Vox Populi, Vox Dei

(art of Lucifer and Lilith belongs to the Db-artwork by @lucylicious666)

... When Vox comes to his senses, his neck hurts. The head feels heavier than it felt in years, and for a moment he thinks that he drank a bit too much on that party of his.

But he is not in Heaven. And not at the Hotel. He is at some kind of dark, dark place, and he feels exhausted. Last time he felt that exhausted was years ago. Long before he died.

"Vincent," the voice, cheerful and condescending, makes him flinch and turn abruptly.

The white cold lights turn on all around him.

First he sees his reflection in the glass - not the one belonging to a proud False God, not even the one belonging to Vox, the leader of the Vees.

The one belonging to his first ever Hell version. The one who landed at the bottom of the food chain and started clawing his way up; clumsy with his new body and abilities; still ruthless and ambitious, but having to rely on charm and friendliness; still a smart, dangerous predator, but not so smart and not so dangerous, when Radio Demon showed up.

"This isn't real. It can't be," his voice comes out raspy and staticky, as he touches his screen, and the other voice, the voice from the darkness, laughs.

"Oh, but it can be, and it is! Frankly, I am a bit surprised at how impolite you are acting, Vincent. Don't I deserve a proper greeting?"

This woman wears another face, when she steps closer, but Vincent knows her voice, and he knows those eyes, and he knows, even before she tells anything else, how disappointed she is, and it makes his hands tremble in fear and rage.

"Hello, mom," he says quietly.

Then he tries to strangle her.

...

Lilith can only watch, how Vincent-Vox gets tied up by shadows and thrown against one of many mirrors in the room, breaking it. He screams and curses, but the ties on him don't disappear, only strengthen, covered by blood red sigils, and he cannot even get up properly.

"Kids, am I right?" Eve says cheerfully, as she turns to face Lilith. She changed since the garden - pail white skin, eyes, dark like blood. "You have plenty of problems with a single child. Can you imagine how hard it is to be the mother of entire humanity? Especially considering the amount of men. Ah. Men are the worst. Rude, loud, greedy."

She comes closer to Vincent-Vox, turning him face up with a tip of her shoe. He growls at her.

Eve tsks.

"And isn't Vincent the prime example of all of them," she turns her glance at Lilith. At least, for whatever reason, Eve doesn't hold her down. "But girls aren't exactly easier, m? I mean, your darling daughter could never stay away from doing the same mistakes her father did. Meddling with the balance, getting dead Sinners redeemed. I'm surprised you didn't nip it in the bud. After all, we all know how the gift of free will from Lucifer turned out for all of us. Best intentions. Horrible consequences."

She gestures to a dark arm chair on the side.

"Please, take a seat and be a dear, don't do anything stupid. You won't be the main attraction tonight, but you sure as hell are an esteemed guest, and you will take the spotlight sooner or later," she giggles. "I bet Vinnie won't even be too angry about it. The attraction he is a part of today won't be pretty."

...

Lucifer and Alastor have a very soft landing. It's a big dark room with a stage full of mirrors, and there is Vincent-Vox on it, growling and writhing in the grip of the shadows, among the shards of the mirrors, and Lilith - safe and sound, but pale, and there is also this other woman, the woman that seems so, so, so familiar.

"Hello, lover," she says to Lucifer softly. "Take a seat, will you?"

And then she finally turns to Alastor.

"Hi, baby," she says, and her voice is so familiar, so gentle. There is only one person who ever talked to Alastor like this.

"I'm sorry. I wish I met you earlier. But we were robbed of our time together by greedy, greedy people," she briefly glances back at Vincent and returns her eyes back at Radio Demon. "Before you ask - no. I am not her. But she always was a part of me. I am the mother of all mothers. And I am so proud of you."

Behind her, Vincent stops struggling, his screen growing darker, slightly glitching.

"After all," she says, smiling, and her smile fits the ruthlessness of Alastor himself, "You are about to change everything."

It had been... so long since the last time she saw Eve. The last time had been when the both of them were still human. It had been so much time, a part of Lilith thought she was dead.

No. It would be more accurate to say that a part of Lilith hoped she was dead.

Because the alternative was much, much worse.

Forced to bear the original sin inside her soul, unable to die... Lilith could not even start to imagine the emotions Roo had of her after seeing her. Knowing that she didn't even try to save her, only ever thinking of her dear Lucifer and her endearing Charlie.

She sat down in the arm chair as Eve suggested. "Please, Eve. Let Vox go. Let all of us go."

There was barely a chance that Eve would listen to her, but she had to try.

...

"Oh, shit." Was the first thing Lucifer said after seeing Eve for the first time in thousand of years.

Well, this is akward. How do you greet someone who you have not talked in, like, forever? And that she is sort of doomed for eternity due to your mistake...?

"Heeeey, bitch! How is it going? Yeah, um, this psycho-nightmare thing is new. Glad to see you are..." well? sane? "... Alive!"

Hi, baby! Hi, baby! Hi, baby

"Sooooo... yeah, this is weird, ah ah. What's poppin'? I mean, it's been a while, yeah, the creation of Hell and all that... What d'ya do, since then? How comes you're around? Don't get me, I'm suuuper in favor of it, it's just, how?"

He collects himself slowly, wings fluttering, and flies to Lilith, landing right in front of her, between his wife and Roo.

He reaches for her hand with his.

"And also... what's going on? I get that you'd target that TV guy, since he pretends to be god and all that, but why would the deer change anything? Unless you're here to kill him, or them both, which... thumbs up, right?"

The wires tighten at her throat.

"MOVE!" Vox shouts at Lilith and Lucifer, and for a moment his entire body goes flickering, and for a moment it seems like his head changes shape, switching to his modern form, "You are damn hellish royals, and I am current God, no fucking WAY she is just gonna let you..."

The shadows throw him screen first into the mirror. And then two more, until Vox is left gasping on the floor.

"Now, let's not be foolish," Roo suggests almost softly. "No one is leaving this show until the very end. Of course, lover, you can try," she glances at Lucifer teasingly, "But I don't think you'd want to leave without your wife."

Then she turns to Alastor.

"You've put on a great show this evening," she smiles at him, approaching him, "Adam... always promised more than he delivered. Serves him right.

You might all know that Vincent here holds entire Heaven hostage by tying his soul to that wretched cannon he hid so well," she turns to royal couple as well. "I'm not gonna lie, I expected his fall months ago. But some people just never meet their parents expectations, even when those are quite low..."

"Oh, fuck you," Vox spits blue and red blood in her direction, seething with bitterness, rage and long-forgotten fear. "Fuck you!"

"And, besides, killing him just wouldn't do any good to our heavenly friends," Roo proceeds serenely. "And I know some of us had big plans on those."

Her merciless eyes stop at Lilith for a moment. Then they return to Alastor and regard him with fondness.

"Fortunately, some boys are always their mother's delight. Alastor, dear. Say, the souls on your broadcasts - they don't really die, do they? Oh no. They live on and live on, scream on and scream on. Which got me thinking," she takes a step closer towards Alastor. "You still didn't get your revenge, did you, my dear? We could help each other. Put Vox on your broadcast. Let the royals watch. Here his little Trinity, his exorcist army will never find him on time.

The Heaven will live on, but remain controlled. And you will be free, stronger than anyone in the entire Universe. With the power of God and Devil combined.

I will help you and in return I'll only ask for one tiny favor."

Lilith had been grasping Lucifer's hand in fear, but with a sinner hurt in front of her, she couldn't exactly stay quiet.

"Eve, stop!" She hastily ran to stand in front of Vox, like a protective mother. "I... I know you must be angry. Your children are threatening Heaven and controlling Hell... But this is not the way!"

"All of this is because we killed Adam again, right? You loved him, and now he is gone..." She whispered, but knew Eve would be able to hear her.

Lilith ignored the jab Eve just did about Lilith having Heaven friends, for the sake of this not turning into a cat fight. She had to pick her fights.

Instead, she looked at Lucifer with pleading eyes. "Dear, take Alastor and run, and I will do so with Vox. We can all talk once we reach the Hotel!"

She looked at Alastor, clear fear clouding her good sense. He would not hear Roo's command, right?... Right?

Alastor twirled his cane, although more as a fidget rather than a florish.

"Lady Roo, is it?" he eventually enquired. "Pleasure to meet you, quite a pleasure! And a surprise, given you already require some help from my part. In exchange for more power than ever in existence, ah! What a bargain..."

He glances at Vox, who does not seem to be doing so well. Does Roo need help with him, really? And from Alastor, of all Sinners?

He puts both palms atop his cane, firmly, his grin wide and unreadable.

"Pray tell, why do you want that tray-head on my broadcast so fiercely you would trade immeasurable power for a tinsy, tiny favor?"

She laughs, and Vox hears the cold, mocking laughter of his mother, and Alastor hears warm, low chuckle of his.

"Don't try to run away," she warns Lucifer and Lilith fondly. "You'll just end up inside of one of the mirrors, and our TV Sinner here has an awfully heavy head that can smash them so easily... who knows where you'll end up when yours is broken. I wouldn't want that upon someone, who taught me so much."

Alastor's question makes her pause, though.

"That's a good question, dear. A fair one.

It's a bit of two things. First - as I said, I could outright kill him. But that would destroy Heaven, since somehow that little wretch hid the cannon away from Hell and Heaven, and no matter how hard I looked I couldn't find it."

"Skill issue," Vincent-Vox croaks, and it lands him into one more mirror.

"Hush now, Vinnie, mother is busy," Roo doesn't even spare False God a glance, her eyes don't leave Alastor's face.

"But you... You came into Hell so very well prepared, dear, that you've got some tricks up your sleeves I never got to learn myself. When you tear someone's soul apart, it never dies. It's always stuck in that moment of eternal agony, and that will let us have the leverage on Heaven without Vincent holding all the strings. And if we do decide to pull the trigger - well, you can always get him out, and I've always got some angelic steel to spare."

Vincent-Vox stills on the floor. He is not a fucking coward, but Alastor's broadcasts go beyond regular torture, and the double death is a forever death, and, despite his best efforts, he shudders at Roo's reckless voice.

"Besides," Roo's shadows raise Vincent off the floor and into the air, "There is a personal petty reason. I - just as you, Alastor, - dislike it when my tools don't work the way I planned them to. I am impatient. Vox was never supposed to last that long. He wasn't supposed to take you and his associates up there, he wasn't supposed to play merciful god, to befriend Lilith and he sure as Hell wasn't supposed to..." Roo's lips turn tight in anger, but she is quick to relax. "Well. Do a lot of things that he, unfortunately, did. So I do want him to really suffer. And judging by Adam's screams, you can make that happen, can't you?"

Her eyes go wide as Vox is hurt once more, but before she can actually go to help, Roo's words froze her in the spot.

"They... are still there?" She asked to no one, not really expecting an answer. Lilith just couldn't believe that all those decades when she had been gleefully ignoring Alastor's broadcasts, there was a soul being tortured.

All those times she had tea with him, all those times Alastor was happily laughing and relaxed, there were souls screaming in anguish.

And Roo, who knew all of this, was asking to do this to someone.

Lilith tightened her hands into fists. "Eve." She practically growled, her horns showing in full in record time. "Don't forget, you are a sinner too. Just like me, and just like him."

Sure, Vox had acquired archangelic powers, but Lilith had never stopped considering one of her people.

"Alastor." Lilith narrowed her eyes at him. "Release them." She was trying to order him, as his Queen.

"As for you, Roo." Lilith went to stand before her face. "You were never supposed to last this long, either. Maybe you should be next in the cannon, mm?" She, of course, was completely bluffing.

And trying really hard to ignore Lucifer's completely smitten face as she was doing so.

He turns his attention to Roo. "I could put Vox on my broadcast indeedy! With pleasure, even, given how that flat-head treated me!" And the fact Alastor refused to end up like his alternate counterpart.

"I could very well tear him appart, and submit his soul to endless torture for the eons to come, aha ah!" He smirks at Vox, who looks so pathetic and weak, already beaten bloody.

"And for enough power to surpass both God and Devil, non the less!"

"Bambi, don't you dare." Lucifer didn't care about Vox, but he knew Roo was not telling everything.

"Mmm... I don't know, that deal seems pretty sweet, doesn't it? Dispose of my enemy, then gain infinite power! Only a madman wouldn't consider it!"

"You are a madman!" Lucifer protests. "Now is the best time to act like one!"

"It depends on the favor Miss Roo would ask of me, really. Small favors can end up making a big mess, in the right hands, and I would rather these claws me mine then. So, what do you want, dear?"

"SEE! THAT'S WHY I HATE SINNERS! I don't care what you say, my love, I will only grab you and Vixen maybe, but never that disgusting freak!"

Vox is too proud to beg out loud, and yet he reaches for Alastor's frequency before he even realizes it; he hates himself for how desperate he sounds; but even more for the way he sees himself in the mirror.

