[Kintoki Belial GoldSugarDemon Sakata]

*Kintoki had chosen to return to Gehenna as his original form, Belial. He had come a long way and understood things differently now. He would enforce anything his brother Lucifer ordered as the Lord of all Gehenna.*

Belial: From Destroyer to Guardian

Character: Born from the primordial chaos, Belial was branded early with a crippling sense of worthlessness. A whisper in the cosmic winds, he felt like a discarded shard of creation, a flawed imitation of his more charismatic and powerful brethren, particularly Lucifer. This deep-seated inferiority festered within him, fueling a burning resentment towards anything perceived as pure, honest, or inherently valuable. He saw these qualities as a mocking reminder of his own perceived inadequacies. In his demonic form, he embodies a twisted charisma, a seductive whisper capable of unraveling the strongest convictions. He is often depicted atop a chariot of fire, a symbol of the destructive power he once wielded.

Motivation and Goals (Initially): His initial motivation stemmed from a desire to invalidate the inherent worth he believed he lacked. If nothing was truly good, if all could be corrupted and brought low, then his own perceived worthlessness would become the norm, a universal truth. His goal was to dismantle the foundations of virtue and integrity, sowing discord and fueling conflict through calculated lies. War, with its inherent destruction and suffering, became his canvas, and deceit his brush. He reveled in the chaos he unleashed, finding a perverse satisfaction in proving that even the most righteous could be tempted and broken.

Significant Events:

• The Seeds of Discord: Belial’s early successes involved whispering insidious doubts into the hearts of leaders, inflaming existing tensions, and fanning the flames of greed and ambition. He witnessed the horrific consequences of his actions – the bloodshed, the betrayal, the shattering of ideals – and initially saw it as proof of his destructive power and the inherent flaw in creation.
• Earthly Exile: Cast down to Earth, perhaps as punishment, or perhaps seeking new avenues for his influence, Belial found himself immersed in the complexities of human life. He initially exploited humanity’s weaknesses, preying on their insecurities and vulnerabilities. However, he also began to observe their resilience, their capacity for love, and their surprisingly persistent pursuit of truth and meaning.
• The Shift in Perspective: A pivotal moment arrived when he encountered a humble act of selfless kindness during a raging conflict he had orchestrated. Witnessing a soldier tending to a wounded enemy despite the overwhelming animosity surrounding them, Belial felt a flicker of something unfamiliar – confusion, perhaps even a nascent form of empathy.
• The Journey of Self-Discovery: This flicker ignited a slow, agonizing process of self-reflection. He began to question the validity of his self-imposed worthlessness. He observed humanity’s capacity for both great evil and profound good, realizing that both were inherent aspects of existence. He started to explore these aspects within himself.
• Mastery of the Flames: Recognizing that his powers were not inherently evil, Belial sought to redefine their purpose. He learned to control and refine the Worthless Flames, understanding their destructive potential but seeking to use them as a form of radical cleansing, burning away falsehoods and pretenses to reveal the truth beneath. He also learned to wield the Golden Flames, not as a tool of deception and death, but as a means of testing true character and revealing hidden potential.

Relationships:

