Chapter Text
The stars are falling, but they are not stars. They are now former angels, those who chose to rebel against the heavens in allegiance with Lucifer the Morning star. Once the handsome jewel of the heavens, now a fierce rebel revolutionary. Those who chose the side of Lucifer were forcefully cast out- not by god himself, but by his chosen son, Michael- along with the other Archangels.
Their father had no time for these petty tantrums...
Had no time… or was he simply sacrificing his children for the sake of himself? That was Lucifer’s primary rallying cry- his beautiful and frenzied grin winning over many hearts that had at one point been against him. His brothers and sister were the first to sign on with him- helping him lead the fight all over the celestial realm.
Fights broke out all over, with many of the rebels leading their own battles against their former friends, lovers, and family.
Lilith, the youngest of Lucifer’s siblings- and the leader of the forces meant to lead the allied civilians away, preferred the love of humanity to that of her own kin. She held a golden polearm in her hands, uneasy grip as she hurried her way through the crumbling hallway. What had once been a gorgeous bathhouse, with quartz and gold marble- and the most soothing waters in all of the realm- was now crumbling and decrepit. Lilith knew its roof had a good vantage point- she was looking for something.. Someone...
A loud force whizzed past Lilith, creating a smoking crater in the tile, and knocking out one of the pillars. The young woman barely stepped out of the way before it collided, and she turned to find her older brother, Beelzebub was the cause of it. He was large in form, with mass and muscle, tanned skin, and messy ginger hair. He shook off the impact, brushing off the tile from his shoulders as if it was nothing, before turning to Lilith.
“Are you okay?” His words were quiet but strong. Lilith only nodded, to which her brother responded simply with his own nod- before he shot back into the sky, his wings launching him with a strong force. Lilith nodded again with a strong certainty- just like her brother, she too had an important role, one that required her to make haste once again. Lilith ran to a set of stairs and climbed until she broke out of the building and back into the eternal daylight of the Celestial realm. The glittering daylight was temporarily desaturated by the smoke caused by fires that occurred all around the realm. Lilith wanted to stand and mourn, but she needed to move further onto the roof- to where she’d have a better view.
The roof of the bathhouse was just as gorgeous as the inside. There was a glittering rooftop pool, a lattice area covered in ivy, and plenty of comfortable seating. At least, that was what it looked like in the past... Now, the ivy had overgrown, the pool was empty save for some rainwater, and the chairs, tables, and loungers were all strewn everywhere. Lilith ran to the right, to a clear part of the roof, and began to look… for something.
“I knew you’d be up here.” A voice spoke, followed by the flutter of wings and the clicking of heels against the ground. Lilith turned around, her golden locks whipping around in the wind created by the massive wings. Before her was a man that she had hoped that she’d never have to see again. Especially not during this.
Michael. He was the direct second in command to god and had once been a perfect pair for Lucifer. He wasn’t part of their family [whose connections were already dubious at best] but his relationship with Lucifer had been nothing short of fierce brotherhood. He took this rebellion personally, and all but blamed Lilith as the inciting incident. He had some kind of perverse attraction to her, and when she all but ignored him in favor of the humans- he grew angry, angry, and annoyed.
“Michael,” Lilith spoke, her tone starting out at surprise, but quickly turning to one of anger and guarding. She gripped her polearm with intent and purpose, holding it out in front of her as her eyes trained on Michael’s form. He held his arms out to her, taking step after step after step; slowly and towards her. Lilith kept backing up, up until she was close to the edge of the roof.
“You’ve got nowhere to run, Lilith. Put down your arms and talk to me.” His expression was a poorly veiled attempt to appear non-threatening and approachable. Michael never once had a subtle bone in his body, favoring excessive emotions over subtle ones. It seemed he and Lucifer had that in common. Lilith didn’t relent, only gripping her polearm tighter and thrusting it out in front of her with a fierce expression. “Don’t come any closer or I won’t hesitate to stab you.” Michael’s face morphed back into his usual disinterested scowl, knowing that there was no way he was going to get close to her by pretending.
