Lucifer Damned (Morningstar Book 3), Percival Constantine [electric book reader .txt] 📗

Raum stepped into the blinding light and when he came through the other end, he stood now in a massive library. Lucifer appeared by his side, which surprised the Morningstar more than anything else. Lucifer was able to stand again, but he still felt lingering pain from Raum’s attack.

“Don’t look so shocked,” said Raum. “I want you to witness the moment when I learn what you’ve been hiding from all of us.”

Lucifer remembered this library well. Located deep within Purgatory, this was what Charon had led him to. He saw his young self exploring the library, examining the unlabeled books on the shelves.

Raum followed the young Lucifer as he moved deeper into the library to investigate a soft, scratching noise off in the distance. The path continued past the shelves to an alcove with torches mounted on the wall, illuminating a desk. The desk’s occupant furiously scribbled on parchment with a pen.

When the memory of Lucifer attempted to greet him, the man perked up, then darted from his chair. With a flash of blue light, the creature flew off into the darkness.

“Stop!” the young Lucifer had cried. “I’m not here to hurt you. I just…I don’t even know why I’m here.”

“Who is that? Where are we?” asked Raum.

Lucifer gave no response. He hadn’t been a willing participant in these revelations up until now and he wasn’t about to start. But he remembered well that this was the moment when he had first come into contact with Metatron, the Scribe of Heaven.

Raum watched the scene of Lucifer and Metatron’s first meeting play out with interest, but he was also growing impatient.

“Will they get on with it already?” He gestured with his hand and the memory seemed to jump ahead. And then he heard Metatron say something very interesting.

“The seraphim worked a spell, converged their power to gift me with the Sight. From that point on, I could see things no other angel could. They believed it would grant me greater power to serve as a more effective chronicler. But there was an unexpected side-effect they never intended.”

“What?” asked Lucifer.

The archai’s eyes were filled with fear. “I saw too much. I saw what they didn’t want me to see. And when I chronicled my vision, they knew I’d become a threat to everything they’d built.”

Metatron had then spoken of the story that Divine Choir had constructed about the Presence. And finally, the bombshell phrase that had shattered Lucifer’s world back then was replayed once more.

“The problem is this story is just that—a story. It’s not history, it’s mythology,” Metatron had said.

Raum waved his hand and the memory looped, playing back for him so he could be certain of what he’d just heard.

Lucifer watched Raum’s face as he processed what he’d just heard. The memory melted away, and they were back in the void.

“It was all a lie from the beginning. No greater power in the universe, and certainly no mandate for Heaven to lord over the universe the way they have.” Raum’s eyes were vacant, but when he turned them on Lucifer, they started to flash with anger. “And. You. Knew.”

“Yes, I did,” said Lucifer.

“You perpetuated their lie, did their work for them,” said Raum, almost in disbelief. “I knew you’d become a failure, but I never knew to what extent. You violated everything you claimed to stand for!”

“You think I came to this decision easily?” asked Lucifer. “I tried to tell Anael and Michael. They rejected me. They thought I was lying or that I’d been corrupted. And I realized that angels—whose only purpose was servitude—would crack if they realized that their entire existence was a lie.”

“And what, you thought you were so superior to everyone else?” asked Raum.

“Nothing of the sort,” said Lucifer. “Some of us have been able to handle the truth—Abraxas, for one. But when Pyriel learned, he went insane. I realized then that I was right to keep the secret throughout these past eons.”

“No, you weren’t,” said Raum. “You haven’t any right to keep the truth from us. We both know the real reason.”

“You know nothing,” said Lucifer.

“Don’t I?”

Raum gestured with his hand and a memory appeared before them again, one of Metatron speaking to Lucifer.

“Why invent such a fantastic story?” Lucifer had asked.

“For one simple reason—control,” said Metatron. “He who controls gods, controls the believers.”

Raum closed his fist and the memory vanished.

“‘He who controls gods, controls the believers,’” he repeated. “You perpetuated the secret for the same reason as the Choir—you wanted control over the Infernal Court. If they all still clung to these notions, they would look upon you as their god. Just as we all had come to once being transformed by Hell into our current states.”

“Control was never something I wanted,” said Lucifer. “All I wanted was to bring people free will. It’s why I lit the spark in humanity, it’s why I agreed to lead the rebellion in Heaven.”

Raum stepped forward and punched Lucifer. The Morningstar attempted to retaliate, but suddenly, he found his arms restrained. The void dissipated, and they returned back to the cavern in Hell.

“You betrayed us, Morningstar. Continued the work of the Choir because it served your interests,” said Raum. “Stepping down may have been the best decision you ever made. But it’s clear why you chose Cross as your successor. Not because you thought he was fit for the position, but because you knew he’d maintain the same lie you did. After all, he was raised by a cult that serves Heaven.”

“I thought a man who represented the best of what demons and humanity could aspire to would be a good leader for a new age. To make things better down here,” said Lucifer.

“That’s what you say. But Cross hasn’t done much other than perpetuate the status quo,” said Raum. “It’s time for real change to come to Hell. And that requires not only new leadership, but new tactics. We can’t hide behind armistices and one-sided treaties that