horrifying pose, as the fire burned with a raging crackle inside. A single twisted horn above its head acted as its chimney as the roaring fire inside its crying mouth created the smoke to bellow up inside and be funnelled above. Smoke that also escaped the tiny holes along the ridged horn and was sucked like a vortex around the structure.
Directly above, a chandelier of metal hoops circled the horn, holding a channel of oil that was set alight to created three rings of fire. The flickering light from the flames made the rest of the room glow, for the once plain white walls now dripped with crimson paint that most likely would have been blood. There were also demonic fur hides now stretched out and pinned at the edges on the floor that replaced the once lush and thick pile grey rugs. These broke up the dark stone floor that looked as if it had been made from slices of cooled lava.
Everything in the room had changed into some demonic Hellish version of itself and as Lucifer walked towards us, he passed a large vase that had once been made from pale marble stone. Now it was black volcanic rock that still held the shape, only before where it held large blooming flowers, now it only held death. For each one had died and had already started to crumble away to nothing before the vase itself started to shake. Then, a whimpering moan echoed from inside at the same time as a hand snaked out of the top, as if trying to free itself. Lucifer barely stopped long enough to run a single fingertip along the edge before it instantly set alight. Flames erupted around the now desperate and burning fingers as an agonising scream was heard from within. This lasted only seconds before the flames consumed the poor cretin inside. However, my sympathy was short lived after Lucifer told us,
“Serial rapist that left his victims to burn in the desert.” It was after this that I believed the punishment of a fitting kind, if perhaps a little too easy for such a being. Although, I had the impression that being burnt alive over and over again was to be in his foreseeable future.
“Ah, but my Maru, I wondered how long it would be before you graced me with your presence,” Lucifer said, using the term for son in his preferred language of ancient Sumerian. Thankfully though, he stuck to English, for my conversational Sumerian was rusty at best.
“As you know, I had other more pressing matters to attend to… and well, your welcome party kept us busy,” I replied with a growl, making him laugh, as I knew it would.
“Ah yes, I take that by your being here, my latest addition didn’t make it?” Lucifer said with utter glee burning in his eyes at the thought.
“Um, how should I put it…” I paused long enough for Dariush to add,
“We severed that fucked up delight before impaling it.” I granted him a knowing smirk, and agreed,
“What he said.”
Lucifer laughed as he walked our way and said, “Excellent.”
“You’re happy we killed your new toy?” Dariush asked with surprise.
“Yes of course…” He took a pause next to us and said with a distasteful tone, “It made a mess constantly shitting on itself.”
Then he continued walking past us, giving me chance to exchange a knowing look with my brother, who commented dryly,
“Yeah, that won’t be a problem anymore.”
“Ah, but the loyalty of brothers, fighting side by side,” Lucifer said with a roll of his hand, as if this was all so very amusing to him.
“Yes, and it looks like it was just a warmup, considering I have another brother out there who is intent on destroying me and for some unknown reason, I'm pretty much certain it has something to do with you,” I said, cutting through the bullshit that I didn't have time for, and his sadistic grin told me he liked this about me.
I was always direct, even with him.
“Very well, come along then and we shall discuss the way of things.” After this, Lucifer led us through his home once more, only this time our destination was a part of his fortress both my brother and I had seen many times before… usually, on our knees bowing to the bastard!
His throne room, like the rest of his castle, remained the same, for there was obviously no need for this space to have been changed. Although it did make me