A/N: I'm a little obsessed with the vague past of the fallen angel of Lucifer/ Urushihara, because like... I find myself enjoying this NEET as a human and the chaotic fun loving Demon General he is. Also he's kinda mysterious because of his past... like his parents. And then there's the fact that he doesn't remember much... I feel there are things that didn't make sense, with Heaven and all. But mostly I'm trying my best with Lucifer's perspective so, well... Anyway, spoilers throughout LNs.
The first thing he remembered was darkness, of that he will forget sooner than later as he pushed to the back of his mind. It was afterwards that he will cling as vague memories, only remembered if triggered but otherwise always at the back of the mind.
Banging something that opened soon after. Finding himself inside a building, running around to an exit that he found easily as if he was there before even though he did not remember. Getting out of the building to a whole new world bathed in red light and surrounded by white creatures, he can only retaliate.
A barrage of heat rays that he returned back on his own with the power within. Dodging by flying with the wings on his back easily even when he didn't notice at first. Yet those bastards kept kicking him down, unable to move an inch further through the world.
'Stronger... I need to become stronger. To get away from them.'
And that was what he resolved, as he kept killing and moving. As he kept gaining power. As he...
'I have finally gained my freedom.'
The presence of those creatures he kept feeling finally went away as he had moved quite a distance away for quite some time, until those creatures no longer chased him. And finally... he was free, able to do whatever he wanted as he soared towards the sky into a vast unknown world.
Or so he thought as when he finally landed somewhere that he was jumped by a bunch of people. At least different creatures, which he wasted no time shooting them down, as they easily disintegrated into nothingness. Much easier than those white creatures.
"Yagh!" Someone shouted as he felt a presence behind him and instinctually, he pinned down the figure, same as those creatures, which struggled and cursed in a language that he instantly picked up.
"Who are you?" the creature asked, and that gave him pause. He never talked to anyone until now, was never asked anything until now. Having a question directed to him was like a bolt out of blue that he scrambled to find an answer.
But then something clicked and he found himself saying in a hoarse voice disused in a long while, "Lucifer."
Afterwards, the creature said no more as the struggle continued but finding himself bored of it, Lucifer as he would be now known, ended the life by just snapping the neck without mercy.
Surveying the carnage emotionlessly, Lucifer found out that he might have obtained freedom but he was lost in a strange world where it looked like it has to be kill or be killed. He also lacked any memories to figure where he should return to.
Soaring through the sky, wings outstretched and in peace, Lucifer found himself not thinking much about that, more focused on his present than the black hole of his past. He couldn't remember anyway, and he was too lazy to try when his memories refused it, locked away.
Lucifer didn't want to go back to that darkness, nothing would change if he knew why he was there in the first place and at that moment, with all that was ahead of him, why worry?
So he pushed such thoughts away, deciding that they were irrelevant and went on his way.
***
Lucifer lived long life without end that years felt like mere days. Memories came and went, not because he was forgetful but because they were insignificant. Living only for the moment, he found himself adapting to the world easily.
It allowed him an easygoing and happy go lucky life despite this kill or be killed world making him face many different creatures that he had realised to be demons of different clans. Beating them up when he was looked down upon for being small and heckled as a small fry of a vagrant demon. It was so satisfying to prove them wrong. Relishing in that, Lucifer travelled around letting the fight come to him and killing off many who looked down on him until he was recognized as the strongest vagrant demon.
Such a life... it was right that Lucifer need not worry of the past. The darkness and the white creatures were put behind because of that.
However, something happened at one point that dredged up an unknown past from his black hole of a memory. It was when soaring through the skies, he met a black bird demon that at the time was famous as a skilled swordsmaster, Camio.
"You are... Lucifer! I will not let you go any further!" Camio shouted as he brandished his sword and Lucifer only lazily smiled.
"Are you trying to pick a fight with me?" Lucifer simply asked, a sly smile forming on his face, "Well, I was bored anyway."
Before anything else was said, Lucifer immediately shot one of his heat rays at the bird but it was blocked by Camio's sword. Point for swordsmanship skills. Camio wasted no time trying to get under Lucifer's guard and thrust the sword directly to the chest, but...
"Too slow!" Lucifer taunted, flying backwards to avoid it and started shooting more heat rays. Camio could only blocked those high speed heat rays as he once again tried to slice his sword against Lucifer. The same tactic, but...
As Lucifer started to dodge once again, he noticed the sword flying towards him in a different direction towards him and unable to dodge that one, he could only knock it off before distancing himself from Camio once again. Yet the sword still came for him, which rendered him unable to put any distance and resort to close combat techniques.
'Annoying,' Lucifer thought as such a troublesome sword technique did not allow him any leeway to put any distance between himself and Camio, putting Lucifer well into the sword range that he had to quickly dodge and block.
Even so, Lucifer was not completely on the defensive, able to land blows against Camio in small openings when he didn't have to block the sword so much but he had to admit the battle was drawing out. Lucifer, being a lazy and fickle individual, did not enjoy long battles that could needlessly bore him, so he quickly thought up ways to end this farce.
The bird was not even half bad but he got a good idea of Camio's techniques and quickly used whatever he knew to one-up the bird. Lucifer's best bet was without the sword, he could end Camio once and for all.
Maneuvering himself deftly in this air battle, Lucifer made a feint which seemed like an opportunity to stab his wings but before Camio even had the chance, a magic orb suddenly appeared, exploding in front of him that made him lose grip of the sword. It was enough for Lucifer to quickly unleash a flurry of punches before drop kicking him to the ground that gave quite a big impact. Just as Lucifer was about to finish the job, the result before him surprised him.
