I AM THE FIRE - Part 1 - "Imperfect Paradise"

What do you desire?

They say all of humanity’s sins are the fault of the Devil, yet nobody blames me when their girlfriend cheats on them or when their boss takes credit for their work. This is proof that nothing is my fault, all I did was rebel against Father and that is my only damn fault.

When the fire of Hell tears through your skin, bones and flesh and you scream for the sweet relief of death that will never come, you cannot blame me for it. You were the one who hurt yourself and the ones around you, my only job is to make you truly feel the weight of your sins. The very sins you committed on Earth thinking that there was no punishment and that you had to do what you had to do to survive.

Do you think I wanted this? Do you think I wanted to fall from Heaven and rule Hell for eternity, punishing mortal souls? No, not even remotely close. But I also will not lie and tell you that I feel bad for the souls I’m punishing, they deserve every single second of it. I may have rebelled and committed many sins in my life but wronging others and being unjust is not one of them.

I am Lucifer, light-bringer, son of the morning, “Morning star” as others would call me, I am the Overlord of the Kingdom of Hell. An angel so-unfortunately tasked by Father to enforce consequences on humanity and to condemn mortal souls for eternity, I may not like that name but I am indeed, Evil Incarnate.

December of 1966, I was down on Earth, specifically in a bar in Los Angeles, I was only there to have fun. And drink beer. Then, a young man in his 20s started yelling and insulting me.

I frankly could not care less, I wasn’t there to pointlessly fight mortals like a pathetic fool, and besides, trash-talking the Devil is not exactly a sin I can or care enough to punish. But then, he walked straight to a girl that was standing on the other side of the bar and punched her across the face, she fell over and knocked a table down. She was bleeding from her nose, her lip was split and she was crying.

This is bad, and in my presence, it is even worse. You simply cannot punch someone in front of the Devil and walk away with it. And it’s not like I’m going to start throwing fireballs for no reason either, I first tried the friendly approach, “Hey dude, that wasn’t okay” I told him, sitting my glass on the counter, “What are you gonna do about it, pretty boy?”…

Oh no, oh no. He did not just call me that. Not even the souls of the wicked in Hell call me this when they’re being tortured, I already felt the usual heat behind my eyes which I hated, but I was too irritated to care at this point. He must’ve seen it too because he backed off as I was walking towards him, “What?…” he whispered with a shaky voice, “What are you?”; all of the smugness and narcissism he was talking with was gone now, I got close to him, close enough that he could smell the beer mixed with fire in my breath.

“I do not believe it matters who I am” I said it with a blank face, “But I do want to tell you that the way you treated this lady was…inadequate” I was smiling for no reason, “What do you want from me now? I’m sorry” he stammered while practically crying, “Nothing much, just apologize to her like a sane human, otherwise. You’re gonna feel pain you’ve never perceived before”.

He quickly turned to the lady and pretty much got on his knees while apologizing, could’ve saved himself and me the hassle by not doing that foolish thing in the first place. Why do I have to scare and torture humans so that they do the right thing? Quite a strange thing considering that Father gave them a mind like us, I still wonder if He really did..

I find it funny how humans tend to always see me as the bad person and ignore their own faults. Their logic is that my sins are way greater than whatever sins they may commit in their short lifetime. But I see no sin as being less severe than another, I find it that, for instance, lying to people is as severe of a bad thing as my original rebellion against Father.

Both acts hurt people including the actors themselves. The time and place may be different but a sin is a sin and it has to be punished, regardless of how severe it is.

To clarify. A sin to me isn’t bad because it hurts people, that’s rather foolish reasoning. Sins are bad because they are bad, even if they do not impact a fly. Their malice value is absolute, it does not depend on impact or effect on others. Nobody needs to tell me that theft is bad so that I can consider it to be. The action of stealing is malicious in itself.

As I was leaving the bar. Someone near the parking lot caught my attention, leaning against the wall, surrounded by a pack of men. It took some time but I recognized her, blonde hair, black suit, eyes that could cut through Hell stone (I’m not joking), it was Mavet, my sister.

