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Chapter Text

Extermination Day, 1920.

No one had ever opposed the army of exorcists in their yearly visits to cull Hell of its sinners. No one had been brave or foolish enough to even try. Adam had often wondered what it would look like if they did. What moron he'd have to make an example of.

"Go Home, Please!"

He didn't expect it to be a little hellborn girl riding on the back of a small dragon-goat thing that was about the size of a pony.

"Kid, the fuck are you doing?" Adam asked dubiously as he floated in the air of Hell, just in front of the portal to Heaven. His army of exorcist angels were all impatient but equally perplexed.

"I don't want you to kill anyone! So please go home, Mr. Angel!" the demon called out with an innocence that was almost insulting.

"Sir, let me handle-!" one of the exorcists called out, about to fly forward.

"Wow, wow! Contain the calamities, eager tits!" Adam said, holding out his wing to stop her. "Can't you fucking tell whose kid this is?!"

".....?" The angel cocked her masked head.

Adam groaned while Lute cleared her throat. "That would be the Princess of Hell, soldier," Lute informed flatly, giving the child a disdainful look while the others realized why this was a problem.

"My name is Charlie," the princess gave out. No indignation, only a polite introduction. Adam wasn't positive about how Hellborn aging went, but unless he was losing all his marbles, he heard about this kid being born around a hundred years ago. And she looked about ten.

Adam tapped the finger on the side of his holy spear. Hellborns were technically off the table. Unless of course, they were stupid enough to actually try to stop the Exorcists. But this was the royal bratness herself! Hurting her was going to be a fast way to turn this into a bad day.

"Ughh. Fuck this in the fuck," Adam swore to himself. "Ladies, do NOTHING to the kid. I'll handle this."

The angels watched on as their leader put his holy weapon on his back while flying towards Charlie, her pet growling warningly.

"Easy, Razzle! But does....does this mean you'll go home, Mr. Angel?" Charlie asked hopefully, her eyes gleaming.

The red shine of her gaze brought a scowl to his face. "Not a fucking chance, Hellflake," he said, reaching up to pull her off the back to Charlie's alarm.

Razzle roared, snapping out to bite Adam. The First Man merely held up his arm, and let the demon bite into his arm. "Cocky little shit."

"Sir!" Lute called out in alarm.

"Razzle!" screamed in fear for her friend.

"I can fucking handle this, Lute," Adam called back. "Take the girls and do our thing while I deal with Little L here."

Lute hesitated before nodding. "Yes, Sir. You heard him! Fucking Annihilate these disgusting sinners!" Lute called out, getting a cheer from the exorcists as they flew off to begin their slaughter.

Adam ignored that mostly as he glared are the goat-dragon that was trying and utterly failing to harm him. "You horned fuck. You got any fucking idea who you're fucking with?!" he said, tearing his arm out and knocking a few teeth out as he did.

"Razzle!" Charlie screamed. "Please, don't hurt him, Mr. Angel! He was just trying to protect me! Please, he'll behave!"

Razzle, bloodied mouth but still unwilling to stop, gave a roar of warning to Adam who only scoffed. "You're too stupid to even realize how fucked you are. Fine then," he said in annoyance.

Faster than the demonic beast could react, Adam shot forward and grabbed the creature by the horn, his hand glowing with heavenly energy.

"PLEASE DON'T KILL MY FRIEND!"

Charlie's scream drew Adam's attention. He looked and saw the girl was now in full demon mode, the whites of her eyes red and her crimson orbs replaced by ones that were yellow and almost animal. Her small red horns grew from her temple.

And tears were flowing freely from her eyes, sobbing desperately as she stared into his mask. "Please...Please, Mr. Angel."

"My fucking name is Adam, Princess," he stated flatly.

Charlie sniffled a bit more. "Please, Mr. Adam. Don't hurt him. I just...I just wanted....."

Adam stared at her in annoyance, weighing the pros and cons in his head before sighing as he pulled Razzle up by the horn. "You going to play nice, you damn mule?"

Razzle stared back for a moment before being engulfed in a small flame, emerging as a tinier, almost puppy-sized version of himself.

"That's it Razzle! Come here!" Charlie called out, holding open her arms with tears of relief. Razzle made a noise of affection before flying into her arms, mouth still bloody. "I'm sorry, Razzle! This is my fault. I shouldn't have brought you with me."

"Shouldn't have come at all," Adam muttered, still holding her by the shirt. "Look, I'm dropping you off at your home before you cause any more problems. So just stop your whining and you do whatever it is Hellkids do for fun."

Charlie said nothing, just holding desperately onto Razzle as Adam flew off, heading to one of the few places off-limits: the Devil's Manor.

The sounds of the extermination rang out below them. Charlie looked down, watching with sorrowful eyes as she saw the Angels chasing down and slaughtering so many sinners. There was no looking away. Every street was filled with dead and dying souls, and even some fruitlessly fled into the skies.

Adam tuned it all out as they flew. He was just going to drop the brat off, then he'd leave. If he was fast enough about it, he wouldn't have to speak or even see...Them.

His hold on Charlie's shirt grew tighter, balling into a fist. She didn't notice, the fixation of the sights below.

Adam found the manor soon enough. He picked a balcony at random and sat her down. He glanced inside, seeing no one in whatever room lay within. 

Charlie sat down with her back to the railing, knees to her chest as she held onto Razzle.

That should have been the end of it, Adam knew. He should have flown off and gone about slaughtering demon ass with the girls.

So why the fuck did he sit down, he wondered? His rear on the railing, one foot pompt up, the other dangling off the side.

"So what did you think you were going to do, anyway?" Adam asked absently.

Charlie didn't speak for a moment, glancing at the golden wings nearby. "You've....you've all been killing a lot more sinners every year."

"Yeah, well, there was this shitshow called the "Great War" on Earth, and then a damn plague came in and killed even more fuckers," Adam explained. "We actually had a damn quota to reach to keep this shithole from overflowing."

Charlie nodded. "Y-yeah, I heard about that, from my mommy and daddy."

Adam tried not to think about just who her "mommy and daddy" really were.

"B-but those are over now! So, I was...kind of...I was hoping you'd....." Charlie trailed off.

"What, go home because you asked nicely?" Adam asked rhetorically. "Not how this shit works, Hellflake."

"Why not?"

Charlie actually looked up at him now, her eyes full of curiosity and sorrow.

Did this Brimmuffim even understand where she was? What Hell was and why it exists? Or had her parents not told her anything?

"Why do you care?" Adam asked with a scuff. "You're a Hellborn, kid. Ignoring that, your parents are the top dogs down here. Not like we could attack you even if we wanted to."

"I'm not worried about me! I'm sad because of all the souls you kill!" Charlie shot back with fierce sadness.

"Oh wow, you're upset we're slaughtering a bunch of lowlife souls. Murderers, abusers, and the like," Adam commented dryly, unimpressed. "News flash, you have a massive ass overpopulation problem."

"I know that! But....but....." Charlie wiped some tears from her eyes. "There has to be another way."

"Pft, right," Adam dismissed. "Is this what counts for an emo-phase for demons? You get this super sappy nice time before you start collecting souls like they're baseball cards?"

"…Thank you for not hurting Razzle," Charlie suddenly said, rubbing the demonic sheep's head.

"Don't bother, kid, I-" He closed his mouth. He didn't really have a reason for not killing the dragon-goat. Any other day, he would have treated it like a duck in a shooting range.

"You're...kind of mean, but I'm glad you didn't hurt him," Charlie said with a weak but genuine smile.

Adam stared at her strangely, not sure how to respond or even why he was still here.

Charlie didn't like the silence that came. "Hey, um, my parents told me about someone named Adam..."

"I'm sure they did," Adam muttered darkly. He could imagine the things they said about him.

A door opened, drawing Charlie's attention inside. "Momma!" she exclaimed, running inside.

Adam narrowed his eyes but refused to look back, to give Her the time of day. He unfurled his wings and took to the sky. But not before flipping the bird over his finger.

He didn't speak and he didn't wait to hear anything. He flew out and immediately got to work.

Work being exterminating.

He vaporized a half dozen sinners with a wave of his hand before running into one of his girls. More exactly, his best one. "Miss me, Danger Tits!?" he called out.

"Sir, you're about a hundred souls behind me," Lute informed with a slight challenge to her smirk.

Adam returned it as he pulled out his spear. "Oh, the fuck I am!"

Hell was filled with the screams of Sinners and the wrath of Angels as Adam lost himself in the familiar motions of this slaughter.

So, the Princess of Hell cared. He wondered how long until that lasted. A decade? A century? Being a demon, he imagined it ended the moment she got a taste of tormenting and dominating another soul.

"Sir. Sir? Sir?!" Lute called shaking him by the wing.

"The hell, Lute?! I was about to get a three-for-one shot!" Adam complained as he looked back at her, holding up a finger of charged holy light.

"Sir, it's about time to stop," Lute informed, looking at the clock tower.

Indeed, Extermination Day was almost over now. Adam growled. He hadn't wasted much time with the Hellflake, but it felt like he barely got anything done at all.

With a great blast of angelic energy from his hands, he leveled two buildings on either side of the road. Lute said nothing to the display.

"Fine. Ladies, that's it! Pack it in, we're fucking off!" Adam said with a frown, addressing all Exorcists through his halo. "Unlike me, that was rather unsatisfying."

"Was it, Sir?" Lute asked with a head tilt as they flew back to heaven.

"Yeah. Having a damn quota takes some of the fun out of it," Adam mused. "Who got the highest kill count? No, it was my ass."

"Not sure. Mary seemed to be in the lead most of the day," Lute acknowledged as they crossed through the portal. "Sir?"

"Yep?" Adam acknowledged carefully.

"Was there any trouble? With taking the...Princess home?" Lute asked delicately.

"Lute, it's me. I'm the opposite of polite company, you uptight bitch," Adam reminded with a grin.

Lute almost smirked. "Very well, Sir. Was there any trouble with the whorespawn?"

"You crazy...." Adam shook his head. Lute was always like this. She gave a hundred percent to anything. Even if she she trying to be polite or impolite. "Not a bit. Sat with her a bit. Had to make sure she didn't sneak out again."

Lute nodded minutely. Silence raised before her brow furrowed in concern. "Are you...alright sir?"

"Peachy, Lute, just peachy."

Extermination Day, 1921

"Really? Really, we're doing this again?" Adam asked in annoyance.

"Hi, Mr. Adam!" Charlie greeted on the back of Razzle, waving at them. Or, actually, Adam was pretty sure this was a different goat-demon. "Could you go back home this time?"

"Sir, should I handle it this time?" Lute offered.

Adam sighed. "No, I got this. You know the drill, Ladies! Knock'em good and knock'em double-dead."

"Sir!" Lute saluted as she led the Exorcists off.

Charlie looked on in disappointment. "You're not going home this time, are you?"

"Nah," Adam answered casually, looking to the princess's mount. "This new? Something happened to Raffle or whatever you called it?"

"Razzle. He's fine. This is Dazzle, his brother," Charlie answered with a small smile.

"Razzle Dazzle. Princess, you are a piece of work," Adam said with a snort, looking the goat-dragon in the eye. "Do I need to knock your teeth loose?"

"Please don't!" Charlie pleaded, and Dazzle made no move of aggression, eyeing Adam curiously. "We'll let you take me home."

Adam groaned. The kid could just go home on her own, obviously. But if he didn't escort her, Heaven knows one of his exorcists might mistake the flying goat-beast as a target. "Fine, let's fucking fly."

They rode on for a while in silence. It felt longer than last time.

"Why, In This Place, did you come out here? You should have fucking knew I wouldn't stop," Adam asked in annoyance.

"I had to at least try," Charlie answered with a soft stubbornness. "Besides, I wanted to see you again."

If the pip-squeak was a few....decades? A century? If she was a good deal older, he might have had a flirting comeback for that. But she was a kid through, and he wasn't one of the sick fucks down here that messed with kids. "Kid, I'm the LEADER of the Exorcists. I mean, yeah, I'm fucking amazing. But why, by my own name, would you want to see me again just to escort you bratty ass back home?"

Charlie didn't answer that at first, staring at him strangely. "Is that...your face?"

"Nope," Adam answered bluntly.

"Than...why do you wear it?" Charlie asked curiously. "Do you think you look bad under there?"

"Oh, the fuck I look bad! I look AMAZING! And everyone in heaven is beautiful, handsome, or both," Adam countered. "And as for why? None of your business, kiddo."

"Are you worried you'll get blood in your hair?" Charlie tried again.

"Still no," Adam denied. "....But yeah, this a concern. Demon blood smells like shit after a while and is a bitch to wash out of your hair."

"....Isn't cursing against the rules of Heaven," Charlie asked curiously.

"Oh no, not one fucking bit!" Adam answered with a grin. "Most of the newcomers think it is. So it gets them a funny look, but the rest of heaven gets used to us swear happy few."

"Oh," Charlie said in consideration. "Still sounds mean."

Adam grunted as they arrived. They landed on another balcony, Dazzle turning back into puppy mode. Just from a look, he could tell this was the princess's bedroom. Plenty of pink in there. "There, we're done. Bye, Hellflake!"

"Wait," Charlie called before Adam could take off. "Are you Adam? Like, the Adam from the story, and Eden?"

Adam crossed his arm. He normally was smug about his identity and, to be fair, he still was. But the chances of these stories being flattering were like finding a sinner in hell who wasn't addicted to something. "Yep, that's me. Adam, First Man. All humans descend from me."

"And Eve," Charlie added on factually.

He was going to smite so many buildings before today was over. "Yes, and Eve. My wife, the First Woman."

Charlie opened her mouth and Adam leaned down to glare at her. Charlie wisely decided that it wasn't a good idea to mention the "other" first woman. She then proceeded to fiddle with her hands nervously.

"What is it, Kid? You got to go to the bathroom or something?" Adam asked blandly.

"...I just wish I knew a way to stop all this. It's not fair. They're already dead and in hell. Why do they have to die again?" Charlie answered flatly.

"I'm sure your parents will just blame the angels. Or me in some fucking way," Adam scoffed.

"That's not true!" Charlie said with a glare. "I mean, you don't sound nice in the story..."

"Gee, let me guess, the Author was L. Morningstar?" Adam asked sarcastically.

"But Daddy blames himself for....a lot," Charlie said softly. "I don't see him a lot, but whenever he talks about his past, he looks like he feels...."

"Like a piece of shit?" Adam filled in bluntly. "If so? Good!"

"Stop talking about Daddy like that!" Charlie demanded, her horns showing and eyes shifting as she glared up at the angel.

Adam was unimpressed but decided not to say more.

The bedroom door opened and Adam took that as his cue to leave. "Stop fucking letting your kid wander off on E-Day!" he called out before taking off.

He glanced to his side before taking off, seeing Charlie's demonic visage vanishing, the Princess staring at the ground with a sad and angry look.

He didn't look back when he left, flying into his usual frenzy of angelic power and holy lights. By the time he was done, he had killed more demons than he ever had before. However...

"Sir? You damaged the Embassy," Lute informed flatly.

"Hm?" Adam looked to the Heaven Embassy and saw that he had clipped one of the towers with his angelic beam. "Eh. Needed a new paint job."

Lute cocked her head. "You sound still unsatisfied, Sir."

"Guess I'm just bored killing small fry," he mused. "What do you think, Lute? Go Overlord hunting next year?"

"Bigger fish, Sir? Sounds like a damn good time," Lute said with a smile. "So, is this going to be the norm? You sending the Hellspawn Princess off to bed?"

"Can't do much if she has shitty parents that don't seem to care if she's safe or not."

Lute hummed in agreement as they returned.

Extermination Day, 1922

This time, no one said anything or even groaned when Charlie showed up and asked them to leave. Adam just rolled his eyes and started taking her home.

He did start cursing when Razzle- and it had to be Razzle- turned back into his smaller form right above Adam, prompting both steed and princess to land right on Adam's back. "Hey! I'm not a fucking taxicab!"

"Sorry, Adam! I don't know why he did that!" Charlie said, clinging to his back in alarm, giving a scolding look to her pet. "Razzle, why would you do that?"

Razzle just baa'd.

Now Adam groaned. "Kid, one of these days, I'm turning that thing into lamb chops."

"Please don't!" Charlie pleaded, already getting teary-eyed. "Dazzle will be so sad and lonely and crying and-"

"It was a fucking joke! Do NOT get your snot on my robes! Or my damn wings!" Adam said angrily.

"Okay," Charlie said, eyes still glimmering sadly, until she blinked curiously as she noticed something. "You're not fat."

"Thanks?" Adam returned in confusion.

"The robe makes you look fat," Charlie said bluntly.

"I know," Adam acknowledged without anger.

"You feel a lot skinner," Charlie said, poking his back through the robes.

"Kid, I will drop you on the roof," Adam warned.

Charlie decided to change the topic. "What is Heaven like?"

"Fucking awesome. Way better than whatever you imagine," Adam answered with a grin.

"I can imagine a lot," Charlie stated curiously.

Adam chuckled at that before he could catch himself, coming to land outside Charlie's room again. "So, what, did your parents seriously NOT tell you to stay away from me?"

"No? I mean, I don't know if Daddy knows," Charlie admitted.

"....What?" Adam asked flatly. "What kind of man doesn't know where his only kid is during a day like this?"

Charlie had no answer for that. "Momma didn't tell me to stay away from you. She said I shouldn't go out on Extermination Day, but she didn't say anything else about it."

Adam was torn between being curious about what, if anything Lilith said about him and warry about hearing what she said about him. It might piss him off enough to do something stupid and scare Charlie. Not that he cared that much, but still.

"But she never was mad or mad that I talked to you, or that you were here," Charlie answered curiously. "Maybe she forgave-?"

Charlie inhaled sharply as Adam's wings suddenly flared up, raised high as if to take flight or to strike something, their golden feathers gleaming with holy power. Adam himself was pissed, it was clear by the glare and the scowl of his teeth.

"She can shove her forgiveness up her own pit, Hellflake," Adam said as he flapped his wings hard, soaring into the air as a gust of wind swept through Charlie's room, nearly knocking the young demoness over.

Charlie looked up with a sad, conflicted look as Adam sped away, no doubt to slaughter more sinners and vent the anger she had accidentally caused him.

And slaughter he did, killing a whole street full of demons with just his wings, heavenly energy wrapped around them to make them as good as holy blades.

"Sir!"

He looked, finding it was not Lute. "What is it, Val?" he asked with a distinct lack of interest, even as blood dripped from his wings. Wings were easier to clean, he wasn't worried.

"Sir, you said you wanted to hunt an Overlord this year," Val answered, her mask grinning in sadistic delight. "We found a good one."

Adam grinned.

The Overlord in question was an interesting-looking fellow. He was wearing a blue vest and top hat, giving him a certain fancy and British air, but his head was small and hidden in the shadow beneath the hate, resting against the high collar. Only one bloodshot eye could be seen. The hands were furred and black, each with claws and a second thumb. The legs were covered in grey pants and looked to be stained with blood.

He was surrounded by ten exorcists, keeping him corralled here just for Adam.

"Who the fuck you suppose to be?" Adam asked idly.

"Jack the Ripper. I suppose I have the "pleasure" of being your victim today, Sir Adam, chchch," Jack said with a voice that had a tisk of chitters to it.

"Jack the...Oh fuck, I'm going to enjoy this a bit," Adam said as he pulled out his spear with a grin. 

"Intriguing. Did you not like my work, First Man, chchch?" Jack asked, a strange sideways smile forming under the shadow of his hat. "Did you not like how I punished those whores, chchch?"

"Hmmm," Adam seemed to consider it. "Nope!"

Jack found himself set upon by the Progenitor of Humanity, whose spear tip cut through his shirt before Jack could leap away entirely.

The Overlord flung his hands, many knives leaping from his sleeves to strike his foe.

Adam backhanded them away with his wing, advancing on the murderer with a toying mood to him.

Jack's one eye scanned the area as he was backed against a wall, looking for an escape path. He found none.

Adam held up his hand and sent a holy ray at Jack, who barely moved aide in time. The attack made a hole in the wall, giving Jack the exit he desired. He leaped through the hole like a spider-

Only for a spear to be driven through his back.

"Not today, Bitch!" Adam said with a grin as he used the spear to throw Jack back into the open, the exorcists watching on with smirks. "You know, after nine THOUSAND years of watching people fuck up in the most disgusting ways? Only a few get a reaction out of me anymore," Adam mused as he advanced on the wounded Overlord. "Congrats on being one."

Jack growled in pain from near lethal wound. "Kill me and be done with this game, you vain, hell-hated, nut-hook!"

"Hey!" Adam barked pointing a finger at Jack and vaporizing an arm, sending the serial killer falling back in agony. "Respect my nuts, you kidney-eating fuck!"

Jack just groaned, unable to speak or think through the pain.

"Hm," Adam paused and looked up. "Ladies, anybody want the honors?"

One came forward, landing beside the demon and pulling her helmet off. "Remember this face, you vile waste of a soul," she said venomously. "Do you remember me?"

Jack stilled as he seemed to recognize her. "You....no, not you. An angel?"

The exorcist smirked wickedly. "That's right, you sick fuck. Me."

No one said a word or interrupted her as she brought her spear down, stabbing Jack in his tiny head. Then again, and again, and again. To head, the torso, the belly, everywhere. He was dead after the first few attacks, but she didn't stop mutilating his corpse until she was out of breath.

She looked up finally, seeing that her sisters had left to continue the purge. The only ones that remained were Adam and Lute. "Sir. Ma'am. I'm sorry, he-"

Adam held up his hand, waving her off. "It's fine. You don't have to explain shit to anyone. Though, do that again, and I'm calling you Stabath."

"He will," Lute warned bluntly.

"I can live with that, Sir," she said proudly, even if her spear trembled a bit in hand. "...Thank you, Sir."

Adam just waved her off, prompting her to put her helmet back on and fly off.

"Satisfied, Sir?" Lute asked evenly.

"More so. Always happy to help one of the winners in the group get some payback," he said with a chuckle. "Think she'll stick around or leave the Exorcists after this?"

"Don't know. We Heavenborn never leave the Exorcists, but some of the Earthborn angels in our ranks lose their drive after getting their own justice," Lute remarked, gazing up at the portal back to heaven. "You were early getting back this time. Did something happen?"

"You know kids. It doesn't matter if they're from heaven, hell, or earth. They always put their noses where they don't belong," Adam remarked dismissively.

Lute tilted her head. "I wouldn't know, Sir. I've never had children. Are they really all like that?"

"Kids are curious little shitheads. Especially about their parents. And anything related to their parents," Adam said darkly.

"Sir, I understand your concern, but if she arrives next year, I can take her back without incident," Lute offered.

"Danger tits, I trust you in a fight. I don't trust that you can avoid any and all fucking trouble in Hell with her under your care," Adam said flatly. "Besides, you're assuming I trust "Them" around anyone."

Lute found herself smiling at that beneath her mask. "We have an hour left, Sir."

"Good. Let's see who has a higher kill count after this."

One Day Later

"Adam."

He looked up from his hamburger, swallowing. "Yo. Sera. Lunch break?" he asked casually.

The seraphim was almost amused. "No, I need to speak with you," she said, teleporting them to her office.

Adam was only slightly annoyed. "Okay, but I'm still eating," he warned as he took a seat. "What do you need?"

Sera supposed this was partially her fault for doing this while Adam was having his lunch. "I read the report on the last extermination."

"What about it?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Did you go after Jack the Ripper intentionally or was that a coincidence?" Sera asked idly.

"Eh?" Adam swayed his burger back and forth in a so-so gesture. "Wasn't looking for THAT asshat, just any Overfuck. Why, are the Royal Ls taking a piss about that?"

"No. They also haven't said anything about your yearly meeting with their daughter," Sera remarked calmly.

"Good, seeing as I protected their damn kid for them," Adam remarked.

"Why?"

"Hmm?" Adam glanced at her strangely. "Sera, you know that just because I can be an ass that I'm not stupid, right?"

She smiled at that, or almost. It was hard to say. "I'm well aware, Adam."

"Letting the Hellflake get hurt was the fast way to have them on your ass, and you on my ass, and suddenly everyone is on each other's ass like it's Sodom and Gomorrah all over again," Adam ranted.

"Wonderful way of putting it," Sera said with a small eye-roll.

"I know. Wait, what were we talking about?" Adam asked with a furrowed brow.

"I believe you called her the Hellflake?" Sera reminded.

"Right. Kid comes each year, asking us to fuck off and go home. You know, not pull an extermination. I take her back to make sure there's no trouble," Adam shrugged. "My girls are great, but they're not ones you send to handle "delicate" cargo."

Nor was he, but that went without saying.

Adam grunted and finished his burger. "Didn't we start this conversation about Rip the Jacker?"

Sera raised an eyebrow.

"I know what I said, Head Fluff," Adam said bluntly.

Sera hummed. "In any case, yes, we did. In truth, the only reason I asked was because one of your...girls is requesting to leave the exorcists and-"

"And she's the one who killed Jack," Adam finished. "Let her."

Sera studied him carefully. "Just like that?"

"Let her take the secrecy oaths and everything, then let her go," Adam waved off. "Besides, she'll be back in a decade or two. Probably."

Sera held a hand to her chin as she kept regarding him.

"Anything else?" Adam asked, somewhat impatiently. "I still got shit to do."

"No, you don't," Sera said in amusement. "But that is all, Adam. Thank you."

Adam gave a half-hearted wave and left.

He had a going away party to arrange.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Extermination Day, 1926

Adam had been unusually quiet the entire time leading up to the departure to Hell. Lute wondered, did he know? Did he expect what came next?

That the moment they emerged in Hell, standing before them would be the Devil himself.

Lucifer Morningstar. Lord of Pride, Fallen Seraphim, King of Hell, and holder of a thousand horrid titles.

He was hovering there, mere meters from them. Every Exorcist was on edge, for his face was one of stone. His glare was one of suspicion that could so easily give way to protective fury.

Only the First Man seemed unphased by Lucifer's presence.

Adam glanced behind Lucifer for one second, seeing that Charlie was here as well. She looked very worried, sitting on Dazzle's back with puppy Razzle held in her arms for comfort.

"Lute, take the others and get started," Adam ordered neutrally.

"Sir, are you sure?" Lute asked with sweat on her brow.

"Yep. Go, have fun, kickass for me," Adam waved her off calmly.

Lucifer did not speak or look away as the exorcists scattered over Pentagram City. It was slow though, it was obvious they were distracted, knowing that these two were both in the same place.

Adam made the first move as he flew forward at a steady pace.

Lucifer was more than a little surprised when Adam casually went right passed him, stopping just behind the Devil while facing the princess. "Hey, I-!"

"Razz, you're looking at kickable as ever," Adam addressed, ignoring Lucifer, who blinked in surprise. Dazzle baa'd a greeting to Adam, who rolled his eyes. "Yeah, hi, Dazz."

"Hi, Adam," Charlie greeted with an awkward wave, looking between the angel and her father.

"Oh, you are awake," Adam said with a smirk. "You were so damn quiet, I thought you were napping there, Hellflake."

"H-hellflake?! What did you just call her?!" Lucifer demanded in disbelief.

Adam still didn't respond. "Come on, we better get you home."

"Huh?" Charlie blinked as Adam began to fly. Before she could make a response, Dazzle had already begun to fly after Adam.

Lucifer could only gap in disbelief while Charlie was looking between Adam and her father, very confused by the lack of exchange. Before they got too far, Lucifer shot forward, flying just above them. "Hey! I'm trying to talk to you!"

Adam just hummed a tune to yourself, loudly.

"What are you, a toddler!?" Lucifer asked with a scowl.

"Adam...?" Charlie spoke up, holding Razzle close.

"Yeah, what's up, Hellflake?" Adam answered easily, looking at her.

Lucifer's eyebrow started to twitch.

"You...can hear him, right?" she asked uncertainly, glancing up at her father.

"Who?" Adam asked, looking up at the very annoyed Lucifer. "Oh. Of course I can't hear anything, Hellflake," he said, looking ahead again.

Lucifer now looked confused on top of frustrated. Charlie just tilted her head. "Why not?" she inquired.

Adam smirked. "Because snakes can't talk."

Lucifer inhaled, long and sharp. "Okay, you want to play that way?"

"Daddy..." Charlie pleaded softly, not liking where this was going.

"So, how you been since Eden? Lose any more wives I don't know about?"

Adam did nothing, for precisely two seconds.

With a beat of his wings, he sped forward.

Lucifer furrowed his brow. "Hey, what are you-?"

Adam's wings glowed and, with a great flap, sent two pillars of holy light down, demolishing two buildings below.

Charlie's eyes wide eye. "Adam! Stop! Please!"

This time, Adam didn't respond even to her, sending another wave to the side.

He did, however, come to a stop when Lucifer shot in front of him as a bale light. "What the hell are you-"

Adam stopped only when he was looming right over Lucifer, staring down into his eyes. For a long, tense moment, they didn't even speak.

"Hmm?" Adam cocked his head with feigned surprise and genuine disinterest. "Sorry, didn't see you there. Who the fuck are you again?"

Lucifer's jaw dropped at the sheer audacity of the question. "Don't pretend you don't know who I am."

"Oh no, I couldn't at all guess," Adam said with his arms crossed, giving a distasteful look to the apple theme on the hat and cane. "So, you breaking it?"

"What...?" Lucifer said in surprise.

"Are you. Breaking. The Treaty?" Adam demanded with a glare. "Cause that's what stopping me during an extermination means from you."

Lucifer glared back. "Of course not, you ass! I just wanted to talk to you!"

"And I have fuck all to say to you," Adam said flatly. "Now if you excuse me, I have a kid to escort home. It's Extermination Day, in case you forgot."

"You cocky-! I came here to THANK YOU for last year!" Lucifer finally got out.

"Last?" Adam repeated blankly. "Not the other few years I was her damn chaperon?"

Lucifer took a breath, "Yes, yes those too. Just...especially last year," he clarified with regret.

"You're welcome. My holy farts are worth more than the air you wasted saying that," Adam shot back instantly.

Lucifer cringed and let out a breath. "I see you're still the same little prick from Eden."

"Funny. How'd it feel being pegged for nine thousand years?" Adam asked pointedly.

"The hell you saying in front of my daughter?!" Lucifer yelled in outrage.

"It took almost ten THOUSAND years for you to have a kid," Adam explained with a shrug. "I mean, I guess after riding your short ass this long, she had to give you a pity-fuck as a reward."

"Oh, you want to go there you little shit?!" Lucifer challenged with a smirk. "About Eve-?"

"Keep her name out of your mouth, Serpent," Adam snapped, his jovial tone replaced by something low and dangerous, his wings glowing ominously.

It gave Lucifer a pause of surprise, but only for a second. "Oh, like I could keep her mouth-"

"STOP!"

Both turned to see Charlie. Her eyes had changed and her horns were out while she glared at them both with tears in her eyes.

Adam's wings lost their fiery glow.

"Stop fighting, please!" she pleaded. "I know you don't like each other and...and you don't need to be nice, but can you please not fight because of me?!"

Lucifer was at a loss. "Charlie, I'm sorry. We shouldn't-"

"We weren't fighting because of you, Hellflake," Adam said bluntly. "We were going to start at it the moment we spoke to each other. That's why I was ignoring his ass."

Lucifer took a calming breath, giving him an annoyed look. "As I said, I came here to thank you."

"And I didn't save Charlie for thanks, especially yours," Adam said coldly, refusing to even look in Lucifer's direction. "Now shut up and fly with us or take her home yourself."

Adam didn't give them the option to argue as he began to fly off again. Towards the manor. It was lost on none of them that Adam could have just flown off now and started purging sinners.

With some reluctance on Lucifer's part- and an uncomfortable amount of eagerness from Dazzle- they pursued after the First Man.

"So..." Lucifer started up as they reached him. "Do anything besides yearly visits to ravage Hell?"

"You do anything besides let Hell ravage itself all year around?" Adam countered dryly.

"Daddy, Adam, please!" Charlie pleaded, her form back to normal now.

"I'm sorry, CharChar, but I'm trying," Lucifer said with a tired smile.

"Already tried my best when I was ignoring him, Hellflake," Adam answered with brutal honesty.

"Can you just...talk about anything that doesn't make you both angry at each other?" Charlie pleaded, looking more at Adam than her father.

Adam said nothing.

"Adam?" Charlie asked again.

"I'm thinking," Adam answered with a hum. "So, were you being pegged or not?"

"Really? That's what you went with?" Lucifer asked with a deadpan. "In front of Charlie!?"

"Dad, I know what pegging is!" Charlie defended. Now Adam looked over his shoulder at her with a furrowed brow. "What? I'm 120! And, well, this is Hell. Though, I don't want to hear about what Mommy and Daddy do at night together."

"We can't hide things from her, obviously. So better just to explain them and why they are on a long list of things she has to wait another century to worry," Lucifer explained with a smile.

"Dad, I'll be grown up in just sixty years!" Charlie defended with a pout.

"Don't remind me, CharChar," Lucifer said dramatically, lamenting the quick passing of years.

"Hellflake, my advice? Don't take advice from anyone you know on romance, you'll get no good suggestions," Adam recommended.

"..." Lucifer bit his tongue while glaring at Adam's back.

"I said anybody, Scratch," Adam said with a smirk. "She better not come to me for advice."

Charlie tilted her head. "Aren't you the first human husband though?"

The question was a bit too close to Eden, but Adam let it slide. "Yeah, and you know how awkward it was to INVENT romance? Especially after-" Adam clamped his mouth shut suddenly.

Charlie looked straight to her Father, as if pleading with him to not poke the obvious subject Adam had nearly brought up.

Lucifer smiled reassuringly, if not a bit strained. "So, umm, Hellflake?"

"Your daughter is a snowflake in Hell," Adam said as if it was obvious. "I'm surprised she hasn't melted. Literally!"

"I'll have you know I'm fireproof!" Charlie said, holding her nose high. "Kind of. Mostly."

"Yeah, just like someone is boulder proof until get squished," Adam shot back with a chuckle. Charlie giggled a little bit too.

Lucifer watched the exchange with a puzzled look. Not only was Adam having an easy, if not crass conversation with his daughter, but he was obviously not going as fast as he could. The pace was rather comfortable for Dazzle.

"So...let yourself go a bit?" Lucifer tried with some caution.

"It's a robe, Daddy!" Charlie informed helpfully. "He's skinny underneath."

"..." Lucifer stared in alarm. "Charlie, why do you know that? Adam, why does my daughter know that?!"

"Daddy! I just felt it through the robe when I rode on his back a couple times," Charlie answered with a smile.

"Rode on his back...?" Lucifer repeated in something approaching fatherly despair, eyes shrunken a bit.

They couldn't see it, but Adam smirked as he flew closer to Charlie.

The Princess blinked before grinning widely as she held Razzle tight in her arm, jumping onto Adam's back. Lucifer gapped out a silent scream of parental jealousy while he watched Charlie settle onto Adam's back. Dazzle gave a roaring 'baa' before shrinking down in a poof of flames, the two goat-dragons settling on either side of Charlie while between Adam's large wings.

"Daz's wing healed fine from the wolffuck?" Adam asked idly.

"Yeah, Mommy and Daddy helped teach me how to set it and help heal it," Charlie answered proudly. She giggled as Razzle nuzzled into one of Adam's wings. "Razzle said thanks for saving Dazzle too!"

"This is a nightmare," Lucifer whispered to himself, running a hand over his face. "I'm just having a bad dream. I'll wake up in a moment and still be wondering what to say to Adam at the Extermination. And maybe I won't bring Charlie along after all."

"Daddy, who are you talking to?!" Charlie called back to him.

"No one, CharChar, no one at all!" Lucifer answered with a convincing smile. He suddenly flew up to fly beside them and brought out all six wings.

"Hey! Watch your lane!" Adam snapped in annoyance.

"Would you like to fly with me, CharChar? I'm sure my wings are comfier?" Lucifer offered with a hopeful grin.

"Too late," Adam said, nodding to the manor just in front of them. "We're already here."

Lucifer deadpanned, eyelid twitching madly.

"Can you take me flying tomorrow, Daddy?" Charlie asked with a smile.

"Absolutely, CharChar!" Lucifer answered instantly, reaching for her. "Now, let's just get you-hey!"

Adam gently descended to the balcony, just before Lucifer could pluck Charlie off his back.

They landed and Lucifer's annoyance went away with a mix of awe and envy over- of all things- Adam's robe.

With how long it was, Charlie slid down Adam's back safely and easily, landing on her little feet with Razzle and Dazzle floating down to join her. "Thanks for the ride, Adam," Charlie said with a smile.

"I know, I'm awesome. Hold your applause, Hellflake," Adam boasted playfully.

Charlie giggled and Lucifer felt part of himself dying a little inside.

How did his daughter get comfortable and friendly with ADAM after spending less than a day a year with him!?

And why, by the Ashes of Eden, was Adam returning it so willingly and easily!?

True, he hadn't personally spoken to Adam in thousands of years, but it wasn't hard to get footage of him on Extermination Day or hear how he acted in meetings at the embassy. If he wasn't praising his own nuts, he was laughing about killing demons.

And somehow, there was some kind of weird friendship between him and his precious, too-kind-to-be-real daughter?!

"Well, I should head out. Places to blow up, Sinners to smoke," Adam said with a grin with a hint of sadism.

"Please don't kill too many?" Charlie requested, somehow both resigned and hopeful.

"Hellflake, I'm not going to lie to you and say I won't," Adam answered honestly. "See you next year, I'm sure."

With that, he took to the sky. He glanced over his shoulder as Lucifer led Charlie inside, presumably for bed.

With that, Adam made a U-turn and flew to the roof of the Devil's Manor. He landed, crossing his arms, and waited with more patience than he normally cared to have.

Just as he expected, a portal opened as Lucifer stepped through, waving to the other side still. "Goodnight, my princess! I love you!" Lucifer said with a loving smile. It lasted until after the portal closed, turning into a scowl as he turned to Adam, pointing a finger at him. "Now you listen here you-"

Adam was already in his face. "How Are You Such A Shit Father?!" Adam snapped, hissing it out to avoid yelling loud enough for Charlie to hear.

"I-What?" Lucifer said in surprise.

"You waited ten thousand years to have kids and neither of you bothered to learn the most basic thing! Literally, the first thing I figured out about being a parent after my children started to walk: Make sure the kids are safe in the cave when something dangerous is going on outside!" Adam ranted on.

"I didn't know she could undo the wards around her room!" Lucifer defended with a glare.

"Your daughter has been able to break out of her room, without you knowing, for more than five years," Adam deadpanned. "Shit. Father."

Lucifer winced but glared back all the same. "Okay, you little prick. What is going on?"

"Besides you being a shit father?" Adam countered.

"Stop!" Lucifer growled. "I was serious, you egotistical ass! I wanted to thank you! But I also wanted to know why?"

"Let me ask you this," Adam retorted, leaning down. "I am your enemy. The man that hates you, both of you, most in all of time and space! No exception. So why am "I" the one who had to save your daughter while she was attacked in your kingdom by one of your sinners?!"

"Don't you think I get that!?" Lucifer shot back with a self-loathing look about himself. "That I didn't have nightmares about what she told me for weeks!? That I wasn't beating myself up knowing I almost lost my CharChar?!"

Adam stared before his face turned neutral. "Good. Amazingly, you're not a total failure at fatherhood yet."

"I don't appreciate the yet, Adam," Lucifer said, rubbing his head. "Want me on my knees, expressing my gratitude?"

"Not you, not even your wife," Adam retorted instantly. "I just wanted to get across that I think you're a shit father so far."

"Message received," Lucifer said with a sigh. "Why? I'm grateful, but WHY would you help and protect Charlie?"

"I am a big fucking advocate against anything amounting to "Sins of the Father" bullshit," Adam said flatly. "Don't get me wrong, I fully expect this Hellflake to melt away and reveal another demon feasting on the suffering around her. But right now? She's a Hellflake that insists on visiting me every year."

Lucifer huffed. "Yes, well, that won't be happening anymore."

"And you think that'll work," Adam said with a snort. "Given everything?"

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "Are you...comparing Charlie and you to Lilith and I?"

"You know, there are two ways to take that. Your way is disgusting," Adam said flatly. "My way? Well, I certainly hope your daughter can't ruin creation more than you both did."

Lucifer went rigid and gripped his cane tightly.

"Are you done now?" Adam asked pointedly.

Lucifer scowled and looked back at him. "You know, right now? I can still kick your ass."

Adam didn't flinch. "That won't change how shit of a father you are," Adam pointed out scathingly.

Lucifer shook his head. "Fine, yes, we're done."

Adam took to the sky before the last syllable was even uttered.

Lucifer watched him leave with a scowl. He had a lot to think about. A lot to talk about. And he had to update the wards around Charlie's room.

By the end of the purge, Lute found Adam sitting on top of the clock tower, taking potshots at demons he spots across the city from his perch. Sometimes he was just destroying part of a building for fun.

"Sir?" Lute addressed in concern. "I'm sorry, Sir. This is probably our least successful purge of all time. I have no excuse."

"Yeah, you fucking do. You all were worrying your tits over what me and Old Scratch might end up doing," Adam said flatly, giving her a stare. "You'll be happy to know I held it together and didn't make either of us break the treaty."

Lute nodded. "Then why are you so unhappy, Sir?"

"Wasn't easy, not taking a shot at him," Adam remarked. "Used up so much energy not fighting, I barely felt up to joining the purge at all. Sorry to be a downer."

"It's perfectly fine, Sir," Lute said. "Is the whorespawn okay?"

"You worried about the Hellflake?" Adam asked with a chuckle.

"Only if you are, Sir."

Adam waved that question away. "Hellflake is fine. Her dad is just the same little bitch he always was."

Lute nodded absently. "Sir?"

"Hmm?"

"The Exorcists exist to aid you manage the threat Hell poses to Heaven," Lute reminded.

"I'm well fucking aware of why I'm your boss, Bitch," Adam said with an eye roll.

"Just wanted you to know where I- where we stand, Sir."

Adam quirked his head at her. "So, if I told you to place your hands against a wall?"

Lute mirrored his gesture. "Which wall?"

Extermination Day, 1927

No Charlie this year.

Adam imagined her cooped up in her room for once and wondered if she would be sulking at not getting to go out or angry that her father stopped her from doing something dangerous.

Not that it mattered, really.

"Guess I get a full day this year," Adam mused. If his grin wasn't as wide as it normally was, no one mentioned it. "Okay, Ladies! Let's get a killing! They got too fucking comfortable after last year."

The Exorcists let out a cheer of bloodlust as they began to descend upon Hell.

"Lute, fuck the scoreboard this year for me. I'm getting a big ass, Overlord," Adam said with a wicked smile on his helm.

His second in command said nothing, but her mood mirrored him; eager for sinner blood.

It only took an hour before they had a demon squealing.

"Here! He's up here!" the fly demon said quickly, pointing to what passed for a normal building in hell. "Third floor in the back, Room 43! N-now you'll let me go, right?!"

"If he's in there, Pukefuck," Adam said, making a noise of disgust as the fly actually did vomit from his mouth. "Guh! Get that on my girls and we're gutting you no matter what!"

The demon quivered under the looks of the exorcists staring down at him.

"Two of you stay here with this stinkass. The other three? Once Lute and I got the prize, fuck up any sinner trying to poke their ass in on us," Adam instructed.

"Gladly, Sir," Lute answered for all of them.

Like specters of death, they entered the establishment. Some kind of apartment complex. Everyone was already cleared out, but the few who saw them were too terrified to scream and draw their attention. Instead, the sinners either found someplace to hide or escape the building as silently as possible.

They found the room soon enough. In the middle of the building, away from any windows. There was a rather large sinner guarding the door, rather shocked to see them. Lute shot forward and stabbed him through the throat before he could even get over his shock.

Adam whistled to himself as he came up to the door. He paused for one second, listening for anything interesting. Finding none, he promptly kicked the door down. "Guess who, Bitch!?"

Inside was a rather long-necked man, vaguely looking Indian with burnt skin, four arms, and horns. He was lying on a large round bed, the air thick with some kind of narcotic smoke, and two demonesses in bed with him. Naturally, they all leaped in alarm.

"Angels- here!?" one of the demonesses said in fear.

"You fucker, you said we were safe here!" the other screamed, glaring at the overlord.

Said Overlord only starred before throwing, literally throwing one of the female sinners at Adam.

She screamed in terror as he backhanded her with his wing. It didn't just cut her, it shredded her into demonic mince meat.

The overlord made a run for it, leaping into a wall to plow through it. He didn't stop, running through walls until he was out of the building, leaping down into the road below.

He landed mere feet from the two exorcists and the fly demon. One of them stabbed a spear into his leg, making him growl in defeat as the pain brought him to his knees.

"Well, you can go," one of the exorcists said dryly, the fly sinner scurrying away quickly.

"Damn traitor. I'll strangle him with his own legs if I don't die here!" the overlord growled out in rage and denial.

"Like you'll get that chance!" Adam yelled out as he joined. "Nice work, ladies."

"Sir!" the exorcists nodded.

Adam looked down at his catch. "Well, well, King Thug himself."

"And you would be Svayambhuva Manu," Thug said with a scowl.

"Right, one of my other names. I like Adam more. Less of a mouthful, still awesome," Adam said nonchalantly. "Now, I heard you offed over a hundred people? Some of my girls don't get that many kills in a purge. And strangling? Horrible way to murder, interesting kink though."

"Thank you for the COMPLIMENT!" Thug roared, his third eye firing a beam of green energy.

There was a gasp as Adam was hit head-on by the attack, smoke covering him.

Thug panted heavily but grew increasingly worried when the exorcists didn't react, didn't even move after he attacked their leader.

Adam's hand reached out and practically slammed onto the top of Thug's head. Without wasting a second, he casually and mercilessly stuck his thumb through the third eye, making Thug scream in pain. His attempt to get free only further damaged the eye socket that Adam held to as he leaned out of the smoke with a terrifying grin.

"That's adorable. Now, let's see what happens first: You die or I lobotomize you," Adam said as he slowly pumped holy energy through his finger and directly into the sinner's mind.

It was like acid and salt had been poured into Thug's skull, then Set On Fire Because Every Piece of His Soul Was-!

Thug's eyes clouded over as he started to drool, still breathing.

"Oh, fuck, I didn't think that'd actually work!" Adam said with a laugh before blasting the head away entirely.

"I'm surprised you didn't leave him like that, Sir," one of the other exorcists said.

Adam snorted. "Ladies, I have class. I will kill sinners all day, but with some vile exceptions, I'll put them out of their misery instead of leaving them for the wolves. You know how this place gets after we've had our fun."

"Nothing but endless civil war over every inch of territory without an owner. As if one block of shit is much different from the next," Lute remarked knowingly. "What now, Sir?"

"We got an overlord, even if it wasn't a heavy one. Ladies, go have fun. I'm going to "Eenie, Meenie, Tipsy, Toe" over where I'm going next," Adam waved off.

"Sir!" they saluted and flew off.

Lute lingered, giving Adam a knowing look. "Are you sure you don't need company, Sir?"

"No, I'm good," Adam assured, waving her off.

Lute nodded and left with a flap of her wings.

Adam turned to look to the side, starring seemingly at nothing.

The air shimmered to reveal a magical shield, containing a scowling Lucifer and Charlie, who looked saddened but resigned.

"You knew we were here? Lucifer asked in surprise.

Adam looked down at Charlie for a moment before looking at Lucifer with a glare, his halo glowing just a bit brighter. "You fucking ass. Did you really bring her out here to make her watch me kill someone?"

Lucifer blinked, raising an eyebrow. "What, don't want CharChar to know what you're really like?"

"Fuckwad, she already knew what I'm like. I've made it very clear and reminded her often," Adam said disapprovingly. "So, let me guess. Charlie wanted to come see me again. You didn't like it. So when she insisted, you got the brilliant fucking idea that making her watch me kill a sinner was a good way to change her mind about me?"

Lucifer was stunned by how accurate that more or less was.

"Well congrats, your royal dickness. All you did was endanger your daughter and nearly make her cry," Adam said flatly as he walked up to them. "Hellflake?"

"Yes, Adam?" she whispered out, not looking up.

"You want to go home now?" Adam asked. His tone wasn't gentle but it wasn't exactly hard either.

"Yes, please. Can we go, Daddy?" Charlie asked pleadingly.

"Charlie, I- of course. I'll take you home now," Lucifer said with a grimace of regret as he moved to pick her up.

Adam watched them as Charlie hugged her arms around her father's neck, staring at Adam with glossy eyes. "Bye, Adam."

"Bye, Hellflake. See you next year," Adam said with a half-wave.

Unseen by Charlie, Lucifer sent a glare of disapproval to Adam for the comment. With that, he made a portal to Charlie's room and took her away. The princess waved goodbye to the angel as they went.

Then, they were back in her room. Lucifer gently placed her on the bed, giving her an apologetic and loving smile. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I think I might have taken that a bit too far," Lucifer said softly.

Charlie just sniffed and refused to look at him, pulling herself up into a ball as Razzle and Dazzle came to cuddle up to her sides to provide emotional support.

Lucifer placed his forehead on hers before kissing her on the cheek. "Goodnight, Princess."

Charlie sat there as her father left, her mind spinning. Extermination Day had always left her feeling sad and stressed. Now it left her confused and uncertain.

Almost without realizing it, she moved to the balcony, taking a seat against the railing. Just like she had the very first night.

Adam was right though.

Yes, the image of him killing someone so cruelly was stuck in her head, watching him utterly annihilate a skull and sending a soul to its second and final death.

But she had always known that. Adam had even admitted that he would have killed her that first night if she had been anyone else.

He didn't kill sinners right in front of her though, not up closer like that. Except that one time that he...that he saved her.

It was surreal to recall because...

She could feel it. His power, his soul, his holy power. It was in every every movement he made.

She knew, in that moment, that Adam could kill her as simple as breathing.

And also that, for some reason, she was perfectly safe with him.

At that moment, she felt as safe with Adam as she did with her mother and father.

She smiled, recalling the feeling vividly.

…Too vividly.

She looked up in alarm and saw Adam sitting on the railing, facing outward with his feet against the side. His right wing was curled to wrap around her.

"You're here?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"Just making sure he didn't give you a beating or anything," Adam answered idly.

Charlie looked stricken rather than outraged. "Daddy would never do that! My parents would never hurt me!" she defended, her emotions still high from the night's events.

"Good," Adam said without hesitation. "A good ass-whooping can help sometimes, but...you're the kind of kid that hardly ever needs one."

Charlie opened her mouth and then closed it slowly. "Thank you," she said uncertainly. "Wait, were you...really worried...?"

"Get used to me assuming the worst of your parents, Hellflake," Adam warned softly. "Do you tell him why you wanted to keep coming to see me?"

"He doesn't think you'll change your mind," Charlie said softly.

"I wouldn't hold my breath on it," Adam admitted with a snort.

"So...why should I bother?" Charlie asked, looking down in depression.

Adam shrugged. "I don't know, why did you bother before?"

"Because I wanted to at least try! Nothing gets better if no one tries!" Charlie exclaimed, sad and frustrated, her demon form taking over.

Adam's golden wing moved a bit closer to her.

"And...and...and I know I'm a kid still! I know I'm tiny and a baby to Mommy, Daddy, a-and even you! I'm only a hundred and twenty, you're thousands of years old!" Charlie forced out in frustration, pausing to take a breath. "But no one is trying. People keep dying, but no one is trying to stop it! And e-even if you say no to me for a hundred years, maybe I can figure something out! If I try enough, if I learn enough...maybe I'll find another way."

"...You're nothing like your parents."

Charlie blinked, looking up at him. "What...?"

He didn't look back. "Trust me, that's the highest fucking praise from me," Adam said bluntly.

With that, he removed his wing from Charlie and rose to his feet.

"See you next year, Hellflake."

Instead of flying away, he stepped over the edge and allowed himself to fall. As he did, he looked over his shoulder.

There, under the balcony and upside down to the utter defiance of gravity, was Lucifer Morningstar. Adam gave the Devil a pointed look, who scowled with a troubled but resigned look as if he now understood some unpleasant but true.

Without a word, Adam flapped his wing and flew away.

He really hoped he found another Overlord to kill before E-Day was through.

Chapter Text

Extermination Day, 1928

"Adam!"

"And she's back," one of the exorcists noted as Charlie literally rode up to Adam on Dazzle's back.

"Hellflake," Adam greeted with a raised eyebrow. "Your dad lurking nearby?"

"He left just a moment ago. He wanted me to give you this!" Charlie said, holding up a note for Adam to read with both hands, head face poking above the top.

"...Dammit, she's cute."

The exorcists looked among themselves, trying to figure out who said that to no avail.

Adam elected to ignore that. "Ladies?"

"We know, Sir," Lute acknowledged with a nod as the exterminators fanned out to begin their purge.

Adam, however, leaned forward to read the note.

"Adam,

I admit that handled that poorly, worse than you did even. I'm allowing Charlie to continue these flights with you. Hell only knows why she trusts you, but she does and she takes after her mother plenty."

Adam stopped to snort in obvious disdain.

"Before you rant about me being a "shit father" again, I am keeping an eye on things. Since you both insist on this, I'm reluctantly trusting you to keep her safe.

Lucifer."

Adam took the note, crushed it into a ball, and threw it into the air. He then proceeded to flip the bird, destroying the note with a holy laser. "Eye that, Scratch!" Adam said in annoyance.

"That wasn't very nice! He even said I could still fly with you," Charlie said with a huff.

"Hellflake, if your Dad is watching, I'm going to flip him off," Adam said factually as if it was as simple as night and day. "Shall we?"

"...Can I ride on your back again?" Charlie asked in a small, hopeful voice.

"You have goat-horse," Adam pointed out flatly. "Which, admittedly, are kind of badass."

'You said wings are better!" Charlie argued with poof cheeks.

"Uhh, yeah! They are! If they're your own wings," Adam reminded, crossing his arms as Charlie pouted.

"Hmph!" Charlie huffed, looking away.

"Did you hear me say no?" Adam pointed out smugly.

Charlie perked up at that as Dazzle grunted.

Adam pointed a finger right at Dazzle's eye. "You only get a ride because you'd just be a fucking target if you flew with us."

Dazzle looked down in a sulky manner.

"It's okay, Dazzle, you're still growing," Charlie assured., patting the back of Dazzle's neck comfortingly.

"He is?" Adam asked in legitimate surprise. "Huh. And I thought this was the adult form."

"Nope! They'll get really, really big when they're older!" Charlie assured, Dazzle baaing proudly.

Adam shrugged at that as he flew over. "Okay, jump on before I change my mind."

Charlie agreed quickly, jumping onto his back, soon joined by a now-smaller Dazzle.

"Hey, umm, Adam? Is something going on in the human world?" Charlie asked in concern.

"Some kind of big boom with their current money systems. Automobiles are more of a thing. Films have sound now," Adam mused.

"They do!?" Charlie said in amazement, eyes sparkling. "I thought we had to add that in with magic...!?"

"Yeah, I know right?" Adam agreed with a chuckle.

"B-but that's not what I meant!" Charlie said quickly. "It's just, well... more Sinners are showing up than normal, and most of them are Chinese?"

"Oh, yeah, that. They started a civil war last year. Over what, I don't even know," Adam said with distaste.

"I always thought it'd be nice in Heaven, being able to watch what happens on Earth," Charlie said with a frown. "It sounds awful, watching all of that."

Adam was silent for a long moment before he spoke. "You ever seen a polar bear?"

"What? Umm, yes. A sinner polar bear, but yes, why?" Charlie answered curiously.

"What color are they?" Adam asked.

"White?" Charlie answered with a furrowed brow.

"ZZZZZ!" Adam made a loud noise, like some kind of buzzer. "Wrong! They're black!"

"What? No, they're not!" Charlie insisted.

"The fur is white. Their bodies are black underneath," Adam explained. "Is it white just because you can only see the fur and not the skin?"

"I...think so?" Charlie answered thoughtfully.

"Eh, probably should have just used the old zebra analogy. You know those fuckers actually are black with white stripes?" Adam said with a cackle

"Now you're just trying to make me feel stupid," Charlie accused, despite her smile.

"The round-ass point I'm trying to make? Most of the time, the living world is as great or as terrible as you think it is. Look for good things, you'll find them. Look for bad, you find them too," Adam explained. "Bad shit just stinks more so it's easier to spot."

Charlie opened her mouth, then stopped. Suddenly, slowly, she looked up at around Pentagram City. Not at the purges below, but the new souls that were unfortunate enough to die and drop in on this day of all days.

"Hellflake? You doze off back there? You better not be drooling on my wings," Adam warned.

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay," Charlie said with a distracted voice, Dazzle rubbing her side, prompting her to pet his head. "Adam?"

"Hmm?"

"I've tried asking my parents about...things. Things I should probably ask them instead of you," Charlie started. "But..."

"What didn't they explain this fucking time?" Adam asked bluntly.

"I asked about Eden."

Adam paused for a minute. "Yeah, that'll probably do it."

"I don't mean about what happened! I...wanted to know that too, but..." Charlie shook her head. "What I mean is, I tried asking about Eden itself. What it was like and everything. But Mommy and Daddy said it's hard to explain."

"Yeah, that's about dead on the money," Adam admitted with a sigh. "Hellflake? I'll make you a deal."

"...Can Angels make deals...?" Charlie asked in bewilderment.

"Not that kind, you marshmallow-brained butter-moth," Adam said with an eye roll.

"...That was the most delicious insult I ever heard," Charlie said, touching her stomach. "I'm hungry now."

"Focus," Adam reminded in amusement. "Here's the deal. You still need an answer by next year? I'll answer it."

"Okay, but can you...tell me why it's hard to explain at least?" Charlie asked, truly bewildered at this point.

Adam mulled over how to summarize this. "You know how the story goes that I named every fucking thing in the Garden?"

"Yes?" Charlie accepted with a head tilt.

"Yeah, it was a lot more complicated than that. It wasn't just picking sounds for a name, it was defining what that name meant. And trust me, that shit is not as boring as it fucking sounds," Adam said with a chuckle.

"Now I really want to know!" Charlie said in disappointment.

"Sucks to suck, whine to your parents," Adam retorted with a grin.

With a final groan from Charlie, Adam arrived at her balcony. Despite that, Charlie slid down his robes with a smile. "Fine, deal! And you're an angel, so you have to keep it even though we didn't shake on it!"

"Sure, Hellflake, whatever you say," Adam waved off with a chuckle.

Before they could say anything else, a loud crash rang through the room.

Adam's long golden wing instantly moved in front of Charlie, who stood on her toes to look over the wing and see what happened.

Her harp had fallen over, falling to the floor after knocking over her chair and sending the violin case falling to the floor.

"CHARLIE!" Lucifer exclaimed, barging in exactly one second after the crash.

"Daddy, I'm fine!" she said as Adam withdrew his wing." Razzle just knocked the harp over when we woke him up."

The ascended human and fallen angel looked to the corner again and saw that Razzle was indeed sitting there with a rather stupid and/or innocent look on his face.

"Oh," Lucifer said in understanding before wagging his finger at the creature. "Naughty Razzle, giving us all a fright."

"The Harp broke," Adam pointed out bluntly, noticing some broken strings.

"Oh. Momma got that for my ninety-sixth birthday," Charlie said in disappointment. "Daddy, can you fix it?"

"No problem honey!" Lucifer assured with a smile, twirling his cane before zapping the harp. The harp was set back upright and the wires fixed. Lucifer leaned over and plucked them each, frowning as one was loose. Another zap and it was properly tuned. "There, all fixed again!"

"Again?" Adam asked automatically, glancing at Charlie.

She smiled sheepishly. "I might have gotten my horns caught in them once and forgot how to make them go away."

"You should have seen her when-" Lucifer started with a wide smile, but stopped when he remembered who he was talking to. "Right, ignore me and all."

"Already doing that," Adam said flatly. An uneasy silence came over the room, which Adam decided needed to die after Charlie started looking between them. "Fuck it. Hellflake wants to know what Eden was like. As a place. I'm sure you fuckers told her your version of what happened as a bedtime story-"

Charlie nodded automatically, confirming that guess.

"-so are you going to bitch if I fill her in on this secret setting factoid?" Adam asked with his arms crossed.

Lucifer blinked thoughtfully. "Do you think you could explain it better than us?"

Surprisingly, it was less a challenge and more an honest question.

"I'm a bit rusty, but I had to explain this shit about ten thousand fucking times while I was alive," Adam said as something glitched across his mask. "At least she knows it was real."

There was something bitter and ancient in that final comment. "What do you mean?" Charlie asked with a head tilt.

Adam hadn't realized he said that part out loud. He slowly balled his fist, casting a glare at Lucifer. The Devil looked surprised, but it quickly shifted to an almost resigned look.

"W-what? What did I say now?" Charlie asked apologetically, looking between the two men for answers.

Adam let out a long breath and opened his fists. "Nothing. I got to go."

He turned and made to leave before Charlie could process or question that, taking off into the sky.

Charlie looked back at her father with wide, questioning eyes. "Daddy? Who did he mean? What did I do?"

Lucifer cringed a bit at the question but answered. "That's not my story to tell, Princess."

Lute was fighting what was, in simplest terms, a two-headed minotaur when Adam came down and bisected it in half. "Hey, Dangertits, how's the day rolling?" he asked with a grin as the demon's two halves fell away in a bloody mess.

"Sir," she greeted, glancing back to a window where she knew a sinner was hiding. "No Overlords tonight, or informants. I think the Overlords are taking precautions."

"Let'em, it'll backfire on them eventually. The more souls they have, the more fuckers to sell their asses up shit creek," Adam said confidently. "..."

Lute knew Adam well. His mask didn't exist to her at this point. "What's wrong, Sir?"

"Kid asked about some ancient history, dragging up old memories," Adam answered as he looked at her.

Lute's stoic face briefly morphed into a look of sympathy and sadness. She tried to cover it up, but she knew he saw it.

"You looked at me just like that when we first met."

Lute's eyes widened at that as the two stared at each other. For one second, Hell faded away and they were lost in some ancient memory only they both knew of.

"Lord Adam, I-" Lute started, only to stop as he shot a beam of light right by her head. Unafraid, she looked back and saw some sinner crumble out of an alleyway.

"Right, you did use to call me "Lord Adam" and shit like that," Adam recalled with a chuckle. "When did you switch to Sir again?"

Lute's face shifted back into her normal expression as she answered. "I don't recall, Sir."

She was lying and they both knew it. But neither of them wanted to talk about it more.

Extermination Day, 1929

"Are there baby heavenborn?" Adam repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Kid, didn't you want to know about Eden?"

'Yeah, but it's not like this'll take long, right?" Charlie asked from on his back. "Or is it a long answer?"

"Eh, not really long. There's plenty, sure. But most are just from your everyday halo-fucker. There's one who is about your age, in more ways than one," Adam informed.

"Huh? You mean she's...?"

"One-hundred ten, going on twelve," Adam answered with a chuckle. "She's the newest seraphim. The Empyrean's metaphorical cunt hasn't popped one of her out since the damn pyramids started getting built."

