First Demonic Dragon

Maniacal laughter rang out through the fiery recesses of hell.

Lucifer seemed to be playing a game with his son and granddaughter, and flew around his domain while ensuring that he was just outside of their reach.

He ran across the fiery lake and stoked up an enormous tidal wave.

He danced up the side of a jagged mountain of volcanic glass; ignoring his newly cut feet.

Lucifer's title as lightbringer wasn't for no reason.

He moved at a speed so fast that even Kanami and Asmodeus were just barely keeping up with him.

And it was beyond frustrating.

"Stop running from me, you coward!"

Asmodeus roared and created several black holes in his father's path.

Lucifer only laughed more obnoxiously as he teleported away from such a dangerous method of bodily harm.

Kanami wasn't really faring a whole lot better as a matter of fact.

It seemed like the two were going to spend all of their time chasing after the devil, but something finally drew them to a halt.

A large pillar of power burst from the ruins of Lucifer's palace.

In it's wake came a giant scaly creature standing upon it's hind legs.

It's body was dark black with vibrant red tattoos running across the length of his body.

In it's chest sat a large demonic eye; fully opened and perceptive.

And atop it's neck swung ten glorious heads.

Lucifer suddenly felt as if space had literally closed in around him.

Every attempt to move made him feel as if he were hitting a wall.

The very dimensions of hell were turning against him and holding him in one single position.

And after all they had been through together too… it was such a disappointment.

"Hm..?"

After looking at Abaddon for just a hair too long, Lucifer developed a rather persistent itch in his eyes.

He blinked a couple of times to hopefully get it to go away, but instead his own blood began to fill his vision.

'…Now that's just not fai-'

"DIE!"

Asmodeus and Kanami flew in like bats out of hell and capitalized on Lucifer's momentary inactivity.

Kanami impaled his midsection with her sword and Asmodeus tried to hack his father's head off.

But Lucifer thickened his flesh at the last moment to prevent his son and granddaughter's blades from going too deep. Even frozen, he wouldn't just make it easy for them.

"Don't waste your time."

When Abaddon spoke, all ten of his heads spoke in unison with each other.

His thundering footsteps carried him towards the three of them while wearing an expression none of them could read.

"We're pulling out." Abaddon decided.

Not just his father, but also his sister began looking at him as if he had lost his mind.

But Kanami had developed an immense trust in her brother and even if she had questions, she never voiced her concerns during campaigns.

"… As you wish, brothe-"

"What are you talking about..?" Asmodeus blurted.

"Open your eyes, old man." Abaddon insisted. "We've seen this before, haven't we? Almost every day as a matter of fact."

Asmodeus narrowed his eyes in confusion.

He took another long look at his infamous father.

Everything about him was just the same as he remembered.

But… something was different. And if he were not so intimately familiar with three instances of this phenomena, he would've never known the difference.

"…He's like Apophis. A homunculus."

"Mhm." Abaddon nodded.

This was why they couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Why it seemed like the devil was putting on a character.

This was why he father didn't engage them. He wasn't strong enough.

Lucifer was the original bearer of pride. He would never have run from any man, demon, or god underneath the sun.

He should have seen it all so long before his son had pointed it out.

And now he was kicking himself for his completely embarrassing lack of foresight.

"…Guess the cat's out of the bag now, huh?"

'Lucifer' smiled through bloodied teeth as cracks began to form along his skin.

"Ah well. It wasn't a long life, but it was satisfying enough, I suppose. I just wish I could be here to see the aftermath."

Asmodeus was just barely able to cover his daughter with his body before the doll pretending to be his father exploded right in front of them.

- 3 Days Later

Even before Igrat opened her eyes, she already knew that she wasn't at home.

For starters, she was comfortable.

Her back wasn't resting on a cold stone floor, but instead it was on a soft bed that even clouds would find envious.

She was on warm, clean sheets and resting underneath a fluffy comforter.

The subtle sound of the hard rain beating against a nearby window was too much for the ancient demoness.

