Chapter: 4 Part 1
Lucien
Forgive me
I stabbed myself through the heart.
Suddenly, the world froze. A golden dome erupted around me. That's when an angel walked calmly through the flame and blood.
Every demon grimaced.
The angel slowly stepped towards me.
"Leave him," Satan said, "Or join him."
No words left her mouth.
She unraveled a scroll. Glyphs burned.
NO EVIL SHALL MOVE.
The devil and his generals dropped to their knees.
The angel glared coldly and hostilely at them. Then looked back at me. Her gaze softened.
Greed flicked a dagger, and it landed.
But she walked.
Entering the dome, she picked me up. Wings wrapped around me as the light took us.
My eyes closed.
And in my final moments, I saw a Newborn baby.
Chapter: 4 Part 2
3 years ago — Gabriel
"An MMO where players wage an expedition into Hell itself! Multiple layers, each ruled by demons of their kind and a Demon Lord. You form alliances, build fortresses in the wastelands, and inch your way through the underworld. It's an epic journey of redemption, strategy, and—"
Miriam's sigh cut in. "Gabriel, it's… derivative. Players often storm evil bosses. 'Invade hell to defeat Satan' is a trope. We need something fresh— something no one has ever seen before."
The art director nodded, "Also, our last three titles covered post-apocalyptic fantasy. The audience is burned out on endless 'save the world' plots."
Another peer shrugged. Plus, MMO development costs are skyrocketing. We need a tighter hook—Something pay-to-play, or microtransaction friendly."
I swallowed. I had poured weeks of passion into that pitch. Watching their shoulders slump in polite apathy felt like watching my hope rise in smoke.
"I understand. Thanks for the feedback."
I've pitched more games than I care to count, but today's rejection stung deeper than most.
I packed my portfolio, character sketches, and demon lord ideas into my satchel.
My dream wouldn't die; it'd just wait.
I stepped out of the studio into December's first snowfall, hands jammed into my coat pockets, spirit dampened by corporate doubt. Bundled in a thick coat. The sidewalks were covered in white, and snowflakes dotted my hair like tiny crystals.
I was reading the latest news update about a one-year-old case. The case about a missing person that had haunted the city council, Ella Maddox, who had vanished from her bedroom. I looked at the grainy photo, a little girl in pigtails, another story that never ends well.
A Christmas decorator above me yanked a cable; I spun around just in time to see him steadying the rung before catastrophe struck. He glanced at me and shook his head. I didn't even realize I walked right under his ladder.
I turned around. Cheeks flushed, and offered a breathless nod. He went back to his work.
I exhaled. "Don't curse me now…" I muttered to myself.
When I returned home, the door swung open before I reached the knob.
"Papa! Papa!" Iris, my daughter, six years old, an impossible swirl of Vivienne's white hair and my burgundy, leapt into my arms. She smelled of bubblegum and winter spice. Her golden eyes were shining like twin suns.
"Hey there, starshine." I smiled.
I crouched so her laughter could fill my ears as she wriggled onto my shoulders. Every rejection, every shadow of doubt, thawed in that moment.
A swirl of motion came before us, Vivienne's appearance a comforting rhythm.
"How was today, love?" she asked.
I set Iris down and let her skip forward. Vivienne paused in the doorframe light — her eyes warm, cheeks brushed by the same December glow. She wore a soft white and red striped sweater, and her hair fell in luminous waves. She looked at me with that question in her eyes. The one partners ask the other when they already know the answer.
"No luck. They said it was a trope. They want something different." I answered.
Her lips curved gently. Brushing snowflakes from my cheeks. I inhaled her scent as she kissed my forehead.
Chapter: 4 Part 3
Vivienne
He's always his own harshest critic. I wish he could accept at least half of the brilliance I do…
I didn't say that, of course. Instead, I tilted my head and offered my hand.
"Elias is also here. I was baking in the kitchen, wanna come help me finish up?
He nodded, following behind me and a bit offset to the right, into the warm haze of our kitchen.
An hour later by the crackling hearth, the coffee table groaned under stacks of cards. Elias challenged us all to a game of Hellish Bestiary, a fairly well-known card game. It was popular because the creator of the game claimed he was inspired by a dream he had, where he was trapped in hell. A few months after the card game was published, he vanished.