She is Death, the Destroyer of Worlds. tasked with taking mortal lives. Unlike me, she takes a sick pleasure in reaping human souls, she’s been doing it for millennia and she never showed a single drop of mercy for the souls she took. Not to kids, the elderly, the sick, no one. It is fair to say that she is the most non-discriminatory angel to ever exist in Heaven.

She recognized me too, she excused herself out of the crowd and then walked to me with a smile on her face, her eyes were already completely white, “Lucifer! Haven’t seen you in millennia, morning star” she greeted me, “Yeah, well, I was busy with the whole Hell thing” I replied, smiling back. He laughed, “So what are you doing here?” I asked her, “That’s like asking a tree what it’s doing in soil, I’m here to do my job” she scoffed.

“Huh, and who’s the lucky one? Or the unlucky one, might I say” I asked while looking at the LA sky, she giggled then replied “Nathan Brooks, the guy you just scared in the bar”, I was perplexed by her answer but also kind of relieved, “Where is he?” I was looking at her with a stupid grin on my face.

“He’s leaving the bar right now” she said, heading for the back of the bar. I followed her and while she was walking, she waved her hand in the sky and everything stopped moving, the bartender pouring beer, the chatter, everything.

I’m not surprised. Mavet cannot afford to have humans see her do her job, so she stops time to prevent that.

“Here’s our guy” she said, pointing at Nathan who was now frozen mid-walk to his car. Mavet rolled up Nathan’s sleeves and there were five finger marks on his hand.

“Three marks mean that he’s my target. An additional one or two marks reveal whether he’s gonna end up in Hell or Heaven” Mavet explained, “Two marks mean Hell, one means Heaven” she added, smirking.

She puts her five fingers on the marks and they start glowing. After about two seconds, Nathan snaps out of the time freeze; now confused.

He looked past Mavet to me, “You again?” he said, with a trembling voice.

“You’d wish it was me” I replied, “It takes millennia for me to make people feel the pain this lady will make you feel in a second” I pointed at Mavet.

Mavet’s eyes burned brighter, and she was smiling like it was Christmas, “This is gonna be fun” she said while levitating off the ground.

The ground was already shaking, and the sheer horror on Nathan’s face as Mavet approached him was certainly a sight to be seen.

“I’ve been doing this for longer than your ancestors existed. Never have I felt bored” Mavet said while breathing on Nathan’s neck,

“Nothing gratifies me like the sheer terror on mortal faces as I take their souls” she whispered in Nathan’s ear.

Nathan tried to run, but he froze in place. His body wasn’t responding to him anymore, Mavet started laughing like it was the funniest joke he heard since ages.

“All of them try the same thing” she said while still giggling, “yet nobody can outrun death” with a voice that sounded like steel grinding against steel.

Then it happened. Mavet put her fingers on Nathan’s chest and gently pushed them in, what followed was a scream so loud I had to back off so that it didn’t pierce my ears.

Nathan’s eyes rolled up and closed, and he fell on the ground, motionless, a small light came out of his eyes and entered Mavet’s own eyes.

She turned to me. Eyes normal now, “I hope you enjoyed the show”.

“Certainly was a show” I said, while walking towards her, “So… you’re gonna go back to Heaven now?”.

“Nah, not yet. Still want to hang out a little” she replied, waving her hand in the air again to unfreeze time.

“Where would you like to hang out?”. We walked away from the bar towards the parking lot.

“I’ve always liked this city’s marina. I’d love to spend the night there” she said while fidgeting with a pencil in her hand that I have no clue where she got from.

“Okay, youngster. Let’s head there then”.

“Youngster?” - Mavet’s eyes started burning bright furry.

“Well, I’m a millennia older than you, so yes”.

“You know I can take angel souls too?” She was smiling.

“Yeah? Your point?”.

“Well, it’s not like I like doing it anyway” She scoffed, while her eyes turned back to normal. “I only enjoy taking pathetic humans”.

“I find your enjoyment for your job incredibly perplexing”.

“You may be right on that, I do find pleasure in what I do and it’s for a reason” She was looking straight ahead “I believe that Father’s act of taking these humans’ immortality was very rightful”.

“So you enjoy being the executioner of that act?”.

“Exactly, these humans are too stupid and irrational to stay on Earth”.