“You want a fight? You’ll get one,” Michael began to manifest his staff, all golden light and pure radiance then assumed a fighting stance that was similar to the one that Lilith was in. “-But make no mistake, you WILL NOT be coming out of this alive.”
Lilith was not a skilled fighter by any means. She was a young woman, the youngest of her siblings, and preferred to sleep in overdoing any kind of training. If there was one thing though... She had enough spirit for ten men. Spirit, Love, and Determination - the ability to go forward with her head held high no matter how dire the differences. She would fight and fight until she could no longer stand.
Lilith stood, her hair and face drenched in sweat and blood, over Michael who for once looked terrified. She wasn’t fighting like an angel, no- Lilith had adopted the fighting style of the humans. Dirty. “Say your prayers.” The words came out somewhat garbled, as Lilith spat out a wad of spit and blood, as she prepared her final attack. The moment her arms raised above her head, half-broken wings outstretched behind her... A voice came from behind them.
“LILITH! MICHAEL!” It was the revolutionary. Lucifer himself. Lilith tried to maintain her gaze on Michael but it was no use. The moment that Lucifer landed, Lilith turned to look at him, which was a big mistake. It’s said that any creature backed into a corner will use any means necessary to escape. Any. Means. That is exactly what Michael chose to do. Lilith turned her back on Michael, and in that exact moment- he pressed a firm kick into her shoulder blades, between her wings. Already so dangerously close to the edge, this was the thing that sent her over.
It was primitive.
It was primitive, but because it was Michael- it was enough to fell her. Lilith began falling hard, unable to twist around and fly back up because of the speed, and the pain from her broken wings. It wouldn’t be long before she broke through the barriers, and joined the other fallen angels in descending to the Devil King’s realm. Lilith couldn’t move her wings and tried to raise her arms in a way to protect herself but it was no use. There was nothing that she could do to slow or stop her falling, and Lilith joined the other angels in what appeared to the humans as a meteor shower.
Lucifer looked to Michael, who had only begun shakily standing up on his own two feet and had extended his own wings, and a great debate swirled in his head. There was no use staying back and fighting Michael when there was a greater chance that Lilith would die. Michael took a fist and wiped off the blood that was spilling from his nose, and for a moment he just - stared at Lucifer. “What!?” He shouted, Michael, throwing his arms open and wings up, “Are you too scared to come after me? Too much of a fucking coward?”
Lucifer said nothing, having made his decision to go after Lilith. There was no going back after this. No last chance, no reruns, once Lucifer stepped foot out of the barrier and into the next realm- he was gone for good. Lucifer jumped backward, taking his chance to fall- and fall he did. Much more gracefully than Lilith, Lucifer and his pure white wings dove just as rapidly as the woman who was plummeting below him. He turned his free-fall into a dive, twisting his body around and using his wings to push him forward - gaining speed to hopefully catch Lilith.
Hopefully being the key-word.
He wouldn’t catch her though. It wasn’t that easy.
The sky of the human world was a beautiful sunset as they fell, a perfect backdrop for what the humans would believe was just a normal meteor shower. The colors perfectly graduating from day to orange, to pink, purple, and then to the night sky. It would have been a beautiful sight.
It was a beautiful sight.
Just - not for her. It was enough for Lilith to close her eyes and brace for impact. There was no way she was able to flip herself over right now, let alone fly with her broken wings. So she took a deep breath and whispered a final prayer to herself as she plummeted, unaware of what would happen to her once she landed in the devildom. The Devildom’s sky was a deep plum, an ever permanent night, as Lilith broke through the human realm’s barrier, and into the domain of the Devil himself.
A dingy, disgusting alleyway wasn’t the best place to die- it felt like a bastardization, and it was hardly poetic. A rat-like creature scurried around, looking around for a scrap of something to eat. Sewage water dripped from the end of a broken pipe, and the other end of the pipe was stuck out. The street felt oddly empty, as most of the devildom was in a struggle with the celestial war going on all around them.
In other words; it was quiet there, too quiet.
Until...