"Empyrean?" Charlie asked with a frown.

"It's just what we call where Heavenborn pop out of if they're not born without a cunt and dick involved," Adam waved off. "Anything else?"

"What's her name? What's she like?" Charlie asked eagerly.

"What, the Baby-phim? Her name is Emily and she's..." Adam trailed off.

"She's, what?" Charlie prompted.

"Honestly? She's a lot like you, just in heaven. Always wanting to learn more about how to help souls enjoy and settle being in Heaven," Adam explained, surprised to realize this himself.

"She sounds nice!" Charlie said before looking sheepish. "But I guess that's normal. She is an angel born in heaven."

"So was your father, "Adam reminded with a hint of coldness.

Charlie opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it. "Do you, umm, like her?"

"Kid, she's a kid," Adam reminded. "Fucks like that go down here."

"No, not like that! I mean, are you friends with her?" Charlie clarified quickly.

"I...don't feel either way on the little fucker? There's this other Seraphim, Sera? She's kind of acting as Emily's big sis or mom or whatever while teaching her the celestial ropes. Probably doesn't want me around her too much, bad influence and all. Sera's great, sometimes has another halo up her ass, but her protective instincts popped out big for this moth-sprout. Don't even think she fucking noticed!"

Charlie tilted her head. "Have you tried talking to Emily at all?"

"Eh. Not really," Adam answered. "Why?"

"Well..." Charlie trailed off.

"Clocks ticking, Hellflake," Adam reminded.

"I don't know. I like talking to you. I just think maybe she would too," Charlie answered. "I mean, angels like her help humans be happy in heaven, right? And you're the First Man, so wouldn't you be able to help her with that a lot?"

Adam had no clever argument against that logic, so pivoted to a different one. "What makes you think I'd want to spend time with a heavenborn brat?"

"Becaaaaaause you like exterminating sinners but spend part of E-Day with me every year?" Charlie answered playfully.

Adam contemplated dropping Charlie. Catching her, obviously, but dropping her all the same. "So. Eden?"

"Yes, please, tell me!" Charlie answered eagerly, flopping again his back dramatically. "I'm burning to know."

"Was that the fucking hell pun?" Adam asked and took a breath. "Okay, Eden wasn't just a place. It was it's own reality and, more importantly, it was a fucking Idea."

"An idea?" Charlie repeated in confusion.

"Everything was...fluid. Wavy? Fuck, there are literally no good words for this," Adam admitted. "Look, humans were created in the image of the Angels. Everything else was more of a...concept. I helped figure out what things should be like. Should leaves be green, red, or blue? Should a dog have fur or scales? We decided that stuff."

"We? You mean, you and...Mommy?" Charlie asked tentatively. She knew talking about her parents as more than just, well, her parents was a tricky thing to do without making Adam angry in some way.

Adam took a deep breath. "No, but also yes. I meant "we" as in us and the Angels. The angels were...outside it. Above and beyond it. As the Frist Man, I was like the fucking holy editor. I fine-tuned a lot of the little concepts of Creation. They all saw things better through human eyes, since we that had to live with and experience it all, being part of Creation."

"I...Okay, that is a bit confusing," Charlie admitted curiously. "And naming things...?"

"Naming things was basically the stamp of approval and an entry into the cosmic dictionary. Example? I made a fruit that was long and yellow and named it a banana."

"...Was that made to look like your...dick?" Charlie asked in morbid curiosity.

"Full honesty? No, I just wanted a fucking fruit that wasn't round and I could still grab," Adam explained. "I won't get into the shit that went down, but yes, your bitch of a mother could do the same stuff before she split. So could Eve."

Charlie frowned but didn't try to say anything against the insult to her mother. Best to avoid that subject. Mostly. "Can I ask...what was some of the stuff Mom named and...made? Formed? Shaped?"

This subject didn't rile Adam as much as even he expected. "Elephants, she had the trunk idea. Hyenas, to no fucking surprise. If you know, Hellflake, you know. She made up the overall idea behind how a lot of insects act as a hive. We both had the same damn idea and ended up making Crocodiles and Alligators. We fought about that one, so fucking sure we each stole the idea from the other."

"...What did Eve make?" Charlie asked softly.

Adam smiled suddenly. "The sun."

Charlie started. "That didn't already...exist?"

"Before, the day and night just "were." The light was spread across the sky evenly, fading away for the night and back again to the day. She whispered to the angels because she wanted to surprise me. They liked the idea so much, forming it into a ball that would let us know how long the day had left," Adam explained nostalgically. "The First Sunrise, the First Sunset. I never could decide when I liked more."

"That sounds amazing. And...nice," Charlie said, deep in thought.

"It was," Adam agreed absently, the ghost of a ghost of a smile on the mask.

"...Who made the platypus?" Charlie asked suddenly.

"Shit. Okay, that was...Look, it started as one of your father's cocked-up concepts he snuck into Eden! He got an earful for that one. I think they invented thunder just by yelling at him sometimes," Adam said in frustration. "We made it work, even if it was always a weird little fucker. Trust me, that little piece of shit was worse when we first got it!" Adam said with some revulsion.

Charlie almost giggled at that but held it back as she looked forward. "We're almost home."

"Yep," Adam acknowledged. "Any last questions?"

Charlie tapped her chin. "Mommy and Daddy told me a bit about Eden too. Your way has a lot of cuss words, but it was still easier to understand. I think they had trouble avoiding talking about...what else happened."

Adam grunted, deigning not to say anything about that. "Not a question, Hellflake."

"...Was there ice in Eden?" Charlie asked innocently.

Adam blinked in bewilderment. "Say what again?"

"Well, it always sounds like it was a nice and sunny day there. So, did it have ice?"

"Huh," Adam scratched his head. "I have been asked questions about Eden for ten thousand years. Was there ice? Okay, that's...that's a first for me. I don't get those too often anymore."

"Not an answer," Charlie said, smiling as she returned his words.

"There wasn't supposed to be? Seasons didn't fucking exist. We had warm days and cool nights. Shit didn't burn or freeze. But there was this angel, Hishkael? You never heard of him. Your father convinced him to turn some water to ice," Adam explained, still a bit amazed by the actual new question. "It was...interesting at the time. Learned really fucking fast why there wasn't ice in Eden after my first winter."

Charlie didn't know how to respond to that. "I wish I could have seen it."

"You and every generation of mankind," Adam remarked with a frown.

"I'm...sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Charlie apologized.

"Nah, you got more fucking tact than most adults that ever asked me this shit," Adam assured as they came down for a landing. "Well, I gotta go. Sinners aren't going to kill themselves."

"You know they will," Charlie retorted flatly. "They just don't stay dead that way."

"Oh, sharp. Getting a sharp tongue, Hellflake?" Adam asked with a grin taking to the air slightly. "Later. I'd say drive your parents crazy, but you are regrettably too good of a brat for that."

"Goodbye! I'd say be safe, but I'm more worried about everyone else!" Charlie called out as Adam flew away. She smiled before she heard the door open, smiling at the visitor. "Mommy! Why didn't you ever tell me you made the elephants?!"

Adam didn't fly far before he found a rather surprising sight. It wasn't his girls or anything else.

It was a sinner on the top of a roof, waving a white flag.

Adam landed with narrowed eyes. "You got a double-death wish or something?"

"Aye, aye, I do my friend," the sinner said with an empty smile as he sat down on the edge of the roof. He was mostly human, save some kind of canine ears and teeth. He had the look of a cowboy, down to a Stetson hat. By his face and accent, Adam was guessing Mexican. "Are you by chance the great angel, Michael?"

"Not a chance," Adam said evenly.

"I'm...somewhat new here, my friend. And I'm not surprised I belonged here," the sinner admitted

Adam studied the man's look of regret. "You want something before I kill you, don't you?"

The sinner nodded. "I won't trouble your holy ears with my excuses. I just want to know...were we wrong? The war I was in, was against those we felt were acting against the church and God. Am I here, because we were wrong about the war, entirely? Or-"

"If you're asking if you were damned for choosing the wrong cause, the answer is no," Adam answered with a calm but brutal honesty. "You get into Hell for what you did on Earth, not what you believed came next.

The man paused before smiling. "Good. Good. I'm sure many of my friends are in Heaven then. They didn't..."

Adam summoned his spear to his hand. "If you want to say whatever the fuck you did, you can. You're not the first or the last to ask me to end them down here."

"Thank you, my friend, I appreciate it," he answered with a weak smile. "My brother died in the war. In my grief, I did some...terrible things. Terrible things to people who did not deserve the wrath my grief brought out."

Adam said nothing as he approached the sinner.

"One final thing, my good angel. Might I know the name of who will end my suffering?" the sinner asked gently as he watched the approaching spear tip.

Adam struck instantly, spear through the heart. It wasn't instant, but it was more painless than most ways he killed demons. As the sinner started to succumb to his second death, Adam granted his answer. "My name is Adam."

The sinner's eyes went wide with awe before a look of pity and apology came around his eyes as the light faded from them.

Adam removed his spear sharply, the body collapsing on the roof. He stared down at the soldier before looking up. "You enjoy trying to creep on me, Lute?"

Lute didn't take the bait. "It's been a few decades since you had a sinner ask for that, Sir."

Adam nodded absently. "Yeah, most of the assholes that want to be put down just run right at one of you girls or flag one of your tight asses down."

Lute nodded to herself. "We have an Overlord, Sir. Though..."

Adam turned to glance at her. "What now, Dangertits?"

"It's just..." Lute made an awkward face. "It's Rasputin, Sir."

"..." Adam stared for a good moment. "Didn't we kill him already?"

"That is what I thought, Sir," Lute said in confusion.

Adam shook his head. "Well, I'll just have to do him in harder this time."

Lute cocked her head.

"You know what I fucking meant, Bitch."

One Month Later

Adam heavily debated the wisdom in listening to the advice of the youngest Morningstar, Hellflake or no Hellflake. But he also knew if he didn't, she'd ask next year. Then the year after that, and so on.

And lying would be too much effort, so he just decided to say fuck it and snap the metaphorical limb back in place.

"Yo, Fluffles."

"EEEEE!" Emily squeaked, literally squeaked as she nearly fell into the water's outside heaven. Well, outside the city at least. "Adam! Sir Adam? Lord Adam?"

"Adam. My name is title enough," Adam said proudly. "What you up to, Ems?"

Emily cocked her head. "You know who I am? I...don't mean to be rude, but I didn't think you would care to remember me."

"Sera may have gushed about you," Adam informed with a smirk. "She didn't ever do that before your little ass popped into existence."

Emily winced slightly at the profanity. "Sera, umm, warned me you had a certain charm to you."

"I bet she fucking did," Adam said with a grin. "But seriously, Little Fluff, the fuck you doing out here? We got better beaches."

"I'm not here to play," Emily said politely, smiling with some embarrassment. "I was just out practicing. Sera is busy and I didn't want to trouble her."

"Kay," Adam acknowledged with a nod. "Still doesn't say why you're out here. This is literally the side of heaven we reserve when assholes want peace and quiet to just let out mind jack off into eternity."

Emily started at that. "Oh no, I didn't disturb or frighten someone, did I? Ohh, I knew I should have just waited for Sera, but she can be so busy and-"

Adam placed a hand on her shoulder. "Emmy, Flufflecake? Cool your roll."

"I...Flufflecake...?" Emily repeated in surprise.

"Nobody is around here. Now why don't you tell this old asshole what the fuck you're so work up about?" Adam asked, pulling out his knowing grin. The old grin he pulled out when he decided to out-wait a brat's stubbornness.

Emily blushed in embarrassment, rubbing her foot against the floor. "I'm over a hundred years old, but everyone still treats me like a little kid."

"You ARE a kid," Adam agreed bluntly.

"Yeah, but not a LITTLE one!" Emily argued. "I know I have a lot to learn, but everyone treats it like it doesn't matter if it takes me another century or two to learn how to help the souls in Heaven."

"Fluffers, it doesn't matter to them," Adam informed. "The old bats and I are ancient, a century isn't worth shit worrying about."

"It IS worth shit to me though!" Emily countered before frowning. "Wait, was that the right counter...?"

"Nah, I get it," Adam waved off. "You're young and want to make your tiny winged ass useful. I get that, I really do. But you still haven't answered what the fuck you're doing out here, exactly."

"Oh," Emily said in thought. "Well, True Angels, especially Seraphims, can use our powers to help conjure things from the Aether. Toys, tools, and even more buildings and landscapes. I'm still young and growing into my powers, so it's not as easy for me."

"Okay, I get why'd you practice out here," Adam mused. "Want some help?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but why do you...care?" Emily asked slowly, wincing a bit at her own question. "I mean, I appreciate it, of course! But I thought you didn't care for me? We have hardly ever spoken yet. Did Sera ask you to watch after me?"

"Nope!" Adam answered smugly. "Honestly, someone I knew thought I should try and talk to you, so here I am."

Emily hummed. "So, this is a...whim?"

"Call it a Random Asshole's Act of Kindness," Adam waved off.

Emily smiled. "I think I would appreciate that. I've actually always wanted to learn more about you?"

Adam rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Yeah, I know, First Man and all that."

"Well, yes, that, but you're also the First Ascended," Emily said with a smile.

Adam started at that. "Oh, Sera already told you about that?" he asked, mildly surprised.

"Of course! You're the first human not only to enter Heaven but the first to ascend to being a True Angel instead of...!" Emily suddenly trailed off with a considering look. "It sounds kind of condescending to say "just winners.""

Adam glanced at one of his wings instinctively. "Hadn't really thought about that in a while. Nobody usually brings that up anymore. But I guess being the First of so many things means some of them get overlooked a lot."

Emily nodded in agreement, very rapidly. "It just occurred to me, well...since you ascended, I thought you might know how to help train me some?"

"Sure, my ass has got bitch-all else to do at the moment," Adam granted. "So, what are you trying to do?"

"How to use my powers to make music for everyone to enjoy," Emily answered innocently.

"...Oh, fuck yes, this might actually be fun."

Emily smiled broadly at the prospect.

Chapter Text

Five Months Before Extermination Day, 1930

Emily found that she learned a lot from Adam. Even more than she expected! It was easy to forget that he was among the most ancient of souls in all of Creation.

"Okay, Fluffcake, follow me. I got something interesting for you today."

Thus, she didn't question him before taking to the air with him and following curiously. They flew in silence for a while until they reached the Pearly Gates, with Adam taking a seat on the curled scroll bars on top. The young seraphim joined him with great intrigue as they settled into a silence, Adam leaned against the curving scrolls atop the wall while Emily sat upright and at attention. She watched on as a steady flow of new souls walked up to the entrance to the Gates of Heaven to be greeted and welcomed by Saint Peter.

"...What are we doing?" Emily finally asked.

Adam chuckled from his position. "Seeing how long you can keep your little ass still," he answered, getting a pout from Emily as she crossed her arms. "Tell me what you see, Fluffcake?"

Emily looked back out, tilting her head. "Souls walking up the path to meet Saint Peter?"

"Yep. Now, why do you think the first fucking mug a winner sees is Petey?" Adam asked with a grin.

"Because you don't want to do it?" Emily guessed, mostly joking.

"Nah, but also yeah. I left that hat a long time ago," Adam waved off lazily.

Emily blinked. "Wait, you used to have Peter's job?"

"Fluffles, I invented it," Adam said with a snort. "I had to explain this shit to Sera and the others, not surprised I need to tell it to you too. Earthborn souls leave behind their trauma and everything when they get to Heaven, but it still takes a fucking bit for it to set in. Having another human greet them makes it more real, helps them realize that they actually made it. That all the piss and shit is over. They're in Heaven, and they can rest. Relax. Enjoy fucking Paradise."

"But don't they already know it's true, in their souls?" Emily asked uncertainly. "I know Sera and the others told that a soul can feel it, as they shed the mortal coil and are free of sin's grasp."

Adam sighed heavily. "And this is some of the shit you and the other Heavenborn will never really understand, Emily."

She started a bit, redoubling her attention. With Adam, she learned if he used her name, it meant he was about to say something important.

"You never had to struggle in mud, to know how much it hurts to try so hard and lose anyway. You never knew the absolute depths of despair, or why some people thought hope was a cruel emotion. You've never known the dread of thinking something was too good to be true, and waiting for the other shoe to drop," Adam said, his tone older and wiser than he normally let it be.

Emily ducked her head a bit as she looked down. It was true. As a heavenborn, let alone a Seraphim, she had known nothing but a life of bliss and happiness in Heaven. It made her feel all the more duty-bound to help bring joy to the souls from Earth, most of whom had endured through things she could scarcely imagine.

"When people get to Heaven, they know it has to be real in their hearts, but some last bit of their lives on Earth cling to them, warning them that it can't be true. It's too perfect, too unreal. That it must be a trick, a dream. They don't WANT to believe it, because if they do and it isn't real? The disappointment could destroy them."

Emily accepted the lesson with humility and grace. "And souls instinctively know if someone is Earthborn or Heavenborn. So, it is easier for you or Peter to soothe their worries just by your presence."

"Aren't you a clever fucking pile of Fluff?" Adam praised with a grin. "Come on, let's go give them a watch."

"What?" Emily said as Adam got up and glided down to the Pearly Gate. At a loss, Emily flew after him.

"Yo, Petey!" Adam called out as he landed next to the saint.

"Welcome to- Adam?!" Peter said in surprise before turning to the newly saved soul. "Sorry about that. Welcome to Heaven," he said, watching as the souls filed in without need of a greeting. "Adam, haven't seen you up here in a while."

"Yeah, how is it going, First Pope?" Adam asked with a smirk, towering over the smaller soul as he did most of his relatively modern descendants.

While surprised by the visit, Peter still smiled. "As pleasant as always. Why, did you want to take over for old time's sake?"

"Nah, just showing the Sera-kid some of the ropes," Adam answered, raising his wing to reveal Emily, having landed behind his impressive wing span.

She smiled bashfully. "Hello, Saint Peter!" she greeted happily.

"Don't mind us, just treat the kid like a little apprentice for now," Adam answered lazily as he leaned against the wall next to the Pearly Gates.

"Oh? Does Old Adam need a nap?" Peter asked with a playful smile.

"I fucking toiled for nine hundred years and more, dammit. I sleep whenever I fucking please," Adam shot back.

Emily winced at the rather aggressive response, but Peter just chuckled. "Don't mind him. Adam might be a bit of a crouch and is the Patron Saint of Profanity, but he wouldn't hurt a soul in heaven."

"Oh, I know he wouldn't," Emily assured, glancing back to the large angel, Adam's mask devoid of a face as he took a standing nap with his arms crossed. "Has he always been like this, Saint Peter?"

"He's gotten a bit more free with his cursing, but he's been like this for the nineteen hundred years of my existence," Peter answered with a smile. "Oh. I'd talk more, but it looks like we have some souls that need help."

Emily watched in rapid attention as she saw Peter greet a handful of souls, each waiting their turn. An old man, happy and content while looking forward to seeing her. A young mother, her life cut short, saddened to leave her family behind. A man who lost his leg in life and couldn't believe it was back. An atheist Peter had to reassure that lack of religion was no issue for Heaven and needed no apology. Smiles and cries, tears of sorrow and joy, regrets and even laughter! Peter treated each one as a long-lost friend, all too eager to be a shoulder to lean on and tell their stories.

"Well, it looks like that's all the souls for now," Peter said as a group of souls past through the gates. "So, now that we have a moment. Emily? How many ribs did it take you to bribe our Esteemed Ancestor to get off his lawn chair?"

Adam snorted as he leaned off the wall, flipping the grinning saint off. "Funny. How's the smell of feet, Simon?"

Emily gasped. "Adam! You shouldn't say that!"

"Huh? Why?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow.

Emily was about to answer but noticed even Peter seemed confused. "Because you're...mocking how he died...upside down? Aren't you?"

Peter blinked before chuckling. "Oh no, no, nothing like that, your grace!"

"Petey over here is considered the Patron fucking Saint of Foot Problems and Shoemakers," Adam explained with a snicker.

"Oh...why?" Emily asked with a furrowed brow.

Peter shrugged. "I haven't the slightest idea. I guess they just blew that "washing feet" thing way out of proportion. So, how many ribs?"

"Umm, none? He actually offered to help teach me," Emily answered bashfully.

"He did?" Peter asked in surprise, looking up at Adam now. "You did?"

"Yep, I did," Adam answered, looking down at him with a raised eyebrow. "Surprised?"

"Sorry, it's just...usually you aren't that active with the running of Heaven anymore," Peter said in interest before his eyes twinkled. "Wait, did having a young Seraphim in need of help trigger Old Adam's grandfatherly instincts?"

"Grandfatherly...?" Emily repeated in surprise.

Adam rolled his eyes. "I want to make sure this one doesn't end up like Sera with a rod where Heaven doesn't shine. So I'm helping the Fluffcake out, that's fucking it."

"Fluffcake," Peter repeated with a wide smile. "That. Is. Precious. I love it! Please, keep doing this."

"I can and will stuff that book up your ass and out your throat, Footboy," Adam warned with a flat tone.

"Adam? Saint Peter?" Emily spoke up with a small voice. "More souls are coming."

Both men looked out across the heavenly bridge. There, in the distance, was a thick horde of souls approaching them. Men and women, young and elderly, all Middle Eastern in appearance.

"Are there... supposed to be so many of them like this?" Emily asked in concern. "And so many children. Whole families. Was there...was there a plague? A disaster?"

"Emily, come on, we need to go," Adam said with a frown. "Simon is going to be very busy in a moment."

"H-huh? Oh, alright. Thank you for the time, Saint Peter," Emily answered as she took to the sky with Adam.

"It was nice to see you, Emily!" Peter called after with a wave before turning solemnly to the front.

Something clawed at her heart though as she turned around, hovering in midair to stare at the mass of souls. There had to be hundreds, maybe thousands of them. She clutched her hands to her chest in sorrow.

She didn't need to look to know that Adam was hovering behind her. "What happened to them?"

Adam didn't answer for a moment, debating answering at all. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Emily turned to look up at him with soulful eyes. "Yes. Please, Adam?"

Adam looked off to the side, into the abyss of clouds outside of heaven. "They tried to break away and form their own country. The country they were already a part of decided to make an example out of the region. Entire families and villages bombed away."

Emily gasped, hand to her mouth. "W-why would they...how could they..." she shuddered. "I knew humans do terrible things to each other sometimes. I knew...I knew innocents get caught between others fighting, but this...!?"

Adam hummed as he looked away from whatever he saw, looking at Emily again. "I didn't think you'd have to see something like this when we came down here."

"Should...Maybe we should stay and help?" Emily asked softly, floating back to the gate slowly. "There are so many of them and-"

Adam placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can't help them. Not yet. Saying the wrong shit is sometimes worse than saying nothing at all. Simon can handle it fine, and he has help if he needs it."

"I...I think I...I think I need to be alone," Emily said softly before flying off suddenly.

Adam watched as she left. He glanced back out to the clouds and shook his head. His gaze went down to Earth, and his golden sun eyes looked up a river.

A river filled with bodies, filled to the mouth.

"Fucking Ararat."

Extermination Day, 1930

"Hease oo Lone?"

Lute tilted her head as she read the words painted onto a cloth draped over Razzle's back, the beast angled for them all to see. The message was obvious, but it was equally obvious that someone had been too generous with the paint and the letters had begun to run and smear.

"Hi, Adam! Hi, umm, Miss Lute? Many Miss Exorcists?" Charlie greeted with a wave.

"Princess Hellspawn," Lute greeted, cold and neutral.

Charlie wasn't sure what was harsher. Lute's frosty greeting, or the lack of one from the other angel.

"Sup, Hellflake," Adam greeted idly. "What's with the art display?"

"W-well, I just remembered that, with everything going on, I kind of didn't always ask you all to go home and, umm, not have an Extermination Day?" Charlie answered sheepishly. "I know you're not going to stop yet, but I thought I should keep asking."

She could feel the stares of the hundreds of angels piercing into her. Some judging, some utterly indifferent.

"Well, I guess we better head off, Hellflake, "Adam said, waving over his shoulder to the angels. "Have fun, Ladies, I'll catch up later."

They all split off without a word, Adam starting them on their path.

Charlie was so deep in thought on the attitude of the angels, that she didn't realize how quiet the flight was until Razzle neighed at her. She blinked, realizing Adam hadn't said a word, hadn't even offered to let her ride on his back yet.

"Adam? Is something wrong?" Charlie called out, getting no response. "Adam?!"

"Hmm? What'd you say, Hellflake?" Adam called back. "Want this year's ride-along?"

"No. Well, yes, but...," Charlie frowned in concern, practically a pout. A selfless pout but still. "You seem like something is bothering you."

"Nothing you can help with, kid," Adam assured flatly.

"Probably not. But I can listen, and that can help a bit, right?" Charlie offered softly.

"Why are you so worried about me?" Adam asked idly. "Shouldn't you be happy? Maybe I'll get depressed enough to not bother with the Exterminations?"

"I don't want that!" Charlie answered quickly. "I know everyone has bad days, but-"

"Charlie, I'm from fucking Heaven. We don't HAVE bad days," Adam pointed out with an eye roll.

"... Then why are you upset?" Charlie asked.

Adam glanced to the side as something exploded down below. "Jump on my back before you get hit out of the air."

Charlie obeyed, Razzle joining her soon after in his smaller form.

Adam took a breath as Charlie settled in. "So, I fucking talked to Emi-phim the Fluffcake. We hit it off as a teacher-student thing, but I kind of fucked up a while ago."

"Oh no, did Emily get hurt?" Charlie asked in alarm.

"Not physically, no," Adam answered. "I took her to see Simon."

"...Who?" Charlie asked with uncomprehending eyes.

"Saint Peter? Fucker at the Pearly Gate?" Adam tried again.

"His name is Simon?" Charlie asked in bewilderment

"Yeah, Simon Peter, otherwise known as the first fucking Pope," Adam elaborated. "Anyway, I took her up to see him greeting souls that just arrived. You know, see how earthborn souls are before they adjust to being in Heaven and how having some friendly human mug to greet them helps."

"Okay, that sounds...like something good for an angel to understand?" Charlie answered carefully, making sure to word it best. "But how did that go bad?"

Adam sighed and relayed the story as concisely as he could, with plenty of expletives.

"Oh. I think I know that day," Charlie said softly. "There were a lot more souls coming in months ago, but only for a few minutes."

"Upstairs or down here, souls dying in one event tend to show up together, even if they died a day apart," Adam mused.

"But is Emily okay though?" Charlie prompted.

Adam sighed. "I think I shot her confidence in the fucking foot. I don't know. Sera thinks I was showing her that flood of souls as some kind of fucked up lesson, so she doesn't many me near her right now."

"...Like how Daddy didn't want us to meet anymore at first?" Charlie asked with a raised eyebrow.

Adam paused for a long, long moment. "You are a horrible influence sometimes, you know that?"

"I am?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"SIR, LOOK OUT!"

Adam made a sharp turn to the left to avoid being hit by something. "Flake, hold on tight or get the fuck off with Raz!" he warned as he came into an upright position. He looked up and saw Lute trying to stab a particularly agile demon. It had a human torso, but the head was a bird and the wings were arms. It was also devoid of anything below the waste, except some tentacle-looking bits.

"Hold still you damn-!" the exorcist growled out in frustration.

Charlie pulled herself up with Razzle's help to be holding on over Adam's shoulder. She immediately regretted this decision, seeing the sinner lose a wing and go tumbling down to the ground below. She trembled and pulled herself back down so she didn't have to see Lute zooming down to finish the job with a final strike.

"Charlie."

Her shaking stopped at Adam's strong voice. Not soft. Not hard. Just strong.

"You still want to try and change our minds, right?"

She didn't speak, she just nodded against his shoulder blade.

Adam suddenly let out a whistle, drawing the exorcist's attention to come up to him. "Lute, get your ass up here!"

"Sir!" she greeted, flying up to him at full speed. "I'm sorry. I thought it was a centaur type, but it turned out to be two-."

Lute stopped as she saw the Princess of Hell poke her head over Adam's shoulder. "I thought it was too early for you to be done with her," Lute said neutrally.

"Lute, take your mask off," he instructed simply.

Lute raised an eyebrow, but obeyed the instruction nonetheless, revealing her golden eyes and white hair.

"Hellflake, this is Lute, my second in command," Adam introduced. "Lute, this is the Hellflake."

"Hello," Charlie greeted, her smile wide even if her voice was less energetic. "It's nice to meet you."

"Princess," Lute returned coldly with her arms crossed. "Are you going to ask me to stop killing sinners and go home?"

"No, I already know you wouldn't," Charlie said with a frown. "But...you would if Adam told you too, right?"

"Yes," Lute answered instantly, without even giving it a thought. "You believe it would be easier to convince him than all of us?"

"No. Yes. Maybe?" Charlie answered uncertainly. "I know you don't like me, but I just...want to understand."

Lute glanced at Adam, who made no reaction or gesture. "Understand what, exactly?"

"Why you all do this every year. Why this can't...just stop," Charlie said with a frown. "You think you're protecting everyone in Heaven by doing this, don't you?"

Lute rose a single sharp brow at the question. "Think?"

Charlie winced. That was somehow more brutal than any other answer.

"Let me ask you, Princess? Have you ever considered what happens if we stop?" Lute asked pointedly.

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked with interest.

"We stop. The souls keep pouring in. What happens?" Lute prompted.

"I...don't know? We get more overpopulated?" Charlie asked uncertainly.

Lute shook her head. "Just like your parents."

Adam shifted. He didn't say a word, he just seemed to hold himself a bit taller. It was all that was needed to put their attention on him, Lute seeing the disapproving look displayed on his mask.

"Apologize, Sir, if I overstepped," Lute said with a dip of the head.

"It's fine, Lute. Carry on with the purge," Adam dismissed.

Lute nodded, redonning her mask and taking off.

"Are you...mad at her? For what she said?" Charlie asked.

"No. I don't agree with the fuck she said about you, but I can't really be mad at her," Adam said with some strange fondness.

Charlie wasn't sure what to make of that and was more troubled by something else as Adam resumed their flight. "You say I'm nothing like my parents like that's a good thing. She says I am like them as if it's the worst insult she can give."

"It is," Adam answered bluntly. "Comparing you to the Big Ls is literally the worst slander a soul in Heaven can give."

"They're still my parents," Charlie reminded with a frown.

"And you have my sympathies," Adam countered without pause.

"Adam!" Charlie said with a bit of frustration.

"Them being your parents doesn't change who they are," Adam reminded bluntly. "And before you defend them, do you even know who they are? Really"

Charlie paused with a frown "I only know what they tell me. And what you tell me. Neither of you tell me very much."

Adam took a breath before he said something horrible. "Kid? I hate your parents, but I'm not petty enough to casually destroy your precious image of them just to spite them. You don't deserve the bullshit that comes with being born into your family."

Charlie fell silent at that.

"Let me guess, they gave you a laundry list of reasons why not to listen to me, how horrible I always was, and all that," Adam said with an eye roll.

"...Mommy told me you named a flower after her. The Lily," Charlie said carefully.

"Yeah, that was on my list of things I wish I had renamed before shit went south," Adam said darkly as they approached the Devil's Manor and Charlie's balcony.

Charlie sighed as she slid down his robes. "That's a little much, isn't it? I know you hate them, I won't argue that, but do you really need to make it like they never existed?"

Adam paused before turning to look down at her. "Hellflake? All of creation would be a better place if they never existed," he answered bluntly, a strange softness to his voice. "You're the only good thing that came out of them since Eden."

Charlie blinked at the strange compliment. Every praise from Adam always seemed to come as an insult to her parents. She didn't like that, but it was still...something.

Adam gave a small huff. "We got so sidetracked with my shit, never really got a chance to let you ask or tell me much."

Charlie glanced out to Pentagram City, currently being attacked by angels. "I won't ask you not to...do what you do, but could you stay a little longer Adam?" she requested sincerely.

"As long as your parents don't show up," Adam agreed with a shrug.

"Why do humans believe in gods? I mean, there is no such thing as God, right?" Charlie asked curiously.

Adam took a breath. "Okay, wow, you brought out the heavy stuff. The answer is complicated, but the simple ass answer is; No, technically, God isn't real. Big G or little g. At the same time, every religion and myth is probably true in a way."

Charlie blinked. "What? But how does that work?"

"It's a long, horrible, shitty story. But the shortass version is that mortals can't fully comprehend angels or demons anymore. Or even visions of them. So they interpret them however they can," Adam explained.

"I don't think I understand?" Charlie admitted with a frown.

Adam thought for a moment. "Okay, here's an example. I'm Odin."

"...What?" Charlie blinked. "Isn't that supposed to be the leader of the Norse Gods?"

"Right, he also has a magic spear," Adam summoned his own into existence to make a point. "And has an army of winged battle babes that he takes on a yearly hunt."

Charlie's eyes widen for a moment before squinting. "Wait, but Odin only has one eye?"

"And that is where humans muddle the details because they get these visions like dreams," Adam answered, dispelling his spear. "They saw a vision of me and the girls. They can feel in the vision that I am ancient as fuck so they make me an old man. But the detail that the Exorcists' helmets all have a crossed-out eye got blurred and became the idea of the leader being one-eyed. Hence, Odin."

Charlie was utterly fascinated by this point. "So...none of the myths and legends are really right, but they're not exactly wrong either?"

"Oh no, some of them are wrong as fuck! But those are the ones humans just made shit up on their own," Adam corrected with a smirk.

"But, there are a lot of gods? They can't all be you and the exorcists," Charlie realized.

"Nah, those are the other angels too. And demons," Adam answered with a frown. "We have a whole group of angels tasked with figuring out the damn connection between human myths and shit that actually happened."

"That sounds...kind of fun. Like a puzzle or a riddle," Charlie said with a small smile.

Adam didn't say anything for or against that, waiting patiently.

"...Adam? Do you...think I can meet Emily one day?" Charlie asked cautiously.

"Sure," Adam answered casually to her surprise. "What, you're both immortal. In a thousand years, you'll probably meet her at least once."

"I guess that makes sense," Charlie agreed thoughtfully. "But...Mommy and Daddy said they haven't spoken to you since Eden, until...well, me."

"Yeah, that was intentional. The longer I'm in the same room with either of them, the more likely the treaty gets broken," Adam answered flatly.

It went without stating that Adam had forced himself to be almost civil around the Devil the past few years, if only for Charlie's sake.

"See you around, Hellflake," Adam said, unfolding his wings.

"Wait, one last thing?" Charlie said quickly. "...why are the Exorcists female?"

"Hm?" Adam looked at her curiously.

"Well, it's just...I kind of wondered. Is there a reason? Mommy thinks you...like bossing women around," Charlie answered carefully.

"Snake-fucking cunt of a whore," Adam cursed under his breath. "First fucking off, your mother LOVES being in charge, so I don't know where the fuck she gets off saying shit like that. Second? Yeah, there is a fucking reason. Several.."

"Like?" Charlie repeated with a furrowed brow.

Adam rolled his head back and forth. "Kiddo, we weren't always the only angels raiding hell."

Charlie blinked at that.

"I guess history isn't a big fucking focus down here. Figures," Adam muttered. "See you around, Hellflake."

Charlie watched him leave with a confused expression. In her hundred and some years of life in Hell, she had never really thought much about the deeper history of the past ten thousand years. Sure, she knew a few things. Like the revolt the Sinner Crusaders tried to lead against her parents, Dracula's attempt to unite Pentagram City against the Exorcists, and even some attempts by the Romans to form an Overlord Republic to instill order in the city.

But that was all relatively new history. Anything less than three thousand years ago was a relatively modern history for Hell. The other seven thousand? Almost no sinner remained that knew of that history, and her parents had never been eager to touch the topic. Did the family library even have books on what happened?

The extermination was a relatively normal one for Adam and the Exorcists. No overlords, just thousands upon thousands of sinners slain.

"Lute."

She stopped in midflight, looking back at her leader as the others continued home. "Sir?"

"You didn't overstep, for the record. I'm not going to ask you to pretend to be nice to the Hellflake on my account," Adam said simply.

Lute studied him for a moment. "You don't want to give her false hope."

"I don't believe she'll ever find a reason for us to stop," Adam admitted flatly. "But I do fucking believe she really wants to try."

"Is it not more cruel to let her believe she can, Sir?" Lute asked with a frown.

"If a child's dream must die, it should die gently, Lute," Adam said with a sage tone.

Lute stiffened before bowing her head deeply to him. "Of course, Sir."

"Danger-tits, unless you want to suck me off, raise your damn head."

One Day After Extermination Day, 1930

Adam searched thoroughly but quietly for Emily. She wasn't with Sera, he already knew that. Peter hadn't seen her since that day. She wasn't in her own room.

Eventually, he found her out by the waters outside Heaven's city, the same shore he had started teaching her own.

He landed and watched as her wings were out, curled forward. A ball of holly light formed at her wing tips, a pleasing glow of gold and white.

If Adam listened carefully, he could hear a soft tune of comfort in the air.

And then it popped.

Emily didn't get angry. If anything, she was disappointed in herself before trying again.

"You know that's pretty fucking hard to do," Adam said suddenly before she could start properly.

"Wha- Adam?!" Emily greeted in surprise, smiling before looking away. "I'm sorry. You must think I'm a failure."

"The hell you get that impression?" Adam asked with a frown. "Did Sera tell you that?"

"No. Though, she said I probably shouldn't bother you anymore," Emily said with a sigh.

"Then where is all this fucking shame practically bleeding out of you coming from?" Adam asked with a frown.

"I wanted your help, to teach me how to aid souls settle into heaven. But the moment I saw others in need, I fled and allowed sorrow to hold me back," Emily said softly.

"Emily, you're a fucking kid. Hundred years or not. You're allowed to not know how to handle this shit yet," Adam said with an eye roll.

"But then...why have you been avoiding me?" Emily asked curiously. "I thought I was...a disappointment."

Adam stared for a long moment, several memories echoing in his mind. "I hate kids like you."

"Huh?" Emily said in surprise.

"Not really, dammit. But kids like you are so fucking responsible and considerate, you make most adults look incompetent in comparison," Adam said with a head shake. "Fluffcake? I was avoiding you because I thought you were still...trying to deal with what you saw. And because Sera was pissed I let you see that."

"I told her it wasn't your fault," Emily said with a frown. "I wouldn't lie to her."

Adam shrugged. "Come on, let me give you some help with that trick of yours."

Emily smiled eagerly at his offer.

Chapter Text

Extermination Day, 1931

"You made us cookies?"

It was Lute who asked the question, more out of disbelief than anything.

Charlie nodded from the back of Dazzle, holding up a basket filled with the baked goods and keeping it away from Razzle.

"Yeah! I spent all day yesterday getting them right! I had to throw away the first ones that burned, but..." Charlie trailed off as she noticed the stares Adam and the Exorcists were giving the baked goods.

It was less disgust and more outright suspicion, as if the treats were hazardous in some way.

"Charlie," Adam said slowly. "We can't eat those."

"Huh?" Charlie looked up in surprise. Especially since he used her name and not Hellflake or any other nickname. "Why? Can Angels not eat stuff that comes from Hell?"

"Oh no, we can. I don't fucking advise it most of the time, but we can," Adam answered honestly before frowning. "But I literally refuse to eat ANYTHING that your parents could have potentially touched."

"Oh...Oh," Charlie said in understanding, looking down in disappointment. "I'm sorry. I...probably should have thought about that."

Razzle stopped trying to get at the cookies, cooing in soft confusion as he rubbed his snout comfortingly against Charlie's back.

Adam was about to speak when someone beat him to the punch.

"May I ask, why you bothered, Princess?" Lute asked in a less-than-cold tone.

"Huh?" Charlie looked up in surprise.

"Were you going to delay us all with treats? I doubt you thought we would be bribed off so easily," Lute explained with her arms crossed.

"I didn't really think about that. I just wanted to be nice. Or Kind? Adam said they're not always the same thing," Charlie answered, not noticing how every angel was giving her their full attention.

"No, they're not," Lute agreed. "And why would you, Princess of Hell, be kind to us?"

"I...can't say there was no reason," Charlie admitted uncomfortably. "I just want to show I'm not...evil."

Charlie couldn't read those stares behind their masks, but none of them made any word or motion against the notion of her being evil.

With a sad look on her face, Charlie was so distracted that the basket of cookies slipped slowly from her fingers.

She blinked Adam took it from her. "Ladies," he said with a nod.

As one they flew off, scattering out to lay siege to Hell once more.

Adam picked up one of the cookies and brought it to his face, smelling it. "Too bad, these smelled pretty damn good too."

"Do you...do you think I poisoned them or something?" Charlies asked softly.

"No, Hellflake. But I can just fucking see your parents slipping something in when you weren't looking," Adam explained with a frown to himself

"It's not like I can bake somewhere else," Charlie answered dejectedly. "And I know, you're not trying to be mean. I don't even think the others were this time. I just...really want to talk to you all. To understand them."

She froze as Adam placed a hand on her head.

The same hand that slaughtered thousands, crushed skulls, tore limbs apart, and vaporized entire souls.

It was gentle on her head, as light as a cat's step.

"I believe you," Adam assured. "And the girls believe that damn much about you."

"Do you...do you think I'm going to become evil one day like they think I will?" Charlie asked in a small voice.

Adam didn't answer for a moment. "Hellflake, you live in Hell. Your parents are the queen and king of it."

"But you said I'm nothing like them? So what does that have to do with it?" Charlie asked with a frown.

"Everything, really," Adam answered. "Hellflake, I'm fucking glad you're nothing like your parents. At least nothing in the ways that I give a damn about. But who you want to be and who you end up as? Trust me, that shit hardly ever turns out how you want."

Charlie looked down in disappointment.

"Come on, let's get you home," Adam said, still carrying the cookies in hand.

Charlie followed on Dazzle, Razzle holding to not be left behind as they ascended higher into the air.

"Well, this should be high enough for those fucks not to jump us without noticing," Adam mused, glancing up at the roof of pride.

Charlie did too. "I sometimes forget there is a ceiling up here," she said idly. "Adam? Have you-?"

"Yes."

"Huh? I did finish?" Charlie said in surprise.

"You were about to ask if I fucking ever knew kids as nice as you that turned out evil? Yeah, kid. I have seen literally everything. Good kids grow up to become saints or monsters, and bad kids grow up to be kind or tyrants. I have seen them start at every end of the spectrum and end up with every possible outcome. It's why I don't give a shit about nurture, nature, circumstances, or any of that shit. You end up in Heaven or Hell for the choices you make with the cards you're dealt."

"So...you don't think I'll be good or evil," Charlie realized in surprise, a smile coming to her face again. "You just want to wait and see for yourself?"

"Yep. Expectations are for suckers. That's how we all ended up in this shit. We all had expectations and they were wrong as fuck," Adam mused bitterly.

"You're...talking about Eden," Charlie realized.

"Among other things, yeah, Hellflake," Adam said with a sigh. "Look, just...change the topic a bit. I'm sure you have some stuff you want to talk about?"

"Well...you said you're Odin, right?" Charlie started, a bit awkward.

"Mostly, yeah," Adam agreed with a shrug.

"Well, who else were the other gods?" Charlie asked.

"Not always straightforward, Hellflake. Sometimes two or more different angels get confused as being the same fucker, other times an angel is mistaken as more than one god," Adam warned. "But...Heimdall is Gabriel."

"Gabriel, one of the Archangels?" Charlie realized with wide eyes.

"Yeah. Fun bitch that one. Believe it or not, but blowjobs were her fucking idea and one of her best!" Adam said with a grin.

Charlie blanched at that. "Why...why would an angel invent that...?"

"I mean, the whole idea beyond fellatio and cunnilingus was to selflessly pleasure each other at times. Suppose to be a gift between spouses, something to do when you weren't trying for a kid," Adam explained. "Kind of bummed we never got boobgasms to be a nature thing. Would have made titjobs even better as a natural thing."

"Can we change the topic, please?" Charlie requested pleadingly.

"Sorry, sorry. I don't know why humans got so prudish about sex. I get the who naked thing, obviously, but we never had an issue talking about sex," Adam mused. "But yeah, Gabs was Heimdall. Obviously when she was in war gear, really hid her figure a lot. She didn't INVENT the rainbow, but she did make the finished design."

"Right, so...who is Thor?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Fuck! Hahaha! I forgot about that shit!" Adam said with a snicker. "Okay, This? Thor is actually two people. One was a Gibborim, but the other? The other is why Archangels shouldn't drink."

Charlie tilted her head. "Angels can get drunk? There is alcohol in Heaven?"

"Umm, duh? Humans HAD to drink alcohol all the time at one point, the shit was safer than water," Adam pointed out.

"It was?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"Yeah, most humans alive now don't remember that, spoiled on this neat water treatment shit they got going now," Adam explained. "Anyways, moving our asses back to your question? Thor is what happens when Michael gets drunk."

"Michael? The Michael?" Charlie asked in shock. "Why would he get THAT drunk?"

"We experimented with how to make different heavenly booze, and we may have fucked up into success by inventing something WAY too strong. And Michael was kind of our volunteer to test it. He's a Patron of Warriors, so he wanted to know why they liked it so much," he explained with a smile. "Fuck, it was great to see that prick finally loosen up. He hated us the next day, punted my ass down to somewhere in India the next time we sparred, but we all laughed about it the night after. Damn was that a good century."

Charlie tilted her head. "You sound like you're good friends with them."

"Well, yeah? They were kind of my parents, kind of my siblings? We didn't really need a word for it beyond family," Adam answered idly.

Charlie blinked. The angels were like family to Adam. Did that include her father?

"And look at that, we're here," Adam said as he flew down. But not to Charlie's balcony.

"Umm, Adam? You're going the wrong way?" Charlie informed in confusion.

"No, no I am not," Adam said with a playful tone.

Elsewhere, Lucifer sighed as he sat at his workbench. He wanted to say he was having a creative block, but really he was just distracted. E-Day was never something he paid much mind to, but now?

Now he had to think about Charlie being out there in all that chaos with Adam protecting her. Adam, who despite everything about the First Man, his daughter seemed to delight in her conversations with him. Even though several of them had left her sad or worried.

And often left her asking questions that he and Lilith weren't expecting to answer for a few more decades. Or questions they just weren't sure how to answer in ways she'd understand. Some things only made sense when experienced rather than told or shown.

How did he explain the nature of Eden, a place where Uncertainties were tested and made Certain? How did he get across the wonders he had created? How did he explain there was a time when they had to decide if Light chased away Darkness or Darkness chased away Light? How did tell her, in all seriousness, the long debate on whether Humans should be more akin to Beasts, Stones, or Mushrooms?

And how did Adam answer questions like this so effortlessly? Charlie sprung random questions on the "First Dick" every year, and he answered them on the fly in such a short time. Lucifer, for all his creativity, was at a loss. He could talk out his ass if he needed to, but not to his daughter! Especially when it meant being outshone by ADAM of all people, who hadn't told a lie yet, as far as Charlie had told them.

Well, he told her some very strong opinions. He still stood by the first draft of the platypus! Then they had to take away the wings, the second mouth, and even the original tail ending! At least Lilith convinced Adam and the other angels to keep the bill, it would have been utterly ruined without the bill!

He always loved billed birds. The beaked ones always were too annoying to him, especially when they started pecking at something. He swore someone invented the woodpecker just to annoy him.

There was a tap on his window.

He nearly fell over backward in surprise, spinning around. He looked over but couldn't see anything from where he sat.

Another knock came, prompting him to get to his feet. "Okay, this better not be a sinner wanting to hide in here," he said, more confused than annoyed for the moment. No one had been that stupid in a long time, but maybe it was overdue.

Looking through the window, he saw nothing. And yet, there was another knock. His annoyance grew, and he opened the double window, looking around and down. "Okay, I hope you enjoyed the joke because-"

He stopped with wide eyes as Charlie was suddenly lowered down right in front of his face. "Hi, Daddy!" she greeted with a smile.

Lucifer didn't have time to respond as Charlie flew at him. Or rather, she was flung at him, her arms wrapping around him in a tight hug as he went tumbling down with her.

"Charlie? You're here. Wait," Lucifer glared, pointing a free hand at the window. "Did you just throw my daughter at me like a baseball!?"

Adam smirked as he stood in the window frame, Razzle and Dazzle on either shoulder. "Sorry, but the Hellflake had a special delivery for one Mr. Morningshit."

Lucifer stared as Adam held up the basket of cookies. It was a disturbing image in Lucifer's head for some reason, he just wasn't sure why. "Are those poisoned?"

"Daddy! I made them!" Charlie informed with a pout. "I wanted to make them for Adam and the other angels, but they said they couldn't because..."

"Because of...wait, really?" Lucifer deadpanned. "You think I'd poison my own daughter's cookies!?"

Adam's silence was deafening and damning.

"Hump! I'm offended! And how do I know you didn't mess with them?" Lucifer asked as he stood up, holding Charlie.

"Because you have a witness," Adam said, pointing to Charlie. "I fucking can't know SOMEONE didn't sneak shit into the goods when Hellflake wasn't looking. Besides, this is a win-win for me."

Lucifer opened his mouth and then paused. "Okay, how?"

Adam grinned. "Simple. This shit is poisoned? You got to deal with it. It's not? Hellflake gets to enjoy her treats with someone who'll appreciate them," Adam said, nodding to Charlie. "Your kid put a lot of work into it, so just take the shit and swallow it."

"I wished you had worded that better," Lucifer said with a sigh, noticing Charlie smile at Adam's praise. Without another thought, he snatched the basket from Adam's hand. "But thank you I'm sure you're first thought was to vaporize them."

Adam grunted. "Don't get the wrong idea. The fact this'll probably make you happy has my damn skin crawling in revulsion. But I'll stomach it if it means Hellflake doesn't feel like she wasted her time when she tried her best."

Charlie beamed and the sight of it made Lucifer smile a bit as well.

"Well, that's about all of you I can tolerate for the year," Adam said, glancing at the goat-dragons on his shoulders. "Raz, Daz? Make sure the Hellflake gets to bed before she sugar crashes."

They both baa'd in agreement as they flew over to Charlie.

"Why do they listen to you? I made those adorable guys!" Lucifer asked. Charlie was one thing, but Razzle and Dazzle?

"Bitch, please, I tamed worse shit when I was alive," Adam retorted with derision as he turned to the window. "Okay, the A-man is out of here!"

Lucifer was just a bit annoyed by the large gust of wind that went through his workshop as Adam left. Still, he smiled as he looked at his little girl. "So, cookies?"

"Do you think Mommy would like some?" Charlie asked, her smile a bit weaker, but happy nonetheless.

"I'm sure she'd love that," Lucifer assured as he turned with Charlie and the cookies to find his wife.

There was some bitter irony about this, he knew, having a family moment because Adam of all people had a good idea of how to soothe Charlie's tears.

Maybe that was what bothered Lucifer the most in all this. Moment's like these gave Adam's "shit father" comments more weight.

And they were already heavy enough on Luceifer's mind.

Extermination Day, 1932

"You...have a lead on an Overlord?" Charlie asked with a furrowed brow. "How? You all just got here?"

There were several chuckles and smirks from the exorcists about that. Even Adam was smirking. "I have my ways, Hellflake. But we need to go, like right now. Sorry to jump ship, but can you call up your dad to portal you home?"

Charlie had a look on her face like she was thinking.

Adam deadpanned. "Hellflake, no. You can't fucking come with us. This is a big-time Overlord, who will probably bathe in your blood if she gets a hold of you."

Charlie raised her hands from Dazzle's back. "N-no, I'm not stupid! B-but could I just wait for you? At the Embassy, maybe?"

Adam hummed, displeased but obviously unwilling to burst her hopes.

"Sir," Lute spoke up. "I can escort her there with a few others."

Adam sighed, long and suffering. "The Big Ls will probably throw a fit, but Fine. Lute, you stay with her until I get back, and try not to make her cry."

"Sir," Lute said, looking to the others. "You four with me."

"Okay, Ladies? Rest o you go wreck shit while me and the squad go hunt for a blood bitch," Adam ordered, six exorcists remaining behind with him before they flew off.

"By Adam," Charlie called after weakly.

"Come along, Princess," Lute instructed sternly, already heading in the direction of the embassy.

Charlie obeyed, keeping her head down as they flew. It was different than being with Adam. She knew the five exorcists wouldn't hurt her, but she felt calm and safe around Adam most of the time. Right now, she just felt...

Tolerated. Begrudgingly.

"So...what are your names?" Charlie tried with a small, forced smile. "I already know Miss Lute."

The four unnamed angels shared looks, but none were willing to answer her.

They reached the embassy in short order, being much closer than the Devil's Manor. The group landed, and Lute turned to the others. "You four head off, I'll watch the Hellspawn."

"Ma'am," one of them saluted. Would you like me to take your place? I'm sure Sir would appreciate having you there for the Overlord hunt."

Lute's face didn't react, but it was obvious by her eyes that she was tempted. "And I appreciate the offer, Sister, but the order was for me to watch her. Now, go."

"Ma'am!" they said before taking off.

"That was...nice of her," Charlie mused carefully. "Is she really your sister or is it just because you fight together?"

"Fight together," Lute answered as she led Charlie into the embassy.

The Hell Princess climbed off Dazzle's back and raced to keep up with the exorcist, the goat-dragon shrinking down to follow at Charlie's side. "Huh. This place is nice, but...kind of creepy. No one is here."

"There rarely needs to be," Lute answered as she led her to a meeting room. "Princess, I am not Adam. I have no desire to entertain your questions."

Charlie sulked a bit at that. "But I really want to know more about you."

"I'm the second-in-command of the exorcist. I relish in slaughtering the sinners of Hell and I would be all too happy to extend the same treatment to the Hellborn if the treaty didn't forbid it," Lute said bluntly.

Charlie winced but was undeterred. "I-I know that. But what about the rest?"

Lute didn't respond, just raising an eyebrow.

"Y-you only do that once a year. What do you do the rest of the time in Heaven?" she asked curiously.

"Whatever Sir needs me to," Lute answered. She crossed her leg over, laying her spear across her lap, and channeled some holy energy into her fingertips. She then proceeded to casually use that as a whetstone, to sharpen the spear tip. "What does a Princess of Hell do?"

"...Not much," Charlie answered softly. "I play with Razzle, Dazzle, and Keekee. Practice my magic and other stuff. Spend time with Mom and Dad. Try to...ask questions they can answer without making them sad."

Lute hummed.

"I meet other Hellborns sometimes. I'm penpals with some, but I don't know any of them very well. Mommy and Daddy teach me new things every now and again. Mostly Mommy, but Daddy tries. We have family time a lot," Charlie said with a small smile. "Lute? I know you...hate me for existing-"

"I'm glad you exist, Hellspawn," Lute answered instantly, without inflection.

Charlie's mouth stopped working for a moment. "You...you're not just saying that because you like to see me sad or hope you can...hurt me one day, right...?"

"No, I mean it genuinely," Lute answered, testing the tip of her spear. "Years ago, I would have simply said you're the foul product of a union that should have never existed. And you still are."

Charlie furrowed her brow. "I don't understand. Then why...?"

"Time with you makes him happy."

Charlie starred.

"Sir...Lord Adam, he enjoys your visits. That alone is reason enough for me to be glad you exist, origins regardless," Lute mused, looking at Charlie again.

"You...you really care about him, don't you?" Charlie asked with a small smile before frowning. "Lute, are you...?"

"I am whatever he needs me to be," Lute answered vaguely, but solemnly.

Charlie let that hang in the air, not sure what to make of that admission. "So...you don't want me hurt, because it would make Adam sad?"

"Is genuinely caring for another that foreign to you?" Lute asked with an eye roll.

"No! Of course not! I care about all the Sinners in Hell! That's why I keep asking you all to go home," Charlie said firmly.

"Do you really care about them? Or do you care about how it makes you feel?" Lute challenged.

Charlie stopped, staring at her. "What do you mean?"

"Say you convinced us to stop, saved those sinners outside. Are you doing it because you care about those miserable souls, or does it just make you feel good to think you helped others?" Lute turned back.

"I'm...What?" Charlie shook her head in bewilderment. "I don't understand. Is it wrong to feel good about helping others...?"

Lute sighed. "Princess, I warn you. I am Heavenborn. I have no idea how to treat small children like you, no matter where they are born."

Charlie raised an eyebrow at that but waited for Lute to elaborate.

"What I mean is it about their benefit or your satisfaction. Do you want their happiness or their gratitude?" Lute explained.

"I..." Charlie looked down. "I don't know. I've never really...been able to help someone, besides my parents. And Adam. I don't know if it's different with strangers. But does it... really matter?"

Lute paused. "Have you ever heard the proverb about teaching someone to fish?"

"Give them a fish, and they eat for a day, teach them to fish, and they'll never be hungry again?" Charlie recalled with a head tilt.

Lute nodded. "Someone who wants to be nice and feel good about helping others will provide the fish. Someone kind and that truly cares will provide the fishing lessons."

Charlie blinked with wide eyes. "That's what Adam meant," she said under her breath. "Wait, what if you don't know how to fish?"

Lute rolled her eyes. "It's a metaphor, Princess. The idea is to teach them to provide for themselves and be better for it, regardless if it benefits you in any way."

"...I don't like fish," Charlie confessed idly.

"Neither do I," Lute agreed with a shrug. "I prefer the taste of lamb."

Dazzle neighed, running behind Charlie's legs. "Was...that a joke?" Charlie asked uncertainly.

"No," Lute answered. "Not that I'd eat a Hellbeast. But yes, I prefer lamb to other meats."

"Wait, how do you get meat in Heaven...?" Charlie asked curiously.

"We can create any food desired. The meat tastes delicious, but it was never alive to begin with," Lute informed.

"Huh. That sounds...nice," Charlie said with a smile.

The door burst open from a kick. "Danger-tits, we got skunked!" Adam said with a scowl. "Hellflake, you're not crying. Good."

"Why would I be?" Charlie asked.

"Lute here is great, but she is a crazy bitch at times. She makes me look calm," Adam mused.

"I do," Lute agreed with a smirk.

Charlie was torn between saying Adam probably shouldn't insult Lute and the fact that Lute seemed to enjoy the insult. If it was an insult. Adam and Lute's relationship confused Charlie sometimes.

"Come on, let's get you home before Old Scratch gets worried," Adam said.

"Sir? Before you go, what do you mean by skunked?" Lute asked with a frown.

"Damn bitch left a decoy behind in her safehouse," Adam grumbled.

"So, our informant lied?" Lute mused.

"Probably not. I figured they just got fucked over intentionally by the Overbitch. She probably knew the little shit was turning on her and wanted us to take them out for her," Adam mused. 'I obviously did, can't let the fuckers think they can get away with dead leads."

Charlie listened to the exchange uncomfortably. Sinners were turning on each other to save themselves from the angels. Then again, was that really different from normal, when they sold each other out to other sinners? She didn't know, but she knew that when the angels were involved, a sinner ended up double-dead.

"Come on, Hellflake, let's get going," Adam said, picking her up without a second thought.

Charlie blinked. It wasn't the first time Adam held her, but it was more spontaneous than the others. Regardless, as he took her away she waved goodbye to Lute.

She didn't wave back, but Charlie liked to think the ends of Lute's lips twitched up at the sides.

It wasn't long until they were back in the air, Charlie on his back.

"So...who were you hunting?" Charlie asked in morbid interest.

Adam made a noise of aggravation. "Elizabeth fucking Bathory."

Charlie's eyes went wide. "The...Blood Countess."

Adam nodded. "Dracula's Hellbride. Bitch has been hiding ever since we impaled the Impaler. Ohhh, she's been on my to-kill list since she got down here."

Charlie swallowed. "Mommy and Daddy have a list too. It's a list of sinners I am to never go near if I see them. She's one of them."

Adam hummed. "Well, they did that right at least. They say why she isn't dead yet?"

"Mommy says some of the Hellborn are hiding her in the other cities. They...have similar tastes to her," Charlie answered with discomfort.

"Yeah, that's about what we figured," Adam muttered. "And your folks of course can't be bothered to deal with her any other day of the year."

Charlie wasn't sure what she could say about that. She didn't know the situation really. "...Why would she be back here then?"

"Good question. Powerplay, probably. Pentagram City isn't the only shitstop in Pride for sinners, but it is where most of them spawn in at. Most of the big fish are here, where the new sinners will fall into their fucking laps," Adam mused darkly.

Charlie said nothing on the rest of the way home.

"Wait..." Adam said with a frown as they reached the balcony. "Did your parents fucking not know she was back in town?"

"Did we know who wasn't back in town?" Lucifer asked, stepping onto the balcony with a confused look.

"Daddy!" Charlie greeted as she jumped from Adam's shoulder to Lucifer's arms.

"CharChar!" Lucifer said, grabbing her and spinning around. "I missed you! But seriously, who are we talking about?"

"Bathory, Dracula's bloodwhore," Adam informed with a scowl.

"Yes, I heard about her. Very recently she did," Lucifer said with a scowl, holding Charlie a bit closer. "Are you about to say I'm a shit father for not warning Charlie?"

"Nope, she already said you did. Just making sure you got some damn eyes on the situation," Adam said with a scowl. "Hellflake, see you next year and- wait, the fuck is Daz?"

"Sir?"

All eyes went wide and looked out to see Lute hovering there, holding Dazzle by the scruff of his neck, giving out a baa.

"I believe this belongs to the Hellspawn Princess," She said, releasing the beast, who flew over to them.

"What's she'd just call my daughter?" Lucifer muttered with a twitching eyebrow

"Thank you, Miss Lute!" Charlie spoke up before the angels and her father could get into an argument. "Dazzle! Oh, I'm so sorry we forgot you! I was sure you were on Adam's back with me!" Charlie said, rubbing the creature's head, Dazzle baa'ing happily.

"Thanks, Danger-tits," Adam said idly as he took off to hover. "Until next time, Morningshits."

"Oh, ffffuck off!" Lucifer called off in annoyance.

Charlie giggled at the way her father said the curse word.

"And you!" Lucifer said, pointing a finger at Dazzle. "How dare you leave Charlie alone!"

"You said they have to keep me safe, Daddy," Charlie reminded with a smile, petting the goat-dragon affectionately. "Dazzle knew I was safe with Adam."

Lucifer tried not to feel part of him die at that simple and sweet logic from his daughter. "So...Lute. Is that his girlfriend? Daughter? She has his eyes, but he calls her...Danger-tits?" Lucifer asked thoughtfully.

Charlie shrugged. "I wanted to ask, but she just said she's whatever he needs her to be."

Lucifer chose not to make many, many crass jokes about what Adam needed.

Elsewhere, Lute furrowed her brow at what Adam had given her. "This was in the safe house?"

A photo hastily burned but still recognizable. It showed a moment of Adam flying through the skies of Hell.

And Charlie Morningstar clearly on his back.

"Did you tell the Pitking, Sir?" Lute asked evenly.

"He already knows. Trust me, I can tell," Adam mused ominously. "Bathory bathed in the blood of many young girls while alive. She's kept that practice going in Hell as best she could. Imagine how much she'd want to soak in the blood of the Princess of Hell."