The rules were simple. Each card has a monster or demon's silhouette and stats for power, speed, spirit resistance, and a hidden "special sin" that triggers unique effects to support your other card(s). Challenge one player; your speed determines who makes the first move. If your power is higher than your opponent's spirit resistance, then you can destroy their card and draw a new one for yourself.
Elias Cross, Gabe's oldest friend and computer engineer, leaned in, eyes flicking over his hands, which were shuffling cards. Iris, opposite of him, her eyes wide with excitement, I surveyed the spread with a calculating smile.
"Draw three, discard one. And no peeking at your neighbors!" Elias started.
"My demons are too powerful for your puny cards," Gabriel smirked under his breath.
Gabriel went first, "I challenge Elias!" he said while laying down one of his cards. Elias grinned and laid down one of his cards next.
And flip!
Gabriel's face switched up quickly. Gabriel's "Scarlet Fiend", pride, 10500 speed, versus Elias's "Slumbering devourer", even though it was sloth, it was still abnormally fast for its sin. Two of the quickest cards available, but Elias was still quicker. With 11000 speed.
'Man!" Gabriel exclaimed.
Now Elias can pick between attacking the laid-down card in play, challenging the card in Gabriel's hand.
"I'll be taking your scarlet fiend," Elias said. "Time to toss it!"
With Elias's slumbering devourer having 7000 power and Scarlet fiend having 2000 spirit resistance, Gabe depressingly discarded his trump card as Elias took another from the stack.
Next up was Iris.
"I choose mommy!" Iris shouted.
"Alright then!" I replied, deciding I'd go easy on her, I laid down a card of my own. Gluttonous Behemoth, which was balanced with 5000 speed, 2000 resistance, and 12000 power.
Flip!
Iris had laid down Leviathan, the heir of envy, with 8000 speed. But her power was too low even for a behemoth, 3000 power.
"I attack your behemoth!" Iris declared
"Are you sure?" I replied. Her resistance was also very low, 1000.
"Yeah! Cuz I activate my sin, which allows my team to attack 4 times each!" Iris said confidently
"And I thought you didn't know what you were doing." I discarded my behemoth.
Iris giggled.
Round after round, Iris cheered for every tiny victory. I won against Elias, Gabe won against Elias, then Iris won against Gabe, and I won against her, then Elias once more eliminated him from the game.
Elias fell backwards with a huge sigh.
I chose to attack Gabe, and he leaned forward, already knowing he was about to be eliminated.
"Alright, babe. Just finish me."
I laid down my fresh card, "Angelic Paradox", sin treachery, with 5000 resistance, but speed of 7500, power of 15000, which sealed his deal and knocked him out of the game.
Now it was me against Iris. Iris laid down her first card, and I laid down one of mine.
We both flipped our cards and Iris revealed the jackalope, a bunny with horns, with 9000 speed, 2000 resistance, and 2000 power, but I revealed my "Echo of Mercy", sin heresy with 0 speed, 0 power, and 9000 resistance.
Elias looked at me, bewildered, but my love knew I was thinking of something.
"I attack your echo of mercy!" Iris said.
"My cards stay unfazed," I said with a smile.
"How are you going to attack with 0 power?" Elias asked
"You'll just have to see what I have in store," I smirked. "I'll use my sin, and I guess I'll go for your jackalope."
"You just wasted your turn!" she responded.
Willingly.
Iris attacked my echo and laid down another card. "Barbatos, the duke of hell". 1000 speed, 9000 power, and 4000 resistance. I set down a card of my own.
We both turned over our cards, and I chose the "Celestial Scourge".
2000 speed, 8000 resistance, and 2000 power.
"Looks like I'm attacking!"
Iris hid her face behind her remaining hand of cards.
"I'll use celestial scourge's sin ability. With this, I can divide my power points between all of your cards."
"Dumb move, mommy!" Iris laughed.
"I'm not done yet! My previous sin ability, echo of mercy, allowed me 20000 extra points that I can use to my will!"
Iris became serious…
"Your jackalope can take 2000, and the remaining cards in your hand can take 10000 each. Game over?"
"Ahh, you got me!" Iris said. Discarding two of her cards. "Kidding! I'll challenge you once more!"
Iris laid down her last card as I set down one of my remaining two.
"Alright then. I'll just have to finish you off."
We both flipped our cards. I revealed "The Hellfire Beast" with 5000 speed, 8500 power, and 11000 defense, and she revealed another "The duke of hell, Barbatos," which had 9000 speed, 10000 power, and 2000 defense.
