Chapter Text
For better or for worse until Death do us part…
Those were the words they had spoken at their wedding millennia ago… and since he was immortal, he had hoped that they would be happily ever after… but yet today, Lucifer felt that they were only going through the worst!
At first, Lucifer had sought to make this desolate place a home. He had faced the demons already present, proving himself stronger than them and obtaining the title of King of Hell, he had divided the lands of Hell between the Sins and the Goetia… until the too large number of Sinners getting to Hell posed a problem. The Sins then found themselves invaded by the power that the Sinners brought to them by succumbing to their evil inclinations and Heaven was afraid of their Uprising! To protect his new friends, his infernal family, Lucifer had once again accomplished a miracle. With his powers of creation, he established different rings under the first so that the Sins and the demons who follow them could live without being overwhelmed by the Sinners and therefore protect them from Heaven. His powers not being affected by Sinners, the First Ring of Hell therefore becomes his Sin, Pride!
Even though the situation was far from ideal, Lucifer and Lilith finally had some time to themselves and of course they started talking about the future… and of course, children! The Fallen Angel had been overjoyed when Lilith told him that she was ready to bear his children, that she wanted a large family and that they would all be happy together… but those sweet dreams turned into a nightmare!
Lilith's first pregnancy started well… but at three months, she had a miscarriage. Lucifer still sees her, trembling on the ground in a pool of blood, and he who had been unable to do anything to save their child. Belphegor, the Sin of Sloth and Hell’s best doctor, had assured them that it could happen and that they just had to wait a little longer… but despite their many attempts, each of the Queen's pregnancies had ended in the loss of the baby.
However, with the Damned Souls becoming more and more numerous, Lucifer had been summoned to the Heaven Embassy and, despite his mourning, he had to parley for months with Sera and Adam to try to find a solution to the overpopulation of the First Ring. The Head Seraphim found no other way than to organize Exterminations, to the great joy of the First Man, but the King of Hell set his conditions.
- There would only be one Extermination per year.
- The only ring affected would be the Pride Ring.
- The Hellborn should be spared if they did not attack.
- The Rulers of Hell must never be threatened.
Sera accepted but on the condition that Lucifer or Lilith did not intervene and no longer sought to encourage their people to rebel against Heaven, which was what Lilith did upon her arrival in Hell. Once the agreement was sealed with a handshake, Adam assembled an army of Exorcist angels composed entirely of women, each more cruel and bloodthirsty than the last.
But the worst part was that after each Extermination, Adam would summon Lucifer to the Embassy to give a report and, before leaving, he would always ask with a smirk:
“So? How's your baby project going?”
Finally, annoyed at having the knife twisted in the wound every year, the King had requested an audience to speak to Sera… and the truth had been thrown in his face:
Heaven cursed Lilith! Since she did not want to be the mother of Humanity, she would never be a mother!
Lucifer had been devastated by the news, and when he told Lilith, she had been furious. She had isolated herself in the Wrath Ring for months, leaving her husband alone in their Ring to manage his kingdom and the sadness that squeezes his heart. Several women had tried to approach the King in the Queen's absence… but the Fallen Angel only had eyes for his dear Lilith. And when she returned some time later, the First Woman was determined to prove to Heaven that they were stronger than them!
She wanted to be a mother! She wanted to counter Heaven's Curse!
They tried again several times… but despite all the medical treatments, the result remained the same. The Queen always ended up miscarrying at varying stages. Always in blood, tears, pain and sorrow. Lucifer was broken with each failure…and Lilith grew further and further away each time. The King felt like he was going to lose her… and he couldn't bear the idea!
He had to find a way to counter Heaven and give the woman he loves a child!
That evening, Lucifer was in his workshop finishing painting a duck in the likeness of Lilith. Since these little creatures had been created, he had always loved ducks, finding them absolutely adorable with their little webbed feet, their yellow down when they were babies, their little rounded beak and their soft shape that always made him want to cuddle them. Unfortunately, these sweet animals didn't exist in Hell so he used his powers and everything he could to make objects in their image, whether decorative objects, toys, stuffed animals, etc. As soon as he found a new support, he had fun seeing what he could do, always seeking perfection. But as he has just added the finishing touches, he hears the door slamming.