Lute could imagine. If treated like money, Charlie and her blood would be worth far more than gold and diamonds to a fiend like Bathory.

"The day is almost done, Sir," Lute mused. "We won't be able to find her until next year."

Adam nodded. "Let's see if Old Scratch can actually do his job this time."

'Deal with the Blood Countess?" Lute asked.

"Protect his damn cichlid."

Three Months Later

"Adam?"

Adam looked up from the drum set that Emily had created from the aether. "Drums are good, but you made the sticks too pointy," Adam informed, showing the pointed stick for effect.

"Right, sorry," Emily said softly.

Adam hummed, glancing around at the items Emily had made. A harmonica, a piano, a chair, a bathtub, and more. She was getting rather good at it Granted, it wasn't the main job of a Seraphim to make things like this, but it was good practice for her control. "Okay, spill, what's eating you, Fluffcake?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking," Emily said, fiddling with her hands. "A few days ago, I saw two souls talking. They were both soldiers in life."

"Okay, so? A lot of winners up here like to find people who were like them on Earth," Adam pointed out.

Emily looked at him uncertainly. "They died killing each other."

"Ah. Yeah, that happens sometimes," Adam said in understanding.

"It's just...strange to think about. They both killed people and died killing one another, and they both made it to Heaven," Emily said softly. "And now they both seemed like they were...friends now."

She started at the chuckle, turning to see a smile on Adam's mask. "I'm always a bit proud when people can put the war behind them after it's over and respect each other."

"Isn't...isn't killing a sin?" Emily asked softly.

"Yeah, but the entire concept of war complicates shit," Adam mused with a sigh. "Look, Em? Most of the time, Soldiers don't go to Hell for killing enemy soldiers. Fighting for a cause isn't enough to damn a soul, usually."

"But...why is it okay for them to kill each other?" Emily asked uncertainly.

Adam shrugged. "Sorry, this shit is easier to understand than explain. The main thing is that there is a big ass gap between killing someone and straight up murdering them."

"...There is?" Emily asked in surprise.

Adam nodded. "Yeah, a lot of killings don't count as murder. Say you kill someone by an honest accident, bumping them off a huge ass cliff? You're probably going to feel bad as shit, but that's not murder. And yes, soldiers killing each is usually not going to damn you. Again, usually. It's too complicated for this brief ass summary. But once you get into pillaging and raiding villages? That's when the pits start making a spot for you."

Emily looked thoughtful now. "I never liked to think about things like that too much, but I guess that makes sense. Things aren't black and white down there, is it?"

"Nope. You won't find any shit written down, Ems. Hell wasn't supposed to exist, so things got fucked and complicated once it formed," Adam said bitterly before shaking it off. "But enough pissing around. We should get you back to Sera."

Emily nodded. "I'm just glad she apologized to you for telling you to not be around me."

"Yeah, Big Fluff decided I was a decent influence after all," Adam said with a chuckle. "Don't take her babying you too hard, Fluffcake. Sera means well with your ass, she's just worried about fucking up your childhood and innocence."

Emily tilted her head. "Does Sera see me like a daughter?"

"Daughter, sister, something? She's your guardian if shit else, she just doesn't realize it. She's like a lot of first-time parents or siblings. They don't know HOW to be protective, so their asses get overprotective," Adam explained in amusement.

"..." Emily was looking at him with a long, curious look.

"What? Is my fucking mask messing up?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow.

Emily smiled. "No, nothing at all."

Adam narrowed his eyes. He knew that smile on kids. It was either really good or really bad.

Oh well, he'd find out eventually.

Chapter Text

Extermination Day, 1933

There were few words exchanged after Adam arrived. Lute and the exorcists headed out with only a nod from Adam, who immediately took off.

Charlie tilted her head as Razzle followed after the First Man. "Adam? Is something wrong? Did something happen?"

"Raz, follow me," Adam called out without looking back, suddenly flying higher, much higher into the air.

"What? Wait, Adam? Where are we going?" Charlie called out in alarm.

Adam said nothing as they ascended until the Roof of Pride was a stone's throw above them. The bright red lines of the pentagram glowed ominously around them, the moans of souls long damned and lost echoing in the air.

"Did you...want to show me this...?" Charlie asked with a furrowed brow.

Adam approached with a glare on his face.

"Adam? You're...you're scaring me," Charlie said with wide eyes. "What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything to me?"

Adam's hands flexed, popping his knuckles as he loomed over Charlie and Razzle, the crimson rays all but shadowing the lights of his mask.

"Adam...?" Charlie whispered.

Without hesitation or warning, Adam's hand shot out and pushed Charlie off of the mount.

In the brief instance before gravity's grasp took hold, she looked at the disgusted mask of Adam with disbelief.

Right before six wings sprouted from her back, bringing her up to fly just about Razzle's back.

"What the Hell, Adam!?" 'Charlie' demanded with a voice that was definitely not her own. "You pushed my daughter off a fall like this?!"

"Lucifer," Adam said flatly.

Lucifer, still disguised as Charlie, tilted his head. "Oh? You knew this whole time?"

"I know your stench anywhere," Adam said in disgust.

"Oh, so you know me by smell?" Lucifer taunted with a smirk.

Adam elected to turn his attention to Razzle. "Hellflake back home?"

Razzle nodded with a grunt.

"You could just ask me, you know," Lucifer pointed out, crossing the arms of his small form.

"She knew about shitstain being out here?" Adam asked, pointing to Lucifer.

Razzle shook his head.

"Really? We're back to you ignoring me?" Lucifer asked blankly.

"If you're going to keep wearing Charlie's face, then yeah, I got shit to say to you," Adam said flatly as he turned to leave. "Hope you enjoyed the prank, Scratch. I'm going to go demolish that theme park of yours."

"Okay, okay, wait! First off, Charlie loves that place!" Lucifer called out. "And I didn't do this to trick you!"

"Right, the trickster isn't pulling a trick," Adam said dismissingly.

"It's about Bathory."

Adam paused, narrowed eyes. "I'm listening."

"Look, we were worried about Charlie this year. There have been a few ...incidents," Lucifer said vaguely. "And I was kind of hoping they'd try to take me captive if I pose as her this year."

Adam hummed.

"Look, Adam? I get it. I was going to tell you, but you were acting off from the start!" Lucifer defended.

"...At least you used your shapeshifting for something useful this time," Adam mused with an eye roll.

"Yeah, well, cover is blown now," Lucifer said with a sigh from Razzle's back.

"How?"

Lucifer blinked. "Umm, how, what?"

"Your cover being blown. Taking the Hellflake on a minor detour to see the damn Roof of Pride wouldn't seem that fucking off for me," Adam pointed out calmly, resigned to the situation.

"Oooookay, but I'm sure anyone watching saw my wings?" Lucifer reminded, fluttering them for effect. "And Charlie doesn't have any wings?"

Adam gained a smirk. "Oh? And how many people know that little fact about the Hellflake?"

Lucifer opened his mouth, holding up a finger. He slowly closed and lowered both as he sat down on Razzle and retracted his wings. "Touché? So, what, you willing to play along?"

Adam exhaled. "Yeah, whatever, let's just fucking get this done with and hope you get mugged."

"You would word it like that," Lucifer murmured to himself.

Without another word, Adam took off, softly soring down to an altitude that would be more tempting for any watching them. But the silence was heavy and strained between them.

"So, we should probably talk about something so we don't seem suspicious," Lucifer mused, pulling at his shirt. Well, Charlie's shirt. His shirt morphed into Charlie's shirt. "Charlie's had a lot of interesting questions, and-"

"You never planned on telling her, did you?" Adam asked flatly.

Lucifer went silent.

"About everything that actually happened. I'm sure that bedtime story makes her parents look so tragic and romantic," Adam mused bitterly.

"We just want to protect her, Adam," Lucifer said with a scowl. "Surely you-"

"Finish that sentence and your cover will be blown," Adam warned harshly. "And don't fucking lie to me. You weren't trying to protect Charlie. You just couldn't take the idea of your child looking up at you in horror and ask why the hell did you do shit like that? Ask you both, what the fuck were you thinking?"

Lucifer flinched. "Even if that was true, can you really-"

"Yes. Yes, I fucking can blame you. Welcome to fucking fatherhood you asshate," Adam said venomously.

Lucifer seethed. "What the fuck can I say without setting your ass off? Dammit, Adam, I'm not TRYING to have an argument with you here!"

Adam honestly considered the question for a moment. "Charlie hates the violin, doesn't she?"

"I...what?" Lucifer asked in surprise.

"That year a while back, when the Harp broke? Fucking violin box flew across the floor. But Charlie barely paid attention to it. The case looks practically brand new, so she either loves it or is trying to hide that she hates it," Adam mused. "And she doesn't love it."

Lucifer furrowed his brow. "I...No. She isn't very good at it yet, but she is always happy to have lessons."

"Idiot, she doesn't give a shit about that, she cares about doing something with you," Adam informed flatly. "She wants to spend time with your ass and is happy to pretend to have common ground."

"How the hell would you know that?" Lucifer asked, half as a challenge and half as a question. "You only see her once a year!"

"You asked for a topic that doesn't set me off," Adam reminded with a bored tone.

Lucifer muttered something to himself.

"Shut up," Adam said abruptly.

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "I wasn't talking to you."

"No, seriously, shut up," Adam said as he slowed to a stop. "...The fuck is that noise?"

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "Screams? One of your locusts ending a soul?" he suggested.

"Then why isn't it stopping?" Adam asked with a furrowed brow as he looked around the city below. "And my girls haven't been here yet."

Lucifer hummed, realizing that Adam was corrected. This street wasn't covered in bodies and debris yet. And that scream was one impossibly long scream. There was no inhale, no pause, nothing.

Adam led them down to the street, causing several sinners to scurry further into hiding at the sight of the Leader of the Exorcists. But Adam paid them no mind, focusing on a store window. On display was a simple device.

A radio.

It was on though, and it was emitting a sound of screams. Horrible, terrible screams.

Adam narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"Morbid, but no accounting for tastes in music I suppose," Lucifer mused, one leg crossed over the other on Razzle's back. "What, did you want a souvenir this time?"

A ping noise emitted from Adam's halo, causing him to tap and silence it. "What's up, Lute?" he asked curiously.

"Sir, we have a situation. We've found the heads of several demons pilled up," Lute answered.

"That the one who brought Dazzle home last year?" Lucifer asked with a smirk.

Adam ignored him. "What, someone have trouble keeping count?"

"It wasn't us, Sir," Lute informed. "They were all in a display case with a-"

"-a radio that is literally screaming?" Adam predicted. "Seems someone has an interesting routine."

"Sir, at least some of these are Overlords. Big ones too. Jezebel, Henry, even Dubh Sith to name a few," Lute informed.

"Wait, wait, Fatass Henry? Dammit, two of his wives are going to be disappointed," Adam mused.

Lucifer hummed but didn't poke that topic any further.

"Hey, you know who could have killed those three?" Adam asked pointedly.

"I don't even know who those souls are," Lucifer answered flatly.

"I...how do you NOT know about them?" Adam demanded pointedly.

"Why would I?" Lucifer asked, crossing his arms with a frown.

Before that conversation could escalate, the radio suddenly buzzed as the screams faded into the background. "Greetings, to our heavenly visitors from upstairs!"

Adam raised an eyebrow at the voice as he stared intently at the device.

"I hope you have enjoyed the gifts I have so generously left for you. I am new in these parts, but I heard tale that you lovely folks loved the smell of dead Overlords on an Extermination Day. I apologize if I left the pool a bit thin."

"Is he bragging to you and your murder of Exorcists?" Lucifer inquired idly, unimpressed clearly.

Adam didn't respond, continuing to listen to the broadcast.

"I do so hope you all enjoy the music of my broadcast, a fitting tune to accompany your yearly purge of us damned souls," the voice continued. "And before I go, allow me to add one more to the...chorus."

The line went silent for a moment, only the distant screams of broadcast being heard, until...

*THUD!*

"W-wait! What are you doing?!"

*dragging noise*

"Hehehehe."

"Do you have any idea who I am?!"

*wood being stabbed*

"W-we can make a deal! I can...I can..."

*creaking sound*

"NO!"

*crunch*

"HE'S EATING MY LIVER!"

*munch*munch*munch*

"GET OFF OF ME YOU SICK DEER FUCK!"

"Hahahaha!"

"AHHHHHHH!"

The scream went on and on as it blended into the background, joining the rest of the screaming voices of the audio.

"Mmmm, tasty!" the voice returned. "That was one Atys the Starving Lord, better known as Tantalus. I hope you all found his screams delicious. I would same the same for his flesh, but there wasn't much on him you see. Happy E-Day, my fellow hunters!"

There was a short silence.

"Lute? The first prick that can tell you about this radio fuck gets to go free for the night," Adam instructed bluntly.

"Yes, Sir," Lute answered.

"What, don't like someone else moving in on your "fun", O Great Exterminator?" Lucifer asked uncaringly, kicking his Charlie-legs back and forth.

Adam slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder.

Lucifer blinked as he saw the wide, nasty grin on Adam's face.

"You remember who Tantalus was, right? You at least know that fucking much, right?" Adam said, a chuckle in his voice.

"I...Yeah, he's the guy that cut up his own son and tried to feed him to you and some other angels," Lucifer answered. "Why?"

"That slippery fuck has been avoiding us for nearly four thousand years now. I've been wanting to tear him apart ever since," Adam said with sadistic glee. "But hearing his ass getting eaten alive like that?"

Adam paused, allowing the screams of the radio to wash over.

"Music to my ears," Adam said in amusement.

"Ugh, this is why I don't like Charlie being around you. Sometimes I'm more worried about you corrupting her than the rest of Hell," Lucifer said with an eye roll.

"If that's how you feel, just head home on your own," Adam barked out rather loudly, walking down the street.

"What? Adam, where are- and he's gone," Lucifer said flatly. "Asshole, where did that come from?"

"Looks like you're on your own, Girly."

Lucifer blinked as he was suddenly grabbed and pulled off Razzle, who suddenly neighed and ran off, taking to the fly. Just like Lucifer had told him to do.

Lucifer blinked, looking to the left to see a literal bat demon with four arms holding his Charlie-disguise by the back of the shirt.

'Ahh, Adam realized they were coming after me and made me a tempting target. Smart,' Lucifer thought. He swallowed, using the chance to change gears, switching back to his full-Charlie imitation. Or rather, general-scared-child imitation, because he didn't want to think about Charlie being in this situation! "W-who are you?! What do you want with me?!"

"Nothing much Princess, just someone wanting to meet you," the hellbat answered with a grin, holding up a sack and pulling out some rope.

Blessed rope.

Lucifer didn't need to fake his surprise as the demon tied him up. 'Okay, I can break this in like, two seconds at most, but wasn't expecting that. Bathory called in some favors to get these.'

"Don't try anything and this'll all be over real soon for you," the bat demon mused before throwing the shapeshifter into the sack.

Lucifer hummed as he lay upside down in the sack, debating on how long to let this go on. He could wait for the demon to arrive at Bathory's location, or he could just go full devil-mode and get the answers from this winged rat.

'I wonder if Adam ever told Charlie about him and Lilith making bats?' Lucifer thought idly, mind drifting back to Eden.

One of Lilith and Adam's more cooperative projects. A winged rodent, but they could never figure out how to make the wings "feel" right.

'Whose idea was it to make their arms into wings instead of having six limbs?' Lucifer tried to recall.

It was hard to remember. Not because the memories were foggy or unclear. Just the opposite, his memories were as crystal clear as the day they happened. He recalled everything and he could revisit anything from his past.

But revisiting Eden meant his mind, in all its chaotic nature, would drift to...everything else about Eden. Everything that happened, everything they did. And everything that came after. Their Fall from Heaven, Mankind's Fall from Eden. And so much more.

He hadn't talked about Eden in over seven thousand years. Everyone he would care to tell either saw everything happen themselves or heard it long ago.

He sometimes wondered, just how Adam bared to talk about it? With Charlie of all people?

Some part of him wanted to be suspicious. Because it was Adam. Of course, he would want revenge, and who better to do it through than Charlie? What better way to twist the knife?

But his Pride wouldn't allow him to act on that possibility. His pride as a father was wounded that Adam had to defend Charlie for him...but also grateful he did.

The bat demon, carrying the bag on his back through an alley, looked over his shoulder in annoyed confusion as his prize started moving weirdly, practically hitting him in the back. "Watch it, brat or I'll-!"

The bag suddenly caught on fire. And as a horrid chanting reached the edge of the demon's hearing, he dropped the bag and turned in shock. But the bag didn't fall, it floated as that dark and terrible fire grew.

With a single flutter of a wing, the flames burst out, sending the kidnapper onto his rear as the alley was coated in literal hellfire. He looked on with terror as he saw the figure that hovered before him. The horns, the six pale wings, the pure red eyes, the flaming halo, the spotted cheeks.

The Devil himself.

Lucifer's grin was just a bit too wide, wider than he'd ever show Charlie as he leaned down, flicking his finger up.

The bat was suddenly choking as he was forced to stand on his knees, the King of Hell leaning down to look into his eyes.

"Now, who were you kidnapping again?" Lucifer asked toyingly.

"I-I-I had no idea that was-" the bat demon stuttered in terror.

"Shhh," Lucifer silenced him with feigned softness. "That was a joke. I know EXACTLY-" He snarled the word with fire at his tongue- "who you tried to kidnap. I'm more interested in...just where were you taking my daughter?"

The bat demon knew he was screwed, utterly and eternally. But he knew which way would get him into a worse pit.

"She's hiding in a theater at the southeast triangle, the Sanguidrome. You can't miss it. Big building with giant red fangs on the front," the bat answered quickly.

Lucifer growled, actually growled, in a pleased way. "Thank you. I'll deal with you later."

With a snap of his finger, the demon was gone, consumed by flames and vanished in the winds of Hell.

Elsewhere, Charlie tossed and turned in her sleep. It had always been hard to sleep on Extermination Day. It didn't sound too different from how Hell normally did, but it was still harder to ignore the sounds, knowing what they were.

But now? She had been seeing Adam on this night for fourteen years, this would be the fifteenth. Her mind just automatically looked forward to it again, expecting it.

She didn't know why, exactly. Her parents told her that it wasn't to keep her away from Adam, and she believed them. It might be about an Overlord like the Blood Countess. She had overheard her mother speaking with Hellborn on the other rings about Bathory when she didn't think Charlie was close by.

Ultimately, she let out a breath and gave up, pulling her sheets off. She climbed out of bed, mindful not to wake up Razzle or Dazzle as she carried herself to her vanity dresser. It was supposed to be where she fixed her hair, but she also spent a lot of time drawing pictures of it.

She hummed to herself, not paying much attention to what she was drawing, allowing her mind to wander. It did that a lot now, trying to shift together pieces of a puzzle she had only a few pieces to. What was once a bedtime story about how her parents met was now a huge mystery to her. How much of the story was true? What had Adam meant by the Exorcists not being the only ones to raid Hell? What had happened in ten thousand years, that no one had tried to settle or put an end to?

How did they all end up here?

She was a few years shy of a hundred-thirty now, but she wasn't even a teenager yet in body and soul. The cost of being born too powerful, it could be said- someone like her either came into existence fully grown or took a long time to grow into her power.

Sheltering her was one reason why she didn't have many friends. But the other was just that grew up too slow. She would still be a child when they grew to adulthood.

Charlie blinked and looked up suddenly.

It was quiet, she realized. The sounds of Extermination Day had stopped, but it was too early. She ran over to the closed doors of her balcony to look outside but stopped.

Her windows were foggy.

Why would they be foggy? Why couldn't she see outside?

Her heart skipped a beat as the door suddenly slid open as if it had never fully been closed.

Her feet moved almost on their own. Some part of her told her going outside right now might not be a good idea, but something was drawing her forward.

'She was charmed beneath the tree'

It was singing. A voice in the air. A beautiful, haunting voice. Was that her mother? She couldn't tell.

'His eyes are stained with fear'

"Mommy? Are you...are you out there?" Charlie whispered as she crept to the door.

There was no answer. Maybe she was on the next balcony and didn't hear her call?

'A dream unbound and smeared with blood'

But why would her mother be singing outside on Extermination Night? Why would Extermination Night be silent?

'the forging of mankind's tears.'

She stepped outside and felt a heat rush over her, making her flinch back with a wince.

'The Pride that tore away her place,'

She slowly opened her eyes.

'yet the pits couldn't tame her.'

A crayon fell from her hand.

She numbly walked out to the edge, staring in disbelief.

Blood.

Pentagram City was gone.

And there was so much blood.

'The rot erode by the plunge'

A vast sanguine ocean for as far as the eyes could see, high enough that it lapped at the edge of her balcony. The crimson view was sprinkled with dots of what might be ruins piercing the surface. And a soft mist came off the sea of blood, filling her lungs with every breath.

'The ashes gathered by myrrh'

She trembled and numbly looked down over the railing. Floating in the red were bodies. Countless corpses drifting along aimlessly, their unblinking eyes staring up lifelessly.

'Emption made with children's blood'

"What...what is this? What happened?" Charlie whispered in horror.

For a moment, there was only silence.

And the singing. She was eerily aware that someone was still singing.

'A slight against all fairness.'

Charlie gave a small scream as the balusters suddenly snapped, the section falling out from under her grasp. She barely caught herself as the frame fell into the blood.

'The trapped erased for all they wrought'

Like a hornet nest disturbed, the bodies seemed to come to life without warning, crawling and clawing at the balcony, reaching to her, their hands trying to pull her down into the depths.

Charlie backed away, breathing hard. She turned to run back into her room, but the door snapped closed.

"No! Razzle! Dazzle! Help, I can't get in!" Charlie called, pulling desperately at the knob. Over her shoulder, she could see the demons failing to climb up, but only because the blood made their limbs too slippery. "Mommy...?! Daddy!? Someone, please!"

But no one answered.

'The Hidden unblessed bereft of fraught'

Charlie stilled as the singing grew louder in her ears. She looked out again, and up to the sky.

There was something in the sky, a bright light, descending as a comet. But it was slow, graceful as it descended into hell. The corpses seemed more desperate at its arrival.

'His mask yet shown without a crack'

The comet touched the crimson sea.

'The burden of all he is defending'

And the sea boiled!

Instantly, blood bubbled and a wave of steam rushed across the ocean! And before Charlie's very eyes, that endless expanse of corpses were set fire, falling away from her balcony as the air was choked with their burnt flesh.

'Violence against all she adored'

Through the blood and the steam, she could see the comet.

'Here comes the Breaker of Horns'

And she felt in her heart that the comet saw her too.

Charlie slowly slid down against her door, tears falling from her eyes.

She stopped with a start as she felt something touch her hand. She looked down and saw it.

The crayon she dropped. A white crayon.

As golden crayon, as bright as angel wings.

"...Adam?"

"I got you, Hellflake."

Charlie gasped at his voice, right in her ear as-

Charlie opened her eyes, groggy and warry. She dimly realized she was looking out at Pentagram City from her balcony and Adam.

Adam was holding her, propping her against his shoulder. Her parents held her like this a lot.

"What happened?" Charlie asked groggily.

"You fell asleep on the balcony, kid. You sleepwalk or something?" Adam asked idly.

"Don't think so. Had a bad dream," Charlie murmured with a sniff. "Adam? Do...do you know where my Mom and Dad are?"

"Your old man is out dealing with Bathory, or her goons," Adam explained casually. "Your mom is probably waiting on my ass to leave."

If Charlie was more awake or less upset by her dream, she might have commented on those answers. "...You came to see me?" she realized with a smile.

"Yep," Adam answered without hesitation.

They both paused as a rather loud explosion echoed across the city, a small rumble in the ground as a column of hellfire and smoke rose in the distance.

Charlie sat up in surprise. "Is that the Exorcists?" she asked in surprise. Normally only Adam did things like that.

"No," Adam answered knowingly, pausing as a terrible roar echoed over the Ring of Pride. "That would be your father."

"Daddy is...?" Charlie realized in disbelief.

"Never seen him get like this, eh?" Adam realized.

"Are you...are you going to take me to see him? Like that?" Charlie asked uncertainly.

Adam gave her a flat look. "I already fucking told you, Hellflake. I'm not breaking whatever precious image you have of them."

That...somehow didn't make Charlie feel better, but she was glad she didn't have to see whatever it was right now.

"You've...seen him like this before, haven't you?" Charlie realized.

Adam's silence and unimpressed stare told her enough.

Charlie looked down, her head spinning with thoughts she couldn't put together.

"Come on, let's get you to bed," Adam said as he took her inside.

"We didn't get to talk tonight," Charlie muttered, unhappy.

"Eh, don't worry about it," Adam said with a smirk. "When you wake up, just ask your mom for the story about the missing possum nipple."

Charlie squinted. "...What?"

"Some possums have an odd number of nipples, your Mom is the reason why," Adam informed with a grin.

Charlie almost felt too curious to sleep, but the yawning won out as she was placed on her bed with Razzle and Dazzle. "Adam?"

"Just one question, Hellflake, make it count," he warned with a smile.

"Eve made you the sun, right?" Charlie remembered. "Did you make her something too?"

Adam almost lost his smile, but caught it again. "I painted the sunset. So that when our sun went to sleep, the sky before night would look as beautiful as Eve. That's why I called it Evening."

Charlie's eyes gleamed in amazement even as they drifted away. "Why do you sound...so mean...in the story...?"

She probably hadn't meant to ask that aloud, so Adam didn't answer, letting her drift off to slumber.

Elsewhere, Lute watched over the burning wreck of the sanguidrome, knowing full well the Devil was down in those flaming ruins.

"Aren't you that one that brought Razzle back for my Charlie?"

Or, he had been.

Lute glared to the side, seeing the short, fallen angel floating nearby with a toothy smile. "Sorry, it's just so hard to tell with those masks on," Lucifer remarked.

Lute didn't answer, merely narrowing her eyes.

"Fine, I confess, that's a lie. I can tell you're the same soul, of course. Fallen or not, I haven't lost that power," Lucifer said with a smirk

Lute still didn't respond.

"What? Adam not give you permission to talk to other men?" Lucifer asked teasingly.

"Sodomize yourself with a cucumber and gag on it," Lute said flatly. "There, I have spoken. Satisfied?"

"Tried that once, but in reverse," Lucifer mused, unoffended. "So, did Adam have a child in heaven or are you wife number three?"

"You don't remember me, do you?" Lute asked flatly.

"Should I?" Lucifer asked with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, I've met with a few exorcists, but-"

"We met before I was an exorcist, Filth," Lute informed, glaring through the mask.

"Oh?" Lucifer said in surprise. "When was that?"

"Scratch."

Lucifer glanced up to see Adam looking over him with a glare. "Adam! I was wondering where you were?" he said with a grin.

"Your daughter had a nightmare," Adam informed flatly.

Lucifer froze as the smile fell from his face. "Is she...alright?"

"Yeah, I put her back to bed after she calmed down,," Adam informed flatly.

"That was...nice of you," Lucifer said. "I should really-"

"Lute, head out and get some kills, I'll deal with him," Adam informed bluntly.

"Sir," Lute said with a nod, flying off.

"Was that really necessary? Lucifer asked with an eye roll. "I was just talking to your-"

"You talking shit to the women in my life usually ends fucking badly. For everyone, present and future," Adam reminded harshly.

Lucifer balled his fist at that but bit his tongue.

"Now skip the bullshit. What happened with Bathory? She dead?" Adam asked pointedly

"Sadly no," Lucifer admitted with a sigh. "Turns out, she has a special ability."

"That being?" Adam asked, mildly interested.

"A very select few Overlords of the very scummy kind have the rather nasty trick of being able to sacrifice a soul they own to save their own. Basically, the two souls switch places physically, transferring all damage in the process," Lucifer informed with mild distaste.

"So that's why Rasputin came back once, among other things," Adam muttered. "So, she's in the wind?"

"Yes, but she is running out of lives," Lucifer mused, looking down at the flaming theater. "That trick gets more likely to fail every time she uses it. And she's used it at least three times, I think."

"Think she'll be stupid and attack your home while Lilith is guarding it?" Adam asked idly.

'"I can only hope," Lucifer said with a snort. "Adam, be honest with me for two minutes."

Adam just grunted.

"Is there an ulterior motive for spending time with Charlie?" Lucifer asked pointedly. "And I'll know if you're lying."

"Oh, fuck you, Scratch. I'm not the damn Prince of Lies here," Adam waved off.

"I'm serious," Lucifer said pointedly.

"Yeah, there is," Adam answered, looking over at the fallen seraphim. "I want to see if Charlie is better than her parents."

Lucifer stilled at that.

"Pretty fucking low bar, I know," Adam added on scathingly. "But it's always good to see some people turn out great INSPITE of their damned parents.

Lucifer frowned. "You'd know a lot about spite, I suppose."

"What can I say? I had some excellent teachers," Adam said accusingly.

"...I think we should go now," Lucifer said, starting to fly away.

"Lucifer."

He stopped and glanced back.

"Keep an eye on Charlie," Adam said, looking up at the red sky. "Shit is rolling downhill in the human world, I can hear it."

Lucifer turned and looked at him strangely.

"And keep me posted if Bathory is killed or not," Adam said before taking off.

"Yeah, sure, fine," Lucifer accepted halfheartedly, rubbing his head to massage the headache away.

He'd worry about all that later. Right now, he was just going to go home and make sure his daughter was okay before talking to his wife about everything that happened.

Oh, and he had some minions of Bathory to torture for a little bit, where Charlie wouldn't see or hear them of course.

Chapter Text

Eight Months Before Extermination Day, 1934

"AdamAdamAdam!"

That was the only warning Adam had before a grey-blue blur interrupted his meal, seated at the end of a table. Obviously, he was the only one still wearing a mask. "Sup, Ems. Want some honeyed glire?"

"I.....what?" Emily blinked, looking at the offered dish. It was some kind of cooked creature, or part thereof, seasoned with honey and surrounded by some greens and grapes. "What is a glire?"

"Fucking delicious. But it's also a dormouse," Adam informed with a grin.

"A...mouse? That big? And people cook mice?" Emily asked in surprise. Granted, she knew no eaten meat in Heaven had never been alive.

"Yeah, I just called it a glire since, well, that's what the Romans called it," he trailed off and motioned to the fact they were in a restaurant that bore a lot of look of ancient Roman, complete with colorful tiles on the wall. "Rich patrician fucks gobbled this shit up. Damn hilarious how one century's cattle is another century's vermin."

"Didn't they also eat a lot of....reproductive organs from animals?" Emily asked uncomfortably.

Adam shared her distaste. "Yeah, never my cup of tea. That taste is acquired as fuck. But that shit was mostly them thinking that eating another creature's sex-bits will make it easier to have kids somehow. Like some kind of fucking fertility vampirism," he rambled on. "So, what'd you yelling for me about?"

"Huh? Oh! Right! I got something amazing to show you!" Emily answered with sparkling blue eyes. "But, we can wait until you're done eating."

"Kid, you got my damn attention, so either you're ordering something or I'm fucking getting this to go, take your pick," Adam instructed.

"Oh, um....where is the menu?" Emily asked after a moment, deciding to be adventurous.

Adam jabbed a thumb towards a wall. The upper part of it was filled with mosaic tiles depicting certain dishes. "If you get any fish, get the garum. That sauce is the shit," Adam recommends.

Emily nodded, getting the attention of a waiter, who had the look of a rather lithe minotaur, and gave her own order. As she waited, she couldn't help noticing something. "Aren't you usually with some of the Exorcists? Or Lute?"

Adam nodded. Most up here knew nothing about the Exterminations, but everyone knew that Heaven had its armies. "Yeah, she's drilling some fresh meat. And I'm scoping out places to have a fucking good party when they pass. You know, and also some try some grub I haven't tasted in a long ass time."

Twenty minutes later, two very not-hungry angels were heading just outside Heaven's walls. "Oh, I hope I can find them again!" Emily said in excitement as she took on her multi-eyed form, reaching out a glowing blue hand and forming a large ripple in the air down below them. Soon, it was showing images of things going on in the living world.

Adam watched it all rather passively. He had already known Emily had mastered being able to make viewing portals for looking into current events on Earth. He even suckered Sera into joining him in taking Emily out to get ice cream.

Sera was fondly annoyed at him now, if only because Emily apparently didn't know just how many different flavors of ice cream there were in Heaven. She now had the rather expected goal of trying every flavor one day.

He wondered if Sera was finally wising up to her own familial feelings for Emily, motherly or big-sisterly. If not, he might have to spell it out to her. Honestly, he had noticed it for decades but hadn't cared to say anything about it. 

His eyes lidded slightly, fully aware of what had started tugging out some of his old parental instincts, among other things.

"Adam!" Emily called out excitedly, waving him over eagerly.

"Whatcha got, Ems?" Adam asked idly as he flew next to her. He found they were looking into a house on Earth. Where exactly, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that they were looking at a group of infants lying on a bed. "What, too fucking cute not to show?" Adam asked skeptically.

"No, Adam, look at them," Emily insisted, almost buzzing with some amazement about her.

Adam quirked a brow as he looked at the image again and- "Wait a fucking minute," He blinked. "They're.....quintuplets?"

Emily nodded rapidly. "Adam, these are the first set of five babies to survive being born at once!"

The first set to survive without dying to any of the normal issues that endangered a child living long past the womb. But he didn't bother to correct her. Especially since, by miracles of miracles, he couldn't see any shades of death hovering over any of these babes. Which meant they wouldn't die young, not as long as they were taken care of.

Adam's eyes grew a bit distant now. "That's a first for me."

"Isn't it amazing? And other humans from all over sent them so many gifts and well wishes! Everyone was amazed by this, Adam!" Emily said with a joyous look.

"Heh."

Emily suddenly stopped, looking over to see Adam staring strangely at the image. It was hard to read with the mask, but the lights showed an expression that was happy but....tired? Amused? Something else she didn't know the name of yet?

"Humans weren't meant to have that many at once," Adam mused idly. "And back in the old days, they just....wouldn't have. Three at the most."

"The old days?" Emily asked quietly. "You mean before...."

Adam's gaze morphed into what Emily could only call an ancient and withered glare. The portal showing the infants on earth vanished and Emily winced as she heard a faint rumbling in the distant clouds. "Before the Flood."

Emily held her hands to her chest as she watched Adam turn away from her. She wasn't...scared of him. But she couldn't help but feel she had carelessly touched something she shouldn't have.

"Thank you, Emily," Adam said, starting her in shock as he still kept his back to her. "I don't have "firsts" too often anymore. Let alone happy ones."

That voice was Adam's, but it almost sounded so...different right now.

It occurred to her that, while Adam talked a lot, she didn't really understand him.

But she wanted to.

After all, her duty was to help keep all the souls in Heaven happy.

How else could she understand how to do that, than by understanding the Man who fell from Paradise and climbed his way back into Heaven?

Extermination Day, 1934

It was different this year. Charlie didn't know why, but it was.

Instead of taking her home immediately, Adam had taken her down to the roof of a building. They sat on the ledge over an alley, denizens of Hell fleeing at the sight of the Head Exorcist overhead.

Charlie idly rubbed Razzle's back as he laid his head on her lap. Dazzle was looking up at Adam curiously, probably hoping for some scratches of his own.

Something was bothering Adam, that much was obvious.

"You don't know why the exterminations exist, do you?" Adam asked suddenly.

The lack of profanity was almost surprising. "I....do? To keep Hell from overpopulating and becoming a threat to Heaven?" she answered uncertainly.

"And why does Hell overpopulating make it a threat to Heaven?" Adam probed pointedly.

Charlie opened her mouth and then closed it. 

"Dammit," Adam grunted. "Hellflake? Angels aren't invulnerable."

"Huh? They aren't?" Charlie asked in surprise. "And should...you be telling me?"

"It's not a secret. Every fucker knew this at some point. I'm not surprised the sinner asses don't know anymore, most from back then are gone, but I promise most of the damn upper Hellborns know this shit still," Adam explained with bitterness. "Do you know what Immanence is?"

"It sounds like Immense, but I don't think it's the same thing," Charlie answered doubtfully.

"Not a bit, no," Adam answered with a sigh. "Heaven is free of all the shitty problems Earth has, Hellflake. Including decay, shit breaking down through wear and tear."

"Okay...?" Charlie answered, not quite understanding.

"What I mean is we can't be hurt unless the fucker attacking us is about as strong as us or stronger. And wants to hurt our asses. You can't wear down an angel with a horde of weak ass fuckers, you actually need a big gun to do us in," Adam explained with a grimace.

"But...doesn't that mean the Exterminations are pointless?" Charlie asked with a furrowed brow. Then she remembered just who and what Adam liked to target. "Wait....Overlords?"

"Got it in one, Hellflake," Adam praised absently. "If some hellion ass gets a lot of souls, and I mean a lot? They can become strong enough to overcome that shit, our Immanence."

"Immanence," Charlie repeated with interest, her mind working out what Adam was saying.

"Come on, let's get you home. Fuck knows staying on this roof too long is asking for trouble," Adam muttered., turning to let her climb on his back.

Charlie did so, Razzle and Dazzle flying up to claim their own spots as Adam took to the air.

"Immanence? Is that an...Angel thing, or a Heaven thing?" Charlie asked suddenly.

Adam frowned. "Heaven. Your father lost it when he was thrown down here. He's still ageless and shit, but any invulnerability is just him fucking protecting himself with his own magic."

"Oh. so, I can't get that either," Charlie said softly, rubbing at her head.

Adam looked at her with a furrowed brow, recalling the incident with the wolfman. 

Charlie felt his gaze and decided to return to the previous subject. "So, you....try to keep the sinner population to a certain amount, so no overlord can get that strong?" Adam just nodded without a word. "But...how do you know how many souls they'd need?"

Adam gave her a long look, raising an eyebrow as if to say the answer was obvious.

Charlie's expression fell. "Someone....did it before, didn't they?"

"More than one, Hellflake," Adam said with a scowl. "Humans still remember them, in a way. Cipactli, Apophis, Lotan, Nidhogg, Vritra, Orochi. Those fucks Abzu and Tiamat, or Typhon and Echidna."

Charlie recognized some of those names, and what she recalled of them wasn't good. Monsters in legends, some that were threats to the entire world. "So, when Lute said she didn't just think Hell could be a threat...."

Adam was silent.

Charlie looked down as something finally connected. "You're really trying to protect Heaven from us."

"Kid, I lost Eden. Earth is a shit replacement. Your family doesn't get to touch Heaven," Adam said bluntly.

"That's-!" Charlie stopped and bit her lip. "I don't think they want to."

They were both aware of her use of the word "think" instead of just denying the possibility.

"Hellflake? You're going to ask some question one day you will fucking hate the answer to," Adam warned.

"....." Charlie considered that deeply before continuing. "Next year, I'm going to bake cookies in the Embassy."

"Still set on that, huh?" Adam said with a smirk.

Charlie nodded firmly. "Can you please make sure I have everything I need to bake there? I don't want anyone thinking I brought anything from home."

"Hellflake, we'll know if any shit happens in the Embassy. You and your cookie-baking ass will be fine," Adam promised.

"....Adam? I know this is a question I might not like an answer to, but...." Charlie bit her mouth. "Do you think one day, Heaven and Hell can....not be enemies?"

Adam considered how to answer. Then he remembered Emily's words months ago. And he decided to tell Charlie the truth. 

"I used to."

Charlie's eyes widen, her mouth opening but her tongue refused to move. She wanted to ask, but she knew she shouldn't. Adam.... used to have some kind of hope, about people in Hell? But how long ago? Not recently. At least before...

"How long have the Exterminations been going on for?" Charlie asked without thinking. "The actual Exterminations?"

"Around five thousand years," Adam answered without missing a beat.

Charlie saw her home getting closer and found her mind racing for anything else to ask him. "Will you come to my birthday party!"

Adam jerked again, but this time from trying to cover up a laugh.

Charlie winced in embarrassment as they landed. "I'm sorry, that just slipped out, I panicked!"

"You're fine, Hellflake, that was just way too serious," Adam said in amusement.

".....Will you?" Charlie asked curiously.

Adam turned to face her with a frown. "Hellflake, I don't think your parents are going to want my ass around them any more than I want them around me."

"That...isn't exactly a no," Charlie noted curiously.

"If I did, I'd have to bring my own food and everything," Adam countered. "Or go hungry."

"You're not saying no," Charlie realized with a smile.

"And I can't promise to not start shit if I'm around your parent for a long time," Adam pointed out.

"You're Coming To My Birthday!" Charlie said in excitement.

"Look, I'll send you a present, but that's all I'm fucking promising, okay?" Adam forewarned flatly.

"Deal!" Charlie said with a grin, suddenly dancing with Razzle and Dazzle.

"Oh no, I just made a deal with the Princess of Hell," Adam said in dry humor. "When is it?"

"Sixth of August!" Charlie answered as she came to a stop with a wide grin.

Adam shook his head as he looked into Charlie's room.

Charlie tilted her head at his gaze, following it. "Oh! Right! Daddy is teaching me the piano."

So, the Devil actually listened when someone said his idea was bad. Amazing. But Adam kept that thought to himself. "Well, birthday or not, see you next year, Hellflake."

Charlie waved with a smile..... then realized she had to bring this up with her parents.

Adam searched for Lute, casually destroying buildings or taking a potshot at some sinner hiding down below. He eventually found her dealing with- "Was that fucker a skunk?"

"Honey Badger. I hope at least, Sir," Lute answered, flicking the blood of her weapon. "All well for the night?"

Adam nodded. "Any word on Radio-fuck?"

"According to what we've heard, he's been hunting Overlords still, but not as much. I have to assume the initial slaughter was just to make a name for him," Lute mused.

"Lucicunt sent me a message a few days ago. Bathory is in hiding again, or dead. Hard to tell shit at the moment. For once, our fucking guts are aligned, the bitch isn't done yet," Adam mused.

"She's probably in one of the settlements outside the Pentagram," Lute remarked.

"Not so, my winged fellows!"

Both looked down from where they hovered.

Lute glared and Adam raised an eyebrow.

Alastor the Radio Demon just smiled on.

"Would my fellow hunters be interested in some information on some rather Batty prey?" Alastor called up with a grin.

No one moved for a moment.

Then Adam grinned.

To his credit, Alastor did not flinch when Adam shot down like a comet and landed behind the overlord with a loud thud.

However, Alastor was a bit....surprised by the sheer height of the First Man.

"You're much bigger than your female compatriots, I noticed," Alastor mused as he faced the Head Exorcist.

"Fucko, talk, or you're back on the hunting list," Adam warned.

"Fair enough!" Alastor said in amusement. "The Good Lady Bathory is still very much in the city. "

"And you know this how, scum?" Lute asked, floating down behind the deer sinner.

Alastor's ear twitched, very aware he was pincered between a dangerous enemy and a VERY dangerous enemy. "Because, Madam, she tried to force me into a contract," he said casually, studying his radio staff. "I refused. It seems our 'King' did a number on her power base last year, and she is attempting to rebuild. And I hear the queen has been....pruning the vampire's friends among the Hellborn."

Adam leaned a bit closer, eyes narrowed with a scrutinizing gaze. "If she doesn't own your soul, how the fuck would you have useful info on her?"

"Well, she seems to enjoy rather rudely stealing my prey," Alastor said with a smirk. "I thought about dealing with her myself. Her voice would add such a lovely, noble quality to my broadcast."

The Overlord paused, allowing said broadcast to suddenly play. Either from his mouth or the radio on his cane. Or both.

"But I thought it might be more...valuable to offer that pleasure to you," Alastor said with a rather nasty grin. "So, if I were to dedicate my time and effort to locating her before next year's hunt, what might it be worth to our visitors from Heaven?"

Adam and Lute shared a look. This deer had balls, they were in agreement on that.

".....Tell you what? We kill her next E-Day, you don't have to worry about us for five years," Adam offered.

"Mmm, enticing," Alastor admitted, rubbing his chin.

He held perfectly still as the light of Adam's wing ominously grew brighter.

"But if you're fucking with me? I'll skewer you on your cane and burn your soul away with Holy Fire," Adam warned with a glare. 

One of his wings shot up, sending a wave of holy power into a building nearby, sending it crashing down behind Adam and dust to roll over the trio briefly.

Lute ignored the smoke of debris that passed them as Adam held Alastor's stare until the ruckus ended. "We have an understanding?"

"A very perspicuous one," Alastor answered, resisting his instinct to flee and put some distance between him and this angel.

"Good. Cause I do actually like your sick ass 'play their screams over the radio' schtick," Adam said with a smirk, allowing his threatening power to fade.

"Always happy to meet a fan!" Alastor said with a mock bow.

"Don't push it, or I'm snapping those antlers off," Adam warned while waving him off. "You got one year, make it fucking count."

"But of course," Alastor said with a stage bow, suddenly overtaken by shadows, vanishing away before either angel changed their minds.

"Furry Fuck is lucky. Bathory is about the only Overfuck I'd let another Overfuck trade-in to save their skin," Adam remarked.

"Sir, are you sure we can trust him?" Lute asked skeptically.

"We can trust that Bathory doesn't own his ass," Adam answered. "Come on, let's go to the red light district and demolish the place a little. Fuck knows half the saps stuck there probably want to be double-dead."

Charlie's Birthday, 1935

'Adam,

Charlie said you might be sending or delivering a present for her birthday? You're invited either way. Please don't kill anyone on my daughter's special day, she'll be sad.

Lucifer'

Adam had rolled his eyes at the rather short letter the first time. He had no intention of staying for Charlie's party, just dropping off the present in her room. He was not at the point where he could imagine being around Lucifer for an hour or more, let alone him and Lilith.

With that in mind, he portaled to Charlie's balcony. Being 'invited' by the Devil meant he could teleport here just as easily as he could teleport back out of Hell and into Heaven.

He placed a wrapped present on her empty bed and made to depart without a word.

And he would have if he didn't smell the blood in the air.

He stopped at Charlie's door, eyes narrowed as he wondered just who this was. No one smart. Trying to attack Charlie right on her birthday?

He was unsurprised when some winged sinner suddenly shot up, diving over the balcony, probably assuming Charlie would be here instead of him.

Adam was already prepared to throw the scum back out in short order, but he was surprised to find it wasn't needed.

The sinner hit an invisible shield, now covered by pulsing purple symbols, which covered the balcony and likely the rest of the manor. The sinner's face contorted in agony, but no scream came from his throat before he was repelled from the balcony rather forcefully.

Adam walked outside, looking down at the sinner. He had landed against the stone wall surrounding the manner, sloped over a bush. Adam saw he was some Turkish asshole who smelled of sadism and a lot of blood. "Zeki," he realized in distaste as the sinner twitched. "Tempting to let this fucker go crawling back to Bathory, but...."

Adam trailed off as the sinner, having some vaguely cat-like ears, growled while getting back to his feet. He glared up at Adam, either not seeing the holy wings or not caring at this point. He tried to attack the exorcist but found himself pulled back down.

Adam watched dispassionately as the shadows around the sinner came to life, grabbing at his struggling limbs. He tried to roar in defiance, but the shadows choked and gagged him as they pulled him down into the darkness.

And on the wall, the shadow of a horned woman watched, with glowing purple eyes glaring down at the foolish soul.

The shadows vanished once the sinner's desperate claw vanished, taken to someplace young ears would not hear the screams.

A mother has the right to the finishing blow against any fool that comes after her brood. Even Lilith was allowed that.

Still, Adam turned back and frowned at the door into Charlie's room. He narrowed his eyes, extending a wing in.

He could feel the barrier protecting against intruders. He could sense Lilith's magic in it.

He should have noticed that from day one. And he would have, if not for one simple thing.

They were keyed to not harm him.

Lilith trusted him that much around Charlie.

"You stupid bitch," Adam muttered loudly.

He was very aware that someone was standing on the next balcony over, staring at his back.

He deliberately ignored her, while being loud enough for her to hear.

"You don't have the right to trust me with shit," Adam swore bitterly, opening a portal back to Heaven.

Lilith watched him leave before returning to Charlie's party. And to tell Lucifer about the new "guest" they needed to entertain later.

Extermination Day, 1935

"You're sure?"

Alastor retained his smile despite knowing the angel would be more than willing to kill him if he so much as breathed wrong. "Quite certain! The poor old bat seems rather desperate to acquire the Princess."

Adam glanced at him with a narrowed look. "You know what this place is?"

"I believe it was a bakery," Alastor answered, tilting his head in amusement. "But I doubt that's what you meant.

"Dracula and her had a small fort here. Why the fuck would she come here?" Adam mused.

"Nostalgia, perhaps? Or some hellish form of dementia. She does seem to ramble and rave a bit," Alastor speculated, his eyes changing and his horns growing. "Or is the Great Exterminator scared of a leech?"

"I'm tired of this bitch fucking off with this sacrificial soul-switching shit," Adam answered, appearing to not even notice the intimidation display. Alastor retreated his demonic features, clearly disappointed it had no effect on angels. "Hey, Fucko? You're a cannibal, right?"

"Mmm, impressive. What possibly gave it away? Did I leave something in my teeth, perhaps?" Alastor joked, making an effort to brush a finger over his teeth.

"You're not from the Soviet Republic, or whatever it's fucking called now, right?" Adam asked idly.

"Hmm? Do I sound Russian?" Alastor asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Brat, all damn accents sound the same to me sometimes. Fucking Nimrod," Adam grunted in annoyance.

Alastor narrowed his eyes until he realized the "Nimrod" wasn't an insult or directed at him.

"There was some huge fucking famine going on over there around the time you showed up. Lots of new cannibals in Heaven," Adam remarked.

Alastor paused at that. "There are cannibals in Heaven?"

Adam nodded. "The ones that didn't want to be, and didn't murder someone for the damn body."

Alastor hummed. "Well, I suppose I should be going. Take care, Great Exterminator."

With that, he vanished into the shadows, leaving the area.

Adam just shook his head and headed into the derelict shop. He could search the place, but that was boring.

Adam summoned his new weapon, a large golden halberd. Or a spear-axe as he always thought of the weapon, but halberd was a pretty cool name, he'd admit. "Been meaning to switch things up," he mused, testing it in his grip.

He raised the holy weapon high over his head, divine light channeling through it before he brought it down onto the ground.

The building around him was instantly destroyed by the shockwave, collapsing in on itself. But the surrounding buildings were devoid of damage.  The brute of the attack went downward, making a large crevice into the ground, splitting it open like a wound.

"Sweet shit, I have missed using heavy swinging weapons," Adam said with a grin, twirling the weapon expertly on his fingers. With that, he leaped down the crevice. He faintly noticed the ground changing from the foundation he broke through at the top to older and darker bricks. He spread his wings as he fell into a large room.

It was dark, but he could smell burning wood and ashes. And the blood, but that was a given. Someone had put the lights out when he broke the floor open. The only light in the room now was from him.

"Not to be a cliché shit, but let there be fucking light!" Adam called out, slamming the bottom of his halberd into the ground. His holy light grew and spread out, illuminating the room.

He found exactly what he expected.

This was a torture room.

Racks, chains on tables, a wooden horse, pillories, garrote, and even a damn cross. All manner of devices to torture and bleed people and-

And that a Judas cradle.

Ignoring that unpleasant reminder of the Spanish Inquisition, Adam turned his attention to the more concerning thing about the room.

There were cages. Lots and lots of cages, all like bird cages, but big enough to fit a small person.

And in those cages were female demons. They all were or at least looked young, from children to late teens. Maybe a few extra-young-looking adults.

They were all groaning and whimpering in their cages, trying to hide their eyes from the light he had brought into this dark place, their Hell within Hell. Blood was on their cages, dripping or dried. Some of them were knocked over, crying in their cages. But none of them were dead. And that was the sad thing. None of them were dead. They had been drained over and over again, but never enough to let them die and respawn elsewhere.

Bathory had perfected her twisted craft in Hell, it seemed.

Speaking of which, Adam looked to the front of the room.

As if in a sick attempt to make the room cozy, there was a fireplace, still hot and smoking with embers.

And in front of the fireplace, was a bathtub.

It wasn't empty.

In fact, it was filled, almost to the brim.

Besides the tub was a small table and Adam saw something on it. He approached, picking up what he realized was a photograph.

It was of Charlie, a close-up of her. When and where it had been taken, he had no idea, just that it was of her smiling in at something. Maybe even the person taking the picture.

There were blood smears on the photo, where a bloody finger hand stroked the image.

"Precious, isn't she?"

The caged souls fell into a horrible silence at the voice.

Adam looked at her, almost surprised. "Figured you'd still be in the damn tube," Adam admitted, halberd resting over his shoulder.

Elizabeth Bathory walked out of the shadows with all the confidence of the queen she probably thought she was. Pragmatically, Adam knew she was regal and beautiful enough to pass for a noble Highborn in appearance. Her skin was a pale white, but her hair was as red as the blood she bathed in. She possessed black bat ears that almost looked like a crown of some sort on her head with her long hair woven and braided as it was. She wore long, flowing robes that only accented her dangerous beauty.

The whites of her eyes were as black as her soul and the red demon eyes gleamed hungrily.

The long claws of her hands were stained with blood. Not painted, stained.

And her wings...were gone. "Lucifuck got a piece of you last time, I see," Adam muttered.

Bathory said nothing as she approached him, each step slow, deliberate, and graceful. Her victims silently cried as she passed them.

"Down here, blood is endless. A soul can bleed forever. If you know how," Bathory said, looking down at some soul in a cage, whole froze in terror. "You start to care more about the quality after a while."

Adam said nothing, watching her, the photo still in his hand.

"The blood of an angel, the blood of the Queen of Hell," Bathory said with a giggle that was a bit...off. A bit too much. "And she has been a child for over a hundred and thirty years! I could still have decades to drain her veins, to enjoy her rare and illustrious blood."

She licked her lips.

Adam clenched his hand, crumbling the photo.

"But tell me, First of Eden? What is the child of evil to you?" Bathory asked, tilting her head with a wide-eyed curiosity.

Adam didn't answer, feeling like letting her run her mouth a bit longer.

"Oh, I can only fathom the endless revenge you have planned for that one," Bathory said, smiling much too wide. "Are you going to kill her in front of her parents? String her up on the embassy? From the Heaven itself?"

Had he ever thought about that? Kind of. Hearing that Lucifer and Lilith had a child, he half expected to meet the kid one day when the brat was full grown and end up being just another enemy like the rest of her family.

But now, the idea of Charlie's corpse put on display only made him grip his Halberd harder.

"Or maybe you'll drag her back to heaven. Like a pet. Or a trophy. I always did hear that the denizens of Heaven delight in watching our suffering. You certainly do," Bathory mused. "Why not give them a front-row seat."

Taking Charlie to Heaven? Even if he could, and he wasn't even about to say he wanted to, he wasn't so sure how her parents would react, honestly. Sad to be gone from her, yeah, but would they be worried about what would happen to her? Or happy she wasn't in Hell anymore?

Regardless, he knew it'd make Charlie miserable. And Heaven wasn't a place to cause misery.

"Or....." Something disgusting crossed Bathory's face. "Perhaps, after I'm done with her, I could hand her over to you. After all, they owe you a wife, don't they?"

The instant she spoke those words, she found Adam flying upon her with a swing of his halberd. "Yeah, fuck this!" Adam said with a growl.

"So sad, Leader of the Raiders! What great misery we could have brought them!" Bathory boosted maniacally as blood flowed from her sleeves, taking the shape of two short swords. With great speed, she rushed Adam, striking relentlessly with her blades. Adam moved and twisted the staff of his weapon to block or deflect her attacks.  "No matter, my dear count and I will deal with them one day! And soon, we will break from of the Ring of Pride, and take all of Hell into our demesne!" Bathory proclaimed proudly.

Adam used his free hand to send her back with a blast of holy energy. She was spared damage only because more blood rushed forth to shield her chest. "The fuck you talking about? The Impaler is fucking dead," Adam said, wondering if that kill had been fucked up too.

"LIAR!" Bathory screeched like a banshee in denial. All at once, four tendrils of blood formed from her back, shooting forth to stab Adam. He brought up his wings to block them, holding them back without much effort. "Don't speak that twisted lie! Death could not stop him! It will not separate us! He will return and we will do what you could not! Make the very demons of hell our servants and slaves!"

Adam snorted, spreading his wings with a surge of power. Holy energy shot through the blood tendrils, reaching Bathory, who screamed in pain from the surprise counter before collapsing to her knee with a hard panting. "You fucking lost it. Your man is dead, and you reign over shit and piss, let alone making demons into-"

Adam suddenly stopped as he looked back at the cages, something clicking in his head at her words. Those weren't just sinners in those cages.

Bathory had been bleeding Hellborn. Hellborn children.

A red eye shone in one of the cages, and for a moment all he saw was Charlie.

Bathory was suddenly upon him. He didn't even look as he reached out and grabbed her by the neck. Bathory roared and screamed as she formed more blood weapons to stab and struggle against him like a wild animal.

Adam threw her up and spun to hit her with the smaller back blade of the halberd. She screamed as the wound was flooded with holy power, sending waves of agony through her very soul. Adam swung with all his mind, sending her hurtling into a bathtub, breaking and tipping it over, the blood spilling out.

"No! My blood! My precious bathing blood!" Bathory bemoaned, ignoring her pain entirely as she got up, forming two blood orbs in her hands. "You wasted it! How do you expect me to salvage that lovely blood!?"

Adam raised an eyebrow at the blood orbs she had conjured from the same blood she was bemoaning. "Bitch, you have lost it. Those soul-switching things did a number on you."

"Shut it, nosey priest!"  Bathory screamed, attacking him again with long blood whips, complete with thorns along their lengths.

"You don't even remember where or when the fuck you are, do you?" Adam realized, swatting the whips away, cutting the ends off. He did so again and again as he closed in on her.

He furrowed his brow as he realized that Bathory was changing. Shrinking. 

Bathory managed to land a hit on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. With her right in front of him, he sent a lethal wave of holy power into a slash from his blade. Barely any blood came up to save her now as she was sent into the wall, falling with a thud and a large wound on her chest.

Adam tilted his head. "You know, I figured that without all that blood, you'd be the old fucking hag you were afraid you'd turn into," he mused as she tried and barely managed to glare up at him. "But instead, Hell turned you into the very thing you hurt and envied. A young maiden. Very, very young."

Bathory now looked like a child, eight or nine years or. A very feral, arid child, but still.

Every emotion seemed to leave her face as she looked up at him. "All I wanted, was to be young forever. To always be beautiful," she answered emotionlessly.

"Jokes on you, that's what you get in Heaven," Adam mocked with derision.

Bathory, still in a moment of perfect clarity, tilted her head. "You should have let us go. We could have killed them-"

Adam silenced her with a final slice, cutting her in half down the middle, her guts and organs falling out. "Sorry, Bitch, but I called dibs on that five thousand years ago."

He stared at the body for a few seconds before reaching up to rub off the faint blood from his shoulder. Not his own, obviously, but from the blood-whip. "I've gotten sloppy," he muttered with some distaste. Hunting Overlords put that in perspective, that he was too accustomed to fighting enemies too weak to get through his Immenance.

With that in mind, Adam turned to leave but quickly realized a problem.

The many eyes starring at him in awe. A lot of them being Hellborn.

Adam took a breath and decided there was only one appropriate course of action, and whispered something under his breath.

"Okay, what the fuck did you do that for?" Lucifer asked in annoyance as he instantly appeared out of a portal. "You know-"

"Bathory's dead, she was blood-milking sinners and hellborns," Adam interrupted, pointing to the room, sending out a series of low-level beams that broke the doors off the cages. Most of the children didn't react, some of them only peeking their heads out a little.

Lucifer blinked as he saw exactly what Adam said was there. "I'm....suddenly very happy me and Lilith killed off the Hellborn that was helping her."

"Yeah, this shit is your problem now," Adam said flatly as he flew up and out of the room, through the crevice he had entered.

"Wait, what?! Oh, fine," Lucifer said with a sigh as he turned to the former prisoners. "Okay, just got to handle a room of traumatized children until I can get them sent home," Lucifer summarized, his confidence dwindling a bit at the end.

Despite that exchange, Adam was in a good mood. Elizabeth Bathory was finally dead, and he could cross her off his list finally. And he did this early, so he had most of E-Day left to go still! He just had one last thing to do before he started the slaughter train.

He quickly arrived at the Embassy and kicked open the door to a meeting room. "The Blood bitch is fucking dead!" Adam declared in victory.

There was a round of cheers from the exorcists in the room. it wasn't all of them, just the ones willing to try something. "Congratulations, Sir," Lute said as she ate a cookie.

"Hi, Adam!" Charlie said, her face covered in flour and chocolate smudges, holding up a tray that still had two cookies. "I saved some for you!"

"Thanks, Hellflake!" Adam said as he took the offered treat. "So, Lute, how many you two fucking burn?"

"Miss Lute didn't burn anything!" Charlie answered assuredly, getting a smirk from Adam's second. "But she did get flour everywhere when she tried to open it with her spear."

Lute's smirk vanished and she refused to react further, beyond looking up at nothing.

"Ha! Lute's a good cook, but some shit always happens with her in the kitchen," Adam said with a chuckle as he ate the cookies. "So, did you like the present?"

Charlie nodded rapidly."It's so funny! You said it was from Earth!?"

Lute raised an eyebrow. "Sir, what did you get her?" she asked, the other angels leaning in curiously.

Adam shrugged. "New board game."

"Wait, is it the Monopy game the cherubs have been talking about?" one of them asked.

"Hmm? No, it's called 'Sorry!'" Charlie answered with a smile. "But what's Monopy?"

"Monopoly," Lute answered. "It's...."

"Something that sounds like it was plopped out of Mammon's fat ass, but it's too fucking good to be from him," Adam summarized with a grin. "I'm definitely getting the Archangels to play that shit."

Charlie looked between all. "I think I'll stick with 'Sorry!' but thank you."

Adam snorted. "Well, we best head out. Hellflake, you got extra cookies for when you go home?"

"Uhhuh. Why?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Just checking," Adam said knowingly. 

Needless to say, Charlie was rather confused when Adam brought her home to her Dad awkwardly trying to comfort a bunch of children while her Mother was busy contacting the other rings about the missing children.

Chapter Text

Eleven Months Before Extermination Day, 1936

"Emily."

The young Seraphim suddenly stopped the soft and comforting song she had been manifesting around her wings, looking at the First Man in surprise. They were on top of a large tower in heaven, Adam sitting on the edge.

"Ask me anything," he instructed.

She tilted her head, coming up to sit by him. She didn't speak, but her blue eyes asked him why.

Adam sighed. "You're the first new Seraphim we've had a long ass time and one of the only ones that came out as a damn baby instead of grown up. But brats like you can't learn shit if old fucks like me and Sera aren't willing to talk about shit. So, ask away."

Emily looked down at the street below in thought. "Why do you wear that mask?"

