Thunder boomed in the dark sky. Hundreds of angels clashed, spear to spear, fist to fist. Furious shouts echoed across the battlefield, flashes of lightning illuminating the battle.
"This ends here, brother!" Raphael roared, lunging towards Samael.
Samael spun away. "I'll have to agree with you there, brother!"
Raphael lunged again, spear aimed for Samael's heart. Samael blocked the attack with his own spear and aimed a kick at Raphael's stomach. Raphael fell back, breath knocked out of him. Samael lunged forward only to be blocked by Michael.
"End this now before any more angels get hurt," the dark-winged angel ordered.
"Why should I?" Samael hissed. "So we can go back to living under Father's tyrannical rule?"
Michael pointed his spear to his brother's chest. "Then you will meet your fall, brother."
Samael's eyes narrowed and a smirk appeared on his lips. "Will I?"
At that moment, dozens of roars pierced the air, bursts of fire, ice, water and light appearing throughout the sky.
Michael whirled around, eyes wide. "What is that?"
"That, brother, is the beginning of your fall."
Samael grinned widely as hundreds of dragons dove down from having hidden in the clouds above. The scaled creatures collided with the angels, talons outstretched, eyes alight with thrill.
Samael lunged forward towards Michael, spear aiming for the other angel's chest. Michael parried the attack and threw one back. Samael spun away, barely dodging an attack from Raphael.
"How unfair, brother," Samael said with a mocking smile.
"You bring the dragons to back you up and you call us unfair?" Raphael hissed, lunging again.
"Oh please, like I could have convinced them to stay behind," Samael said, shooting up higher in the sky. "Honestly, you try telling Nyxeus to sit back and watch. The look on his face..."
Samael chuckled softly, shaking his head at the memory. He dodged another attack from Michael only to have Gabriel grab him from behind.
"I'm sorry, brother," Gabriel whispered, "But if you cut the head off a snake, the rest of the body dies with it."
Samael growled, trying to wrench himself from his brother's hold. Seeing this, Raphael flies forward to help hold the white-winged angel. Unable to fight off his brothers, Samael can do nothing as Michael plunges his spear into his stomach.
A furious roar echoed across the sky. Across the battlefield, Samael could see Nyxeus abandoning his fight against God in favour of finding his hurt lover. Michael twisted his spear and then pulled back, Gabriel and Raphael letting Samael fall.
Samael struggled to right himself as he fell, his wings flaring out but not catching the air. He watched the shapes of his brothers grow smaller above him, an angry snarl on his lips.
*Angel,* Jinx hissed as he and Hex caught Samael in their bloodied talons.
"Nyxeus," Samael said, grimacing in pain, "Where'd he go?"
*There,* Hex replies, pointing to another falling figure.
Samael's eyes narrowed as he made out the shape of his lover grappling with another angel as they both fell. Then the draxon shoved the angel back, righted himself in the air and came shooting towards Samael and the two dragons.
Samael put his wings away as he was handed over to the draxon, his lover nuzzling at his neck worriedly. The angel laughed softly as a bunch of black feathers were dropped in his lap.
"Michael's?" he asked. Nyx nodded, clearly pleased with himself. Samael laughed again then grimaced as another wave of pain washed over him. "Nyxeus... Nyxeus, it hurts."
*I know, love,* Nyx whispered. He looked around at the battle and a roar passed his lips. *We need to retreat this time, my angel, or you will bleed out. Even if I did heal you, I want you to rest.*
Samael scowled but nodded. "Fine."
"Nyxeus."
The draxon blinks, pulling himself out of the devil's memories. He looks around in confusion, the reds and blues of a circus tent surrounding him.
*What happened to the dark scary-looking place?* he asks.
Lucifer smiles in amusement, his fingers running over the scales of the dragon draped around his shoulders. "We're in a Hell loop, love. We're still in the dark scary-looking place, just not in the hallways anymore. Look here, Nyxeus, do you remember him?"
Nyx looks where Lucifer points, his brows furrowing. *From your memories, yes. From my own, no. Amenadiel?*
"Yes, darling, Amenadiel. Now shift back, we're going upstairs to make Michael wish he was in Hell."