Lilith has just returned.
Holding his duck in his hands, he comes out of his workshop to join her in the living room. On the way, he came across some frightened servants who were running away to escape the Queen's wrath.
CRACK!!
Because she was obviously furious…
Sighing, Lucifer goes into the living room and finds his wife pacing furiously, stomping on the pieces of the vase she broke. Her horns are large and impressive on her head, her body seems to radiate with anger, and her hands are clenched so tightly that she could pierce her palms with her nails. The King of Hell holds back a swallow, impressed by the rage emanating from the First Woman, and he waits for Lilith to calm down to let her know he is there. When she stops to drink the glass of alcohol that has been brought to her, he takes his chance.
“Lili?”
“What?” she growls, her voice full of poison.
Lucifer suddenly feels like an idiot… but hé made her laugh in Eden so why wouldn't this work? Smiling as best he can, he approaches his wife, singing:
“I have a little gift for you!”
Lilith slowly turns towards him and, all smiles, her Angel husband hands her the duck in her image. She frowns at the sight.
“What is it?”
“It’s you, my darling! You as a duck! Isn't it so cute? Look.” Lucifer marvels, showing the details of his work. “I made it with your beautiful amethyst eyes, your gorgeous hair and even your horns and your favorite necklace! It is really very successful and very sweet! Look!”
But when he looks up at his wife, his enthusiasm melts like snow in the sun. Lilith doesn't have her sweet, tender smile that she had when he showed her something cute.
Her gaze is hard as angelic steel and cold as ice!
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she growls.
“What? No!” the King exclaims, wanting to calm his wife. ‘Of course not! I'm just trying to make you smile. You…”
“ And to make me happy, you spend your days doing this kind of bullshit!? ” Lilith rages, snatching the duck from his hands. “ What purpose will this serve? This is stupid and useless! ”
As she screams, she throws the duck into the fire, Lucifer suffocating as he sees his work reduced to ashes. He looks up at his wife, worried, but Lilith sinks into an armchair, sighing.
“We need to strengthen our Kingdom! Heaven is only waiting to see us beg them on our knees and submit ourselves as they always wanted to see us submit!” she rages, intriguing her husband, before massaging her temples. “But instead of helping me, you neglect this Kingdom and let Sinners wander as they please! Your ridiculous little ducks don't help the fact that Heaven is crushing us when we should be free!”
Lucifer sighs as he ties his fingers into knots.
He knows that Lilith suffered from their exile… He suffered too… and he still suffers every day. He still dreams of the immense Heaven where he flew, of the stars he had created, of the games he played with his brothers… He had given up everything for Lilith! He felt responsible for her fall because he had failed to protect her. Sure, Lilith loved being the Queen of Hell, showing up at many social events and being a known face to all Sinners, but Lucifer wanted her to be happy. And her happiness would surely be complete if they could have a child…
Lucifer's face suddenly brightens as he has an idea. He even wonders why he didn't think of it sooner.
“Lilith! I may have a solution to our problem!”
Lilith barely opens her eyes as she raises her head to look at her husband.
“And what is it?” she asks, making the Angel smile who sees it as a plus.
“What if I’m the one carrying it?”
The Queen frowns as she removes her hand from her eyes, looking at her husband as if a new head had grown on him, before she shrugs.
“What are you talking about?”
“Our child! What if I'm the one carrying it?”
“What?” Lilith is surprised, suddenly sitting up and Lucifer continues:
“I am an angel, my dear. I could very well switch bodies, take both of our DNA and create an embryo that I could carry. And we would finally have our baby!”
But instead of being elated by the idea like Lucifer hoped, Lilith's face closes in rage.
“Are you fucking serious?” she growls, intriguing her husband, before abruptly standing up, an aura of anger surrounding her and terrifying the Fallen Angel. “You should help me, support me in front of Heaven… and instead, you want to steal my motherhood!? ”
“What?” Lucifer horrifies, turning pale. “No at all! Even if I'm the one carrying this baby, I would be its father! You would be its mother!”
“ A mother is the one who carries and gives life to a child! ” the Queen screams, her horns growing on her head, her eyes turning red and her fangs becoming sharp. “ Because I can't have children, you want to humiliate me by having a child all by yourself!? ”
“ No! Not by myself! With you, Lilith! Only with you!” the Fallen Angel panics, trying to calm his wife, but she pushes him away furiously, making him fall against the coffee table.