Screen fractured, old model, old clothes; it all reminds him of that fight seventy years ago, after he made his stupid, reckless offer.

No. No. Fuck it. He won't beg anymore. Not Alastor, out of all people. Not again. He'd rather fucking die. He'd rather be tortured for eons.

But what if Roo is bluffing? What if soul torn to pieces will be enough to trigger the cannon?

Everyone on his party will die. Everyone he is responsible for. Val. Vel. Emily. Diligence. Sera. Lute. Voice of God. Winners. Virtues. Angels. Former exorcists.

He needs to think of something. He needs to think of something quick. He...

Roo turns to Lilith, hearing about the canon.

"What an insolent girl," she says softly. "Well then. Let's start the show with you."

And she snaps her fingers.

Black liquid enters the corners of Lilith's lips, pushing in with relentless precision. It goes down Lilith's throat and tastes bitter and vile, and Lilith remembers this taste; it was used before the trial over her and Lucifer, right before they were condemned to their Fall.

The Truth Speaker. Velvette's truth potion had nothing on this one.

One cannot lie and cannot stop answering until told to after tasting it.

"Now, Lilith," Eve's voice multiplies; it reminds Lilith of a voice that she forgot long, long ago. The voice of her mother. The voice of one who created her. "Why don't you tell Lucifer, how long ago did you and Vox planned to send him back to Heaven?"

She turns to Alastor, still smiling.

"Sorry, dear. First things first."

"Lily!" Lucifer yelled out, reaching out to her for a protective hug.

"... Mom?" Lilith's eyes widened in horror as her thoughts slipped out before she could even think them.

No, no. That 'mom' label sounded foreign in her lips. She did not have a mom. She never had a mom. Eve was not her mom.

"My darling, my beautiful flower, what is Eve talking about...?" Lucifer was still holding her, looking the most concerned out of them all.

Lilith buried her head in his chest. trying to bit her lips shut. Yet her voice still came out, trembling from the strain of Lilith herself trying not to talk.

"I... I wanted to... I wanted Heaven to reedem you. Since a thousand and two hundred years ago. All... All of my work for redemption... It was for you. For Heaven to notice us and make a deal with me. The deal I made with Adam..." Lilith tried to stop herself once more, but it was to no avail. "It started the exterminations. I reached Heaven in exchange of angels being able to do what they wanted in Hell." Lilith looked up to him, in tears. "But it was a trap! I was trapped in a secluded beach only Sera, Adam and Lute knew about, and... Thanks to me, they started the exterminations." She put her hands over her face. "It was my fault! The horror Hell has suffered the whole last decade, it was all my fault!"

Lucifer's eyes are shiny with unshed tears as he hugs Lilith direly.

"I don't need Heaven, Lil'! I never needed Heaven, as long as I had you... So all of this, it's..."

He turns to Roo, horns sprouting as he gathers light in his hand to fire at her.

His light meets void, as Roo gets gently displaced by Alastor's shadows in time. They are now both standing side to side, Alastor facing others with mild interest.

"Now, now, a gentleman does not harm a lady," he scolds as his shadows release Roo entirely. "Although you should now, dear madam, that I will only discuss that little deal of yours if you leave Lilith unharmed. After all, she is Charlie's mother, and as a mother yourself, you may appreciate her importance."

He glances at the pathetic mess that is Vox, almost crawling on the floor in his own blood, and one of his six shadow wings elongate to snake around the Sinner and bring him closer.

"It's a fucking trap, Alastor! A scheme! She's using you, as she does everybody! Her voice itself is a lie, you noticed that, right? Or are you even dumber than I thought?"

The Radio Demon's smile widens as his cold gaze drops on Lucifer. The Devil is desperately trying to pull out the dark vines snaking into Lilith's mouth and nose as he pleads. Pathetic.

Alastor turns to Roo with a thinner, amicable smile.

"As for your offer, I have a condition. I will have Vox screaming in one of my broadcasts in exchange for the power of both God and the Devil, as well as Charlie Morningstar's thorough freedom and safety. She is to be unharmed, do you hear? Else, the next soul on my broadcast will be yours."

Her dark eyes meet Lilith's with a grim triumph.

"Maybe don't intervene then, pet. If you don't want to say things you don't want to say."

There is a slight shadow of disappointment in her figure, which makes Vincent-Vox involuntarily flinch, even though it's not pointed at him. It's pointed at Lucifer.

What a mild reaction to the fact his wife plotted without his knowledge all this time. Ah, sometimes Eve forgets the extent of those lovesick fools. Of course, she could make Lilith talk further, and maybe then there would be not worry, but bitter betrayal in Lucifer's eyes... but the more agreeable Alastor grew, the less it mattered.

Roo's shadows leave Vincent's body, as Alastor's shadow overtake, and Vincent-Vox does try to zap away when the change occurs, his entire body flickering again, betraying a glimpse of his modern design. But Eve knows very well he should be kept in this form. Before, as a human, he grew as high as he could, and after he managed to upgrade and perfect himself, but this? This is his most vulnerable form. With less powers.

And who can keep a boy in a image of a hopeless loser better than a parent?

Vox yelps, as his attempt fails, and trashes in Alastor's shadow grasp so violently, there is screeching of static and then a short white flash of electricity all over his body, as he goes limp for a moment.

"The additional condition is acceptable," Roo smiles, her attention all on Alastor now. "Charlie Morningstar is a sweet girl. I wish no harm upon her. You'll get your power over Heaven and Hell. And as for the favor - I won't tell you the specifics, but I promise you, it will be small and it won't intervene with your fun."

"Fun? What a load of bullshit," upper left corner of Vox's screen breaks into shiny pixels, as he speaks. He still has control over his voice, talking smooth and deep, and yet there is an urgency in what he says, because he's afraid Alastor or Roo will cut him short.

"I have a counter offer."

Roo laughs in earnest, surprised by his gall.

"Oh, do you? Another offer? Because the last one went so well for you. Well, let's hear your pitch, little liar!"

Vox is profoundly trashed, but he manages to reach out with one of his wires and catch a bit of that black liquid that was used on Lilith.

He lets it drop on his bloody tongue.

"No lies. All cards are on the table. What she offers to you is immense power with a side of eternal boredom," Vox says to Alastor, looking him eyes to eyes. He locked in and the only thing that betrays his condition now is the crackling of static in his voice. "And even if Charlie remains free and unharmed, it's very fucking obvious Roo won't leave the Hotel alone, like I did. You don't need the power of Devil and God, Alastor.

With unmatched power who will you play with? You'll have to limit yourself to feel challenged. You might get carried away and destroy your playground altogether. You've always wanted to be among the strongest - but what she offers will make you outmatch everyone by a mile.

My offer is - ditch this bitch and the conditions she might not even be able to enforce. She wants you to control Heaven through me. Is that really the power of God or another honeypot?

Join my game and be an exception in it."

Vox's body remains still, but his eyes are bright and manic. To think that he thought that after taking over Heaven stakes will never get any higher.

"You hate being contained. I didn't understand that the power itself means nothing to you, if you don't have complete control over yourself. And that tiny favor for Roo, whatever that will be, robs you of that control. You will be tied down by a thread, but a silk thread can cut deep into your throat in skillful hands.

I do not offer you a place among the figures on my deck. I offer you to play with me. Against me. Together with me. I know you were fed up by me, but that's because I tried to keep you close no matter what.

I... won't anymore.

Be the chaos to my order. Be one thing I cannot control in my Universe. Be the wild card, the factor that I cannot account for. Someone who turns to me or against me on a whim. Let me challenge you, and challenge me yourself. Disappear on me, come back, be the only meaningful celestial body in your world, change the field of battle to the field of wits and back, do what you wanna do.

My only condition is - don't let the fun end. For you, for me, for the Universe. Whatever Roo has in mind will end the fun."

Focus.

She was about to say something to Lucifer, but changed her mind at the last moment. Before she opened her mouth, Lilith used her magic to put an 'X' bandaid over her mouth.

It still would not help if she got asked a question, but it would remind herself to not say anything otherwise.

Before she could go to Vox's side, Alastor's shadow grasped him first, while Vox flashed a short flash of electricity.

Lilith narrowed her eyes. She had seen that happening before. She knew what Vox just did.

Still.

She can't help but watch as Vox presents his counteroffer. She stays there, silent, and only snaps of her stuppor because Lucifer has catched up to her and is holding her once more, telling her without words that he will not leave her alone.

Lilith can't help but smile and give his hand a small grip. "I love you." She whispers despite the bandaid.

Then, gets close to Alastor and puts a hand on his arm, to get him to look at her without risking talking.

"She is saying that she is alright and to not worry about her, you psycho deer." Lucifer translated. They truly understood each other without the need of words.

Lilith then signaled Vox and looked at Alastor once more.

"And now, she is asking to let retro TV guy go. And become friends. Somehow."

Lucifer groans and curses at him, while he brings Vox close enough to knock on his screen with a knuckle. "You should take notes, old pal! Running your mouth to sway me? You do realize I despise attempts at controlling me, do you? I decide what is fun or not to me!"

He turns to Roo with an agreeable smile. "Let us run again the terms of our deal, dear! I would not want to keep a rock unturned in this matter. I broadcast Vox's screams, and in exchange, you both never take any action that may harm Charlie Morningstar, as well as grant me power equal to both God and the Devil's combined? Is that right?"

"YOU DISGUSTING FUCKER—" Lucifer fires up, and not even Lilith might manage to stop him from attacking Alastor this time.

Roo shuts him up with a shadow.

"You will have control over Heaven and control over Hell," Roo's eyes glimmer in mirth. "I won't take any actions that may harm Charlie Morningstar. Your power will be unmatched. And for that Vox will scream in your broadcast. And you will owe me a little tiny favor, simple and in no way getting in front of your fun. Is that a deal?"

She extends her hand to Alastor to shake on it.

Vox sparks up in another white hot flash, and for a few seconds his modern design materializes again, blue eye halo sparking above his head.

"Lilith," his voice sounds out of his halo.

"Break all the mirrors."

And at that, he turns back to his older form, exhausted, halo disappearing.

... Did he get cloned? Does Heaven possess the cloning technique?

(art of Lucifer and Lilith belongs to the Db-artwork by @lucylicious666)

... When Vox comes to his senses, his neck hurts. The head feels heavier than it felt in years, and for a moment he thinks that he drank a bit too much on that party of his.

But he is not in Heaven. And not at the Hotel. He is at some kind of dark, dark place, and he feels exhausted. Last time he felt that exhausted was years ago. Long before he died.

"Vincent," the voice, cheerful and condescending, makes him flinch and turn abruptly.

The white cold lights turn on all around him.

First he sees his reflection in the glass - not the one belonging to a proud False God, not even the one belonging to Vox, the leader of the Vees.

The one belonging to his first ever Hell version. The one who landed at the bottom of the food chain and started clawing his way up; clumsy with his new body and abilities; still ruthless and ambitious, but having to rely on charm and friendliness; still a smart, dangerous predator, but not so smart and not so dangerous, when Radio Demon showed up.

"This isn't real. It can't be," his voice comes out raspy and staticky, as he touches his screen, and the other voice, the voice from the darkness, laughs.

"Oh, but it can be, and it is! Frankly, I am a bit surprised at how impolite you are acting, Vincent. Don't I deserve a proper greeting?"

This woman wears another face, when she steps closer, but Vincent knows her voice, and he knows those eyes, and he knows, even before she tells anything else, how disappointed she is, and it makes his hands tremble in fear and rage.

"Hello, mom," he says quietly.

Then he tries to strangle her.

...

Lilith can only watch, how Vincent-Vox gets tied up by shadows and thrown against one of many mirrors in the room, breaking it. He screams and curses, but the ties on him don't disappear, only strengthen, covered by blood red sigils, and he cannot even get up properly.

"Kids, am I right?" Eve says cheerfully, as she turns to face Lilith. She changed since the garden - pail white skin, eyes, dark like blood. "You have plenty of problems with a single child. Can you imagine how hard it is to be the mother of entire humanity? Especially considering the amount of men. Ah. Men are the worst. Rude, loud, greedy."

She comes closer to Vincent-Vox, turning him face up with a tip of her shoe. He growls at her.

Eve tsks.

"And isn't Vincent the prime example of all of them," she turns her glance at Lilith. At least, for whatever reason, Eve doesn't hold her down. "But girls aren't exactly easier, m? I mean, your darling daughter could never stay away from doing the same mistakes her father did. Meddling with the balance, getting dead Sinners redeemed. I'm surprised you didn't nip it in the bud. After all, we all know how the gift of free will from Lucifer turned out for all of us. Best intentions. Horrible consequences."

She gestures to a dark arm chair on the side.

"Please, take a seat and be a dear, don't do anything stupid. You won't be the main attraction tonight, but you sure as hell are an esteemed guest, and you will take the spotlight sooner or later," she giggles. "I bet Vinnie won't even be too angry about it. The attraction he is a part of today won't be pretty."

