Chapter Text
The devil is a slave driver. A perfectionist, some might say.
Alastor's back hit the wall with a sickening crack, knocking his breath free and breaking a vertebrae. Alastor crumpled into a heap, laying paralyzed and shaking with pain.
"Again." His sharp voice called out as Alastor's pain eased. Stumbling to his feet, Alastor shot a glare towards the blonde that flew above him, his eyes glowing with residual energy.
"Sir-"
"I don't want to hear your excuses Alastor!" He snapped, horns flickering into view. "You are to get those under control by the end of this session." Lowering himself to the ground, the devil folded shinged wings against his back, a snarl etched into his pale features as he crossed the large ballroom.
Grabbing Alastor by his tie, he dragged the deer down to meet his eye level. "Am I clear?" He spat. Alastor nodded in response.
The fabric of his collar tore as he was forced to his knees. "Speak when you are spoken to."
"I understand, sir."
The scowl was quickly replaced with a bright smile. "Good!" He beamed, turning his back to the deer. Lucifer took to the air once more, away from the direct path of the writhing tentacles summoned forth.
Slitting open his palm with a claw, Alastor drew forward the creature, watching as it forced its large appendages through the portals he provided. They thrashed, searching for a target. He managed to dodge the first that came towards him, blindly grabbing at him.
He was not so lucky with the second. It moved too fast for him to dodge, wrapping around his thin frame and attempting to drag him through the portal. He thrashed, clawing and biting like a wild animal.
Lucifer just sighed and summoned his spear, stabbing it into the tentacle. It recoiled, dropping the deer as it retreated back into the portals before they closed. "You're letting it control you still. Where is your focus that you had when we first began?"
Alastor grumbled softly, slowly getting to his feet. "If you would let me use-"
"You're not ready for that shadow Alastor. It will control you just as it had when you first fell," Lucifer snapped, feathers rustling in his irritation. "You need to quell your hunger before it gets out of control."
Alastor felt his ear twitch, his smile attempting to pull down into a scowl. He never thought he'd see the day he was talked down to like a child by the devil himself. He glared down at the blonde with contempt, but Lucifer only grinned.
"Why don't we break for tea?"
Alastor knew that wasn't a request, rather a demand. "That sounds lovely." He said with feigned delight. Following behind the devil, the pair crossed out of the ballroom and into the nearby garden where Lililth sat, already waiting for the two.
Charlie must've been off with her girlfriend then. What a pity, he rather enjoyed her company on these breaks. She was much more grounded than Lucifer or Lilith.
"There you two are! I was beginning to worry you've lost the time again," Lilith laughed, a playful glint in her eye.
Lost the time was hardly what Alastor would've called that incident. He'd picked the glass shards out of his skin for nearly a week afterwards. Lucifer had found the whole thing rather hilarious, watching the deer slam right into the clock face and being stabbed in the abdomen by the oversized hour hand by his own shadow.
"Not this time, unfortunately." Lucifer snickered. Both men took a seat at the table, Lucifer motioning to a nearby imp for tea. "Only a broken vertebrae and a few cracked ribs this time, he's improving with his shadow work."
"Oh that's wonderful!" Lilith beamed, gently grasping Alastor's hand across the table. Alastor couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in his chest.
"Thank you ma'am."
It was a strange thing, living in Pandemonium. The bible had always talked about fire and brimstone, the stink of sulfur, the screams, but all of that was missing from the estate. It was in fact quite the opposite. Lush and green, a full orchard of apple trees on grounds, and a pleasant breeze weaving its way through the pillars.
Lucifer had the moments of cruelty that were expected from the devil, but he was a surprisingly gracious host, as was Lilith. It was quite a different existence compared to his brief time in pentagram city. It was calm and quiet, of course there were drawbacks…
Training was brutal. Broken bones, concussions, even temporary death wasn't uncommon. It took every ounce of energy he had for days at a time, and yet he was expected to continue past that wall of exhaustion.