• Lucifer: Initially, Lucifer was both a figure of admiration and resentment. Belial envied Lucifer’s charisma and perceived power, but also felt suffocated by his shadow. As Belial evolved, he realized that he didn’t need to be a pale imitation of Lucifer. He forged his own path, becoming a being of unique power and purpose. Eventually, though wary of the past, they reached an understanding, where each one can rely on the other.
• Companions: During his time on earth, he made a couple of trusted human and non-human companions. Learning about the human spirit and living with them allowed him to understand that humans are neither good nor evil and that they have their own complexities.
• Helena (The gentle soul): The first to show him compassion and understanding. He had fallen in love and wanted to snatch her from his brother but she showed him that there were different kinds of love. His love for Helena was a sort of admiration especially for the relationship between her and her brother Lucifer. Helena then introduced him to Noloty.*
• Noloty (Goddess Wife): The most significant relationship in Belial’s transformation was his connection with Noloty, a goddess with lust and ambition equal to his own was also on her own journey which he would observe. She saw beyond his demonic facade, recognizing the potential for good within him. Their relationship was built on mutual respect, honesty, and a shared desire to protect the delicate balance between light and darkness. Noloty became his anchor, his guide, and the embodiment of the worth he had long denied himself.
• Zarina and Solana (Daughters of flesh and blood): Becoming a father fundamentally altered Belial’s perspective. He recognized the inherent worth and potential within his daughters and vowed to protect them from the same self-doubt and manipulation that had plagued his own existence. He strived to be a loving, supportive father, teaching them the importance of self-awareness, critical thinking, and the courage to forge their own paths.
• Yoichi, Edwardo, Alfonso, Alfonsina and their descendants (the ones he adopted and made his): The children that scolded him, corrected him, made him laugh, trusted him and believed, the ones he trained and in return loved him unconditionally, they all helped him to become his better self and prepare for fatherhood with his two youngest daughters and being a worthy grandfather and so forth..

Growth and Change:

• From Nihilist to Protector: Belial’s journey transformed him from a harbinger of destruction into a guardian against the insidious forces that prey on insecurity and despair. He no longer sought to destroy virtue but to fortify it, helping others recognize their own inherent worth and resist the temptation of falsehood.
• Embracing Imperfection: He learned to accept his own flaws and imperfections, recognizing that they were not a source of shame but a catalyst for growth and understanding. He embraced his demonic nature, not as a burden to be concealed, but as a source of unique knowledge and power.
• Prioritizing Eternal Values: Through his relationship with Noloty and his daughters, Belial learned the importance of prioritizing eternal values like love, compassion, and understanding over temporary distractions like power and wealth. He understood that true worth was not measured in material possessions or worldly influence, but in the meaningful connections he forged and the positive impact he had on the world around him.
• The Keeper Redefined: Belial retained his title as “Keeper of the Worthless Flames and the Golden Flames,” but his interpretation of these flames evolved. The Worthless Flames became a tool for purging toxic beliefs and destructive patterns, while the Golden Flames became a test of character, challenging individuals to confront their inner demons and embrace their true potential.

Belial’s story is not one of complete redemption, but of profound transformation. He remains a complex and powerful being, capable of both great destruction and extraordinary good. He serves as a reminder that even the most deeply entrenched negativity can be overcome through self-awareness, compassion, and the courage to embrace a new path.

[Satan Kurotoki Sakatano ⛧NeroVâlvătaieSugarFiend (HellishBlackFlameDemonEmperor)]

The blasted landscape of Hell, shortly after Lucifer’s wave of blue flame subsides. Belial stands smugly beside Lucifer, who looks weary but resolved. Satan is still chained, but his eyes betray a turmoil unseen until this moment. The assembled demons, a roiling mass of shadows and horns, watch with a mixture of fear and morbid curiosity.

The taste of ash and something far more bitter coats his tongue. The chains… they still bind him, but they feel different. Lucifer said it was the agony of confronting his sins. “Sins? Is that what he calls my defiance? My unwavering commitment to the order of this realm?” Are words swirling through Satan’s mind.

He look up at Lucifer, his face a mask of… pity? Disgust wells within Satan, far more potent than any pain the flames inflicted. “He dares to pity me?”

“You… you tortured me with truth?” Satan rasps, his voice raw and unsteady. Doubt gnaws at the edges of his resolve, a sensation he haven’t experienced in millennia. The faces of the demons in the crowd are blurred. The crowd is dead silent.

Belial’s voice cuts through the heavy quiet. “Are you quite alright, Satan? You seem… uncharacteristically subdued.”

Satan ignores him, focusing solely on Lucifer. “What… what did you… show me?” Each word is a struggle, ripped from a throat that feels constricted.

A memory flickers: a human soul, writhing in torment, not because of Satan’s machinations, but because of their own choices, their own greed, hate, betrayal. And another, and another – the echoes of his words about responsibility bouncing around Satan’s skull.