“ Don't touch me! When I think that I hoped to have a glorious future with you…”
“What?…”
The King finds himself breathless in shock, paralyzed and unable to get up while looking at the one he loves… but she turn away, as if she was disgusted, and walks away, her long hair floating around her in anger.
“ LILITH! ” Lucifer screams, wanting to catch her but the Queen leaves the palace, slamming the door.
The poor angel finds himself frozen behind the closed door, shaking, before he bursts into tears. He didn't want to make Lilith angry.
He just wanted to make her happy…
Several days had passed since their argument and Lilith had not returned to the palace. She had gone to take refuge with some Goetia friends to think… but now, it was clear to her that she couldn't stand this any longer!
Perhaps she had loved Lucifer at one time… but she realizes that she was wrong! She had hoped that he would bring her freedom, greatness, and powers… but even though she now had a kingdom and powers greater than any human soul, she was still imprisoned by Heaven! And her husband did nothing to help her! Even though Heaven had betrayed and rejected him, he was unable to hate them! He resented them, that was certain… but he preferred to isolate himself, to build a new kingdom here below instead of rebelling, raising an invincible army and confronting Heaven to finally have the right to Vengeance and the Sun!
Lucifer was powerful in powers but weak in mind! If she wanted revenge on Heaven, it wouldn't be with him!
She could very well ally with the Sins who were closest to her like Leviathan or Satan or even Mammon and raise her army of Sinners to face Heaven… but Lucifer could intervene and contain them all down here. He didn't want a war with Heaven. That's why he had made this agreement to accept the Exterminations instead of defending his people. If Lilith wanted to make Heaven bend, she had to first render Lucifer harmless. And after thinking for days, she had simply gone to the Heaven Embassy.
Once in the silent building where no sound of Hell could be heard, the Queen heads to the empty reception and rings the doorbell. A golden quill appears in front of her with a form asking her name and who she wanted to meet. As calmly as possible, Lilith writes down her name, the writing changing from gold to blood red, then she indicates that she wants to speak to the Head Seraph of Heaven. Immediately, the paper disappears and the door to the great hall opens. The Queen of Hell doesn’t need to be asked twice and calmly settles down.
She knows Sera will respond quickly. Their meetings were rare and for Lilith to ask to see her, the Seraph would understand that it is important.
After a few minutes, a golden glow appears at the other end of the conference table and Sera appears in all her glory. Huge, straight, serious. Although she does not have her angelic form, the Guardian of Heaven wants to be strong against the First Woman and Queen of Hell.
“Lilith…” she greets coldly.
“Hello, Sera. I have to speak to you.” the succubus declares calmly as she stands up.
“I hope it's important, Lilith. I have other things to do.” the Seraph declares, her hands crossed behind her back.
But the Queen knows exactly what to say to alert the angel and get what she wants.
“You're probably aware that Lucifer and I have been trying to have a child.”
“The facts have been communicated to me, indeed.” Sera sighs as she settles into the large armchair opposite Lilith. “And Lucifer knows that you have been cursed to never be a mother.”
“I know… but are you aware that Lucifer wants to carry the child himself?”
As expected, the Head Seraphim immediately freezes.
“What!?”
“I admit, I was at first furious that Heaven was preventing me from being a mother… but I got used to the idea. Hell needs a Queen after all… but, you see, the Sinners are increasingly carrying the idea that Lucifer's child could one day destroy Heaven.” she says innocently, horrifying Sera who places her hand over her mouth, terrified. “Ever since he heard this rumor, Lucifer has only thought about having our child… so that he can one day come and take revenge!”
“Oh dear Lord…” the Guardian of Heaven is horrified.
Uriel, the Archangel whose eyes saw Time Past and Future, had hinted that if Lucifer had children, the current balance of Heaven and Hell would be upset! He couldn't say whether it would be for good or for bad… but given the catastrophic upheavals of Lucifer's actions, Sera couldn't believe it could be positive. And Lilith's words seemed to go in this direction.
“He can't do that…” she panics without noticing the Queen's smirk.
