The Fall

Chapter 7

It has been about three years since my brother Amon passed on.

Lilithia has been babbling up a storm, and has begun learning how to walk with Nimue and Laney.

Evergreen disappeared a couple of months back, claiming he wanted to explore the area. He hasn't returned. He had begun acting quite differently. His manner of speech and body language was odd. He started murmuring to himself about who knows what.

Unfortunately for me, Lucifer also began acting even more strangely since Amon passed on. He would lash out at the slightest inconvenience.

Being the only pain tolerant one, I took on all of his lashings. His fury knew no bounds.

With his mind shattered from the loss of his partners and most of his children, Lucifer was rendered almost useless in his mind's capacity.

His change even began to concern Laney, who informed me that Lilithia should not be subjected to this environment.

When I had informed Lucifer of this, he snapped at me, asking where he would go if not living there.

"Create your own home," I had snarled at him. "Then you will have your own place and we will have ours."

Shortly after that, he had his own palace created. Granted, it was small at first, but using a bit of work, he expanded it.

During all of this chaos, Laney had been busy creating patches of greenery, in hopes that this new world of ours could flourish with it. Her progress has made it possible to let the denizens of this world become self-sufficient with food finally.

On the other hand, I spent my time during the last year helping the denizens heal and learn. I taught them all that I could impart knowledge about.

I, also, spent time wandering about. I found a strange altar of some sort. It had a soft blue glow to it at the center, and when I happened upon it, a ghost stepped through.

As I spent more time around the altar, I found that not only humans stepped through it, but animals as well.

I had some of the denizens create a small structure around the altar, to protect it and to help filter the beings that came through it.

Today, though, I am to meet with Father, who says he wishes to talk to me about something.

I grit my teeth in front of the large door before me. I adjust the belt over my toga around my hips, uncomfortable. Inhaling a deep breath, I push open the door.

Stepping into the large foyer, I look around at the elaborately large room.

"There is no need for a place this large," I grumble to myself, stepping forward. "What cause does he have for thi-" I stop myself in front of another large room. "What?" My voice feels impossibly small.

The room that lies before me holds a giant elaborate chair made of many glittering stones. The room itself almost seems to shimmer.

Sitting in the chair is none other than my father, wearing a smirk on his face.

"Welcome, Lana!" His voice booms and echoes in the room, causing me to cover my ears. "I plan to rule over this new world! Is not that exciting?" His grin widens.

My blood turns as cold as ice. "Wh-why?" I ask. "There is no need for that!" I take a step closer, but am stopped when two denizens come at me, their talon-like nails pointed at my throat in a threatening manner.

Father bellows a deep laugh. "You cannot approach a king!" His red eyes glitter with a strange gleam. "I am the king now! And everyone will bow to me!"

"Then why call for me at all then?" I yell. I hit my chest with my fist once, over my heart. "You call for me just to tell me you claim this land as yours? What is it you want from me?!"

"I want you to stand by me." He stares at me with a weird look. "I want you to be right next to me, as a sort of trophy, if you will."

Stunned, I just stare at him.

A trophy? He wants me to just stand by him as he does whatever he wants?

"What would I even get out of that?" I growl.

He laughs. "Of course you would think of yourself in this! You are my daughter after all."

I flinch at that comment, offended and shocked at how he is acting.

"No matter. You would be given special privileges to do as you please with the denizens. The denizens of course will be used to punish the humans down here, as a reward for living in this desolate place."

I feel my heart stuttering in my chest.

Has he finally lost his mind? Is this what it feels like to finally see the last string of someone's mind snap?

"Father," I start.

"Of course, not all of the denizens will survive this. I am going to gather them all together before choosing which ones I like most," Father says, grinning widely.

Everything around me seems to stop moving.

He plans to just...kill everyone he does not like?

The edges of my vision start to blur and turn red.

"You will not touch the children." My voice takes on a gravelly, almost off tone edge. "If I find you have touched any of them, I promise you that I will not stop until you have ceased to be entirely."

I can feel pain ripping through my skin at my forehead and my back, yet I just grit my teeth and make eye contact with my father.

The smile on his face drops away, and it is replaced with awe. He stands up and steps away from his chair, approaching me.

"Well, would you look at that," he says, reaching out to me.

I jerk my head back. "Do not touch me," I snarl, slapping his hand away.

"My dear child, you have gone through an interesting change," Lucifer says, his grin coming back and becoming larger than before. "I cannot wait to see how your siblings also change."