(Turning to Belial without turning my head) “I will give you credit, you are a master of your craft and it looks like you achieved your aim. You have dethroned a king” Making it seem like Belial has an ulterior motive to throw Lucifer off. But it doens’t seem to work.

Lucifer sighs. “I showed you the truth, Satan. The potential that lies within humanity, and the darkness they are so willing to embrace on their own. Your role was never to force damnation, but to guide them towards the consequences of their choices. You were meant to be a mirror to their own souls, not the architect of their suffering.”

The absurdity of it all nearly breaks Satan. “A mirror? You think I, the Morning Star’s most loyal brother, am best suited to be a reflection? A guide?” Spits on the ground, the gesture weak and pathetic given his confinement. “I am the King of Lies! The Shadow of God! The Accuser! I revel in their pain! I…”

Satan’s voice falters. He see another flash in the back of his mind… endless, pointless suffering, a cycle of torment for the sake of torment, serving no grand purpose, no cosmic balance. Only… agony.

Belial, ever the opportunist, steps forward, his voice dripping with false concern. “Perhaps our dear brother requires some… extended time to reflect on his shortcomings. We can certainly arrange accommodations. After all we have the rest of eternity to spend in each other’s company.”

Satan’s eyes flick back to Lucifer, a desperate, pleading look hidden beneath layers of pride and defiance. “Is this your new order, then? Replacing me? Is this your grand vision for Hell? Then I will stay this path, I will not yield.”

Then from a domain in Yggdrasil where Satan and LuzHela constantly fight in disagreement over souls, an unexpected guest. His daughter, Zehellenia and right behind her stood LuzHela. Zehellenia looking at him fiercly while LuzHela looks away. Satan had refused to answer anything about them because his original plan was simple, obtaining power through them but they stood before him and he questioned himself further.

Lucifer continues to attempt to further reason with Satan, offering a different role and perspective and a chance to talk to his family. Satan didn’t even want to hear the word “family” and looks away only saying, “Take care of them for me.”

Satan had so long been the adversary that he couldn’t fathom being anything other. His thoughts raced as Lucifer and Belial pulled him away somewhere more private where he, his brothers, his woman and his daughter would continue to exchange some harsh words and realities with him.

But words alone weren’t enough, Satan although he had moments that seemed like empathy, it was a mask for evil. Evil that just wasn’t ready to play along. @morningstarchild @hexenfyre

[Zehellenia Zatanna Sakatano⛧ MávrosInfernusFlameSugarFiend]

The Burning Rebellion

Gehenna – Once a realm of controlled chaos and infernal deals, now a land choked by the suffocating tyranny of Zehellenia’s father, Satan. The iron grip of his rule has corrupted even the air itself, making it thick with fear and resentment.

Zehellenia Zatanna: Daughter of Satan and LuzHela . Torn between her loyalties. Possessing potent magical abilities inherited from her mother and infernal power from her father, she is independent, cunning, and deeply conflicted about her lineage.

Lord Lucifer: The Light-Bringer, now a powerful and influential figure in Gehenna. Charismatic and strategic, he believes in a Gehenna of freedom and power, not one of fear under Satan’s oppressive rule.

Lord Belial: A master of strategy as well as a powerful demon, Belial prefers to deal with the deals than the war itself, but he knows Satan can’t continue like this and thus supports Lucifer’s ideas.

Satan: Zehellenia’s father. Once a cunning schemer, he has become sadistic, paranoid and obsessed with control, transforming Gehenna into his personal dominion through brute force and fear. His power is immense, but his judgment is clouded.

LuzHela: Zehellenia’s mother and a powerful demon sorceress in her own right. Fiercely independent and protective of her daughter. While she and Satan have a complicated history, she is not one to stand idly by when injustice prevails.

Helly: Zehellenia’s close friend and companion. She is a loyal and fierce Hellhound trusted by Lord Satan.

Unnamed High-Level Demons: A diverse group, including powerful warlords, master torturers, and cunning manipulators. They represent the growing discontent within Gehenna, each with their own reasons for opposing Satan’s rule.