She had hooked the fish, all that remained was to reel it in and she would have what she wanted.
“So help me, Sera! Help me defeat Lucifer!”
“Defeat him?” the Seraph is surprised.
“If you give me enough power, I could rid us of Lucifer and become the only Queen of Hell! Once this was done, our two Realms would live in harmony, the Sinners below and the Innocents above. We will no longer seek to invade each other's realm.”
The succubus knows those words are what Sera wants to hear. And like anyone afraid of losing everything, she would believe what she wanted to hear. She sees the angel hesitate, seeming to debate the pros and cons but the fear remains visible on his face. The possibilities of Lucifer destroying Heaven in revenge terrifies her more than anything…so she sighs, resigned.
“Lilith… if we exiled Lucifer instead of killing him during your trial, it wasn’t just out of the kindness of our hearts. It is impossible to kill an Archangel. Especially one as powerful as Lucifer since he is Michel's twin…” she explains in a voice that wants to be confident but the Woman who has become a Demon hears the tremors of fear in her words. “If we want to stop him from rebelling, we have to weaken him. More precisely, compartmentalize his powers by making him take a weaker form. Some Elders had proposed this option during his fall but the Archangels refused…”
Lilith seems a little upset by what she learns… but she smiles.
“You know that Lucifer can force me to have this child. If he can carry it, he won't even have to put me in his bed. A little blood and he’ll have my genes to do whatever he wants.” She insists, enjoying the fear on Sera’s face as she knows it’s completely true. “You may not be able to compartmentalize without the Archangels’ permission… but if you give me the power, I can do it for you.”
“How so?”
“If we can seal Lucifer in a weaker body, I will only have to dethrone him and he will be nothing more than a wretch among Sinners. We won't have to worry about him having a child since he wants mine… and without power, he will never be able to have it.”
The Seraphim looks at the Queen of Hell, seeming to consider her words… then she sighs.
“Very well. But the power that I am going to give you will only allow you to change Lucifer's form to confine his powers and prevent him from having this child. They will simply be locked away deep inside him and partially inaccessible until a child of his blood is born.”
Lilith smiles, delighted with this compromise, and extends her hand to the Guardian of Heaven.
“You can believe me, Sera. Lucifer will never have kids. I'll make sure he can never give it to any woman in Hell.”
Sera looks at the Queen, seeming to debate one last time… but the fear of an Antichrist is too strong for her to take that risk after what Lilith had told her. With a sigh, she accepts the succubus's hand and the pact is sealed, each returning to their true form as magic fills the room.
Meanwhile, at the Palace, Lucifer had isolated himself in his room, still in his pajamas, buried under his toy ducks and sobbing like a child. He felt like such an idiot… but at the same time, how could he have imagined that his wife would react like this? He just wanted to make Lilith happy by offering her what she couldn't have…
Was it disrespectful? Was he really taking motherhood away from Lilith by carrying their child? That’s not what he wanted. He just wanted to make her happy, bring her smile by giving her what they both wanted: a family. What was wrong with that? Was Lilith that angry with him? Had she abandoned him? Would she never return? Would he end up alone?
It was his worst nightmare!
But as new tears want to flow down his cheeks, he suddenly hears…
“Lucifer!”
Lilith's voice! She's back!
Overjoyed, the King jumps up smiling, sending his ducks flying all over the room, and runs out, wiping his tears and fixing his hair as best he can. His heart beats like crazy, impatient to see the one he loves again. Arriving in the grand entrance hall, Lucifer would almost cry with relief at seeing his wife back.
“Lilith!” he smiles as he runs to join her, taking her hand and kissing her fingers while trembling. “Oh my love, I thought you would never come back…”
“Were you hoping I would give up my throne?” she asks in an icy voice that sends a chill down his spine.
“What!?” the Fallen Angel is horrified as he raises his head, seeing the succubus's hard gaze. “No no no, of course not! I know you will never abandon our kingdom. You have done so much for it.”
“That's true. Even more than you.” the Queen smiles even if her gaze remains dark, worrying her husband.
“Uh… yes I haven't been very present lately… after creating the Rings, I let Hell evolve on its own… but I can change!” he smiled, hoping as he caught his wife's gaze on him. “I can fully invest myself in the regency of Hell with you if that's what you desire, my dear!”