Adam frowned, rubbing the object idly. "There was...another reason I use to tell fuckers, a long time ago. But these days I tell them it just makes me stand the fuck out while looking cool as shit," Adam answered, smirking briefly before it vanished. "The honest shit is something only a few dozen angels know about."

"Saint Peter knows, doesn't he?" Emily guessed, getting a raised eyebrow. "I asked him, but I didn't know it was personal at the time. He said that was something for you to tell me. If you wanted."

Adam shook his head. "The Apostles. You know, those fucks are one of the last assholes I told the entire story of my life to? Especially Simon."

Emily leaned in with a respectful but deep interest.

"The Apple."

Souls didn't need to breathe in Heaven. But Emily believed she knew what it felt like for the air to escape her long. The way Adam said those two simple words. He spoke them as if to give them another, fouler definition and somehow succeeded.

"When I died and came Heaven? My soul was healed and cleansed, but I was never the same as before the Fall from Eden. Like it left a mark. Or kept a piece of me," Adam said with a narrowed, bitter gaze. "Don't get me wrong, I'm hot as fuck under this all."

Emily smiled a bit at his momentary return to his usual self.

"But I don't feel right with my damn skin out where people see it. The fuckers on Earth think it's just dignity or decency or shit like that, but it's fucking not!" Adam said hotly, his voice just short of rising. "I felt....wrong. Like...Like I lost something that I couldn't get back, even if I had all the broken pieces," he stopped to let out a breath. 

Emily allowed the silence to grow until she was sure Adam was done. "That sounds horrible," she said in sympathy, eyes wide with dismay. "I can't imagine what that must have felt like. Did....Sera and the others, they helped you heal, right?"

"They tried their damn wings off. Especially Raph, the man was always the doctorly type. Everything was a lot...busier back then, Fluffcake. They were still trying to salvage the mess the Fall had made of Creation," Adam explained with a headshake. "Sera made me the robes. I did the mask myself, with some help. Took me a long ass time to feel right in my own soul again. And by that point, I was so fucking used to the robes I didn't feel like changing my style. Granted, the mask was a lot fucking different back then."

Emily listened intently, carefully. "But...you don't feel like that anymore, right?" she asked hopefully.

"Not usually. Trauma isn't a thing up here, thank fuck. But every now and again, I think about it too much, how it felt. And I can still feel that damn part of me that isn't the fucking same as before I left Eden. It doesn't hurt. I just know it's not there," Adam answered, looking off into the distance. "Head home, Em, I'm sure Sera is wondering where you're at."

Emily blinked at the soft dismissal but didn't argue the point. "Thank you for telling me," Emily said, pausing. "And Adam?"

"Hmm?" he turned his head partially in her direction.

"I'm glad you feel better," Emily said with a smile, gently flying away.

"So am I, Fluffcake, so am I," Adam said as she left. "You coming out or just going to keep watching?"

With a flash, he was seated on a couch in Sera's office. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she assured honestly. "I was merely...surprised to hear to speak of that."

"Someone has to tell her the shit that happened, and how it all got fucked," Adam said with a grunt.

Sera looked to the side, a hint of shame on her face.

"I'm not insulting you, Sera," Adam said flatly without looking at her. "I don't blame any of us fuck-fossils that don't like talking about The Old World."

Sera smiled now, just a bit. "I was actually looking for you, Adam."

Adam looked at her now curiously. "Why?"

"Adam, we are 'fuck-fossils' as you put it," Sera reminded in jest. "Two decades is not that long to us, but I notice you've been acting a bit different lately. Emily, I can understand, but when was the last time you forced the Archangels all to sit down and play a game together?"

"After the first Bubonic Plague. Too fuck long, obviously," Adam mused. "Your ass better be there or I'll get Raphael to force you into a vacation."

Sera chuckled at his words before frowning. "As much as I'm enjoying some of your old behaviors, Adam, I am concerned about the cause."

Adam tilted his head for a moment. "Let me take a wild guess. You're worried the Hellflake's parents are using her to manipulate me in the long term?" 

"You've spoken of her enough for me to doubt her awareness of any plot, and I trust your judgment on that," she said grimly. "But Those Two?"

Adam looked to the roof and glared. "Yeah, been wondering that. I don't give Lilith the time of day. Her fuckboy? I put up with him when I have to."

"Such as calling him to help save a room of Hellbron children?" Sera asked carefully.

Adam shrugged. "I liked the idea of dumping freaked-out kids on him to deal with."

Sera hummed. "And you just happened to be hunting for the Overlord that wanted to capture his daughter."

"Bathory has been on my shitlist since day one. And you've seen my shitlist," Adam reminded.

"Your Kill List, yes. I look at that sometimes just to remind myself of why the Exterminations are still necessary," Sera said with a head shake. "The thought of someone like Elizabeth Bathory during the Era of the Archfiends fills me with dread."

"Lot of fuckers did the child sacrifice thing," Adam remarked darkly. "She'd had made a fucking religion out of it."

"I just ask that you be careful, Adam," Sera said, firm but concerned. "None of us want to see you suffer again, least of all by those two."

August 6, 1936

Charlie rushed to her room as fast her legs could take her, Razzle and Dazzle flying behind her. She all but through the door opened and grinned. "Adam!"

To her disappointment, the Angel was well and gone, her bedroom empty save for a single present left on her bed.

"Oh, we missed him," she said with a pout as she went over to her bed. Nonetheless, she retrieved the present and began unwrapping it with interest.

It was smaller this time, and definitely not a box. She pulled the paper away to reveal a strange oval thing made of dark wood. It was full of holes and hollow, with a small handle part.

"....What is it?" Charlie asked, tilting her head as Razzle and Dazzle hovered over her shoulder's curiously.

She found that there was paper wrapped around the handle. She removed it and was grateful to find a letter.

"Hellflake,

Congrats on your thirteenth decade.

By the way, it's an Ocarina. Kind of like a flute.

Don't know if you like wind instruments, but thought you might want to give it a try.

See you E-Day, Adam"

Charlie giggled. She was pretty sure the only reason the letter wasn't filled with curses was because Adam had made the letter too small to waste space.

Still, a new instrument? Her parents had mused about getting her a flute or something to try now that she was trying other instruments.

Extermination Day, 1936

"Mom took my ocarina away," Charlie informed, unbothered by this fact.

"How many damn windows did you crack?" Adam asked expectantly.

"I didn't try to keep count," Charlie admitted with a wince. "She says I can have it back after I have some lessons."

Adam grunted. "So, was I imagining it, or did it sound like you had more kids in the house that day?"

"Some of the kids you saved from Bathory and I really got along," Charlie explained with an uncertain look on her face. 

Razzle huffed from Adam's back, clearly aware of the topic.

"Razzle doesn't like some of them. Dazzle likes chasing Deska. She's a hellhound," Charlie explained. 

"Let me guess, they keep trying to pet them and Raz hates it," Adam mused.

"How do you know that?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"I can tell what kind of personality an animal has after a while, even fucking demonic shits like these two," Adam explained. "Raz is a cautious and aggressive ass that doesn't like strangers being too friendly with him at first. Daz doesn't mind, little fuck is a people pleaser, he's just having fun with the mini-bitch."

Razzle and Dazzle both bah'd at the assessment, as if agreeing with the angel.

Charlie hummed at that, letting the silence linger. ""Adam? About my friends and the other children? I'm glad you helped them-"

"Don't fucking look too deep at it, Hellflake," Adam interrupted flatly. "Honestly, my first plan was to let their asses free and let them finish Bathory off. But I decided not to play around with a bitch that slippery. So I settled for giving them a pass for a year and letting your parents deal with that fucking headache."

Charlie was a bit disappointed but knew Adam wouldn't accept any argument that he did it in any way to help the Hellborn, children or not.

"They, um, are still scared of you. A lot," Charlie informed cautiously.

"I fucking hope so," Adam said bluntly. To his surprise, Charlie didn't respond.

She fidgeted a bit under his stare. "I didn't...know this, but the Hellborn tell stories about you."

Adam wasn't surprised by that in the slightest.

"Hellborn parents tell their children to never come to Pride, especially on Extermination Day. That they'll be...ripped to pieces if mistaken for a Sinner," Charlie explained morbidly. "And they make you sound so scary. They don't even know your name. They just have these names for you. Leader of the Raiders. King of Locusts. Lord Exorcist."

"You didn't know I'm the damn Boogeyman to the rest of Hell, did you?" Adam asked, almost amused by how sheltered she was now.

Charlie shook her head. "Do you....do you LIKE how terrified they are of you?" Charlie asked with a frown.

Adam turned to look at her over his shoulder and kept her gaze. "Yeah, yeah I really do. Hellborn or Sinners, fear and power is the only fucking language Hell understands. Don't be upset I learned to speak it so clearly."

Charlie looked down. "The treaty says you can't kill Hellborn. But if it didn't-"

"Probably have just blown up the whole room with them in it, yeah," Adam answered instantly.

Charlie smiled, if only a little. "Thank you for saving them, even if it doesn't mean anything to you."

Adam chose not to respond to that and let that topic end. "So, your folks tell you anything new about the past?"

Charlie kept quiet for a moment. "Daddy doesn't want to. Not really. I can tell. Mommy does though."

"....Lilith does," Adam said with distaste.

Charlie nodded. "She told me....the story wasn't everything, but it was how she felt."

Adam hummed, and it didn't sound happy.

"But, umm, they did explain to me more stuff about the angels," Charlie informed. "Seraphims, Cherubs, Malakhims. Though, Daddy said you should explain what the difference is between the archangels and The Archangels. He said he wasn't sure what happened there?"

"Yeah, that shit. That's just modern language bullshit messing the fuck up mixing in with some fuckers misunderstanding shit," Adam explained. "Okay, the regular archangels are actually called the Roshim. They're important because they can do or help any other angel with their fucking job. Basically, they can take on a weaker version of the power any other class of angel has. They're basically the handifucks of Heaven. The actual "Archangels" you're thinking of? Those guys are the Sarim, the Chiefs of the Angels. It's not actually a class so much as a status."

"Status?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Any kind of angel can become a Sarim, an Archangel. Any fucker with that title can use all the powers of the other classes of angels, at the same time and in full. There are only ever seven of them. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are three in that group for eternity. Other angels have filled the other four spots. Sera wore that hat for a while, still does, but she is mainly focusing now on being the Governor of Heaven."

"Huh. And why don't you just call them Sarim and Roshim? "Charlie asked curiously.

"Hellflake, when a fucker goes to Heaven or Hell, they understand every language as their own native one from Earth. We know what the shit they mean when they say Archangel or archangel, I can literally feel the fucking capitalization. Shit gets explained if they ask, but most don't and figure it out from context or don't care to think on it."

Charlie hummed. "Hellhounds and Imps don't have it....very good, compared to other Hellborn. Do the classes affect how angels are treated?"

"Oh, fuck no. Class just means what the fuck you can do as a cosmic job. My girls do shit the rest of the year, Hellflake. Some of them make fucking furniture, others help with the heavenly landscaping. Lute tried racing, but she got banned for a whole ass century. Don't ask. I just chill the fuck out unless I'm needed for other shit," Adam explained.

"...What ARE the exorcists, exactly?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Same as every bitch and fuck in the heavenly host; my girls are of the Erelim, the Valiant Ones," Adam explained with a smirk.

"Wait, so, if they do other stuff too, can angels change class?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Kind of? Every angel is ranked by their sphere. First, second, third. For most of us, this manifest in how many fucking wings we have," Adam informed bluntly.

Charlie's eyes immediately went to Adam's own wings.

"Yeah, I'm one of the weird cases. Probably the Fall fucking up my soul still," Adam remarked venomously. "Instead of more wings, my wings just get bigger and more holy. I'm considered among the second sphere. Also, technically an Erelim, but my girls are all of the first sphere."

"Oh. So, spheres don't control what job you can do?" Charlie asked curiously.

"They do. A Third Sphere Angel can take on any role, but you need to be of the third tier to handle doing shit like the Seraphim do," Adam explained. "Trust me, Hellflake? This isn't a caste thing, this is 'You must be this powerful to work this shit' kind of deal."

Charlie nodded in thought as they reached her home. "Adam?"

"Hmm?" Adam cocked his head as Charlie didn't slide down.

"....Do you...want me to hate my parents?" Charlie asked softly.

"I want you to decide on your own who to hate, if anyone," Adam answered bluntly.

"....If anyone?" Charlie repeated in surprise, in hope. "S-so, that means, when I know....everything? You won't...hate me if I don't hate them?"

"...." Adam looked over his shoulder. "Charlie, my hatred is not that petty. You'll get my hate if you earn it, and not a day sooner."

Something was comforting yet ominous in that statement. She slid down and somehow she knew that Adam would not linger this year.

"Adam?" Charlie called out to his backside. "I...one day? I want you to tell me a story. I want...I want to hear your story of Eden."

Adam didn't say anything for a long moment. "Been a long while since I told a bedtime story, Hellflake. Might be a few years before I figure that one out."

Charlie smiled. "Thank you, Adam."

With that, Adam took off to the sky.

He grinned as he came upon a rather slippery worm demon that was trying to flee across rooftops from his girls.

"Surprise, cock head!" Adam exclaimed, dropping down with a kick strong enough to send him and the demon down through the roof, and the floor below it.

Knowing the trip about worms, Adam used his wing to cut the worm down the middle, long way. The sinner thrashed and screamed before succumbing to their final death.

"Hmm, hunting light this year?"

Adam glanced over and raised an eyebrow. "The fuck you doing, Fucko?" he asked curiously

Alastor motioned to the stove that had something...or rather, someone cooking on it. "Oh, I found this goat demon hiding in here. I never had goat, so I could not let the opportunity pass me by!" he explained with a grin. "Sorry to say, but hunting Overlords right now is a bit on the low side. There are many around, be assured, but all too cautious for either of us to find so easily."

"Yeah, well, just keep your head down," Adam informed. "You're off the hunt list for four more years, but it's your own fucking fault if you get caught in the collateral."

"So I see," Alastair said, glancing up at the hole in the ceiling. "Did you know I was in here, by chance?"

"Knew some asshole was. I was hoping it was Overlord. And it was, just not a fucker I can kill right now," Adam explained with a shrug. "Add anyone interesting to your tunes?"

"No one important. A rapist, a scam artist, and a soldier," Alastair said with a chuckle.

Adam chuckled. "I might actually miss this when I get around to killing you."

"If, my good hunter. If you get around to killing me," Alastor countered with a wider grin.

"Keep telling yourself that, Fucko."

August 6, 1937

'Adam. Got the sulfur cold. Hellflake.'

Sick on her birthday. Well, that sucked all the dick and shit.

Adam made sure to keep his steps quiet as he entered the room. Razzle and Dazzle were on the foot of the bed but paid him no mind. Charlie was covered up, sniffling, and sounding miserable as she slept.

"Guess even Hell Princesses get sick down here," Adam murmured softly to himself, setting a gift down for Charlie on her nightstand. It was a copy of a new comic from Earth, called Dandy. Not much, but he thought she might get a laugh out of it.

His eyes lingered as he saw a book on the stand, titled "The History of Hell."

Careful to not disturb Charlie, he sat down on the side of the bed. One arm and wing over her headboard as he opened the book and began reading.

If anyone watched, they would have seen no reaction from Adam's mask as his eyes ran over the script.

And then he stopped.

He read a single line, a single word over and over again again.

His wings glowed brighter as rage quivered within him.

The door opened and his gaze snapped up to see Lucifer's crimson eyes fixed on him.

Neither spoke, neither moved.

Adam almost saw red, but he was acutely aware that Lucifer wasn't looking at Adam's face or the book in his hand.

No, he was looking at the hand and wing hanging above Charlie.

Adam could see the Devil's mind spinning, thinking how fast he would have to move to save Charlie if Adam tried to kill her.

And Adam shamelessly enjoyed when Lucifer realized that he was too far away, that Adam was too close, and that his daughter was alive entirely because Adam didn't feel inclined to kill her.

"Adam-"

Adam closed the book quietly. "Shush. She's sleeping," he reminded with a dead tone as his fingers moved back and forth in a deliberate manner, wings ruffling just enough to make the Sin of Pride stiffen. 

So, Lilith trusted him around Charlie, and Lucifer didn't. Not entirely at least. Interesting.

Then again, that just meant that one of the people he hated most did understand him on some level, and the other did not.

He put the book down and let Lucifer squirm for a moment longer before rising. Slowly, deliberately he removed his arm and wing from the headboard.

Lucifer relaxed as Adam put some distance between himself and Charlie as he approached Lucifer. The Devil glared as Adam stopped beside him.

"How's it feel?" Adam asked flatly. "Knowing your kid can be killed in an instant, by a whim, and there is nothing you can do to save her?"

Lucifer bristled, something vile flashing across his face. "If you hurt Charlie, I will end your soul in the slowest and most painful way I can."

Adam snorted. "Funny. You almost sound human."

Lucifer's eyes went wide, as if stricken by that.

"You know, that fucking story you tell her? Only one word of it pissed me off," Adam informed, giving Lucifer a revolted look. "'Gladly.' You really are a disgusting piece of shit, the both of you."

"You-"

"I will do whatever the fuck I want," Adam interrupted firmly. 'You want this to stop? Go ahead, keep Charlie from seeing me. Tell her whatever fucking lies you want to make yourself feel better. But she is NEVER going to accept what you say at face value now if you do."

"...Get the fuck out of my house," Lucifer ordered coldly.

Adam turned to leave but had one last parting shot. "As you wish, O Breaker of Light."

Lucifer recoiled as if wounded, glaring at Adam's back as his demonic visage took over. His clawed hands curled and popped, his wings emerged, and his unholy halo blazed.

Adam never once looked back as he went to the balcony.

Lucifer breathed hard and deep, dark flames curling in his raised hand. "You arrogant prick....!" he breathed with a voice of brimstone and soot.

"Daddy...?"

Lucifer's head snapped to Charlie, who was now seated up on the bed. Her voice was cracked and her eyes were blinking sleepily. Lucifer hastily dismissed his demonic features before Charlie could come too fully. "CharChar! You're awake! Are you feeling better?" he asked in concern.

He was pointedly aware of Adam leaving via a portal on the balcony.

Charlie nodded, yawning. "Can I have some soup, please? No apple please, I can't keep it down," she pleaded with a sniffle.

"Of course, princess," Lucifer assured. "Anything else?"

Charlie hummed, still drowsily. "Daddy? What happened five thousand years ago?"

Lucifer froze. "What do you mean, Sweetie?"

"Dunno. Adam said the Extermination started around then, but he never said why," Charlie answered with a yawn. "Said others raided hell too."

Lucifer sighed. "Charlie, you're much too sick to hear an answer to this."

Charlie nodded in agreement. She wasn't sure she expected an answer. She just couldn't keep it in her head with the headache too. "Soup, please?"

"Coming right up, Princess."

Two Days before E-Day

Adam sat on top of the pearly gate, watching a very....very busy line of souls coming forth. Many souls were lingering or stopping entirely on the bridge, letting out screams and wails of anguish.

"Sir."

Adam tilted his head as Lute landed behind where he was seated. "Yeah, Lute?"

"Lady Sera is aware of the situation. She is keeping Emily at the tower, but hopes you keep her away if she slips away," Lute relayed.

Adam nodded. "Some of the exorcists are down there, helping talk to some of the grieving souls."

Lute nodded, already aware of that. "Emily means well, but she's not prepared to help souls like this."

Adam silently agreed with that. it was true that Heaven cleansed everyone of their trauma and problems from Earth, but certain souls needed....time. Time to process and come to terms with their terrible death, to let out their frustration and sadness at the sheer injustice they had suffered.

Like people murdered after being violently and brutally raped.

And there were a lot of victims of that right now.

Emily, bless her heart, was not ready to face this, to help with this.

"Something horrible happened on Earth, "Lute summarized. "Was it that war between Japan and China?"

Adam nodded. "We're going to be busy this year, Lute."

Lute said nothing. "We might have some new exorcists soon, Sir."

Adam nodded knowingly. With a word, he unfolded his massive wings as wide as they could. They glowed brightly, poised to move.

Lute smiled as she knew what was coming.

With a slow but powerful flap of his mighty wings, Adam covered the virtuous souls in a wave of shining, divine mist. All at once, the mob of souls became more alive yet more calm, relief and joy in the eyes of many. The wailing calmed as the holy, golden dust brought comfort and peace to all souls about to enter Heaven. The wear and tear of life lifted and blown away by those angelic wings.

Saint Peter looked up with a relieved smile, waving at the First Man, who gave him a thumbs-up gesture in return.

"It's been a couple centuries since you did that, Sir," Lute remarked fondly.

"Peter, the others, and you girls can normally help the victims of a pillaging get through their shit just fine. But this is different. This isn't stopping anytime soon," Adam remarked, gazing off to the side. "I get the feeling this is barely the start of the shitstorm on Earth."

Lute frowned and nodded. She made a mental note to prepare her sister for the possibility of having quotas again.

Extermination Day, 1937

Something was different about Adam this year. Like he was tired in some way, yet happy to see her.

"Glad to see you're feeling better, Hellflake," Adam greeted as the rest of the exorcists flew off.

Two of them actually waved back at her when she waved at them!

"Hi, Adam! Thanks for the comic!" Charlie said with a smile. "Miss Lute, can we bake again next year?"

"Perhaps," Lute answered neutrally.

"That means yes~" Charlie said knowingly.

"It does not," Lute refuted with her arms crossed.

"It means yes unless something fucking comes up and plans go to shit," Adam supplied, which Lute didn't refute. "Lute, you hanging around this year?"

"Unless you'd like me not to, Sir," Lute said bluntly.

This, of course, was all just posturing for Charlie. Lute had already spoken with Adam about this before arriving. She had no intention of leaving Adam alone this year, since it was possible Lucifer might try something after what happened on Charlie's birthday.

"Miss Lute is coming along?" Charlie asked, mildly excited.

"Why is that something you enjoy?" Lute asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I like spending time with you, Miss Lute," Charlie informed with a smile.

Lute looked to Adam, who sighed and waved her some reluctant permission. "You do realize I consider you a whorespawn of hell, right?"

Charlie winced at the wording but then looked thoughtful. "I don't think my mother is a whore, but.....there's nothing wrong with being the child of a whore, is there?"

Lute cocked her head. "No, I suppose there isn't?"

Charlie nodded. "Can you please just call me Hellspawn then? I don't like it, but....my mother isn't a whore," Charlie said firmly. "She loves Daddy. I know you all think they're evil and liars and more, but that part isn't wrong."

"I have no intention of calling you either, or arguing the feelings of your parents," Lute answered solemnly. "I just don't want you to get the wrong idea about me, Princess."

"I won't. You like me, but you think I'll turn evil one day. Adam hopes I won't but doubt I'll stay good," Charlie said softly. "But....I think you like me a bit more now than you did the first time I stayed with you. You seemed like you had fun baking with me."

Lute didn't refute that, "If you are somehow unlike other Hellborn, I will be happy to see you every year, Princess."

Charlie smiled wider at the admission. It was progress. Slowly but surely.

"If you two are down pussyfeeling around, let's get flying," Adam said as he let Charlie climb on his back, Dazzle joining her after he shrunk down. "And where is Raz?"

"He didn't feel like coming," Charlie answered with a shrug. "Raz and Daz don't worry about me that much when I'm with you."

Neither angel said anything to that, but Adam swore Lute's face was almost amused.

"Well, since she's here, why don't you try asking Lute some questions?" Adam suggested.

Lute deadpanned at that while Charlie looked excited. "Oh! I know! Do you need to preen your wings?"

Lute furrowed her brow. "Why ask me and not him that?"

"Because Adam's wings are golden, glowy and look like they are made of magic," Charlie asked bluntly.

Adam cackled, flapping his wings harder for emphasis, just once.

"No, Angels don't need to preen. We can though, it can be pleasing," Lute admitted.

Charlie suddenly blushed a bit. "is...is that an angel-couple thing? Wait, what is dating even like for angels?"

"Uhhhhh," Lute suddenly looked very lost and uncertain and embarrassed. "Princess, I'm not...the norm for angel dating."

"Oh, now I really want to know," Charlie said with a pout.

Adam hummed. "Well, Haniel runs the Third Heaven, and she helps angels find a match or make a lover."

"I'm sorry, THIRD Heaven?" Charlie asked in shock. "Are....are there seven heavens!?"

Adam opened and closed his mouth. "You know, I genuinely do not know if your folks got thrown down here before or after the angels set up the exact layouts of Heaven," he realized. "But, yeah, there are seven heavens. There were GOING to be seven earths too."

Charlie was pulled out of her shock by the ire in Adam's voice. "So, umm, Third Heaven. Haniel. You said she MAKES lovers?"

"Kind of," Adam answered, looking to Lute.

She sighed. "Are you familiar with the Houri?"

Charlie tilted her head. "No?"

Lute sighed. "There are certain people on earth that think when they die, they are "attended" by virgin angels called Houri, up to seventy-two of them."

"That's....a lot of virgins," Charlie said with a blush. "Adam, did you cause that with the Exorcists?"

"I.....can't say it's not a distinct fucking possibility!?" Adam said with surprised amusement. "Haha!"

"It's also not exactly false," Lute said with a sigh. "The Houri, and we do use that term, are Angels that come into existence to help sooth a void in the heart of another angel, be they earthborn or heavenborn."

"They....they are literally born, creating themselves to love someone....?" Charlie said in amazement. "That sounds so romantic."

"Not always," Lute continued. "Houri aren't always lovers. Some of them are companions, for people seeking a deep friendship. But yes, most are born to be lovers. And many have more than one Houri. However, that is never by choice or design. I can't say why dozens of houri will spawn for one person and another will have only one, but none are ever disappointed with their result."

"Oh. Heaven really is a paradise, trying to fulfill everyone entirely," Charlie mused, with a bit of awe and interest. "So.....are the Houri a class of angels?"

"Not exactly. It's more like a distinct of how they fucking came into being," Adam answered honestly. "It's basically saying they are Love-born."

"Lute?" Charlie asked slowly as she looked suspiciously at Lute. "How many of the Exorcists are Houri?"

Lute didn't react at all to the question and didn't hesitate to answer.

"Just one."

Chapter Text

August 6, 1938

"Adam! You're early!" Charlie exclaimed in surprise, still in her pajamas.

"The fuck you doing eating in bed?" Adam asked curiously, staring at the tray of food beside Charlie. "You sick again?"

"No! Everyone gets birthday breakfast in bed in this house!" Charlie said with a grin.

"That's a thing now, eh?" Adam mused as Charlie climbed out of bed. "Thought that was just for married women."

Charlie, glad to actually see Adam on her birthday, raced over to him and surprised him with a hug.

Adam, still holding her gift, blinked at the sudden contact but ruffled her hair all the same.

Charlie beamed and looked up, realizing Adam was still giving her a strange look. "What? Do I have food on my face?" Charlie asked, running a hand over her mouth.

"Nah. Just stand still," Adam instructed, and the devil's daughter obliged curiously. Adam then placed a hand on top of Charlie's head. Not like a head pat, Charlie realized, as he then held the hand to his waist. "Shit, you did get fucking taller!" Adam realized in amusement. 

"Of course I did! I'm a hundred thirty-two now! It's time for my growth spurts! Soon I will be taller than Daddy!" Charlie said confidentially, holding up her arms in celebration.

"Low bar to clear," Adam mused, moving his hand up to his height. "Just don't expect to clear this fucking line."

"Why are you so tall? Mommy isn't nearly as tall as you?" Charlie asked with a head tilt.

"Hellflake, your mom can shapeshift to look however she damn well pleases. She can be as short or tall as she fucking wants," Adam reminded. "Probably just got tired of her big ass horns hitting door frames."

Charlie hummed, wondering if that might actually be the case. Her mother tried to be practical with many things, she could see why her own height might be among them.

"Your friends coming over, I'm guessing?" Adam asked idly.

Charlie nodded, eyes finally landing on the wrapped gift in Adam's hand.

"Go ahead, cheers," Adam said, handing it to her.

With childish excitement, she wrapped apart the wrapping.

Her smile fell at what it was. Not because she didn't like it, but...

"I have no idea what this is," Charlie admitted curiously.

It fit in her hand and was like a cube but with twelve sides. It was hollow with different-sized holes on each face, and little bulbs at each point.

"Really?" Adam asked in surprise. "I thought everyone did."

"What shape is this again?" Charlie asked with a furrowed brow.

"I believe humans call it a dodecahedron," Adam answered with a shrug. "Romans invented these. Saw one in a restaurant and thought you might like one."

"So, it's for food?" Charlie tried uncertainly.

"No, it- well, you could use it for some foods. Might help making something like hot dogs," Adam mused thoughtfully.

"Adaaaaam! Tell me what your strange-looking gift is for, please!" Charlie requested with a pout.

Adam chuckled. "Fine, fine, it's-"

The door sprung open. "Charlie, I'm-!"

Adam's eyes fell onto a small hellborn child. A small lizard-looking brat with little horns on the nose. Her scales were dark blue, almost black and her eyes were grey, sclera and all. She was wearing a yellow hoodie of all things.

And she looked absolutely petrified as if she would shed her own skin and run right now if she could.

"Lord......Lord Exorcist," she breathed, backing away, and tripping over her own tail.

"Gleam!" Charlie said as she rushed over to her friend. "It's okay. He's not going to hurt you. Right, A-"

Charlie stopped as she looked to Adam again, who was standing tower over them, the normal glow of his wings somehow seeming more sinister suddenly.

Adam never hesitated to remind her of who he was and what he did.

He said he would have killed her that first night if she had been any other Hellborn.

Gleam was any other Hellborn, to Adam at least.

Still, Charlie pressed on. "Right?" she asked to Adam.

He considered the trembling Hellborn before he reached down, making her flinch. Adam didn't care and reached to grab her by the hoodie, dragging her back to her feet before releasing her.

Gleam looked up at him with confused, terrified eyes.

"Stop worrying yourself. I'm not going to fucking end any of you on her birthday," Adam said firmly.

It wasn't much, but Charlie would take it.

"Th-thank you," Gleam said softly. "L-Lord Exorcist? T-thank you for killing that....that bitch!"

Charlie was just a bit surprised by Gleam yelling the insult.

"Don't get any fucking ideas, kid. If you don't want Hellflake here crying over your graves, you'll stay home on E-day," Adam warned with a glare. "How the fuck did you even get taken by that bitch?"

Gleam winced. "My parents.....sold me."

"Well, that's fucked," Adam said dryly.

"We were poor and thought t-the demon p-p-paying for me would take care of me," Gleam explained. 

"Either slightly less fucked or liars," Adam mused casually.

"B-but then they took me to Pride, and I was in a cage, and she wanted more and more blood! She bathed in it! She drank it! Sh-she even painted with it sometimes," Gleam rambled on. "I-I thought you were going to kill me."

"Safe bet," Adam mused.

"Adam," Charlie pleaded softly.

"I-it's fine, Charlie," Gleam said with a weak smile. "I'm just glad....that it ended. That I'm not still with her anymore."

"Are you back with the parents who sold you?" Adam asked flatly.

"N-no. Q-queen Lilith helped me find a new family," Gleam answered.

"Well, that's good at least," Adam muttered. "So, the seven hells are still terrified of me?"

Gleam nodded rapidly. "Mom. My new Mom? She said the mafia on Greed Rings sometimes sends people to Pride on E-Day. If they don't d-die from that, they'll finish them off when they try to escape."

"I should be annoyed at being used as a clean-up, but the more hell-blood spilled the better," Adam mused casually. "Well, I should probably head off. Enjoy the party, Hellflake. See you in a few months."

"Goodbye," Charlie said with a sigh waving as he left with a portal. She placed an arm around Gleam. "You okay?"

"He really hates us," Gleam said softly. "Except you."

Charlie winced but couldn't refute that. "Come on, let's get ready, the others will be here soon."

Gleam nodded absently. "I'm glad I got to say thank you, even if he'd probably kill me next time he saw me."

Charlie tried not to let that thought stay in her head too much for the rest of the day. That Adam or his angels might someday kill one of her friends if they ended up outside on Pride on Extermination Day.

It was a soft but brutal reminder that she truly was the safest person in Hell sometimes.

Extermination Day, 1938

"The King of Locust, whose wings have blinded a thousand princes and dukes of Hell, laid low the two Goetian Kings. Only by the might of burning Lucifer and regal Lilith were their lives spared. But their heirs, for the sake of their love, fled deeper into the besieged Ring of Pride and were never seen again.  All that was ever seen of them again were a pair of feathers, stained with blood."

Charlie finished the story solemnly as she looked up. Just as she said, they were baking this year before Extermination Day started. While waiting for the muffins to finish baking, Charlie pulled out a book she had gotten for her birthday.

It was a book of Stories of Hell. And there were many involving the Exorcists and their Leader.

"I remember those two," one of the exorcists said, because Lute was once again not the only one here. "The Kings, I mean. Zagan and Vine. Didn't even know what an Ars Goetia was at the time. Scared me shitless when they were actually able to push us back. Then Lord Adam nearly skinned them alive before your folks stopped us."

"Mom and Dad were actually there?" Charlie asked curiously.

"No," Lute answered. "They just....made it known they were watching. Sir decided a pair of so-called Kings weren't worth the headache."

Charlie looked down. "And the heirs? The two lovers in the story?"

"No idea," another answered. "We certainly didn't kill them."

"Not that year at least," Lute agreed, checking them over. "Princess, how soft do you want them?"

Charlie walked over to the over and smiled. "Those look great! Though, we still can't make enough for everyone."

"Kid, we are literally an army, you'd need dozens of ovens to do that in one day," another exorcist reminded.
 
Charlie didn't refute the point but did look at them curiously, helping Lute take the muffins out. A perk of being the Princess of Hell? She didn't need oven mitts! "Also? I meant to do this last time, but...can I ask your names?" Charlie asked. "I mean, you ARE all the same Exorcists that were here last time and Lute baked, right?"

"They are," Lute informed, nodding to her sisters in arms. "These are the seven captains of the Exorcists."

Seven. That number came up a lot.

There was a pause as the captain all looked between each other before removing their masks. They were all similar to Lute in general features. Their skin was all either white, grey, or grey-purple. Their hair was all silver or white. The eyes were all varied a lot, but no one had eyes like Lute. Still, all of their eyes were bright and brilliant, but also hard and sharp. Like the glare of a reflected light.

"Princess," Lute addressed again. "Allow me to introduce the captains: Ionia, Doria, Phrygia, Lydia, Mixolydia, Aeolia, and Locria."

Some of them waved. Two smirked. Only one of them actually smiled at her.

"It's nice to meet you. Even if...I wish you would all go home today," Charlie said with a smile.

"Oh, the terrible princess wants to cruelly put us out of a job. What will we ever do?" Mixolydia said in feigned sadness.

"You're terrible," Lydia muttered in disapproval to her twin.

"W-what? Oh no, I never thought about that!" Charlie said in shock. "I-I just thought you'd do...whatever the rest of the army of heaven does."

"Mix, you absolute cunt," Lute deadpanned. "No, Hellflake, that isn't a concern. She's just messing with you."

"......Did you just call me Hellflake.....?" Charlie asked in wonder.

Lute's brow twitched, and her fellow angels watched her, eyes gleaming with malicious teasing. "I did. Adam rubs off on me."

"I think what you mean, Ma'am, is you rub him off," Phrygia remarked knowingly.

"I am putting you on guard duty for a decade," Lute warned.

"You'll get me for one horrible year, then our wonderful leader will let me off the hoof after pounding you into the mattress to make you forget about it,"  Phrygia retorted.

"Through the mattress, thank you very much," Lute corrected.

Charlie watched the exchange with wide, wide eyes. "I...okay, well, I guess I know you aren't Adam's daughter now, Miss Lute."

Lute raised an eyebrow at the outlandish notion. She was about to open her mouth when they all suddenly stopped and touched their halos.

Charlie had learned very quickly that Angels could speak through Halos. She wasn't sure about the rules about how that worked, but she did know they didn't need to actually speak or even touch the halo. It was more of a social cue they did out of habit, to let others know they were "on the halo" as it were.

Which sounded a lot more like a toilet metaphor, they all admitted.

Lute frowned. "Charlie, I'm sorry, but Adam can't come this year, he has a meeting with a particular Overlord."

"Oh," Charlie said in disappointment.

"Ladies, head out and begin the purge," Lute instructed.

"Ma'am!" they saluted, redonning their helmets.

"See you next time, Princess!" Doria called over her shoulder as they each grabbed a cupcake on their way out.

"I trust you can contact your father to take you directly home?" Lute asked evenly, arms crossed with her spear already in hand.

Charlie nodded, biting her lip and looking to the side. "Lute? Can we....talk for a bit before I go home? Since I can't talk to Adam?"

Lute considered the question. She would have said no only a decade ago, maybe less. "I will answer one question for you, Princess."

Charlie mulled on that, choosing it carefully, "Lute? What's the difference between us?"

Lute deadpanned. "You need to be very specific with that question, Hellborn Princess."

"No, that! That's what I mean! What is the difference between the souls of the Heavenborn, Earthborn, and Hellborn?" Charlie asked, waving her hands about animatedly.

Lute stared, debating ignoring the question entirely, to make her choose another. But she knew Adam would answer it for her, so she would as well. Albeit, with less profanity. "There is a difference in nature in our very souls. Philosophers in Heavens compare it to many things, even the states of matter."

Charlie looked up expectantly as they both took a seat next to each other, her utter attention on the angel. Lute hummed, placing her spear in the air and drawing a circle made of heavenly light. She tapped it and the circle began to wiggle and flow. Never breaking, but it was like the ring was filled with waves and ripples.

"Earthborn, human souls? They are filled with boundless potential. For better or worse. They can become anything they desire to be if they try hard enough," Lute said, tapping the circle again. Now it was solid, perfectly round. "But Heavenborn come into existence with a purpose. Something that humans struggle to find in life; something that gives them fulfillment and happiness just by doing it. Loving their work, as it were. Sera of the Seraphim, her purpose is to help in the governing of Heaven for the sake of all within it. Houri are born with the purpose of companionship. Some of the Exorcists were born to defend Heaven. Other angels are born to maintain different parts of the heavens. Tending to the forests or expanding on the cities, incorporating new inventions into the heavenly realms."

"Wait, so....Adam said that there are plenty of Heavenborn that are born and raised, not just...." Charlie paused to make a bursting motion with her hands. "popping into existence, all grown up. Are they born knowing their purpose?"

"Yes, to my understanding. They don't feel the drive for it until they become adults, but they do understand their purpose at a young age. There is no uncertainty for a Heavenborn in why they exist, what they want to be unless they invite uncertainty in," Lute said with a dark look on her face.

Charlie was curious but she knew a subject she should not press when she saw it.

"And, umm, the Hellborn?" Charlie asked softly.

Lute tapped the circle again and...it broke. The circle gained gaps and missing chunks, retaining only a semblance of its form with wispy remains. 

"Hellborn are like smoke and air, shadows. Their souls are whimsical, casting aside any purpose beyond their own worst wants and desires. Full of fleeting cares and whims, passing from one to the next without regret. Trusting a Hellborn is like a human trying to catch smoke in their hands."

Charlie winced at the rather brutal description. "Is that what...Heaven thinks of all Hellborn? That we don't have a purpose?"

Lute gave her a look that was...almost pity, but not quite. "Hell was never supposed to exist, Princess."

Charlie looked down, unable to refute that point. According to the stories, Hell came into existence because of her mother and father. "If all of that is true, then why does Adam care about me at all? Why am I....here, talking with you, if that's all he thinks of me?"

Lute motioned to the broken circle again. "Notice that even with all the missing parts and the shimmering of what remains, the circle can still be seen. Hellborn are not completely unpredictable. You are individuals with personalities. Lord Adam seems to think that the parts that make you a "Hellflake" might be permanent instead of fleeting."

Charlie starred and starred some more. She didn't know if all of this was really correct about Hellborn souls. But she was sure that Lute believed it and that Adam probably did too. So, that meant...

Adam cared about her, despite everything he believed about her parents, Hell, and Hellborns.

And even if it felt a little selfish, that still made her happy.

Elsewhere, Adam sat on a roof, watching as the extermination began. Obviously, most sinners had run away from here at the mere sight of him.

But for once, he didn't join in the killing spree. He just sat there and waited.

A shadow crept up along the floor behind him, reaching for him until-

"You're going to lose your hand if you try it, Fucko."

Alastor chuckled as he emerged from his shadow, taking a seat casually next to the angel. "Well, you seem to be in a downright dour mood, my normally kill-happy fellow! Might I ask, hunter-to-hunter, what could possibly be bothering you on this most violent day of days?"

Adam sighed deeply as he stared down at the road. "You remember what they called the Great War?"

"Hmm? Yes, yes, they called it the World War, why?" Alastor asked idly.

"I'm pretty sure it's about to become World War One."

Alastor's ears twitched up in surprise and interest. "And what makes you say that, my good man?"

Adam turned to Alastor and gave him this long stare of a thousand years and more. "I was there when the first war, Stag of the Crescent."

Alastor's spine shot straight and his eyes narrowed at the new nickname he had just been granted. The Stag of New Orleans, the Crescent City. "Were you really? Interesting. So, you can, perhaps, foresee the future?"

"Less see and more....hear," Adam answered with a scowl. "The fucking marching, the breaking of dreams and homes, the shit the victors do after, and all the damn screaming. that shit echoes backward in time a bit."

"I'll have to take your word for it," Alastor mused. "I'm not sure why you are unhappy with that. True, you'll be rather busy for a few years, but you don't strike mesa the sort to sulk over a bit of work."

"Unless it's fucking paperwork," Adam muttered. "But yeah, that would just annoy me. It's...everything else I've been hearing. A lot of souls coming to Heaven are talking about...horrible things that happened to them. I talked to some just before I came down here."

Alastor narrowed his eyes. "What could disturb an angel who saw the first war?"

Adam grimaced before leaning over. Not too close, but enough that he could whisper and Alastor's ears could pick it up.

".....Alive? They did that do them, alive?" Alastor repeated, his smile barely holding in place as something truly revolting went through his body. "That is.....demonic."

Adam nodded. "That's in the East. Things have been boiling in the West. There was this night a while ago. Not a lot of people died, but....people just started ransacking people in their own country."

Alastor studied the angel curiously.

"There's no such fucking thing as Fate, Stag. Just where you land because of the shit you did. But there are points where shit becomes inevitable. Where the shitball has rolled downhill so fucking far that it can't be stopped. It's going to land and it's going to be nasty. Whatever is going on back on Earth? Well, fucking past that point. And I get the feeling that shitball is about to reach the bottom."

Alastor hummed. "I appreciate the forewarning, but I don't quite see why you would spill all of that to me?"

"I have a fucking list, Stag. A shitlist of people who I try to off the instant they get down here. That list? It's about to get a LOT longer," Adam said with a growl to his voice. "How'd you like to stay off the menu long term?"

"...Why am "I" not on the list?" Alastor asked with narrowed eyes. "I may not be no Jack the Ripper, but I very much know I belong down here."

Adam looked at him, yet the Radio Demon felt like the angel wasn't looking at him at all. "Right, I remember you now," Adam said with a snort. "There were a few fuckers on my shitlist that you sent down here."

Alastor stared for a moment before his smile widened in a predatory way. "So, staying off the menu you say?"

Adam smirked. "Just don't get the wrong damn idea, Stag. I think you and your shit is too big of a threat, I'll fucking put you down like the beast you are."

"And I will take it as a compliment when you deem me such a threat!" 

Chapter Text

August 6, 1939

Adam raised an eyebrow when he found the door to Charlie's bedroom not only closed but locked. Magically locked.

But the barrier was clearly not stopping him. So it wasn't Lilith. Which only left.....

"What is it, Old Scratch?" he asked, knowing the Devil was standing behind him on the balcony.

Lucifer said nothing, waiting until Adam turned to face him. The Devil wore a look of angry suspicion that made Adam in turn suspicious.

"What happened to Charlie?" Adam asked bluntly.

"She's fine," Lucifer answered with a furrowed brow. "She's been having nightmares."

"And let me guess, I'm somehow at fucking fault, despite her living in fucking Hell? There are literal warzones she can see from her balcony," Adam reminded flatly.

"Just....fucking shut up for a moment," Lucifer said, rubbing between his eyes with a sigh. "I'm not blaming you, exactly. But Charlie mentioned something in her dreams, and I don't know where in Literal Hell she heard it. I didn't say it, Lilith didn't say it, and you are probably-"

"Stop fucking around, what did was in her dream?" Adam asked bluntly.

".....Breaker of Horns," Lucifer answered with a small glare.

Adam paused in open surprise. "Haven't heard that in a long time," Adam mused.

"So, you didn't mention it to her?" Lucifer asked pointedly.

"Why the fuck would I tell her about that? No, back the fuck up? Why the fuck would she not tell you I told her if I did? That's not a fucking topic a kid like her forgets," Adam said bluntly.

"I don't know, okay!?" Lucifer snapped. "Maybe she was afraid to make you mad or just thought we'd make her finally stay away from you!"

"Oh, take a fucking shit and eat it, Lucifuck," Adam snapped. "The fuck is your actual problem? Cause you're obviously not scared of me hurting the Hellflake! Fuck, I don't even think you're scared of me 'poisoning her mind' or anything like that. I'd get that-"

"You're taking her from me!"

Adam stopped as he saw Lucifer's eyes go red with a glare. "....The fuck you say to me?" Adam asked in surprise.

"You know how much I hate how I see her eyes light up when she talks about you!? How excited she gets when she knows she'll get to see you soon? She danced her way across the manor when you first said you'd come to her birthday! She makes plans with Razzle, Dazzle, and Keekee to try and catch you before you leave! She talks with her friends about you!" Lucifer ranted off, gripping his cane as he screwed his eyes shut.

Adam said nothing, merely crossing his arms and watching the Devil vent. 

"My daughter draws pictures of her flights with you! You, who she wants to stop from killing sinners, and she smiles so wide whenever she thinks about you! And every time she asks me something and she doesn't look happy with my answer? I know, I KNOW she's thinking about if it'd be better to ask you instead! She learned the fucking names of your locusts! My-!:

"Lucifer!"

He paused in surprise, looking back up at the First Man.

"I'm not trying to steal your daughter," Adam said firmly. "I see her once or twice a year. That's fucking all. And she HATES what I do on E-day." 

Lucifer tried to say something, but for once, no words came out. 

"If it feels like she's being stolen away, you have only yourself to blame," Adam said pointedly.

For the first time in ten thousand years, Lucifer seemed defeated before the First Man.

And Adam cared nothing for this pitiful victory. "What did you get her?"

"What?" Lucifer blinked in surprise.

"It's your daughter's fucking birthday, what did you get her?" Adam repeated in annoyance.

"Oh. I got her a stuffed Monkey. It's enchanted and dances. It'll even play pretend tea party with her," Lucifer answered with a small smile. "You?"

Adam held up a blue, crystal-like cube with a note attached to it. "It's a recording of this movie on earth. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Seems like something she'd like."

"Snow White?" Lucifer asked skeptically. "I'm not sure she'd be a fan of the part with the Evil Queen in the iron slippers."

"Nah, nah, this shit is a lot less dark," Adam assured, waving him off. "Not my style, but I like the style."

"If you say so?" Lucifer said questioningly.

"So, you going to let me put it on her bed or what?" Adam asked impatiently.

"Hmm? Oh, right, right," Lucifer said, waving his cane.

Adam entered the room freely now and deposited his present on the bed. Without a word, he turned around and was about to make a portal back to Heaven.

He stopped, looking up at the sky of Pride. A new soul dropped in every few seconds, sometimes more than one.

Lucifer followed his gaze with a head tilt. "Still 'hearing' something in the mortal world?"

"Yeah," Adam said absently. "They're trying something new up there on Earth. They haven't named it yet, but I already know what they'll call it."

"And what is that?" Lucifer asked in morbid curiosity.

"Total War," Adam answered, still staring up.

"Ah. As if wars were less-than-total before," Lucifer said with an eye roll.

"They're redefining the entire focus of their countries, putting everything into their war potential. Imagine that shit for a second. Every ounce of will and effort of millions of people, dedicated to sustaining and advancing a conflict. It's impressively disappointing," Adam said with a scuff. "The worst part is I can't blame you for this one."

"Oh? That's refreshing," Lucifer said mildly as Adam opened a portal. "...Why?"

"Did you forget?" Adam asked as he stepped through. "Because I invented it first."

The portal closed and Lucifer paused in consideration. "Yes, I suppose you did," he realized, his mind drifting back to a more ancient and terrible time.

September 28, 1939

"Welcome to LuLu World!"

Charlie grinned widely as she got off the roller coaster ride. Her parents had surprised her with a trip to LuLu World. Things had been tense lately. Another war started on Earth, and with it came an influx of souls. Souls ready to keep fighting even in death.

She was a bit disappointed that her friends couldn't come, but while LuLu world was outside of Pentagram City proper, it was still in Pride.

"Mom, look! The person behind me threw up!" Charlie said with a giggle as she received a picture taken of her during the ride.

Lilith smiled with a tittered of laughter of her own, stroking Charlie's hair gently. Today she was absent of horns, to avoid getting caught in decorations. "Any more rides you want to go on, Charlie?"

Charlie hummed in thought. She had already tried all the new rides. And did the petting zoo, obviously. "Maybe the Fun House?" she mused, trying to remember when the last time she even went in there was? Ten years maybe?

"The Fun House it is," Lilith agreed as they walked hand in hand, handing Charlie a Behemoth Ear.

"Where'd Dad run off to?" Charlie asked curiously as she ate the treat.

"Oh, some ride broke down and he decided to fix it himself," Lilith explained offhandedly.

Charlie nodded. Some children might be disappointed their father ran off to do work in the middle of a family trip. But her father could fix the ride in about ten seconds or less thanks to his magic, so it wasn't much different than a bathroom break really.

The line to the Fun House was thankfully short. More Hellborn children were in front of her, waiting their turn. Some gave them curious looks, probably figuring out who they were, but thankfully, nobody made a big deal of out. Some even waved awkwardly at her. Being a Princess was like that at times, awkward.

Suddenly, her mother's grip got firmer, causing her to look up curiously. Lilith was looking off to the side with a glare. "What is it?" Charlie asked softly, following her gaze.

"I thought I heard something," Lilith answered vaguely before glancing back. "It looks like it's your turn."

"Huh? Oh!" Charlie said as she headed on in. "Be back soon, Mom!"

"Have fun!" Lilith called a smile before turning back to glare to the side.

For a long moment, nothing happened, and Lilith was just a parent impatiently waiting for her child to finish with a ride.

Her horns emerged.

Something small was thrown over the wall and into the park.

That was when all Hell broke lose.

Charlie happily climbed over the obstacles and explored the attraction until, without warning, an explosion shook the air and startled Charlie. "What was that? Was that part of the fun house?" she asked in confusion, hoping but doubting that to be the case.

She was proven correct as she heard the sounds of gunshots and screaming echoing into the funhouse from outside, followed by more explosions and sounds she couldn't really describe.

She ran back towards the exit, only to impact with a barrier. It shimmered purple at the touch and she knew it was her mother's. Right, she remembered this. Her mother had shown her this years ago. If she ever found a shield like this of her mother's magic, it meant she needed to stay put because something dangerous was happening. Which was obvious.

She winced as a loud roar erupted from nearby. "And Dad just started fighting," she said knowingly, trying to ignore her nervousness. It was fine. Her parents would deal with it and it'd all be over soon-

Someone screamed.

Charlie looked further into the Fun House as more gunshots erupted nearby, and saw a young demon running out of another section, only to be cut down with a shotgun blast to the head.

Charlie stared numbly as the hellborn child collapsed near her feet, blood pooling around the body.

Hellborns weren't like sinners. Sinners respawned after death, again and again, unless Angelic Steel was used. That this was effectively true for very powerful Hellborn like the Sins and the Ars Goetia. But the everyday Hellborn? That was it. Once they died, they were gone.

From around the corner came two more sinners. A rat and a buzzard

"Ahh, more little vermin to clean up," the rat said with a smirk, shotgun over his head.

Charlie barely registered the words, placing a hand over her mouth as she felt the urge to vomit, trying not to imagine the corpse as any of her friends.

There was another rumble in the ground. "Sounds like the Devil and his bride are getting serious," the buzzard said with a smirk.

The lights in the fun house began to flicker.

She shivered and, out of fear, summoned her trident and held it out defensively.

The sinners only laughed at her efforts, the darkness growing as the lights flickered more and more.

One aimed a gun at her. She felt the barrier behind her pulse protectively and knew that her mother's magic would protect her. That didn't make it less scary.

Charlie stopped shaking all at once, wide eyes slowly drifting up.

The sinners blinked and noticed it too.

The flickering stopped, but...

"Swathes of Nothing."

They weren't alone in here anymore.

There was a blur of golden light and the sinners fell to the floor in a bloody mess, bodies cut in half and arms cut off, all in one strike.

Charlie looked around in confusion and worry. "He.....Hello?"

"Be careful with your calls, O Princess of the Pit."

Charlie turned and saw....something in the dark corner of the room, almost hidden by a tube leading to another room. As soon as she saw the figure, he stood up.

Dagger-like hands reached out to find purchase, clawing into the wall while dragging the large figure to their feet, dreading out to where Charlie could see them.

It wasn't a sinner, Charlie knew that, but it didn't feel like a demon. It almost felt like...an angel.

But it looked nothing like them.

No wings, no halo.

The entire body looked like one solid mass of shadows. Yet it was also like a cape, moving in the air even without wind. Only the face was distinct. It kind of reminded her of Asmodeus, as if made of a dark blue flame. Solid gold orbs for eyes blazed in the head, the light bright through the mouth and leaving a trail through the "hair" of flames.

He walked forward, and about him were golden orbs of liquid. Angel Blood?

"You never can be sure who might answer," the being cautioned with an ancient and raspy voice.

"Who....who are you?" she asked slowly.

"One who came to see your blood remained unspilled this day, Heir of Gehenna," he answered with a dip of the head and smile on his near-ethereal visage. "But you may call me Abaddon."

"Abaddon?" Charlie repeated. "I thought...I thought that was another one of my father's nicknames."

"Like Satan, Beelzebub, and Leviathan?" Abaddon retorted knowingly. "I hear tale that you now speak with the Tender of Eden and his flock."

"You mean Adam," Charlie said with a furrowed brow. "Why is that important to you?"

"Is it unkind to ask how an old comrade fairs?" Abaddon questioned rhetorically.

"Old comrade...?" Charlie repeated, eyes wide as her gaze drifted once more to his lack of wings. "You're a fallen angel?"

Abaddon hummed. "The Grigori once counted me amongst their numbers," he answered, tilting his head at Charlie's lack of comprehension. "The Watchers, child."

"Oh. Them," Charlie recalled somewhat. "You're not going to hurt me."

Abaddon looked just behind Charlie. "Even if I was, I would not be so foolish to wound a dragon's hatchling before her mother's gaze."

Charlie turned and saw her Mother standing there, a stern look on her face and shadows moving at her feet, eyes on Abaddon. "Mom!" She exclaimed, reaching to hug her around the waist."

Lilith smiled and rubbed Charlie's head comfortingly before turning her attention back to the newcomer. "Hello, Abaddon," she greeted levelly. "I wasn't expecting you here."

"Nor should you have, Serpent's Queen," Abaddon said mildly. "Tread carefully, Child of the Morningstar. A grand war has been set loose, and a dying leader might turn mobs of rabble into waves of ruin in the blink of an eye."

"I...thank you?" Charlie answered uncertainly, looking back up at her mother for a second.

When she looked back, Abaddon was gone.

They ventured outside and Charlie was dismayed to see the park was now the remains of a battlefield, or at least this side of it. Her father stood nearby, smoldering attractions and desolated bodies littered behind him. Demons, Hellborn and Sinner alike, combed through the bodies. Both to check the dead for those they knew and also to scavenge what they could.

After all, it was still Hell.

"Charlie!" Lucifer exclaimed, picking her up quickly, and hugging her with a relieved smile. "Are you okay? No cuts or bruises?"

"I'm....I'm fine, Dad. But everyone else....," Charlie trailed off solemnly, looking around at the bodies. The Sinners would come back, but the Demons would never rise again.

"I'm sorry, Honey," Lucifer said with a sigh. "We were planning to close down the park for a few years anyway. I just wanted to give you one last time before we did."

"I know Daddy, but how'd they get in? Doesn't the park normally have wards so people can't sneak in?" Charlie asked in confusion.

"Someone dropped them just before the attack," Lilith informed with the barest scowl on her regal face.

"I thought that's what I sensed," Lucifer growled. "I'll deal with that later. I'm just glad you're safe, CharChar."

"She had a protector, it seems," Lilith remarked, getting her husband's attention and caught her gazing off to the distance.

There stood Abaddon, perched on the highest curve of a rollercoaster, his form illuminated by the red moon of Hell.

"Is that who I think it is?" Lucifer asked with a frown.

"Abaddon," Charlie answered, watching the figure curiously.

Lucifer looked to his wife, who nodded meaningfully.

The Infernal Royal Family looked back up, seeing Abaddon fade away as wisps of shadow.

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "Show off."

Extermination Day, 1939

This year was a bit different. With more and more warring souls pouring into Hell, no one exactly felt safe leaving Charlie flying above the literal warzones of Pentagram City for any period of time.

Thus, this year, Adam joined Lute in showing up to the Embassy early. She would spend time with them here, and then Adam would portal her home.

And if Adam agreed, Charlie decided it probably meant it wasn't safe to be flying without heavenly imminence.

"Are you going to help?" Charlie asked curiously as she and Lute made donuts.

"Nope!" Adam answered, leaning back in his chair. "I don't bake."

Charlie gave him a long, long stare. "Please tell me this isn't a "cooking is woman's work," thing?" she all but pleaded.

"Oh fuck no. I cook a LOT," Adam said with a grin. "And I fucking rock at it."

"He does. He really does," Lute agreed with something approaching reverence. "Lady Sera actually begged him to cook Emily's birthday dinner when she turned a hundred."

"Little tyke looks like she just arrived in heaven instead of being Heavenborn," Adam said proudly.

"Oh.....so why....?" Charlie asked, motioning to what she and Lute doing, then to Adam doing nothing.

"I cook, but I don't bake shit," Adam answered bluntly.

Charlie stared for a long moment, utterly confused. "What's the difference?"

"Cooking is an art! I can fine-tone and change shit up when I cook. Baking is like some kind of science shit. I mess around with a baking recipe and that shit will turn into a mess," Adam explained honestly.

"I don't really understand, but I believe you," Charlie said with a smile. "Well, I think we're done with the donuts. Now we just need to get them in the oven."

Lute and Charlie moved their trays to the oven, Adam opening them with his wings, just because he could.

Charlie hummed. "Adam, who is Abaddon?"

Lute tripped hand landing on the hot oven door. If she weren't an angel, she'd be in a lot of pain right now.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Charlie said quickly, helping Lute stand back up.

"You said Abaddon?" Lute asked evenly. "Where did you hear that name, exactly?"

"I met him," Charlie answered to Lute's surprise.

"Yeah, I heard about this," Adam said with his arms crossed. "Your parents took you to that fucking amusement park and shit went sideways."

"LuLu World," Lute said in annoyance. 

"Yeah. I wasn't in any real danger, but he still showed up to help me, just in case," Charlie said with a frown. "He asked about you?"

"He asked about Adam?" Lute asked with a raised eyebrow, looking at Adam as well. "Abaddon asked about you?"

"He also said he was one of the Watchers, one of the angels who left Heaven sometime after my father's fall," Charlie remarked.

"What did your parents tell you about him?" Adam asked curiously.

"Well, Dad said that he betrayed the other watchers when they betrayed Heaven? Is that still a betrayal? And Mom said I could trust him, and that he was probably looking out for me because of you?" Charlie answered curiously.

Adam hummed in consideration. "They basically left me to explain all this shit."

"Sir, if I may?" Lute answered, getting both of their attention. "Princess? What do you know about the Old World?"

"Nothing, really?" Charlie answered. "I thought it was Eden for the longest time."

"It seems that Emily isn't the only one whose history lessons were lacking," Lute realized idly.

"Do they have any damn history books in Hell?" Adam asked curiously.

Charlie blinked in surprise. "History books? Well, yes, but...I can't read them."

Adam furrowed his brows at her. "You can't read?"

Charlie nodded. "The oldest books are in this strange writing that I don't understand. Mom and Dad say I'll know it when I'm older."

Adam stared before snorting. "The Lilin Script."

Charlie tilted her head. "What's that?"

Lute rolled her eyes. "Another thing they should have told you."

"Look, in the beginning? We all spoke the same tongue. Angels, Demons, Humans, everyone. But after Eden, there were two written languages. What the humans made, and the Angels adopted. And your mother made her own scratchings to make a language all her fucking own."

Charlie furrowed a brow. "Why didn't the Angels make their own?"

Adam shrugged. "Hellflake, up there? History and Memory are the same thing for us ancient fucks. If we got to teach something, we'd rather do it ourselves than just write it down," he elaborated. "That language is....it's not fucking genetic, but you're a Demon, a Hellion. All Souls of Hell can read Lilin Script, just like everyone upstairs can read Angel Script. It just takes a while to kick in."

"How is that possible?" Charlie asked curiously. "If it's not genetic?"

"Oh boy, getting into the conceptual shit now," Adam said with a head shake. "Hellflake, there are these....things that exist. The Elders call them the Foundations of Reality or the Pillars of Creation. I call them the World-Bones. But on those fucking bones are carved certain...rules of reality. Your parents carved the Lilin script into Hell's World-bones, the Angels wrote the angelic script into Heaven's."

"....." Charlie was looking at him as if he just explained one of the secrets of the universe to her.

In retrospect, he kind of did. "Don't get funny shit in your head, Hellflake. World-bones are not fucking wish-granting genies. They take a lot of power to fuck with, and it's even harder to make them work right because they can NOT do everything. They just make things already possible fact. Anybody could, technically, learn the scripts of Heaven and Hell the old fucking way. The world bones just let them skip the learning process," Adam warned sternly.

"I get it, I get it!" Charlie said quickly, holding up her hands in surrender. "I don't even know how to find them even if I was that careless."

"Let's keep it that way," Adam said with a hum. "Look, on the subject of Abaddon? Don't worry, you can trust him. He's just keeping an eye on you while this fucking war is unwinding."

Charlie stared at him as something started to line up. "Wait, did you....did you actually ask him to keep an eye on me?"

"Look, this isn't me shitting on your parents, this fuckery is just going to get chaotic," Adam explained firmly. "I don't even fucking blame them for taking you to the damn park one last time, just bad fucking luck at the timing."

"....I thought you always assumed the worst of my parents?" Charlie asked, pleasantly surprised.

"I do. I will also admit that, sometimes, shit happens," Adam explained. "So....you like the movie?"

"I watch it once a week," Charlie said, wide-eyed with wonder. "It is amazing!"

Adam almost snorted in amusement but stopped as he caught Lute holding back a giggle of her own, biting her lips.

He savored the view for a moment until Lute noticed. "....Sir?"