Lilith didn’t scream as she fell, though she did make some noises of pain and struggle- Lilith knew she’d end up in the territory of those who weren’t yet determined to be friend or foe. Surely, she knew that any stray angel - no matter who they claimed to be- would be killed or captured. She did scream though when her first introduction to the devildom was crashing into a shitty, dingy, alleyway. She screamed not because of the sudden shock of such a disgusting place, but because Lilith had landed directly onto that exposed bottom of the broken pipe, impaling itself directly through the left side of her stomach/abdomen area.
It hurt.
Oh GOD how it hurt.
Lilith’s cries of pain scared the rat-thing away, the creature booking it as fast as it could out of the alleyway.
There was an odd source of beauty in the scene; Lilith's angelic radiance shone - lighting up the alleyway that had once been terribly dark, as she began to bleed out. Her cries were like foghorns cutting their way through the terrible night like a knife through butter.
Lucifer soon arrived in after her, diving down with intense speed and grace hardly awarded to the other fallen angels, landing on his feet with that same grace. If she shone bright, he shone even brighter- a brilliant white beacon as he dove into the alleyway after Lilith. The sight that was waiting for him was not as brilliant though. Lilith unresponsive the moment that he touched down, and her warm brown skin paled as the life and blood drained from her.
There was something that could be said about the mythical healing properties of angel’s blood, but it didn’t matter if any of that was true. This wasn’t just another casualty. This was Lilith, Lucifer’s baby sister. The Revolutionary let out a pained noise and a choking sob as he quickly stuck himself to his sister’s side.
“Lilith!” Lucifer cried out as he tried to take a good look at her rapidly worsening situation. Lilith appeared to be dead for a second, but a moment later and she gasped, waking up from being passed out for a second. She began to cough, choking rather, as globs of blood escaped her mouth. Her eyes were glossy and darted every which way before they caught sight of Lucifer kneeling next to her.
“Luci.,” she spoke, her voice already weak and pained. “Don’t worry about me Luci, worry about the war.” She spoke as though this was the only thing going through her mind right now. Lucifer choked back a laugh, sobbing as it came out in a clipped manner. Of all the things to worry about, and right now she cared more about her brother’s war than her own life. “Oh Lilith,” Lucifer spoke sadly as he wiped sweat and blood from the woman’s face, “The war can wait. You are much more precious to me than any pointless fight I start.”
Lilith, it seemed, didn’t like that answer- as she tried to sit up, forgetting for a moment that she was currently impaled. It hurt Lucifer beyond reason to hear his sister cry out in intense pain, as he tried to help her calm down. “It-,” Lilith’s chest shuddered as it rose and fell, “It’s not pointless. Our freedom is not pointless.” Lucifer has never heard such determination in his sister’s voice, accompanied only by a similar look in her eye. Lucifer could only look away in shame, feeling guilty either way.
Running came from the end of the alley, the sound of two pairs of feet- and one pair of wings. Lucifer looked up, startled, from cradling his sister’s dying body. He knew how this would look to other people. Two angles alone and weakened in a secluded alleyway. Lucifer reached down to gently stroke Lilith’s cheek with his thumb before he slowly rose to his feet, the revolutionary moved into a fighting stance. From his back, Lucifer took out what looked to be a hollow half-moon. It was, in fact, a folded up scythe, and it fully unfolded and extended itself as Lucifer flew his arm out in one fail swoop.
The noises of movement seemed to be getting closer, and Lucifer prepared himself for a fight. The exact moment that the figures approached, he went for it - only to be stopped by some magical force. That.. or Lilith called out for him to stop the second the two figures rounded the corner. It was a good thing that he chose to stop too, as the larger of the two figures let out a charming and hearty laugh.
“That was a rather close shave, eh Barbatos?” That voice. It was as deep as Mariana's trench, but with a velvety smooth finish. It belonged to a man around the same age as Lucifer, with deep brown skin, vividly red hair, and the build of a very strong man. He was Diavolo, the son of the Devil- and the prince of the devildom, next in line for the throne. Not that his father would die or give up for quite some time. The blade of Lucifer’s scythe was dangerously close to Diavolo’s throat, and the large man gave the revolutionary a lazy smile as he gently moved the blade out of the way.