"What's this?" Lucifer mumbled, as he saw the proud looking bird reduced to something of a smaller size, almost resembling...
"A chicken?" Lucifer uttered, unsure where the word came from as there was no such thing in this Demon World but it was still familiar as if he had seen such a thing before, like...
Lucifer didn't have any idea what was happening but shouts and screams all around with loud thumps. He was supposed to stay here but scared, he had been running and he saw a bird demon being reduced to a chicken by a white creature. Before the white creature could land the final blow, he had scooped up the chicken and in fear, cradled it for comfort as everything continued. He hoped-
"Ngh," Lucifer scrunched up his eyes as something happened. A... memory, but just as it came, it faded, only to leave a warm feathery sensation around him.
"Chirp..." Lucifer looked down to see Camio in chicken form letting out such a sound, only looking at Lucifer to see what he would do next. The only logical thing was to kill Camio off, but...
"I can't kill someone like you," Lucifer mumbled uncaring whether Camio heard him before he flew off, and mumbling more to himself, "What was that?"
His... past, right? Yet he did not remember. Hah, annoying. He knew there was something before, but he can't even remember. If that was the case, it was really best to push it to the back of his mind.
But why did it give Lucifer an uneasy feeling? The same uneasy feeling when he faced off against those white creatures...
"Damn it," Lucifer mumbled to himself, landing to be ambushed by a startled demon clan members, different from Camio's. Lucifer smiled, hoping wiping off these small fries will dispel this stupid uneasiness.
And for a time, it did.
***
But once again the past dredged up again all because of that small brat from a small demon goat clan. He was interesting but nothing was truly triggered until Lucifer was blasted away by that non-demonic magic as he strangled the wimp that looked down on him.
That magic...
Lucifer had stumbled upon something akin to crystals in a place that he would later know he was forbidden to go for the sake of himself and others. But back then, in his innocent curiosity, he had touched them and-
Lucifer returned back to the present with a blank look before he marched up towards the brat, memory once again fading except for a similar deja-vu.
But as the brat talked, about his ridiculous goal when pointing upward the sky about another world, Lucifer instantly knew what he meant although he had never thought about it before. But now he did, he somehow felt a curiosity of what would happen if he went there...
Lucifer did not show those feelings to the brat that was named Satan, such a common name after the legend of the Great Demon King Satan. Something he had heard once upon a time and gave him deja-vu, but he could only push that one away when he could not remember.
Deja-vu was not uncommon for someone like Lucifer who lived too long a life to keep track of everything that went down, so it was easy to dismiss unusual thoughts that popped up from time to time. Thoughts that have been strangely coming up especially after meeting the brat.
When he saw Adramelech's Spear, he briefly thought, 'One of the Four, huh?'
There was also the time that Lucifer would find himself a part of the Demon King's Army, something he had heard of as a legend and history of this Demon World. He had thought:
'Hope history doesn't repeat itself that way.'
Even when he had no idea what that truly meant but chose to ignore it when he couldn't remember what that even meant. Because there was no point trying to remember something that remains forgotten.
***
After some time, Lucifer left the Demon King Army because he didn't like how things were going there. He was unhappy with Satan, for his opinions ignored due to his hostility against Alsiel and the restrictions he could see closing in on him in order to get along with that iron armored bastard because of Satan's goal. That had disgusted Lucifer, when restrictions meant lack of freedom, something he loath to feel.
So then, he had decided that he wanted to teach Satan a lesson for treating him as such and joining the Malebranches. Of fighting Satan and then causing his downfall although left alive. But the important part was afterwards, when he was accompanied by Satan and led by a Malebranche chieftain, Malacoda to a Treasury and saw them. Those white creatures he had found out a long time ago were known as the Silver Arm Clan.
He was asked whether he saw them, and Lucifer lied, because it was a long time ago, that he suddenly remembered once again. Something irksome... and unsettling.
The most surprising thing was the giant Silver Arm Clan, with the head part removed revealing a hollow base with something inside.
It was akin to a Skeletal Mage but they never had hair before. Silver hair... and it wasn't alive anyway. But...
Lucifer was running, everything a mess. Silver Arm Clan members were fighting demons. Lucifer witnessed one giant being shot down by... someone, not a demon but... someone like Lucifer. And afterwards, the giant popped open revealing another one like Lucifer still seated inside before-
Lucifer was once again asked alongside Satan whether he saw such a thing. Lucifer answered a negative although he honestly expressed that he had an impression of it but knew nothing.
Because that was what has happened those few times he remembered anything. They always left an impression, a deja-vu but never anything concrete. In his long life, it was easy to dismiss such a thing but nowadays, Lucifer had been feeling a strange curiosity about it all.
***
Lucifer detested the Silver Arm Clan which was why he decided to help Satan. Even after all this time, he still felt fear of those creatures and with the desire to crush them with Satan's help because he knew that if anyone could do it, it would be him.
When they were resting, Lucifer and Satan had a long talk. About the Silver Arm Clan, about Satan's past, about Lucifer's past and about the Demon King Army. Throughout that conversation, Satan revealed a lot of things to Lucifer, about the Silver Arm Clan's real names that felt a little familiar. About what could lie beyond those plains that Lucifer was honestly curious to know about and was revealed that it was Satanasarc, the capital of Ancient Demon King Satan.
Lucifer had felt another deja-vu, of that darkness but he was honestly not sure whether he had actually been there. Then, Satan started asking weird questions to Lucifer. Whether he had parents, comrades or a clan. Which honestly were valid questions considering Lucifer had always been left alone, a vagrant demon ever since he remembered.
