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The retired Ruler of Hell had made a good fortune out of their new career as a hedge fund advisor. It was an honest job. They had bought a beach house in Los Angeles so that they could frequent Las Vegas, a place that Lucifer felt fascinating.
Lucifer was determined to have a real taste of humanity in the "City of Sin". It may have surprised many, but the fallen angel never engaged in gambling, seduction, drug dealing, or other activities that were considered reprehensible. Nor had they encouraged any mortal to participate in such. They simply watched, as a collector in an art gallery, as these humans went about their own destruction, as well as those who came here hoping to save souls from the Devil's work.
After a few years, Lucifer became bored of this. The methods of self-destruction were mundane: the same greed, lust, and hubris that had been with humanity since the Garden. The way it appeared may have changed, but their undertones were the same - the same emptiness, despair, and self-loathing endemic to these unworthy creatures.
Lucifer found these emotions distasteful, which was a surprise. They once were thrilled by watching humans suffer, seeing true justice served. But now they wanted to at least catch a glimpse of something else, something more. These emotions were familiar in an intimate way, well hidden somewhere. They didn't feel it when they had a venue to demonstrate power, such as summoning billion Lords of Hell to bow to them. With that venue gone now, these emotions were catching up.
Even as the most powerful being in existence, without the purpose of vengeance against Heaven, Lucifer felt…lost.
Yet, with no grand purpose of any kind, some mortals were content with their lives. It was a mystery and irritated them.
Lucifer decided to change to a new environment. They sold the house in Los Angeles, and moved to London, a world financial center, but not one as impetuous as New York or Chicago. They wanted to make their life busier but spent the rest of their time evaluating some human creations, such as arts, literature, and music. Perhaps there would be that “something more”. Somehow they doubted it.
Now Lucifer was watching Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in a theater together with mortals. They found a piece of music intriguing. The popularity of that piece of music went far beyond England. Mortals called it the "Wedding March", used throughout the world by lovers[1]. Lucifer had heard some stories about the inspiration behind the play and its music, some mundane and some fantastical. But they sensed a thread behind it pointing towards a true source.
It was Morpheus's gift.
Dream had had quite a few infamous love affairs. All ending in ruins. One of his lovers had even been condemned to Hell for their alleged defiance of the Dream Lord. Then he had married a Muse. Their son's life was a horror story known by all realms: Orpheus, forever tormented by his lover's death at their wedding .
With that wedding music playing in the theater, Lucifer fell into introspection. They couldn't understand why Dream would celebrate mortal unions when his own universally lay in ruins. For his son's sake, weddings should be something he resented the most. Lucifer themself would have cursed all such ceremonies. Yet, Dream had set up festive and triumphant tones for the lovers for generations to come.
How could he give such a gift?
"What power have dreams in Hell?" The fallen angel heard their own voice.
Then the worst humiliation in their long, long life came, "Tell me, Lucifer Morningstar, what power would Hell have if those here imprisoned were not able to dream... of Heaven?"
A flood of bitter memories followed. They saw the shining feathers on six pairs of starlight wings. They were back in the Kingdom of Dreams eons ago, where they first met Dream of the Endless, the new King of Dreams and Nightmares.
At that time, the Dreaming had been completely dark. The Angel Samael suggested that the new ruler make his realm more colorful, making it more similar to Silver City.
"On the First day, the Creator made the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless, empty and dark. He said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light." Samael recited the story of the Creation while making a broad gesture to the darkness surrounding them, "This is your realm, Dream."
Then the Kingdom of Dreams lit up. But nothing else was there to see. The Endless said he didn't know what Silver City looked like. Samael invited him to have a few tours.
Lucifer remembered the stars, the wonder in Dream's eyes.
Perhaps, this had something to do with Morpheus stubbornly calling Lucifer "Lightbringer" even after they said they were the "The Beast of the Judgement. The Dark at the end of everything."
Maybe this was the explanation for the tears in his eyes when he defeated Lucifer by the move of "Hope."
Maybe it was why he had asked the angels to leave Lucifer alone after they came to the mortal world.
Perhaps, for the same reason, even after his own ruined love life, a century of imprisonment, and other numberless humiliations caused by mortals, he still treated humanity with generosity.
The same generosity given to the newly crowned King of Dreams eons ago. Yet Lucifer despised that memory with every fiber of their being.
Lucifer stood up and strode out of the theater. A piece of paper appeared in their hand. They started to write furiously.
Abruptly, the fallen angel stopped in the middle. Then they tore it apart and burned it into ashes.
Over the next few years, Lucifer traveled to more places and met more humans. They didn't feel humanity itself to be interesting, but looking for the trace of Dream's influence on the mortal world had become an interest, then a fascination.
Morpheus' very old mortal friend had claimed that Lucifer had underappreciated Dream and his strength. He might have a valid point.
Lucifer drafted letters when they saw Dream’s inspirations, but none of them were finished. They could not find the words to describe their feelings. Neither did they have the impulse to issue a statement, like when they threatened to burn his realm to ashes.
And there was more.
Lucifer was nothing if not prideful. They would never admit they could possibly be wrong.
As an immortal, they had abundant time to find their words, to muster whatever they needed to send the letter out.
It seemed like they were getting close. Then the news came. Morpheus had died. At the hand of the Fates by some twisted plot, and old scores of his own making.
He died willingly.
Lucifer could not accept this. It was like accepting their own defeat, again, while they had not come to terms with the first one.
When an Endless died, they would pass the Sunless Lands and arrive at the Silver City. Dying must feel like coming home for him.
When they had the ugly face-off in Hell, Dream invoked the name of Heaven with the full knowledge of the consequences of Lucifer's wrath. They had thought it was Morpheus's sheer arrogance. Maybe there was something more. Something even Morpheus himself didn't realize.
Dream had wished to live among the mortals without his responsibilities as the King of Dreams. Lucifer thought it was an outrageous idea, how could an ethereal, eternal being even have such thoughts? It sounded almost like blasphemy , for lack of a better word. But after Lucifer themself had grudgingly lived here for years, they started to have some understanding of it.
When Morpheus emerged from the Sunless Lands, Lucifer would never see him again. Dream might meet his friends, acquaintances, and even enemies there in the Silver City, but not the fallen angel Lucifer Morningstar.
They knew what to do now. Very few beings knew the way or possessed the power to reach the realm of Death of the Endless.
Lucifer was one of those few.
Note:
[1] Felix Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" in C major, written in 1842, is one of the best known of the pieces from his suite of incidental music (Op. 61) to Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is one of the most frequently used wedding marches, generally being played on a church pipe organ.
To listen to the music-