"Donuts are getting crisp," Adam informed suddenly

"FUCK!" Lute cursed, turning quickly to the oven.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Charlie said in worry.

Adam just shook his head.

Later in the night, with Charlie home and the Exterminations underway, Adam hovered in front of his exorcists, his seven captains at the front.

"Ladies! "Adam called out. "As you all know shit is rolling on Earth. This'll probably be the last year we don't have quotas again. But same rules as always: Target any and all organized groups of fuckers, and tear their asses apart. You get attacked, you fucking annihilate them. If they're fighting each other already, fuck all of them up. These assholes want to keep fighting? Well, they can fight our asses!" Adam declared loudly. "Now, let's fuck them up!"

There was a battle cry of agreement from the Exorcists as they all scattered to the winds of Hell.

Adam himself made a rapid flight to a certain radio tower, finding a certain overlord waiting casually on one of the steel bars. "Stag."

"Exorcist," Alastor returned. "You'll be happy to know that soul you asked me to deal with is gone," he said, holding up his cane as the screams echoed through it. He tapped the side, and the screams filtered until a certain voice could be heard screaming over the others. "Such a strange taste Germans have these days," Alastor remarked as he silenced the transmission. "Tell me though, why the interest in this one? Besides making him have one of the shortest reigns as an Overlord in the history of Hell."

"You should have seen the shit Gaius and Temujin pulled when they got down here," Adam said with a snort. "Entire legions and hordes ready to fight for them, to give their souls to them. More than that, they had lesser Overlords in their powers. Their generals and allies, having brought some fucking order with them."

"I see," Alastor said with a hum. "So, you don't want them to be a bigger problem when their leaders get down here?"

"Got it in one, Stag," Adam admitted. "What happened at the trashy park of Old Scratch? That was them celebrating cause they got word Poland was defeated."

"Luckily, they were foolish enough to attack on the same day that the royal family was going there," Alastor mused with a hum. "And I hear another fallen angel was there. Quiet interesting."

"Careful, Stag. That one will eat you alive," Adam warned with a smirk.

"I'd rather not be on the menu myself," Alastor admitted. "I can tell this one is of some import to you, but I have to ask."

Adam was almost amused when Alastor's smile got even wider. 

"Are there any other Fallen Angels I should avoid taking a bite out of?" he asked, drooling from his fangs.

"Feel free to hunt above your weight class if you really want to," Adam said. "But I doubt you'll find them. They may be in Hell, but they're not bound to Pride like your sinner ass is. And they avoid Pride, obviously."

"Hmm, how disappointing," Alastor mused. "Still, I have nothing but time. I can wait for the right chance for such a rare prey."

Adam just shook his head. "By the way, I'm borrowing your radio tower."

"Excuse me?"

"You're fucking excused!" Adam said, using his wing to send a blade of holy energy to cut the beams of the tower, above where Alastor stood. The severed half of the building quickly slid and fell off, bending the bottom half before it fell on top of another building. The structure was crushed completely, sinners screaming within as they were crushed, the rest fleeing as they were able.

Alastor had escaped into his shadow, reappearing on top of a bent beam, giving Adam an annoyed look. "Was that necessary?"

"No, but it was fucking awesome. Grab a meal while you can, I'm going mass extermination mode now," Adam said with a grin as he flew down.

"Hm. I could use a snack," Alastor decided, traveling through his shadow in search of a particularly tasty soul.

Assuming Adam didn't kill them all first, which was a distinct possibility.

Chapter Text

April 7, 1940

All of Creation was linked together. Heaven, Earth, and Hell. This was displayed in various signs and events.

One thing was a solar eclipse.

On Earth, it was nothing more than the moon briefly obscuring the sun along a certain strip of the world.

But this event lingered in the afterlives.

In the Ring of Pride, the red moon turned pitch black for twenty-four hours. So dark, it damped even the holy glow from the portal to Heaven.

Much like Earth, such celestial movements tended to inspire erratic behavior in some souls.

Be they Sinners or Hellborn.

Still, Alastor grinned as his shadows made quick work of the demons. "Imps. I ate a sinner or two similar to your kind, but never the real thing. I wonder if there is a difference," he mused with a twirl of his cane. "Mimzy, my dear, are you doing alright up there?"

"Doing Great, Al! Might barf though! You're hanging me upside down here!" Mimzy called from where a tentacle held her up protectively.

"Ahh, my mistake! I'm still mastering the finer controls," Alastor assured with a grin as he sat her down right side up.

"You lamb, you just wanted to give me a right freight," Mimzy said with a chuckle, dusting herself off. "Thanks for letting me stay with you. Things have been really crazy lately."

"Oh, I'm quite aware," Alastor said, a slight drip of disgust to his smile. "But think nothing of it, my old friend! Just keep your adorable head down. Someone might just try to take it."

"You're not joking," Mimzy said with a head shake. "Think there's anyplace left to get a good drink or-"

Alastor slammed his staff into the ground, a shield forming around them as a ball of magic lightning grazed off it.

Mimzy yelped, hiding behind a dumpster in fear. Alastor remained unmoved, unimpressed, and just short of uninterested in his new adversary.

It was a demon, a deer with short antlers and nimble feet, tawny fur all over. On the back were a pair of large scaly black wings, sticking out of a very expensive and overly gaudy robe. Complete with a cape.

"I heard a whisper of a Stag amongst Overlords," the deer said pompously, standing confidentially with one hand on his hip.

"Mimzy, I think it'd be best for you to depart," Alastor said with a charming hum, waving his staff in her direction and making a portal.

"Right! Thanks Al, and give him Hell!" Mimzy called back as she left through the dark portal.

"What an interesting menagerie of powers for such a newly fallen sinner," the demon said with vague interest and something that might be a condescending form of respect.

"If you are possessing manners, good Sir, perhaps we should at least know one another's names before tearing each other to shreds?" Alastor said with a grin.

"Hmph. You, Mortal, are not deserving to know my name. Merely know that you have the honor of being practice for one of the Ars Goetia," the demon-deer said, waving a hand and sending a trio of lightning arrows at the Radio Demon.

Alastor narrowed his eyes, two of his shadow limbs knocking them off course into the buildings around them. The final bolt, Alastor dodged by leaning his head to the side. Far to the side, but still.

He felt the hair on his neck stick up from the static.

The deer looked indignant at that. "I suppose you are worth hunting."

"Oh no, my noble fiend, you are still Just A Fawn," Alastor said mockingly.

The deer tensed.

Alastor glanced meaningfully at the demon's very small, juvenile horns.

The Ars Goetia snarled and stamped his hooved foot. Despite their delicate look of them, the limbs shook the ground a touch, just before lightning bolts erupted from the ground, a wave of them heading towards Alastor.

The Radio Demon frowned and retreated. He never turned his back, merely backing away as he watched the bolts erupting closer and closer to him. There was a pattern to them, akin to a checkerboard.

He stopped moving entirely, standing straight, letting the attack pass him by harmlessly. It was a slim safe zone, but he was a slim man.

He was instantly met with the deer demon flying at him with a fist aimed at him. He brought up his staff, blocking the first was ease.

There was power to this one, but...

"Young and unrefined. A shame, you'd have been worthy prey in time," Alastor taunted.

"Silence! A mere mortal would know nothing of refinement!" his foe roared back, sending blow after blow against him.

But Alastor practically danced around his attack, barely even using his powers to dodge the blows. "Arrogant, unrestrained, and oh so slow,"  Alastor mocked.

The hellborn grew more incensed. "A mortal, daring to mock an heir of the Ars Goetia! Truly, this is the Ring of Pri-."

He stopped as a swarm of shadowy creatures leaped up from Alastor's shadow. They clung to the noble, failing to harm him but easily hobbling him as he struggled against them.

"Filthy things! Get off me!" the deer said, snarling. 

"I do believe that this game is mine," Alastor said, taking on his own more demonic form as his antlers grew. He raised his staff like it was a blade, to stab the arrogant hellborn.

Right in the head, between the eyes.

The noble growled and bayed his frustrations as the attack came closer. His small horns glowed brightly, sparking with electricity.

A barrier formed, protecting him from the Radio Demon. Alastor grinned wickedly, saliva dripping from his fangs as he pressed harder against the shield, black waves coming from the tip of his staff.

The hellborn grunted, but his eyes grew wide as he felt the barrier waning until-

There was a great scream as the barrier broke, the fawn sent skidding back with a large wound in his shoulder.

"Shame. It's bad of a hunter to miss the killing blow if he can help it," Alastor said in mock disappointment, approaching his victim.

"H-how?! I am a child of Count Ronove, an Earl of the Ars Goetia!" the deer said in outrage, getting to his knees while clutching his shoulder. "How could a mere sinner....?!"

Alastor chuckled as he tapped his radio staff against his hand.

Before either could say more, static came from the staff. "A child you be, for a child I see."

Alastor frowned as he heard the voice emitting from this radio. Now, who had done that?

"What is that? "the deer asked with a scowl. "Another trick?"

"You have trucked only yourself, Furcifer."'

They were both acutely aware that the voice was no longer on the radio.

Alastor hummed as his eyes looked ahead, but not at Furcifer.

The Earl's eyes went wide as he turned as quick as he could, raising his free hand with lighting in it.

Only to stop dead in horror at the figure.

Abaddon's flame-bled eyes peered back in golden scrutiny.

The attack faded away in the Earl's hand from sheer dread. "You're....you're one of the Fallen," he realized numbly, stepping back. "A watcher?"

Abaddon ignored the question. "You are a foolish fawn, to face an uninterested lion and ignore the hunger of the hyena."

"What-!?" Furcifer asked in fear, only to find a staff impaled through his heart.

Alastor casually removed his weapon, flicking the blood clean of it as the Earl fell dead. "A tad disappointing. I thought the Ars Goetia were meant to be...more," Alastor mused, looking up. "I take it you must be Abaddon?"

"You take correctly, Stag of the Crescent," Abaddon answered, towering over the Radio Demon in his shadowy might.

"Mmm? Has our mutual associate in Heaven spread that alias around?" Alastor asked with a head tilt, watching the entity carefully.

"You were granted a name by The First Name. Do not presume insignificance towards such a matter," Abaddon warned severely.

"Hmm?" Alastor narrowed his eyes, tilting his head as he tried to decipher what that might mean. Getting nowhere, he smiled wider with a twirl of his staff. "In any case, I hope I didn't give the impression I needed help with that fight, thought the terror you inspired in him was appreciated."

"Your might grows well, Stag, but do not swell with vainglory for killing a runt," Abaddon said, looking down at the body. "No True Sorcerer lay here, for Furcifer the Scoundrel was still yet an acolyte of the Low Magics."

"Low Magics?" The Alastor inquired with a hum.

"Hell Magic. Demon Magic. A child of the Ars Goetia may not claim their mantle in full until they have true dominion over the Low Magic. Only then might they unveil their True Forms," Abaddon explained, eyes on Alastor. "Be wary, for you would find it no trifling challenge to best even a True Earl."

So, he had killed what was truly just a noble whelp, low on experience and high on his own ego. Alastor was mildly disappointed, as that lessened the meaning of his victory, but it was still pleasing in other ways. "So tell me, what interest does a Fallen Angel have with me?"

"None."

Alastor's mouth twitched in annoyance at the blunt, dismissive answer. "Yet, here you are."

"My only concern lay with the Child of the Morningstar," Abaddon answered, his form shifting to look off to the side. "And those who battle too loudly and too close to where she dwells."

Alastor hummed, recalling that yes, they were somewhat close to the Devil's Manor. "Interesting. I don't hear much of the Fallen Angels. Just that they avoid the Ring of Pride."

"Horrid memories linger here for those who remain of the Watchers, "Abaddon answered mysteriously, gazing up to the Roof of Pride.

Alastor sized this one up and down, this Fallen Angel who deigned the gap between them so large as to look away from Alastor. He probably didn't stand a chance yet. Probably. "If I should assume we're not enemies?" Alastor started, waving to the dead hellborn. "I think I shall take my prey and have my fill."

Abaddon laughed, and it was like a thing of smoke and dust. "Be wary of what passes by your ravenous fangs, Horned Host. Low Magic is in the blood, the bones, and the flesh of the Ars Goetia. You might find this meal not one you can stomach," he warned toyingly.

Alastor considered that warning and dismissed it. "Not to worry, I'll be sure to cook it well. Even if I would have preferred it raw."

Abaddon said nothing, merely staring at the Radio Demon before disappearing as shadows faded in the wind.

"How very interesting," Alastor said, looking down at the pile of noble meat waiting to be devoured.

He didn't notice more eyes were on him and the exchange he had, narrowed in intrigue.

Heaven

"Adam! Adam, there you are!"

"Hmm?" Adam turned to see two familiar faces. "Fluffcake, Danger-tits."

"Sir," Lute greeted, nodding to the small Seraphim. "She was wanting to join you for, well, this," she said, nodding to the skies above Heaven.

Adam looked back up from where he stood, on the clouded landscape just outside the city of Heaven.

The eternal light of Heaven had dimmed greatly. And in its absences, the lights of the cosmos shined brightly as nebula and cosmic dust dancing with the celestial light of the Seven Heavens. It was like the Aurora Borealis on Earth, but several times More in every fashion.

It was a grand event that many were always eager to watch. It lasted for a full day after an eclipse on Earth happened, so it wasn't easy to miss for most souls.

"Isn't it beautiful, Adam?" Emily asked with a wide smile., the lights shining in her eyes.

"Yeah, one of the only things Lucifer didn't fuck up," Adam said absently.

Emily looked up at him in surprise, while Lute looked considerate.

"I'll leave you both to enjoy it, Sir," Lute said as she moved to give them some privacy.

"Wait, please don't! It's always better to enjoy this with friends!" Emily requested pleadingly.

Lute paused, looking to Adam who shrugged. "No one is going to make you stay or leave, Danger-tits."

The exorcists nodded and rejoined them. As a trio, they watched the cosmic spectacle go on overhead.

"Adam?" Emily asked after a long moment. "Can I...ask you something that might make you mad?"

"It's about that fucking snake I mentioned, right?" Adam asked with a sigh.

"I'm sorry! I know he's...a subject no one wants to talk about, but...." Emily glanced from the lights to the ground and back up to Adam. "I wasn't there."

Adam gave her a long look. "What did Sera tell you about him?"

"That...he used to be amazing," Emily said with a frown. "He was brilliant, and creative, back when Creation was still so small and unstarted. And the way she talks about those times, before...everything, Sera makes him sound so-"

"Nice," Adam finished. "He was one of the nicest fuckers in Creation. Always knew what to say to make your ass smile."

Emily blinked. Lute did not. "What happened? What changed?" Emily asked curiously.

"Nothing," Adam said with a snort. "We just learned that Nice and Kind can be as far apart as Paradise and Earth."

Emily furrowed a brow. "I...don't understand."

"The Archtraitor was utterly unable to empathize with anyone that didn't think similarly to himself," Lute summed up brutally. "When everyone else told him an idea was dangerous, he was arrogant enough to ignore every opinion that didn't match his own."

Emily looked up at Lute in surprise. "Were you there too, Miss Lute?"

Lute didn't answer, but by the look on her face, Emily could tell she was touching something she shouldn't.

"I'm sorry. I know no one likes talking about this," Emily said softly, looking down in regret.

Adam placed a hand on her head, letting that comfort her for now.

August 6, 1940

Charlie was a little disappointed to miss Adam dropping off her present this year, but at least he left a note.

'Hellflake: Can't stay, shit is busy in Heaven. Dickmaster Out.'

Dickmaster. She really should figure out something to call him, just like he called her Hellflake. But she wasn't calling him Dickmaster! And she...was pretty sure he might not want her to. Probably? Was Dickmaster a sex joke or just Adam being Adam?

Filing that away for now, she found her gift was something different this year. A book.

"The Young Desire It, by Seaforth Mackenzie. Published three years ago?" Charlie read off from the first page, tilting her head. Adam was ten thousand years old, how did he know about a book that was one a few years old? He didn't come across as someone who loved to read.

She flipped some more pages and found another gift:  It even came with a bookmark that was.....

Bright red with ash-color snowflakes on it?!

A Hellflake Bookmarker?!

Charlie was ready to consider the bookmarker the best present at that moment.

On the same page as the bookmarker, she found a quote on the page, which she read in curious consideration. "To be free to choose is not enough. Though the young desire it, they cannot use that freedom, but must be forced into the decision of choice by good or evil circumstances which while they can perceive them they cannot control. Michael Paul: The Anatomy of Failure," she ready off with a furrowed brow.

She got the feeling the bookmark was not placed there by chance.

"To be free to choose is not enough?" she repeated under her breath.

Adam and her parents were very similar in some ways. They were bad about talking about certain things. Adam because he claimed it would ruin her view of her parents. Her parents because it was hard to explain.

Hard, and painful.

She rubbed the hellflake marker between her fingers.

So, Adam wasn't ready yet to tell his story of Eden. But this felt like a clue or something.

She closed the book, her head too confused to even test the waters of the story. With a sigh, she headed outside on her balcony, resting her head on the railing.

Or, she would have, if she hadn't realized there was a surprise guest in their yard.

Abaddon.

He was seated on the ground, back against the brick wall surrounding the wall, next to a push. It was easy to mistake him for just a shadow if one didn't catch the lights of his eyes and mouth.

Or, just as likely, his very body was intentionally hard to notice if he didn't draw attention to himself.

"Razzle, Dazzle," she hissed to her pets, who rushed over and blinked as they saw the shrouded back being. With a few gestures on her part, Dazzle transformed and carried her down to the ground before changing back, following after her as she approached. "Umm, Hello? Mister Abaddon?"

"Princess of the Pit," he greeted, not moving from his spot. "I entrust the Yeartide of your Advent has proved joyous?"

"My birthday? Yeah, it was great! Thank you," Charlie said with a smile before looking confused. "What are you doing out here?"

"Assuring this day remains undisturbed for you," he answered meaningfully, pausing as something exploded nearby. "Denizens of Hell prove their fiendfulness with each passing of the sands."

Charlie blinked. "Wait, you were out here protecting the house?! Why didn't you say something? I would have brought you cake! And ice cream! And-" Charlie stopped at Abaddon's unmoving face. "Wait, do you have the same rule as Adam? No eating anything from my house?"

"No words would do it more justice than truth: Beware gifts from the Devil," Abaddon answered with a chuckle like crumbling embers.

"But you're a fallen angel too. I mean, doesn't that mean it's...safer for you?" Charlie tried softly, even if she felt that reasoning was weak.

"Do not mistake my willingness to protect you as a feeling of kinship to those you are spawned of," Abaddon warned carefully.

Charlie winced at that. "I guess I should have expected that. Adam wouldn't trust anyone on good terms with my parents," Charlie said in reassignment. "....Thank you? For guarding my home."

"No fools dared venture this way, it has been of no issue," Abaddon assured, waving away her concerns.

Dazzle suddenly went over and smelled the outstretched hand. He titled his horned head curiously before bah'ing in some form of acceptance, nuzzling the hand.

Abaddon hummed but did not force the Hellbeast away.

"Awww, he likes you!" Charlie said with a grin. "You're turning into such a sweetheart, Dazzle!"

Razzle huffed and looked away in seeming indignation.

"Still, thank you," Charlie said softly. "I wish there was something I could do."

"Your word and company are enough," Abaddon assured as he allowed Dazzle to sit next to him.

"Can I stay a bit longer then?" Charlie asked hopefully.

Abaddon paused and titled his flame-like head. "Whose property do I sit upon?"

"That is still a yes!" Charlie said playfully as she sat down, a bit too eagerly.

"The First speaks well of your mind's gluttony, but your desire for knowledge is quite odious regardless, Heir of Gehenna. Let your questions rain," Abaddon said with an amused smirk.

"I am not a mind-glutton! I only get to speak to Adam two times a year!" Charlie defended dramatically.

"And he is your only wellspring of answers?" Abaddon countered with a keen tilt of his brow.

Charlie didn't answer that. "You said the Watchers once considered you one of them, right?" she asked, getting a nod. "Well, what were they?"

"A clarification is in order," Abaddon prompted pointedly.

"Dad said they were sent to guard the Earth and help guide humans, but they disagreed with how Heaven wanted it done. So they were cast out like he and Mother were," Charlie answered with a frown.

"This answer does not satisfy you?" Abaddon inquired knowingly.

"It might have, but...." Charlie looked to the side. "I asked Mom too. And she told it differently."

Abaddon said nothing, but she saw the flare of interest in his eyes.

"Mom said that the Watchers wanted to join with humans and break free from Heaven's rule. But she said they fell of their own accord, not that they were cast out," Charlie explained.

"Neither is true, but I cannot discern if the lies were created or repeated for you," Abaddon said with a frown.

"Why would my parents lie about that?" Charlie asked with a frown.

"Why indeed," Abaddon answered with a hum. "The Order of the Watchers. It was an ideal crafted by the First himself."

"Adam?" Charlie realized in surprise. "He...made the Watchers?"

"Creation would be too generous, but he did give motion to their inception," Abaddon explained. "To protect the Earth and help guide the young humanity to a prosperous future. Seven angels to lead seven armies. But their hearts grew dark with the whispers of temptation in their ear. They came to desire humanity."

"My parents mentioned that, the Nephilim," Charlie nodded. "Heaven didn't like them being with humans and-"

But Abaddon shook his head. "That is not what I mean, Child of the Morningstar," he said ominously. "They desired of mankind as your mother claims Her First desired of her."

Charlie started at that. "What...what do you mean?"

"Rule, child. They saw humanity as something to control, to dominate, and to glorify themselves with. For they were the ones who crafted and scarred into mortal minds the very concept of deities and the need to worship them, appease them, obey them," Abaddon said with a vile revulsion to his tongue, as if he would spit something smoldering.

Charlie almost expected he would.

"I betrayed their treachery and doomed their ambitions. After a great struggle across all of Creation, they forsook their hold on Earth to seek refugee in Hell," Abaddon said, glancing at the manor. "They received it, from the very inspiration of their ambitions."

"You blame my father for their fall?" Charlie asked with a frown.

Abaddon returned his gaze to her, and his eyes narrowed with something amused like she had missed something.

She blinked in understanding. "My mother?"

"If they should make a Kingdom in Hell, why not us on Earth?" Abaddon asked rhetorically. "The decree, the ration of logic given by the leader of the Fallen, the Second Archtraitor: Samyaza."

Charlie felt something, heard something shift at the mention of that name. A chill in the air, a quiet echoing howl on the wind.

"You...were the only one to turn away from them?" Charlie asked with a frown.

"No, and yes," Abaddon answered, dipping his head in memory and some greatly bitter anger. "Their treachery began in secret, corruption spreading like a mold and a weed among their ranks. They shared it only with those they believed of the same mind. They were filled with such certainty that I would gladly, eagerly join their ranks when they made the offer. That I would be bought with a crown that was never in their right to bestow. When their betrayal was brought into the light, the True Watchers were disbanded, the loyal who remained welcomed back into the Hosts of Heaven."

Charlie sat quietly and thought about it. There were two kinds of 'Watchers' really, by the sound of it. The Watchers as a group, who were there to help the humans, but the Conspiracy within the Watchers plotting against Heaven. Assuming Abaddon was telling the truth, of course. That left an important question though, for Charlie. "I think I already know the answer, but...you said they were sent to Earth to protect humans. Protect them from what?" she asked hesitantly.

"You are correct. You know the answer," Abaddon confirmed. "The paths to Hell were not all that of metaphor in those days, Princess of the Pit, and they were not exclusive in the directions they allowed."

"Demons attacked humans, on Earth" Charlie summarized. "Heaven thinks....my parents sent them, don't they?"

"Thinks?" Abaddon retorted evenly.

Charlie glared at the grass. "Mom and Dad don't tell me a lot of things, but they did tell me what it was like when they first got to Hell. It was hard. The Demons didn't exactly welcome them. They had to fight just to survive. They didn't have control over all of Hell for a long time. And if it was easier to get to earth....."

"You presume to imply they could not control their own subjects?" Abaddon asked in dry amusement.

"Heaven can't control its own, though, right?" Charlie pointed out.

"Heaven doesn't control," Abaddon stated softly. "Only responds to choices made."

Charlie didn't know how to respond to that, because What Did That Even Mean!?

Abaddon looked up. "You are called back to the nest."

Charlie looked back and saw her father leaning over the balcony. He gave her a smile and a wave before giving Abaddon an unimpressed look.

Charlie looked back and found that Abaddon was already fading away.

"Farewell, for now, Ashen Heritrix."

Charlie watched as he vanished

Lucifer scuffed from where he stood. "Bastard is just pulling some of these titles out of his ass, I swear."

Extermination Day, 1940

"What happened?"

Adam raised an eyebrow at Charlie's so-called greeting. "The fuck that come from? Are you trying to be the tiny group mom or something?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow.

Charlie looked from him to the Exorcist captains, plus Lute. They all looked very...worn. Almost like they hadn't slept in a few days. "E-Day hasn't started and you all look exhausted! I didn't even know angels could get tired!" Charlie said in surprise.

"Normally we don't, but put us under enough stress or use our powers too much, and we need a break," Lute said with a sigh.

"The wars on Earth are getting messy, and we were helping with an overflow of traumatized souls," Locria explained, sitting down and placing her head on the table. "I love kids, but I can't handle comforting another one right now. No offense, Hellflake."

"No, no, I under-....." Charlie blinked. "You help with children?"

"Lot of kids who die either have their parents still on Earth or, well, sent down here," Lydia explained as she sat on the table itself. "Cria here likes helping with Children, finding them a guardian or even new parent to welcome them. Normally she does, at least."

"She does still, she just needs a break," Mixolydia corrected for her twin, patting Locria on her back.

"I knew you had lives outside of extermination, but I didn't expect, well," Charlie trailed off uncertainly.

"That any of us were the motherly types?" Aeolia asked knowingly with her arms crossed. "To be fair, Locria was surprised too."

"We're all fucking waiting on Locria to get baby fever," Adam said with a grin.

"Let me guess, you're the one keeping track of the betting pool, Sir?" Locria asked with a deadpan, not bothering to raise her head.

"Nah, that's Lute," Adam gestured, Lute smirking in turn. "Did fucking sign your maternity papers in advance. Just need to date the shit."

"For a child I haven't even conceived, with a man I probably haven't met yet?" Locria pointed out flatly.

"Bitch, I know baby fever in the making, and you are it," Adam retorted.

"Thank you, I appreciate the thought at least," Locria said with an amused smile.

Charlie watched the exorcists talk and mingle, ever reminded the faceless slaughterers were in fact, people. People who thought they were right. Thought, or knew?

"Adam?" Charlie asked, looking up. "Can I ask you something? I want you to take it as seriously as you can."

"Hellflake, I take everything you ask me as seriously as I can," Adam answered, somewhere between joking and assurance.

Charlie smiled at that, but only for a moment. "A lot of the bad things humans do on Earth, they do because they think they're right, right?" Charlie started.

Adam nodded. "Yeah, most think it's for some Greater Good or something. Or say so to get their own fucked up ambitions going. Why?"

"How are the Exterminations any different?"

The room went silent, and Adam gave Charlie a look of consideration.

"How are you so sure that what you're doing is right, compared to what humans do on Earth? You've killed millions of human souls. And...and I get why you believe you have to, I do!" Charlie said quickly but kept her resolve. "But how...can you hate what the Sinners do and be so.....gleeful about what you do to them in turn? How are you so positive that you're in the right?"

No one spoke, and Charlie almost thought they held their breath.

Adam leaned against the table with his arms crossed. "Let me ask your question with another. What the fuck happens if we stop?" Adam asked patiently.

Charlie opened her mouth but then thought. "Before, I just would have said' we'd keep overpopulating. But that's only...part of your concern. The Overlords would grow too strong with too many souls."

"And become Archfiends," Adam confirmed.

Several of the exorcists shifted uncomfortably at the title.

"Archfiend?" Charlie repeated in confusion.

'It's what we called it when a demon grew strong enough to overcome the Immanence of the average First Sphere angel," Lute explained grimly. "There hasn't been an Archfiend in over five thousand years."

Five thousand years ago. That seemed important to Charlie, somehow.

"We stop, New Archfiends come fuck shit up. And make no fucking mistake, they'll come to try and fuck up Heaven. And if they do, Hellflake, what happens? What happens if Heaven actually loses a war with Hell?" Adam challenged.

"I....don't know?" Charlie answered in worry.

"Then there are just two Hells," Adam said with a frown. "Two Afterlives, both of eternal suffering. No matter how good or bad someone was in life, they just end up in a wretched realm of suffering, run by these disgusting fucks. That, Hellflake, is what I'm fighting against. That, is how I know I'm right. Because I've seen what fucking happens when we leave this shithole alone. Because I know what happens when Hell is left unchecked."

"....And you can't trust my parents to keep it in check," Charlie deduced softly. It wasn't a question.

"Princess," Lute said. "It's not just Adam that feels that way."

Charlie glanced over and saw the Exorcists all looking very...disturbed, frustrated with the dark image Adam had conjured of a Victory for Hell.

"Hellflake?"

She looked back to Adam sharply.

"Your parents told you that the Exterminations was a Heartless decision," Adam said grimly. "And you want to find another way."

Charlie nodded slowly.

Adam took a deep breath. "Charlie? The exterminations were our last resort."

Charlie tried and tried to comprehend that but it just didn't set right. Because....."What was the first resort?"

"Trusting your parents."

Chapter Text

Eleven Months Before Extermination Day, 1941

Charlie sniffed as she sat against the wall, Razzle and Dazzle nuzzling her side. She barely remembered coming here, it had all been a blur.

"Hellflake?"

Her head snapped up with tears, looking at Adam.

She stared at the angel with teary eyes. "You said the Exterminations were a last resort," she said softly. "I asked them."

Adam stared for a moment before he....vanished?

Charlie's eyes swelled with disappointment before a portal formed, and Adam stepped through. "Sorry about that, didn't think this shit was any serious," he admitted as he came over to her. He waved Dazzle to make room as he sat down next to Charlie, the goat-dragon complying by jumping onto Adam's lap. "So.....what the fuck did they say?" he asked, petting Dazzle softly.

"There was a war," Charlie answered, head to her knees.

"...." Adam was nothing.

"What? I...I can tell you have something to say, what?!" Charlie all but demanded, tears still hot in her eyes.

"Did you really think your parents, with all their shitty pride, would let our asses come down here years to their ring if there hadn't been a war?" Adam asked flatly.

Charlie gritted her teeth, her horn showing as her body trembled. "Mom and Dad said Heaven started the war, but.....I needed to get out. I needed to think and not...hear them. They always made it seem like Heaven just....decided suddenly to start the Exterminations."

"Parents rarely want kids to know all the shit they did. They think time and age will make them understand their fuck-ups better. Sometimes that's true, other times it's just wanting to put it off," Adam mused. "....Are ya giving up?"

"No," Charlie answered with a bitter frown. "Even if you were provoked, even if you have good reasons, it still doesn't feel right. The exterminations, everything. I just...I still love them. They do so much for me and I still want to believe in them. Their story was always so....inspiring, that they loved each other so much even if it meant defying Heaven."

Adam gave her a strange look. He tried to hide it, but Charlie caught it. He chose not to pretend it didn't exist. "Hellflake? Your parents didn't get in trouble for fucking off with each other, they got in trouble for the shit they did after they came back."

Charlie blinked as she thought back to the story. That was right, even the story never mentioned any punishment until after Eve took the apple.

She shook her head free of that. Today, there was too much in her mind to be in a good place to even try to ask about Eden.

"I do believe them though," Charlie said with a frown. "They said that...both sides did terrible things."

"Yeah, yeah we fucking did," Adam admitted bitterly. "Hellflake....Charlie? There was a saying in that war, Heaven's motto I guess. Or a fucking mindset."

Charlie furrowed her brow, waiting for him to answer.

Adam's voice lowered into something ancient and mighty.

"Only Defeat Is No Option."

Six Months Before Extermination Day, 1941

Abaddon was waiting.

He stood atop the clock tower of the Heavenly Embassy.

His form like a black flag for the Holy Kingdom.

He had been waiting for days,

He'd wait more if he had to.

But he didn't have to.

Without warning, without provocation, Abaddon launched himself into the air like an arrow of darkness.

Many watched his movements with fearful interest as he flew over Pentagram City.

A freshly dead sinner emerged and materialized in Hell, but was grabbed by the face before he could even fall, the sinner found himself grabbed by the face as Abaddon held him in midair.

"W-what is this?! Where am I!?" the soul asked, taking on some features like a weasel with green and black coloring.

"I bid thee welcome to the first of your days in Pakao, Giovanni," Abaddon greeted, pulling him close to stare into his eyes. "Savor it, Slaughterer of Serbs, for it will be among your lasts within Creation."

"This is....oh god,' Giovanni whispered in mounting terror. "Are you....are you...?"

"The Devil? Fortunate does not favor you so generously for that to be your fate," Abaddon remarked, one orb of golden blood moving to the sinner's head.

"What is that?! What are you- WAIT, WAIT, STOP!" Giovanni screamed as it slowly, painfully stabbed into the side of his face.

Abaddon ignored the screaming, snarling into the man's face. "The immortality of your soul has been eradicated. You are now doomed to die, no matter how you might be slain again within this hopeless realm. And by this mark, your victims will know you. Sense you. Hunt you. For they will look upon you and know that you are the Master of the Logori within your homelands, those retched camps of death and suffering."

"But....you can't.....they were just....." Giovanni whimpered in agony, the wound on his face glowing and pulsing as he tried to protest his fate.

Abaddon paid him no mind and let him fall into hell. Immortality or not, that fall would not kill a sinner. Even the souls of the damn were not that fragile.

His blazing gaze turned towards the Devil's manor but knew it was empty. The Infernal Family had retreated elsewhere for the present, taking their princess to visit another ring. A poorly veiled excuse to take their child elsewhere, as souls truly rained into Hell as of late and the fighting was constant. Some sinners continued their war even in Death, others were fighting for themselves now, to become mighty in Hell.

He was vaguely aware of his victim running down below, chased by a pack of other sinners. Serbians that died in massacres or concentration camps. The man would not last with that curse upon him.

Satisfied with that, he allowed his form to fade from the Ring of Pride and reappear elsewhere.

The Ring of Greed.

One might find it less desirable than others, but if there was one thing Greed was not short on, it was two things.

The first was kidnapping for ransoms. But no Hellborn was quite that stupid, sheer primordial fear overrode such stupidity.

The second was attractions, new things to draw the attention and the eye.

Bearing that, they had spectacles.

Abaddon moved like a dark mist as he came atop Mammon's personal stadium. The Clown himself was on stage, his minion helping show off some inventions that had made their way down to Hell from Earth.

Currently, some sort of vehicle is called the dynasphere. Or Mammon's flashier, gilded version of one.

In the stands was a crowd of hellborn, along with the royal family watching it from their own booth.

While Lucifer and Lilith had various reactions of interest or disinterest in the show, Charlie was watching it all with excited but tired eyes. Not physical exhaustion, emotional. The War warred on Hell itself in some ways.

Abaddon's eyes drifted along the roof around the stadium, spotting a figure creeping along, unknowingly coming his way. Perhaps he underestimated the depth of demon idiocy. Moving faster than shadows when a light went out, Abaddon was upon the interloper.

The demon, a hellhound, started as he was knocked down by what seemed to be a shadow. He looked up with a snarl, only for his ears to pin back in fear as he looked upon Abaddon himself. "Shit. I knew they had special security today, but what the hell even are you!?"

Abaddon did not even dignify him with an answer, merely staring at the infernal creature who crawled away slightly. "To what ends do you intrude here, Cur from Voracity?" he asked neutrally.

"What?" The hellhound responded in confusion. "Look, I'm not stupid enough to fuck with the royals, or the Sins for that matter. I was just supposed to go after someone that owes some money. With all the attention on the Morningstars, well...."

Abaddon hummed, seeing the logic in that. The royal attendance would make for an excellent distraction to be sure. 

"So...so can I go?" the hellhound asked hopefully.

Again, Abaddon didn't answer.

He glanced behind the dog.

"He's not security tonight, mutt."

The Hellhound turned a looked ready to lose all his fur.

What stood before him had four yellow eyes, a vaguely lizard-like head, a cowboy hat and motif, and glowing yellow veins on his thick muscular arms.

He knew exactly who this was, and so did Abaddon.

"....Satan," the hellhound whispered in terror, clearly not expecting a third sin to be present.

Satan, however, was looking right at Abaddon and paid the canine demon little mind. "Get out of here, mutt, I have more important shit to do than skin your hide."

"Yes, Sir! Thank you!" the hellhound saluted quickly before running away, even going on all fours to move faster.

Abaddon watched him go idly, but Satan never looked away from him.

"Old Man," Satan greeted tersely.

Abaddon looked upon the Sin, his ghastly face giving little away. But his voice was filled with ancient and withered contempt. "Boy."

Satan grunted at being referred to as such but didn't protest.

Abaddon ignored him to look back down into the stadium, people laughing as the dynasphere crashed off stage unexpectedly before being moved away for the next display.

Satan stared for a moment, the veins in his arms pulsing with clenched fists.

Finally, Abaddon seemed to humor the Sin's presence.  "The Choler Lord now takes to the role of a guard for the Padrone of Avarice?" he asked in an almost mocking tone.

Satan rolled all four of his eyes. "I'm keeping things quiet for the little lady down there. Just like you're making sure those rejects in Pride don't get to her."

Abaddon tilted his head minutely. "The Sins of Hell give care to the Child of Evil?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" Satan asked bluntly.

The answer was instant and filled with judgment.

"Yes."

Satan didn't react to that for a long moment before shrugging. "You might not have noticed, but shit has changed since the War."

"Yes, now those Born of Hell can no longer obtain the souls of the damn so easily and readily. Now they must dare to risk venturing into Pride and being under the eyes of Heaven," Abaddon said drily, his tone crisper than embers in a fire pit. 

Satan grunted in acknowledgment of that fact. 

Abaddon said nothing more as he turned to leave, satisfied that Charlie would be fine here.

He stopped, however, as a sound came over the stadium. He looked down and saw someone playing some instrument like a banjo....or a wooden frying pan with strings. Either way, it was louder and had a different kind of sound to it.

Ancient souls like his did not have many new experiences. They were worth taking a moment to pause and consider them. He imagined that such a musical instrument would make its way into Heaven, once the current chaos on Earth died off.

"Hey, Old Man," Satan called out after a moment of silence. "What interest do the winged varmints upstairs have with our Princess? The yearly visits are getting talked about all over hell now."

Abaddon looked back at Satan with a bored look. "It is not the Angels that have an interest in the Inheritrix, it is she who has an interest in the Angels."

Satan groaned at the cryptic words, rubbing his eyes.

He wasn't surprised to see Abaddon was gone when he looked again.

"Watch out, Old Man, lot of old demons talking about you now," Satan remarked to the open air, knowing his words would still be heard.

Now alone, he returned to standing guard over the Princess's outing. He chanced a glance down to the royal booth and wasn't surprised to see a glance from the Queen herself before she returned to watching the show as well.

July 16, 1941

Often these days, the Pearly Gate and the areas nearest to them had become something approaching a relief center. Many souls were seated where they could, cluttered or alone. While the virtuous souls of Heaven normally had a brightness to them, the trauma of their death still lingered and damped these souls.

It was temporary, it would pass, but it still broke Emily's heart to witness it. Most souls didn't dwell in their sadness, passing through the pearly gate with relief and tears of joy. Some remained though, to wait and help as their loved ones remained still tethered by their earthly pains.

Roaming the streets were angels of healing and, mostly, the Aralez

The Hounds of Raphael, the Aralez were wolven beasts with great wings. They emitted an aura of comfort and relief, their touch and licks able to speed the recovery of even wounds within the souls and mind. Some would find a particular soul and help coax them from their misery.

With her natural empathy, this place was unpleasant for Emily to be but she had to endure it to help these poor souls. Her duty was to help those who came out of their mire to move on and help them begin finding peace with the rest of Heaven. Which was to say, help lead them on and sort them out from those who still needed time and care.

"Thank you, Madam Angel, for your help," an elderly woman said. Well, Elderly now, but her skin was growing younger and younger at a very gradual pace.

"It is my pleasure to help you, Aldona," Emily said softly.

She felt happy but also a bit ashamed of that happiness, that winners often didn't treat her like a child. They only saw an angel helping them. Given the nature and appearance of Cherubs, she was sure they were uncertain if she was a child or just appeared young naturally.

The Virtuous soul hummed and finally took in Heaven. "It seems strangely like Earth, but...better."

Emily nodded in understanding. "We try to make the Pearly City seem similar to an average modern city. So that it is familiar. The other regions of Heaven might be more...what you are expecting."

"Heaven is truly wonderful and considerate," Aldona whispered, looking back sadly at the group of greyed souls. "But this seems very...."

Emily nodded solemnly. "This isn't normal. Lingering Souls aren't normally this common or take this long. But...this isn't a normal time on Earth either," Emily said softly.

"Truly it isn't," Aldona said quietly. "Tell me, do you think my grandsons are already ahead? I know they...died as well."

"I don't-"

"Ahh, shit! Someone mind giving me a fucking hand here?!"

Emily blinked as they both looked towards the gate. "Adam?"

Indeed, the Father of Humanity had returned, landing at the gates. In his arms, on his shoulders, and on his back were many souls. His size allowed him to carry and fit many.

Aldona starred in shock and the massive angel, while Emily realized Adams' problem. One of the souls was slipping off his shoulder.

"I got him!" Emily said, quickly flying over to grab the soul before they fell. Adam remained still as Emily gently lowered the soul to the ground. "There, you're safe now, "Emily whispered softly to the unresponsive, glossy eyes soul.

"Thanks, Fluffcake," Adam said as he began to deposit the souls with more care than one might expect, seating them along the wall of a building.

"Are these more souls from Plunge?" Emily asked softly.

"No, most of these poor fucks were from another massacre," Adam answered with a frown as he placed the last one down.

"NO!"

Adam, Emily, and every other coherent soul turned to face the screeching, angry voice of Aldona. She was glaring, seething at the look of one of the souls Adam had brought.

"Aldona?" Emily asked in concern.

"He's one of Them," Aldona said, creeping closer with something wrathful clawing at her voice. "They killed us. Slaughtered us. Why Is He Here!?"

Adam remained utterly unphased by the outburst, only glancing briefly at the soldier that the woman was glaring at.

Emily stood there uncertainly. "I...Aldona, he's a soul of Heaven. That means-"

"No, no! He shouldn't be here, he can't be here!" Aldona said as she marched orth in a mad haze, looking like she was going to attempt to kill the soldier a second time, reaching forth. "I can't-"

"Aldona."

She stilled. Her head turned.

Adam was looking at her, his wings gently raised and...

Emily inhaled softly as she saw the many eyes that formed in Adam's wings.

"That Is Enough. It Is Enough. The Fighting Is Over."

Adam spoke, his voice ancient and calm like the mountains, the seas, and the rising sun.

"It Is Time To Rest."

"But....But...." Aldona whispered with tears rushing down her face. "He is one of Them!"

"And He Is One Of Us Now. No Mortal Soul Comes Here Without Deserving It."

"How can I accept that!?" Aldona asked beggingly, falling to her knees. "You don't know what it's like! To be human! To live, struggle, lose, and have everything destroyed for....for no reason! For senseless, selfish reasons! You-!"

Emily inhaled as the lights grew and Aldona suddenly cowered while Adam approached her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Aldona pleaded as she pleaded before his holy wrath. "Forgive me, I-"

She fell silent as Adam was suddenly on one knee, still towering over her as he wrapped one arm around her in a tight hug.

"I Am Not Angry At You, Child."

Adam paused, his many eyes closing and his voice returning to normal. "I'm pissed anyone made you feel anything like how I fucking did."

Aldona blinked as she fell into the warm, strong embrace. It made her think of her childhood, of being embraced by her parents, but...more. "Who are you?"

"Didn't you fucking hear the adorable blue angel?" Adam asked with a chuckle, before his voice sank back into that ancient voice of his, if only briefly.

"I Am Adam."

"...." Aldona's eyes went wide, tears falling even more now. "You're....you're...."

"The Father of Humanity," Adam answered and he gently released her. "Don't expect free hugs all the time though."

Aldona blinked but covered her mouth as she felt herself crying tears of relief and joy. Her feelings for the soldier being in Heaven were still mixed, but the rage was soothed, and the pain tended to.

"That was amazing!" Emily said with wonder as she flew up to be near level with Adam while he walked away. "I didn't know you could do that! Can you teach me?"

"Sorry, Fluf, but that's one of my unique powers," Adam said with a grin. "I mean if you happened to have it too, sure, some fuckers do. But I doubt it."

Right, Emily recalled. All Angels had abilities or talents that were semi-unique to themselves. "How come you never use it?"

"I use it when I fucking have to," Adam explained vaguely. "I usually don't need to pull that shit out to calm souls down."

"Adam, Emily."

The pair stopped just outside the Pearly Gate as Sera made an appearance.

"Hey, Big Fluff," Adam greeted as Emily waved.

Sera nodded. "I came to ask you both to take a break. I don't think either of you have left here in days."

"Can't. There is some fucking battle in Libya going on," Adam said with a sigh.

"Adam, Lute and I will watch over things for now. You may not require sleep and food to survive, but it's unwise to stress yourselves like this without rest," Sera reminded, placing a concerned hand on his shoulder.

Adam opened his mouth to refuse before stopping and looking down at Emily. "You're not stopping until I do, are you, Fluffcake?"

Sera giggled at the nickname while Emily nodded with a determined frown, fists held up as a show of will.

Adam sighed. "Well, I'm blackmailed. Can't make her take a break without taking one myself."

"But Adam, I-"

"Ededed! No buts! We're going to fucking relax, eat like pigs, nap like dogs, and come back to do this shit tomorrow," Adam said as he picked Emily up and put her on his shoulder, to her surprise and delight. "When did you get so fucking stubborn anyway?"

"I believe she learned that from you," Sera teased lightly. "I'm not sure if that is a good or bad influence yet."

"Bitch, I am the Influence!" Adam said proudly. "....Right, yeah, that sounded better in my head. I definitely need a break."

"Ribs?" Emily suggested helpfully.

"I will go to the place with baby burgers you like so fucking much," Adam answered assuredly.

"What, they're so cute and yummy!" Emily defended with a whine as Adam took off, heading off to another part of heaven's front city.

Sera smiled as they departed. This earthly war was taking its toll on everything, but it was times like this when Adam showed the best of who he was.

Extermination Day, 1941

Charlie was more than a little surprised when she got to the Embassy. Mainly because it was filled with napping Exorcists.

"Yeah, it's been fucking busy upstairs, "Adam admitted, stretching his arms. "Girls needed a quick nap to recharge the batteries before we get E-Day rolling."

"Adam, I know the answer is always no, I'm starting to think you should have stayed home and skipped E-day this year," Charlie said in concern, watching the captains all sleeping in a corner, some curled onto each other.

"Nah, we're good," Adam waved off as he took a seat in the meeting room. "So, anything good to ask this year, Hellflake?"

".....Abaddon," Charlie answered with a frown.

Adam resting his head against his hand, arm leaning on the table. "What about him?"

"I just don't understand why he's...down here? I mean, he turned against the Watchers, and it sounded like he turned against them before the fighting started," Charlie answered idly.

"Hmm? Oh, your parents didn't mention that part," Adam said with some amusement. "Hellflake? Abaddon is down here by choice."

Charlie starred. "What? You mean.....he wants to be in Hell?" she asked in disbelief.

"I mean he can come to Heaven anytime he wants. He's not exiled or anything," Adam answered. "So if he's down here, it is entirely by choice."

"But....isn't he Fallen? Like my Dad and the Watchers....?" Charlie asked in bewilderment.

"Abaddon can close off his connection to Heaven without severing it," Adam explained bluntly. "Freaky ass ability that not many Angels can do. I'm fucking serious about that, I think only a dozen or so ever could pull that bullshit off. He's less a Fallen and more...Descended Angel. Cause, you know, it's different when your ass is down here of your own volition instead of getting thrown down."

"But...But why!?" Charlie asked in shock, pausing to lower her voice as several exorcists stirred. "Why would anyone stay down here when they can go to Heaven?"

"It's not like he's always down here," Adam waved off.

"Oh. He's not?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Granted, most souls wouldn't recognize him in Heaven when he's not closing off his fucking link," Adam answered with a shrug. "He even goes by another name in Heaven. Only one old assholes like me remembered. Muriel."

"Muriel?" Charlie repeated.

Adam nodded solemnly. "The Angel of Mourning. Not Morning, Hellflake, Mourning."

"Oh," Charlie said softly, looking down in thought.

Adam paused before scoffing. "You should ask him yourself. I doubt the fucker wouldn't mind telling you a few things about the Old Days. Shit, trying asking what that asshole did back in Eden, you'll get a kick out of it."

"He was back in Eden?" Charlie repeated.

"Hellflake, there were a lot of angels back in Eden. Like, a lot. Me and Lilith, we-" Adam paused in consideration before giving the situation a "fuck it" and continuing. "We used to count the angels like stars. Try to figure out the different ways you could group their feathered asses. Wing counts, what they were good at, what they weren't good at, personalities, features. All kinds of shit. One of our more peaceful fucking topics."

Charlie starred as Adam's tone gained something to it that she couldn't quite define. Something buried under eons of bitterness, hatred, and more. Fondness? Respect? Something positive, some fragments of whatever goodness had existed between her mother and the First Man.

".....Mom says thank you," Charlie said softly.

"Hmm?" Adam furrowed his brow.

"I don't know," Charlie answered softly. "She just told me to tell you thank you. Maybe for helping with Bathory?"

Adam stared and Charlie flinched as she could feel him burying whatever ghosts of pleasant sentiments he had for her mother.

They didn't talk much after that, at least not of anything important.

Soon, the Exorcists awoke and readied themselves for the slaughter.

Adam was almost amused when a soldier pointed a bazooka at him.

But he was denied his own chance to make the sinner soldier despair as he was suddenly impaled by a great many dark tendrils.

Tendrils that also sent waves of electricity through the sinner, making him scream in agony before dying.

"You fucking donkey of a deer," Adam said with a snort, turning to face Alastor, who appeared at his side. "You actually fucking ate that Ars Goetian brat? Was wondering why you seemed off the last year."

Alastor chuckled. "Yes, I might have bitten off a bit more than I could stomach, but I can't argue with the results," Alastor said, putting his radio staff over his shoulder, little bolts of static dancing around it. "I was fortunate to have help from a certain overlord."

Alastor looked up to the top of a building. Adam frowned neutrally as he saw a dark figure up on the top, who nodded to them both before leaving.

"Zestial has been quite welcoming for a fellow Overlord," Alastor remarked.

"Zestial? Is that what he calls himself now?" Adam asked with a snort, getting a quirked brow from Alastor. "So, got anything good for me this year, Stag?"

"Oh, I already told your delightful helper about a small settlement just outside of Pentagram where many of the Japanese sinners have taken up home. When they're not being attacked by the Koreans. Speaking of which, there is a very, well, dry Korean Overlord who has been helping keep the Japanese overlords from gaining much traction."

"Sado, I know the bastard. Raped and killed so much his father put his royal ass in a chest filled with rice until he died," Adam recalled with distaste. "Might have to put his ass down in a year or two, but for now I'll try to leave him to fuck up these Japanese sinners for the time being."

"Not surprisingly," Alastor said, looking at his fingernails. Or rather, the static dancing between them. "Zestial did wish me to pass along some information, to you or to Abaddon. And I can't quite help noticing a distinct...similarity between my new associate and your own. Family resemblance, perhaps?"

"Stag," Adam warned flatly.

"Very well. He would not deign to explain what this message meant, just that the Four Perils are on the move," Alastor remarked.

"....The Four Perils?" Adam said in surprise.

Alastor narrowed his eyes in interest.

"Haven't heard about those fucks in a while. They were some of the Watchers, but they're mostly remembered by China and some other Asian places, vaguely as shit though," Adam explained with a frown.

"Interesting. So Zestial has connections outside of Pride Ring. Should I assume he is not a sinner? Perhaps, even, not a hellborn?" Alastor asked with a pointed grin.

"Stag, do you ever stop fishing?" Adam asked pointedly.

"I'm a hungry fellow, my good man!" Alastor retorted in jest. "Besides those two tidbits, I do know where a few of the various budding Overlords are hiding. Shall we?"

"You know, I'd normally be warning your ass not to try anything funny," Adam remarked with a smirk. "But I'm pretty sure you're hungry, Stag."

Some of Alastor's more demonic features crept through. "Yes, well, these new powers can be quite taxing compared to my normal ones. I find the urge to feed come more quickly when I use them."

"Bitch, just say your lightning powers make you need a bite," Adam said with an eye roll. "Lead the way, I'll try not to hit you while I'm clearing out the streets as we go."

"My good sir, if you can hit me by accident, then I must be getting sloppy," Alastor said with a snort as he slipped back into the shadows.

Adam took to the skies with a deep breath, creating the heaven halberd with a savage grin.

Yeah, after all, he had seen this year, the suffering souls that arrived in Heaven?

He was going to enjoy this.

Immensely.

Sinners gave flight as the Leader of the Raiders joined the fray in full, the Stag of the Crescent taking his own fill of kills as he desired.

Chapter Text

January 20, 1942

Adam was pissed.

Any soul that had been around Heaven long enough understood the First Man's natural state seemed to be grumpy and crude , but one would notice that true anger was rare and far between now.

Lute had bore witness to it plenty of times, and this was no different. She stood silently on top of the complex next to the Exorcist training grounds, watching as Adam utterly destroyed the area. If not for various seals hiding this place, she was sure they could see the flashes from the upper heavens.

The grounds reformed itself rather easily, but Adam was committed to making it look as ruinous as possible before allowing it to fix itself.

They were the only ones here for the day. That was intentional. Lute had known this would happen the moment Adam had returned to Heaven. She had known him long enough to sense this mood from him.

Eventually, the holy attacks ceased and the area began to right itself slowly, almost as if making sure Adam was finished before continuing.

The First Man just stood there now, arms crossed.

"Sir, sincerely, what the fuck happened?" Lute asked as she flew down to join him. Her voice was not surprised or accusing, just inquiring.

Adam grunted. "Mustache's flunkies had a meeting downstairs."

Lute raised an eyebrow. She knew who he was talking about. "About the war?"

"No."

Lute knew that tone. It was the "I wish I could say yes, but no" tone. Which had terrible implications here.

"It seems they fucking decided the slaughter and mass murder was being done too.... inefficiently," Adam said darkly.

"....Inefficiently?" Lute repeated, incredulous and disgust in her voice.

"They took the term "death camp" and somehow took that as a fucking challenge," Adam grunted, looking up at the skies and the rest of the heavens. "Lute, they're going to industrialize genocide. Fucking genocide, was barely a word before this? Now? No one will ever forget that world with the shit they're about to do."

A lesser or younger soul might have been in disbelief or sickened. Lute? "It's getting this bad again," she remarked with a scowl. "Europe and the Far East are starting to remind me of the world just before the Flood."

Adam let a silence come over them at that, but only for a moment. "Nowhere near there yet, but yeah, I'm getting the fucking flashbacks too," he agreed darkly. "....You got any remotely good news for me, Danger-tits?"

Lute's frown receded slightly as she nodded. "We have more new recruits. More Earthborn than normal."

Adam wasn't surprised. No one would be surprised. "Good, newbies or not we need some extra tits in the hole to clean up this shit shoe."

Lute nodded. "Also, Sir? I know you have a standing rule to not recruit any Earthborn who has been in Heaven for less than a year, but-"

"It's Aldona, isn't it?" Adam asked knowingly.

Lute wasn't surprised he knew. "She has been lurking around the facilities, despite no one telling her this place even existed."

Adam chuckled to himself. "It's funny as fuck, you know? We recruit a lot of them with some covert screening, make sure they have the right mindset, and all that. But some bitches, like her? They want this so fucking bad, their soul sniffs it out for them. And I don't mean my dick."

"Possibly also that, Sir," Lute said without missing a beat. "And I will admit, it is interesting to see among the Earthborn. I feel almost a kinship with how they feel, despite being Heavenborn."

Adam hummed. "I'll meet with her."

"I'll inform her myself, Sir," Lute said, turning to leave for now, pausing to glance back. "Also, Emily sends her thanks for that movie you gave her. Something about a puppet coming to life and a cricket?"

Adam smiled to himself.

And it made Lute smile too .

July 7, 1942

Pride Ring wasn't very safe these days, compared to how it normally was.

Hence why Charlie didn't get to see her friends that often. Except for a few.

"Deska, come on, where are you?!" Charlie called out as she and the others looked around for the hellhound .

"Maybe she snuck inside for a snack?" Gleen suggested uncertainly. "She does love the cookies. And the muffins. And the donuts."

"Anything sugary," a male imp said bluntly.

"Maybe she fell asleep?" a pair of lamia twin sisters asked, tilting their heads in opposite directions.

Charlie stopped for a moment when her friends weren't looking. "You guys go check inside, I'll look around one more time!" she suggested energetically.

"Okay, but you'll miss all the treats," Gleen warned in concern .

"Please, she always has more," the imp said knowingly.

Charlie watched as they left before heading over to a bush. "Hello, Abaddon."

For a second, nothing happened. Then the shadows moved and shifted to reveal Abaddon in all his dark glory. At his feet was a Hellhound girl, past out with a look of worry on her face. "I, perhaps, have granted your canine companion a rather great freight," Abaddon informed unapologetically, looking darkly down at the hellhound as if she was an insect he was considering stepping on.

"What happened? You normally don't show up outside my birthday if there isn't trouble?" Charlie asked, kneeling down to cheek over Deska, who seemed to relax and small unconsciously at Charlie's touch on her fur.

"A sinful soul with arcane of an umbral craft is afoot, older and more terrible than fallen admits this war," Abaddon answered, glancing up, his shadowy face twisting in disgust.

Charlie grimaced. "You can smell it too out there? The gas?"

"A lingering, foul reminder of how these souls have died. It is the same for a Lingering Soul in Heaven, albeit only for a short passage," Abaddon mused.

Right. Abaddon could go between Heaven and Hell as he pleased. "This sinner, you mentioned? Is he after me too ?" Charlie asked in concern.

"His motives are unknown. He may simply have spied through every shadow available and stumbled across one not directly protected admits your home," Abaddon answered, looking down to Deska.

Charlie watched as the Hellhound was covered in magic shadows and disappeared. "Mother was keeping an eye on her too," Charlie realized with a smile, glancing back to the manor, knowing her mother had taken her friend inside.

"Your sire as well, "Abaddon admitted distastefully, nodding back to where the shadows lingered.

Charlie blinked at the spot, tilting her head. "Dad?" she asked in surprise.

The shadows formed into the image of a duck, which winked at her before vanishing. The sight made Charlie smile softly.

Abaddon turned to make his leave, and Charlie knew she had to act.

"Muriel."

He stopped, he glanced back.

"That is your other name, right?" Charlie asked softly.

"Yes, Child of Sin?" he asked indulgingly

"Adam said I should.....talk to you. Ask you things, like what you did in Eden," Charlie explained , a bit shyly. "He said you wouldn't mind."

"I would not," Abaddon agreed as he took a seat again . "My work in Eden was simple. I only created a sole aspect, a singular thread in all of that ancient tapestry."

"What? Did you make one of the animals? Or did you help decide on colors?" Charlie asked eagerly.

"Nothing so interesting," Abaddon retorted with some smoldering amusement.

"Then what did you make?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Humans."

Charlie blinked. And blinked again. "I'm....I'm sorry, what?" she asked in disbelief.

"When the hour had arrived to craft the vessels to bestow with the first souls of humanity, I and I alone was the one who gathered the dust that would form their beings," Abaddon explained simply as if it were less profound than it truly was. "It fell to me to ensure their flesh and forms would house the essence of Humanity properly. That which was more than Beast, and was meant to match and surpass the angels."

"Surpass the angels....?" Charlie repeated, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. "Wait, wait, wait! That means...you made Adam?! And my Mother?!"

"Just the vessels. But in a sense, yes," Abaddon answered with a chuckle of embers.

"You can't just say that and treat it like it's nothing!" Charlie exclaimed, clutching her head in amazement. "Does that make you my grandfather or something?"

"That is a bridge too far," Abaddon said flatly. "The Queen of Adultery would not take kindly to that insinuation."

"Right, sorry, just...wow," Charlie said, taking a breath . "I'm good. Okay, you made the original bodies for humans. Later you were with the Watchers."

"An accurate encapsulation," Abaddon granted.

"And now you're down here," Charlie remarked with a head tilt. "I get that Adam asked you to keep an eye on me, but I doubt that's why you're usually here."

"Heaven occasionally finds need for an observing eye in these infernal realms," Abaddon answered with a hum as he looked up at the pentagram of the sky. "I provide such an eye."

"To make sure we're not going to try to attack Heaven," Charlie said, swallowing something in her throat. "Again."

Abaddon looked down at her. "You have spoken much of this."

"From my mom and dad, but also my aunts and uncles," Charlie answered softly. "Uncle Satan said that Heaven attacked Hell first, but only because some of the Hellborn were attacking humans on Earth."

"The Sin of Wrath is straightforward and sometimes skewed of sight, but true deception is not a talent he could ever boast," Abaddon remarked.

Charlie fell silent for a moment. "I saw the way you looked at Deska," Charlie said with a frown. "Do you hate Hellborn too, like Adam?"

"Yes."

The one-word answer, blunt and without hesitation, almost shocked Charlie. "But why? I get we weren't part of the plans for Creation, but-"

"Do you think Creation so small and fragile, the Heart of Heaven so meager that a place for an unintended species would be difficult to accommodate?" Abaddon interrupted pointedly.

Charlie fell silent.

"There was a time when "Demon" meant nothing, Child. When "Hell" was not seen as an opposing force, but only a sad reality to tend to. There once existed a time when an Angel might freely offer an unclenched hand in aid to a Hellborn without hesitation or concern," Abaddon warned. "Every attempt to find peace with the creatures of Hell has resulted in betrayal and loss for those of Heaven."

"Then why did Adam save me? Why are you protecting me?" Charlie challenged.

Abaddon didn't answer for a moment. "You have been nurtured by the Devil Himself and the Queen of Hell," he reminded with a narrowed look. "Why, with these dark heroes to call parents, why do you look up to the Heavens with any sensation but hate? Why do you speak well, speak fondly of the man who you thought wronged your mother so greatly? Why do you think so much of those who cast out your father so utterly?"

Charlie sat there with wide eyes, trying to contemplate an answer to those rather big questions. And as she did, her eyes drifted up to the portal leading from Hell to Heaven.

"Is it so bad that I want to believe the best in everyone? Really, everyone?" Charlie asked softly.

Abaddon appeared as if struck, flame eyes wide as he stared at the princess with the gaze of one who was seeing something believed to be long forgotten and lost.

It faded into something far more somber. "At times, that too is a form of arrogance, O Ashenstar."