...

Lucifer and Alastor have a very soft landing. It's a big dark room with a stage full of mirrors, and there is Vincent-Vox on it, growling and writhing in the grip of the shadows, among the shards of the mirrors, and Lilith - safe and sound, but pale, and there is also this other woman, the woman that seems so, so, so familiar.

"Hello, lover," she says to Lucifer softly. "Take a seat, will you?"

And then she finally turns to Alastor.

"Hi, baby," she says, and her voice is so familiar, so gentle. There is only one person who ever talked to Alastor like this.

"I'm sorry. I wish I met you earlier. But we were robbed of our time together by greedy, greedy people," she briefly glances back at Vincent and returns her eyes back at Radio Demon. "Before you ask - no. I am not her. But she always was a part of me. I am the mother of all mothers. And I am so proud of you."

Behind her, Vincent stops struggling, his screen growing darker, slightly glitching.

"After all," she says, smiling, and her smile fits the ruthlessness of Alastor himself, "You are about to change everything."

It had been... so long since the last time she saw Eve. The last time had been when the both of them were still human. It had been so much time, a part of Lilith thought she was dead.

No. It would be more accurate to say that a part of Lilith hoped she was dead.

Because the alternative was much, much worse.

Forced to bear the original sin inside her soul, unable to die... Lilith could not even start to imagine the emotions Roo had of her after seeing her. Knowing that she didn't even try to save her, only ever thinking of her dear Lucifer and her endearing Charlie.

She sat down in the arm chair as Eve suggested. "Please, Eve. Let Vox go. Let all of us go."

There was barely a chance that Eve would listen to her, but she had to try.

...

"Oh, shit." Was the first thing Lucifer said after seeing Eve for the first time in thousand of years.

Well, this is akward. How do you greet someone who you have not talked in, like, forever? And that she is sort of doomed for eternity due to your mistake...?

"Heeeey, bitch! How is it going? Yeah, um, this psycho-nightmare thing is new. Glad to see you are..." well? sane? "... Alive!"

Hi, baby! Hi, baby! Hi, baby

"Sooooo... yeah, this is weird, ah ah. What's poppin'? I mean, it's been a while, yeah, the creation of Hell and all that... What d'ya do, since then? How comes you're around? Don't get me, I'm suuuper in favor of it, it's just, how?"

He collects himself slowly, wings fluttering, and flies to Lilith, landing right in front of her, between his wife and Roo.

He reaches for her hand with his.

"And also... what's going on? I get that you'd target that TV guy, since he pretends to be god and all that, but why would the deer change anything? Unless you're here to kill him, or them both, which... thumbs up, right?"

The wires tighten at her throat.

"MOVE!" Vox shouts at Lilith and Lucifer, and for a moment his entire body goes flickering, and for a moment it seems like his head changes shape, switching to his modern form, "You are damn hellish royals, and I am current God, no fucking WAY she is just gonna let you..."

The shadows throw him screen first into the mirror. And then two more, until Vox is left gasping on the floor.

"Now, let's not be foolish," Roo suggests almost softly. "No one is leaving this show until the very end. Of course, lover, you can try," she glances at Lucifer teasingly, "But I don't think you'd want to leave without your wife."

Then she turns to Alastor.

"You've put on a great show this evening," she smiles at him, approaching him, "Adam... always promised more than he delivered. Serves him right.

You might all know that Vincent here holds entire Heaven hostage by tying his soul to that wretched cannon he hid so well," she turns to royal couple as well. "I'm not gonna lie, I expected his fall months ago. But some people just never meet their parents expectations, even when those are quite low..."

"Oh, fuck you," Vox spits blue and red blood in her direction, seething with bitterness, rage and long-forgotten fear. "Fuck you!"

"And, besides, killing him just wouldn't do any good to our heavenly friends," Roo proceeds serenely. "And I know some of us had big plans on those."

Her merciless eyes stop at Lilith for a moment. Then they return to Alastor and regard him with fondness.

"Fortunately, some boys are always their mother's delight. Alastor, dear. Say, the souls on your broadcasts - they don't really die, do they? Oh no. They live on and live on, scream on and scream on. Which got me thinking," she takes a step closer towards Alastor. "You still didn't get your revenge, did you, my dear? We could help each other. Put Vox on your broadcast. Let the royals watch. Here his little Trinity, his exorcist army will never find him on time.

The Heaven will live on, but remain controlled. And you will be free, stronger than anyone in the entire Universe. With the power of God and Devil combined.

I will help you and in return I'll only ask for one tiny favor."

Lilith had been grasping Lucifer's hand in fear, but with a sinner hurt in front of her, she couldn't exactly stay quiet.

"Eve, stop!" She hastily ran to stand in front of Vox, like a protective mother. "I... I know you must be angry. Your children are threatening Heaven and controlling Hell... But this is not the way!"

"All of this is because we killed Adam again, right? You loved him, and now he is gone..." She whispered, but knew Eve would be able to hear her.

Lilith ignored the jab Eve just did about Lilith having Heaven friends, for the sake of this not turning into a cat fight. She had to pick her fights.

Instead, she looked at Lucifer with pleading eyes. "Dear, take Alastor and run, and I will do so with Vox. We can all talk once we reach the Hotel!"

She looked at Alastor, clear fear clouding her good sense. He would not hear Roo's command, right?... Right?

Alastor twirled his cane, although more as a fidget rather than a florish.

"Lady Roo, is it?" he eventually enquired. "Pleasure to meet you, quite a pleasure! And a surprise, given you already require some help from my part. In exchange for more power than ever in existence, ah! What a bargain..."

He glances at Vox, who does not seem to be doing so well. Does Roo need help with him, really? And from Alastor, of all Sinners?

He puts both palms atop his cane, firmly, his grin wide and unreadable.

"Pray tell, why do you want that tray-head on my broadcast so fiercely you would trade immeasurable power for a tinsy, tiny favor?"

She laughs, and Vox hears the cold, mocking laughter of his mother, and Alastor hears warm, low chuckle of his.

"Don't try to run away," she warns Lucifer and Lilith fondly. "You'll just end up inside of one of the mirrors, and our TV Sinner here has an awfully heavy head that can smash them so easily... who knows where you'll end up when yours is broken. I wouldn't want that upon someone, who taught me so much."

Alastor's question makes her pause, though.

"That's a good question, dear. A fair one.

It's a bit of two things. First - as I said, I could outright kill him. But that would destroy Heaven, since somehow that little wretch hid the cannon away from Hell and Heaven, and no matter how hard I looked I couldn't find it."

"Skill issue," Vincent-Vox croaks, and it lands him into one more mirror.

"Hush now, Vinnie, mother is busy," Roo doesn't even spare False God a glance, her eyes don't leave Alastor's face.

"But you... You came into Hell so very well prepared, dear, that you've got some tricks up your sleeves I never got to learn myself. When you tear someone's soul apart, it never dies. It's always stuck in that moment of eternal agony, and that will let us have the leverage on Heaven without Vincent holding all the strings. And if we do decide to pull the trigger - well, you can always get him out, and I've always got some angelic steel to spare."

Vincent-Vox stills on the floor. He is not a fucking coward, but Alastor's broadcasts go beyond regular torture, and the double death is a forever death, and, despite his best efforts, he shudders at Roo's reckless voice.

"Besides," Roo's shadows raise Vincent off the floor and into the air, "There is a personal petty reason. I - just as you, Alastor, - dislike it when my tools don't work the way I planned them to. I am impatient. Vox was never supposed to last that long. He wasn't supposed to take you and his associates up there, he wasn't supposed to play merciful god, to befriend Lilith and he sure as Hell wasn't supposed to..." Roo's lips turn tight in anger, but she is quick to relax. "Well. Do a lot of things that he, unfortunately, did. So I do want him to really suffer. And judging by Adam's screams, you can make that happen, can't you?"

Her eyes go wide as Vox is hurt once more, but before she can actually go to help, Roo's words froze her in the spot.

"They... are still there?" She asked to no one, not really expecting an answer. Lilith just couldn't believe that all those decades when she had been gleefully ignoring Alastor's broadcasts, there was a soul being tortured.

All those times she had tea with him, all those times Alastor was happily laughing and relaxed, there were souls screaming in anguish.

And Roo, who knew all of this, was asking to do this to someone.

Lilith tightened her hands into fists. "Eve." She practically growled, her horns showing in full in record time. "Don't forget, you are a sinner too. Just like me, and just like him."

Sure, Vox had acquired archangelic powers, but Lilith had never stopped considering one of her people.

"Alastor." Lilith narrowed her eyes at him. "Release them." She was trying to order him, as his Queen.

"As for you, Roo." Lilith went to stand before her face. "You were never supposed to last this long, either. Maybe you should be next in the cannon, mm?" She, of course, was completely bluffing.

And trying really hard to ignore Lucifer's completely smitten face as she was doing so.

He turns his attention to Roo. "I could put Vox on my broadcast indeedy! With pleasure, even, given how that flat-head treated me!" And the fact Alastor refused to end up like his alternate counterpart.

"I could very well tear him appart, and submit his soul to endless torture for the eons to come, aha ah!" He smirks at Vox, who looks so pathetic and weak, already beaten bloody.

"And for enough power to surpass both God and Devil, non the less!"

"Bambi, don't you dare." Lucifer didn't care about Vox, but he knew Roo was not telling everything.

"Mmm... I don't know, that deal seems pretty sweet, doesn't it? Dispose of my enemy, then gain infinite power! Only a madman wouldn't consider it!"

"You are a madman!" Lucifer protests. "Now is the best time to act like one!"

"It depends on the favor Miss Roo would ask of me, really. Small favors can end up making a big mess, in the right hands, and I would rather these claws me mine then. So, what do you want, dear?"

"SEE! THAT'S WHY I HATE SINNERS! I don't care what you say, my love, I will only grab you and Vixen maybe, but never that disgusting freak!"

Vox is too proud to beg out loud, and yet he reaches for Alastor's frequency before he even realizes it; he hates himself for how desperate he sounds; but even more for the way he sees himself in the mirror.

Screen fractured, old model, old clothes; it all reminds him of that fight seventy years ago, after he made his stupid, reckless offer.

No. No. Fuck it. He won't beg anymore. Not Alastor, out of all people. Not again. He'd rather fucking die. He'd rather be tortured for eons.

But what if Roo is bluffing? What if soul torn to pieces will be enough to trigger the cannon?

Everyone on his party will die. Everyone he is responsible for. Val. Vel. Emily. Diligence. Sera. Lute. Voice of God. Winners. Virtues. Angels. Former exorcists.

He needs to think of something. He needs to think of something quick. He...

Roo turns to Lilith, hearing about the canon.

"What an insolent girl," she says softly. "Well then. Let's start the show with you."

And she snaps her fingers.

Black liquid enters the corners of Lilith's lips, pushing in with relentless precision. It goes down Lilith's throat and tastes bitter and vile, and Lilith remembers this taste; it was used before the trial over her and Lucifer, right before they were condemned to their Fall.

The Truth Speaker. Velvette's truth potion had nothing on this one.

One cannot lie and cannot stop answering until told to after tasting it.

"Now, Lilith," Eve's voice multiplies; it reminds Lilith of a voice that she forgot long, long ago. The voice of her mother. The voice of one who created her. "Why don't you tell Lucifer, how long ago did you and Vox planned to send him back to Heaven?"

She turns to Alastor, still smiling.

"Sorry, dear. First things first."

"Lily!" Lucifer yelled out, reaching out to her for a protective hug.

"... Mom?" Lilith's eyes widened in horror as her thoughts slipped out before she could even think them.

No, no. That 'mom' label sounded foreign in her lips. She did not have a mom. She never had a mom. Eve was not her mom.

"My darling, my beautiful flower, what is Eve talking about...?" Lucifer was still holding her, looking the most concerned out of them all.

Lilith buried her head in his chest. trying to bit her lips shut. Yet her voice still came out, trembling from the strain of Lilith herself trying not to talk.

"I... I wanted to... I wanted Heaven to reedem you. Since a thousand and two hundred years ago. All... All of my work for redemption... It was for you. For Heaven to notice us and make a deal with me. The deal I made with Adam..." Lilith tried to stop herself once more, but it was to no avail. "It started the exterminations. I reached Heaven in exchange of angels being able to do what they wanted in Hell." Lilith looked up to him, in tears. "But it was a trap! I was trapped in a secluded beach only Sera, Adam and Lute knew about, and... Thanks to me, they started the exterminations." She put her hands over her face. "It was my fault! The horror Hell has suffered the whole last decade, it was all my fault!"

Lucifer's eyes are shiny with unshed tears as he hugs Lilith direly.

"I don't need Heaven, Lil'! I never needed Heaven, as long as I had you... So all of this, it's..."