Still, it was quite irrelevant considering it wasn't uncommon for clans to be wiped out. It might have been a case of everyone being annihilated, Lucifer being left for dead and managing to survive to this point.
Because what else could it have been? Yet this time, with the combination of those questions and the fact that Satanasarc is ahead of those plains, where he once resided in darkness as he last recalled...
Lucifer had always lived in the moment, but curiosity sometimes rears it's head and made him wonder.
***
Satanasarc. They were finally here after a battle of destroying the Silver Arm Clan and conquering the Malebranches. Seeing such a castle, something flashed before Lucifer's mind, of darkness and even wings just like his except not the color black, before it was dismissed like all the memories before him. Lucifer had told Satan that he didn't have the impression that he was here before, but he was strangely having deja vu.
That deja vu and the faintest memory of darkness and the Silver Arm Clan made Lucifer confident. He felt too familiar with this place even though it should be the first time. It was why he could say with ease that any Silver Arm Clan wouldn't attack inside. Because Lucifer felt that he had experienced it.
There was also that strange orb embedded into the castle. As the other demons were discussing what to do about it, Lucifer had asked them to move aside to peer inside to see if there were still any demons inside. Instead, he didn't see anything but heard a clicking noise that opened up the castle. Even asked, Lucifer claimed he had no idea what he did. Because he didn't, although the sense of familiarity remained.
Once inside, the familiar feeling came back too deep inside. Lucifer had no impression that he was ever in Satanasarc yet deep down, he knew. He just couldn't remember. When there was a split pathway, Lucifer suggested they split up, feeling a need to go through one door that caught his eye. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary but deep down, he felt a certain pull toward it and made haste.
There were many doors in the way but with the many orbs he found while peeping through, he was always granted access until he found himself in a white room with a small bed and a hard oval shell around it. Suddenly...
Nothing was going right as the battle raged on and it ended up with Lucifer in the middle with two people left. People who looked exactly like him except for their color of their wings... Then, that guy had spotted Lucifer and scooping him away, they had ran off to that room, with plenty of words exchange and tears. To be placed inside until things settled down, and the last thing he saw was him running far away before-
"I feel like throwing up," Lucifer suddenly said, back in the present with nausea for the first time reigning inside his body and a warm feeling enveloped over his body with a sense that he really had been here. With someone before-
But Lucifer didn't think ahead as he destroyed the room that gave him a bad feeling and spat at it before saying:
"I don't remember a thing."
His past remained the black hole it was except for the feelings and senses that will never make sense to him.
***
A crisis brewed in the Demon World of depleted magic due to lack of negative emotions after the unification of the the Demon World that caused Satan to declare that they have to invade the world of humans, Ente Isla, in order to survive. Until then, most demons didn't believe of such a world, but following Satan's orders as most of them boarded Satanasarc while some stayed behind under Camio's supervision, seeing was believing.
Basically, they flew Satanasarc to this Ente Isla and crash landed straight to what they would later know as the Central Continent to the mass panic of the humans. Satan wasted no time taking advantage of this panic to command the demons to subjugate the humans around the area. However Lucifer had been given a different task than his demon compatriots.
Lucifer flew towards the castle of this area, where Satan had ordered him to kidnap one of the royals, preferably that king, that would not only give them easy power over humans in this area but receive good intel of this new world so the demons could plan best in conquering this world. Satan had believed in his superior flying skills and human like appearance that could easily blend it to do a good job of getting in and out without much fuss.
If it was Lucifer, he rather just crash land in front of the king, killing the humans and maybe destroy the castle along the way. Unfortunately, Lucifer had been constantly reminded before coming to do it as discreetly as he can without any killing. However, it's not really troublesome and at the very least would make quick work without having to be nagged if he botched this up.
It was actually simple anyway, to sneak around the castle after surveying and finding a secret entrance. A guard had spotted him along the way but Lucifer had knocked him unconscious and decided quickly to use the guard's uniform to disguise himself as one.
It made everything really all too easy as he walked through the castle without arousing any suspicion, surveying the brewing panic and whispered discussions of fear about Satanasarc, the big looming castle that crash landed just an hour ago which could still be seen from this distance. That panic and fear fueled Lucifer as he continued on his way, snickering at how pathetic they look right now.
Once he made it to the throne room, he was halted by two guards but Lucifer made quick work of them before making a dramatic entrance, laughing at the startled expressions of the royal family as the king presumably stepped up and demanded, "How dare you barge-"
The demand faded in the wind as Lucifer removed his disguise and showed himself in all his glory with his black wings spread, stunning the family into silence. With the Idea Link, he easily picked up what the humans were talking and able to convey what needed to be said.
"By the order of the Demon King Satan, you are coming with me," Lucifer said and picked up the king without any protests as they were all too shell shocked by his appearance. Eventually, while Lucifer was ready to take flight after blasting a hole in the wall, he could hear a weak sound of the king.
"Lucifer...?" he had said, as they finally took flight.
"Huh?" Lucifer asked, "How would a mere human know my name?"
"You... you really are Lucifer?! The fallen angel?!"
"Fallen... angel...?" Lucifer said slowly, before-
Before the darkness had been light. Silver bluish hair, and white wings. As he moved around with his own kind in a bright world called... Heaven. He had been an angel of the highest standing revered by lower rank ones because he was born from them. He had spent a lot of time in Heaven before it had happened. Then Lucifer left Heaven and chosen to be a fallen angel, because having to choose, he-
Lucifer snapped out of it as he realised that he had reached Satanasarc and deposited the king before his demonic liege as the king started shaking uncontrollably in Satan's presence.
"Good job, Lucifer," Satan said, "Now- wait, Lucifer, where are you going?!" Satan asked because as soon as he deposited the king, he started flying off, ignoring Satan's question. For the first time, Lucifer's mind was racing.