"Ashenstar?" Charlie repeated. She didn't know why, but of all the little titles Abaddon had for her , that stuck out . "Adam gave me a bookmarker with ash-color snowflakes. Why ashes?"

"You were conceived among these cinders of Pride, the ashes of Sin . Just as a star is formed from the dust of the cosmos, your inception was akin to crafting such a luminary wonder from those meager embers," Abaddon described sagely, and fondly.

"Do you ever get tired of talking like that?"

Charlie looked back in shock to see one of her friends approaching. "Riker? What are you doing here?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"He has hearkened amongst us for much time. A friend of stealth you have acquired," Abaddon noted, eyeing the imp with narrowed eyes. "Speak, whelp."

The boy tried to look tough and unafraid, but it was obvious the ancient being terrified him on some level. "Listen, you're friends or something with the Lord Exorcist, right?"

Abaddon merely stared pointedly.

"I just want to tell him thanks, for saving my sister," Riker answered with his arms crossed. "I know he hates our guts like you, but, well, an imp doesn't expect anyone to save or help them. Bottom of the demonic food chain and all that."

"Your gratitude is unwanted and pointless, whelp," Abaddon warned with his eyes closed.

"Probably. But they're mine to give," Riker said with a hint of stubbornness.

"If it means that much to you, simply risk the perils and offer them from your own infernal tongue," Abaddon said, almost challenging hellborn.

"Abaddon, that's too far, Riker just-" Charlie insisted.

"Maybe I will," Riker said boldly.

"Riker, please don't joke about that , going out on E-Day alone is a bad idea!" Charlie insisted.

Riker and Abaddon both slowly looked at the princess with incredulous looks.

"What? I had Razzle and Dazzle with me before Dad started teleporting me," Charlie defended, her arms crossed.

"Didn't you get snatched off one of them by a faceless catman?" Riker asked flatly.

"Headless wolf, but his point remains valid," Abaddon remarked, sharing perhaps the only kinship he ever would with this imp.

Charlie winced, pushing away the thoughts of that night away. All these years and she still remembered it vividly. How could she not? Every year, she learned more about Adam. More about how much he hated her parents, her people. And despite her age, Charlie knew in some way that saving her had been a hard choice for Adam. Because, especially back then, he didn't believe the "good" parts of her would last, that she would grow out of her desire to help others as if it were merely a phase.

And despite that belief, he saved her. And that meant something, even if she didn't know how to voice it yet. All she knew was that she loved Adam, almost like another parent. She knew that until she did something to betray his trust, he would never hurt her, and help her however he could.

She'd tell him that, one day. Some day when she was a little bit more sure he wouldn't look at her with doubt when she said it. When she truly understood why trusting a being of Hell was so hard for Adam.

"Yeah, well....if I hadn't gone out, I wouldn't be friends with Adam. And he might not have saved my new friends! So there, I'm looking on the bright side of my bad ideas," Charlie said stubbornly.

"Right," Riker said in defeat. "Your folks said dinner is done."

"Okay. Abaddon, I'd invite you in, but I know you won't eat anything from my home," Charlie acknowledged.

Abaddon nodded as the children left. He rose a brow as Riker stopped and turned to face him again.

"Right. Also thanks for watching after the princess here, Abs," Riker said before heading off with an amused Charlie.

"....Abs?" Abaddon repeated with a simmering snort, shaking his head. "I suppose I can accept your gratitude, Whelp from Wrath."

August 6, 1942

"Yo, Hellflake, I got you-" Adam deadpanned as he saw it was NOT the child he was expecting. "Shrimp-horns, you got ten seconds to tell me why I shouldn't throw you out this window."

Riker sighed, sitting against the door. "Relax, I'm a friend of hers," he said, tilting his head at the small box under Adam's arm. "Char's birthday present?"

Adam didn't even react to the question. "Five seconds."

Riker stood up. "I just wanted to come and say thanks to the Leader of the Raiders. Not every day something from a nightmare comes and saves my little sister from some leech of a sinner."

"Kid, choke on it," Adam said flatly.

Riker tilted his head. "Weird."

Adam narrowed his eyes. "What is it, you little fuck?"

"I'm used to others hating on imps. It feels a bit better, you hating me for just being a Hellborn," Riker said idly. "Anyway, thanks, Mr. Raider."

The imp turned to open the door but stopped as he saw a hand pinning it closed. He looked up and his red skin paled a bit as he stood in the Shadow of the King of Locust, wings gleaming with deadly power. Every bit as terrifying as the bedtime stories made him out to be.

"How the fuck did you know I'd be here, Horn-shrimp?" Adam asked flatly.

"Char....Char told me. She told me I could wait in here to meet you if I wanted," Riker answered, his hands trembling even as he kept his voice steady.

And huffed as he took his hand off the door. "And you trusted me not to fuck this kid up, Hellflake?"

Riker blinked before the door opened, Charlie peaking her head in with a small smile. "I trust you not to kill my friends on my B-day," she retorted playfully as she entered the room. "Riker, we're about to have cake."

The imp nodded and made his way down. But as he did, Adam took in the sight of Charlie with this one. Charlie was a hundred thirty-six today and thus had all the looks and mind of a thirteen-year-old. He had killed Bathory seven years ago. The average Hellborn aged at a rate comparable to humans, some at about half-speed. This brat looked to be a year or two older than Charlie by now, fourteen or fifteen. 

Her friends were growing up and she had barely changed since she met them.

"Adam? You okay?" Charlie asked after the door closed.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm good. Just something big happening soon in a place called Tsaritsyn," Adam waved off before pulling the small box out from under his arms. "Here you go, a bunch of new comics from Earth."

"Ooooo!" Charlie said with wide eyes, eagerly ripping apart the present's wrapping to find the reading material within. "Wonder Woman?"

Adam grinned and crossed his arms. "Thought you might enjoy it. Just don't dress like that shit. I don't get what it is about these superheroes with tight outfits."

Charlie gave him an amused look. "Are you going to say you don't find the idea of your girls wearing something like that a bit hot?" Charlie asked wryly, holding up the comic cover in question.

Adam snorted. "Didn't say that at all, Hellflake."

A comfortable silence came over them, the soft sounds of a child's party echoing softly through the manner.

"Adam?" Charlie spoke up softly as she looked down. "After this war is over, and things settle down? Could....do you think you could....actually stay for some of my birthday parties?"

Adam took a deep breath. But before he could answer, the door opened.

"Hey, Charlie, guess who showed-!"

Both of them froze at the voice, but only Charlie looked to see the new intruder that landed on the balcony.

"Aunt Bee?" Charlie recognized.

Beelzebub, Sin of Gluttony, stood there in all her insect-hound glory, her mane and tail looking like it was made of honey and her midsection like a gooey hourglass, bubbles slowly passing up and down within the see-through area.

But Bee was looking at Adam with wide, wide eyes. "Oh, shades," Bee whispered as she gazed upon the First Man with trembling eyes. "You're....you're really here, huh?"

Adam finally turned to look at her with a narrowed look, but his body utterly relaxed, seemingly unthreatened by her presence.

Bee stiffened at his gaze, standing straight and leaning away as one of her hands touched her clear abdomen.

Charlie looked between the two repeatedly, the tension clearly thicker than Bee's honey. "You two...now each other?"

"No," Adam said coldly. "I never knew her."

Bee flinched, ears pressed back to her head, tail drooped.

"It's time I depart from here, Charlie," Adam said, never taking his eyes on Bee. "Happy birthday."

"What?" Charlie said in surprise, still confused by what was even happening.

Adam did not say anything more as he approached the balcony, and Beelzebub by extension.

She kept moving back, trying to keep him in her sights and at a distance. When he back hit a wall, Charlie was startled to see the powerful sin flinch. "Adam, I-" Bee started uncertainly.

"Are you deaf?" Adam said as he passed her. "I never knew you, Wolf of Voracity."

She said nothing, did nothing as Adam opened a portal to Heaven.

"See you on E-Day, Hellflake," Adam said as he departed, the portal closing behind him.

Bee fell to one knee and started panting with a cold sweat, eyes dilated as she held her stomach desperately. "Not again, not again, please don't do it again," she whispered in a desperate, distant tone.

"Aunt Bee!" Charlie said as she rushed to Sin's side. "What's wrong?! Should...should I get Mom and Dad?"

Bee blinked and slowed her breathing. "No, no, I'm good," she answered with an uneasy smile. "Sorry, you had to see that. Just....bad memories "

Charlie starred as her surrogate aunt knelt there and steadily herself. "You do know him, don't you?"

Bee's ears pressed down again. "Yeah. Yeah, I knew Adam, a long time ago," she answered, looking to Charlie with a weak and nostalgic smile. "Hellflake, huh? He still gives out cute nicknames?"

Charlie stared before inhaling softly at the implication.

There once existed a time when an Angel would have offered an unclenched hand in aid to a Hellborn.

Those were Abaddon's words, rattling in her head as she gazed upon the Sin of Gluttony.

All at once, she felt herself staring at a scene...

A pup of a hellhound with insect wings and four arms crawling out of a burning hole.

A masked, white-robed angel standing over the hellborn with an outstretched hand.

The young hellborn cried softly as she took the hand offered in kindness.

"Oh, Aunt Bee," Charlie said softly as she hugged the Sin around the neck.

"Charlie?" Bee asked softly.

"I don't know what happened, but it's okay to cry. I won't tell anyone," Charlie promised.

The Sin of Gluttony hesitated before embracing the Princess of Hell and allowed a few tears to fall.

October 21, 1942

"A cyclone killed around forty-thousand people yesterday," Adam muttered, reclining on the couch hard. "Is it fucking sick that shit like that is almost refreshing to deal with?"

Sera sighed solemnly. "Sadly, I agreed. Natural disasters, tragedies like that are always easier to deal with than atrocities. Both for the victims and for us."

"Preach it, Big Fluff," Adam said, raising a drink lazily in her direction. "Fuckery of nature happens, no one really to blame, nothing to linger on. Slaughtered for where or who you were born to? What you believe? That shit sticks."

Sera hummed in agreement.

Adam narrowed his eyes. "Sera, I have known you since literally the dawn of time. Skip the bull and say what you want."

Sera frowned a bit but obliged his request. "I'm concerned, Adam. Birthday gifts were one thing, but you're using Abaddon to keep an eye on her?"

Adam grunted. "Not just her."

Sera rose a brow.

"Shits stirring in Hell, and Abaddon is a good way to keep an eye on it," Adam explained, taking a long swing. "The Four Perils are acting up."

"Who?" Sera asked with vague curiosity.

"A couple of unimportant fallen angels," Adam explained with a frown. "But if they're up to something, the rest of the Watchers might too. What's left of their asses, anyway."

If anything, Sera's worry grew. "Adam, please tell me you're aware that someone might be trying to set a trap."

Adam gave her a blank look. "Sera, it's obviously a trap. I'm just trying to figure out if the Watchers are acting solo or if the Big Ls are involved."

"I doubt Lilith would allow Hell to lose any potent allies, even if they were acting without her or Lucifer's knowledge," Sera remarked.

"Don't be too sure of that shit, Sera," Adam said with a frown. "Hated makes for fragile alliances. Trust me, I know."

"I would never contend that, Adam," Sera said solemnly. "I just worry about you."

He looked back to Sera. He could have easily read the concern in her eyes even without her words. It wasn't exactly the look of a mother wanting to protect her child, but it was similar in intensity.

His brow set. "Sera? I made a decision."

She blinked.

"After this war is over, I'm going to start teaching Emily everything about the last ten thousand years. Really teaching her," Adam warned. "All the grimy details, all the fucked up shit, all the backstabs and failures we had to work our asses through."

He stood up and kept Sera's gaze, and he could tell she knew what he was about to say.

"And when we get to it? I'll tell her about the exterminations."

Sera frowned. "I'm not sure the time is right to burden her with that, Adam."

"I know you don't. But I already told you," Adam said, his voice dipping into something ancient and vast. "I have made my decision , and I will do whatever I please."  Adam allowed his voice to return to normal, taking on a tone between sympathetic and firm. "You should as well."

Sera stared for a moment before nodding slowly. "I don't believe I've seen you this serious this often in two millennia, Adam."

"Yeah, the sooner I teach those adorable little shits what happened, the sooner I can stop and go back to fucking relaxing," Adam deflected.

Sera smiled, just a bit. "If you say so, Adam, if you say so."

Chapter Text

Two Days before E-Day, 1942

The Realm of Envy, the domain of Leviathan.

That was where Abaddon descended, into that watery realm.

Few truly understood and recognized the difference between Greed and Envy.

Mammon, in his endless avarice, just purely wanted More. Money, mainly, but he wanted more. It was indifferent to what it caused for everyone else.

Envy was specific, Envy was personal, and Envy didn't CARE for monentary value or worth.

Envy was wanting something, because someone else had it. It could be entirely meaningless to others, even the one who had it, and someone would still be envious and desire it.

The brimey and salty deeps were decorated with small islands, rocks breaching the surface, and the occasional ship cruising about.

It was deceptively calm and empty until one plunged below the surface.

And so Abaddon did.

Unlike the oceans of Earth, the Sea of Envy was much...brighter. The seafloor was covered in brilliant coral and bioluminescent allgee that shined through the darkness, with many different colors. There were dark, empty "paths" that led the way from one underwater city to the next. Beside the roads were more empty spots, large rectangles that had words written on them with specifically amethyst allege.

"Charyburrow
<- 300 Leagues 
Invidia
1000 Fathoms->"

His sun-bright gaze followed the path to Invidia. He circled around a "hill" that was actually the slope up to an island until he found it.

The City of Invidia.

It was within a great and eternal bubble, to allow the less aquatic demons to visit and live in this place. As was every major city in Envy.

For at one time or another, Leviathan had coveted every type of Hellborne and made his realm as inviting for them as he could.  The beaches were just as enticing as these gleaming abodes.

And oh how Invidia gleamed. Much of the city, be it streets or buildings, was lined with violet crystals that glowed with a soft, sensual, welcoming glow that helped illuminate the realm beneath the waves. The entire base of the bubble was ringed with those stones.

But Invadia was a strange place. One could not notice it outright without visiting the other rings of Hell. But the City of Envy was very much a mishmash of every other ring, in a way.  A small underwater volcano with a bright "sun" above it, like those from Wrath. Floating "island" districts, like in Sloth. A great forest like that of Gluttony.  A theater like the one in Greed. From within the bubble, the sky gleamed with the impressions of stars, almost identical to the ones seen in Lust.

And as he passed into that Coveting City, Abaddon raised his head and saw one thing at the peak of the purple.

A great white light with wings. An imitation of the sight of Heaven from the Ring of Pride.

His gaze lowered to the center of Invadia, where Leviathan called him.

But it was not a house or a palace.

No, it was something most would not expect.

It was grand enough to be a palace, it a large and opulent, lined with statues and carvings from every era of Earth and some native only to Hell.

A few from Heaven too, Abaddon knew.

He flew forth like a shadow, unseen and unbothered by the Hellbron. But as he entered the building, there was no need.

There were no guards, and normally there were in fact many Hellborns walking the halls of Envy's Sin. 

All were welcome here, except for thieves.

For the crown of Envy was not a palace, but a Museum.

After all, what was the point of having something you covetted, if not to show others you had it?

Yet today, the galleries were all empty, the doors locked.

Not that they stopped the visage of Abaddon, as he phased through them as if mere smoke and dust.

There were many things within here, Abaddon noted as he wandered the halls. The Helm of Darkness, the Trojan Horse, the Bed of Procrustes. Greek seemed to be the theme in this section.

With a hum of displeasure, he moved as mist and shadow to where he knew his quarry was.

His shadowy essence came to a painting and idly noted the title at the bottom.

"A Vision of the Last Judgement, by William Blake."

Without hesitation, he passed through it and into the hidden staircase behind the painting. Seals, wards, and defenses made a paltry effort to stop him. He paid them no mind.

Down he descended, to where the walls turned to carven stone and the very air grew damp. He reached the bottom and found himself within a massive cave below Invadia, illuminated by more algae glowing along the ceiling. To one side was a massive pool of water that led out to the greater ocean. To the other, was Everything Else.

Leviathian's trove of treasures. Every piece not put on displace, was down here. Either not in rotation or, in some cases, too precious to leave out so unprotected.

The waters rippled and Abaddon paid it no mind. He passed among the treasures and was almost amused to find it all in disarray. There was no logic or reason to where everything was. Most likely, Leviathan wanted to be the only one who knew where everything was.

He looked to one side and saw Pridwen, the shield of King Arthur. He wasn't surprised. Anything important that was lost in this reality, there was a good chance of it being here.

To the other, he saw Nabrok. He wondered if Mammon knew these were here? He couldn't imagine the Sin of Greed happy to not have those pants in his possession.

His eyes fell upon many treasures and passed them without interest until he found what he was looking for.

Upon one and only one display, was there nothing to behold. An empty showcase and it was too precious and important to display the name. Abaddon knew that much.

The waters moved again behind him. They splashed heavily at the surface and rushed along the cave floor before flowing back to the pool.

Abaddon turned around and was met with the Face of Envy.

The first thing anyone would notice about Leviathan was that he wore a business suit. It was a dark blue, with a black undersuit, and a purple tie. One would notice this first for how normal it was compared to the head.

Unsurprisingly, Leviathan's head was serpentine or draconic in looks. The scales were smooth amethyst. His snout was adorn with two small hook-like spikes growing just above his nostrils, and two horns just above his head that were lined with coral that almost looked like a wreath of leaves. Or a crown. Two transparent lenses were over his eyes, which glowed with an unholy light. Along his head were several solid plates of scales, and from them flowed water that moved both like tendrils and in the imitation of hair.

"It has been a strange eon or two, Watcher of the Watchers," Leviathan greeted civilly, hands in his pockets and utterly at ease with the supposed intruder. "To what do I owe the visit?"

If Abaddon was bothered with the cordial tone, he ignored it. "Thieves made traspass into your lair of treasure, and yet draw breath?"

"And who might have told you that? I haven't told anyone," Leviathan noted curiously before stepping past Abaddon. "Ahh, yes, a last treasure reminder of my old life. I'm sure you know all about that?"

Abaddon eyed the Sin with distrust and suspicion. "Has the Beast of Jealousy been robbed or swindled, I must wonder?"

Leviathan looked back at Abaddon with a wistful smile. "I hear you and little Charlie are getting along swimmingly."

Silence answered him.

"Swimmingly? Not even a chuckle? You used to love jokes like that," Leviathan said with some disappointment. "Good girl that one. Glad she has so many guardian angels. I'm surprised someone didn't steal her away to Heaven yet."

"Her temperament is endearing and far greater than the denizen of these pits deserve," Abaddon agreed. "But one should always doubt he good nature of a Hellborn."

"Especially Princess, I take it?" Leviathan asked pointedly before shrugging. "I'd love to chat and catch up, but I'm a bit busy these days. Ignoring that I've been robbed by Fallen Angels of all souls, I have a lot of artwork to potentially steal from the human world. Mind you, just the ones that would be destroyed or lost forever. Speaking of which, I have a rather interesting statue I acquired. It used to be part of a tomb for a Doge named Vendramin and-"

A streak of holy golden light zipped by Leviathan, impaling into the empty display behind him, shattering the glass instantly.

"Do you know how annoying that is to clean up?" Leviathan asked dryly as he waved his clawed hand, making the glass reform as if time was rewinding itself with a purple glow. "Not very, but still!"

"Those unwoven protections are many days cold. You permitted the entry of the Fallen. Invited them, perhaps," Abaddon noted before looking to Leviathan in annoyance. "And these wards remained unfixed because you had no desire to hide your actions. Like a peacock, you always desire your work displayed and admired."

Leviathan was silent before smirking. "I always was easy for you to read," he mused with a mighty shrug. "Yeah, I let them take it. I'm invested in seeing how this plays out."

Abaddon watched the Sin for a long moment before he vanished like a mist on the breeze.

"You could bother to say goodbye, you know!" Leviathan called after with a headshake before looking back at the empty display case. He smiled. "Sorry, Old Man, but you should be too late to stop this."

1 Day Before E-Day, 1942

"Hellflake, the fuck at they doing here!?" Adam barked in annoyance as he appeared in the embassy.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I don't know why Mom sent us here!" Charlie said quickly while holding her hand over the wounded head of a lamia girl. The girls' twin was curled nervously, head ducked under Adam's shouting.

Adam frowned as he took in the scene. "What happened?"

Charlie looked at him pleadingly. "Can you please help her?"

Adam glared. It was small, but it was there.

"Adam, please! Mom was supposed to send us home to get help, but we're here now and I don't know why and she's bleeding-" Charlie rambled on desperately.

Her pleas were cut short as Adam stalked over with a grumble, forcefully pulling Charlie's hand away. He stared at the wound for a long time to examine the damage. "She's fine. It grazed off her skull," Adam informed.

"It hurts. It really, really hurts," The lamia girl whimpered, making sure not to meet Adam's gaze.

"Ugh, don't make this weird," Adam said as he pulled the girl close and started sniffing the wound.

"Adam?!" Charlie said in surprise, sharing a confused look with the uninjured lamia.

"Smells something like fucking ammonia," Adam informed with a frown. "Don't know if it was on the bullets or something else, but that shit is bad for snakes. Guess some of that carried over to her kind of demon."

"So...does that mean my sister will be okay or not....?!" the sister asked urgently, falling quiet when Adam looked at her.

Adam suddenly looked up and frowned. "Can't believe I'm doing this shit," he muttered to himself before raising a hand to the injury.

The girl winced as she felt the brush of Heavenly injury brushing against her head, her skull, just a touch away from her very mind.

And then...

She blinked. "It doesn't hurt?" she whispered, reaching up to touch the wound. 

"Amfi, it's gone!" Charlie exclaimed in relief. "He healed you!"

"Yeah, don't fucking remind me," Adam said as he stood up. "Now we just need to find out why Queen Harlot herself dropped this on me."

Charlie opened her mouth to speak against the Harlot comment if nothing else, but they were all interrupted as a shadow appeared on the ground and showed a rolled-up letter that Adam snatched instantly.

"Speak of the Bitch, and she answers," Adam remarked, glaring down at the shadow that had already vanished, rather frantically. He opened the note to read it.

Charlie didn't like how silent he got. "Adam?"

He held the note by one finger and showed it to her.

"Adam,
Someone tried to steal Charlie.
Lilith."

"Steal me?" Charlie repeated in confusion, the lamias grabbing either arm as they curled around Charlie protectively.

"Isn't that why she got shot?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What, no! Mom and Dad took us all to an old castle in Pride, far away from Pentagram. W-we were learning how to shoot guns," Charlie informed, swallowing deeply. "Mo-mom said we should know how to handle one. Dad thought it might be a waste with how quick guns change or something like that."

"Not untrue," Adam agreed reluctantly as he snapped his fingers closed, burning the letter in a burst of holy fire. Guns evolved pretty damn fast even if the basic idea was always the same. "So what happened, someone accidentally shot themselves? Or each other?"

"No, Vena's gun jammed up," Amfi informed, nodding to her sister, who looked down.

"I-I set it down and it just...exploded!" Vena answered, tail shivering. "And Amfi was bleeding and I thought I did something wrong and stupid."

"Look, I'll be the first to agree to demons doing some wrong or stupid shit, but that sounds like an accident," Adam remarked, brow furrowed. "Still does not explain what Lilith means someone trying to....stealing.....you. Fuck."

"Adam, what is it?" Charlie asked in concern. "Is it...?"

"Is it someone like Bathory?!" the twins asked in alarm.

Adam frowned before shaking his head. "I'll be right back. Charlie, stay here. Do not fucking step outside that door," Adam instructed as he formed a portal and left.

Charlie nodded, heeding Adam's words as absolute in this exact situation. Something was wrong.

Glancing between the two sisters, who were watching where Adam had been, she decided they needed a distraction. "Come on, Adam and the others keep some snacks in the kitchen, just in case."

The two nodded and followed after her. Amfi was still feeling in her head, unable to believe the extent of the healing, but Vena was looking around the heavenly architecture with amazement and interest.

They weren't sinners. They had seen places that were clean and nice before, even ignoring being friends with the Princess of Hell. But still, there was something about the angelic style. It was beautiful, yet also somehow foreboding to demons like them. Perhaps it was the emptiness, the silence that tried to swallow every sound of their walking and slithering pace.

Eventually, they reached the kitchen and Charlie dug through the cabinet.

"Charlie? What did we do?" Amfi asked curiously.

"Huh? What do you mean? It was an accident, like Adam said," Charlie answered, peaking back up to show a bag of chips.

Vena looked down. "He hates us. All Hellborn. But why?"

Charlie frowned as she closed the cabinet, reminded of the "meeting" between Adam and Beelzebub. "I'm still trying to figure that out too," she admitted as they moved to the meeting table. "Do you know any stories about him?"

"You don't?" they both asked in surprise.

"Not for the longest time," Charlie answered, partially lying. There was the History of Hell, but that was really about her parents and not Adam. "I've been learning a lot of them the past decade."

Amfi and Vena shared a look, an unspoken conversation between them. "The Lady's Double?" they asked one another, nodding in agreement.

"The Lady's Double?" Charlie asked curiously.

Amfi hummed. "There once was a beautiful Lady of Envy."

"But one day, she awoke to find herself staring at herself," Vena continued. "She believed it was a powerful doppelganger, one so powerful even the Ars Goetia couldn't tell them apart."

"Wait, this is an Adam story?" Charlie asked skeptically.

"Soon, Charlie," Amfi promised. "Everything about herself, her double already knew. But an Ars Goetian Lord proposed a solution."

"Take them before the Slayer of No Sorrow, who knows all names! Offer him the false-lady for his troubles, and your heads will remain unsevered!" Vena recited dramatically.

"Slayer of No Sorrow? How many nicknames does Hell have for him?" Charle wondered outloud.

"The Lady was scared, for she feared the Slayer would cut her down for his own amusement," Amfi remarked, pausing. "From what you say, Charlie, she was wise to think that."

Yeah, Charlie could see Adam intentionally picking the wrong lady just to screw over every Hellborn in the situation. "So, what happened?"

"On the Day of Heaven's Plague, the Lady came before the Slayer with her double and family," Vena continued.

"He loomed over them all like a golden raptor, ready to fall upon them, but he heard their pleas out. Why, one could only wonder. Interest, bored? Perhaps some pity in his heart?" Amfi continued, wincing at the end. "I kind of doubt that last one now."

"The Slayer heard both speak their case, and he laughed! He laughed mighty and loud, and it was heard across all of Pride Ring!" Vena told animately.

"You foolish serpents, you are both the True Lady! You are her and she is you!" they both said at the same time.

"Wait, what!?" Charlie said in shock, looking between them in surprise. "What do you- er, he mean, they were both the True Lady!?"

"I can answer that."

The twins nearly jumped out of their chairs as Charlie looked to the door and saw Adam leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. "Adam! Did you lie to a poor girl and make her think a doppelganger was her twin!?"

"Huh. You know, that is not even the first fucking time I've been accused of that," Adam said thoughtfully. "Anyway, not exactly. Truth is way fucking weirder. Your Hatchlings can take a chill pill while I explain."

The "hatchlings" were already back in their seats, giving Adam their undivided attention.

"Basically, this bitch was the snake-bitch version of Narcissus. Inhaled her own fucking farts so much she not only fell in love with herself, she split in two so she could have kinky selfcest fucking!" Adam explained with a grin. "Fuck, that was so funny and hot I actually barely killed any sinners that day!"

"You're kidding," Charlie said with wide eyes, looking at her friends. "He's kidding, right?"

'Ummm," Amfi looked between them awkwardly. "He's a lot more, umm, graphic about it, but...."

"That is the rest of the story, yes," Vena agreed. "The Lady and her Double, no longer thinking the other was deceiving one another, fell in love with each other and lived happily ever after."

"It's one of the only stories we know about, umm, him-" Amfi said, nodding to Adam. "-that doesn't involve someone dying."

"Well...that's nice to know, at least," Charlie said with a smile. "See, Adam? Violence isn't always the answer."

"Hellfake, violence is never the answer," Adam said sagely. "It is a good fucking question and the answer is rarely no."

"What about paperwork?" Charlie countered quickly.

"Arson is a form of violence," Adam reminded me factually.

Charlie sighed. "Yeah, I should have expected that."

Vena and Amfi couldn't help snickering at that, but quickly went quiet and sat very still when Adam looked at them pointedly.

"Thank you again for helping me," Amfi said softly.

"We know you didn't want to," Vena added gratefully.

"Yeah, yeah, go kiss the Hellflake's slippers in thanks if you want," Adam said dismissively.

""Adam! I'm not even wearing slippers!" Charlie said with a glare.

"Not the point you think it is, Hellflake," Adam said in amusement.

The twins shared a look. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

Adam gave them a pointed look.

"Y-you saved us both before," Amfi reminded.

"And you helped my sister again," Vena finished, their tails quivering around their chairs.

"If you were making that offer in about five years or so, I'd have a few fucking things to say to that," Adam remarked with a snort.

The sisters looked at each other and nodded. "Okay."

Adam blinked and narrowed his eyes at the girls who had to be midteens. "Okay....?"

"We'll come back later," Vena explained.

"When we're all grown up," Amfi filled in.

Charlie stared at her friends with wide eyes and a blush on her face.

"Fuck, well, didn't I say don't make it weird?" Adam grumbled. "Question, is there a fucking Cubus of either kind in your family tree?"

"How'd you know?" they asked in surprise.

"Lucky fucking guess? Also, it's Hell. Most of you Hellborns have a Succubus or Incubus somewhere in the family tree," Adam remarked.

"Huh. I never thought about it, but I think he's right," Charlie said, looking at Amfi and Vena awkwardly. "Also, Amfi, Vena? You...know you don't have to do anything like that? Right, Adam?"

"Is that an actual fucking question? Hellflake, please tell me I don't need to explain I'm not a rapist of any kind," Adam said pointedly.

"No, no, of course not! I just want them to know they don't have to! Cause...well...." Charlie trailed off weakly.

"Right. It's Hell. These little bitches probably expect shit like that to some degree," Adam remarked with a sigh. "You two don't have the give me shit, now or later."

"We know that," Vena answered softly.

"We just don't want you to be angry," Amfi explained.

Adam grunted as he looked away.

The Lamias had another worried look before both swallowed thickly. "Would you like to take our pinky fingers instead?"

Silence reigned over the room.

"....The fuck?" Adam asked, looking to the air again.

"You get to take something from us for helping us," Amfi explained.

"You hate Hellborn, so that would make it...better, right?" Vena asked uncertainly.

The pair slowly, carefully placed their hands on the table, the rest of their bodies twitching nervously.

Adam stared skeptically as he studied the two snake girls. 

"Why do you hate them?"

All three of them looked to Charlie, who was gazing at Adam intently. 

"Aunt Bee didn't tell me much, but I understand enough. You tried. Heaven tried to get along with Hellborns, and it went bad. For the humans especially," Charlie said softly. "But why do you hate them? They weren't the ones who did it, right?"

Adam sighed deeply. "I don't think you're ready to hear that, Charlie. I really don't," he said, looking at the twins. "They got a story about that? Why Hell's Boogieman loves to see you all quivering in fear?"

There was no answer. Either they didn't have one or couldn't find the courage to speak.

"....You said someone tried to steal me?" Charlie asked, trying to regain his attention. Or take it off her friends rather.

"Right," Adam said with a sigh. "So, went to your place and confirmed what was going on. While you were gone, someone fucking boobytrapped the wards around the house."

"What?! But how? Shouldn't Mom's and Dad's magics have sensed it?!" Charlie asked in shock.

"When I say "around" I mean, literally fucking around," Adam said, holding up his hand to draw two circles, one inside the other. They were barely separated, almost forming one thick circle. "Alright, so, the inner one is the wards around your home. Shit can't set foot within without tripping off the Big Ls. So some fucker made a trap-ring right outside the first circle. The bastard had to be real good about it, cause your mom is about the best when it comes to this dark magic shit. Bitch literally invented it."

Charlie frowned. "I did feel strange when we were being teleported. Like everything kind of...jolted?" she recalled thoughtfully.

"That was your mom noticing the trap at the last second and dumping your ass here. She's back at the manor, utterly wrecking that shitty trap while trying to figure out where this asshole is."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "You know who it is."

Adam tilted his head silently.

"You said where, not who," Charlie observed.

Adam grinned, reaching down to ruffle her blond hair. "Getting too smart sometimes, Hellflake," he said, as Amfi and Vena watched on in wonder at the exchange. "Yeah, there's a fucker who could pull that bullshit off and he's been on our radars lately. Mine, and your parents." He paused and looked over to the twins. "And yeah, he's a bit like Bathory, since he sometimes targets kids."

The three girls exchanged worried looks before Charlie met Adam's gaze again. "Tell me about him," she requested softly.

Adam grunted as he mentally trudged through the information. "Peter Neirs. Bandit from about four-and-a-half centuries ago. The asshole was part of a gang and tried his hand at black magic. And this particular bit of magic involves eating the hearts of unborn babies."

All of them stared with wide eyes, the twins quickly pushing the bag of chips away while looking a bit sickened.

"Right, maybe a bit too blunt with that part," Adam said idly, noticing Charlie was only a touch better than those two. "Bastard killed hundreds people and two dozen pregnant women."

"He sounds like someone you'd....have on your list," Charlie commented carefully.

"Unfortunately, the fucker treated Hell like he did Earth. By which I mean, he kept a low profile even as an Overlord. Hiding and disguising himself," Adam explained in irritation. "This second fucking world war, all the souls that need help in Heaven, the Fallen Angels stirring shit up, and now this bullshit on top of everything else. When it fucking rains it fucking pours."

Charlie winced in sympathy. She thought she was imagining it, but it was clear that Adam was more stressed than normal. This war was draining him in more ways than one.

"Why he's after you now, I don't have one fucking clue. He definitely didn't try to go after Lilith when she was pregnant with your tiny ass, "Adam finished. 

"Ummm...."

Adam and Charlie looked to Vena, who ducked her head. "Yes, snakebrat number two?"

Chaleie shot him an annoyed look for that but kept her focus on Vena.

The lamia shifted nervously, as did her sister. "We....we heard the cannibal sinners are being rallied by a new Overlord."

"And you know that, fucking why?" Adam asked with a furrowed brow.

"Some of my friends live in the other cities on Pride, the ones that are mostly Hellborn," Charlie informed. 

"W-we live in a place called Hauteur," Amfi informed, swallowing thickly. "A lot of reptile Hellborn live there. We still get word there about sinners. I heard a new Overlord is trying to make a place just for them."

"It sounds like the Cannibals are fighting each other," Vena filled in before wincing. "And eating each other."

Adam narrowed his eyes. Well, he did know a cannibal himself. "I'll be right back, I got to talk to a stag about an ass," he said before leaving without another word.

"Charlie?" Amfi spoke up.

"Yes?" Charlie answered.

"We're really glad he likes you," Vena said, her sister nodding in agreement.

One Hour Before E-Day, 1942

Abaddon was displeased.

Alastor didn't have the slightest clue why, honestly.

"The Queen of Darkness will be disappointed, unable to inflict such a fate on him by her own powers," Abaddon said as they both looked upon the "slaughter" in question. "I must assume this is not a slaughter of your own making."

They stood in some derelict mockery of a church, all around them were dead bodies. Sinners who had long had their souls taken, possibly even destroyed. And at the head, the alter of this imitation of religion was one final corpse.

If it could even be called that anymore.

The entire body was destroyed, unrecognizable in any shape beyond something vaguely humanoid. The flesh had been burned, melted, and rotted into a putrid black substance that clung to the bones in some mockery of life. The limbs were broken and twisted from where the victim had struggled.

"Not my cup of tea. I don't like my meal cooked, let alone....," Alastor paused as a bone broken off from its own weight. "Overcooked, I suppose?"

"Peter Neirs, a lord among the cannibals," Abaddon recognized with distaste. 

"Hardly the most devoted one to that title. Cannibal appeared to be more of a means than an end or benefit to him," Alasotr mused, tapping the skull with the bottom of his staff. "If I hadn't led you here myself, I might have thought this was your own handiwork."

"....A good eye you have, Stag," Abaddon said darkly as he turned around with tenebrific grace.

Alastor's ears twitched as he looked as well, eyes to the shadows and darkness of the ruined temple. "Former friends, I take it?"

Abaddon just hummed in a manner that Alastor took as confirmation.

And on the wind came a voice as cold as ice. 

"Your time will come, Abandoner."

And just like that, they were gone.

"Lovely company," Alastor mused dryly as he relaxed. "I take it they fled more from you than myself.

"They dare not remain on the Day of Extermination," Abaddon answered.

"Speaking of, I believe it is-" Alastor started, but was cut off by the toll of the clock bell across all of Pentagram. "-about time, actually."

Abaddon hummed before he vanished as smoke, leaving Alastor with a final message.

"Be warry, Stag, for I feel this will be a day unlike any sinners have experienced in a long age...."

"Then I suppose I arrived in Hell at the right time," Alastor said whimsically, even if his ear twitched and he glanced at a shadow that might have moved.

"You're lucky, Little Lamb."

No, definitely moved.  Alastor froze as he heard the vaguely feminine voice in his ear, a large clawed hand placed on his shoulder. He couldn't bear to move but could see a broken piece of glass angled towards him. In it, he could see her behind him, Watching Him With Lightless Eyes.

"If you had been a bit older and stronger? It might have been you on this alter, and not that sorcerer."

With that, her hand left as the Fallen Angel slipped away.

Alastor gritted his smile when he could move again and tried to stop the shaking in his hand. It still tasted bitter, seeing how far away the top of the food chain he was.

Still, he didn't dwell on it and left the ruined temples. After all, it was Extermination Day.

And Abaddon all but promised it would be entertaining.

Chapter Text

E-Day, 1942

Aldona gritted her teeth as she impaled a sinner hard into the ground. Too hard, her spear getting stuck in the ground until she could rip it out.

Her training had been quick and ruthless to make her decent enough for this day, but it showed she was one of the new exorcists.

She turned just in time to see another sinner, a bear-man trying to wail on her with a large machine gun like a bludgeon. A fellow exorcist came down and sliced halfway down the skull from the top.

"That always happens at first," the more experienced angel remarked.

"Captain Locria," Aldona recognized, breathing deep as she scanned the area for any more sinners that would attack. Most didn't even try.

"Battle is different from training. You need experience to learn how to not get a weapon stuck like that," Locria remarked calmly, as the two stood back to back. "Handling it well."

"Most of them just flee and hide," Aldona remarked. "I expected something....else."

"We've kept them weak enough that most know they can't hurt us. The Overlords might be challenging, but they mostly hide away on E-Day. Until someone sells them out," Locria explained. 

Aldona nodded. It was disturbing how similar to a human city this looked, but she supposed sinners in Hell would make some mockery of the world they left. "I'm sorry. I must be holding you up."

"Don't be. My job is to show you the ropes since you have to hit the ground running," Locria assured.

Aldona nodded before glancing back to the center of the city, to the Embassy.

To Adam, who stood atop the building with his arms crossed.

"I didn't expect him to be the silent and vigilant type," Aldona remarked.

Locria followed her gaze and frowned. "He's not. Everything on Earth stirred things up down here. He's watching for someone or something."

"Something?" Aldona asked with a frown of concern.

"Too early to say what, just keep your wits about you and listen for orders," Locria ordered. "Come on, we have a job to do."

Aldona nodded and flew off with the exorcist captain, determined to end more of these demons.

Meanwhile, Adam stood on the roof silently with his arms crossed, eyes set on the direction he knew the Devil's Manor to be in. "Okay, Morningshits, are you in on this or not?" Adam muttered to himself before communicating through his halo. "Lute, chime in."

"Sir, the scouts have relayed no suspicious activity around the city yet. Only the center is unchecked since-"

"Yeah, I'm already fucking here, I'd know if they were pulling shit this close to me," Adam finished with a frown as he looked up. There were a lot of souls dropping in, soldiers at that. A battle was going on somewhere, Russia if he had to guess by all the Germans and Soviets.

"Sir, it's possible they have nothing planned for this year," Lute reminded.

"No, it's not," Adam refuted with a frown. "Leviathan and the Watchers wouldn't let us get this close to figuring what the fuck they're up to if they thought we could stop it."

Despite the screams of the damned all about them, the silence between them was deafening.

"Sir, Ma'am?"

"What'd you find, Mix?" Adam responded.

"We've found something at the Point of Halliy. A basement filled with a horde of slain sinners, and one in a rather...unusual state of decay," Mixolydia answered.

"How did you find it if it was in a basement?" Lute asked with a frown.

"Something ripped a hole through the building, you can see it from the sky," Mixolydia explained.

"Thanks for the update, Mix-tits. We'll get back to you," Adam gave as the communication closed to be just him and Lute again. "Well, fuck the ducks, that's not good."

"They're using the city as a giant ritual circle," Lute remarked with a troubled frown. "That never ends well."

"It's the fucking 540s all over again with the plague," Adam remarked in frustration. "Okay, we know what they got from Leviathan. There are only about three or four things they can fucking do with that involve this bullshit they're setting up."

"Sir. You said the impression was that Leviathan allowed this to happen," Lute said pointedly. "You know which outcome he would desire."

Adam took a deep, suffering breath. "Right. Mix said Halliy. The fetus-eating shithead was killed at the point of Balaton. If those Fallen fucks are THAT braindead, they need a third point at the-"

Adam stopped dead in his tracks and snapped his head to look off to the south-east. He gazed at the area of the city that was placed at the inner point of the pentagram, in the southeast.

"Oh, those pricks," Adam whispered venomously.

"Sir?"

"Lute! Get everyone out of the Nadir of Gram! No one fucking goes there but me!"

"Gram?" Lute repeated with a frown but got only silence from Adam. She looked in the direction of the location before her eyes went wide with horrible realization. "Exorcists! Everyone leave the Expanse of Gram! I repeat, retreat from the Exanpse of Gram, and do not enter it!"

Aldona looked up at Locria with confusion as they put down a small squad of soldier sinners that had been hiding behind a destroyed tank. "Gram? Where even is that?"

"The name of the area outside the actual pentagram, between the southern point and the southeast point," Locria answered almost automatically, a troubled look on her face. "What is-"

"Attention all Captains! This is your Luetentant. We believe a demonic ritual is being performed! Be prepared to evacuate Hell!" Lute's voice rang in Locria's head, whose eyes went still with a look of disbelief.

"What? What's wrong?" Aldona asked warrily.

"You might have a very interesting first Extermination, Aldona," Locria warned, shaking her head in disbelief.

Elsewhere, Adam had taken off like a bolt of lightning, soaring as he ignored everything. Be it his fellow exorcists or fresh sinners that nearly fell on him as they materialized in Hell. A few unlucky ones were bisected by his golden wings as he refused to slow down.

A ritual like this required three points to form a triangle, a golden gnomon. Three places where a powerful soul had to be sacrificed, along with other weaker souls to "grease" the metaphorical magic wheels. The most ideal points to form the shape required two points of the outer pentagram and one of the inner pentagon. And given where the other two were, he knew where the last spot had to be.

He came to a stop as he looked down at exactly what he knew would still be there.

Summoning his halberd, he descended once more into the laid where he had slain Elizabeth Bathory years ago.

Adam frowned as he entered the torture chamber once more. It was largely untouched from his last battle here. Some of the cages and torture equipment were gone, but by and large, it was relatively undisturbed. The blood was long dried up and faded, the fireplace cold and dark.

He narrowed his eyes as he saw where he had finally killed Elizabeth Bathory. Her corpse was gone, but the massive rad spot had been turned black with a burnt and slimy quality to it.

"Sacrificing souls that are already dead? You fucks are clever," Adam praised begrudgingly. Even if a sinner's soul was destroyed with angelic steel, their essence was dispersed into Hell itself. The part that made that essence a sinner's own, that could linger in a particularly powerful Overlord. But the ability and power to make use of that was far and few. "Even in your second grave, you're still causing me problems, bat-sucker."

Adam looked over to the bathtub, the only thing out of place. It was mysteriously repaired from when he broke it in the fight. He approached cautiously, not sure what to fully expect anymore.

He definitely didn't expect to see a familiar face.

"Gleam?" Adam asked in surprise.

The young fish of a she-demon was lying unconscious in the tub. Possibly dead. She was sitting in a small pool of her own blood. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she had committed suicide, that the little Hellborn girl had never truly left this basement and just returned to properly die.

But Adam did know better. He glanced back to the sickening blackness at the site of Bathory's death. "They used Gleam's blood to lure up the Cuntess's essence. I almost forgot how disgustingly crafty you fuckers could be."

With that, Adam suddenly reached back and grabbed a shadow that had been creeping upon him.

The Fallen Angel screamed and screeched as the shade was roughly manhandled by the First Man. It attempted to escape as shadow and smoke, but Adam's hold over the spirit was too strong as he slammed the Fallen down against the tub, rendering it into a semi-solid state as a humanoid mass of darkness and dust.

"Pahdros, you craven cunt," Adam greeted with a sharp, false warmth. The Fallen flinched under the gaze of the First Man who held him fast. "What's the matter, did I show up before you could run away?"

The dark specter grinned wickedly. "Lord Adam. Well, I see you have calmed down a bit from the war," he remarked with feigned amusement, his voice like a slithering wind. "No. I only desired to witness if the rumors were true. If you, O Immolation of Pride, deigned once more to grant mercy and care to the Hellborn."

The grin vanished as Adam's halberd pressed against his neck, choking the fallen against the tub. Which was impressive considering the Fallen Angel no longer possessed a physical body to choke. "Let's make this very fucking clear. Fish girl can bleed out for all I care. So if you're using her as a hostage, really fucking bad pick."

He relieved the pressure, but only barely as the fallen glared warily at him with lightless eyes. "Are you certain, Leader of the Raiders?" he asked challenging.

Adam was not at all surprised when a circle of sigils formed on the floor, glowing with a baleful light as a sphere formed around the three of them.

"I had desired to not be within this, but-" Pahdros started, only to stop in alarm as Adam's wings shot up and broke the containment circle without effort.

Gleam suddenly coughed up a great deal of blood as her injuries grew.

"You left her just short of dying and then tied her to that fucking circle. You really fucking thought that would make me hesitate? In this fucking situation you shit-shades have made?" Adam asked pointedly.

Pahdros frowned in dark disappointment and a great deal of fear he tried to keep contained. "I suppose that's to be expected from you. I-"

"Shut. The Fuck. Up. Right now," Adam said dangerously. "I know what you're doing, prick. You're distracting me. Stalling me so the ritual can finish up. You're hoping "she" will kill me before I kill you. So I'm going to save you the trouble. I'm going to let you go."

"You are....?" Pahdros asked in skeptical relief.

"Yes," Adam said with a cold smile as he grabbed Pahdros by the neck, his hand glowing with holy magic. "But you are going to get a visit from Abaddon very soon after today."

Pahdros shivered with dread as he felt the power searing against his very soul, before regaining his falsified bravery. "You may yet not survive this day, Bright One."

Adam snarled and tossed the Fallen away, who fled into shadow and nothingness as soon as he could before Adam's wrath was unleashed once more upon the former angel.

The First Man breathed deeply as he looked back into the tub.

Gleam was dying, her unsteady eyes barely open.

He wondered what she was thinking. Dying painfully in the same terrible place she thought she had escaped, taken back by beings beyond her reckoning, sacrificed for reasons she couldn't possibly understand, and her last fleeting moments were spent unable to do nothing but look up at him. The one that haunted the nightmares of Sinner and Hellborn alike.

Such a shitty way to go.

The ground trembled softly.

Even if he wanted to, he couldn't save her, not with what was coming.

The whole of Pentagram began to shake, the very air rumbling.

Lute flew high above the city and watched as vile, teal-colored bolts of magic began to dance around the southeast expanse. She closed her eyes briefly as she inhaled. "They really did it, the fools," she muttered bitterly. "Sir? It's begun."

"I'm aware," came Adam's reply as she saw him in the distance, soaring high into the sky like a star rising to the heavens.

As if waiting for his ascent, the Nadir of Gram erupted into chaos as dark, shadowy limbs reached out to grab sinners, tearing their bodies apart and stealing their souls into the darkness.

"All Exorcists! Regroup to me and prepare to retreat to Heaven! Now!" Adam ordered sternly.

All at once, the Exorcists abandoned their purge and took to the sky.

First among them were the newest recruits. "Lord Adam! What is going on?" Aldona asked in alarm, looking down at the expanse where some unknown force was still slaughtering Sinners. She had a feeling it was for a far less noble cause their their own.

"The Fallen Angels set up a ritual. They resurrected something," Adam answered with a frown, crossing his arms with a display of calm that somehow only heightened how serious this was.

"What is it, Sir?" another exorcist asked with a frown. "An Archfiend."

The very air of Hell went silent as there was a great crack forming in the lands of Gram, the ground bulging upwards as more shadows and souls gathered together.

"Worse," Lute answered even as Adam hummed. "They've resurrected Tannin."

More than a few Exorcists grew alarmed by that. "Tannin?" Aldona asked in trepidation. "Isn't that the Leviathan of legends?"

"Leviathan's mate, actually," Adam answered solemnly, not looking back at them. "She's A Beast of the Primordial World, something that outgrew the shattered remnants of Creation after the Fall. Tannin is beyond any of you."

The ground exploded to the sky as a crevice opened wide like a womb to welcome back this great monster.

"Fucking Fly!" Adam barked out sharply.

The exorcists flew to the portal with all haste, the rare companionship of fear finding their souls as they heard a great and gurgling roar echo throughout Pride that shook both air and land for miles.

"You too, Lute," Adam ordered, knowing she was still there.

With reluctant acceptance, Lute joined her sisters and flew to the portal as well.

From the cloud of rubble came a torrent of bright green liquid that shot forth to strike the fleeing flock of angels.

Adam didn't even look away as he pointed his hand to the side and sent a beam of holy light to block the spray. What wasn't destroyed by his heavenly power fell to the city below. The buildings eroded and the denizens dissolved on contact with the substance.

The dust cleared to show Tannin in all her primeval glory.

The length of a giant serpent rose high over the city, and the population within the Nadir of Gram greatly emptied from the many souls sacrificed for this resurrection. Tannin's fish-like scales were pale and almost sickly with how colorless they were. Her great maw dripped with waterfalls of bile-like substance, an ultimate solvent that ate away at almost anything. Her horns were curved and there was a great red ridge along her spine. Her massive length bulged beneath the surface of the city, entire streets and regions separated and crushed by her coils.

"Tannin, it's been a long time," Adam greeted with a wide grin.

The great beast only snarled and drooled animalistically, her body struggling and failing to break fully free of the soil of Hell.

"Seems your mind is still pretty fucking gone," Adam mused, watching intently as her body gave great labored breaths. Not for air, but for power, for souls. The ritual had worked, but her full recovery was a work in progress.

Adam paused, glancing to the portal to Heaven, and saw Lute leaving with the last of the exorcists. Seeing they were safe, he turned his full attention onto Tannin now.

"Sorry, but I need your ass to die again," Adam informed calmly.

With that, Tannin roared and the two struck forth. Adam descended upon her like a comet while Tannin took apart the city around her as more of her serpentine length emerged from the soil of Hell.

Adam's halberd came cleaving down on the nose of Tannin, but it barely scratched her. Not even drawing blood, but the force did make her recoil and scream in fury.

"Right, even as a fucking husk like this, her scales are still half as tough as my dick," Adam mused to himself, cracking his neck. "Doesn't mean I can't beat your ass death."

Tannin leveled her primeval glare at him before opening her mouth to let out a spray of acidic bile which Adam evaded with ease as he rushed her once more.

Elsewhere, Alastor's smile strained as he appeared far from the battle, with Mimzy at his side. "Are you unharmed my dear?"

"Oh thank GAWD you arrived, Al!" Mimzy said in genuine alarm as she tried to catch her breath. "If you had been just a hair later, I think those grabby shadow-hands would have got me and my soul would be soup for..." she paused as a roar etched over the city. "Whatever the hell that is!"

"Something very old, I imagine," Alastor said as he peeked out of the street. Souls everywhere were fleeing from the scene of the battle. He was glad to see a good number of cannibals had escaped, seeing as the creature formed in the most cannibal-heavy territory of Pentagram.

And said the serpent was trading blows with a certain golden-wing angel. And the strikes seemed to be fairly even, despite the massive difference in size.

Alastor narrowed his eyes. He knew the Lord Exorcist was mighty, but he assumed he was just a bit above the other exorcists, much like how he was a cut above most Overlords but still had to treat many of them with some seriousness. If nothing else, this showed him a truer extent of this angel's power. Because Alastor knew he was far off from fighting something like this beast.

"Looks like your hunting buddy is going for the big fish this time," Mimzy remarked nervously. "Hey, um, Al? You got any idea where a gal like me should lay low during something like....this?"

Alastor considered the question. Mimzy was sly and cunning enough to have a few places to hunker down in for Extermination Day, but this was beyond the scope of that. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I do believe no place in all of Pentagram is fully safe from this."

As if the universe wanted to prove Alastor's point, a rain of acid splashed over their area. Alastor summoned a shield and was grimly aware that even that was slowly being eaten away. A direct attack would not be something he could endure.

Mimzy shuddered as souls literally were melted around them by the rain. The worst part was, they didn't seem to dy, their bodies painfully fusing to whatever they touched unless they were dissolved away entirely. "Yeah, I see your point. Can, uh, you just give me a lift some I'm a bit closer to the edge before I start running?"

Alastor's smile returned. "Mimzy, old friend, I do have another solution. There is a...place I currently have a dwelling in, but I must warn you to NOT leave the room I place you in."

Mimzy suddenly felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. "Al, where ya sending me?"

"Oh, no place you've heard of, I'm sure," Alastor said with a whimsical smile. "But I'm afraid it is the only safety I can properly provide."

His ears twitched as the ground rumbled greatly, followed by a strange bang of a noise wrung throughout the city.

Alastor looked around the corner again and noticed three things.

One, the tail tip of the monster was now exposed and raised high.

Two, there was a great deal of debris in the air.

Three, his angelic associate was nowhere to be seen.

A blur of gold crashed into a nearby building, leveling half of it on impact, and forcing Alastor to correct that last point.

Three, his angelic associate was just tail-whipped through a building or two.

"Times up, Mimzy, running or my place," Alastor informed, a bit of strain to his cheerful voice.

"Your place, definitely your place!" Mimzy answered quickly.

"Splendid! Have fun in Bhojana! Don't let the Rakshasas bite!" Alastor said with a tap of his cane.

"In where and the what now!?" Mimzy called out, worried and bewildered as Alstor's shadow magic took her elsewhere.

"Now.....time to see what is left of our gracious Lord Exorcist," Alastor mused as he casually headed to where the angel had landed, ignoring the corpses and half-living victims left in the wake of Tannin's terrible acid. He was mindful to keep some of his attention on the giant serpent at all times, just in case she was brought this way.

He climbed over ruins and debris, but before he could even get close to where the angel might be, the bricks and wood went blasting out. He peaked in and was treated to the sight of the Lord Exorcist walking out with a measured, wrathful pace as he glared into the distance.

"Well, I see you're in one piece!" Alastor remarked with a grin but then stopped at the smell of blood.

Oh, there was plenty of blood in the air, but none like this. Something about it smelled...

Potent? Precious? Delicious?

More.

Yes, that was the word, it smelled like it was "More" than just normal blood.

His eyes traveled to the right arm of the angle and noticed a small but undeniable trail of golden liquid that ran very much like blood.

"Or are you?" Alastor mused, cocking his head as he studied the angel carefully. The living but clearly injured angel.

Adam looked down at the angelic blood smear across his hand. But he did not despair or grow enraged with the wound. Instead, his scowl slowly morphed into a smirk as he scoffed. "I have gotten sloppy," Adam remarked to himself, flicking some of the blood off without interest.

Alastor's eyebrow twitched at being so utterly ignored. Still, angels could be hurt and killed. He always assumed as much, just not the qualifications. Apparently, an overwhelming amount of power. The exterminations suddenly made a great deal of cold, pragmatic sense. But he filled that away for another time.

"You can't do shit here, Stag," Adam warned as he rolled his shoulders and watched Tannin destroy the city without rhyme or reason. She was still just a mad beast, nothing more.

"So it would seem. But far be it from me to miss a chance to watch an elder hunter take down a great prize," Alstor said, feigning some ego stroking.

"Just don't die. I gave your ass a name! Sinner or not, you don't get to die some stupid, lame death like getting melted by Tannin's backwash!" Adam ordered in annoyance.

"I'll keep that in mind, Lord Exorcist," Alstor said dryly as he vanished away to someplace far away with a good vantage point.

Adam flexed his hand and considered his next move, if only for a second. "Well, it worked for Michael," he muttered as holy power formed in his hand, taking on the shape of a large maul of a warhammer. It was far too large and clobbersome for a modern living human to use. Luckily Adam was not modern, living, and in fact an angel. "Okay, bitch, round two."

With that, he took off once more to do battle with the ancient beast.

Meanwhile

Something was wrong.

Charlie knew something was wrong the moment her parents told her Adam was "busy" this E-Day.

They took her to someplace...unexpected.

"I don't suppose you can tell me what is going on, King Paimon?" Charlie asked with tired politeness even as she took the offered tea provided by the imp servants.

"Did your parents not tell you?" Paimon asked, tilting his head curiously. "Strange, I always tell my children right away anything they might need to know. It gives them more time to work through them. Why, could you imagine how worked up they would be about arranged marriages if I told them the day before the wedding?"

Charlie tilted her head. "Wouldn't it be better to allow them to pick who they want to marry, even just among the Ars Goetia?"

"You sound like Beleth," Paimon mused lightly. "Still, I admit I am not entirely sure what the King and Queen are doing. I tend not to ask needless questions when they have a task for me."

"But....you could find out, if you wanted, right?" Charlie asked carefully. "Mom said you are one of the most diverse of the Ars Goetia in terms of magic."

Paimon hummed. "I am not forbidden from doing or saying anything, so I see no reason not to answer, my Infernal Princess," he offered freely. "All I was told was that Fallen Angels were involved in whatever is happening in Pentagram City. Coincidentally, my own sources told me that Fallen Angels recently took something from the treasure rooms of Leviathan himself."

"Uncle Levi?" Charlie said with a frown.

"They performed a ritual in Pentagram. What kind, I can't know yet, but I can sense the magic resonating with the very bones of Hell," Paimon remarked with a note of importance. "Whatever they have done, well, was enough to catch the attention of your parents."

"Fallen Angels, a ritual, in Pentagram City, on E-Day?" Charlie summarized with a troubled look. "They tried to attack Adam, I think."

"Ah. Yes, I've heard you meet with the King of Locusts fairly often," Paimon noted idly.

Charlie grew cautious. "I know that he....has killed a great many of the Ars Goetia over time."

"Indeed he has," Paimon said without malice. "But it is as they say; If you strike a king, you must kill him."

Charlie blinked. "You don't sound like you're afraid of him, or even hate him."

"I'm certain I did at some point, in another lifetime," Paimon mused idly. "In any case, for the moment, I think you are more concerned with the present than the past."

"I already have enough trouble untangling the Past, so I'd rather keep a good handle on the present when I can," Charlie answered with a weak smile.

"Then follow me, and I will show you a scying spell. I'm sure the Daughter of Lilith would love to learn such a spell," Paimon said wryly.

Charlie nodded and rose to follow him. Of all the Ars Goetia, Paimon was one that her parents always said was trustworthy and loyal to them.

She just hoped that Adam was okay.

Meanwhile

With a great groan of pain, Tannin went crashing into the ground. Her mighty, many-miles-long body lay sprawled upon crushed buildings and unlucky souls.

And Adam? 

His wings glowed brightly, his grin wide. "Well, that was fun. Thank you for helping me break the rust off," Adam said with false sincerity as he dismissed the hammer. "But it's time to gut you again."

A great rod of light formed in Adam's hands, cackling with power. He held it, rearing his arm back to throw.

At that moment, any soul that looked upon him would have been reminded of many different figures across time and myths. Zeus, Odin, Jangar, Achilles, Saint George, Cu Chulainn, and many unnamed more.

Tannin struggled and failed to rise as Adam gripped his spear of pure holy energy tighter. "Return to your children, Mother of the Rahabim."

With that, he hurled the spear and it soared across the sky faster than even a lightning bolt.

His aim was true and Tannin was too weak to move away.

Yet he somehow didn't think it would be that easy.

Before the final blow could be struck, a massive wall of water erupted to block. The spear impaled into it but quickly slowed to a halt before detonating in a flash of holy light. The water went soaring and crashed down like rain all over Pentagram city, if only for a moment.

Adam looked to the side at the newcomer. "Finally showed your scally ass?"

Leviathan floated down near Adam on the building top. Two great tendrils of water hung from his neck in the likeness of a sash. "I was hoping you might just leave with the rest of your swarm," Leviathan remarked calmly. "Small chance, I know, but a sin can dream."

"Leviathan..."

Both paused and looked out as some flicker of awareness came into the giant eyes of Tannin, her ancient voice uttering the name more on instinct than anything else.

"Hey, Love," Leviathan greeted with a smile. "Just rest for a moment while I deal with this."

If Tannin understood him, she made no sign of it.

Adam tilted his head. "Are you here for a fight, Leviaturd?"

"I'm here to talk," Leviathan answered bluntly. "I like to think you and I have an understanding still, Adam."

Adam's eyes didn't soften but the harshness did dull. "You are about the only Sin I still have any amount of sympathy for."

"Then you understand why I let this happen?" Leviathan asked, gazing out to his mate.

Adam studied him for a moment. "You just wanted her back," he deduced, crossing his arms. "But you know I'm not about to fucking let her live."

"I think you will, Adam."

Leviathan gained an annoyed look as something in the air became murderous around Adam as he looked over his shoulders and glared.

Lilith and Lucifer had arrived.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't Tannin, in the flesh again!" Lucifer mused with a grin, looking out at the sea monster. "Glad we could all make it in time before this got too messy."

The cityscape itself, ruins filled with dead and screaming souls, very much contradicted that remark.

Adam didn't even acknowledge Lucifer. For once, he was staring directly at Lilith, who stared back with her royal amethyst eyes. Both Primordial Humans wore identical, unreadable expressions as they tried to decipher the other.

"So, you two were in on this after all," Adam deduced coldly. "Just how far are you going to try to bend the treaty?"

"The treaty doesn't apply here, Adam," Lilith said regally. "Tannin is not a sinner."

"She sure as fuck isn't a hellborn," Adam reminded pointedly.

"Be that as it may, she is the mate of a Sin and I'm not inclined to let you make Leviathan a widow again so quickly," Lucifer said with an almost smug look.

Adam was acutely aware of Tannin weakly rising, rubble falling from her sales as she began to heal and recover even more. Her scales grew stronger, most lustrious to be a shining bone white.

"Fallen Star. Dark Queen," Tannin whispered as she strained to stare at the figures, eyes settling on Adam. "You. Bright One. Father of the Anashim. Ancestor of Countless."