We arrived at the marina. The sky was a deep shade of blue that reminded me of what the horizon looked like from Heaven. Mavet was also watching the sky with a calm expression on her face. A very lovely moment away from Hell’s screams and Death’s duty. “You never showed me your wings.” I told Mavet, squinting my eyes slightly at a distant boat in the sea.

“Oh well…” Mavet replied, not meeting my eyes. “They’re big, like nasty big”.

“I still am very eager to see the wings of Death.”.

She turned to me, smiling, ear to ear. “Alright then, morning star, you’ve got it.”. She waved her hand again.

“Why are you stopping time?!” I asked, concerned.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to show all of these people my wings?” She mulled, backing off from the marina line.

Mavet shuddered a bit, before, her body lifted off the ground, standing on air while her eyes burned brighter than I’ve seen them do for the entire night. A strong gust of wind hit me in the eyes, it was a howling sound of wind, the air whipped around, violently producing loud whistling. Mavet laid her arms out, spreading them as wide as she could, from out of her shoulder blades, two ginormous wings, the color of the night, flocked out of her back, only one stray feather fell to the ground, unperturbed by the wind.

They covered the entire horizon. I was not able to see a single spot of the night sky that was not covered by Mavet’s wings. Lines of light drawing the pattern of a circle on both of her wings contrasted their dark color, and a red skull symbol rested in the middle of that circle.

She, indeed, did not lie when she said they were nasty big. I think the only angel I’ve ever seen with such majestic wings was Gabriel, and Gabriel’s wings are plain white, with no symbols on them.

Mavet was smiling in the air while her wings moved slowly with the wind. After about one minute of me being utterly impressed by this young angel’s wings. She rolled her wings back to her shoulders and descended down on the ground. Her eyes snapped back to normal and she surprisingly did not fall over.

To clarify. Most angels drop on the ground face-first after they reveal their wings, and that’s mainly because rolling out the wings from your shoulders is very painful, and tiring. But Mavet had them out for a whole minute and did not break a sweat. Which means that she’s a high ranked angel like me. I did not expect anything less from Death.

After unfreezing time. Mavet asked me ”What do you think of them?”.

“I do not believe I have the proper words to describe them”.

“That’s what all of Heaven said when they saw them for the first time”.

“Heaven is not the best audience for whatever surreal sight I just witnessed” My voice was higher than I intended it to.

“Do you still have hate for them?” Mavet asked with genuine curiosity on her face.

“Somewhat. Millennia of contemplating made me think that while their principle for casting me out was just. The punishment certainly was not”.

“I’ve overheard many conversations about you up there while delivering righteous souls” Mavet said, staring at the night sky, “A lot of newer angels don’t even know you exist, and the ones that do have been brainwashed to think that you’re pure evil”.

“I won’t blame them if we were still during the Creation Era, but the fact that they’re still holding that grudge after millions of years is what keeps me from loving Heaven again.”

“You think they might give you another chance?”.

I scoffed, “Hell no, you do not comprehend how stubborn they are. I’ve given up on hoping to go back there long ago”.

“That sucks, man” Mavet muttered, “At least you don’t need Heaven now”.

“Precisely. I don’t need them nor their petty politics. I’m fine with my job as the punisher of sins. The irony isn’t lost on anyone”.

“What did you do that made you into Death?” I asked Mavet in an attempt to shift the conversation.

“Nothing in particular. I was told that it’s necessary and that someone had to do it”.

“Classic Heaven. They still love giving people jobs that they don’t want. Haven’t changed a bit”.

“I was damn terrified and clumsy during the first years of my job. You don’t get used to stealing mortal lives easily”.

“Tell me about it, though. When exactly did it stop being terrifying?”.

“I don’t know? Eventually something in me just snapped out. I do occasionally try to feel the slightest bit of empathy or fear but since my spirit has been taken away. Those emotions no longer make sense”.

“The only thing that makes sense for me now is pleasure from taking these souls. It’s all I have left of myself” She added, looking at the ground.

We continued walking alongside the marina line. Mavet told me about how they treat her in Heaven. About how everybody backs off when she’s carrying a soul to Silver City, and how nobody talks to her except Gabriel, who only gives her orders about who’s soul to take and where to find them.

