Introduction
Every person that has ever existed, knows of the common story between Heaven and Hell. Two sides of the same coin. One side holds the believers, sinless, perfect beings known as angels and seraphim. The other side holds the opposite, violent, cruel, temptation driven demons and devils. The understanding between the two is…complicated to say the least, especially in the last two weeks. Extermination Day happened twice, the loss of General Adam, the Redemption of Sir Pentious, the uproar at the court of Angels and Seraphim and many more underlying actions. So much in so little time would have anyone worried about the balance which the two realms have maintained for many, many years. Although this hasn't been the first time this order was threatened, up in Heaven, there are protocols that exist to…address these matters.
Upon closing a book on top of the glowing table, Sera, the well known and oldest of the Seraphim, set down her pen and sighed. She kept a diary to empty her thoughts when she felt overwhelmed with the world around her. She turned her head to stare out the window, which made up one end of the room, at the beautiful golden light pouring through and illuminating the area around her. A large door remained vigil at the other end of the room, watching over the large room and the hall behind it.
“I swear…I'm getting too old for this.” Sera muttered as suddenly, a knock was heard on the door, startling her as she grabbed her book and stood up, heading to the door. She used her free hand to grip the golden handle and open it, taking a moment to observe who stood in front of her. On the other side of the door stood a black hair with white tip ends angel, whose height rivaled that of Adam, the former General of the extermination unit. Above his head was a halo, smooth and blue, resembling a ring of water. His face was slightly round, with black hair outlining his jaw. His attire consisted of a trench coat, unbuttoned, and colored in a deep aquamarine color. Under the coat, was a white turtleneck sweater, and a pair of regular fit dark blue jeans. Under his right arm, he carried a mask that seemed like your typical angelic mask that exterminators used except it had no horns, only ripples on the top as if to resemble a brain.
“My lady,” The angel said as he bowed to Sera.
“Cross, I'm happy you could come so quickly. Please,” Sera stepped aside as the angel, now known as Cross, stepped into the room, while Sera closed the door.
“I can't lie, when I heard the news of what had transpired in Hell, and now the redeemed demon coming here, I knew eventually you would call upon me.” Cross took a seat at the table as Sera did as well.
“Obviously. This…changes a lot of things. Now we have the others on the court fearing that Hell has become too powerful, and will amass an attack soon. They don't even know about…Pentious yet, thanks to Emily keeping an eye on him.” Sera explained, laying out the problem for Cross as he listened carefully. His eyes held white irises with golden sclera surrounding them, a beautiful yet ghostly look to pair with his attire.
“The court doesn't need to be worried about Hell's occupants, you and the other Seraphim know that. If you were worried, you would have amassed an army already, bigger and more dangerous than Adam's extermination unit. If I may, I would say you're more worried about Hell’s readiness for war…and the princess, Charlie Morningstar.” Cross words left no room for naivety to slip in as this was his job, working as one of the top brass agents for E.V.E, Evangelical.Virtuous.Equilibrium.
“You are not wrong, but I felt that bringing one of our more trusted agents onto the matter seemed right, seeing as how you have a past with Hell. Because of that past and knowledge, I hope I am right to believe my orders won't fall…unfinished.” Cross set his mask on the desk as he reached into his trench coat and pulled out a simple white paper note pad with a smooth, white marble pen.
“What are your orders, my lady?” Cross questioned, clicking the pen as he stared at Sera expectantly.
“First, I need more information on this, redemption that Charlie Morningstar talks about. She claims to be able to help sinners redeem, and yet, it was by Sir Pentious' own actions that led him to being redeemed. I give you permission to speak to the princess, but no harm is to come to her, only to those who try to impede your progress.” Cross writes in his notebook at incredible speed as his eyes are sharp, focused, his hand eventually stopping but expecting more for him to write.
“Next, I understand that you had your newly trained apprentice sent down to Hell to investigate the rumor of holy weapons, and that they were killed during the investigation. I'm so sorry…I know she was important to you, as are all who come under your responsibility.” Sera's words hung in the air, with Cross having stopped writing. A look of sadness, and pity, rested on Sera's face as Cross closed his eyes for a moment, nodded, and looked up to meet her gaze with his eyes now showing guilt and pain in his ghostly gaze.
“I thought she was ready, but I was wrong…am I to retrieve the body?”
“Yes, if you can. I am giving you the authority to use any means necessary. An angel deserves to be brought home, rather than be left down there.” Cross moved his pen across the notepad before flipping the paper and writing something else down.
“Last…and this must be done, no matter the cost. Hell's apparent angelic weapons have reached a point where, for the right price, any demon can attain them. I ask for that number to be dwindled as much as possible. You have my permission to complete this task however you may choose.” Sera waited patiently for Cross to stop writing, and when he did, he clicked his pen and folded the notepad in on itself.
“Who else may know of this?” Cross asked, as he tucked the notepad away.
“No one outside of who you trust to keep it to themselves.” Sera stood up first as Cross followed suit, buttoning his trench coat once he fully stood up.
“I understand. May I ask, how is Lute holding up?” Cross asked, watching Sera leave the table and walk to the door.