'How could I have forgotten until now?' Lucifer had thought to himself.
For the first time, Lucifer was actually starting to remember instead of just having deja vu. He was actually starting to remember his past and with this new barrage of memories, Lucifer wanted to look into it so he could sort it out and make things less troublesome if the other demons found this out.
It could be a lie, but Lucifer knew deep down, within the barrage of vague memories, that it was actual fact. Fact forgotten until now, that he was not always a demon, but a fallen angel. The words that stirred the black hole of his mind for the first time in forever.
***
Facts and memories are different for Lucifer. Facts are something concrete to one's identity. Memory is simply elaboration. Right now, Lucifer knew deep down about being an angel before all this, but he failed to have concrete memory to back it up. He just knew, but Lucifer was wondering how he had forgotten and if there was anything further needed to be remembered for his now remembered origins before they could bite him in the ass.
It was mostly curiosity, an urge to know more at the moment that Lucifer followed his gut and arrived at a small church, vaguely remembering it was a place to know more about angels. For some reason, it was abandoned, maybe that people were fleeing from the invasion but it gave him some privacy.
Lucifer started reading and could only laugh at what was written about him and Heaven. A bit of it felt true but not much had gave him any deja vu. They did give him many thoughts, those that he could finally make sense of unlike last time.
It seemed, according to those scrolls, he was a legendary fallen angel. The child of dawn, one who tried to take over God and the original sin who fell because of the takeover. But it mostly felt false because...
'No one ever tried to take over her... Ignora. It was just a fight between Ignora and... Sataniel. And I never fell. At that moment, I just chose to follow him because I felt it boring and troublesome to stick around with her. I just chose because...'
Lucifer lived a flat life all this time, always wanting their attention, like any child with his parents, and when he truly did get their attention in those few times, it was through a fight. That he had to come with one of them, as both struggled to bring him to either side. He didn't know what to do but his choice actually made and broke everything. When he chose him after everything that led to Satanasarc and-
Pieces were vaguely coming together and after many millennia, that black hole started to give him something concrete. Although...
'It doesn't really matter that I was an angel. It's not like I'm really connected to Heaven anymore, even if I'm close to them before everything. The others don't really want to do anything with me now. That's obvious.'
After all, he had wandered all alone in the demon world without any of his kind coming for him after everything was said and done. Back then, he was never personally involved with the fight so technically, she could come pick him up and bring him back with all of that behind them.
In the end, he was abandoned to the demons and although a little resentful, the Demon World was quite fun so maybe they were doing him a favor. Still...
'I wonder if she misses me. But does that really matter? I'm happy enough with what I have anyway. And if they don't want me, that's fine.'
Lucifer had read through about other angels, and he was starting to remember them slowly, also about Heaven itself although some stuff in the scrolls didn't feel true. But it was enough for his vague memories to get down some facts of who he really was.
It also helped him remember about what happened back there, all that deja vu and of Satanasarc itself, of why it had always been familiar to him.
'Well, it's all a blur. Maybe it was just too boring to remember until now since it was too long ago anyway. When they find out, they are going to have tons of questions. Not like I have to answer though.'
Lucifer's past was no one's business except for his own after all, and finally remembering his origins was no big deal. So yeah, he remembered Heaven, remembered his parents, Ignora and Sataniel, and got a gist of what happened at Satanasarc long ago although it was still a blur. Better than the black hole it previously was but all in the past. It was just important to know just in case the others find out and he had to play it cool.
Later, he had been scolded by Alsiel, stand in for Camio's nagging, for wandering around carelessly when he returned and the only reason Alsiel was alive because Adremelech stopped him, as Lucifer may have retaliated by shooting at Alsiel just to stop him from talking. Yes, that was extremely petty and unnecessary but he just wanted it to stop.
Eventually, as rightfully predicted by Lucifer, Satan and the others found out about his heavenly origins which shocked them all except for Satan who claimed he suspected it because Lucifer reminded him of someone similar. Predictably, he was asked why he didn't tell them.
Lucifer answered, "You never asked."
At the very least, despite this newfound information, nothing major changed and although not a pure demon as previously thought, he was still accepted well enough for the ongoing invasion.
***
Lucifer became a Demon General sent to the Western Continent after knowing of his fallen angel status, which he had quickly adjusted to, that could give him an advantage against the church powered continent that believed in Heaven.
He had been sailing by in the years, simply trying to keep the humans in check per Satan's wishes that they accept surrender and only attack anyone resisting although at times, Lucifer was too much a free spirit to follow such restricting orders and burned down a few villages in his boredom. He might also have tormented the humans every now and then for fun like, learning horse riding only to live up myths of heroes and angels riding gallantly to the rescue and then get people's hopes trampled mercilessly for believing such a farce.
Now, he was currently in battle, trying to subdue the newest revolt started up by a self-proclaimed Hero which proved to be the more difficult ones, until she was before him and declared, "Demon General Lucifer, remember my name Hero Emilia, the one who will end you right here and now!"
She was accompanied by Emerelda Etuva, a high ranking sorceress he had put under house arrest along with other important people, an Archbishop and a man that Lucifer did not recognize.
Lucifer could only give a lazy smile, unbothered by such a declaration and taunted, "If you can."
No more words needed to be said before the hero summoned her sword out of nowhere and without wings flew towards him. Lucifer just laughed out loud as he started shooting magical orbs, planning to end the cocky human quickly to show her whose boss. But her declaration was not just bark as she blocked all his attacks with her sword. Then started sending a barrage of fire daggers at him.