Lilith looks at him… before smiling coldly.
“That won’t be necessary…” she says, relieving Lucifer.
Hell and Sinners made him quite uncomfortable so he stayed away from them as much as possible. If he wasn’t forced to get involved in hellish affairs, that suited him just fine… but then Lilith violently pushes him away. He was so shocked that he tangled his feet and fell suddenly onto his back.
“Lili?” he is surprised, looking up at his wife.
But then, his angelic blood freezes.
Lilith stands straight before him, her demon form bringing out her power in all its glory but this time, she seems to radiate a power she has never had. In other circumstances, Lucifer would have been amazed… but now, he is terrified.
“Lilith? What the hell is happening to you?” he panics as he gets up.
“Did you really think I was going to spend the rest of eternity with you? When you can't pull yourself together?” she begins, sending daggers into Lucifer's heart, who is paralyzed. “You were the Bringer of Light! The most powerful Archangel in Heaven! You proved to the demons of Hell that you were stronger than them, you became their King. But instead of taking the opportunity to take revenge on those who brought you down, you stupidly stay locked up in your palace, tinkering with useless crap! ” she rages, her fists starting to glow with anger. “ I am the First Woman! You promised me Heaven and Freedom! And now that we are prisoners in Hell and Heaven prevents me from becoming a mother, you dare to humiliate me further in front of them by offering to be the mother of our child instead of confronting them for cursing me! ” she screams, her eyes red as she stares at the trembling Fallen Angel, before she smiles wickedly. “But now it’s your turn to be put down.”
Before her husband has time to understand her words, the Queen extends her hand and a golden ray escapes to hit the King in the chest.
Lucifer cries out in surprise before feeling like he's caught in a tight fist. He immediately tries to struggle but finds himself lifted off the ground.
“Lilith… what are you…? AAAAAH! ”
The Fallen Angel suddenly feels his whole body twist as if his insides are changing without his consent. As a shapeshifter, he could change his body as he wanted so he had rearranged his organs several times to match his new body… but never like this!
This was totally out of his control!
Instinctively, he struggles, his horns growing on his head and his wings spreading out from his back as he tries to use all his power to escape… but he suddenly feels like he’s being compressed, as if his magic is a colossal explosion that’s being squeezed into a small box.
“ Lilith! What are you doing to me!? Stop it, Lilith! ” he panics as his head hurts, feeling like it’s being compressed on one side and pulled on the other.
His wings suddenly start to flap frantically, straining violently as if someone is trying to tear them off, his chest hurts, his muscles feel like they’re being pulled from all sides, even his crotch starts to burn as if a fiery hand is taking hold of his insides and changing them. Instead of helping him escape, his powers seem to cause him even more pain, making him scream… before everything stops! Lucifer then falls abruptly to the ground, catching himself clumsily on his trembling arms, his body hurting… but when he opens his eyes, he is horrified to see the thousands of red and white feathers scattered on the tiles. Feathers that he recognizes well… since they are his!
These are his wing feathers!
Terrified, he puts his hand on his back, trying to flap his wings… but he can’t!
“…my wings…” he chokes out trembling, grabbing some feathers in front of him. “… no… no no no…”
Tears of horror streaming down his cheeks, Lucifer grabs his feathers erratically, refusing to believe what he’s understanding… when the spotless ground below him reflects him back. Gasping, he raises his hands to his head and grabs the bushy things sticking out of his hair.
Ears! Two big, fluffy doe ears!
“What?… But… what the…?” he panics, getting up before running towards one of the mirrors.
Although his overall appearance is still much the same, Lucifer notices some obvious changes. In addition to his ears, the Fallen Angel notices, despite his large pajamas, that his curves are more feminine, his legs are thinner, his torso is covered with delicate golden fur, his hooves are no longer those of a goat like since his fall but those of a doe… and, by feeling his body, he feels that he has changed. Like the fact that he now has small breasts or a different sex. And when he turns to see more, not only is his back bleeding as if his wings had been torn off, but he also has a bushy blond tail with golden highlights.
A doe's tail!
He now had the body of a doe demon!