Iris grinned while taking a cookie.
"What's so funny?" I questioned
"Leviathan's sin is still in effect," Iris spoke.
"You have me." I folded.
From the beginning to the end of the game, Iris never used one of her cards, Barbatos.
With Leviathan's sin letting her attack four times, that would be a clean 20000 to the rest of my remaining cards. Game over.
I discarded the rest of my cards.
Iris jumped up, "I win!"
I laughed, shaking my head in defeat. Even the most thought-out tactics were outsmarted by Iris's carefully plotted plans.
"Well played." Gabriel clapped. "I would have never expected her to trap you."
I smiled at him.
"You guys wanna go ice skating?" Elias asked.
"Why not?" Gabriel replied,
"Sure, but before that, bedroom."
My attention had been drifting elsewhere all evening.
Gabe was trying too hard to act like he wasn't tired. Smiling a beat too long. Laughter. Smiling a beat too long. Laughing just slightly after the moment had passed. When he leaned back on the couch and glanced over at me with those eyes of his, I noticed his eyes were slightly red.
He was dry again…
I stood slowly, smoothing my sweater, "Dear," I said while he was trying to steal a cookie. "You wanna come with me into our room?"
He tilted his head, "Are we not skating anymore?"
"We are, but first, come with me," I said with a slight smile.
There was a brief flicker of teasing whistles from Elias behind us. —" Oooooh?" but Gabe just scratched his head while in front of me, heading upstairs without a word.
The second the door to our room closed behind us, he turned to face me. "You haven't taken your eyedrops today, have you?"
He opened his mouth, then closed it. His shoulders tensed ever so slightly. That's what he always did when he was about to lie to spare someone's worry.
"I.. forgot," He muttered.
Of course you did. You always forget when you are pushing yourself too hard.
I walked over to my nightstand and retrieved the little white bottle. "Come here," I said softly, patting the side of the bed.
He froze. "You're gonna… Now?"
"Now." I sat on the edge, grinning and patted again. "Head. Lap. Let's go, tough guy."
He hesitated; that's not common when it comes to me. The shy look crept across his face. The one he gave me when his walls slipped. Like even now, after everything we had shared, a small part of him still didn't know if he deserved to be cared for.
Slowly, he stepped forward, "You're kind of scary when you use that voice, you know…"
"And you're kind of stubborn when you're in pain." I smiled gently as he sat beside me and lay his head across my lap, his weight warm and steady. His hair had gotten longer again, so I'd have to remind him to let me trim it.
I twisted the cap off and held the bottle above his right eye. "Look up."
He did, and I could feel the slight tension in his jaw as he blinked instinctively, lashes fluttering, "On three."
"Just get it over with." He braced.
"Ghh—!" he winced, blinking rapidly.
I chuckled and gently brushed a thumb across his cheekbone. I pressed the three birthmarks on his face. "Still hate it?"
He mumbled something.
Moving to his other eye, I softened my voice. "You shouldn't keep pushing yourself like this, dear. You know your core is not like everyone else."
"I'm fine," he said automatically, though it sounded more like a habit than a belief.
"Gabriel." I waited until he looked at me, "You saved my life, so I'm forever in your debt. You know you don't have to keep up with me."
He was quiet, which meant he was listening.
"Let me take care of you."
He blinked again, slower now. I leaned down, my hair brushing his cheek, "You're allowed to rest, dear. You're allowed to rely on the people who love you."
His fingers curled slightly against my leg. Just the smallest motion. But it told me everything.
"I know," he whispered. "I just… I don't want to take for granted what I've been given. I can't afford to mess up."
"You're not a mess—up. You're a miracle."
He was quiet again. I felt his breath slow. The tension in his shoulders finally loosened, like a tightly wound string starting to relax.
I stroked his hair once, twice, before placing a soft kiss on his forehead. "We'll go skating soon. But only if you promise to enjoy yourself."
"...Thanks, Vivi," he said softly. I smiled and let him rest a moment longer.
In that silence, I didn't need to be a warrior or Draeven or the sister and daughter of some of the fiercest women to ever live.
I just need to be his.
And for now, that is enough.
Suddenly, the door fell open, and Elias came tumbling through, on top of Elias came Iris.
They were eavesdropping the entire time.