Hell was a game of strength and strategy, and Alastor intended to win. He had the strength, but he had yet to master the strategy. He'd be no use if he was crumpled in an alleyway the most of the denizens that resided in the cesspool.
"Alastor."
His attention snapped back, and then down to the dull ache that was coming from his fingers. Black blood flowed from the missing appendage that he'd absent-mindedly chewed off. The familiar warmth and metallic tang that pooled on his tongue.
The constant gnawing hunger in his gut quieted. His energy returned, the wall of exhaustion crumbled down.
"It's not just blood-letting. It's sacrifice."
Lucifer's brow furrowed as he leaned forward in his chair slightly, "What do you mean 'sacrifice'?"
Alastor's smile turned manic, his eyes burning with newfound energy. "Cannibalism! It was in front of us this entire time! I was a cannibal, it only makes sense for my power to be drawn from consumption!" He laughed, standing from his seat and pacing along the garden's edge.
"How did I not realize it earlier! I haven't eaten since my rampage, no wonder I'm running on fumes!" He gestured wildly as he ranted, antlers branching off with sickening cracks as his anger mounted.
Some many broken bones and humiliation for what? A few failed attempts on quelling an eldritch abomination? Shadows nearly swallowing him whole? Simply because he hadn't fed them?
A hand grabbed his shoulder, holding him in place. "Alastor." That sharp voice drew him back to reality. Looking over his shoulder, his eyes met Lucifer's. "You're a genius." The devil grinned. Pride swelled in his chest as his anger was quelled.
"I'll send someone to the cannibal colony for you, we'll resume our training tomorrow morning!"
~~~~
Lucifer fell back on the bed with a deep sigh, loosening his tie as a delicate hand combed through his hair, mussing the style. A breathy laugh sounded from the succubus that loomed over him. "You have to give him some credit, he's determined."
He shot a lazy smile up at his wife, eyes sliding closed as he leaned into the gentle scrape of her nails against his scalp. "Determined but stubborn. I didn't think it would take autocannibalism to realize what his power source was."
A sharp nail gently jabbed at his cheek, treating the red circles as a bullseye. "Be nice Luci, he's new to magic. Perhaps you could've been easier on him. I hardly think attempting to control N'Zoth is fair." Lucifer huffed softly and batted away her hand, rubbing the abused skin.
"Where's the fun in the basics?"
"You are a horrible teacher, my love. And here I thought you'd had practice with Charlotte!" She teased. "You're just as stubborn as he is, perhaps you two have more common ground than you want to admit?"
Humming lightly, he moved closer to rest his head in his wife's lap. "Perhaps…"
"You could make a friend, Luci. I know how lonely you get when I'm away…" She cooed, "It'd be good for you…"
"And how do you suggest I do that?"
Another light giggle fell from the queen's lips, "Treat him as an equal."
~~~~
Three sharp knocks sounded on Alastor's bedroom door, startling him awake. Always a light sleeper, his prey instincts only heightened his senses to danger. Dragging himself to his feet, he had enough consciousness to glance at the clock that was just barely illuminated by the early morning light.
5:00 AM
"Fils de pute…" he muttered to himself as he pulled on the robe he had hung up in order to hide his night clothes. Another set of knocks sounded at his door, nearly sending the deer jumping out of his skin.
"Oh Alastor!" Lucifer called out in a sing-song voice. "We have lots to get done!" The knob of the door attempted to turn, but didn't give way. Alastor couldn't help but smile smugly to himself. A late night of reading in the estate's library had taught him a few basic spells, including a binding spell that he used to keep his door locked.
He took his time getting dressed, delighting in Lucifer's frustration at trying to turn the lock. The knob jiggled noisily before finally clicking open when Alastor opened it. "Is patience not a virtue afterall?"
Lucifer glared at the deer for a moment, arms crossed over his chest. "Breakfast, then we'll begin training."