“Not very well, I'm afraid…do you wish to talk to her?” Sera asked, turning to Cross as she opened the door for him. He nodded as he grabbed his mask and tucked it back under his arm before heading to the door. He stopped at the entrance as he gave another deep bow to Sera who returned it with a small one. With that, he turned and placed the mask over his head before he walked out, leaving Sera to close the door after him.
Second Act
The ding of an elevator broke the silence on the rooftop as the silver doors opened and out of it stepped Cross. He looked across the rooftop as his eyes observed a black clothed angel, sitting on the ledge of the roof, with a black halo over her head. On her left, a bottle of fine wine sat, unopened. Her left arm missing as well, bandages now covering the stump and stopping the heavy bleeding, brought a depressive aura to the air.
Cross removed his mask, tucking it back under his arm as he went over to the female angel and sat down next to her, not uttering a word nor making any noise whatsoever. The two sat in silence for a while until Cross set down his mask next to him, looking out at the city of Heaven down below himself.
“What do you want, Cross?” The female angel's voice was tough, soaked with sadness, as she kept her gaze forward as well.
“Here to check on you, make sure you are doing alright, Lute.” Cross answered softly, as he peeked at her from out of the corner of his eye.
“I'm not. Leave me alone.” Her voice growled as her face grimaced, exposing her feelings plainly for Cross to see. Cross sighed as he looked behind her and reached, grabbing the bottle of wine as he lifted it and sat it on his lap.
“Noah's Bounty, if I recall, Adam kept a store of this stuff in his room, only bringing it out after every Extermination Day,” Cross read the bottle's name as he smiled slightly. “He only wanted the best to share with you-”
“Shut up! Adam isn't here to share it with me! He won't ever be here to share anything with me anymore because he's dead! You hear me, Cross!? DEAD! What did we have to show the court? Nothing! The opinion they have of us…if it wasn't already bad, now it's in the fucking ground!” Lute yelled at Cross as her eyes were filled with tears.
Her eyes shut as she started to gently weep, her tears falling softly down the city below. Cross stared at her, his expression unreadable, as he slowly reached over and took her hand in his, attempting to comfort her. Lute's eyes opened quickly as she looked at her hand then at Cross who was now looking forward.
“I know not many angels appreciated, or even cared about Adam and his duties. But, you knew him, better than most did. He covered up his pain when he was alive with the attitude he emitted toward others. Though he was foolish when approaching the situation that led him to his death,” Lute tensed her body and opened her mouth to retaliate. “It doesn't change the fact he put Heaven and his friends first, above all else.” Lute slowly closed her mouth as she turned her gaze forward as well, taking her hand out of Cross's and wiping her eyes.
“So…why did you really come up here?” Lute asked as Cross raised a finger and his nail grew quickly to a point. He pointed the nail down at the cork and looked to Lute for confirmation for him to continue. Lute observed this and nodded, giving Cross the permission to send his nail into the cork and pull it out in one quick motion. The smell of succulent berries filled the area around Lute and Cross as Cross handed the bottle to Lute and his nail returned to normal.
“I'm heading down to Hell. I've some orders that need handling and wanted to ask if there was something you wanted me to do while I was down there,” Lute raised the bottle to her lips as she gulped down a quarter of the wine from the bottle before taking a breath and looking to Cross.
“I thought you only took orders from Sera and Emily?” Lute asked, handing the bottle to Cross who did the same as Lute before removing the bottle from his mouth.
“There's a difference between orders, and returning favors,” Cross answered after handing the bottle back to Lute. “So, any requests?” Lute was quiet for a moment as she pondered his question. Her mind circled with revenge, doubt, anger, and many uncharacteristic things that an angel shouldn't think about. But after a moment and another drink, her eyes narrowed at him.
“I want my arm back,” Cross looked to her, his eyes widening in slight surprise as he thought her request would be the head of whoever killed Adam.
“You sure? There's nothing else?”
“Cross, you and I both know I can't order you to kill someone, and I definitely don't want you to piss off the Seraphim. With such a big fuck up, you could be looking at damnation if I had you do that. But retrieving my arm? I'll settle for that if fucking anything.” Lute raised the bottle to her lips and drank the remaining half of the bottle. Setting the bottle down, Cross nodded to himself as he stood up, his mask under his arm as he turned to leave.
“Cross,” Lute's voice stopped Cross as he turned his head to look at her. He was surprised to feel her body against his back and her arm around his stomach as she placed her head on his back. The two stayed like this for a moment before Lute let go and returned to the ledge.
“Thank you,” Lute said, with Cross nodding before placing his mask back over his face and heading into the elevator as the doors closed. Lute listened to the sound of the elevator whirring as she sighed, her eyes narrowed down at the city below. “Don't screw up…like he did…” She muttered softly.
Third Act
After exiting the elevator and the building in which it resided, Cross walked along the main street, waving to angels who acknowledged him first with a wave or verbal, “Hello!” He had almost reached the gates before a voice called to him saying, “Cross! Wait!” Turning, Cross saw Emily flying down to him as she landed in front of him.