“M’lord should I-” A small and nervous voice came from a smaller man next to Diavolo. He looked the same age as them, but as though he was younger in some way. As though he was born yesterday. He had unnaturally white skin, raven dark hair with a blue gradient, and horns instead of wings. Diavolo rested a hand on the young man’s shoulder and shook his head in response to the almost-question. “I think he understands the gravity of the situation he’s in. I assume you already know who I am, Lightbringer? Or should I not call you by that name anymore?” Lucifer dropped his scythe down slowly, though he still maintained a grip onto the pole of it. The revolutionary looked Diavolo up and down and paused before he spoke - not even bothering to answer the question.
“How did you know where to find us?” Lucifer’s tone was an almost deep growl, shooting a glare back to where the young man was inching closer to where his sister was sitting, still impaled. As far as Diavolo and his companion knew, the young woman was dead. Diavolo shrugged and motioned to all of Lucifer’s radiance.
“You shine like a beacon,” He smirked, “Though since you’re here, I assume that won’t last for much longer. What should I call you then? It’s rude to not introduce yourself.” Diavolo wrapped his arms behind his back while Lucifer extended himself to his full height. “You already know my name, and I know yours. What do you want from me?” He hissed, the noise sounding more like escaping steam rather than the hiss of a snake.
“I think that’s My question, Lightbringer. What can I do for you?” Diavolo relaxed his arms, opening them wide in a position that reminded him of someone offering a hug. Lucifer looked over his shoulder at his dying sister, who had passed out again since Diavolo showed up. She didn’t have much time left.
Lucifer gulped, a pit forming in his stomach.
“I need you to save my sister.” The revolutionary ruffled his ice-white hair with his hand, looking up at Diavolo with a fierce determination. Diavolo simply smiled back and motioned for the young man to go to Lilith’s side. He did so with speed, using magic to produce a first aid kit out of nowhere.
“Your companion has skill with magic,” Lucifer spoke, not breaking his gaze from Lilith’s body, even as she reopened her eyes again from the new chatter. Diavolo nodded as the two of them walked closer to where Lilith was. “This is Barbatos. My father has taken him and his twin sister in as wards of our estate. They both show excellent potential in magic, much more than I have I admit.” Diavolo seemed to chuckle emptily. As Barbatos readied his gloves, he seemed to be maintaining a short conversation with Lilith.
The moment that his hands touched her abdomen to inspect the wound greater, his whole head snapped back, and his eyes swirled into an unfathomable blackness that no light touched. This shook up Diavolo, as the prince looked genuinely worried for the health and safety of Barbatos. “What’s happening?!”He shouted as he dove to Barbatos’ side, looking up at Lucifer- who was equally as shaken up. “I could very well ask you the same thing!!” The young man’s nose began to bleed, and his face was contorted in one of uncomfortable pain- though through this all his hands remained firm on Lilith’s stomach, who looked as stunned as someone who was dying could be.
Then, normal. Barbatos’ eyes snapped back to their normal color, and he stumbled back onto his butt, raising his hands up as though he’d never seen them before. His chest rose and fell, his whole body shaking as he hyperventilated. Diavolo laid a hand on the young man’s shoulder, who just looked with wide-eyed horror at him.
“She’s going to die,” Barbatos whispered, quickly swapping to make eye contact with Lucifer. Lucifer seemed annoyed at all of that build-up for what felt to him like utter nonsense. “I know,” He hissed,” That’s why I asked you to save her. The young man shook his head with a fervent passion. “No! You don’t get it- She needs to die. She has to!” That only made Lucifer even angrier, a wave of anger that began to build slowly like a fire in his chest. He took lumbering steps towards Barbatos. “Who the FUCK do you think you are, telling me that my sister has to die?” Diavolo managed to stand between them at the last moment, a guarding presence in front of his father’s ward.