Her tone was wary but also tinged with some vile, spiteful resentment.

"Of course, she remembers me after the ass-kicking," Adam remarked. "So, let me entertain this bullshit for a moment."

"You don't really have a choice," Lilith remarked. "We won't allow you to slay her."

Adam ignored her though. "Leviaturd wants his wife back, pure and fucking simple. You two obviously want her as a powerhouse, and so that these two can breed "another" brood of world-eaters. But the only shit I don't get is what the Fallen Angels get out of this."

"I mean, killing you is a safe bet," Lucifer remarked with a shrug.

Adam raised an eyebrow. They had no idea what the Fallen were aiming for. Good, he liked his enemies divided. "You know, I don't know why I bother, but I feel nice, so I will," Adam said, looking over to Leviathan. "Same offer as last time, and we leave you be?"

Lilith frowned while Lucifer scoffed. "Really? This again? You want him to weaken his future children so they won't be a threat to your descendants?" Lucifer asked blandly. "After all you claimed to lament your bloodline being ravaged, you don't find that a bit hypocritical?"

The air chilled around Adam as he glared at Lucifer. "Don't pretend like his last batch of kids didn't devestate Creation. Don't pretend like you aren't the reason Creation is so fragile now."

"Even if I was willing to do that," Leviathan interrupted before the three got too deep into an argument. "I know Tannin would never accept that. To have our children be lesser."

"My children....will inherit the stars...." Tannin grounded out, her mind beginning to piece itself back together with every second.

Adam scowled. "Thank you, all of you, really."

Lilith furrowed her brow. "For what?"

"For confirming you fucks haven't changed one fucking bit. He's still petty enough to dick over creation just to try and have a "Win" of some kind," he said, glaring at Lucifer, before looking to Lilith. "You're still scheming for an edge at everyone's expense. And you?" Adam turned to Leviathan with a glare. "You still haven't fucking learned a damn thing, you or your fucker of a wife."

All three demons were unmoved by the accusations.

"I don't cull sinners and you do this shit with them. And Charlie wonders why shit can never get better down here."

That, however, got a reaction. Lilith glanced away, and Leviathan gave a hum as he purposefully didn't respond, while Lucifer stiffened before glaring. "Don't bring our daughter into this, Adam."

"Then why the fuck are you shits making her watch this!?" Adam asked in annoyance while gesturing off to the empty side of the roof.

That got a bewildered look from the royals as they looked over at the empty space. Their eyes grew wide as they sensed what Adam meant.

Adam blinked and realized that they didn't know and that he might have just ratted out Charlie by accident.

From Paimon's castle, Charlie looked with disbelief upon the view of her parents and once more truly questioned if she knew who they really were.

Chapter Text

"Hmm, it seems we have been noticed," Paimon mused from behind Charlie. She didn't answer. "Princess?"

When she didn't answer, Paimon leaned down to get a better look at her.

Charlie was breathing quickly, deeply with her horns out and her eyes changed to their demonic shades. "They.....all those souls.....and they just...Mom and Dad....they were smiling...?" she whispered harshly as she stared through the viewing portal.

Adam's smile when he killed sinners had always been harsh and bloodthirsty and mocking. 

But her parents just now had worn smiles of victory. As if they had won some great prize, or pulled off some amazing trick. They hadn't batted an eye, and they smiled.

It was worse than Adam's smile. She knew what Adam did. He didn't lie, he was honest about it. He never, ever let her forget.

But her parents had never been like this! Had they? Her mother was supposed to be the one who inspired Hellborn and Sinners to reach their full potential! Her father was reclusive and had little to do with the everyday politics of Hell and he didn't care for Sinners, but he kept order in Hell when any caused too much trouble and tried his best. They weren't.....This wasn't.....

"Paimon...?" she said, her mouth moving of its own volition.

"Yes, Princess? Are you feeling unwell?" he asked in concern.

"You'll answer any question I ask, right?" Charlie asked softly.

Paimon tilted his feathered head. "Of course."

Meanwhile

Adam furrowed a brow at the alarmed looks of the King and Queen of Hell. "Oh. You're weren't making her watch this as some fucked up lesson?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course we weren't!" Lilith snapped, her regal calm broken on this rare occasion as she glared at Adam.

Lucifer fidgeted with his hat, looking toward where he could sense his daughter watching. He couldn't see or hear her, but he knew she was there. "Charlie, this isn't....we just....," he took a breath and gave up. "Shit."

Adam shook his head, feeling like this was a twisted version of the parents being found with their hands in the cookie jar by their own child.

"None of this really matters," he said, glancing over to Tannin.

The Great Sea Beast was now weakly raising her head, and Adam could see her eyes flash with comprehension, among other dark emotions.

"This sea-bitch is our real issue to talk about, not your shitty parenting," Adam said with a glare to Tannin, who returned it with what awareness she had.

"Don't waste your breath, Adam," Lucifer scoffed dryly. "You're clearly out of shape and you couldn't take on all of us at your best, let alone kill Tannin once she's healed."

"I can't take on you, Lucifuck. I can skin this fucker," Adam said tiredly while waving to Levaithan.

The Sin of Envy remained unoffended by that boast. "What now? I doubt you're giving up," Leviathan said expectantly.

"Actually, I am. Congrats, all of you, I fucking give up," Adam said flatly, calmly.

Lilith regained her mask at that, giving Adam a pointed scowl. "What is that supposed to mean? I doubt you are going to leave this matter alone."

"I mean it's out of my hands now," Adam remarked coldly. "It's just....you're going to wish I had dealt with this myself. We all are."

"What are you on about? You have no interest in breaking the treaty, so you won't bring down an archangel, not for this," Lucifer said pointedly.

Adam ignored the Devil entirely, giving Leviathan a solemn look. "For the record, I'm sorry about what comes next, Wreath of Tannin."

The Sin of Envy looked at Adam cautiously, knowing that Adm meant that. And only ill news could come of that.

"Adam, just leave," Lilith said firmly. "There will be consequences for this, we know. We will not allow Tannin to slay you if you simply retreat. Heaven will make some demand, but Tannin is here to remain."

Adam shook his head. "I already told you, it's out of my hands. I couldn't stop shit if I wanted to."

"You're too late, Bright One."

Adam took a deep breath as he turned to face Tannin once more who was glaring at him with full recognition and understanding now, her power returning greatly as she loomed over the city like the Primordial Beast she was, her buried coils already creating "hills" to form over this end of the city.
 
"I still remember how you Butchers in Heavens slaughtered my children!" Tannin said wrathfully. "And how you destroyed our legacy!"

"You did that your fucking self, "Adam said flatly.

"Do you think I will let you leave this pit alive?!" Tannin screeched. "No, I will slay you, and it will be my children, MY descendants that will outnumber the stars!"

"Your brats would eat the stars if they got the chance," Adam remarked without energy and care, looking up at Tannin with a hollow smile. "Besides, I'm not the one you have to fight if you don't want to die again."

Now Tannin grew concerned. The Bright One boasted, but he did not lie. "And who would you name your champion, Father of the Anashim? Another angel?"

"Nah, there's another fucker that called dibs on killing you."

Meanwhile

"Hmm, seems the fighting has reached a lull," Alastor remarked as he stood upon a roof, the building right next to one of the long sprays of acid that dug a wide trench across the cityscape.

He tapped his cane, electric bolts coming from the bottom to kill some sinner who had crept up behind him.

"Wouldn't you agree, Zestial?" Alastor asked, glancing to his side as the overlord appeared as if from shadows.

A few other sinners that had been eyeing the Radio demon suddenly ran ff in terror of the visage of the spidery Overlord.

"Tis merely the calm before the true storm my friend," Zestial remarked in his answer voice. "Rejoice, for such a spectacle happens perhaps once in an Age."

Alastor hummed. "I feel that between the two of us and our angelic associate, I may perhaps be the least informed on what exactly is happening. Do enlighten a young fellow, Zestial? Who and what am I looking at?"

"Knowledge of this would be beyond most. Upon the Earth, it is lost and twisted. Those in Hell who remember, rarely speak of the ancient days, "Zestial remarked sagely. "You gaze upon the endless visage of Tannin, the mate of covetous Leviathan, long ago slain by the might of Heaven and now returned by schemes of a Fallen Order."

"Oh? So there is a way to cheat final death," Alastor noted, leaning on his cane. "Though I do confess, I know something of the story of Leviathan. Or the version of the story still told. Created far too powerful to be allowed to breed, he was granted immortality after his mate was slain. Or just never given a mate."

"A false history, but not too far mistaken," Zestial said grimly. "The Heavens attempted to thwart their unrestrained coupling. But couple they did, and unleashed a ravenous swarm of spawns upon Creation. Tannin was struck down and crippled. The Angelic forces hunted down her children before returning to finish the mother herself. Great Leviathan failed to protect his mate and brood, but was cast back into the pits for his efforts."

"Touching," Alastor mused, looking up at the portal to Heaven. "Do you think our good Lord Exorcist will need aid?"

"That, I cannot say, for I cannot be sure how far this plot extends," Zestial admitted.

Alastor raised an eyebrow. "If I wasn't sure, I'd say you are in league with the angels, old chap!"

Zestial looked to Alastor with a pointed frown. "Nay. I am in league against the Watchers, regardless of with who that might make me ally."

"Ahh, the enemy of my enemy," Alastor said with a nod of understanding. 

Any further questions were silenced as there was a soft tremor in the ground. Alastor focused all his attention on the distant form of Tannin. "Was that....her?"

"I think not," Zestial said with a narrowed gaze upon his four eyes. "Doth thou feel that?"

"That's not just me? I thought Hell was suddenly a bit hotter," Alastor said with wariness as he looked to the side.

His eyes widened and his smile grew tight as he saw a small fire on a nearby ruin of a building grow larger.

"Something approaches, from Outside the Realms of Hell," Zestial remarked, eyeing as stone and structures began to burn and even melt in the distance. "Another ancient power will soon join this fray."

"Yes, and I feel we may need to relocate to avoid getting ashes on these good clothes of ours," Alastro said, trying to play it out, but it was obvious he was growing nervous. Rightfully so, perhaps.

Meanwhile

Across all of Pride, flames suddenly grew hotter, larger, brighter. The closer to Pentagram, the more intense it was. As if something was attempting to burn the inferno itself.

"What did you do?" Lucifer asked with a frown. "This isn't an angel, this isn't holy!"

Adam didn't answer, just staring up at the roof of Hell.

Tannin looked all about herself, very much feeling like she was being stalked by something that would presume to make her prey.

"Don't think I'll let my wife die so easily, Adam," Leviathan warned with a frown, his watery tendrils bubbling and churning with anger and determination.

"I'd be disappointed if you did.," Adam answered. "And honestly? So would he."

"....He?" Leviathan repeated suspiciously.

"Tannin!" Adam called up, snapping her attention back to him. "Earlier you said I slaughtered your children with the angels! Let me correct the fucking statement! We killed some of your brats, yeah. But most of them? That was done by one soul. And he swore that if you ever rose again to unleash another of your brood, either I would put you down myself or he would come to put you back in your grave."

Tannin coiled with rage, eyes flashing with vengeance. "I know you do not lie, Bright One, so thank you. Thank you for pointing my vengeance on its true path!" she declared as she turned to face the outskirts of the city.

There, near the roof of hell, a great crack formed as the ring shook. From beyond the fissures, a great and terrible glow could be seen.

"Adam," Lilith said suddenly, something turning in her head. "Who is this? Who trespasses into Hell?"

Adam did not smile, not this time, and looked to Levithan. "I named him Falak," Adam said to Lord of Envy.

The serpent looked at Adam strangely. "I don't know this name."

""I" named him Falak," Adam repeated with a frown. "You called him...Son."

Incomprehension spread through them all as the roof of Hell collapsed. From the black void beyond Hell came a great and terrible figure. It was a serpent of fire, great and terrible to behold. It slithered and flew through the air, with limbs of smoke and flame to imitate wings.

It was massive, at least the match of Tannin and if not her superior.

The mother of the Rahabim stared up with trembling eyes of shock and joy as she laid sight upon a survive of her great brood, grown mighty. "My child? You live, Child of Mine?" she asked, deaf to logic and all else as she stared with tearful adoration at Falak.

The great serpent breathed, his eyes of churning flame as he approached his mother with a grace that beguiled his enormous and fiery nature.

"Tannin, look out!" Leviathan called out, as he summoned a column of water to block a scorching tail whip from the flying, flaming beast.

"Child!?" Tanni screeched in alarm. "You...why would....?"

Falak ignored her and looked down at the roof. "Lord Adam."

Adam looked up and nodded at him. "Hey, Kid. It's been a few decades."

"What is this?! What have you done to my son, Bright One!?" Tannin demanded. "Child, why would you try to harm your own mother!?"

Falak turned his wrath orbs upon her. "I did not come here to harm you, Mother," he said evenly, filling her with hope before he let out a terrible roar. "I Came To Kill You! I Came To Tear You Apart And Burn Away The Ashes Until Even The Carrions Of Gehenna Will Have Nothing To Feast Upon!"

Tannin flinched back in horror and sorrow. "Child, why-?!"

Falak did not give her a chance to finish that as he struck forth, bitting Tannin in the neck and dragging her away.

"Tannin!" Leviathan yelled as she made to jump after them, but stopped as a holy halberd was placed in front of him.

"Adam, I'm warning you," Lucifer said as his horns emerged beneath his hat.

"No, he warned you."

It wasn't Adam who spoke, and the voice made Lucifer shiver.

Lilith dispelled some dark magic at her hands and glanced back with a look of distaste. "Hello, Gabriel," she greeted coolly.

"Hello," Gabriel greeted with a smile that didn't really reach her eyes as she sat on the ledge of the roof. She was a beautiful angel in light armor, the edges glimmered with a soft prismatic glow. Her hair was platinum, almost white in color, and flowed down her back. At her belt was a horn, and on the other side, a short curved blade. Her six wings were folded very neatly against her back despite their impressive size.

Lucifer took a deep breath and faced her. "What do you want? Why are you here?" he asked pointedly.

Gabriel tilted her head- and was suddenly sitting on another part of the ledge, much closer to Lucifer. "Don't worry, Samael, I'm just here as a messenger."

Lilith scowled. "You're going to make us let him kill Tannin, aren't you?"

Gabriel's smile became a bit more real, but with a sharper edge to it. "Yes, well, since you pointed out that Tannin isn't a sinner or a hellborn, we argue that Falak isn't either."

"A loophole for a loophole," Lucifer remarked bitterly.

Gabriel shrugged. "Don't presume that just because we like the treaty doesn't mean we are unwilling to break it. Heaven can endure those consequences if it must. Be happy we don't," she said, her empty smile returning. "So, we're all just letting this remain a family matter."

"A family matter? That's what you call it? Making a child kill his mother?!" Leviathan snapped.

"No one is forcing Falak, Leviathan," Adam retorted, retracting his blade from the Sin. "I didn't want him to do this either, but you fucks forced my hand."

Leviathan looked out numbly as he watched his wife struggling against their son, who twisted and coiled on land and air to overpower Tannin.

"We already said it's a family matter," Gabriel said with a shrug. "The Lord of Envy is welcome to join the fray if he wishes."

"What?" Lucifer asked in surprise. "Why would...?"

"It's what Falak wanted. His scaly ass wants the promotion from Siblicide to Familicide," Adam answered with a sigh, hefting his halberd over his shoulder. "Leviashit? Don't half-ass this. You either stay out of this, or you try to kill your kid to save your wife."

Leviathan looked out and his visage was torn with a despair unlike any the ancient sin had ever truly known. Murder his child or let his mate die. 

And worst of all, the apology in Adam's voice, the genuine desire to avoid this outcome.

"Why.....?" Leviathan asked, pleaded, and snarled as he looked at Adam. "Why is he....?!"

Adam shook his head. "Go ask him yourself."

Leviathan stood there for a moment before he leaped into the air, turning into water itself as he sped away across the burning, melting ruins of the city.

Falak had no time to react as Leviathan emerged in his truest form, that immense serpent crashing into the Serpent of Fire like a comet of water. The air broiled with steam as Leviathan managed to free Tannin from Falak's grip.

"Love? Are you hurt?" Leviathan asked as he coiled protectively near her, nudging her wound behind her head as his waters opened to heal her.

"No, I'm not," Tannin answered, rage and sorrow blending into some painful hybrid as she looked up to see Falak gazing hatefully upon them.

"Son! Why!? Why have you turned your fangs upon us?!" Leviathan called out, glaring up at the flying serpent.

Falak's flames grew darker upon his scorched red form. "Upon you? Did you not hear Lord Adam?" Falak retorted disdainfully. "It was I who slaughtered the Rahabim, my ruinous brothers and sisters."

"You killed them? All of them....?" Tannin repeated in disbelief. "All this time, it was you....?!"

Falak grinned, revealing his many colossal fangs as lava dripped from his lipless maw. "I didn't just kill them. I devoured them. Body and Soul. I consumed them and They Will Never Return!" he declared to all of his as he rushed them, the city and ground melting beneath him.

Both serpents parted as they dodged to either side, and Falak turned sharply to aim for Tannin as his tail tip swung wide to strike Leviathan.

Tannin dodged back and with heartbroken reluctance, struck back against her child with a spray of acid.

The vile substance did no damage, but it did push him back.

"And I will never allow you both to spawn another Horror upon Creation as you did with us!" Falak vowed as he poised to strike again. "You will die here again, Tannin,! And perhaps I will finally rid Creation of your stench, Leviat-GR!."

Leviathan managed to bite into the midsection of Falak and pull him aside. "You don't know what you're saying!" Leviathan said in denial as he hurled his son aside. "Son, we loved-"

"YOU DID NOT LOVE US!" Falak roared as he rose high with flames turning to a dark, azure shade. "You loved the....thought of us, of a legacy, of a bloodline! You bred us into existed in envy of the First Man, of Jealousy of humanity!"

"And that was a crime!? To want children!? To want them to be great and strong, to not fear from any creature!?" Tannin cried out in grief and outrage.

With a roar of rage, Falak unleashed not a breath, but a concentrated beam of pure heat and flame. Tannin and Leviathan both let out liquid breaths, trying to thwart the attack. Flames erupted around them for miles as the ground was scorched to black even without a direct impact.

"Falak! We know some of you ate each other! We tried to stop them, but we weren't always-!" Leviathan stopped, bringing up a wall of water to deflect a fireball. It was a petty attack from Falak, and they both knew it.

"You think that is why I hate you!? We devoured Unborn worlds!" Falak roared when his breath ended. "I had bore witness as my brothers and sisters turned worlds to graves before life could even blossom on them! I had to endure the scream of infant planets dying, of angels devoured to the bone, of watching my siblings tear each other apart when there was nothing left! And when we got to the earth itself!? Do you have any idea what we did!? Beast and humans were all slaughtered, infants devoured in their nests and dens, nations slaughtered in days before our terrible nature!"

Leviathan and Tannin listened to their son's hateful, grief-filled rant with a mix of incomprehension and sorrow.

"And where were you, in all of this?! You two, so proud and overjoyed with your brood, you left us unchecked, all of Creation nothing more than a feeding ground for your legacy! Your envy!" Falak continued as blazing tears shimmered in his reptilian eyes.  "I, and I alone, was the only one of them who looked back! Who saw what we were doing and felt horrified, knew guilt! And it was I alone....who could put a stop to our madness. I slaughtered them, I put them down before they could harm more of creation. I would have slaughtered you both if I had the strength left at the time."

"You turned against your own siblings and parents....for those other creatures? For humans, for angels, for creatures that never even existed!?" Tannin cried up in fury. "You are lost, Child, to side against your own so thoroughly!"

"No, Mother, I was found," Falak said solemnly, gazing toward the orb of Heaven high above. "I thought I would die there, alone in the Abyss, and that I would deserve it like all my wretched kind. But the Heavens took pity on me. They thanked me and healed me. Gave me a place among them. Lord Adam gave me a name, Falak. The Serpent of Heaven. But I never felt worthy of that realm. I returned to the void and have circled Hell for ages, waiting for when you two might once more threaten Creation with your boundless covetousness!"

"Son, who put this in your head? Was it Adam?" Leviathan asked solemnly.

Falak scoffed. "No, someone else found me, Snake of Envy," he answered ominously.

"Who! Tell me, who poisoned you against us!?"  Tannin demanded, pleaded, begged, and ordered.

Falak smiled and only gave one answer.

"God."

Before his parents could even attempt to make sense of that, he attacked once more.

Back in the distance, the group of angels and demons watched the titanic battle intently, tensely, as they heard all of Falak's words.

"....Damn it," Lucifer grunted as he glared at Adam. "I should have never let you get close to Charlie."

Adam raised an eyebrow while Lilith sighed. "Lucifer, not now, please," Lilith insisted firmly.

"No, Lilith!" Lucifer snarled as took another step toward Adam. "Not this time! You were wrong, and this proves it!"

Gabriel leaned forward but made no other move. For now.

"This is what he does! What he always does!" Lucifer snapped. "My siblings, the angels, the hellborn, the sinners, everyone! He tries to turn everyone against us and anyone allied with us! And I knew, I knew you'd try to do the same with Charlie!"

"You don't know a damn thing still, Scratch," Adam said with a glare, keeping most of his attention on the distant battle as the serpents coiled and struck each other with abandon.

"You literally turned a child of Tannin and Leviathan into a weapon against them and their other children! Why wouldn't you do the same to Charlie?! Tell me, Adam?! What's the big damn end game with Charlie?! Do you plan to become the Breaker of Horns still, or are you going to make Charlie wear that title!?" Lucifer accused angrily.

"She can still hear you, Father of Frauds," Adam warned angrily as he glared down at the king of Hell.

"Good! I want her to! I want Charlie to know that you're the kind of monster that will turn children against their parents, siblings against siblings! You, the butcher of your own bloodline! You, who couldn't stand it when-!"

"STOP IT!"

Everyone turned in alarm as a young voice was heard with a loud echo of shattering glass.

There stood Princess Charlie Morningstar, the Ashenstar, stumbling through a portal that looked like it had been glass shattered open. Her horns were out, her eyes demonic, tears in her eyes, and a sad snarl on her face.

"What is wrong with all of you.....?" Charlie asked in a vicious whisper.

Paimon awkwardly came through and closed the rift behind him.

Gabriel was suddenly at Lilith's side, leaning towards the queen with a concerned look. "Lilith, I'm not going to hurt your child, but is she about to go berserk? Should I knock her out?"

Lilith honestly appreciated the offer on some level, but discretely shook her head. The Archangel accepted that answer and was instantly sitting on the ledge again.

"Charlie, I....you have to understand!" Lucifer insisted with a scowl. "This is who Adam really is, he-!"

"I know who he is! I've always known!" Charlie screamed over him. "And yes, Adam! I think it's terrible you had anything to do with this! Letting family kill each other like this is just....is just....!"

"I know, Charlie, I know," Adam agreed with a scowl. "It's fucked."

"But who are you, Dad!? Mom!?" Charlie asked, glaring at them both. "Is this just a game to you?!"

"Of course, it's not, Charlie," Lilith answered solemnly. "It's war. A slumbering war, but a war nonetheless. Heaven will never allow us to grow again without us doing things like this."

"Like this," Charlie repeated, looking out. "You let tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of souls die for this! Not just Sinners, but Hellborn too!"

"Sometimes we have to make sacrifices, Charlie," Lilith said firmly.

"Sacrifices for WHAT?!" Charlie demanded through her tears, the roof cracking lightly under her young power. "Again, who are you?!"

"We're your parents!" Lucifer answered imploring. "Charlie, we love you-"

"Loving me doesn't change what you've done!"

Adam's eyes went wide on his mask as he silently listened.

"All my life, I've heard the names they call you. The Devil and The Queen of Evil. And I always thought....they were wrong. That that couldn't be who my Dad and Mom are," Charlie said softly, looking at Lucifer with a searching, lost look. "Who were you tonight, Dad? You weren't the man I knew. You were someone else, wearing your face."

"Charlie, I....you don't....." Lucifer stammered, at a loss for words.

"Charlie, I know you're upset," Lilith started again as she saw Lucifer's resolve crumble before their daughter's betrayed look. "We didn't want this, but it's the only way we have left."

"How am I supposed to trust you?" Charlie asked weakly. "Adam is awful. He kills sinners, but he's honest! He doesn't lie about...anything. He even....he even avoids the things about you both he knows I wouldn't like to hear. He hasn't even tried to turn me against you!"

"I know he hasn't," Lilith admitted as she kneeled down to Charlie's level. "I know he wouldn't."

Lucifer looked mildly betrayed and confused by that while Adam cocked his head.

"Charlie, we just...wanted to spare you the worst of things for as long as possible," Lilith answered in apology.

Adam narrowed his eyes, looking at Lucifer with a suspicious look, and saw the frustration growing below his skin.

"We wanted to regain an ally. Levithan wanted his lover back. So if it meant some souls being sacrificed before Adam and his swarn did the deed, then yes. I let it happen. I  thought it would be a good way to help one of our own and spite Heaven in the process," Lilith admitted calmly.

"And possibly killing Adam, right? That's what you were both hoping, weren't you?" Charlie asked pointedly as she dried her eyes.

"Hardly. I stopped thinking Adam would ever die a long time ago," Lilith said with something that was almost a smile.

That surprised Charlie, and she couldn't put into words exactly why. ".....I don't know what to think. I don't know what to say to either of you anymore," Charlie said with a small voice as she stepped away, Lilith's hands falling from her shoulders. "Paimon? Can you take me back, please?"

"Of course, Princess," Paimon answered loyally.

Adam frowned in consideration before sighing. "Wait."

Charlie stopped and looked at him. "What is it, Adam?" she asked, her voice weak.

".....I'm sorry, Charlie," he said as he opened a portal, but a small one. He reached through and pulled something out. Or rather....someone.

".....Gleam!?" Charlie screamed as she raced over, the First Man kneeling down to let her see the very pale and bloody body of Gleam. "Wh-what happened to her!?"

"Gleam?" Lilith said in alarm as well, moving over with a stunned Lucifer. "What did this to her?"

"You don't know?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What happened?" Lucifer asked in alarm, glaring at Adma. "Did you do this?"

"Dad, this isn't-!"

"Some of it," Adam admitted, stunning Charlie into silence. "I'll tell you everything, but fucking first? Paimolt, you got any fucking healing spells?"

Paimon considered commenting on how healing a lowborn like this was beneath him, but one look at the Princess and the others made him think better of it. "Of course," he said as he approached, leaning down to wave a hand over her. His face turned grim. "It's too late. Her essence is already trying to return to Hell. She's beyond what I can heal."

Charlie looked around desperately at the solemn faces. "Please just...anyone, help her, save her! Adam, you healed-" Charlie stopped as she noticed the golden blood on Adam. It was dried, but it was there.

"Healing takes a lot out of me, Charlie," Adam admitted with a frown. "But I'm not fighting anymore today, so..."

Adam grunted as every adult looked stunned when Gleam regained some of her coloring and coughed as she began to breathe deeper and more raggedly. Charlie just looked grateful with tears in her eyes, wanting to hug Gleam yet terrified to hurt her more in this state.

"Here, I'm fucking spent, you shits fucking do the rest," Adam said, handing Gleam off to Lilith, who gingerly took the hellborn.

"She may yet live, but her lifespan will be much shorter," Paimon mused from the side.

"Adam, why was she....?" Lilith asked with a scowl.

"Your Fallen friends bled her to lure up the stain of Bathroy's soul for this," Adam said flatly. "They tried to trap me with her while Tannin was waking up. I busted out, and it hurt her more."

"They did this to one of Charlie's friends?" Lucifer whispered with an angry look.

"You let them do this shit, why did you think they would care to exclude them?" Adam asked with a sigh as he stood, albeit a bit unsteady for a moment.

Gabriel was instantly at his side. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Adam waved off. "Thanks, Gabs."

Gabriel smiled truly at him and ignored the hateful ook Lucifer sent them. "You should head back to Heaven."

"I'm not leaving until this is over," Adam said as he looked out at the clash. "If Falak dies, I'm not letting him do it alone."

The battle had raged on for six days and fourteen hours.

And through it all, Adam remained and watched. All others had left, even if they were likely watching from their own places.

The fighting had, mercifully, stayed only in the southeast portion of the city, occasionally moving into the wastelands. The landscape had been burnt, flooded, melted, dissolved, torn asunder, and so much more. Rivers and lakes formed across the region from acid, lava, water, and blood.

All three serpents were wounded and bleeding. Falak had long surpassed either of his progenitors, it was clear, but fighting both was another story. And yet, he would have it no other way.

With one final roar, they rushed each other one final time.  Leviathan, now blind in one eye, missed it as Flaak swiped the ground with his mighty tail and sent a flood of melting stone to the Sin of Envy.

That was the only opening Falak needed as he latched onto his mother, jaw biting down on her head as he pulled her into the air and wrapped his form around her. It was a hard thing to do, for one snake to crush and strangle another.

Leviathan, pulling himself out of the molten debris, breathed deep and banished his own tears as he charged a final shot of water. Denser than anything, as if it had been water from far beyond the lowest depths of the oceans and retained the pressure.

Looking upon his mighty, blazing son...Leviathan could not help but hesitate.

But the sickening snap of his mate's body snapped him into action, sent the bolt of water forth, and pierced his chest.

Falak fell like a stone, still latched onto his mother. Drained, weakened, yet distinctly satisfied they landed with a large dust cloud blowing around them.

Leviathan rushed to them and despaired at what he saw.

They were dying now, both of them. Tannin's body was already burning in Falak's embrace and Falak's flames were dying into embers.

"Son...did you truly...hate me....this much?" Tannin asked weakly.

"No," Falak answered coldly. "More. You may have birthed us, sired us, but you were not parents. You didn't teach us, didn't guide us. You just let us loose and didn't care who or what got hurt. All you cared about...was how good it felt to have such a powerful, vast legacy."

Even in death, Falak carried not but cold hate for those who brought him into Creation.

"All we wanted...was what was best for you," Leviathan whispered sorrowfully. "We didn't want you to be weak, to be afraid, to....die."

"And they didn't want to die either, those we killed in our instinctual unawareness," Falak said quietly. "You cared...only for yourself, and damned everyone else if you have to."

"That's enough, Falak."

The Serpent of Flames smiled as the others glared weakly at Adam, who descended upon the nose of Falak without fear. Though still hot enough to burn stone, Falak's flames did not bother the angel one bit. "Lord Adam. Seems you were right. I could kill one, but not the other."

"Told you that was a bit too big of a bite, you idiot," Adam said softly. "....I fucking wish you had listened to me, Kid."

"I know. I'm sorry, Lord Adam. But I had to do this myself," Falak said in apology.

"I know," Adam said with a nod. "....And can you fucking please stop calling Lord, for once?"

Falak's eyes began to fade at that. "As you wish.....Father."

Leviathan trembled as if struck again as he looked at his mate. But Tannin was already gone, empty eyes frozen in grief and anger.

Adam said nothing and silently remained with Falak as he drifted away.

Falak, despite everything, died with a peaceful look upon his mighty visage.

It felt like they were mocking his loss, but Leviathan silently cried as the Heavens shined just a bit brighter at this...

"Enjoy your Victory, Adam," Leviathan whispered bitterly as he turned away, unable to look upon this anymore, his grief growing with every second.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Adam said as he knelt to rub the scales of Heaven's Serpent comfortingly. "We all lost this time."

Chapter Text

January 1st, 1943

A lone angel descended into Hell.

Two weeks had passed since the Clash of the Serpents, and the city of Pentagram still looked barely better than since the battle ended.

The enormous corpses of Tannin and Falak remained where they had died, their bodies still crisscrossing in three places, as if Falak was trying to hold his mother at bay even in death.

The fleshes had long since been stripped from their bones. Some foolish sinners tried to eat the serpentine flesh. Still, most of the bodies were eaten away by their own nature, acid melting and fire burning. The two large skeletons remained for all to see, and through their ribcages flowed terrible rivers. 

Through Falak's remains was a river of magma, churning slow and powerfully, threatening to set any alight that might step too close. The bones of his spine burned eternally with fire, which turned blue down the centermost flames. Large plumes of smoke rose endlessly from the nostrils of his skull.

Within Tannin's remains was a flow of bile, which glowed with a harlequin hue that was sickening to behold by sight or scent. Her eye sockets ran with tears of the same.

Where their bodies crossed and their rivers would meet, they did not. Hell itself warped and distorted, both terrible liquids flowing together like water and oil, and flowing out of each other without a speck mixing in.

The sinners of Hell, namely the cannibals, went about their afterlife as they normally did. Those who weren't already dwelling once more in vice and violence were trying to find or create a new norm after the devastation that unfolded. Many souls had perished in this event, Overlords included.  A power vacuum would have formed, and soon someone from within or from without would lay claim to it.

But that was not the business of the angel today, setting out on that infernal realm, standing just before the gap between both heads.

And there waited a surprising sigh: a small circle with two small monuments that might have been tombstones, but blank.

"Lute?"

Lute somehow was unsurprised to see Charlie as she glanced to the side.

The princess looked very.... frazzled. She had bags under her eyes, her hair was sticking up in places, and her clothes were wrinkled and unkempt. With her were her companions, Razze and Dazzle, following by her protectively. They baa'd at Lute in welcome, only slightly weary of her presence.

Under one arm were two large sheets of something. Metal, if Lute had to guess, but thin and light enough for the princess to hold them without issue.

And behind her stood a King of the Ars Goetia. Paimon.

Lute furrowed her brow. "Princess, what are you doing here?"

Charlie yawned. "Don't worry, Paimon is keeping an eye on me," she assured with a weak smile.

"I trust we will have no conflict today, Eyes of The First?" Paimon asked diplomatically.

"We will not," Lute said before glancing out of the corner of her eye. "I do not think one would be allowed either way."

Charlie and Paimon followed the direction and spied a figure atop a nearby rooftop, watching them all with one step on the edge.

Abbadon.

Paimon felt his feathers raise a bit in alarm, but calmed himself. All three of them were only concerned with one thing, the safety of the Princess. That alone would be enough for now.

"Oh, Abs is here too?" Charlie said tiredly, rubbing her eyes. 

Lute blinked. "Abs?

"Yeah, that's what some of my friends started calling him," Charlie answered absently, glancing around before nodding to the side.

Lute wasn't sure why she was surprised by this, but the nickname did throw her for a loop.

"Did you do this?" she asked, gesturing to the unfinished monument.

"Yeah. Well, I had the idea. I drew a bit of what I wanted, but Paimon did most of it," Charlie answered, smiling at the demon king, who nodded back politely.

Lute kept her gaze on Charlie. "Why?"

In her state, Charlie wasn't sure which "why" Lute was referring to so decided to answer all of them she could think of. "Gleam is in a coma. Did Adam tell you about her? My hellborn friend he healed?"

"He did," Lute answered with a nod.

Charlie shifted her feet. "She hasn't woken up yet. And I...needed to get out. I needed to see.....this," Charlie said, gesturing to the whole area, not just the serpents. "I found this spot and I...wanted to make a little grave for them."

Lute made to say something but Charlie beat her to it.

'I know, I know! You're going to think it's stupid or foolish or something. Because it'll probably be destroyed or something in a day by the sinners," Charlie said with a scowl. "But I needed to do something. I can't help anyone. And I couldn't just stay there and wait for Paimon to be ordered to send me....home."

Lute shifted her gaze to Paimon. Most loyal to Lucifer and Lilith, he wouldn't hesitate to send Chalrie back to them if they ordered it. But he hadn't done so.  So they hadn't given the order. Interesting.

Lute waited to see if she was finished before speaking. "What do you have?"

"Huh? Oh, it's the plaques for the grave. I wrote out the words, Paimon wrote them into these with magic or something," Charlie answered, smiling idly.

Lute nodded. "It's not foolish to want to do this, Princess. It's only foolish to expect it to remain untarnished by others," she said, gesturing to the monument.

Charlie blinked but smiled in thanks as she walked over and placed them on one at a time, the metal sticking to the stone as if embedded in it. "Paimon gave me the metal sheets and taught me the spell to, ugg...combine them? Fix them to? It makes them stay attached to the stone, "Charlie said softly.

Lute hummed as she observed what Charlie had made, reading the inscription on the plaque.

"Tannin
Serpent of the Primordial Water
Beloved Wife of Leviathan
Mother of the Rahabim"

"Falak
Serpent of Heaven
Borne of Tannin and Leviathan.
Devourer of the Rahabim
Slayer of Tannin
Son of Adam"

Lute nodded in approval. Whether or not Tannin deserved a gravemarker, she wouldn't bother to argue. But it was a good tribute to Falak, and any who read both plaques would start to understand the terrible implications, of a child devouring his siblings and slaying his mother.

Lute blinked as she realized there was a third plague, one that was a lot more narrow. It was just long enough to fit across the shared base of the tombstones, holding a single sentence.

"In remembrance of all the souls lost in the Revival of Taninn and the Battle of Serpents."

Charlie stood back up and found Lute staring at it. "You don't approve, right?" she guessed with a small smile.

"I don't," Lute agreed with a frown. "But I understand, Princess."

"Thank you," Charlie said in a tiny voice. "it's just... someone should mourn them, right? Sorry, I know you probably don't agree with that either but-"

"The dreams of children should die softly," Lute interrupted, to Charlie's surprise.

"What?" she asked owlishly.

"It is something Adam said once," Lute explained before repeating. "I don't agree, Princess, but I do understand."

Charlie sniffed to herself. "Is....Is Adam okay?"

Lute was actually surprised by the question.

"Falak called him father, and when I left, Adam seemed like....he knew Falak would die," Charlie answered as she sniffled a bit. "I want to talk to him, really...really badly. But I know he's probably mourning too and-"

"Charlie."

"..." She stopped and looked up to see Lute already in front of her, reaching down and.... placing a hand on her hair? "Lute?"

"Why couldn't you have been born sooner," Lute whispered, and Charlie wasn't even sure Lute meant to say it aloud.

Before Charlie could answer that, they both stopped, breaking apart as they looked back and saw that Abbadon had appeared directly next to Paimon, who had a spell ready to attack Lute.

"Could you both calm down, please? I know you probably all hate each other, but I'm not staying long," Charlie asked earnestly.

Paimon nodded and dismissed his spell, but remained tense while sending a cautious look to Abbadon, who still looked ready to tear the demon apart, feather by feather.

Charlie frowned. There were a lot of people who tried to protect her. A lot of them didn't even like each other. Hated each other, really.

But of course, they would. Her mother had said it outright. The War had never really ended, it had just gone cold. The Treaty wasn't a true peace, it was a cease-fire. That was how Hell treated it, so that was how Heaven responded.

Demons invade Earth, Angels raid Hell. They revived Tannin, Heaven unleashed its own serpent.

How to end it? Was there any end, besides one side completely defeating, maybe even destroying the other? 

Coexistence almost seemed impossible.

And yet, she was friends of Adam and the exorcists. Adam had helped, even saved her Hellborn friends.

Bridging it wasn't impossible.

But she couldn't make a bridge without understanding the terrible divide.

"Would you mind giving me a moment, Princess?" Lute asked as she stood before the graves, looking at Falak's skull.

"Oh. Of course. Did you come to pay your respects?" Charlie asked curiously.

"In a sense. I saw Falak just before he entered Hell. He had a last request for me," Lute answered.

Charlie was curious but decided to wait and see as she moved back from the circle with Paimon and Abbadon.

To her slight surprise, Abbadon turned his back to Lute, as if he was standing watch.

No, that was exactly what he was doing, Chalrie realized absently.

"Are you ready to leave, Princess?" Paimon asked, appearing just behind her.

Charlie looked to Abbadon uncertainly.

"You may bear witness to this, Ashenstar," Abbadon answered quietly.

"Soon, Paimon, but thank you," Charlie said softly.

The feathered King nodded. Whatever personal thoughts he had on this whole ordeal, he kept to himself and allowed his infernal Princess to do as she pleased.

Charlie looked to Lute with her utmost attention, the exorcist closing her eyes briefly before she opened her mouth.

And she began to sing.

And Charlie felt her eyes swelling. Despite not knowing the words or the language, Charlie heard their meaning clear as day.

It was a sad, longing song that brought unbidden images into her head.

I'án ata af? Yakir ahaim, yakir ahaim
(Where are you flying to? Dear siblings, dear siblings)
 
A massive swarm of flying serpents, over a graveyard to beasts and men.

Ata pikhéd? Yakir ahaim
(Are you afraid? Dear siblings.)

A single one turned against the swarm and devoured many of them.

Ani kán
(I'm here.)

And in that lone serpent's eyes were tears.

Yashán arókh amók, achícha tsayád
(Sleep long and deep, brother is hunting)

The serpent grew great and mighty with the blink of an eyes

Lanúakh khalám 'ad daká
(rest and dream until the end)

He curled up, singing his lesser siblings to sleep in his coils.

Akhsháv im khibúk hazé, Yakir ahaim, Yakir ahaim
(With this embrace, dear siblings, dear siblings)

And ate them all in their sleep, eyes still crying

Ani notén et hakhóm, Yakir ahaim
(I give my warmth, dear siblings)

Finally, injured and bloody, he was alone.

Ha'ím ata ra'év?
(Are you hungry?)

But he still sang to his dead siblings and their eternal rest.

Yashán arókh amók, achícha tsayád
(Sleep long and deep, brother is hunting)

She saw angels come forth for battle, but one stopped the execution before it even began.

Lanúakh khalám 'ad daká
(rest and dream until the end)

The serpent was healed and welcomed with gladness by the gates of Heaven.

Atsámet eináyim, achícha shavua
(Close your eyes, brother is watching)

And the mighty serpent took on a lesser size as he cried and delighted in the embrace of the Bright Angel.

Lanúakh khalám b'lí sóf.
(Rest and dream endlessly)

And in the soothing hands of another angel. A woman in a soft robe with long white hair.....'

Charlie was crying softly when she realized the song was over.

She looked at Lute and saw her looking up towards Heaven.

Just barely visible was a golden tear that she brushed away.

"That was the song Falak sang to his siblings, before and after he devoured them," Lute explained, looking at the smoking skull of the Serpent of Heaven. "He wanted me to sing that song to him. He thought it was fitting, for him to be sent off with the same song."

"....He called Adam his father," Charlie said slowly. "Lute, were you Falak's.....?"

"No, we were never that close," Lute said with a hint of a smile. "But I did care for him. I suppose you could say I was his babysitter at times."

Lute, babysitting a giant flaming serpent. It was a strange image, but one she could definitely see somehow.

"You should return no, Princess," Lute said softly.

"Be well, Mourner of Hell," Abaddon said softly to Charlie.

Charlie hesitated before nodding to the dark figure. "You too, Mourner of Heaven."

Lute like minutely amused by that as Paimon summoned a portal, taking Charlie and himself back to the Demon King's castle.

Abbadon and Lute shared a look before the Descended Angel vanished like mist.

"Welcome, wasn't that just a strange conglomeration!"

Lute turned to stare pointedly at the Overlord.

"What is your business here, Stag?" Lute asked with a pointed stare.

Alastor smiled wider. "Well, I found it rather peculiar to find an exorcist down here, what with the extermination being long over."

"And you just happened to be in the area?" Lute countered with a single raised eyebrow.

"If I have a community to call my own, it is surely among my fellow cannibals," Alastor said, his smile tightening. "As you can guess, this place took the brunt of the havoc that went on here during this sad and sorted family affair that was dropped onto us all."

Lute remained silent at that, having utterly nothing to stay on the subject.

"Granted, this new scenery is starting to grow on us," Alastor mused, looking up at the skull of Falak. "The Greatest Cannibal, some are calling him. To devour all of one's own kind. A noble purpose or not, that is truly an impressive title to behold."

"I can only imagine the disdain Falak would have for sinners glorifying him," Lute said with a sneer, which only lasted briefly. "Be that as it may, I have no business with you, Stag. Do you have any with me?"

"Hmm, I might prefer reporting to your master if I did," Alastor taunted idly.

"If that was supposed to be an insult, you'll find that it isn't," Lute warned in annoyance.

Alastor shrugged. "Forgive me, merely idle curiosity on my part," he said, nodding to the two large headstones between the head. "I merely wished to know who wished to pay respects to the mighty beasts of yore. The Princess is certainly an interesting creature, is she not?"

"Yes, yes she is," Lute agreed evenly. 

"I can see we have nothing else to speak of," Alastor said graciously. "Fare thee well. And thank you for the song."

Lute narrowed her eyes as Alastor left as a shadow. "The song wasn't for you."

With that final word, Lute took to the sky and left the pit of damnation for the skies of salvation.

Heaven

"Adam?" Emily called out as she flew to a lonely cloud outside of Heaven that Adam stood upon.

"What is it, Emily?" Adam said distantly, not turning to her as he stared out into the cloudy infinity.

Emily paused as she landed. She had spotted Adam from the bridge, but only now upon hearing her name and not the usual nickname did she sense the emotions simmering beneath his surface. Helping so many victims of the horrors inflicted by this war had overwhelmed her ability to sense the more controlled emotions of other angels. "Adam, what's wrong? You feel....sad."

Silence came over them for a moment.

"I was mourning," Adam answered, keeping his answer honest but vague in all the right places. "A few days ago, was the day a son of mine died. And I was remembering him."

It wasn't a lie. He just knew Emily would assume it was the anniversary of a death. She'd assume it was a son lost to Hell.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Emily said softly as she came to join him. "Do you...want to talk about him?"

Adam glanced into her wide blue eyes, already offering an apology if it hurt to be asked that. "One of these days, I'll tell you about all my lost children, Emily. But today, I'd rather not. Today, all I can think about is how I failed him."

"Failed him?" Emily repeated before she could stop herself.

"He died because I had gotten rusty, "Adam said with a bowed head. "There was this beast I was fighting, and it had been a long time since I fought anything that dangerous. He died doing the deed I should have been able to do before he arrived."

Emily put her hand to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Adam. That sounds horrible. But...."

Adam shifted but didn't look at her.

"It...sounds like you did your best. That you couldn't have known it would happen so suddenly," Emily said assuring. "And your son sounds very brave."

"Yes, he was," Adam said, looking up to the skies of heaven with a sad smile.

Emily nodded in understanding. It was so weird, hearing Adam this solemn and serious. "....Why do you come here? Away from everyone else?" Emily asked softly.

Adam smiled a bit now. "That's easier to explain, Flufcake," he answered, his voice returning to normal but without its usual energy or life. "I can astral project. I do it out here where no one can bother me while I take a peek down below."

"Oh!" Emily said in surprise. She knew astral projection was a common if advanced ability of the angels, but she had no idea Adam used it for this. "What are you looking at?" she asked, hoping it wasn't something about the war. Adam seemed like he needed something else to occupy his mind and lighten his heart.

"There's a little movie I'm watching in a theater," Adam said, waving her over. "Come on, I'll show you."

"Huh?" Emily tilted her head but obeyed as Adam placed a hand on her head-

The young Seraphim suddenly felt something warm and soothing brush against her mind as the world shifted. They were in a theater, but not one like Emily had ever seen. It wasn't bad, but it was....imperfect, dulled, less clean. The quality wasn't as good as it could be for the screen or the audio, and there was food on the floor below.

But that wasn't what Emily focused on. No, instead, it was the people.

Wingless, halo-less people.

"We're on Earth....?" Emily realized in amazement, pausing as the whole room laughed at something in their movie. "These are living humans.....?!"

"Yep," Adam answered. "Just a regular old movie place in America. Everyone down here needs a way to loosen up now and again. Figured this might be a good way to distract myself."

Emily nodded and began watching the show with Adam.

"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine."

January 27, 1943

Adam crossed his arms as he floated just off the edge of the balcony.

It wasn't the balcony of Charlie's bedroom.

It was a balcony off the mansion of King Paimon.

Who was already on the balcony and watching him.

"We didn't really have a chance to greet each other, King of Locust," Paimon greeted formally.

"Had a lot of shit going on, King of the West," Adam said with a frown. "Charlie's still here."

It wasn't a question, but Paimon nodded anyway. "I already sent a servant to inform her."

Adam narrowed his eyes. "And why would the Most Loyal to the Morningstars just hand their brat over to my ass?"

"Because the King and Queen have not forbidden me from doing as such, and the Princess clearly desires your company," he answered dryly.

Adam blinked and smirked. "Do I hear a hint of frustration with your infernal masters, Featherfuck?"

"I do not understand how anyone could have a love for profanity," Paimon remarked idly. "And more than a little. Loyalty and Obedience do not infer I cannot grow annoyed with their lack of direction."

"Do I want to know what they said to you? Or rather, what you said to them?" Adam asked with an interested look.

Paimon gave a long, soft hoot of a hum as he thought back to his talk with Lucifer and Lilith......

---

"Paimon, what the hell were you thinking!? Why would you let her watch that!?" Lucifer demanded.

"I was thinking that the Princess wished to know what the situation was, and as a faithful servant, I aided in that," Paimon answered calmly, clearly not seeing the issue. "You instructed me to keep her safe, not to keep her ignorant."

Lucifer groaned, wiping a hand over her face.

Lilith furrowed her brow. "Charlie asked you than just that, didn't she?"

Lucifer stilled and stared at Paimon with wide eyes.

"She asked many questions, yes, before she accidentally made a crude portal to the scene," Paimon answered. "Such as how often incidents like that happen, or what started the heavenly raids against Hell, and how she had never seen or read about anything like this."

"And you told her!?" Lucifer snapped.

"What I could. My memory from those early years still hasn't entirely returned. I did tell her that you ordered all sins and nobles to always keep all books and artworks about the Fallen War and everything before it away from her eyes," Paimon remarked.

Lilith sighed. "Paimon, I respect your loyalty to our daughter, but those things we meant to tell Charlie when the time was right."

"I see, My Queen," Paimon said, clearly not quite grasping it. "And what time would that be?"

Lucifer glared. "When we know she'll understand why it all turned out like this."

Paimon raised an eyebrow. "How can she understand before anything is explained to her?"

"Are you questionig eus, Paimon?" Lilith asked evenly.

"Yes, I am," Paimon said without fear. "Because I don't quite understand what you're wanting me to do, Your Majesties?"

"We want you to send our daughter home," Lucifer said firmly. "We need to talk to her, obviously, and I don't want you answering any more questions."

Paimon starred. "Very well, but before I return the Princess, I have a final inquiry I must make?"

Lilith rose a single brow. "And what is that?"

"At what point should I treat your daughter like a royal princess and not a royal pet?"

---

"Holy shit, you actually asked that to their face?" Adam said with a snicker. "How'd they take that?"

"Not well, for some reason, but they retracted the order to make the Princess return," Paimon answered. "I find Princess Charlie's interest in the lesser demons and sinners unbecoming, but it is not my place to disapprove of her. But I find the King and Queen rather perplexing in what they desire of their child. I understand waiting to a certain age to explain all to a child, but even with her slowed aging rate, the Princess is long past that point."

"Shitmon, you drop everything on your kids the moment they can speak full sentences," Adam retorted flatly. Still, if Paimon was poking at their parenting, that was just funny.

"Adam!"

The First Man hurriedly floated down to land on the balcony and caught Charlie as she jumped to embrace him. "Hey, Hellflake," he greeted, rubbing her hair and back.

Paimon lingered only for a moment before leaving the room. If the First Man wanted the Princess dead, she would have been a goner long ago.

"Thank you...for coming. I know you....have a lot going on too," Charlie said softly, quietly crying in his robes.

Adam sighed. "Hellfalke, I would have come sooner, but...I wouldn't have been any help to you at the time."

Charlie nodded against him. "You were mourning. I understand."

"So, you made a tomb for Falak and Tannin," Adam mused.

Charlie looked up cautiously. "I know Falak hated her, but.....despite everything, she was Leviathan's wife."

"You don't have to explain shit, Charlie," Adam promised, smiling a bit. "Some of the cannibals keep cleaning it up too."

"I think they worship Falak now," Charlie said with a weak attempt at a smile.

"Probably, knowing fucks like that," Adam mused. "So....your parents."

Charlie held him tighter.

"Talk to me, Hellflake," Adam encouraged gently.

Charlie pulled back but still looked down. I asked Paimon a lot of questions. Before Mom and Dad told him to stop. He told me they did. So, they really were trying to keep me in the dark about everything."

Adam allowed his wings to move around her in a soft embrace.

"I don't...hate them, but-" Charlie grimaced. "I used to think it was so simple. That all of this was because of a mistake Mom and Dad made with good intentions. That they really did want the best for others. But Paimon told me, it's been about trying to oppose Heaven for a long time."

"Yeah. I don't know if it ever was about anything else, but if it was? That point is long gone," Adam mused.

"I keep thinking about it, and I keep finding myself trying to....justify them, excusing what they did. And I end up feeling sick when I do," Charlie said sourly.

"They're your parents. I get it," Adam said with a sigh.

Charlie fell silent. "Adam? You don't lie, right?"

"Nope. I might leave details out for dramatic effects and shit like that, but I don't lie," Adam answered honestly.

"....Do you want me to be the Breaker of Horns?" Charlie whispered with a shiver.

Adam stilled.

"Paimon told me. It's a title. A title unclaimed, one you c-created long ago," Charlie said, swallowing thickly. "The Breaker of Horns, it's the title for....killing my parents."

Adam scowled. "Yeah, yeah it is," he said, reaching down to cup her chin, forcing her ears to gaze up. "Charlie? I hate your parents. But I don't ever want to make you want that title, okay? Falak....he wanted to kill his parents because they together were a threat to everything. He didn't want anyone to go through what his siblings caused....or what he went through. I didn't want him to have to go through with killing them. I just knew it was something he felt he needed to do."

Charlie was silent for a moment.

Her horns slowly grew from her head.

"To have that title, do you have to break my horns too?" she asked softly, reaching up to touch them. "If I turn out bad.... like you think I might.....would I be on that list too?"

Adam didn't say anything for a long moment. "Yeah, yeah, you would be."

Charlie took a shuddering breath. "Then.... then why not just b-break my horns right now? Why wait-"

Adam crouched down and hugged her.

Hard.

"I don't want you to turn out like that," he answered into her ear. "But....I'm sorry, Charlie, I've been bitten too many times not to brace for it."

Charlie cried softly into his robe. "Adam? Can...Can I stay with you?"

Adam sighed. "That's a tall order right now, with everything going on," he said as he pulled back with a small smirk. "But I think I have the next best thing."

Charlie looked at him in silent curiosity.

January 28, 1943

Lucifer stared at Adam in annoyance.

Adam stared back, somehow looking both smug and bored.

Adam was currently at the door of the embassy, staring out at the devil at the door.

"Do you have a meeting scheduled?" Adam asked in amusement.

"I'm here for my daughter," Lucifer said pointedly. "Paimon showed me the note. Charlie is staying at the Embassy? The hell she is!"

"Lucifuck, do you know what an embassy is?" Adam asked with a smirk.

"I don't care, just let me take Charlie home," Lucifer said flatly.

"It's a diplomatic place in one power's territory, that counts as another power's territory. As a place for diplomatic relationships and all that bullshit," Adam said pointing. "AKA, the patch of shit this building is built on is technically part of Heaven."

Lucifer sighed deeply. "What's your point?"

"Hellflake has asylum, or rather, sanctuary if you want to be real fucking literal," Adam said smugly. "Meaning, she can stay as long as she wants."

"....You can't do that,"  Lucifer countered dryly.

"I actually can, I just rarely ever do," Adam answered with a chuckle. "It's technically against the rules to force her out now. Sera might make me do it eventually, but she will bury it in paper for a few months."

Lucifer had a truly hateful stare. "I'd love to blow up at you, but I 'm sure you have CharChar waiting nearby to hear everything."

"Bitch, don't pretend like I need to tell her to eavesdrop," Adam retorted.

Lucifer's fist shook around his cane. "No. I'm not leaving without her, Adam. You don't get to turn her against us."

"You're doing that pretty well on your own," Adam retorted as he made to close the door.

Lucifer's horns grew out as he slammed the door open and forced his way in. "Heaven's Embassy or not, I am still the FUCKING King of Hell and I'm allowed in here!"

"Yeah, you're just not allowed to drag her out or anything," Adam countered flatly. 

Lucifer took a deep breath as he walked in. "Charlie! Sweetie! I know you're upset, but enough is enough! You need to come home, right now, young lady!"

Adam looked remarkedly unimpressed.

"Charlie, I'm serious! You need to come out and end this nonsense. Now!" Lucifer called out sternly.

The silence was all that answered him.

"So, did Lilith point out the hypocrisy before you came here?" Adam asked lazily. "You know, you trying to force her home and back into that metaphorical little pen you built to keep her sheltered and ignorant? After the whole thing with Lilith calling Eden a gilded cage?"

Lucifer's eyes turned red. "That's different and you know it."

'No, I don't? Her with power in Hell, and Anedeluvian humans on Primordial Earth? That's about the same ballpark of difficulty," Adam pointed out thoughtfully. "And now I'm imagining Hellflake as a savage little cavegirl. Fucking cute."

Lucifer seethed in frustration. "Charlie! I know you can hear me! I just need to talk to you! I......I need to know you don't hate us!"

There was a long silence before a door opened.

'Charlie!" Lucifer said in relief as he ran over to her.

But Charlie refused to look at him, glaring at the ground with teary eyes.

"Charlie...?" Lucifer called out as he knelt down. "I know....I know you're still upset, CharChar, but....you need to come home, so we can talk about this."

"You don't want to talk about it," Charlie said in a small voice. "You just want to make me agree with you. Every time you or Mom tried to "talk" to me, you both kept saying how I "needed" to understand, that things like that are "needed" sometimes."

Lucifer bit her mouth. "Charlie, I know you care for others. Deeply. But-"

Charlie took a deep shuddering breath. "Dad? Please just...tell me something?"

"Yes, Pumpkin?" Lucifer asked softly.

"What happens if you win?"

Lucifer was keenly aware of Adam staring down from behind him.

"You and Mom said it that night. There is still a war," Charlie continued on. "Adam told me years ago that if Hell wins, there will be no Heaven. Only Two Hells where every human soul suffers no matter how good or bad it is. So I'm asking you, Dad, what do you say happens if Hell wins? What are you even fighting for?"

Lucifer stared silently, using his cane to scratch his head while collecting his thoughts. "It's been a long time since I talked about that with anyone, Charlie. Victory seems like just another impossible dream," Lucifer admitted with a bitter smile. "Ideally, I'd like to make Creation a place where people aren't punished for trying to have dreams and they just....don't work out."

"By Sera's dimpled asscheeks," Adam swore under his breath.

Lucifer rolled his eyes at that and continued. "These days, I'll just settle for Heaven keeping out of Hell."

"We tried that," Adam remarked dryly. "More than once."

Lucifer growled as his horns showed. "Asshole, I can beat your ass into the ground!"

Adam scowled and refused to back down.

".....Being stronger than him doesn't mean he's wrong, Dad."

Lucifer looked down in surprise at Charlie's frowning face.

"I'm not going home yet," Charlie said softly. "I will, though. I don't hate you. But I'm.....I'm not ready yet. And if you try to make me go, I'm not talking to you or Mom."

Lucifer calmed down and sighed a fond but bitter smile. "You definitely take a lot after your mother."

Adam chose not to dignify that.

"Okay, Charlie, I'll let you have some more time. And I'm.....I'm sorry about Gleam getting caught up in this, I really am. There were dozens of different ways they might have gone about doing that ritual and-" Lucifer stopped in mid-ramble. "I'm not trying to make more excuses, but I am sorry."

"I believe you, Dad," Charlie assured quietly. "And please believe me. Adam doesn't want me to.....be like Falak."

Lucifer sent Adam a doubtful glare. "We'll be in touch," he said out loud as he left the embassy.

Adam watched as the door closed before walking over to Charlie and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Charlie smiled up at him. It was tired but real. "I think I will be."

"....You believe him?" Adam asked neutrally.

"I believe he loves Mom and me," Charlie answered. "But everything else? I.....I don't know anymore. Abbadon once told me it was arrogant to assume the best in everyone all the time. I just...I just wish they would stop trying to hide everything from me as a start."

Adam paused. "You remember that little Seraphim I told you about?"

Charlie was bewildered by the sudden shift in topic. "Umm, yes? Emily, right?"

"Yeah, after this war on Earth is finally fucking done, I'm going to take her through the full history of shit, more or less," Adam remarked idly. "You want to join in?"

"I...Yes, I would."

Chapter Text

February 3, 1943

Charlie yawned and stretched as she awoke in her bed, blinking away in confusion in the dark room. Then she remembered where she was. She clapped her hands, causing the lights to turn on in an Embassy Meeting room she was currently using as a bedroom, thanks to Adam supplying her with a bed.

Paying minimum attention, she walked to the kitchen to get herself a drink of water.

When she returned, she looked over and groggily registered Aeolia sitting at the table, feet on the edge as she sat there, either sleeping or daydreaming. One of the Exorcist captains was with her at all times if Adam or Lute weren't here themselves.

Charlie quietly sat at the table and drank her water.

"I'm awake, Princess," Aeolia informed, not moving otherwise.

Charlie started at that"I thought you might be tir-*hiccup!*" Charlie started to hiccup and took a deep drink.

"A bit," she answered shortly.

Charlie nodded, starting to wake up. She knew if she wanted to talk with Aeolia, she'd have to start the conversation. "How are things, on Earth I mean?"

Aeolia thought about her answer only briefly. "I'd say terrible, but the boss is in a better mood about it."

"Adam is?" Charlie asked curiously. "Why, does he think the war is ending?"

"There is this place in Russia? It was being sieged and fought over for a long time. Millions of people died on both sides, but the Germans finally lost. And Lord Adam says the House of Cards is starting to collapse. It'll still be another year or two, maybe more, but if he says it's ending? He's usually right."

Charlie furrowed her brow. "Can Adam see the future or something?" she asked curiously.

"Hear it, actually. He's seen everything play out so many times on Earth that, even with everything changing, he still has a good idea of how things will go," Aeolia explained.

Charlie paused as something dawned on her. Something she already knew, but had never had the chance to ask about. "You trust Adam a lot."

"I trust him completely," Aeolia corrected without hesitation, utterly calm.

"Yeah, but...why? I'm not saying you shouldn't, but....why?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Why do you trust him?' Aeolia countered.

Charlie blinked before thinking about it. "At first it was just because Mom didn't make me stop seeing him every year. But then it was because....he saved me. And looking back, I think he was angry that he felt the urge to save me at all. But then he just, talked to me. He never lied to me. He keeps trying to protect me. And.....I know how much he hates Hellborn, but he still helped my friends when I asked him."

Aeolia nodded slowly, looking up at the ceiling. "I was a Lost Angel."

Charlie stared in confusion at that. "A Lost Angel? Not a fallen one?"

Aeolia nodded. "After the Fall? When Hell was created? A lot of angels were just....gone. Not dead, but gone. Catatonic, coma, slumbering, whatever fancy word you want to put on it. The Fall was such a shock to us that we couldn't handle it. We just...shut down."

