifer stared at him with exhausted hatred.
"…You again?" Lucifer rasped weakly. "W-what… what have you done to me…?"
Doom stopped before the chamber.
For a moment, he simply observed him.
Like a scientist examining something lesser.
Then he spoke. "What happened," Doom said calmly, "is that I have simply ascended before you."
Lucifer's jaw tightened.
"You are no more than a being that is beneath me now." Doctor Doom continued.
Doom slowly began pacing around the chamber, his white cloak trailing behind him as the soft mechanical hum of the ship vibrated throughout the room.
Lucifer's eyes followed him carefully.
Despite the weakness flooding his body, rage still burned behind them.
"From this moment onward," Doom continued, "you will proclaim me as just not doom, but as your emperor...''
Lucifer snarled softly and violently strained against the restraints.
The chamber shook faintly.
But the bindings held.
He gasped sharply as pain ripped through his body, the effort draining what little remained of his strength. Doom barely acknowledged it. "An incursion threatens to destroy this reality," Doom said, his voice echoing through the chamber, "and all other realities beyond it."
He stopped directly in front of Lucifer again. "That is why I must create a new world."
The glowing eyes behind Doom's mask narrowed slightly. "A society shaped by my design. One free of little fools such as yourself. Free of failure. Free of weakness."
Lucifer breathed heavily, glaring at him through strands of disheveled blond hair.
"When I get out of here…" Lucifer whispered hoarsely, "I'll kill you with every fiber of my being…"
Doom leaned slightly closer. "Try as you may...." he said coldly, "but my victory is inevitable. I will build my new kingdom....''
Doom straightened and turned away. His cloak swept across the floor as he walked toward the chamber doors without another glance.
Lucifer watched helplessly. Fury. Humiliation. Fear. All of it churned violently inside him.
The doors began to close.
Lucifer Morningstar lowered his head.
A quiet, broken sound escaped him as tears slowly rolled down his face. Soft. Barely audible.
The massive doors sealed shut with a heavy metallic thud, leaving him alone once more inside the glowing chamber.
[Scene: Lute...]
The Seraphim meeting chamber was unusually lively.
There was laughter. "Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man!" Emily sang cheerfully.
Across from her, Redeemed Sir Pentious sat with his tail curled. "Bake me a cake as fast as you can!" He continued with a wide happy grin.
Emily giggled brightly as the two continued their increasingly competitive game of patty cake in the middle of the chamber floor.
Nearby, however, Lute looked like she wanted to throw herself out of Heaven entirely.
The former exorcist sat rigidly at the round discussion table, one boot impatiently tapping against the marble floor while Sera calmly reviewed several glowing scrolls before her.
"…and I believe," Sera said gently, "that creating a support group for newly redeemed souls could help ease their transition into Heaven considerably."
Lute stared blankly at her.
Then at Emily and Sir Pentious happily playing on the floor. Then back at Sera.
Her eye twitched. "Oh, come on!"
Lute abruptly shot up from her chair, wings flaring behind her in frustration.
"This is ridiculous!" she snapped. "A support group? Seriously?!"
Emily and Sir Pentious paused mid-patty-cake.
Sera merely sighed softly, already expecting this reaction.
Lute threw her arms outward dramatically.
"I should be out at the main gate defending Heaven from possible invasions or attacks from Hell!" she exclaimed. "Not organizing feelings circles for redeemed weirdos! I have fought for the safety of Heaven! I wasn't born to coddle with these, these idiots!''
"Hey!" Sir Pentious protested from the floor, pointing at himself. "I am a redeemed weirdo, thank you vvvvvvery much!"
Emily tried—and failed—to suppress a laugh.
Lute groaned loudly and dragged a hand down her face.
Sera finally set her scrolls aside and stood gracefully from her chair. "Lute," Sera said patiently, "we have already gone over this."
Lute crossed her arms tightly.
"There is no reason to fear another uprising," Sera continued. "Charlie Morningstar proved that sinners can be redeemed. Heaven and Hell can no longer be trapped in endless conflict. It is time to move on from that, Lute, you should know this....''
At the mention of Charlie, Lute's expression darkened slightly. Her fingers curled into fists.
