The Devil & The Draxon

Interlude: A Different Path

Hello and welcome. It's been a long time. I've started getting back into the fandom, and something along these lines wouldn't leave me alone afterwards. I want to explore Nyxeus as a less childish character, and fix some details about his time in Hell and others, so this is what came out.

I wrote this for me, so it's self-indulgent as fuck, and unedited on top of that.

We begin during the finale of season 4, "Who's da New King of Hell?", when they realize Charlie has been kidnapped but before Lucifer connects it to the demons.

Lucifer's mind is racing. Demons on possessing people on earth, Charlie missing with no trace... Maze is comforting Linda, Amenadiel is deep in thought leaning against the back of the couch, and Chloe is standing near the window, talking on the phone with Dan. Lucifer, pacing slowly in the open space, tries to think of how they can find his nephew, but nothing would work quick enough. Charlie has already been missing for a full night, he needs to be found as soon as possible.

The normal routes with the LAPD won't be fast enough. Maze has no leads, so he can't turn to the bounty hunter. If only they could use magic, a spell or something to locate Charlie's soul and mind—

Lucifer pauses, his brows furrowing. Something about that is familiar. He doesn't immediately remember how though. It's a distant memory, sitting somewhere in a forgotten corner of his mind. It takes a second to brush off the thick layers of dust and remember, especially when he tried to forget. Someone who could effortlessly search through memories and emotions... Something about possession... A bond that can't be broken... glowing orange eyes—

Lucifer freezes, a feeling of ice creeping down his spine. Cold fingers grip the back of his neck, making him gasp, even though it really is nothing but a sensation. It's been so long. Even for an immortal, it's been so long. Lucifer hasn't thought about any of it in millennia. He'd trained himself into forgetting, into no longer associating words and scents with any of it. That isn't a part of his life anymore.

"Lucifer?" Chloe asks in concern, seeing his pale face.

He doesn't answer. He doesn't have the focus to even think of how to voice this thought. Numbly, he reaches up to press the heel of his palm into his chest, right where a flaming crown sits faded on his skin. It's barely visible now, after all these eons. Only the slightest paling of skin to show that he once belonged to someone. He once had someone who loved all parts of him, who he loved with no restraint.

It's been a long time since he thought about any of it.

Despite his internal shutdown, Lucifer still sees Amenadiel's expression become grave. Maze scowls too, and he knows they've figured it out. They see him rubbing at that spot on his chest, and they know where his mind has turned. That old hollow in his chest aches for the first time in millennia. The mental link he's denied for eons flickers when he thinks about it. He expects it to be cold. He expects to get a glimpse of pain, anger, grief, sadness, anything that normally comes from being in Hell.

But the link is silent.

Dead.

A shuddering breath passes Lucifer's lips. He shouldn't have thought about it. He shouldn't have reached for it. It's been millennia. Why does it hurt so much? That mental link has always been warm. It always pulsed with a living heartbeat, a bridge between two minds. Even when it was blocked, it still beat silently in the background.

But it's dead now. Lucifer never thought that would hurt so much. Not now. That old emptiness fills his chest, and suddenly he has nothing. Nothing that matters, anyway. He almost laughs. He remembers spending centuries crying himself to sleep every night. Remembers pacing before that locked door deep within Hell, trying to convince himself to fly away. Remembers trying to find comfort in the Dragonlands, but he just couldn't bring himself to stay.