“Sera informed me about your situation! Can I walk with you?” Emily asked politely, a simple request accompanied by her signature smile.
“Of course, my lady. It would be an honor,” Cross said as he offered his arm for Emily to take. Emily's smile widened as she happily locked arms with him, struggling ever so slightly due to the height difference. Once they were far enough away from the other angels to hear them, the two stopped walking and Cross gently removed his arm from hers.
“So, what would you like to talk about?” Cross asked, as Emily clapped her hands together and held them before opening them to reveal a ball of light with an image of Hell in the middle of it.
“I had to give you your ride somehow! How else were you hoping to get down there?” Emily watched Cross take the orb in his hand as he chuckled.
“I'm not sure. Probably wing it and see where it gets me.” Though he hadn't meant to make a pun, Emily laughed. After she calmed down her gaze became softer, almost worried as she held her hands together in a pleading like motion.
“Cross, I understand you have your orders, seeing as how Sera explained them to me. But, is it alright if I gave you another?” Cross hadn't seen this look on Emily before except when she and Sera were arguing after Charlie's hearing.
“Of course, I am at your command,” Cross released the orb, making it float next to him as he pulled out his notepad and pen and clicked it waiting for Emily's order. She stared at his mask covered face, a mouth and pair of eyes colored blue presenting what his face was expressing on the inside of the mask, a calm, but attentive gaze.
“With everything, and I truly mean everything, that has transpired in these last few days, this request may seem strange or odd, or even impractical, and I understand that if you don't want to accept them-!”
“Emily,” Cross's voice cut through Emily's rant as her heartbeat, which had been picking up speed earlier due to her nervousness, now began quieting down. “I am at your service, bound by it. There's no order I won't accept from you.” With that, Emily took a breath, a determined look now on her face as she stood up straight.
“I don't want you to kill anyone while you are down in Hell!” Emily's words shot so quickly out of her mouth, she hardly knew what she even said, or if she had even said it correctly. Cross's face turned quizzical on the mask, but with a shrug of his shoulders, he wrote the order down in the notepad.
“By your orders, it shall be done.” Cross said simply, as Emily blinked in shock.
“Wait, you're not upset!? No question as to why I gave you the order?” Emily questioned.
“Why would I question you? You have your reasons, and I am in no place to question them. It would be odd for an employee to question his boss.” Cross snickered as Emily giggled, feeling the nervousness completely leaving her body at hearing his snicker.
“Thank you. There's just been so much…violence these last few days and I feel there won't be an end to it if more is shed.” Cross nodded and acknowledged Emily's words of wisdom. The blood shed, both angel and demon, had reached a substantial amount that simply adding to the pile would be like pouring gasoline over a fire.
“Anything else before I depart, Miss Emily?”
“Yes! Tell Charlie and Vaggie I said hi! Oh! And that Sir Pentious is here! They'll be thrilled to know that!” Emily's voice was filled with excitement and energy as Cross wrote those orders down.
“Anything else?” Cross questioned, his eyes down at his notepad. Suddenly, Cross felt arms around his waist as he moved his arms out of the way to see Emily giving him a tight hug.
“Stay safe!” She mumbled through his coat as he smiled and jots it down before clicking his pen and folding his notepad up, placing both back in his coat and returning Emily's hug with his own. After a moment, Emily and Cross released one another and Emily waved goodbye to him before flying off, leaving Cross by himself next to the orb.
He turned to it as he put his hand out to it and muttered a few words that Cross's teacher taught him when opening portals. The portal widened until it was large enough for Cross to step through. On the other side of the portal was the Hazbin Hotel, redecorated, rebuilt, and glowing brightly, giving off an inviting appearance. Cross took a deep breath in and out as he stepped through the portal.
The temperature change was the first thing Cross noted, along with the lighting and ground beneath his feet changing from light and bouncy to heavy and hard. But, he remembered this feeling, after all, this hadn't been his first visit to Hell. He looked behind him as the portal shrunk back down to the small orb, which Cross grabbed and pocketed in the inside of his coat. Feeling the heat, Cross unbuttoned his coat and pinched his sweater as he pulled it outward then let it go.
His shirt changed miraculously to a fitted black shirt, accompanied with a white tie. With this change, he felt more comfortable and less hot than he was when wearing the sweater. He approached the doors of the hotel, walking along the cobblestone path and already feeling someone's gaze on him. The decimation of the battle days before was still apparent around the area with some homes destroyed and rubble lying around but not near the hotel.
When Cross reached the door, he raised his right hand and knocked three times. He waited patiently as he heard voices on the other side of the door before he was caught off guard by how quickly it opened.
“Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel!” A loud, cheerful voice greeted. In front of Cross stood Charlie, in her signature attire. Her cheerful smile however quickly turned into one of concern as she raised her arm up in front of her chest in defense. Before she could say a word, Cross put his own arm over his chest and bowed slightly to Charlie, which caught her off guard.
“Hello, Miss Morningstar. My name is Cross, I represent Heaven and work for E.V.E. I have some matters to discuss with you today, madame.”
(Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please know that if I had the chance to include music like the show does, I would but sadly I don't know how to do that! Expect another chapter eventually!)