Sera noticed. Of course she did. The high seraph stepped closer and gently placed a hand upon Lute's shoulder.
The former exorcist stiffened slightly at the contact.
"It is only a simple request," Sera said softly. "Try to go along with the peace, Lute, please. It is all I ask from you.''
Lute turned her head slightly, glancing sideways at Sera with visible reluctance. The room fell quiet for a moment. Even Emily and Sir Pentious watched carefully now.
Finally, Lute let out a long, irritated sigh. "…Fine..." she muttered begrudgingly.
Emily immediately brightened again.
"See? Progress!" she chirped happily.
Sir Pentious nodded enthusiastically. "Yessssss! Emotional growth!''
Lute looked seconds away from launching both of them through the nearest window.
But before she could say another word—
The chamber suddenly trembled. Everyone froze.
The glass windows rattled violently.
Sir Pentious blinked. "…Was that suppossssed to happen?"
Emily nearly stumbled to her feet. "S-Sera?! What's happening?!"
Before Sera could answer—
The chamber doors burst open. "HELP!"
Everyone turned.
Lilith stumbled into the room in absolute panic, breathing heavily. Her elegant appearance had become disheveled, sand still clinging to parts of her dress from the shoreline. Fear filled her eyes in a way none of them had ever seen before. "Lilith?" Sera stepped forward immediately. "What happened?"
Lilith looked up at them desperately.
"It's Lucifer…" she said shakily. "My husband! He's been kidnapped!"
The room froze.
Lute immediately shot up from her chair. "What?!"
Sera's eyes widened in horror. "By whom?" she demanded.
The chamber trembled again.
Everyone instinctively looked toward the massive glass walls overlooking Heaven's radiant skyline. And saw it. A colossal warship emerging through the clouds. Dark metal eclipsed the golden sunlight as the massive flagship slowly approached Heaven's kingdom, its engines glowing with ominous energy.
Sir Pentious stared upward with widened eyes. "Uh… who isssss that supposed to be?"
Lute's expression immediately darkened. "Probably a sneak attack from Hell!"
"Lute, now is not the time to be paranoid!" Sera barked back.
But Lilith slowly shook her head. Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "…It is him."
"He has arrived."
Inside the massive flagship, Doctor Doom stood alone within the ship's central command chamber. The room was vast and cathedral-like, lined with glowing machinery and towering windows overlooking Heaven itself. Victor Von Doom silently observed the heavenly kingdom below. Towering ivory spires. Golden bridges. Cloud cities stretching endlessly beyond the horizon.
Doom's white cloak shifted softly behind him as lingering arcs of stolen celestial power crackled faintly across his armor. Then, Doctor Doom slowly raised a single armored hand.
And pressed a glowing control rune. Deep beneath the flagship, massive mechanisms began to move. An enormous circular aperture opened underneath the vessel. Energy gathered. Gold. Angelic. The beam screamed to life. A concentrated blast of holy energy (ripped directly from Lucifer Morningstar himself) erupted downward from the ship like divine judgment.
Angels looked upward in confusion.
Winners froze in the streets.
Some pointed.
Some screamed.
Then the beam struck.
The impact was instantaneous.
A blinding sphere of holy destruction erupted outward across Heaven's kingdom.
Buildings vaporized.
Golden towers shattered apart.
Entire streets disappeared beneath the explosion as the blast expanded with catastrophic force.
Windows exploded outward.
Cloud pathways collapsed.
The shockwave roared across Heaven like an unstoppable tidal wave.
The shockwave slammed into the building.
BOOOOOM.
The glass walls shattered inward violently.
Emily screamed as Sera grabbed her and threw both of them behind the council table.
Sir Pentious dove flat onto the floor, wrapping around himself with a terrified yelp.
Lilith shielded her face as debris and divine fire blasted through the chamber.
Lute planted herself in front of the others, wings spread wide as the explosion's force crashed against them. The entire chamber groaned violently, and within minutes, began to crumble.
......
Lute groaned.
For several seconds, she could hear nothing but ringing.