He turns to Roo, horns sprouting as he gathers light in his hand to fire at her.

His light meets void, as Roo gets gently displaced by Alastor's shadows in time. They are now both standing side to side, Alastor facing others with mild interest.

"Now, now, a gentleman does not harm a lady," he scolds as his shadows release Roo entirely. "Although you should now, dear madam, that I will only discuss that little deal of yours if you leave Lilith unharmed. After all, she is Charlie's mother, and as a mother yourself, you may appreciate her importance."

He glances at the pathetic mess that is Vox, almost crawling on the floor in his own blood, and one of his six shadow wings elongate to snake around the Sinner and bring him closer.

"It's a fucking trap, Alastor! A scheme! She's using you, as she does everybody! Her voice itself is a lie, you noticed that, right? Or are you even dumber than I thought?"

The Radio Demon's smile widens as his cold gaze drops on Lucifer. The Devil is desperately trying to pull out the dark vines snaking into Lilith's mouth and nose as he pleads. Pathetic.

Alastor turns to Roo with a thinner, amicable smile.

"As for your offer, I have a condition. I will have Vox screaming in one of my broadcasts in exchange for the power of both God and the Devil, as well as Charlie Morningstar's thorough freedom and safety. She is to be unharmed, do you hear? Else, the next soul on my broadcast will be yours."

Her dark eyes meet Lilith's with a grim triumph.

"Maybe don't intervene then, pet. If you don't want to say things you don't want to say."

There is a slight shadow of disappointment in her figure, which makes Vincent-Vox involuntarily flinch, even though it's not pointed at him. It's pointed at Lucifer.

What a mild reaction to the fact his wife plotted without his knowledge all this time. Ah, sometimes Eve forgets the extent of those lovesick fools. Of course, she could make Lilith talk further, and maybe then there would be not worry, but bitter betrayal in Lucifer's eyes... but the more agreeable Alastor grew, the less it mattered.

Roo's shadows leave Vincent's body, as Alastor's shadow overtake, and Vincent-Vox does try to zap away when the change occurs, his entire body flickering again, betraying a glimpse of his modern design. But Eve knows very well he should be kept in this form. Before, as a human, he grew as high as he could, and after he managed to upgrade and perfect himself, but this? This is his most vulnerable form. With less powers.

And who can keep a boy in a image of a hopeless loser better than a parent?

Vox yelps, as his attempt fails, and trashes in Alastor's shadow grasp so violently, there is screeching of static and then a short white flash of electricity all over his body, as he goes limp for a moment.

"The additional condition is acceptable," Roo smiles, her attention all on Alastor now. "Charlie Morningstar is a sweet girl. I wish no harm upon her. You'll get your power over Heaven and Hell. And as for the favor - I won't tell you the specifics, but I promise you, it will be small and it won't intervene with your fun."

"Fun? What a load of bullshit," upper left corner of Vox's screen breaks into shiny pixels, as he speaks. He still has control over his voice, talking smooth and deep, and yet there is an urgency in what he says, because he's afraid Alastor or Roo will cut him short.

"I have a counter offer."

Roo laughs in earnest, surprised by his gall.

"Oh, do you? Another offer? Because the last one went so well for you. Well, let's hear your pitch, little liar!"

Vox is profoundly trashed, but he manages to reach out with one of his wires and catch a bit of that black liquid that was used on Lilith.

He lets it drop on his bloody tongue.

"No lies. All cards are on the table. What she offers to you is immense power with a side of eternal boredom," Vox says to Alastor, looking him eyes to eyes. He locked in and the only thing that betrays his condition now is the crackling of static in his voice. "And even if Charlie remains free and unharmed, it's very fucking obvious Roo won't leave the Hotel alone, like I did. You don't need the power of Devil and God, Alastor.

With unmatched power who will you play with? You'll have to limit yourself to feel challenged. You might get carried away and destroy your playground altogether. You've always wanted to be among the strongest - but what she offers will make you outmatch everyone by a mile.

My offer is - ditch this bitch and the conditions she might not even be able to enforce. She wants you to control Heaven through me. Is that really the power of God or another honeypot?

Join my game and be an exception in it."

Vox's body remains still, but his eyes are bright and manic. To think that he thought that after taking over Heaven stakes will never get any higher.

"You hate being contained. I didn't understand that the power itself means nothing to you, if you don't have complete control over yourself. And that tiny favor for Roo, whatever that will be, robs you of that control. You will be tied down by a thread, but a silk thread can cut deep into your throat in skillful hands.

I do not offer you a place among the figures on my deck. I offer you to play with me. Against me. Together with me. I know you were fed up by me, but that's because I tried to keep you close no matter what.

I... won't anymore.

Be the chaos to my order. Be one thing I cannot control in my Universe. Be the wild card, the factor that I cannot account for. Someone who turns to me or against me on a whim. Let me challenge you, and challenge me yourself. Disappear on me, come back, be the only meaningful celestial body in your world, change the field of battle to the field of wits and back, do what you wanna do.

My only condition is - don't let the fun end. For you, for me, for the Universe. Whatever Roo has in mind will end the fun."

Pfp Velvette in Val's contacts : :

Meanwhile, pfp Velvette is on her social media :

(All art is made by @/Doraiwa_san animations on YouTube)

"Are you sure you want to do this, Lilith?" Sera asked, in worry, as she saw the first winner staring at the dark crystal in her hands.

"It's not a question of my wants, silly." Lilith laughed in a giggle, turning around to look at her. "It's an order from God. I have to listen to them."

Sera put her hands on Lilith's shoulders, looking at her with deep worry in her eyes. "But still, going to another universe, and to Hell..."

Lilith shook her head and looked at Sera's eyes. "I'll be fine. I have God's protection, after all." She gently took Sera's hands off of her shoulders and caressed them softly. "My mission is to take my other self place to gather information about redemption. Apparently, a sinner managed to be allowed into Heaven over there. I need to learn how it works."

Lilith looked down as she continued. "If it's real, we could replicate it over here and finally free humanity of the disease that it's Hell. And if it's a sham, Charlie will finally see the truth that all sinners are completely unredeamable and finally come back home."

Charlie, her sweet heavenborn daughter, was passing through what Lilith liked to call an 'angelic emo phase', as she had gotten angry at her for allowing the exterminations and declared that she would reedem all sinners, going down to Hell willingly.

Lucifer had tried to apologize in Lilith's name, but Charlie knew better. She knew that Lilith's hate for sinners ran much deeper than that.

Sera, who knew all about how hard-headed Lilith could be with these matters, could only sigh and get close to her. "Just... Be careful, my dear. Hell is already dangerous for any angel, much more for a winner."

"I will be, Phimy." It was the cute nickname Lilith had chosen for the Seraphim, as Sera's name couldn't be shortened, and Sery didn't sound quite well in her ears.

The two of them kissed for a moment. Lilith felt her own wings fluttering a little, as they always did when she was in a romantic mood.

In all truth, she didn't want to go. But Lilith already knew, from the moment she was born, that her wants paled in front of God's needs. Adam and Eve did not think like that, which is how they both fell and became the first sinners of Hell.

Disgusting.

As she opened the portal, she took a last look to the seraphim, who still had that worried look in her eyes. Lilith knew it would be the last time she would see her in a long time.

*****

The Queen of Hell walked through her private gardens in the Morningstar's Palace, as she always liked to do when she needed to deeply think.

All the plants of the garden were created by Lucifer, and she could feel his romantic love all over the place. The small spot of green inside all of the red that surrounded Hell calmed her down, as it reminded her of Eden.

She had very recently gained back the ability of hurting sinners, although she ended up almost smiting a friend in the process. And wasn't that as bad as before? Worse, even? At least before she wasn't a walking death threath for her people.

Lilith sighed. Perhaps she needed advice. But from who? She didn't want to risk hurting another sinner. Lucifer would only say sweet words to calm her down, but not offer her a solution. ... The best option was to ask the one person that Lilith knew she would not sweet the events down, as she herself had done exactly the same as Lilith did... Sera.

"But for that, I need to open a portal to Heaven... Okay, I can do this. Concentrate." A sinner opening a portal to Heaven was practically impossible, but she was the Queen of Hell. She had to try.

A portal opened before her.

"I... I actually did it! I..." Lilith almost jumped from joy, until someone crossed the portal instead. "... Me?"

"Greetings, Queen of Hell." Lilith said in a saccharine tone, her angelic smile not obscuring at all the hate inside her gaze. The angel wore a lavender sparkly dress that reached her neck, with her back opened to let her wings rest free. Her silver halo looked like a blank partiture, although it would resemble magical notes as soon as she started to sing.

"You... Are you an angel?" Lilith took a step back, stepping in one of the flowers as she created purple magic out of her hands.

"A winner, actually. Unlike you." The angel showed the dark crystal that she had hidden in her hand and threw it at her other self aggressively. "It's time for you to pay for your sins."

A magical diamond-like barrier formed around her, in the shape of the crystal. Lilith threw her magic in response, but it did nothing. The crystal shrank in place as it became the size of a necklace once again.

The necklace shined white repeatedly, as the sinner inside was struggling to break free. "Your magic will be useless inside there, dear." The crystal flashed white even more times in repeat as angel Lilith put on the necklace. "Now, I came here just to gather information about that redemption you preach about, but..."

She walked to the surroundings of the Palace, seeing sinners walking around freely, living their daily lives. "... I believe it's imperative I clean up a little, first."

"The God-Vox does get it all, huh," Vox snickers under his breath, watching Alastor get flustered - which is a rare treat.

He probably should feel jealous for his lucky double, but hey. It's not like he doesn't have his hands full in his own world.

"If Everybody Wins," Vox asks with suspicion, because he certainly notices both Alastor and himself among the Winners, "Who lost? What's the Hell like in there?"

Valexa offers them dozens of holograms.

"It all started when Adam and Eve fell, having found and tried the apple from the tree of Good and Evil, and gifted their son, Abel, the curse of Free Will. All the Winners you see above you are the lucky souls who never had it; for half of the humanity in that world comes from the Caine the Pristine, and half of it - from Abel the Fallen, and the first half of it never had the curse of Free Will, so they never had the threat of Hell hanging over their heads; and the second half could try as hard as they might, but Hell always knew they'll fall."

"Jeez, that sounds dark," Vox is impressed despite his best attempts. "So the division between Hell and Heaven in her universe is a bit rigged?"

"Those with free will still can earn Heaven," Valexa notifies them, "But through great hardship. The blood of Abel is strong in them, and it's hard for them to overcome the temptation the other half of people never have to face."

"Well, is the redemption possible for them?" Charlie asks hurriedly. "I mean, after death? Can they still do it like they can here?"

Valexa hums - with a low, mechanical hum of a computer.

"The predictions on this particular dimension are unavailable. Insufficient data. A lot of variables. I would suggest to retry the query in two to five years."

Vox looks back at Winner!Lilith.

"It wasn't a no, miss winged chihuahua," he teases with a crueler edge to his smirk. "You might just be one of those variables. So, I take it, you have no free will? No ability to tell good from evil, only god's will from its absence?"

She heard a covered snicker from her side and looked at her other self with a scowl. Sinner!Lilith faked a cough. "The air of the room feels dusty." was her excuse.

Winner!Lilith rolled her eyes and walked to see Valexa more closely. "This tin can did get some things right, though. It was all true. Abel chose to follow the cursed destiny of his parents, and Cain chose to follow our Grace instead."

She got close to the hologram of the angelic Charlie, literally stepping on Vaggi's hologram. The hologram started glitching, half-disappearing while she was there. "And yet, my sweet angel got swayed by hellborn and sinners's beliefs. She went to Hell on purpose to 'reedem' them. And I was sent here by God because they know there was...a success here." Lilith sounded like she didn't fully believe it yet.

As she stepped back, the Vaggi hologram returned to normal once more.

Then, finally, she stopped in front of them. "As for your last question, about if I have my own free will, allow me to answer back with a question..." Winner!Lilith looked at Sinner!Lilith in the eye as she spoke. "Who needs something like that?"

He executed a cheerful dance step towards the false Lilith, rotating his head fully in the process. "Charlie understands that free willed idiots chain themselves to devilish masters, such as myself, aha ah! And her sweet heart fights for their liberation, hoping their might only obey themselves and choose a kind path in life. Well, in death, really!"

"That's not exactly it," Charlie attempts.

"It's a bit like that, though," Vaggi points out. "A freed Angel Dust is much closer to redemption than a chained one."

"Yes! It's just, I mean, I think people can choose to be good even when they have restrains! That's what free will means, that people have a choice! They can change!"

"Debatable..."

"Pentious managed, didn’t he? He redeemed himself without even trying to! He just... did. And that's your proof, mom! Well, fake mom, I guess? Angel mom? Winner mom?"

"Lady Witless," Alastor provides helpfully.

"Miss Morningstar," Vaggi corrects.

