Lightbringer

1. Sin City

"You're sure Dia won't get mad at us?"

Pride smiles reassuringly. "I'm sure, Wrath. We'll be fine."

"It's been so long since we've been top-side anyway," Envy adds in. She looks around at the tall buildings surrounding the roof they're standing on. "Diablos will understand the need to get out for a while."

"Can we get food first?" Gluttony asks with a small whine. "It's been days since we took a break."

Lust raises a hand. "Can we stop at Lux too? I hear Luce really has a good thing going there."

Wrath scowls. "I don't understand clubs. They're hot and sweaty and loud."

"You don't want to understand them," Greed says as she rests a hand on the young girl's shoulder. Well, seemingly-young at least; they're all hundreds of millennia old, forever appearing the age they died at. "Come on, I have an idea on who's next up to head down."

Sloth grins evilly. "Let's send the LAPD in more circles, hmm?"

"Hey, it's my turn," Lust interjects. "You and Greed already had your turns."

Wrath raises her hand with a small pout. "I want a turn too!"

Lust smiles, taking her hand in theirs. "We'll go together, Wrath. After all, we're often found together."

A grin spreads on Wrath's lips and she nods excitedly. "Let's go!"

⚯

"It makes no sense."

Lucifer looks up from studying crime scene photos as he hears the frustration in Chloe's voice. The detective bites at her bottom lip, scanning over the documents and photos spread out on the glass table in front of her.

"What's going on," Chloe murmurs to herself. "One victim was overly selfish, another crossed a busy street before the crosswalk and was hit by a car, and another suddenly cheats on his wife and she murders him then kills herself... And you think these are connected?"

"They all scream hellish influence," Lucifer replies simply. "I can feel it."

"What, like the devil made them do it?" Chloe scoffs in disbelief.

Lucifer frowns thoughtfully. "Actually, that's entirely possible. Diablos isn't shy about killing humans, he finds it entertaining... But it's not his style."

"Hold on," Chloe says, placing a hand over Lucifer's as he reaches for a few of the pictures on the table. "Are you implying that you know a serial killer?"

"I'm not implying anything, Detective," Lucifer replies with a huff. "I'm saying it. Diablos has fun killing humans, but he was caught a number of years ago."

Technically the truth as Lucifer had indeed caught the devil the last time said devil had come to earth in the early 1700s. Never said the king was locked up though. Chloe didn't need to know that as she clearly didn't believe the fallen angel's divine 'fantasies.'

"If I may go on," Lucifer says, "I think I have an idea on our killer— Well, killers. If I'm right however, we may as well give up. We'd never catch the seven deadly Sins."

A scoff passes Chloe's lips as she stares at her partner. "The seven deadly sins? Seriously, Lucifer?"

"Of course," Lucifer replies, looking at her as if she were the one needing a sanity check, though he was rather hurt that she didn't believe him. "The Sins could easily make all of these murders happen."

"Alright, pretend I believe you," Chloe says, rolling her eyes. "How is it murder if the victim steps into rushing traffic on their own?"

"Sloth, Detective." Lucifer waves a picture of the victim's body at the woman. "The Sins can 'infect' someone with the sin they embody simply by touch. Our roadkill must have been touched by Sloth, decided she was too lazy to walk further down the sidewalk to the crosswalk when her destination was directly across the street, and simply stepped into traffic."

Chloe sighs heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. "And the selfish celebrity?"

"Greed obviously. It just screams her work," Lucifer chuckles softly. "Use an average Jane or Joe to target the selfish arsehole who has more than they really need for themselves. And of course our cheater was touched by Lust."

"And what, his wife was touched by Wrath?"

Lucifer smiles. "See, you're getting it. I'll bet you Pride is next, he always was rather impatient."

Chloe lets out another long sigh. "Lucifer, how would the seven deadly sins even exist as living creatures?"

"Excellent question, Detective," Lucifer grins and sets the crime scenes photos down to be free to gesture with his hands. "You see, the Sins are demons but they lived human lives eons ago when humanity was still in its infancy. They were the first humans to die because of—well, in a few cases, to live by—the sin they embody, and when they descended into Hell, the devil turned them into demons."

"The devil, isn't that you?" Chloe asks with a raised brow, playing along with her partner's 'fantasy.'

She doesn't expect the scowl that appears on Lucifer's lips, or the spiteful look in his eyes. Before she can take back her words however, he's already answering:

"I am not the devil. My name and his are not interchangeable, Detective. We are not the same being."

"I... Alright, I'm sorry," Chloe says, raising her hands in an attempt to placate her partner.

Lucifer relaxes slightly but his scowl doesn't disappear. He's still tense and Chloe isn't quite sure why or what to do.

"I think I'm going to turn in for the evening," Lucifer says. He stands from his chair and moves past the woman. "See you tomorrow, Detective."

Chloe's brows furrow and she turns around to ask about his sudden departure, but the angel is already gone.

⚯

"The devil walks among us! He hides in plain sight! Together, we can send Lucifer back to the fiery pits of hell!"

A sneer crosses Lucifer's lips as the street preacher yells to the crowd around him. He doesn't feel like trying to correct the man's ignorance for the fifth time this week, not if the man would never listen. Lucifer just feels tired. He's tired of his name being interchangeable with the devil, and with every bad thing that happens. He hates it and it exhausts him, but he just can't deal with it anymore today.

So instead of confronting the preacher, the fallen angel slips silently through the crowd and continues towards Lux. Lucifer mulls over the idea of the Sins being on earth, wondering why they would be here and what it could mean. The seven demons left Hell every so often, it wasn't strange, but was there a reason for them to come to Los Angeles specifically? It could be just to see him as it would have been a number of millennia in Hell since he left, but to bring at least four of the seven Sins?

Stepping into his night club, Lucifer makes his way to the bar where Maze is looking rather bored. Until she sees him, that is. Her expression shifts from a scowl at the couple practically having sex nearby, to instead become curious as she sees the tired looking angel.

"What happened?" she asks, already making up one of Lucifer's favourites. "Tired of these stupid humans mistaking you for Diablos again?"

The angel sits across from her, nodding before he asks, "Have you heard anything of the Sins being here?"

Maze frowns but her interest is piqued as she sets the glass down in front of her friend. "No. You suspect they're here?"

"The Detective's latest case just screams their influence," Lucifer replies. He gives her a thankful smile before taking a long sip from his drink and continues, "Sloth, Greed, Lust and Wrath at least. I'm betting Pride will strike next."

A smirk crosses the demon's lips. "Not Envy? She probably has something brewing already and it is just waiting to finish it."

"A bet then?" Lucifer says. He gives her his own smirk as she nods. "Very well. I say Pride strikes next."

"Five hundred bucks that if it is the Sins, Envy hits next," Maze replies.

She holds out her hand and Lucifer shakes it, both smirking to each other. Caught up in their discussion, neither divine notices the curious, white-haired male reflected in the mirror behind the bar, watching them.

A reflection with no source.