The world around her had become a haze of dust, shattered marble, and twisted pieces of golden architecture. What had once been the immaculate Seraphim meeting chamber was now barely recognizable.
Lute pushed both hands against the debris covering her. "Come on…"
With a strained grunt, she shoved a large slab of stone away and rolled onto her side. She slowly pulled herself upright, coughing as dust filled her lungs. "Sera?!"
Her voice echoed through the ruined chamber. "Emily?!"
Lute's heart began pounding. "Sir Pentious?!"
She stumbled forward through the rubble, brushing dust from her face. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Lute narrowed her eyes.
There. A translucent sphere of heavenly energy surrounded several figures. Emily stood at its center, both hands extended, her expression strained as she maintained the protective barrier.
Inside were Sera, Lilith, and Sir Pentious. Everyone was alive.
Lute released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Thank Heaven…"
Emily slowly lowered her hands.
The protective sphere faded away into hundreds of tiny golden particles.
Lute was already moving.
She crossed the rubble-strewn floor and immediately wrapped her arms around Sera.
Sera blinked in surprise. "Lute…"
For once, the former exorcist didn't care about maintaining her usual stern demeanor. "I thought I'd lost you...'' Lute muttered.
Sera gently returned the embrace. "We're alive."
Lute finally pulled back, looking over Sera for injuries. "Are you hurt?"
Lute glanced toward the young seraph.
Emily wasn't looking at them.
She was staring through the enormous hole where one of the chamber's walls had once stood.
Beyond it—
Heaven was devastated.
Golden towers had collapsed into the streets.
Bridges hung broken between buildings.
Clouds of smoke rose from multiple locations across the kingdom.
Angels wandered through the ruins, calling for their friends.
Redeemed souls—Winners who had only recently arrived in Heaven—were trapped beneath debris or stumbling through the streets in confusion. Emily's lower lip trembled. Her eyes began to fill with tears. "Why…?"
Sera turned toward her. Emily wiped her eyes, but the tears continued falling. "Who could do something like this?" Her voice cracked. "This is Heaven…"
Sera's expression hardened.
She looked beyond the chamber.
The devastation was unlike anything Heaven had experienced in generations.
But panic wouldn't save anyone.
"Emily." Sera said.
Emily looked toward her. "Now is no time to panic."
Sera stepped forward, her voice firm. "We have people who need us...."
She pointed toward the ruins below.
"Emily, Lilith, Sir Pentious—find anyone trapped underneath the rubble. Especially the newly redeemed. Get them somewhere safe and tend to the injured."
Lilith nodded immediately. "Of course."
Sir Pentious swallowed nervously before giving a determined salute. "Right! Rescue missssion!"
Emily wiped her tears and nodded. "I'll help."
Lute looked toward Sera. "And me?"
Sera glanced at the former exorcist. "You're with me."
Lute nodded firmly.
The group separated. Emily spread her wings and flew toward a collapsed section of the city, immediately using her heavenly abilities to lift enormous pieces of debris.
Lilith hurried into the streets, calling out for survivors. Sir Pentious slithered through narrow gaps between fallen structures, desperately searching for voices beneath the rubble.
Lute followed Sera toward the outer edge of the ruined chamber.
She slowly stepped forward, staring across the devastated kingdom. "What could have happened…?"
Lute looked at her. "What do you mean?"
Sera's eyes remained fixed upon the destruction. "Hell and Heaven had just finally begun to find peace."
She looked toward the distant skyline. "There were no exterminations. Charlie proved redemption was possible."
Her expression became troubled. "So why would anyone attack us now?"
Lute's fists tightened. "Maybe Hell wasn't as peaceful as we thought. That fucking princess should have never been trusted! I say that we fight...''
"No!" Sera shook her head. "This doesn't feel like an uprising. It doesn't make any sense....''
Lute looked at Sera, frustrated. "What else could it have possibly been?!"
Sera didn't answer. Whatever had just attacked Heaven hadn't come to start another war between Heaven and Hell. It had come for something. Sera slowly looked toward the enormous flagship hovering above the distant clouds.
Her face went pale.
"Whoever did this…" She whispered. "Is not from Hell....'''
Above them, the colossal warship remained motionless in the sky.