Charlie inhaled sharply. "B-but why? I don't understand?"

"You wouldn't," Aeolia said with a sigh. "All angels are connected to Heaven, and Heaven is connected to all of Creation. When we say Hell is a wound in Creation, that is far more literal than you think."

Charlie looked down. "How long were you-?"

"Nearly three thousand years," Aeolia answered flatly. "I didn't move, think, or anything. I was just...there. I apparently fell onto a hill somewhere in Mu. The first thing I saw when I came was an Archfiend."

Charlie inhaled sharply.

"Cipactli. This....thing, like a giant crocodile with long limbs with too many mouths all over its body. It was horrifying. More so because I had no idea what I was looking at. That Hell existed or what death even meant," Aeolia said idly. "Next thing I know, the thing is dead, and I'm looking up at the backside of an angel with golden wings."

Adam. It didn't even need to be said.

"I never met him before that. I wasn't that old when Eden was around, and I was helping with the wind of all things," Aeolia remarked with a humorous huff. "But from the moment he looked at me, even with his mask, I knew that I was safe."

Charlie smiled softly as they shared a comfortable silence.

"Adam took me to where he lived on Earth. Him and Lute helped get me up to speed on...everything. I returned to Heaven, recovered, and joined the exorcists soon after," Aeolia continued with a chuckle at the end. "Those were good times."

Charlie furrowed a brow. "Why the exorcists though? I mean, wasn't the idea of coming to Hell a little...scary, if you only just learned about it?"

"Hmm?" Aeolia looked at her with a bewildered look. "Oh. Right. You don't know."

"I don't know a lot of things," Charlie freely admitted. 

"At least you're asking, Hellflake."

"AH! Adam! Don't do that! Or do it when I still have hiccups, please!" Charlie exclaimed, nearly falling out of her chair as she saw the First Man was now in the room and directly behind her.

"Lord Adam," Aeolia greeted with a nod.

"Lord, Sir, Lord, Sir, will you chicks make up your mind?" Adam asked out loud as he sat down. "Right, Hellflake? Remember how I told you a few years back the exorcists weren't the only ones who raided Hell?"

Charlie nodded. "Vaguely."

"Yeah, well, back then the Exorcists just dealt with demonic incursions and possessions around the Earth. The small-scale stuff that slipped through sometimes," Adam explained.

Charlie stared for a moment. "Adam, I am too tired and dealing with too much right now to ask the obvious questions to that. Please remind me to ask about that when....everything has settled down some more? "Charlie requested honestly.

"One of the smartest things you've ever said," Adam remarked.

All three stopped as a loud bang rang through the entire embassy, causing Adam to drown and Aeolia to summon her spear.

"What was that?" Charlie asked in alarm. "It's not my dad, right?"

"Not this time. I'll handle it. Aeolia, watch her," Adam instructed firmly as he made his way to the door.

Charlie raced to the meeting room door to watch but didn't try to go beyond it as Aeolia stood behind her.

The First Man glared as he opened the door to see a horde of sinners. Hounds, bears, mice, and many more kinds.

"What is that?!

"That's an angel!?"

"He looks more like a demon than us!"

Adam remained unimpressed and unphased by their remarks. "None of you fuckers have an appointment, so stop trying to knock the door down."

"No, wait, this is a mistake!" a soldier, no, an officer of some sort marched ahead of his comrades. They were Russian mostly, perhaps even entirely. "We served our country, we protected our motherland from the kraut swine!"

"Good for you, that doesn't get you shits a free pass from all the other horrible shit you did," Adam said without missing a beat.

"We did what we had to do! It was war!" someone yelled out.

"War doesn't give you the right to slaughter families in their homes, rape anyone with a hole, or any of the other sins you committed," Adam remarked.

"They deserved it! All of them! Traitors and invaders!"

"I will not accept this judgment!"

"If there is a God, he would not abandon us!"

"To hell with this, he is only one man!"

Adam raised his wing high, the glow great and terrible, like the flares off of the sun itself. "Please, keep fucking around and make my day. Just remember? I kill you, you're not coming back."

The sinners looked conflicted. Angry, stubborn, but doubtful of their chances. If he had to guess, most of them were either new to Hell or just hadn't been close enough to see his battle with Tannin.

Charlie watched the scene with uncertainty, her hand clutching at the wall. She didn't know a lot of things, but she didn't want any more to die right now. Not with the Battle of Serpents and Gleam's fate still so fresh in her mind.

She was saved from the chance of doing something potentially foolish, however, as the sinners were attacked.

And not by Adam.

A turret of water slammed down on the crowd, liquid tendrils attacking any that weren't thrown away. The sinners started to run as their fellows were torn limb from limb, their blood joining the terrible limbs in their malicious frenzy.

"Bastard!"

Adam glared as he looked up and saw just who he expected.

Leviathan.

The Sin of Envy was in his smaller form, but he was already descending upon Adam like a bullet, slamming into the First Man with a roar.

Adam braced himself as he allowed the demon to grapple onto him. The sheer force allowed Leviathan to slam Adam against the door frame.

Adam grunted as he flexed his wings, breaking Leviathan's hold on him before kicking the demon away, and forcing him back outside the embassy. "What part of, I can skin you, did your scaly head not understand?" Adam said in annoyance.

"Shut up and fight," Leviathan grunted as he leaped at the First Man. He attacked more like a drunken brawler than a great Sin, but one wielding aquatic magic, water following with and coating every strike.

Adam dodged what he couldn't counter. More than once he hit Leviathan with a strike that would down most demons, one even throwing the Lord of Envy into the wall hard enough to crack it.

"My wife, dead, murdered by our own child. Our child, who murdered his siblings. Who despised his parents. Who I murdered to stop him," Leviathan growled out as he and Adam locked in a struggle. "How do I accept that?!"

"Falak."

Leviathan bristled.

"My son's name......is Falak!" Adam yelled, headbutting Leviathan hard enough to crack the ground beneath them. Leviathan's head bled, but he refused to budge. "And you killed him!"

They both pushed off of each other, both sliding several feet away.

"I was trying to save my wife!" Leviathan yelled out as he sent a missile of highly dense water at the angel.

Adam summoned his halberd and batted away the attack, the liquid impacting the parameter of the territory. Not only did it destroy a hole in the fence, it tore a crevice into the roar outside.

"You abject failure!" Adam snapped as he flew at Leviathan, who brought up his water-covered arms to block the strike from overhead. Their eyes glared into each other. "All you and your bitch had to do was to take the damn deal, and Falak would still be alive!"

"You turned him against us! Taught him to hate us!" Leviathan roared out. "You made me kill my own son!"

"He Was Not Your Son!" Adam roared, twisting his grip and sending Leviathan into the side of the embassy. "You didn't raise him! You didn't hold him when he cried after the nightmares, you didn't hear all he dreamed to be! He may have come from you and Tannin, but you don't know a single damn thing about him!"

Leviathan let out a hell-shaking roar as power and water surged from him in cutting waves.

A soft gasp and the smell of blood made the area grow silent.

Angel and Demon stopped their assaults to look to the side. There, poking her head out at the entrance of the Heavenly Embassy, was Charlie. Aeolia was with her still, wing shielding her for the most part.

But an attack had made it through, and a small cut had formed on Charlie’s face with a single drop of blood spilling.

"....Charlie?" Leviathan said in surprise. "What are-HAG!"

Adam's reaction was much more instant and to the point; he had closed the gap instantly with his hand covered in holy power as he gauged a wound into the side of Leviathan's torso.

"Uncle Leviathan!" Charlie exclaimed in shock and worry as the great serpent fell down to his knees. Even if he had the power to continue the fight, he did not have the will and drive to keep going, the winds taken from his figurative sails.

"Relax, Hellflake, I just crippled him for a little bit, "Adam said, glaring down at Leviathan. "You done now?"

"Obviously," Leviathan said bitterly.

"Good. You okay, Hellflake?" Adam asked as he glanced over.

Charlie put up her hands to wave them off. "It's fine, really! Just a scratch! The bleeding already stopped," she promised as she approached them.

"I'm sorry for not protecting her better, Sir," Aeolia remarked with a nod.

"You're fine. Like she said, just a scratch," Adam said, even as he leaned down to inspect the injury briefly.

Leviathan observed all of this with a surprised face."So, you really are here, Charlie?"

Charlie finally had a chance to take Leviathan in, truly take him in.

He was a wreck.

His normally well-kept business suit was open white and a mess, stained in many places. Bits of coral clung to his scales along the back of his head. His eyes were almost absent even as he clutched his side wound, their gaze weary and bitter.

"Uncle Levi, you were-"

"Grieving, yeah," Leviathan answered instantly, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand, pulling some coral off his scales to flick it away. "I had to work off some steam with the First Man, so I came when I sensed he was down here. I just....didn't expect you to be here?" he finished, looking up at the embassy as if to make sure he hadn't mistaken his location. "Why ARE you here?"

"Family spat," Adam said mildly as he looked up. "Speaking of."

Leviathan stiffened before looking over his shoulder with a scowl.

Beside him were two things, joined side by side. A column of fire and a mass of shadows, respective eyes of red and purple glared at him.

All at once, the two elements formed into the King and Queen of Hell, in all their parental wrath.

This was assuredly someone's nightmare, to have the wrath of all three directed on one's self. Leviathan bore it with indifference, mostly.

"Mom, Dad," Charlie whispered softly, her mood conflicted at their arrival.

"Hello, Ducky," Lucifer greeted, a bit awkward and tired before returning to staring at Leviathan with displeasure.

Lilith didn't look away at all from the Sin, but Charlie was abundantly aware of shadowy magic appearing on her cheek and healing the cut.

"I trust you have got that out of your system?" Lilith asked sternly.

"You nearly hurt our daughter," Lucifer said with a scowl.

"If you want to take a pound of flesh, someone already beat you to it," Leviathan remarked, scrunching his face as he accelerated his healing, the injury vanishing. With a bit of magic, even the clothes started to fix themselves. "If not, I'll take my leave," he said as he stood up to leave.

Before anyone else could say anything against that, Adam grabbed the sin by the back of the suit. "Hey, hey, I'm not actually done with your scaly ass," he said, getting a glare from Leviathan. "Or you two for that matter."

Lucifer blinked and Lilith raised a single brow. "And what business could you have with all of us?" Lilith asked dryly. "Or, perhaps, you are simply delivering a message."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Come on, all of you shitheads inside. You too, Charlie. Unless you all want to get Molotov cocktails in the middle of a conversation," Adam informed, gesturing to the general chaos just beyond the embassy. It was further away after the short brawl between the Lord of Envy and the First Man, but it would get closer again with little doubt.

Charlie blinked as Adam walked back inside the Embassy. "Okay?" she answered, looking at her parents and Leviathan cautiously before heading in with Aeolia.

It took a few minutes before they joined inside the embassy, the door closing behind them.

"I take it this isn't about Charlie being ready to go home?" Lucifer asked, already expecting that disappointment as he glanced at Charlie. She looked away in answer.

Lilith placed a comforting hand on Lucifer's shoulder. She sent Charlie a small nod but didn't probe her daughter's intent.

Leviathan raised an eyebrow at the scene, being the only one to sit down in one of the seats in the hall. "Alright, what is it? What did you drag us in here for?

Adam reached into the sleeve of his robe and pulled something out, tossing it to the floor.

It looked like a cloth made of pure darkness, black dust coming off it softly from the impact of the fall. It vaguely reminded Charlie of Abbadon.

Aeolia inhaled sharply from behind Charlie, who looked on in confusion, but no one else seemed particularly surprised by what Adam showed.

"You killed a watcher, what’s the point?" Levithan asked with a frown.

"I didn't kill him," Adam admitted darkly, getting everyone's attention. "This is Pahdros. Cowardly piece of shit that worked for Armaros back in the day. He's the one who used Gleam to try and slow me down."

Save Adam, every eye glanced at Charlie, who almost gasped as she realized this was the corpse of someone who had targeted and used one of her friends.

"I wanted to know what the fuck the Watchers were up to, so I "marked" the prick," Adam remarked bluntly.

"And then you used Abaddon," Lilith summarized.

Adam nodded. "It took a couple days, but the shit was eventually cornered among the sewage of Greed. It took a few hours to make him talk."

Charlies swallowed thickly at the implication, but she was the only one.

"And what did he say?" Leviathan asked with a narrowed look.

Adam shrugged. "The other Fallen showed up before he could spill everything," he explained, looking down at the remains of Pahdros. "They killed him instead of trying to save him."

That got a reaction, Lucifer narrowing his eyes. "The Watchers don't sacrifice their own easily, given how few of them there are."

"I doubt you would have told us any of this if you don't know anything, Adam," Lilith said knowingly while gesturing to the tattered remains of a corpse. "This one said something, didn’t he?"

Adam was silent for a long moment, as if gauging their responses so far. "When Pahdros was asked, what had they been trying to get out of resurrecting Tannin? He answered with a question," Adam informed and turned to Leviathan. "He asked, 'What makes you think this wasn't what we wanted?'"

Leviathan's eyes widened as a dark aura surrounded him. "They resurrected my wife....wanting her to die again?" he asked coldly.

"They wanted her soul," Adam answered, watching as Leviathan shuddered with rage. "You didn't take the remnant of her soul again like you did last time, did you?"

"....I thought her soul was burned away by.....by Falak!" Leviathan answered, choking on his own wrath. "All this time, they just wanted to-!"

"To revive her, fatten up her soul on sinners, and make off with it once she was killed," Adam informed bluntly. "You were fucking played, same as all of us. Why? No damn idea."

Leviathan took a deep, ragefilled breath as he looked up....at the King and Queen. "Did you know? Lucifer? Lilith?"

"No, Leviathan. Reuniting you with your wife was our genuine intent," Lilith assured, unbothered, perhaps even understanding of his rage.

"....." Lucifer didn't answer, looking up with a scrunched brow.

"Lucifer!?" Leviathan roared out in demand.

"What?! What is it?!" Lucifer blinked, looking at the sin in surprise. "Oh. No, no, I didn't know! I'm just....trying to figure out what they're up to. I mean, I get why you're angry! Really, I do! But...." he paused and looked at Adam.

"Don't you fucking dare try to fucking make this shit my fault," Adam said flatly.

"Not like that," Lucifer said with a frown. "Did they know? About Falak?"

Adam's silence was long. "Probably."

The bench beneath Leviathan shattered as he stood up, the fragments floating in midair from his volatile power. "They brought my wife back....to be butchered by our child.....So They Could Harvest Her Soul!?"

Leviathan's form withered beneath his scales, his true form struggling to stay contained as he swallowed his fury.

For the Watchers had taken and destroyed something he coveted, his own mate no less.

The debris fell suddenly as Leviathan gained some imitation of calm as he looked towards Adam. "When I am through with them, they will wish you had killed them five thousand years ago, Adam," Leviathan swore with an empty, insidious tone.

"Good fucking luck. You'll need it, "Adam said flatly.

Leviathan nodded as he turned to leave.

"Wait," Charlie spoke up hesitatingly, making the sin pause without looking back. "What about Falak's soul? Why didn't they try to take him too?"

"I've no doubt they tried, just as I did," Leviathan said solemnly. "Even in death, his essence burns anyone it touches."

Adam smiled rather proudly at that.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Charlie," Leviathan said as he turned back to look at her. "I didn't want to drag you into....this," he said, gesturing to himself and his ragged appearance.

"It was an accident, Uncle Levi. And I....probably shouldn't have been watching so closely," Charlie admitted. "I was just worried you might hurt each other."

Leviathan cocked his head as he lingered. "Thank you, by the way. I saw the memorial you made. For my wife and son, and the sinners," he remarked. "That's what this is about, right? You staying here?"

Charlie looked down and nodded back, pointedly aware of the stares her parents were giving them both.

"I see," Leviathan accepted neutrally. "You are welcome to visit my ring anytime, Charlie."

With that, he turned to leave. The embassy was unnaturally quiet. Charlie subtly glanced between them all. She didn't think a fight would happen, but how would this meeting end? It felt so awkward. Her parents on one side, with Adam standing between them and her. Aeolia standing behind her almost felt out of place.

Her father kept a tight grip on his cane and would look at her with a sad smile before glancing bitterly at Adam.

Her mother only gazed upon her with a small smile. It was...hard to reach. Sad? Understanding? Pity?

Adam said nothing, determined to outwait them.

Ironically, it was Lilith that broke first. "Gleam is doing well."

Charlie inhaled and couldn't help smiling in relief. "She is? Is she....awake?"

"She is recovering, but not yet. She comes to briefly, but I doubt she's very aware," Lilith informed. "We moved her to a hospital in Gluttony. You can visit her anytime you wish. Your friends are worried about you."

Adam narrowed his eyes suspiciously but didn't voice anything as he let the conversation go on.

"That one Imp, Hiker? If not for the warzone outside, he might have already been knocking on the door," Lucifer said with a small, uncertain laugh.

Adam shook his head. "Yeah, Riker is probably ballsy enough to try that."

Lucifer frowned, wondering if Adam had actually remembered the hellborn child's name.

"Hellflake!"

"We brought games!"

The tension was broken as all five looked over to see a pair of exorcist twins coming into the room, each with an armful of board games and other entertainment items.

Lydia and Mixolydia blinked as they took in the scene, realizing the number of hellish royals in the building had tripled. "This might have been a bad time," they both murmured to each other.

"Nah, you're just on time for your shift with the Hellflake, "Adam remarked casually, looking to the Morningstars. "We done here?"

Stop dragging this out, was the unspoken directive, and neither parent was happy about it.

But Lucifer merely took a long breath, smoke of sulfur bellowing from his mouth. And then he smiled at Charlie. "We're all waiting for you to come home, Charlie," he said before turning to make a portal.

The running of footsteps and a soft impact on his side made him stop. "Charlie?!" he exclaimed in surprise and hope as he looked down to see his daughter hugging him and Lilith around the sides.

"I'm...not ready to go home," Charlie informed softly. Lucifer was disappointed in that but Lilith only rubbed Charlie's hair. "I love you both. I do, and I miss you, but I.....I still hate what you both did! What you're still doing."

They were both struck by that and unsure what to say at first. Then, in sync, they both leaned down to hug their daughter.

"We love you too, Charlie," Lilith promised. "We'll always love you."

"We'll get through this, CharChar," Lucifer promised with a smile that was just a bit shaky.

The exorcists watched the scene with awkward stoicism while Adam just observed them carefully.

With that, they parted, and the Devil made a portal. With a final wave to his daughter, he returned home. Lilith smiled reassuringly at Charlie before looking at Adam. There was a pause there before she nodded to him and left.

Charlie didn't really register the next few minutes. Almost on their own, her feet walked back to the meeting room and sat down. Aeloa had already said her goodbye as Mixolydia and Lydia both set out some of the games to play.

Adam entered the room again, sitting down while placing two glasses of what looked like wine before her, along with a bowl of small colorful things. "What are these?"

"Two newer things from earth. The drink is Ribena. Basically black currant in a can," he answered before picking a piece of candy out of the bowel. "Chocolate with a shell made of sugar. Called M&Ms."

Charlie tilted her head, looking at the white "M" on the candy before Adam ate it. "Why call it M-and-Ms?"

"The two people that own these things have surnames starting with that letter. Plus, it's damn catchy," Adam remarked, nodding to the bowl.

Charlie looked at it and absently ate one. "Hmm. It's good, "she complimented.

But she didn't smile.

Adam casually waited for her to speak, glancing over at the game choices while the twins desperately tried to appear busy.

"Why did you tell Mom and Dad about Pahdros?" Charlie asked softly.

Adam looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "They're the fucking King and Queen of Hell?"

Charlie gave him an exasperated look. "Adam, why did "you" tell them?"

He stared for a moment before drinking his entire glass of Ribena. He turned to her again and looked almost proud of her. "Either they didn't know, and they were played, or they did know and they might let it slip that they did."

Charlie frowned. "And you told Leviathan...."

"Besides sicking him on Watchers? To make him wonder if your parents knew as well," Adam remarked. "If they did, they've turned him against them. If not? I'd rather have the sins on the worst terms with each other as possible, your parents included."

"You want my family to tear itself apart," Charlie summarized softly.

"Oh, Hellflake, I'm not that optimistic," Adam remarked with a bitter chuckle. "The most I'm expecting is a few centuries of cold-shouldering and being uncooperative. Hell might eat itself, but the Sins don't want to be any more vulnerable to Heaven than they already are."

Charlie sat there for a moment. "I still hate what you do. All of you," she said softly, glancing at the twins.

They finally gave up feigning their work and just gave the princess their full attention.

"I hate the exterminations, but I'm starting to understand," Charlie said in a small voice. "I understand why Leviathan did it too. He wanted his wife back. And, from what I heard, he didn't take your deal because Tannin would never allow it. She would have hated him for it."

If Adam had an opinion on that, he kept it to himself for now.

"But I still don't understand my parents," Charlie admitted sadly. "Just like I'm not sure I really understand why you hate Hellborn so much."

"But you expect that from me. I've never pretended to be anything else to you. None of the Exorcists have," Adam summarized. "But when you saw your parents that night? It was utterly foreign to how you understood them."

Charlie blinked as she looked at Adam in surprise. "Yeah. It was like I was looking at strangers with their faces. And it hurt. It hurt a lot," Charlie said, almost a whisper as she placed a hand over her chest.

"It hurts like a bitch. It always does," Adam said with disturbing certainty.

Charlie sat there in silence at that. "Why did you want me there, to hear that?"

"Because I thought you should know. Simple as that," Adam answered honestly. "You hate that I almost killed Gleam?"

Charlie flinched before answering. "I...don't know. The situation sounded dire. You made it sound like she might die no matter what. And if you healed her right away, you couldn't even try to stop Tannin," she admitted before frowning. "Where did you put Gleam, when she was injured that night?"

"A tree in your yard," Adam answered with a shrug. "I thought if she had to die, it was way fucking better there than in that damn hole Bathory bled them all in."

Charlie said nothing to that. It had been a small mercy at the time, but it was one all the same. And considering Adam helped healed Gleam afterwards, well, it meant something.

"Well, I gotta go for a bit. I'll probably need to explain this shit shoe to Sera," Adam said as he stood up and left. "I'll be back in a bit, Hellflake. Kick their asses at whatever game."

Charlie watched him leave with a small smile before standing to join the twins, who smiled a bit as well. Princess of Hell or not, they were happy to distract her from everything that just happened.

Adam, meanwhile, was not in Heaven. He stood just outside the Embassy again.

He was surprised when Lilith appeared outside again as well.

"I caught that look you sent. What the hell did you want?" Adam asked in annoyance.

"Charlie might be staying here for a while," Lilith acknowledged with a frown. "And you are suspicious of anything and everything that might come from us."

Adam raised an eyebrow at the rather obvious fact Lilith mentioned.

"Is there any way you would be willing to let me send some things for Charlie to keep with her?" Lilith asked diplomatically.

Adam's face changed to one of surprise. He hadn't expected that. "What, you want her to feel at home here?" Adam retorted skeptically.

Lilith's silence was heavy.

Adam grew suspicious now. "Okay, I can think of about a thousand reasons to tell you to fuck off. Tell me one reason I shouldn't."

"Because my daughter is upset, and I want to help her. Even if that means giving her time and space. Especially, even," Lilith answered honestly.

Adam studied her and wondered if he should believe her. After all, he learned to always assume the worst of these two.

Lilith closed her eyes for a moment. "Just Razzle and Dazzle. They are miserable and might come after her if this keeps up."

Adam tilted his head. "You know if you use this as some chance to fuck around and just force Charlie to go back, she'll never forgive you, right?"

Lilith merely stared at him expectantly. 

"Send the shits over," Adam allowed. "But just them. I don't care if it's her favorite teddy bear, you send anything else with the pets and I will vaporize that shit."

Lilith had the barest smile. "Thank you, Adam."

With that, she left, disappearing into the shadows.

Adam glared at where she had been for another moment before turning to leave.

Chapter Text

February 7, 1943

The bodies of angels were, by the idea of the living, perfect. They had no physical needs or weaknesses. Aging, hunger, thirst, and exhaustion were all things not normally experienced.

This was because the "bodies" were not physical vessels but spiritual manifestations of their souls, given protection and comfort by their bond to Heaven.

This was why exhaustion could still be felt. It was a tiredness not of the body or even of the mind but of the emotions. A tired angel, more often than not, had a weary heart.

And not even a Seraphim was immune to this.

Especially not a young one.

"I'm sorry," Emily said weakly as she was held in one arm by Adam, his wing cradling her back. Despite being what could be considered a teen by her own growth rate, the sheer size of the First Man still made it appear like he was holding a small child in comparison. "You all told me to rest, and now I'm taking you away from souls that need you."

"Emily, right now, you're a soul that needs me," Adam said, somehow soft and blunt at the same time.

"You called me Emily. Am I in trouble?" she asked wearily, rubbing her eyes. The blue orbs and brilliant halo had both dulled in brightness, matching her exhausted state.

"Yep," Adam said bluntly. "You were a little dumbass back there, Fluffcake."

"I just....wanted to do more. Help more," Emily said, leaning on his shoulder. "Is that so wrong?"

"It is when you tucker yourself out to the point where you're the one who needs help," Adam pointed out. as he sat down cross-legged near the banks of a holy river amongst the cloud-like landscape. He moved Emily to force her to sit on his knee. 

The Seraphim looked at the water with a troubled look. She had been helping a lot of souls today who drowned. Apparently, there was some battle at sea. She didn't really understand the minor details of what went into waging wars and wasn't sure she ever wanted to.

Adam, seeing her mood rather easily, continued. "So, you're going to sit right here and I'm going to tell you a story."

Emily blinked, energy renewed as she gave him her full attention. "What kind of story?" she asked curiously. "Does it have a happy ending?"

"Don't really know," Adam said playfully. "There once was an eagle named Gikuyu, who lived in a forest, back before Sin had entered the world. Gikuyu was a great friend to every creature. From the lions and the wolves to the rats and the lizards. It was a time of peace, without hunger or disease, and Gikuyu delighted in all he had."

"I like this story so far," Emily said with a giggle.

"But then the Fall happened," Adam continued grimly, making Emily turn silent. "And suddenly, all living creatures turned upon each other. They needed to eat, and they were afraid. Afraid to eat yet afraid to starve. Gikuyu tried to call out to his friends, to hold onto any one of them. To save the bonds they had forged in those peaceful times."

Adam grew very quiet and Emily gathered her courage to ask the dreaded question. "....What happened next?"

"One day, Gikuyu returned to his mate and saw a tiger, a friend he had played with and spoken to many times, trying to devour her and their nest of young," Adam answered calmly. "And with tears in his eyes, Gikuyu hardened his own heart. He slew the tiger with his talons. He and his family ate the corpse of his former friend. He knew now that he had to protect his family first and foremost. That he would only hurt himself and others if he tried to keep helping everyone."

"That's....a very sad story," Emily said softly. "What happened to Gikuyu?"

"He lived a long life, with many joys and hardships, making the most of it for himself and his family. And like all living things now did, he died. Over a thousand eagles had been born from him, and they all mourned him when he passed away," Adam concluded with a distant tone. "But Gikuyu never forgot the friends he had before it all fell apart, and how he had to kill them."

"That's good. Except the last part," Emily said softly. "Is this your way of telling me that if I keep pushing myself I might do more harm than good?"

"Maybe. Maybe I just felt like telling a damn story," Adam answered, feigning gruffness. "Now it's time for you to go and see Sera. Big Fluff probably needs some Em-Time."

"What if I want more Adam-Time?" Emily asked innocently.

Adam gave her a flat look. "....Fluffcake? Never say that again."

Emily tilted her head but already guessed the reason. "Is it a sex thing?"
 
"It is with me. Now, you want to do something fun to surprise Sera?" Adam asked with a grin.

"I should probably say no, but...yes!" Emily agreed with a bright smile.

"Okay, just curl yourself up and trust me....."

Sera looked up from her paperwork as she saw a portal forming in her office. Only about a dozen souls could do that without permission and only one would do it without warning. "Adam, what is- EMILY!?"

"Weee!" Emily exclaimed as she was thrown through the portal, immediately caught by Sera. "That was actually fun! Hi, Sera!"

Sera's shocked look turned to annoyance as she looked at the portal. Adam cackled as he gave her a mock salute before it closed. "Adam...." she murmured with a deep sigh before smiling down at Emily. "I take it you are in better spirits about needing to take a break."

"Yeah! Adam told me a story. It was kind of sad though," Emily remarked. "But Adam thought you need to relax some too, so he sent me to make sure you do."

"Did he now?" Sera said playfully. "Well, who am I to deny the wisdom of the Joy-Giver? Shall we watch some of these "cartoons" Adam has been bringing up? I've caught some of the others watching this "Gabby" cartoon while resting recently, though I'm not sure I find the appeal."

Emily beamed at the idea "Sure! I'd love to!" 

March 2, 1943

The days for Charlie had passed in a blur. She wasn't sure if she'd call it pleasant, but it was better. More so now that Razzle and Dazzle had come to join her. She spent time with Adam, Lute, and the Exorcist captains. Either doing something fun to pass the time or sharing something with Charlie.

How Ionia often acted as a tour guide for new souls in Heaven.

How Doria was a frequent taste-tester at several desert-baking contests.

How Phrygia made beautiful landscape art.

How Lydia did magic shows with Mixolydia as her assistant.

How Mixolydia did comedy routines with Lydia as her assistant.

How Aeolia helped find Lingering Souls on Earth even in peaceful times.

How Locria found hopeful homes for young souls in Heaven.

All of them with the blood of thousands of souls on their hands. All of them were their own person who delighted and did so much more than just wait for E-Day every year. They were people, angels, and not mindless killing machines.

Which only reconfirmed what she already knew. It would be hard and complicated, but Charlie had to one day find a way to make things better. For everyone.

Lute and Adam talked to her plenty, but Charlie they had avoided anything "heavy" for lack of a better word, deeming Charlie already having enough on her mind.

So, they settled for various topics that were.....interesting.

-

"What do you mean Napoleon was defeated by bunnies?! Adam, you can't just...say that and not explain!"

The First man just kept laughing and refusing to elaborate.

-

"That is not a shark! That is a living buzz saw that swims!"

Lute nodded in agreement with the alarmed princess. "Extinction was a mercy for some species."

-

"Lute is the reason why the word "Lieutenant" exists?..... How?"

Adam sighed dramatically. "Look! Lute was kind of a guardian angel for a woman in France a few fucking hundred years ago. That kind of influenced how that damn word came to be."

-

"Mom invented moths by accidentally leaving a butterfly uncolored?.... Hehe, that's funny."

"It's fucking hilarious," Adam agreed. "She felt so bad for the little guy, we ended up making moths their own thing."

-

"Wait, what...what do you mean Cheetahs were supposed to be black with yellow spots?! Pffft!? How did you get that backward?!"

"Adam is often the type to try to make do with an unintended development before considering correcting it," Lute explained while the First Man rolled his eyes at them.

-

And today felt like just another day, at first.

"Princess," Lute said as she entered the meeting-room-turned-bedroom. "There was a call from the hospital. Your friend is awake."

Charlie inhaled sharply, eyes shooting wide with teary joy.

Twenty minutes later, Charlie found herself taken to the hospital. For various reasons, the exorcists didn't join Charlie on her trips to the hospital in Sloth. One was that only Adam could make a portal to the other rings. 

Thus, of all people, Charlie found her escort often being either Adam or, as present, Paimon.

"Princess, Your Highness," a baphomet doctor greeted both of them as they stepped through the portal to the private care floor. "I was expecting you, as is Miss Gleam."

"Is she still awake, Doctor Torpid?" Charlie asked hopefully.

The goat-like demon smiled and nodded. "Certainly, Princess. Just be careful with her, she still tires easily."

With that, Charlie quickly entered the hospital room. "Gleam!"

"Charlie!" Gleam called back.

Torpid's smile fell a bit as the door closed and he looked up at the Ars Goetian. "Should I assume you will be saying, Your Highness?" he asked respectfully.

"You assume correctly," Paimon acknowledged aloofly before the sounds of weak laughter drew his feathered visage to the door. "The lizard girl. How does she fair?"

Torpid hummed before ultimately deciding to answer. "Gleam lost a great deal of her essence. Her body will make a full recovery in time, but her lifespan is crippled beyond any means we have to heal. Before she could have lived to be eighty years or even more, now she might not make it to forty."

Paimon had no reaction to that grim news. Common Hellborn often had such short lifespans, a few decades didn't change much from his perspective. "Interesting. I saw her wounds and helped heal them even. A lesser lifespan or not, I thought her body would be crippled for good."

"Yes, well, I can only attribute that to whatever healing magic the angels have," Torpid remarked uncaringly. "Amazing, isn't it? To think that the Great Exterminator had such a talent for healing in his arsenal."

Paimon didn't agree or disagree with that sentiment. "How long will she have to remain here?" Paimon asked idly.

"It's hard to say how well her body will respond to therapy. It could be a week, it could be a month, but it should not be long if no complications arise," Torpid answered, tilting his head. "I'm surprised that a member of the Ars Goetia is concerned with a common hellborn, Sir."

"She is a companion of the princess. That is reason enough for my care."

With that, the doctor left, and Paimon patiently waited while skimming a grimoire. He looked up as Charlie left the room and closed the door, taking a deep breath.

"Something wrong, Princess?" he asked with a head tilt.

"I'm...still getting used to how pale she is now," Charlie answered honestly. as she joined him. "Her parents will be here soon. She wanted to rest a bit before they got here."

Paimon accepted that and let the silence grow as Charlie sat next to him. He had the impression she wasn't ready to go just yet.

"I'm...not bothering you, right? I'm sure you have other things to do than babysit me," Charlie said with a weak smile.

Paimon didn't even blink at the question. "Princess, I have many duties and I fulfill them all gladly. Escorting you here is but another of them."

"My parents still don't want you to tell me things about the past, do they?" Charlie guessed, glancing down to the floor.

"That order has not been rescinded, no," Paimon answered evenly. If it sounded like there was disapproval in his tone, well, only Charlie was here to hear it.

"....Can you tell me things that aren't about the past?" Charlie asked carefully.

Paimon smiled. "I would imagine I can, Princess, if you ask the right question."

Charlie frowned in thought. Given the situation, there was only one subject she had on her mind at present. "What happens to a Hellborn soul, when they die?"

Paimon was silent for a moment, considering how to answer what she was really asking. "It varies, somewhat. But I can tell that you mean for those like your companion," he mused, closing his book and stroking his chin. "Any death for them is the same as a sinner slain by angelic steel; Their forms are destroyed and their spiritual essence seeps into Hell. For most commoners, anything unique of their spirit quickly fades away in the infernal landscape. Stronger demons, such as Overlords, linger for years. Sometimes decades or even centuries."

Charlie was silent for a moment in thought. That was more or less what her parents had told her before, but she was hoping there might be more to it. "So, it just ends for most demons?" Charlie asked out loud. "They live, they die, and they disappear?"

"They saunter in, they saunter out, generation after generation," Paimon answered plainly. "Granted, there are various paths to immortality for mortal demons. Becoming an Overlord of sufficient power, for example."

Charlie inhaled sharply at that, her mind reeling from the implication. If owning human souls granted a demon eternal youth, then of course hellborn demons would be tempted! But most overlords were sinners. At least, they were now. Was that always the case?

Paimon glanced at her and guessed her line of thought. "However, owning a human soul will also make a Hellborn like a Sinner. By this I mean, they cannot leave the Ring of Pride and thus risk the exterminations, and drawing the wrath of the King of Locust. Even the Sins are unable to circumvent this Law of Hell."

Charlie nodded mutely. There was some dark picture being outlined in the back of her head, likely leading back to one of the reasons Adam hated Hellborn so fiercely.

April 20, 1943

They had just finished eating when she said it. Her at the table with Adam and Lute, Razzle and Dazzle sitting nearby with plates of their own.

"....I'm ready to go home."

It was a quiet thing when Charlie admitted it, her voice croaking as if she was afraid those words would upset someone.

She braved a glance at Adam who only looked amused. "You've been ready for over a week now, Hellflake," he remarked knowingly.

"Are you leaving tonight or tomorrow?" Lute asked bluntly, calmly collecting the plates

"Uh. Tomorrow, I guess?" Charlie answered in surprise.

"Good. I can nab the girls for a going-home game night," Adam mused with a grin.

"Can....can Lute and I make cookies again?" Charlie asked, looking between them hopefully.

Lute wiped off her mouth and stood up. "I'll go make sure we have the supplies."

Charlie watched her leave. Months with Lute and Adam had taught her one thing rather well, and that was how to read the subtle interactions between Lute and Adam.

Charlie looked at Adam cautiously. "She left because you wanted to talk with me."

Adam shrugged a bit. "She left because she thought it might be better for me to solo this. Speaking of which. Razz, Dazz, take your own damn plates away, I know you two can do that," he ordered without looking away from Charlie.

Recognizing the excuse for what it was, the two Familiars left, not before both flew over and nuzzled Charlie on either cheek and elicited a giggle from her.

Charlie watched them go for a moment before looking back to Adam nervously.

"What's eating you, Helllake? What stopped you from saying that sooner?" he asked encouragingly.

Charlie swallowed. "I'm going to miss you. Everyone. But....but I woke up one day and realized...I was getting too used to this. I didn't wonder why my roof was blue instead of pink. I get up and I'm expecting you or Lute in the morning, instead of my parents. And...and..." she trailed off. "I needed some time to think. But I didn't....want to replace my home."

"...." Adam considered her carefully for a long moment of silence. "Charlie."

She looked up at him instantly. And before her very eyes, something about Adam shifted. His halo and wings glowing brighter and yet softer, as if the light itself was reaching out to comfort her.

"Your heart is not so small that it is unable to claim a second home only by forsaking the first," Adam promised, his voice ancient and strong. "As long as you remain the one I call Hellflake, you will always be welcome here."

Charlie stared wide-eyed before she flung herself across the trail into Adam's arms, tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Adam."

There was a rumble in Adam's chest before he reached up and put a comforting hand on the back of Charlie's back.

Lute, Razzle, and Dazzle watched the scene silently. The trio in silent agreement that it would be a crime to interrupt this moment.

April 21, 1943

The meeting could not be more awkward.

Adam and Lucifer both stood outside the embassy. The King of Hell seated on top of the fence post, Adam leaning against the wall of the embassy. Both waiting for Charlie to finish her packing and return home.

"So," Lucifer started, rubbing the back of his neck. "You tell Charlie anything new that I should expect to be interrogated on?"

"I told her how you nearly made cats into literal shit-eaters," Adam remarked bluntly.

"Okay, look, I didn't understand what poop was at the time! Someone explained that very poorly to me!" Lucifer defended.

Adam snorted. "She hasn't asked me anything serious about the past and I've only told her what she asks to know," he explained.

Lucifer furrowed his brow at that, as if wondering the proper way to question that.

"Both of you fought tooth and nail to keep her from knowing. She's kind of turned that shit on you," Adam said with a scowl. "She's giving your ass a chance to tell her, or at least stop keeping every other fucker from telling her."

Lucifer glared off to the side.

"Where the fuck is Lilith?" Adam asked bluntly.

"Looking into a lead about the Fallen Angels," Lucifer answered dismissively. "So....what is communism, exactly?"

"Something new and stupid they invented to kill each other over. A lot of them are atheists too," Adam remarked.

Lucifer hesitated. "I have to ask, how does that go over, the atheists that go to Heaven? Most that come down here, well, they end up having mental breakdowns. Sometimes they insist it's some dream their dying brains made up."

"We get those too," Adam remarked with a chuckle. "They get pretty timid and awkward at first. Like they think they're up there by some cosmic ass mistake."

Lucifer chuckled as well, but for only a moment before the silence grew heavy again. "....I don't believe you."

Adam cocked his head up at Lucifer but didn't question his meaning.

"About Falak. I don't believe you saw him as one of your sons,"  Lucifer said with a frown.

"Careful, Scratch. You bring him into this, I might say something we'll both regret," Adam warned flatly.

"You stood by and let him die trying to kill his actual parents," Lucifer retorted hotly. "Why wouldn't you try to save him? I would never let Charlie sacrifice herself like that!"

"Ten thousand years, and you understand shit all about anything," Adam remarked with a headshake. "Do you want Charlie to step out of that door and see us arguing like a pair of dickheads?"

Lucifer remained silent, and that was answer enough.

"So, what now?" Adam asked. "You finally going to tell her anything?"

".....I just wanted another decade or two, before it came to that," Lucifer remarked bitterly. "Before...Tannin, I had already given up keeping it from her much longer."

"Then you brought this shit on yourself, as normal," Adam said unsympathetically.

Lucifer rolled his eyes but decided not to bite at that comment. "Sometime after this war on earth is done. Right now, we need to worry about the influx of battle-crazy sinners and whatever the Watchers are up to."

Adam couldn't argue with that. It was a fair concession, even if he had doubts about Lucifer following through with it when the war ended. "I've already decided to start telling Hellflake more after the war too."

"So she can hear your versions of things?" Lucifer asked in a voice of forced neutrality.

"There is only one version of things, Scratch. How the fuck either of us saw shit doesn't change what happened," Adam countered pointedly.

There was a long, long silence after that.

Finally, Charlie emerged with Razzle and Dazzle, each carrying a small bag of things over their backs. "I'm ready to go," Charlie said with a small smile.

Instantly, Lucifer sprang off the fence and over to his daughter, wrapping her into a hug. "It's so good to have you coming home, Ducky!" he said with a wide grin.

Charlie returned the hug.

But Lucifer could tell, it didn't come as quickly or strongly as it used to. Charlie was coming home, but that didn't mean things would be the same.

"See you on your birthday, Hellflake," Adam said with a nod to Charlie as he headed back into the embassy.

"Good luck with Emily, Adam!" Charlie called after, waving goodbye. She had already gotten all the hugs and goodbyes done earlier, but she couldn't resist one more.

"Emily?" Lucifer couldn't help asking.

"She's a young angel in Heaven that has been pushing herself too much trying to help the new souls arriving," Charlie answered honestly. "He says she reminds him of me."

"Ha! I doubt anyone could be as precious as you, CharChar," Lucifer said with a wide smile.

".....Dad?" Charlie spoke up, and her tone made his smile drop. "We are going to need to talk about...everything at some point."

"....I know," Lucifer said, sighing in acceptance.

With that, they both left through a portal, Razzle and Dazzle following after.

Within the embassy, Adam returned to the meeting room, now clean of any sign it had ever been a bedroom as the exorcist captains all silently sat around the table.

"....Okay, I'll say it! I'm going to miss watching the Hellflake," Mixolydia said, her sister nodding in silent agreement.

"It has been a nice change of pace," Locria said with a whimsical smile. "It's easy to forget she was raised in Hell."

"We all knew this shit was temporary," Adam remarked bluntly as he crossed the room.

"Until the next time she needs a place away from her family," Lute remarked expectantly.

Adam didn't dispute that. No matter what happened, there were bound to be times when Charlie needed time away from home. Personal space and all that. And if she chose the embassy, then so be it.

He stopped at the end of the table as he saw a photo left on the table.

It was of the exorcists playing three different games of rummy in groups. Adam was bemusedly sipping a drink while watching as Phygria heartedly accused Doria of cheating. Lute, the fourth of their group, ignored the exchange while attentively studying her cards in consideration. The other groups were peacefully watching, and in the bottom right corner of the image was a too-close eye of a smiling Charlie.

He wordlessly picked up the picture with a neutral look on his mask.

"Sir?" Aeolia asked suddenly. "How long do you really think that'll last?"

"For as long as it can," Adam answered as he put the image up his sleeve. "Or rather, as long as she can."

Some knowing looks were shared, none quite sure how long that would really be. Only Lute didn't share in the stares, her gaze only on Adam's back as he leaned against the chair with his arms crossed.

August 6, 1943

Between everything that had happened in the past year, Charlie's last birthday felt much longer ago to Adam.

"Adam!" Charlie greeted as he arrived in her room, rushing to hug him.

"Hellflake- Why are you wearing green?" Adam started in greeting, but it melted into a surprised question even as he ruffled her hair.

"Oh. Uncle Mammon gave me this for my birthday," Charlie answered with a smile, wrinkling out the green sundress, colored with golden animal figures lining the bottom. "See, it's Razzle and Dazzle!"

"Huh, that spidertic can actually give a decent present," Adam remarked with dry skepticism.

Charlie's mind flashed back to Beelzebub.  Adam seemed to have a history of some sort with her, possibly Levithan as well. Did he have one with Mammon too, she wondered? But she didn't even try to ask that.

"Speaking of gifts, here's something new to shove that bookmarker into," Adam said as he handed her an obviously book-shaped gift.

Charlie eagerly opened it and read the title. "The Little Prince?" Charlie tilted her head. "Does this story have a happy or sad ending?"

"That's kind of up to you, and your wheat-haired head," Adam answered with a grin.

"Wheat-haired?" Charlie repeated in confusion before shaking her head. "Actually, Adam, there is...someone who wants to talk to you."

Adam looked unenthused but didn't protest as Charlie went to the door and ushered someone inside.

It took Adam a moment to realize it was Gleam.

She was a bit scrawnier, and her scales were all very pale, almost white in color.

The Hellborn stood there, awkward but without a shred of fear as she looked at the Lord Exorcist.

The neutral line of Adam's mouth gave way to a small frown.

Charlie looked between them for a moment before quietly making her exit. "I'll give you both a moment."

Neither said anything at first after the door closed. Adam having nothing to say and Gleam working up the courage to do so.

"I....wanted to thank you," Gleam said softly. "For saving me. Again, I mean."

"I saved you because the Hellflake had already cried enough that night," Adam retorted dismissively.

Gleam didn't flinch, nodding in understanding. "You hate us, I know. But even so..." she swallowed deeply. "You still took me out of that....that hole."

Adam's visage softened, even if just minutely.

"I was so happy when I could see the red sky again. Just so I didn't have to die down t-there with her, or whatever was left of her," Gleam said, clutching at her hoodie as she looked away.

Adam was silent for a moment. "....I heard your lifespan was cut down."

Gleam weakly smiled. "I guess....getting that lucky comes at a price," she said with a soft chuckle that slowly morphed into a quiet sob. "I'm....I'm sorry. I'm just...I was so happy to be alive, but knowing how little time I have now? It's scary."

"...It always is," Adam agreed with a nod. "....I hate demons. But you didn't deserve to die down there and rot with that blood-bitch."

Gleam almost smiled at that. Almost. "I...wanted to come and tell you all that sooner. But Mom and Dad, they...."

"They were scared to let you walk into a building with me and other exorcists. And that's ignoring the rest of Pentagram right now," Adam said, glancing out the window, some warzone in the distant part of the city belching fire and smoke.

Gleam nodded. "They're really good to me."

Better than the birth parents that sold her, that was for sure. Adam didn't say it but he thought it.

"....Can I ask you something?" Gleam asked softly. "When I'm about to die, can you visit me?"

Adam furrowed his brow. "Kid, I'm literally the asshole that demons tell stories about to give brats like you nightmares. Why, In Down Here, would you want me anywhere near you?" 

Gleam looked down. "You saved me from death twice. I just....wanted to see you one last time before I die."

"Kid, I'm only being soft with you because a year isn't that long to get over shit, and it's Hellflake's birthday. Don't push it," Adam said warningly.

Gleam nodded in disappointment before she left. "I'll tell Charlie you're still here."

Adam grunted as she left. He had to give the scally kid credit. She didn't seem to have a lick of genuine fear left in her after everything she had endured. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing, all things considered.

"Adam! I half expected you to have vanished on me," Charlie said as she reentered the room. "Quick question? Someone sent me stuff for KeeKee too. And she ate all of it.  And I think it was catnip. And Mom and Dad don't know yet."

"None of that is a question," Adam remarked bluntly, despite his obvious amusement.

"How do I know if it was catnip and how long would that last?" Charlie asked in mild concern. "I mean, I've seen her eat a tire, so I think she'll be okay."

"A whole tire?" Adam repeated with mild interest. "Fuck, that's impressive."

"Well, she spat out the metal part," Charlie remarked, remembering that rather comical moment with a giggle.

"Still impressive. Anyway, good luck with all that," Adam said with a mock salute before making a portal. "Happy Birthday!"

"Adam, wait- and he's gone," Charlie said, taking a deep breath. "Okay. KeeKee on catnip. Definitely going to remember this birthday."

Extermination Day, 1943

It was awkward for once, sitting with Adam and Lute. Charlie couldn't place why. It just seemed so strange to go back to how things were when she was literally living in this very room for a few months not too long ago.

It was....nice though.

"Adam? Can I ask you something that...might be personal?" she asked softly. "It's about my parents, but not about...anyone else though."

It wasn’t about Eve or Adam's family or anything similar. Charlie hadn't said that but Adam understood the meaning. "Ask and we'll see."

"You said my parents didn't get...punished after Mom left you. Not until after the Apple," Charlie remarked carefully. "So....what were things like between those two? Did-"

"I didn't hate them, Hellflake," Adam answered bluntly. "I wasn't even angry. None of us were. The angels were annoyed with your dad, but that was....normal."

"You...weren't angry that Mom left you?" Charlie asked in surprise and interest.

"No, I wasn't," Adam answered whimsically. "I let her go, Charlie. Lilith didn't want to be with me, and I cared enough to let her go."

Charlie furrowed her brow.

"'You don't seem like the type to forgive a cheating wife,'" Adam remarked pointedly. "That's the shit running through your head, right?"

Charlie stared at him expectantly, not surprised he guessed what was on her mind.

"She didn't cheat on me, Charlie. Not...physically. Emotionally? Sure. Though I doubt she realized it at first," Adam said with a snort. "Your parents didn't really get together and fucking until they left the Garden."

Charlie weighed that carefully in her mind. "...Were you still friends?"

"That shit has no simple answer, not really. I let Lilith go, but fuck it, I was depressed and felt alone," Adam remarked, glaring off to the side. "Even with all the angels to keep me company, being the only one of your kind is a shitty feeling sometimes."

"Thus was born one of the first Houri."

Charlie looked to Lute in surprise, the exorcists having not spoken a word until now. She didn't meet Charlie's gaze, just staring at the table.

But her words echoed in Charlie's mind. One of the first Houri. Did that mean that Lute was ...born? Formed? Came into being back during Eden? Had Lute been around for that long!? But what did that mean? How did Eve react to meeting Lute? Was that awkward or somehow not?

Before Charlie could even try to ask, she felt something tap her shoulder. She looked over and saw it was Adam's wing, trying to get her attention. He slowly and deliberately shook his head.

It seemed even Lute had a story to tell. But not yet. Charlie nodded in understanding. Still, this gave her a lot to think about. While her exposure to sinners and most other Hellborns was limited, she still had heard and read some versions of what happened in Eden, thought up by humans and others who obviously couldn't know the truth. But most versions that included her parents usually depicted her mother having cheated on Adam. But according to Adam, that wasn't true. Her mother had formally left the First Man before anything serious happened between her parents. Which made everything only more complicated. How had everything gone so wrong?

"So.....Did Lute get banned from anything new in Heaven?" Charlie asked curiously.

Lute's eyebrow twitched at that.

"Not officially," Adam answered vaguely, smiling playfully at Lute. "But she might have made a scavenging hunt too....extreme."

Charlie's curiosity was peaked and Lute's cheeks were flushed gold. "Tell me everything, please?" Charlie requested eagerly.

"Traitor," Lute grumbled, and it was unclear who that was aimed at.

"So, you know how scavenger hunts either have riddles or shit you have to improvise to solve? Well, Lute didn't do any of that. She just placed things in several nigh impossible places to find," Adam explained, looking pointedly at Lute with a smirk. "Everyone apparently forgot that Lute had the combination to a certain Seraphim's vault. Even said Seraphim."

Charlie blinked and gapped. "Lute hid something....in a Seraphim's vault....?!" she asked in disbelief.

"I am legitimately impressed how many souls had the absolute balls to try to break into Raphael's vault," Adam remarked with a grin.

"They tried to steal from an Archangel!? That's allowed!?" Charlie asked in disbelief.

"It's not really stealing if they thought it was part of a game and had legit reasons to think this shit was sanctioned," Adam said with a chuckle. "Raph thought it was fucking amusing. As did his dogs."

"They told me to make it challenging," Lute defended with a huff.

“Anyway, we gotta get going soon,” Adam said as he made a portal. “But before you go?”

Charlie blinked as the heavenly portal opened and revealed some familiar faces. “Hi, Hellflake!” several of the captains called, all of them waving through the portal.

Charlie smiled widely and waved to them as well. Adam smiled as well and made a portal to send Charlie back home, the group separating once more.

Adam was almost amused when, as the army of exorcists emerged into Hell, they were met with a volley of gunfire and tank shells shot at them from down below.

The bullets did nothing, and the tank shots only sent exorcists hurling backward briefly from the force of the impact.

"Looks like the shits tried to actually arrange some kind of attack on us," Adam remarked calmly, unphased by the attacks.

"Pathetic. Shall we put these worthless dogs down, Sir?" Lute asked coldly.

"...Naw. Let me handle it," Adam said with a smirk as he crossed his arms in front of himself. His hands looked like they were trying to grasp something upon himself, golden light forming and growing with their hold.

The exorcists watched on with anticipation and glee as they realized Adm was about to cut loose.

Swinging his arms out, several great beams emerged from his palms, one after another in midswing. Ten in total, but these attacks moved as if living creatures, twisting and turning in the air at high speeds until they reached their targets, where the attacking sinners were thickest. Each attack hit at the same instance, exploding in a column of light to destroy half a city block and much near to the points of impact.

The useless counterattack was halted. The assailing sinners are all either dead, scattered, or fleeing for their damned souls.

The exorcist set out a cheer while Adam breathed deeply. "Ladies?! Have fun," he ordered, motioning for them to charge out.

Lute lingered for a moment, looking at Adam questioningly. He nodded to his intended location, and Lute nodded back. She expected as much. They parted ways as Adam descended into Hell.

He touched down right on top of Falak's skull. The flames along the skeleton grew slightly but did not harm him. The very bones would incinerate any demon, and even angels would find it painful to the touch. But Faak's flames had never harmed Adam.

Idly, he glanced down to the space between Falak and Tannin's heads and found a small miracle. "Hellflake's little memorial is still here, eh?" he said with approval, noting it didn't even appear to be defaced. He supposed the cannibals really were taking care of this place.

He sat down on the skull and pulled out a bottle from his sleeve, placing the cork between his teeth and pulling it out. "I brought you a drink, Falak. That real raisiny shit I know you love for some reason," he said as he created a small glass and poured a drink. He then proceeded to pour the rest of the bottle onto Falak's head as he steadily downed his own glass. The stream of wine hissed and evaporated before it even touched the bone.

Adam sighed with a soft, nostalgic smile as he vanished the cup, rubbing his face through his mask.

The years always slowed down a bit after losing someone. That was what experience told Adam. Time would slow down, but march ever onward until the ache in his chest dulled again. Until Falak was just the latest one he lost his Hell, the newest reason for him to hate this pit and all that belonged to it.

Adam frowned as he realized he was being watched, looking off to his left and seeing just who it was.

Alastor stood there with his ever-present smile, giving a short nod of greeting to the first man, but didn't otherwise speak.

Adam put the bottle back up his sleeve as he glided down to meet the sinner. "Stag," he greeted coldly.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Alastor said civilly.

"You are," Adam informed bluntly. "What do you got for me?"

"Well, last year left a wonderful power vacuum! And it seems a great many souls from the past century or so feel this is their chance to make a play at being big fish. The Retzos brothers, Juhani the Executioner, the Axe of Berrima," Alastor listed off casually, well aware as to how annoyed his angelic associate was. "But there is one I know of that might be of...interest to you. He goes by Caydo. Winged-Coyote fellow, terrible manners, loves to smoke."

"Stag, if you don't say something useful in the next twenty seconds-"

"Cayetano Grossi," Alastor answered, Adam growing silent at the name. "I managed to pry his real name out of a rather desperate would-be victim of mine. The first known serial killer in Argentina. A man who raped his daughters and killed the newborn babes he sired from them."

Adam's eyes narrowed with wrathful intent. Yes, he would enjoy putting that kind of dog down for good.

Chapter Text

March 18, 1944

Below Gluttony's yellow, honeycombed skies, Abaddon stalked through the green fog of the demonic forests. Like the terrible force he was, no beast or demoned dared to approach him and fled from his presence.

He had no care or interest in Beelzebub's feasts. His prize was in the less tame region of her domain.

The Descended Angel soon came to a deep ravine, a mighty amber river running far below that cut the land in two. He went off the edge and slowly floated down as a silent specter. He stopped at a small cave entrance, almost perfectly camouflaged by the rock formations around the opening.

The Betrayer of the Watchers stepped forward, narrowing his eyes as something moved out of the darkness of the cave.

It was a hellhound, a red one with a scarred and lanky build. "Oh, sorry," the hellhound said with familiarity. "I thought you were someone else. Everyone else already left."

"I shall judge that," Abaddon said coolly as he went inside the cave. The hellhound looked mildly confused but made no motion to stop him.

This demon evidently believed that Abaddon was just another of the Watchers. Not surprising, he doubted the hound would take note of the difference.

He stalked into the cave, every one of his senses poised for anything as he walked through the dark tunnel. The path went deep, far from the prying eyes of sins and devils. Such were the places the Fallen Watchers convened for whatever scheme they had.

Soon he emerged onto a spiral path that led down a dimly lit room, a sizable circular opening within the cave, a fire pit in the middle.

He leaped down from the path and stood in the circle. The room was empty and the pit before him was all but embers now. Yet even now, he could see the flecks of flames.

Black flames.

His shadowy face rankled as he looked about. Lining the circle were eleven seats, makeshift thrones of stone. All empty, as was the rest of the room.

"There's nothing here."

Abaddon slowly turned to level a narrowed gaze at the person sitting in on the single chair made of black stone.

Lilith.

"I've already checked," Lilith added neutrally, looking almost bored. When Abaddon didn't respond, she gestured around the room. "I suppose you didn't know about this one?"

Abaddon narrowed his gaze at her. "How long did you aspire to be concealed, Ashen Star?"

Lilith held his gaze for a moment before sighing. "You can come out, Charlie. He knows."

Charlie's form awkwardly walked out of Lilith's shadow, waving at the dark angel. "Hi, Abaddon. Mom was teaching me how to astral project when we saw you in the forest."

Abaddon glanced at Lilith with an inquiry in his blazing eyes.

Lilith smiled at her daughter. "She has gained quite an interest in various magics."

Ever since Tannin, it went unsaid, when Charlie brute forced a portal into existence by accident.

Abaddon allowed his gaze to fall back on Charlie. "I trust your genitrix forewarned the perils that befall with missteps in such practices, especially when using the Low Magics."

"Genitrix? I'll just assume that is another word for "Mom,"" Charlie murmured to herself before speaking up. "But, yes, I know all the dangers that can come with projecting. Like never astral projecting when your energy reserves are empty, or you might put yourself in a coma. Mom also said that's where the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty comes from?"

Abaddon seemed pleased with that before glancing back towards the entrance he had come from. "We shall not be disturbed, I predict, but nor do I believe we should linger."

"Right," Charlie said as she looked around the room with a frown. "So...this is one of the meeting places of the Fallen Angels?"

Abaddon watched her carefully as he answered. "Aye. Of the Order of the Watchers, twenty scores turned to their great heresy. Of those that yet remain, not even half can be counted amongst their numbers."

Lilith rose from the throne and walked to Charlie's side. "Ten thrones for the leaders that remained after the war, but whenever they meet like this? They always leave another throne, empty and blackened, in honor of their True Leader. Samyaza."

The very air of the cave whispered something lost and forgotten at the mention of that name.

"There is nothing to be gleaned in this din, and no cause for us to remain, Author of the Low Magics," Abaddon remarked as he turned to leave.

"Abaddon," Charlie called after. "I wanted to ask you something? Mom told me about the Watchers. That they were....positive you would join them. Why is that?"

Abaddon looked towards Lilith with a great glare. Charlie looked to the Queen Of Hell, who stepped aside to glance at the true target of Abaddon's ire.

The empty throne of Samyaza.

"I had many pupils, students. Angels I trained to have might and wisdom. The greatest I ever taught and failed, was their leader," Abaddon said with something vile in his voice.

Abaddon trained Samyaza. Samyaza had believed that Abaddon, his teacher, would join them. Suddenly, so many things made sense to Charlie.

"You feel as though he betrayed your every teaching," Lilith remarked with a neutral look. "Samyaza believed he was living by them."

"Then it should never be a mystery how he came to be counted as the Second Archtraitor," Abaddon answered coldly as he turned. "An Angel Should Know Better."

With that, he vanished, leaving the Queen and Princess alone. After a moment, Lilith sighed as waved her hand and ended the spell, she and Charlie suddenly back in the royal bedroom. Charlie wobbled a bit at the sudden shift.

Lilith smiled and steadied her with a hand on her back. "Easy, little caprine, astral projecting can be a smidge disorienting."

Charlie absently nodded and didn't look up.

Lilith's smile fell as she moved to sit on the bed, patting for Charlie to join her.

Mother and Daughter said nothing as they sat there in silence.

Lilith placed an elbow on her knee and wristed her chin in her hand. "The night you were born, Lucifer wanted me to take you and leave Pride Ring."

Charlie looked up in shock. "What?"

"Your father didn't want you to grow up here, a place filled with sinners and the yearly purges. He wanted me to take you down to the lower rings, like Gluttony, and raise you there," Lilith explained.

Charlie starred at that. "You....Mom, that sounds like he couldn't have come with us. I know he can't leave Hell, but he's not stuck in pride like sinners are."

Lilith smiled a bit at that. "Lucifer will always be stubborn. The angels would say it's his pride. I think it's more nostalgia that keeps him from abandoning Pride Ring," Lilith said as she spun her hand with dark magic, conjuring several easel stands before summoning an array of portraits, masterfully painted with inhuman accuracy.

Charlie inhaled sharply as she took them in.

She saw a great and mighty city made of stone, metal, and most of all...

Ice.

Ice, frosted over all the land and constructs, the light of Heaven shimmering off them so brilliantly that Charlie could barely believe it. In the midst of it was a great, wonderous castle.

In another painting, she saw her father, but he looked different. 

His horns were out, and so were his wings. Kind of. The wings were formed like a cape upon his back, and Charlie couldn't tell if it was just one set of wings or all six acting as one. Either way, it looked like he was wearing a royal white cape with a red underside, which paired well with the crown upon his horns. He wore black pants, his gloves, and was....shirtless? His chest was bare, showing a large scar of pale yellow skin just below the center of his chest.

It was made less strange to Charlie by the fact that the two other people he was standing with were also shirtless. One was a large blue humanoid with horns that curled around to point forward and white fur, along with hooved feet! The other was something like a human-feline hybrid, having a head like a tiger but black hair all over. They were all dressed similarly to her father and toasting a drink in large mugs, standing on a cliff overlooking a smaller, more modest city.

A city surrounded by mountains that seemed strangely familiar to Charlie.