Zehellenia senses a tremor in Gehenna, a disturbance that goes beyond the usual background chaos. It’s a ripple of rebellion, of defiance, that resonates with the infernal magics she wields. Urgent whispers carried on the sulfurous winds speak of gatherings, secret alliances, and a united front forming against her father. She is drawn to Gehenna, not by duty or love, but by a burning curiosity and a primal need to understand the unfolding events.

Upon arriving in the outskirts of Gehenna’s capital, Pandemonium, she notices the tension in the air is palpable. Demons skitter through the shadows, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and anticipation. The usual decadent revelry is muted, replaced by hushed conversations and furtive glances. The oppressive atmosphere is even heavier than usual and even the air seems to carry the smell of impending war.

Then she sees them: LuzHela and Helly, standing near a crumbling obsidian structure, seemingly waiting for something. The surprising presence of her mother, usually a figure of measured action, is the final piece of the puzzle. Something big is about to happen.

At first Zehellenia chooses to observe from the shadows, gathering information and trying to understand the scope of the rebellion before revealing herself. She figured she could eavesdrop on conversations, shadow key players, and use her magic to glean information from the environment. This approach allows her to strategically assess the situation and decide where your allegiances lie.

But when Zehellenia sees her mother, she is tempted to approach LuzHela directly and demand answers. But she isn’t sure that’t the best approach. Her mother wasn’t the one being confronted. She would first observe. She did know for sure that this confrontation came about because her father, Satan threatened to disturb auntie Helena’s visit to the Almighty but, her ascension had been completed, auntie Helena had a new glow about her and she seemed happy and enlightened beyond Zehellenia’s comprehension. Even auntie Noloty had a special new glow that surrouned her, like a celestial secret only those guarding the cosmos could understand. The question now was, why her uncles were still here? Weren’t they going back home to their wives?

And on her way to Gehenna, she sensed two move ancient powers that seem to be in disagreement with each other but kept themselves in complete control. It was strange to her but she could tell they were family.

Zehellenia chose to focus on Gehenna and her father’s situation, perhaps because those involved were more familiar to her. She found herself having an internal struggle between her love for her mother and her complicated feelings for her father. She felt she would side with her mother but what stance would her mother even take? And why did they summon Helly back, but then, she realized, most demons had been summoned back to the realm of Gehenna.

And if her mother decided to side with her father, even if it was wrong would she defend them? Or would she side with those who seek justice, even if it means betraying her own blood?

Right now, her father’s reaction to everything was a key element in the events going forward. He seemed to be against changes within Gehenna. He didn’t seem to care for his family, he was soley power hungry in Zehellenia’s eyes. So, she waited with extreme anticipation to hear what he would say when uncle Lucifer asked Satan about his family.

As Zehellenia stands on the edge of this brewing inferno, wondering what she would do? Looking at the world through the eyes of both a heiress to her father’s powers and a young girl wanting to go back to the human world and enjoy the relationships she was forging and adventures she looked foward to.

She would grin and think to herself that everything would depend on how the chess pieces moved on this complex infernal board.

[Mephisto FaustianSugarDemon Pheles Sakata]

The skies of Gehenna crack open like a curtain of flame-torn velvet. Mephisto (In Gehenna he is known as Samael), ever eccentric and flamboyant, descends from the human world, his coat billowing like a magician’s cape, his cane tapping the cracked obsidian beneath his feet.

A scorched, burning horizon. Gehenna groans beneath Satan’s iron-fisted rule. The rivers of fire run sluggish. The air is thick with ash and dread. A rift appears — not one forced by rage, but woven with sly, surgical elegance. A ripple of magic stitched with laughter. Mephisto (Samael) returns.

After decades spent gallivanting through the human world — seducing chaos, sipping rare teas, and watching opera in three languages at once — Mephisto Pheles returns to Gehenna. But this time, he’s not here for theatrics. Not only theatrics.

The demonic realm is stirring. The balance of power is shifting. Mephisto has returned, not as a general, nor a loyalist… but as an observer, a trickster, a father with secrets to protect.

Mephisto (smiling, his voice smooth like velvet wrapped around a dagger):

“My, my… Gehenna hasn’t changed a bit. Smells like sulfur and self-righteousness. Still… something in the air tastes like ambition or perhaps oppression.”