Horrified because he never wanted to take this body, Lucifer tries to return to his normal appearance… but nothing happens. It's as if his powers are gone too.
“But… what's going on? ” he panics, pulling his ears, trying to make them disappear without success.
Lilith's laughter makes his blood run cold as he realizes that it was her who did this to him. But how? Certainly, Lilith had gained powers to survive Hell where she had fallen because Heaven didn’t want them to die… but she had never had such powerful powers! Especially not powerful enough to weaken an angel like him! Slowly, Lucifer turns back to his wife who smiles cruelly as she looks at him.
“Awww. Aren't you cute like that, little doe.” she chuckles, sarcasm evident in her voice.
“ What have you done to me, Lilith? ” he says indignantly even though tears are already streaming down his cheeks, his heart clenching as he understands what his head refuses to admit.
The succubus slowly approaches him with a wicked smile, terrifying the Fallen Angel who feels like a deer facing a lioness.
“I simply covered my back by making sure that you would no longer be in my way.” she says in a calm but icy tone.
“What? But… what do you mean?” the transformed angel is horrified before Lilith grabs his cheeks in one hand to force him to look her straight in the eyes.
“It's very simple, Lucifer Morningstar. Since you prefer to forget what the Angels did to us and you refuse to face Heaven to avenge me, I have no choice but to do it myself!” she declares, digging her nails into the white skin of Lucifer who groans and tries to struggle to escape her. “And since I know you'll do anything to dissuade me, I'm making sure you won't cause any trouble. And you know what's funniest? It's that Sera herself gave me the power to make you as harmless as a lamb… or a doe in this case. And all this for the simple promise that you will never have my child!”
Lucifer is paralyzed upon discovering the true face of his wife, wondering when this sweet woman who loved to sing under the moon and make flower crowns and with whom he had fallen in love could have become such a cold and manipulative woman.
How had he not seen anything? It wasn't possible…
Lilith pulls him back to Hell as she stands up, lifting him off the ground while her hand still squeezes his cheeks, piercing the skin and letting a drop of blood flow.
“After all these years, it’s time for Hell to rise! It's time for Heaven to know who the true Queen is!” she gloats, her eyes glowing red and her hair floating around her.
“Lilith… you can’t do anything against Heaven…” Lucifer tries as he continues to struggle.
“Not at the moment…” the Queen admits as she begins to walk towards the door. “But one day, I will find a way to defeat them. I will gather an army of Sinners and Demons that will make the Seraphim and Archangels bend. No matter how long it takes, the years will be shorter knowing that their time is numbered. One day your dear brothers will bow to me! Just like you will have to bow to survive from now on!”
She then opens the palace door and then, unceremoniously, she throws her former husband away like we throws garbage. Lucifer falls hard to the ground, groaning as his new body seems more sensitive to pain, as his Queen stares him in the eye as she removes her wedding ring.
“Since you wanted to be a mother so much, all you have to do is get knocked up by anyone like the slut you are now.”
With these last words, which she knows are as cruel as a stab in the back, she throws the ring which falls with a light tinkling but which resonates like the sound of thunder in Lucifer's ears.
It wasn't possible… he's living nightmares…
“Lilith…” he chokes out as he stands up.
But his wife simply turns her back on him.
“Lilith?” he panics as he gets up but the Queen walks through the door and snaps her fingers. “ LILITH! ” he yells as he runs towards the door.
But it closes before he can get in, his fists banging on the wood before he grabs the handle and struggles to open it. No matter how hard he tries, the door is locked and nothing happens when he snaps his fingers.
His powers no longer respond to him at all!
“ No! Lilith, please! It can’t end like this! Open me the door! I love you, Lilith! I know we can get through this together! Lilith! ”
But his cries remain unanswered. And the more he cries, the more his heart breaks and the more his body is racked with desperate sobs. After several minutes of begging and screaming his love to the one he married centuries ago, Lucifer’s throat is so tight that the words refuse to come out and the sobs make him shake so much that he falls to his knees against the door. He wants to scream his sorrow through all of Hell but all he can do is cry his eyes out, his open mouth making no sound as despair chokes his voice. The only sound he hears is the broken beating of his heart in his ears, as if Hell has fallen silent while a page of its history has just been turned without anyone knowing anything about it.