Nyx jumps to the floor, shifting back to his human form. "The mean Not-Luci?"
"Not-Luci?" Amenadiel repeats, raising a brow in amusement at the name.
Lucifer rolls his eyes. "Yes. You've heard how Michael fooled Nyxeus into believing he was me. Nyxeus hasn't seen Michael and known he wasn't me, and despite having seen my memories of him, he still calls him Not-Me until he can place a shitty personality with the name."
Nyx gives a closed-eye smile when Amenadiel looks at him. The draxon's eyes widen slightly as he seems to remember something.
"Oh dear," he says. "Sister must be worried. I disappeared on her."
"Sister?" Lucifer repeats. His eyes narrow, "Don't tell me La'rayel is back too."
"Oh, yes but she's nice now," Nyx says. "She lost her emotions. Come on, you can meet her!"
"I'm not sure I want to."
"Come on, Luci! We're going anyway!"
"Mmm, I'll think about it."
⚯
"Dan!"
The man looks up to see an excited draxon standing in front of his desk, practically vibrating in place.
"Nyxeus," he says, relieved. "You're back. Where... Where'd you go?"
Nyx's head tilts, "Ah, this little bar, a film studio in Hollywood, this news building place, Lux, this lawyer place, a hospital, Lux, the cemetery, the beach, here, Lux and Hell."
Dan nods, kind of confused. "Your hair's long again."
"Luci likes it long and I do too. Oh, you have to come see Luci!"
Nyx grabs the man's hand, pulling him towards the interrogation room where he can tell Lucifer is. Opening the door, Nyx drags Dan in, Lucifer and Chloe watching the pair in amusement.
"Luci, Luci look! I found Dan!"
"I can see that," Lucifer says as Nyx releases Dan and bounds over to wrap his arms around the devil.
Dan's eyes narrow on the celestial suspiciously. "And we're sure this is really Lucifer this time?"
"Yes, Daniel, it's really me," Lucifer says.
"Nyxeus."
"Sister!"
La'rayel lands in the room, setting Ella down. The white-haired woman scowls slightly at the devil, Lucifer eyeing her cautiously.
Not sensing the tension, Nyx grins. "Look, sister, I found Luci!"
La'rayel frowns slightly and studies the celestial before turning her gaze back to her brother. "You're sure?" Nyx nods happily. "Fine. Just be good to him, Devil."
"Of course," Lucifer replies, slightly offended.
"He's mine," Nyx pipes up. "I like this Luci and he's mine. I found him in Hell."
"Nearly killed me first," Lucifer mutters.
Nyx freezes, his arms tightening around the devil's waist and hiding his face in the crook of Lucifer's neck. With a soft, regretful sigh, Lucifer reaches up to comb his fingers through Nyx's hair soothingly, watching the others' reactions.
Chloe blinks, "Hold on, what?"
Lucifer explains what happened quickly while Nyx goes back to looking through the devil's memories, relearning history from his point of view. Lucifer's rebellion, his coronation as second king in the Dragonlands, Nyx being locked in Hell and La'rayel's return.
"Nyxeus. Nyxeus!"
Nyx blinks, finding everyone to be looking at him. "What?"
"I asked what you were doing the two days before going to Hell," La'rayel says.
"Oh..."
Dan raises a brow, "Well?"
"I was making a collection?"
"Collection of what?" Ella asks. "Stickers? Stamps? Little porcelain figurines?"
"People?" Now used to it, most people in the room roll their eyes. Seeing this, Nyx whines, "Well you never know when people will be useful and I wanted to practice my magic! Oh, I'll have to cancel that little hunt I made for Luci. Well, Not-Luci."
"You made a hunt for me?" Lucifer asks in slight shock. Nyx looks away, choosing not to answer. "Nyxeus."
"Luci?"
"Explain."
Nyx whines, "I couldn't find Not-Luci to get rid of him so I used my collection to help look!"
"Right, speaking of my dickhead twin, where is he?" Lucifer asks. "I want to give him a good pummelling for what he's done."
"He disappeared after I confronted him," Chloe replies, shaking her head.
Lucifer frowns slightly. "Nyxeus?"
"Luci?"
"Keep up that hunt for Michael, will you?"