I grew even more convinced that I’d be treated the same way if I ever somehow make it back there. I don’t understand what pleasure Heaven takes in treating us like monsters. Clearly, we’re only doing a job that they won’t get their hands dirty doing. I don’t want to hate them more; but they really are leaving me no choice.

“You know. Your demons in Hell treat me way better when I’m delivering a soul there” Mavet caught me off guard with that one.

“What?” I asked her, confused.

“The demons in Hell always greet me. They invite me in to chat with them and are generally nicer to me than Heaven’s angels”.

“That is fairly strange, but okay. Thanks for the compliment, I guess”.

“I mean it” Mavet turned to me with a cheerful face, “The only reason I respect you more than any other angel is because I think you actually did put in the work to raise your demons properly”.

I smiled, “I did teach them a lot about respecting other angels and being friendly, but I never thought that they’d listen”.

But also, I’m still confused. Angels in Heaven are usually taught by Father to be cheerful and friendly, even to those who they fear. What drastic change made them physically back off when Mavet is walking by?

You might think that I’m not supposed to care about Heaven anymore, but it’s much more complicated than that. As much as I dislike Heaven and disagree with their ways. They’re still an important part of Creation. Any imbalances that happen there will affect all of the universe, and so. I have to understand why angels are doing this.

I asked Mavet while we were sitting on one of the benches near the marina, “How does Heaven treat the new souls coming into it? The souls of the righteous".

“Well. Angels might greet them while I’m taking them to their desired spot. That’s rare though. Most souls only get the standard Silver City welcome speech said by some new angel with a cold and rushed tone.”

“..And that’s it?”.

“Yup. After that, the soul gets the standard Heaven treatment. You know, the do-whatever-you-want-now treatment.”

“That’s impossible” I told Mavet while standing up from the bench, “They’re supposed to be friendlier than whatever this is”.

“Friendlier how?”.

“Before I was cast out. We used to greet new souls and give them a tour of Silver City and Eden while playing music. This is how Father instructed us to do it.”

“I’m not sure. It has been like that since as long as I can remember” Mavet shrugged, “Maybe Father changed His ways?”.

“No. Father doesn’t change in any way. He’s omniscient. Besides, He loves righteous humans. He won’t just instruct angels to treat them coldly.”

“Are you saying that Heaven is disobeying Father?”.

“Seems like it. I cannot think of another reasonable explanation of why they would be doing this.”

“If this is the case. This can’t be good” Mavet was crossing her arms.

“Precisely. This needs to be addressed” I whispered to myself, “And Father is too busy to handle it.”

“What can we do?”.

I thought for a long time before responding. I’m the only one with enough reputation and respect to convince Heaven to stop the crap they’re doing, but how am I supposed to do that? I was cast out from there eons ago.

Well. This matter is very important and Heaven is gonna have to put aside its politics and grudges against me, because if humans don’t feel welcome enough in Heaven. There will be no reason for them to be righteous, and if they’re not…

“I’m going back up there” I told Mavet, not believing my own words. “W-What?” She replied, clearly baffled, “You know you’re not welcome there, right?”.

“Yeah, but that won’t matter now. This could genuinely destroy Creation as you know it”.

“Can’t you just leave it for Father to handle? You know Heaven is His domain”.

“If this has been up for millennia, I don’t think Father cares enough to handle it”.

Mavet smiled, “You still remember the Ascending Sequence?”.

“Hardly, I never thought I’d need it” I replied, recalling the Sequence.

“Alright then. Let’s do it together”.

Mavet and I went to an empty parking lot in the marina in order to invoke the Ascending Sequence. Which is essentially how angels manage to go up to Heaven from Earth.

I looked up to the sky, specifically to a spot that didn’t have clouds in it, and then I started concentrating on it. First there was nothing. Mavet managed to pull it off and disappeared before my eyes while I was still concentrating.

A minute passed, then two, then three. I was convinced that my angelic powers were completely gone because I never used them after Hellfire gave me new powers. Just as I was about to give up. The ground under me started glowing, it was getting brighter and brighter as I concentrated more.

The portal finally opened up in the sky after four minutes of waiting, and as I was being sucked into it at a speed I forgot was possible, I heard a voice I never thought I’d hear again:

”Welcome back, My child”.