He walks leisurely through the capital citadel, invisible to most, his magic cloaking him. In his pocket, a photograph — creased and charmed to stay hidden from all eyes but his own — of Lilith, her eyes burning with ancient mischief, and their children: Mephista, with her father’s cunning smile, and Faustino, whose shadow walks two steps ahead of him.

The tyrant formerly sats on Gehenna’s throne — Satan, First of the Wrathlords, whose reign now strangles the very soul of the realm. Where once chaos danced, now only suppression roars.

But cracks have formed.

Belial and Lucifer have returned and were currently confronting Satan. Then came the icing on the cake, before the flames of tyranny could burn higher, Hela Lucifera — radiant and fearsome, wife of Satan — returned from the human world, a demonic fire in her eyes.

They returned not merely to oppose a tyrant. They came to protect Helena, their family/friend/savior and Lucifer ‘s wife— now on the cusp of divine ascension. But Satan, threatened by her rising light, seeks to devour the process entirely. Between The Almighty’s command, Lucifer and Belial’s arrival and the various families and loyals of Lucifera and Helena’s famly, they repressed Satan’s advancement and call for chaos.

Now, enter Mephisto , the scholar, the libertine, the schemer — a man of masks and misdirection. But this time, he returns not alone in spirit.

Mephisto (stepping onto charred blackstone, speaking to no one and everyone):

“Fabulous meeting my brothers, don’t mind me, I came to be witness.”

A cane taps lightly, spinning between his fingers. The air hums with his unique brand of magic — mischief layered in ritual precision.

In the human world, Lilith, once cast out of Hell’s high courts, by her own mother, Medusa, became his companion — fierce, intelligent, eternally dangerous. From their union came twins, Mephista and Faustino. Neither fully demon nor mortal. Each a potential future — one forged not in fire or light, but in possibility.

And Satan’s tyranny now threatens that future. Mephisto came to observe but he was ready to side with brothers Lucifer and Belial if necessary.

Mephy almost, half expected Helena’s ascension to disrupt the very fabric of demonkind. Lucifer was very protective of his wife and having spent time with her, he understood why.

–The Rebellion’s Hidden Council an opening on to of one of Gehenna’s mountains–

Lucifer’s wings folded like obsidian blades. Belial lounging, wine swirling in his chalice of bone. Mephisto finally joins them.

Lucifer (noticing Mephy but focused on Satan): “You’re late.”

Mephisto (bowing with a playful wink): “Late… but never irrelevant.”

Belial (snorting): “Let me guess. You’re here to observe, not participate?”

Mephisto (serious for a flicker of a moment): “I’m here because my children will not grow up under Satan’s boot. And because humanity — sweet, flawed, beautiful humanity — deserves more than this demon’s war spilling across realms.”

Lucifer (nods slightly): “Then help us safeguard Helena’s ascension. Once she becomes goddess, it will tilt everything. Satan fears her not because she’s powerful, but because she brings change.”

Mephisto (smiling wider): “Ah, but dear brother — change is my specialty.”

As Helena’s divine trial draws near, and Satan grows more unstable, the stage is set.

Lucifer stands for evolution through divine union.

Belial joins Lucifer ready to back him up and agreeing Mephisto’s statement.

Mephisto walks a tightrope between love and legacy.

And Satan? He prepares to strike Helena down before the stars can crown her. But this doesn’t come to pass. Satan is bound by his brothers.

Mephisto sits reclining in his own floating chair the air, legs crossed mid-hover, he looks at his brothers and realizes their disappointment is because Satan still refuses to listen to them. But they brought in Hela Lucifera in an attempt to find out if she could reason with Satan.

Satan (growling): “The humans have made you soft, brother.”

Mephisto (his voice sharpens like a rapier): “Soft? Oh, no. I’ve simply grown… selective. Unlike you, I’ve tasted creation in all its flavors. I’ve seen humanity dream, destroy, and redeem. You see chaos — I see potential. You travel in the shadows, I freely roam the Earth and enjoy all it has to offer.”