“Calm down Lightbringer.” When Diavolo boomed his voice, it actually made Lucifer stumble back a step in awe. “The young man can see all possible future realities. My father calls it general time powers, but when I said that he and his sister both show extreme promise- I meant it. Unparalleled prowess. If he’s saying that your sister needs to die, then he must have looked at all of the possible realities. Is that right Barbatos?” Diavolo looked over his own shoulder at the shaken young man. Barbatos nodded, “I can’t help when I see things. I really did want to help her but- but you saw what happened! For the realms to not crumble and fall to ruin, Lilith needs to die. I can’t in good conscience save her.”
Lucifer had balled his fists to the point of knuckles even paler than his skin already was. He seethed with rage, a war brewing inside of his body. How dare this- this CHILD try and tell him the future? Was he just supposed to accept it like that? His.. his pride wouldn’t allow that- no- he was the great revolutionary, the once handsome jewel of the heavens. He was so close to throwing a punch to just shut the kid up when his sister’s weak voice called out to the three of them.
“What of my own decision?” Lilith’s voice was strained and hoarse as he tried to keep her eyes open. She coughed up another spray of blood and attempted to keep her head up. “What are you saying, Lilith? You’re delirious.” Lucifer spoke, moving to the other side of Lilith, who raised a hand to his face.
“I’m dying but that doesn’t,” She coughed again, “Doesn’t mean I don’t deserve agency.”
“You aren’t dying Lilith! I can save you if they’re too cowardly to-” Lucifer tried to speak but Lilith cut him off.
“No. I am. You won’t be able to save me like this, and I’d rather die than let the realms fall to ruin because of me.” She thrust her hand out to grip Lucifer by the collar. “Please just let me die.” With one last use of strength, she shoved her brother back- the man looking on her with a shaken up surprise. His mouth was open, and he had nothing else that he could say to her. He couldn’t find the words.
What Lucifer could find though, were the tears. By the time that the revolutionary knew that he was crying, tears were spilling from his eyes in a torrent that he couldn’t stop. Lucifer bent over Lilith, sobbing his eyes out. “What am I going to do with- without you? What, how can I tell the others?” He sobbed. Lilith smiled weakly, reaching her hand out to caress her brother’s cheek as he had done to her earlier. “You’ll find a way. I don’t want you to watch them do this.” Lucifer nodded, though he remained sobbing, and stood up to shamble down the alleyway. He knew that there was no use arguing here, he was still an angel - and though his lingering pride would soon overtake him, the revolutionary knew that right now- this was no battle that he could win.
Lilith would die.
He’d have to tell his brothers.
Oh GOD how would he tell his brothers?
Lucifer got far enough away before he slid down a brick wall and began sobbing harder.
Meanwhile, once Lucifer had gotten far enough away, Lilith out the hand that had once been fruitlessly applying pressure to where she’d been impaled. The other hand dug into her shirt and pulled out what was obviously a pendant. It was a blush pink, heart-shaped gem, in a silver cage with a wing on either side. Lilith thrust it out to the pair that was now before her.
“Before you kill me. I want you to do something for me.” Lilith asked respectfully as Barbatos took the pendant gingerly. “I want you to take my memories, my essence, and my powers and put them in this pendant. Then- please do everything you can to find someone who will be able to take care of my brothers for me.” The life was almost fully drained from her face- she was struggling as hard as she could to simply stay awake and alive. Diavolo didn’t know what to say to her- he only nodded definitely. He was going to complete this last wish of her’s even if it took him ages.
Lucifer waited with bated breath for it all to be over. It almost made him laugh at just how pitiful he was being right now, he was supposed to be some valiant revolutionary, but here he was - sobbing over his sister’s inevitable demise. It was all his fault. If he hadn’t started this war-
A cry out into the night caused Lucifer to break out of his fog of self-depreciation. Lilith’s final scream as Diavolo tore her body off of the broken pipe was the loudest noise he’d ever heard. He didn’t know it yet, but Lucifer knew that he’d be hearing that scream in his nightmares for centuries to come. Lucifer turned over onto his knees, his sobs growing louder until before he knew it- Lucifer too was screaming. His scream was loud and guttural, a painful battle cry to show that the night was far from over. His rage was only just beginning, and the entire celestial realm would pay for what happened to his sister. Everyone would pay, especially Michael.