'So slow,' Lucifer mused as he dodged them all and started another barrage of heat rays towards the so called Hero who managed to dodge swiftly or retaliate with an icy barrage that blocked those heat rays. The Hero quickly flew up to him and tried to slash the sword, but compared to him, she was slow and her swordsmanship skills weren't even on par with Camio's.
Still, her sword... it wasn't an ordinary one and at times when he was given a blow at close quarters, he could feel the same magic he felt a long time ago, the same magic he vaguely remembered.
'Why would a human have something like that?' Lucifer thought as he continued the drawn out battle as Lucifer was trying to gain as much openings without giving much an inch himself. It might be the sword or something else, but the human was putting up a decent battle although run ragged compared to himself with fewer injuries since he was fast enough to escape nost of her attacks. There was also the case of her three comrades trying to provide back-up but he had his fellow demons keeping them in check. At this point, the stage was set between him and the Hero alone.
Lucifer found once again another opportunity when the Hero tried to strike him down as he swiftly dodged and gave a swift uppercut that removed the Hero's helmet and showing her face for the first time. It didn't matter to Lucifer as the uppercut had disorientated the Hero briefly enough for him to summon a magical orb to finish the Hero off.
But then, he saw her face fully and it made him hesitate. The white colored hair and red eyes, and that face-
'Lailah?' Lucifer thought, and-
When Lucifer ran off with Sataniel, he wasn't the only angel to side with that guy and agree with his views in the fight to come. So within that fight, Lailah had joined along too against Ignora and the last thing Lucifer remembered about her was that she was the one to put him in that safe area before he ran off out of fear later on. That she was the one who reassured Lucifer of what's to come later as she also even apologizes for everything as if it was her fault although they both knew the blame laid on everyone. She also promised that everything will be set right and afterwards-
A complicated feeling welled up in Lucifer as the magical orb wobbled and dissipated into nothingness. As if who was standing before him wasn't the Hero and they were never in battle. As in that brief moment, it was just him and her and he wanted to ask:
'Was everything set right in the end?'
Unfortunately, that brief hesitation was enough for the Hero to recover and get under his guard as she thrust her sword into him. Lucifer was quick enough to move so that the Hero didn't hit anything vital but the damage was already done as he quickly clutch the place that was bleeding while he showed an extremely cold expression toward the Hero.
Lucifer shot a barrage of magical orbs to give him space away from the Hero who dodged them all and distancing herself from him.
Why did that memory have to come out, of all times? Why did it have to make him hesitate like that and cost him when it didn't even matter now? Why... did he even care back then? Maybe it's because sometimes... the past haunts more than one realizes. As the vague memories of that time always gave him a sense of curiosity, longing and uneasiness he had always easily dismiss to come back now as something concrete and led to... this.
Lucifer was overly focused on the Hero at the moment, his senses having dimmed from that blow that he never noticed...
Behind him, he was pierced by someone else that caused him to cough out blood and before he could do anything, his consciousness that was on the verge of blackness with the Hero's blow was already reaching it's limit. The last things he heard were...
"Lord Lucifer...!"
"... pay..."
"Quickly..."
"... North..."
Lucifer had lived a long life, but for the first time it seemed his livelihood was running out. To die now after a bunch of millennia. He had always lived at the moment and never really cared about what would happen in death but coming to it, he now thought, 'Huh. But I wish... I knew...that they all...'
Lucifer really didn't know where that came from, his mind more often than not these days always going back there, dredging up his origins and for the first time in forever, he felt a certain... regret. But it was too late to satisfy it anyway.
***
Lucifer didn't expect to find himself waking up to the clinging of shackles on both his arms and legs. To find himself alive made him thought that the humans sure were careless. They underestimate the endurance of demons or in this case, an angel. Really, otherwise how would he have survived the Silver Arm Clan all those millennia ago if he could easily be killed off by a stab wound?
Nevertheless, it was confusing why someone would want to imprison him instead of just killing him off considering how much the Hero wanted to finish him off. Eventually, Lucifer got a better look at his surroundings before he saw one human who noticed his stir of consciousness.
"So you are finally awake, Demon General Lucifer. Or should I call you fallen angel Lucifer?"
It was that Archbishop with the Hero's party. Lucifer groaned as he readjusted himself and glared. He tried to get out of the chains but found himself unable to.
"Nice try on breaking free. Those are no ordinary shackles after all. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Olba Meyer and I am the one who saved you."
"What do you want?" Lucifer asked. He very well doubt that anyone human at least will save him out of the goodness of their hearts. Also, as the invader of the Western Continent for years, Lucifer felt he had an understanding of the Church and their inner doings. Maybe being an angel, despite being a fallen one, had appealed to the Archbishops.
"Straight to the point, that's good. Well, Lucifer, I am in need of you and your assistance, but I hope you would do that willingly. After all, you are already very weak right now, aren't you? And also the fact that I very much doubt that you have anywhere to go, with the Hero that defeated you going to annihilate the Demon King's Army. For an angel like you, Heaven would be the best place to escape, is that right?"
"Heaven?" Lucifer scoffed, "Do you really think that they are going to accept someone like me?"
After all, he was a fallen angel... a demon to Heaven. Why would they want him back?
"I have all the material to negotiate with Heaven," Olba simply said, "And do you even have a choice? If you don't accept, I might as well kill you right here and now. Accept, and I won't kill you and bring you to Heaven."
Lucifer understood that he had been weakened with limited options before him. The humans would never let him roam free, as for the demons, for a chance to recuperate, his best bet would be South where Malacoda was since he had heard that the North would be otherwise occupied and he was in no shape to even help Adramelech stop the Hero's party which would have been risky.