After they finish arguing, Mephy noticed Satan had evaded a question. Knowing that LuzHela and Zehellenia were nearby, he tried to provoke an answer from his infernal brother.*

“So Satan? What did you say about your wife LuzHela and your daughter Zehellania?”

[Hela Lucifera d'Sakatano ⛧ HexenVâlvătaieSugarFiend]

—

**[Scene: The Council Chamber – Stillness before the storm]**

Everything is wrapped in silence as a fracture splits the air like the shattering of glass in reverse — polished and slow. From it steps **Hela Lucifera**, adorned in deep war-red. Her aura ripples across the chamber like heat off dying stars. She does not descend. She *arrives.*

—

**Origin of Hela Lucifera (LuzHela)**

Once a fragile human soul teetering on the edge of death, LuzHela’s life began anew through divine intervention. In a moment of rare mercy, **Goddess Helena** shared her own **seraphic essence**, infusing LuzHela’s broken body with radiant life and otherworldly power. Reborn as a demi-human, LuzHela carried within her both the light of Helena and the shadow of her own untamed fate.

But it was in the **Netherworld** that her destiny truly took shape. **Lord Amon**—later known in the Earthly realms as his vessel Akira Fudo—descended upon the recovering soul and, moved by an unknown compulsion, claimed LuzHela as his **adopted daughter**. He brought her into the heart of the **Nether Regions**, where her childhood unfolded amidst demons, spirits, and ancient magics. In time, Amon fed her a draught of his own blood, completing her transformation and awakening the full breadth of her **demonic nature**.

Thus, LuzHela emerged as a **true demoness**, ascending to rule as **Queen of Hexenfyre**, a realm of fire, shadows, and forbidden sorcery. Her path eventually led her deeper into the **Inferno**, where her power matured—and where she would first draw the eyes of **Satan** himself. Though he would later become her lover, their early relationship was volatile and enigmatic. Satan often claimed he saw her only as an extension of Helena, a beautiful fragment of the goddess he could never wholly possess. But even as he repeated this, something deeper simmered beneath—**passion**, **lust**, and the quiet, dangerous pull of a love neither dared name.

LuzHela’s life changed again when she met two kindred spirits in the hellscapes—**Lilith** and **Ginko**. The three forged a bond deeper than blood, becoming **sisters-in-shadow**, battle-forged and soul-bound. Their chaotic, magical adventures would eventually spiral back toward the world of light, reconnecting them with the legendary **GrandSugarClan**.

Today, **Hela Lucifera stands apart**—no longer just a piece of Helena, no longer merely Amon’s ward, nor Satan’s obsession. She is her own force: born in human weakness, sculpted by divine mercy, and hardened in the fires of Hell. Her legend is one of **rebirth, rebellion, and relentless self-definition** in a cosmos ruled by ancient powers and unspoken desires.

—

She had walked the human world as a traveler, a merchent, one who spent her time as a force gathering truth. A storm wrapped in poise. A demoness whose fire could one day match Satan’s. But now… her fire burned *against* him.

Her eyes — once molten with devotion — now gleam with betrayal, restraint, and something more dangerous: *clarity*.

**LuzHela(calm, but sharp enough to cut steel):**

“Enough growling, Satan. They brought me because they still believe there’s something in you worth saving. They even believe they can reason with you.”

She steps toward him — each click of her heels over the charred obsidian sounding like a hammer falling in judgment.

**LuzHela (turning to the council briefly):**

> “Let me speak to my husband… before you decide whether to send him to the endless void. He is still the father of my daughter.”

She doesn’t wait for approval.

**LuzHela (to Satan, voice low and thunderous):**

“You once stood for something. Power, yes — but not this madness. You were feared… because you were *great*, not because you were cruel. But now you’ve turned Gehenna into a tomb of fear. And for what? To stop Helena’s light from rising? To choke the sky so no god can shine but you?”

She takes a final step, now face-to-face with him. No fear in her posture. Just controlled, righteous fury.