"Winner!Lilith is indeed married to Lucifer," Valexa reports. "She also has a lover, archangel Sera..."

"Sera?!" Vox remembers the angel at the rally. "Oh. Yeah. I can definitely see that."

"I can definitely show it," Valexa responds smugly.

"NO!" Charlie panics. "No, no, no, nope, no way, please, don't, I don't want those images in my head!"

"That would explain some things I saw," Vaggi hums pensively.

"My point still stands!" Charlie argues passionately, even though her face turns a bit pink. "People can change. When free and when not. But the Redemption is also a chance for them to ultimately free themselves! No matter what contract they have on their soul, if they redeem themselves, they will be free! Nothing will tie them down to Hell, they can... have a second chance."

She glances at Alastor.

"And even though Alastor... gets it a little bit twisted, he still helps me to help other souls! And he came to help me entirely out of his free will! And yes, I know he can be cruel and he did... a lot of dark things, but it's his free will that made him show up and make a change and help me!"

Vox narrows his eyes, but says nothing at that.

And subtly (not so sublty, really) goes to stand closer to Charlie. Who is a hellborn, yes, but at least the nicest one around this group, for sure.

"I have my own wits and brains, thank you very much." She retorted once she thought she was safe (more or less). "But I decided to use them for our Grace's benefit instead of my own. Angels are selfless, unlike sinners."

Sinner!Lilith, instead, was much more focused in– "What do you mean you are in a relationship with Sera?!"

She sounded the most angry most of the people in the room had heard her before.

"Well..." Her other self put her hands over her cheeks to hide her own blush. "She's so sweet to me, even when she is worried for my actions, with the most adorable wrinkle in her dotted forehead..."

"I believe I understand. She's not Sera, just an angel with the same name." Lilith had never ever seen Sera act like that with her, and she had spent almost a decade forced to see her bird face!

Valexa did a noise that, if it were a human, Lilith would have thought it sounded like a sigh of frustration. "Allow me to demostrate."

"N O!" Yelled both mother and child at the unison.

"Hrmpf... My relationships are not of your interest, I must say." Winner!Lilith crossed her arms, annoyed. She looked at her other self once more. "How about you? You are only married to Lulu, too, right? I heard he is The Devil down here... Hmpf. I have no desire to meet someone so evil if I cannot smite them in God's name." She said, referring to the deal she had just made with Vox.

"That's kinda mean," Charlie mutters as he keeps laughing.

"Though your father does not seem particularly evil. His main flaw is that he hates Sinners, actually."

"He is boring as Hell!" Alastor insists. "Although you are not, Lady Morningstar... Pretending to be selfless while you invade another dimension with the intent of proving your daughter wrong? Threatening to attack Sinners you do not know the first thing about to feed your self-righteouness? THAT! That is true evil. Bravo! Bravo, mylady, you are putting even me to shame! I never thought of infiltrating another realm to crush random strangers, I will be taking notes!"

Vaggi snorts, because she hates angels, and Charlie dances from a foot to another, ill-at-ease. "Maybe the lack of free will makes her a bit, uuuh..."

"Cruel? Acting on dark things?"

"Come on, Al, you know I didn't mean it to offend you!"

"I am not vexed, darling, merely pointing out the similarities between that angel and the worst of Hell!"

I would be so intrigued about my, Alastor's and my associates' Winner versions... because at the very least it would be funny to try and corrupt them. Or be their dark and mysterious demon visitor. Don't you have the slightest desire to meet an evil version of your husband just to see whether you could fix him?"

"I could outline the probabilities of mutual fix/corruption rate," Valexa suggests rather helpfully.

If she wasn't a voice assistant, one could think she is invested.

"How do you even calculate something like that?" Vaggi crosses her arms, looking rather sceptical.

"Easy," Valexa reassures her. "For example, your corruption/fix rate with Charlie Morningstar is 60:40, where Charlie Morningstar fixed you with love and devotion for 60%, while you corrupted her with your exorcist bed tr..."

"Ooookay, okay, I trust you!"

"Speaking of true evil," Valexa continues, unfazed, "It's a common theological mistake to consider those who don't have free will inherently good. They are merely obedient. They don't have the capacity to tell good from evil. That's why they can commit atrocities with a smile and think of themselves as good. They only know the will of God, and that is what keeps them from punishment. Their ignorance."

There are a few moments of shocked silence.

"What? Mr. Vox trained me in different spheres and philosophical approaches to better differentiate dimensions from one another."

"Don't compare me to a sinner like you all. I have not a single black feather on me, my soul is completely pure." Winner!Lilith retorted back. She looked angry that she had been called evil, yet also proud of it. "I am not ignorant about how my actions may be perceived by sinners and hellborn. But it's God's will. Who am I to ask the intentions of our Grace?"

Although God had only sent her here for learning about redemption. Not for smiting souls.

"As for the evil version of my husband... I admit I may be a little curious. A little. But just so that I can talk about him to my own Lulu when I go back."

"Good, because he doesn't need any fixing. He is perfect just the way he is ~." Sinner!Lilith answered back.

"I'll pass," Lucifer groans. "You might look like my beautiful wife, but you have none of her kindness and will to bring hope to others! Lilith is the best person I know, aside from my amazing daughter, and she can't be replaced by anyone!"

"I have to admit Lilith is far too gentle for this place, which would make you the proverbial evil twin," Alastor grins.

"What Al means is, like, mom is the nicest person ever, so, uuuh..."

"You might be the total opposite," Vaggi provides helpfully. "Obedience is not inherently good!"

"What?" Lucifer snaps at him, and then realizes that his sneaky snake form has been changed, and now EVERYONE sees him, and him following Alastor to the V-Tower with Uncanny Wife (how he called her in his mind as he saw her), and then following everyone to the Dimension Room has been discovered.

"He-he," he says nervously. "Lilith, my love. And Lilith, the... alternative version of my love. Charchar! What an unexpected meeting. You see, I was just passing by this replica of Tower of Babylon, and then, suddenly and without warning..."

"I don't care if you're King of Hell twice, you are signing that NDA," Vox assures him grimly. He might have as well taken a class of cannibal kids on excursion down here.

He moves closer to Alastor, trying to be discreet.

"Okay, since we've figured everything out, we should probably find a way to get you home," he says to Winner!Lilith.

He glances at Sinner!Lilith and Charlie, though.

"Unless you two wanna risk it and show her a regular day at the Hazbin Hotel? Like, walk her through the supposed path of redemption? She came here to find out about that, after all."

"Suggested route is dangerous," Valexa warns them. "Winner!Lilith is still unpredictable. Like a..."

She turns on the fragment of the song instead of finishing the sentence.

@first-sinner-of-hell

(art of Lucifer and Lilith belongs to the Db-artwork by @lucylicious666)

... When Vox comes to his senses, his neck hurts. The head feels heavier than it felt in years, and for a moment he thinks that he drank a bit too much on that party of his.

But he is not in Heaven. And not at the Hotel. He is at some kind of dark, dark place, and he feels exhausted. Last time he felt that exhausted was years ago. Long before he died.

"Vincent," the voice, cheerful and condescending, makes him flinch and turn abruptly.

The white cold lights turn on all around him.

First he sees his reflection in the glass - not the one belonging to a proud False God, not even the one belonging to Vox, the leader of the Vees.

The one belonging to his first ever Hell version. The one who landed at the bottom of the food chain and started clawing his way up; clumsy with his new body and abilities; still ruthless and ambitious, but having to rely on charm and friendliness; still a smart, dangerous predator, but not so smart and not so dangerous, when Radio Demon showed up.

"This isn't real. It can't be," his voice comes out raspy and staticky, as he touches his screen, and the other voice, the voice from the darkness, laughs.

"Oh, but it can be, and it is! Frankly, I am a bit surprised at how impolite you are acting, Vincent. Don't I deserve a proper greeting?"

This woman wears another face, when she steps closer, but Vincent knows her voice, and he knows those eyes, and he knows, even before she tells anything else, how disappointed she is, and it makes his hands tremble in fear and rage.

"Hello, mom," he says quietly.

Then he tries to strangle her.

...

Lilith can only watch, how Vincent-Vox gets tied up by shadows and thrown against one of many mirrors in the room, breaking it. He screams and curses, but the ties on him don't disappear, only strengthen, covered by blood red sigils, and he cannot even get up properly.

"Kids, am I right?" Eve says cheerfully, as she turns to face Lilith. She changed since the garden - pail white skin, eyes, dark like blood. "You have plenty of problems with a single child. Can you imagine how hard it is to be the mother of entire humanity? Especially considering the amount of men. Ah. Men are the worst. Rude, loud, greedy."

She comes closer to Vincent-Vox, turning him face up with a tip of her shoe. He growls at her.

Eve tsks.

"And isn't Vincent the prime example of all of them," she turns her glance at Lilith. At least, for whatever reason, Eve doesn't hold her down. "But girls aren't exactly easier, m? I mean, your darling daughter could never stay away from doing the same mistakes her father did. Meddling with the balance, getting dead Sinners redeemed. I'm surprised you didn't nip it in the bud. After all, we all know how the gift of free will from Lucifer turned out for all of us. Best intentions. Horrible consequences."

She gestures to a dark arm chair on the side.

"Please, take a seat and be a dear, don't do anything stupid. You won't be the main attraction tonight, but you sure as hell are an esteemed guest, and you will take the spotlight sooner or later," she giggles. "I bet Vinnie won't even be too angry about it. The attraction he is a part of today won't be pretty."

...

Lucifer and Alastor have a very soft landing. It's a big dark room with a stage full of mirrors, and there is Vincent-Vox on it, growling and writhing in the grip of the shadows, among the shards of the mirrors, and Lilith - safe and sound, but pale, and there is also this other woman, the woman that seems so, so, so familiar.

"Hello, lover," she says to Lucifer softly. "Take a seat, will you?"

And then she finally turns to Alastor.

"Hi, baby," she says, and her voice is so familiar, so gentle. There is only one person who ever talked to Alastor like this.

"I'm sorry. I wish I met you earlier. But we were robbed of our time together by greedy, greedy people," she briefly glances back at Vincent and returns her eyes back at Radio Demon. "Before you ask - no. I am not her. But she always was a part of me. I am the mother of all mothers. And I am so proud of you."

Behind her, Vincent stops struggling, his screen growing darker, slightly glitching.

"After all," she says, smiling, and her smile fits the ruthlessness of Alastor himself, "You are about to change everything."

It had been... so long since the last time she saw Eve. The last time had been when the both of them were still human. It had been so much time, a part of Lilith thought she was dead.

No. It would be more accurate to say that a part of Lilith hoped she was dead.

Because the alternative was much, much worse.

Forced to bear the original sin inside her soul, unable to die... Lilith could not even start to imagine the emotions Roo had of her after seeing her. Knowing that she didn't even try to save her, only ever thinking of her dear Lucifer and her endearing Charlie.

She sat down in the arm chair as Eve suggested. "Please, Eve. Let Vox go. Let all of us go."

There was barely a chance that Eve would listen to her, but she had to try.

...

"Oh, shit." Was the first thing Lucifer said after seeing Eve for the first time in thousand of years.

Well, this is akward. How do you greet someone who you have not talked in, like, forever? And that she is sort of doomed for eternity due to your mistake...?

"Heeeey, bitch! How is it going? Yeah, um, this psycho-nightmare thing is new. Glad to see you are..." well? sane? "... Alive!"

Hi, baby! Hi, baby! Hi, baby

"Sooooo... yeah, this is weird, ah ah. What's poppin'? I mean, it's been a while, yeah, the creation of Hell and all that... What d'ya do, since then? How comes you're around? Don't get me, I'm suuuper in favor of it, it's just, how?"

He collects himself slowly, wings fluttering, and flies to Lilith, landing right in front of her, between his wife and Roo.

He reaches for her hand with his.

"And also... what's going on? I get that you'd target that TV guy, since he pretends to be god and all that, but why would the deer change anything? Unless you're here to kill him, or them both, which... thumbs up, right?"

The wires tighten at her throat.

"MOVE!" Vox shouts at Lilith and Lucifer, and for a moment his entire body goes flickering, and for a moment it seems like his head changes shape, switching to his modern form, "You are damn hellish royals, and I am current God, no fucking WAY she is just gonna let you..."

The shadows throw him screen first into the mirror. And then two more, until Vox is left gasping on the floor.

"Now, let's not be foolish," Roo suggests almost softly. "No one is leaving this show until the very end. Of course, lover, you can try," she glances at Lucifer teasingly, "But I don't think you'd want to leave without your wife."

Then she turns to Alastor.

"You've put on a great show this evening," she smiles at him, approaching him, "Adam... always promised more than he delivered. Serves him right.

You might all know that Vincent here holds entire Heaven hostage by tying his soul to that wretched cannon he hid so well," she turns to royal couple as well. "I'm not gonna lie, I expected his fall months ago. But some people just never meet their parents expectations, even when those are quite low..."