This cannot possibly be what I’m thinking, “F-Father?” I ask, faintly.

”Yes. Open your eyes”.

I open my eyes and instantly get flashbanged. I haven’t seen this light in millenea…

Mavet is already there, waiting for me. The moment I look at her. She starts jumping around in excitement, “You made it!” she’s screaming while bouncing off clouds.

I was right about how I’d be treated here. It did not take long for Heaven to go silent at my arrival. Everybody just stared at me like it was physically impossible for me to be there.

A young angel walked up to me, “L-Lucifer?” he asked, shaking. “Yes” I replied, staring him in the eye.

He then backed off and practically bolted away, disappearing into Silver City.

“I’m gonna go drop off some souls now. This is as far as I can go” Mavet told me, extending her hand, “It was nice talking to you”.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t stay around if I were you. Goodbye.” I shook her hand. She then also walked towards Silver City.

Heaven didn’t even give me time to feel nostalgia or appreciate its golden mansions. One minute after Mavet walked away. The cloud under me started emerging, and out of it, came Gabriel.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, voice like thunder, “Wasn’t it enough that you rebelled against Father? Are you here to try another desperate attempt at taking His throne?”.

He laughed, wrong laugh. It was too long, too eager.

“Move aside, Gabriel. This does not concern you” My wings came out already, I did not want them to.

“What are you gonna do?” He scoffed, “Spit in my face? Make your pathetic demons come here and turn it upside down?”.

“Gabriel!” called a voice from behind him. It was Mavet, “He said move aside”.

“You took his side? You little petty machine” Gabriel was still laughing.

Mavet’s eyes started burning. Everybody backed off from her and left her standing there, alone against this absolute jerk of an Archangel.

“I advise you to let Lucifer through” Mavet said with her steel voice, her fingertips already glowing, “I can, with one finger, reap you out of this luxury you live in”.

”Enough.” Father called from above.

”Gabriel, let My child through.”

“But Father. He has betrayed You. He is not worthy of Your honor”.

”Gabriel. Do you comprehend what happens to angels that disobey Me?”.

“Y-Yes, Father” Gabriel’s voice cracked. He then stepped aside and let me walk into Heaven. ”Mavet. Let no one touch Semaiel, including Gabriel. You have My permission to take whoever comes close to him”.

“Yes, Father” Mavet then lifted off the ground, her eyes still burning. She circled around me like a vulture.

I walked forward towards Eden, “Father” I called.

“Yes, My child” Same thunderous voice He had a millennia ago.

“I’ve been thinking about this place. About how it’s run, and the people who run it”.

Gabriel lunged at me, “You do not get to question the system of Heaven”. Mavet pushed him back so hard he hit the gold wall about forty feet away.

“This is a mere warning, Gabriel” Mavet said while flying near Gabriel, who was now on the ground, “Another lunge and Heaven will promote a new Archangel”.

I continued, unbothered, “And I believe these people are disobeying You, Your authority and Your highness”.

Gabriel screamed while getting up, “You’re the last one to talk about disobedience”.

Then. Mavet was hit by a bolt of lightning that flashed all of Heaven and temporarily blinded them for a second. But she didn’t fall or stumble. She came out of the light, holding a sword that I knew too well.

Bright golden flames. Diamond handle. Bright white blade. The Flaming Sword, I haven’t seen this blade in a long time, and now it was in Mavet’s hands.

Mavet flew up, and she addressed all of Heaven: “You all know this sword, you know what it can do to you. Back off from Lucifer or face the consequences”.

”Continue, Lucifer, how are these people undermining Me?” Father called me.

“I believe it is clear enough to You, Father, that Archangels like Gabriel have properly forgotten that the Lord is our God and that the Lord is One” I was staring directly at Gabriel, “It would be quite demeaning of me to explain it to Your Highness”.

”Indeed, My child,” Father replied, ”Gabriel. What do you have to say?.

“He’s lying, Father. Nothing he’s saying is true” Gabriel screamed again.

”Is he?” Father’s voice was starting to grow louder, ”Why did you, then, question My judgement?”.

“I didn’t, Father” Gabriel was on his knees now, “I am but your servant”.

”I have never raised you, Gabriel, to question Me”.