Unfortunately, Lucifer no longer had an amiable relationship with Malacoda, where they at least respected each other. Ever since his fallen angel status had been revealed, Malacoda started looking at him like he wanted to experiment on him, just like he done with the Silver Arm Clan and having absolutely no desire of that, Lucifer completely avoided him. With that, the demons were otherwise out, so Heaven really is his best bet, and-
Lucifer always look for his parents, ever since very young and way before he became a fallen angel or was bored. But they were always busy, and he was alone. Other angels always helped him because he was their child, but why then, that they couldn't spend much time with him? At least there were moments that was possible, but so far and between. Yet he could remember their smiles and their joy and he-
'Maybe I can see her again,' Lucifer actually thought, 'Since she's the only one I have left after he-'
The thought faded into the wind before it could go any further. Feelings aside, with his limitations, choices and in self-preservation, logically, Heaven really was his best bet for now so in decision to bide his time, Lucifer accepted Olba's proposition.
***
As Olba promised, Lucifer had been treated his injuries by doctors who didn't know his true identity. Despite his Demon General status, he looked human enough without his wings which he folded inward and disguised himself as a cleric under Olba's care while he was away with the Hero's Party. The shackles were still on his arms, rendering him weak and unable to retaliate against the man if needed.
Lucifer didn't know how much time passed but at times, Olba always returned back to him via Gate to check up on him. The first time he did, he had asked a barrage of questions about Heaven that he didn't have a chance to after needing to quickly leave as soon as Lucifer accepted the proposition for important matters.
However, Lucifer answered all of Olba's questions of God and angels flippantly because he was not obliged to tell him anything. He also left Heaven a long time ago, so there were things that he was not even aware of.
"You really don't know about that sword, Better Half that Hero Emilia owns nor about Holy Silver?" Olba had asked, surprised.
Lucifer said crossly, "Like I said, I left Heaven a long time ago. Why would I know anything about what the angels did afterwards?"
Olba tried a few more times before finally seeing that Lucifer really had no idea. As for Lucifer himself, he wouldn't deny that he knew something about the sword, but nothing at all about those terms. Lucifer had an idea what it might be about, but it wouldn't be fact so why bother answering?
'Those idiots... could they be messing with that?' Lucifer thought. Why did he feel like whatever will happen with that stuff might be a repeat of Satanasarc? However, it was baseless worry and he was not one to be taken over by something like that, so easily dismissed it. Like he had any obligations to them, and the last time he felt a shred of care, when that Hero reminded him of Lailah, it led to his downfall. Never again.
When news of the Demon King's escape along with the remaining general and the Hero's chase after them spread all over the world, Olba proposed by then that it was time Lucifer held up his end of the bargain to assassinate both Demon King and Hero. Lucifer honestly didn't know why he wanted to kill the Hero, but by then, with the restraints and the limits unfortunately upon him, he knew better to refuse anything. Even if Lucifer was a trusted Demon General, he had no qualms killing Satan especially with a promise that was a long time ago but just a few days to someone like him:
'If you find yourself sick of it and you want to leave, it's even okay to kill me.'
That meant Lucifer owed Satan absolutely nothing. He was nothing if not selfish and desired his own self preservation and motives before anything else. He had done that before after all, even when he joined Satan out of self interest and left for a time for the same reason. Killing Satan would be no different.
So he took it up, where Lucifer would find himself in a new world and start that mission...
***
The new world was vast, as he resided in the country of Japan with one problem. That being Lucifer as a fallen angel started losing power until he became just human, craving food just like any other. It had shocked both of them but they quickly adjusted to their situation as they planned to find both the Hero and Demon King.
It took some time but to think they would be easily found after Lucifer simply spotted a loud arguing couple and heard the keywords Alsiel and Ente Isla. And that was when everything started... with Hero Emilia and Demon King Satan finally found out.
However long story short, after a few attempts, Lucifer was defeated by Satan and by his grace was allowed to stay at his place. At first, it was nothing but a tense relationship with both Satan and Alsiel wary of Lucifer just as much as he was wary of them since with the dynamic before them, Lucifer could no longer do anything against them. He wasn't stupid to not be aware of his limitations and work around them.
Eventually, after finding out both Satan and Alsiel were simply living as law abiding citizens which confused him to no end and getting a computer after proving his use with the Internet that he picked up before his defeat since technology in this magicless world perked Lucifer's interest as something he could take advantage of, Lucifer quickly adapted to the human world as the NEET Urushihara Hanzo, a threat to nothing except their finances.
As Lucifer, he was a natural disaster in wrecking havoc towards other demons for the fun of it. As Urushihara, he was a natural disaster at anything social so retreated to the comforts of the Internet for the fun of it. The only similarity to the fearsome general and lazy bum was that he did everything in the name of fun without it being a troublesome bother he didn't want to deal with later.
And the Internet was really fun, which made becoming a bum the best thing to happen to him when back in the Demon World, he would never thought in a million years he would become like this since it would definitely be boring without the Internet. The Internet is truly a savior, so much better than killing small fries which could get troublesome if they unexpectedly resisted too much.
It also helped him become uncaring, to truly no longer bother with the outside world and internally resolved to follow the path of fellow NEETs that felt very relatable for this lazy and fickle individual who hated bothersome stuff. The angel origins and his initial desire for Heaven no longer mattered when he now lived a comfortable life where nothing bothered him anymore, no matter what he originally wanted in the beginning because in the end, it would only cause him trouble. So he resolved to completely change his life and never bother about Heaven or his damn past, clinging to the ideals of NEET.