"Oh, fuck you," Vox spits blue and red blood in her direction, seething with bitterness, rage and long-forgotten fear. "Fuck you!"

"And, besides, killing him just wouldn't do any good to our heavenly friends," Roo proceeds serenely. "And I know some of us had big plans on those."

Her merciless eyes stop at Lilith for a moment. Then they return to Alastor and regard him with fondness.

"Fortunately, some boys are always their mother's delight. Alastor, dear. Say, the souls on your broadcasts - they don't really die, do they? Oh no. They live on and live on, scream on and scream on. Which got me thinking," she takes a step closer towards Alastor. "You still didn't get your revenge, did you, my dear? We could help each other. Put Vox on your broadcast. Let the royals watch. Here his little Trinity, his exorcist army will never find him on time.

The Heaven will live on, but remain controlled. And you will be free, stronger than anyone in the entire Universe. With the power of God and Devil combined.

I will help you and in return I'll only ask for one tiny favor."

Lilith had been grasping Lucifer's hand in fear, but with a sinner hurt in front of her, she couldn't exactly stay quiet.

"Eve, stop!" She hastily ran to stand in front of Vox, like a protective mother. "I... I know you must be angry. Your children are threatening Heaven and controlling Hell... But this is not the way!"

"All of this is because we killed Adam again, right? You loved him, and now he is gone..." She whispered, but knew Eve would be able to hear her.

Lilith ignored the jab Eve just did about Lilith having Heaven friends, for the sake of this not turning into a cat fight. She had to pick her fights.

Instead, she looked at Lucifer with pleading eyes. "Dear, take Alastor and run, and I will do so with Vox. We can all talk once we reach the Hotel!"

She looked at Alastor, clear fear clouding her good sense. He would not hear Roo's command, right?... Right?

Alastor twirled his cane, although more as a fidget rather than a florish.

"Lady Roo, is it?" he eventually enquired. "Pleasure to meet you, quite a pleasure! And a surprise, given you already require some help from my part. In exchange for more power than ever in existence, ah! What a bargain..."

He glances at Vox, who does not seem to be doing so well. Does Roo need help with him, really? And from Alastor, of all Sinners?

He puts both palms atop his cane, firmly, his grin wide and unreadable.

"Pray tell, why do you want that tray-head on my broadcast so fiercely you would trade immeasurable power for a tinsy, tiny favor?"

She laughs, and Vox hears the cold, mocking laughter of his mother, and Alastor hears warm, low chuckle of his.

"Don't try to run away," she warns Lucifer and Lilith fondly. "You'll just end up inside of one of the mirrors, and our TV Sinner here has an awfully heavy head that can smash them so easily... who knows where you'll end up when yours is broken. I wouldn't want that upon someone, who taught me so much."

Alastor's question makes her pause, though.

"That's a good question, dear. A fair one.

It's a bit of two things. First - as I said, I could outright kill him. But that would destroy Heaven, since somehow that little wretch hid the cannon away from Hell and Heaven, and no matter how hard I looked I couldn't find it."

"Skill issue," Vincent-Vox croaks, and it lands him into one more mirror.

"Hush now, Vinnie, mother is busy," Roo doesn't even spare False God a glance, her eyes don't leave Alastor's face.

"But you... You came into Hell so very well prepared, dear, that you've got some tricks up your sleeves I never got to learn myself. When you tear someone's soul apart, it never dies. It's always stuck in that moment of eternal agony, and that will let us have the leverage on Heaven without Vincent holding all the strings. And if we do decide to pull the trigger - well, you can always get him out, and I've always got some angelic steel to spare."

Vincent-Vox stills on the floor. He is not a fucking coward, but Alastor's broadcasts go beyond regular torture, and the double death is a forever death, and, despite his best efforts, he shudders at Roo's reckless voice.

"Besides," Roo's shadows raise Vincent off the floor and into the air, "There is a personal petty reason. I - just as you, Alastor, - dislike it when my tools don't work the way I planned them to. I am impatient. Vox was never supposed to last that long. He wasn't supposed to take you and his associates up there, he wasn't supposed to play merciful god, to befriend Lilith and he sure as Hell wasn't supposed to..." Roo's lips turn tight in anger, but she is quick to relax. "Well. Do a lot of things that he, unfortunately, did. So I do want him to really suffer. And judging by Adam's screams, you can make that happen, can't you?"

Her eyes go wide as Vox is hurt once more, but before she can actually go to help, Roo's words froze her in the spot.

"They... are still there?" She asked to no one, not really expecting an answer. Lilith just couldn't believe that all those decades when she had been gleefully ignoring Alastor's broadcasts, there was a soul being tortured.

All those times she had tea with him, all those times Alastor was happily laughing and relaxed, there were souls screaming in anguish.

And Roo, who knew all of this, was asking to do this to someone.

Lilith tightened her hands into fists. "Eve." She practically growled, her horns showing in full in record time. "Don't forget, you are a sinner too. Just like me, and just like him."

Sure, Vox had acquired archangelic powers, but Lilith had never stopped considering one of her people.

"Alastor." Lilith narrowed her eyes at him. "Release them." She was trying to order him, as his Queen.

"As for you, Roo." Lilith went to stand before her face. "You were never supposed to last this long, either. Maybe you should be next in the cannon, mm?" She, of course, was completely bluffing.

And trying really hard to ignore Lucifer's completely smitten face as she was doing so.

He turns his attention to Roo. "I could put Vox on my broadcast indeedy! With pleasure, even, given how that flat-head treated me!" And the fact Alastor refused to end up like his alternate counterpart.

"I could very well tear him appart, and submit his soul to endless torture for the eons to come, aha ah!" He smirks at Vox, who looks so pathetic and weak, already beaten bloody.

"And for enough power to surpass both God and Devil, non the less!"

"Bambi, don't you dare." Lucifer didn't care about Vox, but he knew Roo was not telling everything.

"Mmm... I don't know, that deal seems pretty sweet, doesn't it? Dispose of my enemy, then gain infinite power! Only a madman wouldn't consider it!"

"You are a madman!" Lucifer protests. "Now is the best time to act like one!"

"It depends on the favor Miss Roo would ask of me, really. Small favors can end up making a big mess, in the right hands, and I would rather these claws me mine then. So, what do you want, dear?"

"SEE! THAT'S WHY I HATE SINNERS! I don't care what you say, my love, I will only grab you and Vixen maybe, but never that disgusting freak!"

Vox is too proud to beg out loud, and yet he reaches for Alastor's frequency before he even realizes it; he hates himself for how desperate he sounds; but even more for the way he sees himself in the mirror.

Screen fractured, old model, old clothes; it all reminds him of that fight seventy years ago, after he made his stupid, reckless offer.

No. No. Fuck it. He won't beg anymore. Not Alastor, out of all people. Not again. He'd rather fucking die. He'd rather be tortured for eons.

But what if Roo is bluffing? What if soul torn to pieces will be enough to trigger the cannon?

Everyone on his party will die. Everyone he is responsible for. Val. Vel. Emily. Diligence. Sera. Lute. Voice of God. Winners. Virtues. Angels. Former exorcists.

He needs to think of something. He needs to think of something quick. He...

Roo turns to Lilith, hearing about the canon.

"What an insolent girl," she says softly. "Well then. Let's start the show with you."

And she snaps her fingers.

Black liquid enters the corners of Lilith's lips, pushing in with relentless precision. It goes down Lilith's throat and tastes bitter and vile, and Lilith remembers this taste; it was used before the trial over her and Lucifer, right before they were condemned to their Fall.

The Truth Speaker. Velvette's truth potion had nothing on this one.

One cannot lie and cannot stop answering until told to after tasting it.

"Now, Lilith," Eve's voice multiplies; it reminds Lilith of a voice that she forgot long, long ago. The voice of her mother. The voice of one who created her. "Why don't you tell Lucifer, how long ago did you and Vox planned to send him back to Heaven?"

She turns to Alastor, still smiling.

"Sorry, dear. First things first."

(All art is made by @/Doraiwa_san animations on YouTube)

"Are you sure you want to do this, Lilith?" Sera asked, in worry, as she saw the first winner staring at the dark crystal in her hands.

"It's not a question of my wants, silly." Lilith laughed in a giggle, turning around to look at her. "It's an order from God. I have to listen to them."

Sera put her hands on Lilith's shoulders, looking at her with deep worry in her eyes. "But still, going to another universe, and to Hell..."

Lilith shook her head and looked at Sera's eyes. "I'll be fine. I have God's protection, after all." She gently took Sera's hands off of her shoulders and caressed them softly. "My mission is to take my other self place to gather information about redemption. Apparently, a sinner managed to be allowed into Heaven over there. I need to learn how it works."

Lilith looked down as she continued. "If it's real, we could replicate it over here and finally free humanity of the disease that it's Hell. And if it's a sham, Charlie will finally see the truth that all sinners are completely unredeamable and finally come back home."

Charlie, her sweet heavenborn daughter, was passing through what Lilith liked to call an 'angelic emo phase', as she had gotten angry at her for allowing the exterminations and declared that she would reedem all sinners, going down to Hell willingly.

Lucifer had tried to apologize in Lilith's name, but Charlie knew better. She knew that Lilith's hate for sinners ran much deeper than that.

Sera, who knew all about how hard-headed Lilith could be with these matters, could only sigh and get close to her. "Just... Be careful, my dear. Hell is already dangerous for any angel, much more for a winner."

"I will be, Phimy." It was the cute nickname Lilith had chosen for the Seraphim, as Sera's name couldn't be shortened, and Sery didn't sound quite well in her ears.

The two of them kissed for a moment. Lilith felt her own wings fluttering a little, as they always did when she was in a romantic mood.

In all truth, she didn't want to go. But Lilith already knew, from the moment she was born, that her wants paled in front of God's needs. Adam and Eve did not think like that, which is how they both fell and became the first sinners of Hell.

Disgusting.

As she opened the portal, she took a last look to the seraphim, who still had that worried look in her eyes. Lilith knew it would be the last time she would see her in a long time.

*****

The Queen of Hell walked through her private gardens in the Morningstar's Palace, as she always liked to do when she needed to deeply think.

All the plants of the garden were created by Lucifer, and she could feel his romantic love all over the place. The small spot of green inside all of the red that surrounded Hell calmed her down, as it reminded her of Eden.

She had very recently gained back the ability of hurting sinners, although she ended up almost smiting a friend in the process. And wasn't that as bad as before? Worse, even? At least before she wasn't a walking death threath for her people.

Lilith sighed. Perhaps she needed advice. But from who? She didn't want to risk hurting another sinner. Lucifer would only say sweet words to calm her down, but not offer her a solution. ... The best option was to ask the one person that Lilith knew she would not sweet the events down, as she herself had done exactly the same as Lilith did... Sera.

"But for that, I need to open a portal to Heaven... Okay, I can do this. Concentrate." A sinner opening a portal to Heaven was practically impossible, but she was the Queen of Hell. She had to try.

A portal opened before her.

"I... I actually did it! I..." Lilith almost jumped from joy, until someone crossed the portal instead. "... Me?"

"Greetings, Queen of Hell." Lilith said in a saccharine tone, her angelic smile not obscuring at all the hate inside her gaze. The angel wore a lavender sparkly dress that reached her neck, with her back opened to let her wings rest free. Her silver halo looked like a blank partiture, although it would resemble magical notes as soon as she started to sing.

"You... Are you an angel?" Lilith took a step back, stepping in one of the flowers as she created purple magic out of her hands.

"A winner, actually. Unlike you." The angel showed the dark crystal that she had hidden in her hand and threw it at her other self aggressively. "It's time for you to pay for your sins."

A magical diamond-like barrier formed around her, in the shape of the crystal. Lilith threw her magic in response, but it did nothing. The crystal shrank in place as it became the size of a necklace once again.

The necklace shined white repeatedly, as the sinner inside was struggling to break free. "Your magic will be useless inside there, dear." The crystal flashed white even more times in repeat as angel Lilith put on the necklace. "Now, I came here just to gather information about that redemption you preach about, but..."

She walked to the surroundings of the Palace, seeing sinners walking around freely, living their daily lives. "... I believe it's imperative I clean up a little, first."

"The God-Vox does get it all, huh," Vox snickers under his breath, watching Alastor get flustered - which is a rare treat.

He probably should feel jealous for his lucky double, but hey. It's not like he doesn't have his hands full in his own world.

"If Everybody Wins," Vox asks with suspicion, because he certainly notices both Alastor and himself among the Winners, "Who lost? What's the Hell like in there?"

Valexa offers them dozens of holograms.

