and mounted to the wall behind, being more than just a bleached bone, dragon skull, but as a cruel reminder not to fuck with the one who possessed enough skill to kill it.
Either side of this throne were four arched doorways, one of which was a portal that was swarming with trapped souls writhing around in what looked like agony. As for the other doors, I knew at least some of them led to other parts of his castle. Yet, it was also said that each one held a portal. One that led to a different level of Hell, which made sense considering in the centre of each archway there was a large keystone, with a carving at its core of each of his presidents that ruled these realms. Kings in their own right, that were depicted in demonic skulls and edged with Sumerian text either side of their ruling sigils.
We continued to follow Lucifer towards his throne, and I found myself both impatient to get to wherever the fuck it was he was taking us and thankful that we did so in silence, for I was not in the mood to entertain Lucifer any more than my being here already was. Lucifer was the master puppeteer and he prided himself on controlling the elements surrounding the lives of others so that it would lead to the outcome he wanted. Something I had the impression he was doing now.
However, I pushed these suspicious thoughts to the back of my mind as we made our way up the steps, towards the last platform where his throne sat. Then we veered off to the right and through one of the largest of the four doorways that was sat on either side of his raised throne. This led us into a gallery of sorts, and a place I had never been before.
“Gods.” I heard Dariush mutter next to me and I confessed to share the sentiment, for had I truly known of the full extent of my father’s madness, then I might have tried to put a stop to it eons ago. I sincerely had to wonder just how far he was willing to go to in his private quest to mimic his own father’s power of creation.
As for myself, I often wondered if this was the reason that I had been chosen by Lucifer, if it was our similar circumstances that led us into power. Lucifer had wanted to rule Hell, but felt wronged by the God that created him when he was forced to do so without being granted equal power for creating mortals. So, he had set about trying to beat his father’s creation with one of his own that would be made in their imagine but stronger. The perfect being. Although, it was true that over the years, that vision of his had clearly been warped along the way.
As for the Gods, they realised evil must be contained and Heaven had no place for it, but like most realms, even in their infancy when they are nothing but a seed planted, everything eventually outgrows the hands that first nurture its roots. Hell was one of those seeds and its rapid growth was the reason a ruler was needed. One soul that was sacrificed with the promise of power, which in itself would grow a bitter darkness and one that only thrived on the very evil it was sent to rule over.
Lucifer was this sacrifice.
Just as I too had been sacrificed in the name of Jesus.
Lucifer’s quest to create the perfect being had clearly been bordering on obsession, and far beyond just one of life’s diversions. For now, in front of me and my brother, was the proof of this and it was nothing short of deplorable. Of course, I knew there had been attempts made in the past but this, well, it was like discovering a mad scientist’s gallery of failures and mistakes.
At the start of this large open space was a pool of eternal blue flames running down the centre, similar to the entrance hall. The mirrored ceiling above reflected the blue light, adding dark blue shadows to the walls, and aided the demonic show and tell Lucifer had brought us here for. Then, with a click of his fingers, that show began, and those blue flames ignited in sunken wells set deep beneath the floor and below each scene.
Silhouettes of each depicted failure danced back and forth, like puppets moving against a white background, with Hell’s blue