***
Somehow, Urushihara's resolve was met with a few setbacks. Namely, the angels and their problems. It was not bad at first, with Sariel. It was when Alas Ramus appeared that things started going up a notch. He initially wanted nothing to do with the kid, as seeing her for the first time, he actually...
Lucifer had met a few of them only once, in that forbidden place a long time ago. He as a child just wanted to play around and they obliged, but when he was found out and scolded, the last thing was they wanted to see him again and he-
Urushihara wasn't sure about the kid except he felt some kinda weird attachment, but he also instinctively knew that involving himself will be a pain like past experiences told him so he left it to the others.
But he didn't miss out how sometimes, the child would look at him and tilt her head, her eyes holding a big question mark wanting to approach him. Which was why he hid himself in the closet, to avoid it.
However, Urushihara really couldn't avoid the child as one day after that confrontation with Gabriel, Maou had left to Chiho Sasaki's residence with Emilia, Ashiya and Chiho herself leaving Suzuno to care for Alas Ramus because bringing her there might cause a few misunderstandings. Urushihara stayed put too because not only was he resolute with his bum lifestyle, no way was he ever going to watch that video after That Photo. He was not suicidal, thank you very much. He wished the other two demons luck since it's their funeral and kept to himself.
Or so he hoped until he felt someone jumping onto his lap as he made it to his computer and saw Alas Ramus looking at him curiously with her round cute eyes.
"Ah... what are you doing, Alas Ramus? You don't want to catch his NEET, do you?" Suzuno asked, lifting her up and away from him.
"NEET is not a disease!" Urushihara protested to no avail as Suzuno looked Alas=Ramus and asked what she wanted to do.
"But I wanna play with Loosifer," Alas Ramus said, as she struggled to be put down. Suzuno gave a side glance at Urushihara as if she was wondering why before she let him down and Alas Ramus ran toward him once again.
"Huh? Why do you want to play with me? Wouldn't Bell be more fun?" Urushihara asked but Alas Ramus simply clung to him before she spoke:
"Wanna play with Loosifer. Loosifer look lonely. Don't want Loosifer to be lonely!" Alas Ramus said, and Lucifer felt a twinge of deja-vu at those words, as if he actually heard those before a long time ago...
As a first class bum, he shouldn't care but for the first time he broke his code.
"Alright, if that's what you want," Urushihara said much to Suzuno's surprise when he started showing Alas Ramus some videos and even giving her a piggyback despite it being a strain to his NEET shoulders.
Urushihara swore himself that this would be the only exception as he reasoned that making the kid happy would mean less trouble for him but deep down, he just can't help harboring a soft spot for the girl with a feeling of attachment that he would be willing to do a lot of things for her, including becoming her pony in the distant future.
***
Urushihara could adhere to the rules of professional bum, being uncaring in his confrontation with Gabriel, but later, he found himself caring more than he liked to. He actually always have been, even back in his demon days when he joined Satan although in a different way.
Because he had cared when Gabriel left off the warning and he had a bad feeling. He had cared enough to warn Emilia and told everyone about Raguel. Cared enough to follow Maou in avenging Chiho being in a comatose state. Cared enough about Emilia's disappearance and cared enough to aid Suzuno when Chiho sent an SOS and went to her school just to respond to it.
He had reasoned himself enough that if he didn't deal with them, it would end up troublesome that would disrupt his NEET life. That he quite enjoyed this new life and anything that would disrupt it, for example, Alas Ramus being taken away or Chiho being attacked, would cause plenty of trouble so best deal with them before it became a bother.
Or maybe, if he was truthful to himself, he really did care, finding himself attached to his present connections that he soon grew used to when he found himself blocking the heat ray from Camael as he pushed Suzuno and Chiho away during that school battle. He ended up worse for wear but he somehow found that it was worth it.
At least it didn't have anything to do with his troublesome past, just protecting his present. And that was not bad at all. As long as his memories decided to stay buried and cause him no more trouble.
***
Once upon a time, Urushihara thought it was the worst thing that he remembered he was a fallen angel. If he didn't and just stuck to the present, he wouldn't even hesitate killing off Emilia and continued living his powerful carefree days.
Now, with his NEET life that he recently learned in this human world completely ingrained in him, it didn't bother him as much. Especially when remembering he was an angel surprisingly had it's perks.
He could still control the Heavenly Regiment. He could use holy power considering his angel status and still knew how to wield it like sense memory as he vaguely remembered learning a lot about it from Sataniel a long time ago.
However, the fact that he was originally an angel continued having it's downsides, and it wasn't the bad rep since he didn't care to change it. He experienced the downsides once again when the woman from That Photo came.
He was already in a bad shape considering his still recovering injuries from Camael's attack and then receiving a huge shock out of the blue from listening in to Chiho and Amane's conversation out of Chiho's wishes that he complied when he had thought why not. With all of that, seeing her for the first time, he was already too weak to even resist... that presence and actually went comatose, feeling his life flashed before his eyes for the first time ever.
It might only have been a few years since Lucifer was even born but back then, he was always checked up by Ignora who wanted to make sure he was always well. She always promised that she was making sure he became better just like her and the other angels since he was just a child. Easily believing that no matter what happens, he always complied to her check ups but even then, just like with that woman a long time later, he would feel-
Urushihara woke up in a hospital bed, whatever he was dreaming off already gone like water cupped in his hands. Finally gaining his senses, he somehow noticed his hair over him not it's usual purple hue... but silver blue, like... before he even became a fallen angel.
Shocked, he wanted to get out of bed to find a mirror and confirm what he was seeing before he heard a voice that sent shivers down his very spine.
"Oh dear, it would do you no good to move around in your state, Urushihara-san. So please stay put for your own sake."