"It all started when Adam and Eve fell, having found and tried the apple from the tree of Good and Evil, and gifted their son, Abel, the curse of Free Will. All the Winners you see above you are the lucky souls who never had it; for half of the humanity in that world comes from the Caine the Pristine, and half of it - from Abel the Fallen, and the first half of it never had the curse of Free Will, so they never had the threat of Hell hanging over their heads; and the second half could try as hard as they might, but Hell always knew they'll fall."

"Jeez, that sounds dark," Vox is impressed despite his best attempts. "So the division between Hell and Heaven in her universe is a bit rigged?"

"Those with free will still can earn Heaven," Valexa notifies them, "But through great hardship. The blood of Abel is strong in them, and it's hard for them to overcome the temptation the other half of people never have to face."

"Well, is the redemption possible for them?" Charlie asks hurriedly. "I mean, after death? Can they still do it like they can here?"

Valexa hums - with a low, mechanical hum of a computer.

"The predictions on this particular dimension are unavailable. Insufficient data. A lot of variables. I would suggest to retry the query in two to five years."

Vox looks back at Winner!Lilith.

"It wasn't a no, miss winged chihuahua," he teases with a crueler edge to his smirk. "You might just be one of those variables. So, I take it, you have no free will? No ability to tell good from evil, only god's will from its absence?"

She heard a covered snicker from her side and looked at her other self with a scowl. Sinner!Lilith faked a cough. "The air of the room feels dusty." was her excuse.

Winner!Lilith rolled her eyes and walked to see Valexa more closely. "This tin can did get some things right, though. It was all true. Abel chose to follow the cursed destiny of his parents, and Cain chose to follow our Grace instead."

She got close to the hologram of the angelic Charlie, literally stepping on Vaggi's hologram. The hologram started glitching, half-disappearing while she was there. "And yet, my sweet angel got swayed by hellborn and sinners's beliefs. She went to Hell on purpose to 'reedem' them. And I was sent here by God because they know there was...a success here." Lilith sounded like she didn't fully believe it yet.

As she stepped back, the Vaggi hologram returned to normal once more.

Then, finally, she stopped in front of them. "As for your last question, about if I have my own free will, allow me to answer back with a question..." Winner!Lilith looked at Sinner!Lilith in the eye as she spoke. "Who needs something like that?"

He executed a cheerful dance step towards the false Lilith, rotating his head fully in the process. "Charlie understands that free willed idiots chain themselves to devilish masters, such as myself, aha ah! And her sweet heart fights for their liberation, hoping their might only obey themselves and choose a kind path in life. Well, in death, really!"

"That's not exactly it," Charlie attempts.

"It's a bit like that, though," Vaggi points out. "A freed Angel Dust is much closer to redemption than a chained one."

"Yes! It's just, I mean, I think people can choose to be good even when they have restrains! That's what free will means, that people have a choice! They can change!"

"Debatable..."

"Pentious managed, didn’t he? He redeemed himself without even trying to! He just... did. And that's your proof, mom! Well, fake mom, I guess? Angel mom? Winner mom?"

"Lady Witless," Alastor provides helpfully.

"Miss Morningstar," Vaggi corrects.

"Winner!Lilith is indeed married to Lucifer," Valexa reports. "She also has a lover, archangel Sera..."

"Sera?!" Vox remembers the angel at the rally. "Oh. Yeah. I can definitely see that."

"I can definitely show it," Valexa responds smugly.

"NO!" Charlie panics. "No, no, no, nope, no way, please, don't, I don't want those images in my head!"

"That would explain some things I saw," Vaggi hums pensively.

"My point still stands!" Charlie argues passionately, even though her face turns a bit pink. "People can change. When free and when not. But the Redemption is also a chance for them to ultimately free themselves! No matter what contract they have on their soul, if they redeem themselves, they will be free! Nothing will tie them down to Hell, they can... have a second chance."

She glances at Alastor.

"And even though Alastor... gets it a little bit twisted, he still helps me to help other souls! And he came to help me entirely out of his free will! And yes, I know he can be cruel and he did... a lot of dark things, but it's his free will that made him show up and make a change and help me!"

Vox narrows his eyes, but says nothing at that.

And subtly (not so sublty, really) goes to stand closer to Charlie. Who is a hellborn, yes, but at least the nicest one around this group, for sure.

"I have my own wits and brains, thank you very much." She retorted once she thought she was safe (more or less). "But I decided to use them for our Grace's benefit instead of my own. Angels are selfless, unlike sinners."

Sinner!Lilith, instead, was much more focused in– "What do you mean you are in a relationship with Sera?!"

She sounded the most angry most of the people in the room had heard her before.

"Well..." Her other self put her hands over her cheeks to hide her own blush. "She's so sweet to me, even when she is worried for my actions, with the most adorable wrinkle in her dotted forehead..."

"I believe I understand. She's not Sera, just an angel with the same name." Lilith had never ever seen Sera act like that with her, and she had spent almost a decade forced to see her bird face!

Valexa did a noise that, if it were a human, Lilith would have thought it sounded like a sigh of frustration. "Allow me to demostrate."

"N O!" Yelled both mother and child at the unison.

"Hrmpf... My relationships are not of your interest, I must say." Winner!Lilith crossed her arms, annoyed. She looked at her other self once more. "How about you? You are only married to Lulu, too, right? I heard he is The Devil down here... Hmpf. I have no desire to meet someone so evil if I cannot smite them in God's name." She said, referring to the deal she had just made with Vox.

"That's kinda mean," Charlie mutters as he keeps laughing.

"Though your father does not seem particularly evil. His main flaw is that he hates Sinners, actually."

"He is boring as Hell!" Alastor insists. "Although you are not, Lady Morningstar... Pretending to be selfless while you invade another dimension with the intent of proving your daughter wrong? Threatening to attack Sinners you do not know the first thing about to feed your self-righteouness? THAT! That is true evil. Bravo! Bravo, mylady, you are putting even me to shame! I never thought of infiltrating another realm to crush random strangers, I will be taking notes!"

Vaggi snorts, because she hates angels, and Charlie dances from a foot to another, ill-at-ease. "Maybe the lack of free will makes her a bit, uuuh..."

"Cruel? Acting on dark things?"

"Come on, Al, you know I didn't mean it to offend you!"

"I am not vexed, darling, merely pointing out the similarities between that angel and the worst of Hell!"

I would be so intrigued about my, Alastor's and my associates' Winner versions... because at the very least it would be funny to try and corrupt them. Or be their dark and mysterious demon visitor. Don't you have the slightest desire to meet an evil version of your husband just to see whether you could fix him?"

"I could outline the probabilities of mutual fix/corruption rate," Valexa suggests rather helpfully.

If she wasn't a voice assistant, one could think she is invested.

"How do you even calculate something like that?" Vaggi crosses her arms, looking rather sceptical.

"Easy," Valexa reassures her. "For example, your corruption/fix rate with Charlie Morningstar is 60:40, where Charlie Morningstar fixed you with love and devotion for 60%, while you corrupted her with your exorcist bed tr..."

"Ooookay, okay, I trust you!"

"Speaking of true evil," Valexa continues, unfazed, "It's a common theological mistake to consider those who don't have free will inherently good. They are merely obedient. They don't have the capacity to tell good from evil. That's why they can commit atrocities with a smile and think of themselves as good. They only know the will of God, and that is what keeps them from punishment. Their ignorance."

There are a few moments of shocked silence.

"What? Mr. Vox trained me in different spheres and philosophical approaches to better differentiate dimensions from one another."

(art of Lucifer and Lilith belongs to the Db-artwork by @lucylicious666)

... When Vox comes to his senses, his neck hurts. The head feels heavier than it felt in years, and for a moment he thinks that he drank a bit too much on that party of his.

But he is not in Heaven. And not at the Hotel. He is at some kind of dark, dark place, and he feels exhausted. Last time he felt that exhausted was years ago. Long before he died.

"Vincent," the voice, cheerful and condescending, makes him flinch and turn abruptly.

The white cold lights turn on all around him.

First he sees his reflection in the glass - not the one belonging to a proud False God, not even the one belonging to Vox, the leader of the Vees.

The one belonging to his first ever Hell version. The one who landed at the bottom of the food chain and started clawing his way up; clumsy with his new body and abilities; still ruthless and ambitious, but having to rely on charm and friendliness; still a smart, dangerous predator, but not so smart and not so dangerous, when Radio Demon showed up.

"This isn't real. It can't be," his voice comes out raspy and staticky, as he touches his screen, and the other voice, the voice from the darkness, laughs.

"Oh, but it can be, and it is! Frankly, I am a bit surprised at how impolite you are acting, Vincent. Don't I deserve a proper greeting?"

This woman wears another face, when she steps closer, but Vincent knows her voice, and he knows those eyes, and he knows, even before she tells anything else, how disappointed she is, and it makes his hands tremble in fear and rage.

"Hello, mom," he says quietly.

Then he tries to strangle her.

...

Lilith can only watch, how Vincent-Vox gets tied up by shadows and thrown against one of many mirrors in the room, breaking it. He screams and curses, but the ties on him don't disappear, only strengthen, covered by blood red sigils, and he cannot even get up properly.

"Kids, am I right?" Eve says cheerfully, as she turns to face Lilith. She changed since the garden - pail white skin, eyes, dark like blood. "You have plenty of problems with a single child. Can you imagine how hard it is to be the mother of entire humanity? Especially considering the amount of men. Ah. Men are the worst. Rude, loud, greedy."

She comes closer to Vincent-Vox, turning him face up with a tip of her shoe. He growls at her.

Eve tsks.

"And isn't Vincent the prime example of all of them," she turns her glance at Lilith. At least, for whatever reason, Eve doesn't hold her down. "But girls aren't exactly easier, m? I mean, your darling daughter could never stay away from doing the same mistakes her father did. Meddling with the balance, getting dead Sinners redeemed. I'm surprised you didn't nip it in the bud. After all, we all know how the gift of free will from Lucifer turned out for all of us. Best intentions. Horrible consequences."

She gestures to a dark arm chair on the side.

"Please, take a seat and be a dear, don't do anything stupid. You won't be the main attraction tonight, but you sure as hell are an esteemed guest, and you will take the spotlight sooner or later," she giggles. "I bet Vinnie won't even be too angry about it. The attraction he is a part of today won't be pretty."

...

Lucifer and Alastor have a very soft landing. It's a big dark room with a stage full of mirrors, and there is Vincent-Vox on it, growling and writhing in the grip of the shadows, among the shards of the mirrors, and Lilith - safe and sound, but pale, and there is also this other woman, the woman that seems so, so, so familiar.

"Hello, lover," she says to Lucifer softly. "Take a seat, will you?"

And then she finally turns to Alastor.

"Hi, baby," she says, and her voice is so familiar, so gentle. There is only one person who ever talked to Alastor like this.

"I'm sorry. I wish I met you earlier. But we were robbed of our time together by greedy, greedy people," she briefly glances back at Vincent and returns her eyes back at Radio Demon. "Before you ask - no. I am not her. But she always was a part of me. I am the mother of all mothers. And I am so proud of you."

Behind her, Vincent stops struggling, his screen growing darker, slightly glitching.

"After all," she says, smiling, and her smile fits the ruthlessness of Alastor himself, "You are about to change everything."

It had been... so long since the last time she saw Eve. The last time had been when the both of them were still human. It had been so much time, a part of Lilith thought she was dead.

No. It would be more accurate to say that a part of Lilith hoped she was dead.

Because the alternative was much, much worse.

Forced to bear the original sin inside her soul, unable to die... Lilith could not even start to imagine the emotions Roo had of her after seeing her. Knowing that she didn't even try to save her, only ever thinking of her dear Lucifer and her endearing Charlie.

She sat down in the arm chair as Eve suggested. "Please, Eve. Let Vox go. Let all of us go."

There was barely a chance that Eve would listen to her, but she had to try.

...

"Oh, shit." Was the first thing Lucifer said after seeing Eve for the first time in thousand of years.

Well, this is akward. How do you greet someone who you have not talked in, like, forever? And that she is sort of doomed for eternity due to your mistake...?

"Heeeey, bitch! How is it going? Yeah, um, this psycho-nightmare thing is new. Glad to see you are..." well? sane? "... Alive!"

Hi, baby! Hi, baby! Hi, baby

"Sooooo... yeah, this is weird, ah ah. What's poppin'? I mean, it's been a while, yeah, the creation of Hell and all that... What d'ya do, since then? How comes you're around? Don't get me, I'm suuuper in favor of it, it's just, how?"

He collects himself slowly, wings fluttering, and flies to Lilith, landing right in front of her, between his wife and Roo.

He reaches for her hand with his.

"And also... what's going on? I get that you'd target that TV guy, since he pretends to be god and all that, but why would the deer change anything? Unless you're here to kill him, or them both, which... thumbs up, right?"

The wires tighten at her throat.

"MOVE!" Vox shouts at Lilith and Lucifer, and for a moment his entire body goes flickering, and for a moment it seems like his head changes shape, switching to his modern form, "You are damn hellish royals, and I am current God, no fucking WAY she is just gonna let you..."