So before she even opened her eyes, she fell back asleep.

Another day later, she was awoken by the feeling of someone messing with her face.

There was a subtle new scent in the air… almost like medicine?

Igrat finally opened her eyes and she found a familiar face above her.

Asmodeus seemed to be stuck in a state of deep concentration as he peeled off the bandages covering her forehead and cheek.

"Son..?"

Igrat's voice was shallow, hoarse, and quiet, but Asmodeus still heard her.

He offered her a bright and reassuring smile that most mothers delight in seeing from their children.

"Awake at last. I was beginning to get worried about you…"

He also owed Lailah a big apology.

After four days of his mother sitting in a near comatose state, he had begun to question her idea to use ointments and bandages to heal Igrat instead of just outright using magic.

But the results were working well.

'I'll never question a knowledge goddess again…'

"Where am I..?" Igrat slowly sat up in bed and Asmodeus all but panicked.

"Easy now, Mom. You're in Tehom."

"The abyss..? Why on earth would you bring me to this… shithole..?"

Igrat finally looked properly at her surroundings and her jaw all but fell open.

The room she was in was nice, but it was the outside that was really eye-catching.

It had been years for her since she had seen so much vegetation.

And it was more beautiful than anything even in the garden.

To top it all off, there was a rich purple sky overhead; dotted with several planets, suns, and moons all around.

"I thought… you said we were in the abyss..?"

"Uh-huh."

"Don't joke with me, Ashmodai. There's nothing unfathomably dark and scary about this place."

'You just haven't seen Bekka eat chicken wings before…' Asmodeus thought.

"Your grandson has a bit of an aptitude for home improvement. He's worked hard to turn this place into one that would be the envy of the heavens."

Igrat briefly recalled the tall red haired man who she wouldn't even allow herself to look at previously.

"I-I shouldn't be here." Igrat attempted to get up.

Asmodeus blocked her path easily. "Mother, you're staying right here."

"I-I can't, Ashmodai, your father won't like it."

"He's gone, so it doesn't matter what he likes."

Igrat twitched as if she were horrified. "What… what does that mean?"

Asmodeus clenched his jaw as he lowered his head in front of his mother.

"…We aren't sure when it happened, but our working theory is that he escaped somehow and left that duplicate in his place. We're unsure of where he might be."

Igrat's pupils began trembling. "H-He… left me..? Left all of us..?"

"…I'm afraid so." Asmodeus replied.

Igrat unconsciously began fumbling her hands all over her stomach as if she was looking for something that she couldn't quite find.

"N-No, h-he wouldn't do… t-then what was all of that for..? W-Why did I have to endure if he wasn't even.."

"Mother, please calm yourself." Asmodeus urged gently. "No one is going to let him hurt you now. I can guarantee it."

Much to Asmodeus' dismay, his mother didn't seem to want to accept the truth of what he told her.

"T-There must be some mistake here, y-your father wouldn't do that. He is a bit grumpy sometimes but your father loves me, I know he does. He wouldn't leave me in that prison if he had a chance to get out."

Asmodeus opened his mouth to speak, but finally he noticed his mother's hands.

They were still rubbing over the area along her stomach. Where her badly done stitches were.

"Mom… what happened to you here?" Asmodeus finally asked.

Igrat looked down at her stomach and her already pale skin lost even more color.

"O-Our baby… he said… but I… No…"

The strain on Igrat's mind was so great that her eyes rolled back into her head. Her knees buckled underneath her and Asmodeus narrowly succeeded in catching her before she hit the floor.

He gently placed her back into bed and tucked her underneath the covers once again.

Just before he could leave the poor woman to get some rest, Igrat grabbed him by the wrist.

With tears of blood streaming down her face, Asmodeus couldn't tell if his mother was conscious or enduring a traumatic hallucination.

But she gave him one last unhappy truth as she sank back into unconsciousness.

"T-The baby… He took the baby with him, and left me alone to rot.."

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