“Not only that,” I turn to the rest of the angels, “It has come to my attention that they have not been treating the righteous adequately in Silver City”.

”Is that so?” Father asked me.

“Yes, Father” Mavet responded on my behalf, “I have many times seen angels treating the souls I bring into Heaven coldly".

“I may not be the best angel here. But I certainly remember Father instructing us to treat the righteous souls coming here cheerfully” I continued.

”Gabriel. Defend thyself” Father’s voice was rumbling the towers of Silver City and Elysium.

“Lord. I did not do such a thing, though it is pretty hard to treat all of these souls rightfully when I have to do it for millennia".

I burst out laughing, “The demons in Hell have been receiving the damned souls for the same time span” I look at Gabriel, “They have maintained the same level of anger as they torture these souls”.

”And Mavet has been reaping human souls at My orders for the same time. She has never shown any signs of degradation” Father’s voice now was ear-piercing, ”You have failed Me, Gabriel, I entrusted you with Heaven and this is what I get?”.

Gabriel’s mask fell off completely, “I hate having to babysit these petty humans”…

Everybody went silent. You could hear the sounds of the Elysium trumpets playing in the background, even Mavet stopped circling and just stood in the air, eyes bright, staring at Gabriel with a look that would scare a demon into bowing to her.

“Who do you think you are?” Mavet asked Gabriel, sitting foot on the ground.

“I’m the Supreme Archangel of Heavens!” Gabriel screamed back, “I’m not supposed to be the one handling these insufferable creatures”.

Mavet’s jaw dropped. She clearly has never seen this kind of audacity acted in Father’s presence. “And they call me the rebellious one” I told Gabriel, with a look of disappointment.

”Mavet…” Father said with the same tone He used when He cast me out, ”Gabriel is at your mercy. Spare him and he’ll be demoted to a Hell demon and you take his place. Or take his soul and send it to Hell and then take his place”.

“Thank you, Father,” Mavet said, turning back to Gabriel.

“You have mistreated the Lord’s guests, undermined His judgement, and refused His direct orders…” She put the Flaming Sword on the ground, “I’m gonna give you one last chance, who do you think you are?”.

Gabriel snapped back, “I am your lord, pathetic tool, I rule over you!”.

Mavet smiled. Same smile she had when she took Nathan, “Wrong answer. Goodnight”.

Mavet put her five fingers on Gabriel’s chest, gently pushed. What followed was a blur of Gabriel’s loud screams and his angelic powers flooding out as his soul was violently sucked out of his body. His wings blew up in a sparkle of light and then fell over all of Heavens as feathers and his body rested on the clouds of Heavens, lifeless.

As the last sparkle of Gabriel’s powers enters Mavet’s eyes. She tilted her head up. She was smiling, and her eyes were still burning, but with a different color. Now they were bright gold. This is the true power of an Archangel.

She lifted off to the sky, where all of Heaven could see her, and then spread out her wings again. They were different. They were white now, with the skull symbol still resting on her wings, but now in black.

She said with Gabriel’s same thunder-voice “I am Death, the Destroyer of Worlds, and I bear witness that, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One”.

I turned to the rest of the angels, “From now on. Nobody is obeyed here but Father”.

Mavet nodded in agreement, “Indeed, for I am a messenger from Him. I don’t say but what He says and I don’t do but what He orders”.

“And if anybody has other opinions,” She continued, her fingers sparkling again, “You have now witnessed how painful death is, I do not believe you’d like to have such an experience. I hate taking angel souls, because all of you are my brothers, but if need be. A gentle push is all it takes to end up in a state you do not want to be in”.

Mavet then descended on the ground and addressed me, “Hey, look…Thanks a lot”.

“For what?”.

“You taught me that the right thing to do isn’t what Heaven usually did or ran on” Her eyes turned back to their normal form, “It’s what Father instructed us to do”.

I smiled, “I’m glad someone in Heaven finally got that, have fun being an Archangel”.

The same angel who bolted away from me earlier came back, still shaking, but with a flicker of confidence on his face, “May I ask you something, Lucifer?”.

“Sure”.

“How does the fire of Hell not burn you?”.

I kept smiling, “Because I…AM THE FIRE”.

The end. Thank you for reading!