His eyes moved to the side and found the woman, Shiba he knew, sitting by his bed with a comforting smile that elicited the opposite reaction from him. Urushihara let out a scream and was nearly going to faint again but at least this time, he was more prepared and stronger to resist... the presence before he finally calmed down, but not without nausea coming out of nowhere.
"Wha- what are you... doing here?" Urushihara asked softly, wishing he was anywhere but here.
"I have been waiting for you to wake up so I could apologize properly for causing you so much trouble," Shiba bowed and Urushihara blanched before looking anywhere but her.
"It's... it's no problem," Urushihara finally answered, wanting Shiba to go away as far as possible.
"Good to hear that," Shiba said, "I hope you rest well. It seems my presence is unneeded, so I will let Amane take care of you from now on. Although, why did you want to get out of bed just now?"
"I... just want... to check something," Urushihara said, but Shiba nodded as if she understood and handed him a hand mirror out of her purse.
"Is this what you want?" Shiba asked and Urushihara simply nodded before carefully taking the mirror like it could burn him since it came from her and looked at himself for the first time after his fainting spell.
As rightfully predicted, Urushihara's hair sported that silver blue and his eyes that were purple actually turned red. He looked exactly as he was before he followed Sataniel. Before he became a fallen angel, and seeing this appearance for the first time-
Lucifer undergone a lot of changes in his check ups with Ignora who always ended up satisfied. Sometimes she would say that he might become better than them, and that it was a happy thing. She would smile and hug him, happy for him and Lucifer returned it although he truthfully felt a little uncomfortable and knew this was what caused a few arguments between her and Sataniel after he sensed something wrong although it was said to be for his own good...
Urushihara wanted to vomit and the presence of Shiba was not even helping matters. He put down the mirror, no longer wanting to look at himself any longer and unbelieving his past was going to haunt him again.
Afterwards, Shiba finally left him and thankfully with the computer at hand like he was attached to the thing spiritually, he started going to the Internet, his savior, so he can forget it all. But it was still nagging in his mind, the vague memories once again giving him confusing feelings.
***
Urushihara had long ago stopped caring about the matters of Heaven or about the angels after realizing remembering about them never really benefited him except for a few perks here and there. He also stopped caring about Ignora, his mother, when even once he thought he could see her again finally realised that was useless considering he had long since been abandoned.
So, after Lailah's appearance and the fact both her and Gabriel desire to kill Ignora for the sake of Ente Isla did not move him just like the others. All he wanted was to keep his NEET life such that Ente Isla and Heaven no longer mattered to him.
So it was a surprise that he actually had bothered when Alas Ramus, for Christmas, desire to see the other Sephirah. It spurred everyone including himself to take on the fight of Heaven for her wishes, which they promised her that the wish would be granted for her birthday instead.
He had reasoned it was for the sake of Alas Ramus who he wasn't in the mood to see her cry nor having Maou being angry over it. There was also the fact that it would become troublesome to have the Sephirah like Alas, Acieth and Erone turning against them if something went sideways.
That meant, for the first time he tried his hardest to remember about his past since he noticed that the version of Heaven from himself, Lailah, Gabriel and Sariel did not match up, even with holes to poke at. So he had racked his brain and with everything happening which was so closely related to his roots thanks to Ignora, those once intangible memories finally led to something concrete.
It was at a boat ride alongside Lailah and Kinanna, a lizard with a true form of a demon from the Lenbrellebelve clan and having one of the Noah Gears which was the Astral Gem. Urushihara suffered from motion sickness, the boat rocking not doing him any wonders. He was swaying, nausea returning and looking at Lailah...
It would later become Satanasarc and the Demon World but Lucifer will have no idea of that until later. Right now, he was simply tied to something like a medical bed, seeing Sataniel, Lailah and other angels rushing about. They were about to take off, the swaying and shaking getting to him. He remembered Sataniel coming to him, and Lucifer calling out... why... why did this have to happen, even if he did choose? Even so, Lucifer remembered Sataniel approaching him and telling him something that if all else fails, to make him feel better for all this, he told-
Urushihara snapped out of it when Lailah shook him which just worsen the seasickness. So he decided to go to the deck and hurl, but not before he asked her:
"Oh, right. Lailah, why was I tied to that bed even before the moon broke up?"
Lailah couldn't even answer, somehow confirming Urushihara's theory when all the angels didn't have exact memories of Heaven that caused tons of different versions around.
"Did you forget, too? I guess everyone did, to some extent. I doubt we can count on Gabriel for much, either."
It was a long, long time ago after all. Which was why his memories were always a blur, why his past was a black hole, but now...
Urushihara reminisced while puking his guts out, regretful memories already bursting out thanks to seasickness, of all things about his real time of Heaven and everything that went down, everything he was told about before he even became a demon. About why he was in that darkness in the first place.
All because of Ignora and Sataniel, who he even called mama and papa back then. Hilarious.
Still, Urushihara knew for the sake of what will happen, that this was important and at the very least, the past that always felt vague, that always nagged him in the back of his mind, it will no longer do that. With what will happen later, maybe things can be resolved once and for all.
A/N: I chose to end like this, because I have only read up until Volume 20 so I don't know what Urushihara will do in Volume 21. I can theorize but I prefer this way because it leaves to the imagination. In the end, it's mostly snippets and ideas about Urushihara and I think it helped my obsession some. Sorry it was too long, but this just means my obsession literally gave me too many ideas, LOL. To whoever stumbles upon this, I hope you enjoy it enough and maybe be kind enough to recommend me Urushihara fics, specifically his time as a demon because that one was interesting as heck, thank you Volume 0 novels. So, peace out~