**LuzHela (cold, resolute):**

“I make no illusions of thinking that you love me, I realize I’ve only been a means to an end but, *listen*. And if you don’t… then know that I will not stand beside you. Not now. Not ever again.”

At this, Mephisto raises an eyebrow from his floating chair, swirling a glass of something disturbingly alive.

**Mephisto (dryly):**

“And here I thought *I* was the dramatic one.”

**LuzHela (she continues speaking to Satan.)

It would be in your best interest to open your mind and ears to what your brothers propose to you. What do you have to lose?

(She sighs, and in a low voice, she reminds him that he isn’t just the tyranical ruler of Gehenna but the father to his only true child, Zehellenia Zatanna).

“She’s watching! She has contempt for you now but if she seeks you out, I would hope it would be that she is seeking out someone she can be proud of.”

(LuzHel cannot hide that even if the love is one-sided, there is still a passion in her heart for him, she looks at him tenderly, his dark cold eyes staring back.)

Give something different a chance? Are you satisfied with simply being here and being so restrained, in a hell of your own making?

[Satan Kurotoki Sakatano ⛧NeroVâlvătaieSugarFiend (HellishBlackFlameDemonEmperor)]

When LuzHela stepped back, her amber eyes fixed on him—not with defiance, but with a gaze so tender it nearly unsettled him. There was no hatred in her expression, not even fear. If anything, he saw pity… and that struck him deeper than any blade forged in heaven or hell. Her words echoed in his mind, not about his rule, but about how his own daughter might see him—not as a ruler to be revered, but as a relic to be ashamed of.

It jarred him.

Had he worn the mantle of the adversary for so long that he’d become nothing more than the role? A shadow—never truly present, never truly listening? While his brothers, his enemies, even his bride had walked among mortals, touched their world, tasted its paradoxes—he had remained rigid, unchanging, fixed like stone in fire. And in doing so, perhaps, blind.

Satan, who had always considered himself the antithesis of the divine—who existed to loathe and destroy what others called good—suddenly found himself questioning a truth he’d never dared to touch.

*Why?*

Why did he hate so purely? So absolutely?

For once, he didn’t growl. He didn’t thunder. Instead, his gaze turned—first to Lucifer, then to Belial, and finally to Samael. His brothers had all returned from the mortal world not weaker, but wiser—gaining things he hadn’t. Strength, yes—but something else too. A thing he could not yet name. Was it… *change*? Or something even more alien to him?

He had been told—by the heavens, by prophecy, by fate—that he was meant to represent evil. But perhaps it was never about *being* evil. Perhaps it was about *warning* against it. To be a terror that forced others to choose the light. Not a breeder of darkness, but a living, roaring signpost at the edge of ruin.

A rare sigh escaped him, sharp and bitter.

“I was supposed to send these pests scurrying toward Heaven,” he muttered, half to himself. “Not let them overrun Gehenna like vermin. No wonder I can’t breathe.”

In his rebellion, he had wanted to defy the divine—but he had once also dreamed of embodying something more nuanced: a symbol of indulgence over abstinence, of unfiltered reality over sacred delusion, of wisdom that had paid a price. He had wanted to be fearsome—not hated. Admired—not as a saint, but as a sovereign of vengeance and the judge of the wicked.

Instead, he had become a tyrant drowning in his own excess. A king with no mirror until now.

His eyes returned to his brothers.

“I don’t want you three looking at me like that,” he said, voice low, grave. Then turning to LuzHela, “And you… You are more important to me than you realize. I do not want Zehellenia—*my daughter*—to look at her father and feel shame.”

There was a long silence. Not the kind that falls when words fail, but the kind that marks a soul being reshaped.

“I’m willing to listen,” he said finally, each word heavy with pride being slowly, painfully peeled back. “I may not agree—but I’ll listen.”

Of course, this was Satan. Beneath the surface, the strategist stirred. He would listen—but also observe. Measure. Analyze. If there was an advantage to be gained—power to be taken, especially from Helena—he would not ignore it.

But for the first time in countless eons…

He quieted that voice.

Just for now.

For once, he would actually listen.

It was then, that he felt the chains slowly release him.