The shadows throw him screen first into the mirror. And then two more, until Vox is left gasping on the floor.

"Now, let's not be foolish," Roo suggests almost softly. "No one is leaving this show until the very end. Of course, lover, you can try," she glances at Lucifer teasingly, "But I don't think you'd want to leave without your wife."

Then she turns to Alastor.

"You've put on a great show this evening," she smiles at him, approaching him, "Adam... always promised more than he delivered. Serves him right.

You might all know that Vincent here holds entire Heaven hostage by tying his soul to that wretched cannon he hid so well," she turns to royal couple as well. "I'm not gonna lie, I expected his fall months ago. But some people just never meet their parents expectations, even when those are quite low..."

"Oh, fuck you," Vox spits blue and red blood in her direction, seething with bitterness, rage and long-forgotten fear. "Fuck you!"

"And, besides, killing him just wouldn't do any good to our heavenly friends," Roo proceeds serenely. "And I know some of us had big plans on those."

Her merciless eyes stop at Lilith for a moment. Then they return to Alastor and regard him with fondness.

"Fortunately, some boys are always their mother's delight. Alastor, dear. Say, the souls on your broadcasts - they don't really die, do they? Oh no. They live on and live on, scream on and scream on. Which got me thinking," she takes a step closer towards Alastor. "You still didn't get your revenge, did you, my dear? We could help each other. Put Vox on your broadcast. Let the royals watch. Here his little Trinity, his exorcist army will never find him on time.

The Heaven will live on, but remain controlled. And you will be free, stronger than anyone in the entire Universe. With the power of God and Devil combined.

I will help you and in return I'll only ask for one tiny favor."

Lilith had been grasping Lucifer's hand in fear, but with a sinner hurt in front of her, she couldn't exactly stay quiet.

"Eve, stop!" She hastily ran to stand in front of Vox, like a protective mother. "I... I know you must be angry. Your children are threatening Heaven and controlling Hell... But this is not the way!"

"All of this is because we killed Adam again, right? You loved him, and now he is gone..." She whispered, but knew Eve would be able to hear her.

Lilith ignored the jab Eve just did about Lilith having Heaven friends, for the sake of this not turning into a cat fight. She had to pick her fights.

Instead, she looked at Lucifer with pleading eyes. "Dear, take Alastor and run, and I will do so with Vox. We can all talk once we reach the Hotel!"

She looked at Alastor, clear fear clouding her good sense. He would not hear Roo's command, right?... Right?

Alastor twirled his cane, although more as a fidget rather than a florish.

"Lady Roo, is it?" he eventually enquired. "Pleasure to meet you, quite a pleasure! And a surprise, given you already require some help from my part. In exchange for more power than ever in existence, ah! What a bargain..."

He glances at Vox, who does not seem to be doing so well. Does Roo need help with him, really? And from Alastor, of all Sinners?

He puts both palms atop his cane, firmly, his grin wide and unreadable.

"Pray tell, why do you want that tray-head on my broadcast so fiercely you would trade immeasurable power for a tinsy, tiny favor?"

She laughs, and Vox hears the cold, mocking laughter of his mother, and Alastor hears warm, low chuckle of his.

"Don't try to run away," she warns Lucifer and Lilith fondly. "You'll just end up inside of one of the mirrors, and our TV Sinner here has an awfully heavy head that can smash them so easily... who knows where you'll end up when yours is broken. I wouldn't want that upon someone, who taught me so much."

Alastor's question makes her pause, though.

"That's a good question, dear. A fair one.

It's a bit of two things. First - as I said, I could outright kill him. But that would destroy Heaven, since somehow that little wretch hid the cannon away from Hell and Heaven, and no matter how hard I looked I couldn't find it."

"Skill issue," Vincent-Vox croaks, and it lands him into one more mirror.

"Hush now, Vinnie, mother is busy," Roo doesn't even spare False God a glance, her eyes don't leave Alastor's face.

"But you... You came into Hell so very well prepared, dear, that you've got some tricks up your sleeves I never got to learn myself. When you tear someone's soul apart, it never dies. It's always stuck in that moment of eternal agony, and that will let us have the leverage on Heaven without Vincent holding all the strings. And if we do decide to pull the trigger - well, you can always get him out, and I've always got some angelic steel to spare."

Vincent-Vox stills on the floor. He is not a fucking coward, but Alastor's broadcasts go beyond regular torture, and the double death is a forever death, and, despite his best efforts, he shudders at Roo's reckless voice.

"Besides," Roo's shadows raise Vincent off the floor and into the air, "There is a personal petty reason. I - just as you, Alastor, - dislike it when my tools don't work the way I planned them to. I am impatient. Vox was never supposed to last that long. He wasn't supposed to take you and his associates up there, he wasn't supposed to play merciful god, to befriend Lilith and he sure as Hell wasn't supposed to..." Roo's lips turn tight in anger, but she is quick to relax. "Well. Do a lot of things that he, unfortunately, did. So I do want him to really suffer. And judging by Adam's screams, you can make that happen, can't you?"

She gulps. Any wrong choice might fuck things up for her, so she goes to the favorite song of his shark..

"Meant to be yours? How dare you," he says, but his voice borders between annoyance and amusement. "The suicide murder love song instead of something like Sharks? Your choice will be remembered. The conclusions have been made.

... What's that Unhealthy Obsession nonsense you were talking about, anyways?" he checks the lyrics for the song and tsks. "How rude of you to suggest associations like that to your second boss."

That song is going to his playlist and will be played on loop.

Alastor will suffer the consequences of Melissa's choice as well, because Vox will make him listen to it one way or another.

(art of Lucifer and Lilith belongs to the Db-artwork by @lucylicious666)

... When Vox comes to his senses, his neck hurts. The head feels heavier than it felt in years, and for a moment he thinks that he drank a bit too much on that party of his.

But he is not in Heaven. And not at the Hotel. He is at some kind of dark, dark place, and he feels exhausted. Last time he felt that exhausted was years ago. Long before he died.

"Vincent," the voice, cheerful and condescending, makes him flinch and turn abruptly.

The white cold lights turn on all around him.

First he sees his reflection in the glass - not the one belonging to a proud False God, not even the one belonging to Vox, the leader of the Vees.

The one belonging to his first ever Hell version. The one who landed at the bottom of the food chain and started clawing his way up; clumsy with his new body and abilities; still ruthless and ambitious, but having to rely on charm and friendliness; still a smart, dangerous predator, but not so smart and not so dangerous, when Radio Demon showed up.

"This isn't real. It can't be," his voice comes out raspy and staticky, as he touches his screen, and the other voice, the voice from the darkness, laughs.

"Oh, but it can be, and it is! Frankly, I am a bit surprised at how impolite you are acting, Vincent. Don't I deserve a proper greeting?"

This woman wears another face, when she steps closer, but Vincent knows her voice, and he knows those eyes, and he knows, even before she tells anything else, how disappointed she is, and it makes his hands tremble in fear and rage.

"Hello, mom," he says quietly.

Then he tries to strangle her.

...

Lilith can only watch, how Vincent-Vox gets tied up by shadows and thrown against one of many mirrors in the room, breaking it. He screams and curses, but the ties on him don't disappear, only strengthen, covered by blood red sigils, and he cannot even get up properly.

"Kids, am I right?" Eve says cheerfully, as she turns to face Lilith. She changed since the garden - pail white skin, eyes, dark like blood. "You have plenty of problems with a single child. Can you imagine how hard it is to be the mother of entire humanity? Especially considering the amount of men. Ah. Men are the worst. Rude, loud, greedy."

She comes closer to Vincent-Vox, turning him face up with a tip of her shoe. He growls at her.

Eve tsks.

"And isn't Vincent the prime example of all of them," she turns her glance at Lilith. At least, for whatever reason, Eve doesn't hold her down. "But girls aren't exactly easier, m? I mean, your darling daughter could never stay away from doing the same mistakes her father did. Meddling with the balance, getting dead Sinners redeemed. I'm surprised you didn't nip it in the bud. After all, we all know how the gift of free will from Lucifer turned out for all of us. Best intentions. Horrible consequences."

She gestures to a dark arm chair on the side.

"Please, take a seat and be a dear, don't do anything stupid. You won't be the main attraction tonight, but you sure as hell are an esteemed guest, and you will take the spotlight sooner or later," she giggles. "I bet Vinnie won't even be too angry about it. The attraction he is a part of today won't be pretty."

...

Lucifer and Alastor have a very soft landing. It's a big dark room with a stage full of mirrors, and there is Vincent-Vox on it, growling and writhing in the grip of the shadows, among the shards of the mirrors, and Lilith - safe and sound, but pale, and there is also this other woman, the woman that seems so, so, so familiar.

"Hello, lover," she says to Lucifer softly. "Take a seat, will you?"

And then she finally turns to Alastor.

"Hi, baby," she says, and her voice is so familiar, so gentle. There is only one person who ever talked to Alastor like this.

"I'm sorry. I wish I met you earlier. But we were robbed of our time together by greedy, greedy people," she briefly glances back at Vincent and returns her eyes back at Radio Demon. "Before you ask - no. I am not her. But she always was a part of me. I am the mother of all mothers. And I am so proud of you."

Behind her, Vincent stops struggling, his screen growing darker, slightly glitching.

"After all," she says, smiling, and her smile fits the ruthlessness of Alastor himself, "You are about to change everything."

It had been... so long since the last time she saw Eve. The last time had been when the both of them were still human. It had been so much time, a part of Lilith thought she was dead.

No. It would be more accurate to say that a part of Lilith hoped she was dead.

Because the alternative was much, much worse.

Forced to bear the original sin inside her soul, unable to die... Lilith could not even start to imagine the emotions Roo had of her after seeing her. Knowing that she didn't even try to save her, only ever thinking of her dear Lucifer and her endearing Charlie.

She sat down in the arm chair as Eve suggested. "Please, Eve. Let Vox go. Let all of us go."

There was barely a chance that Eve would listen to her, but she had to try.

...

"Oh, shit." Was the first thing Lucifer said after seeing Eve for the first time in thousand of years.

Well, this is akward. How do you greet someone who you have not talked in, like, forever? And that she is sort of doomed for eternity due to your mistake...?

"Heeeey, bitch! How is it going? Yeah, um, this psycho-nightmare thing is new. Glad to see you are..." well? sane? "... Alive!"

Hi, baby! Hi, baby! Hi, baby

"Sooooo... yeah, this is weird, ah ah. What's poppin'? I mean, it's been a while, yeah, the creation of Hell and all that... What d'ya do, since then? How comes you're around? Don't get me, I'm suuuper in favor of it, it's just, how?"

He collects himself slowly, wings fluttering, and flies to Lilith, landing right in front of her, between his wife and Roo.

He reaches for her hand with his.

"And also... what's going on? I get that you'd target that TV guy, since he pretends to be god and all that, but why would the deer change anything? Unless you're here to kill him, or them both, which... thumbs up, right?"

The wires tighten at her throat.

"MOVE!" Vox shouts at Lilith and Lucifer, and for a moment his entire body goes flickering, and for a moment it seems like his head changes shape, switching to his modern form, "You are damn hellish royals, and I am current God, no fucking WAY she is just gonna let you..."

The shadows throw him screen first into the mirror. And then two more, until Vox is left gasping on the floor.

"Now, let's not be foolish," Roo suggests almost softly. "No one is leaving this show until the very end. Of course, lover, you can try," she glances at Lucifer teasingly, "But I don't think you'd want to leave without your wife."

Then she turns to Alastor.

"You've put on a great show this evening," she smiles at him, approaching him, "Adam... always promised more than he delivered. Serves him right.

You might all know that Vincent here holds entire Heaven hostage by tying his soul to that wretched cannon he hid so well," she turns to royal couple as well. "I'm not gonna lie, I expected his fall months ago. But some people just never meet their parents expectations, even when those are quite low..."

"Oh, fuck you," Vox spits blue and red blood in her direction, seething with bitterness, rage and long-forgotten fear. "Fuck you!"

"And, besides, killing him just wouldn't do any good to our heavenly friends," Roo proceeds serenely. "And I know some of us had big plans on those."

Her merciless eyes stop at Lilith for a moment. Then they return to Alastor and regard him with fondness.

"Fortunately, some boys are always their mother's delight. Alastor, dear. Say, the souls on your broadcasts - they don't really die, do they? Oh no. They live on and live on, scream on and scream on. Which got me thinking," she takes a step closer towards Alastor. "You still didn't get your revenge, did you, my dear? We could help each other. Put Vox on your broadcast. Let the royals watch. Here his little Trinity, his exorcist army will never find him on time.

The Heaven will live on, but remain controlled. And you will be free, stronger than anyone in the entire Universe. With the power of God and Devil combined.

I will help you and in return I'll only ask for one tiny favor."