Secrets Dyed in Blood

15

Scarlet's POV 

I stood there and watched Heaven go into a political war over the idea that Lucifer's daughter proposed. Emily was one of the few who thought this was a fantastic idea while most of Heaven assumed otherwise. It was for good reason too. Hell was full of monstrosities that no one up here would understand. They all deserved to be eliminated, especially her. 

I growled to myself at the very thought of Astra. The fact that she was still alive shocked me. I thought she would have had some self-respect and killed herself a long time ago. I tried to picture the blue-tinted demon that used to plague my world. She was nothing more than trouble. And a powerful form of trouble as well. If she were to be a part of another war against Heaven, there would be so much carnage. The current exorcists were not ready for what she had in store. Hell, no one even remembered the war except for Sera and a few other higher-ups. The fact that I was even allowed to remember everything was probably Astra's doing. 

"Scarlet." The bark of my name took me by surprise. I glanced up and saw Sera. Her face was stoic and sad. The talk with Emily probably did not go well. 

"How may I be of service, Sera?" I asked with a small smile. 

"I need you to go with Adam. Since he refused to keep his mouth shut about the extermination, all of Heaven knows. And I...I cannot let anyone know about how things used to be. It would cause a rally in Hell," Sera explained. "I need you to get rid of anyone that still has their memories." My eyes widened. The opportunity to kill Astra was right at my fingertips. I could be rid of her for good. 

"I would love to help any way I can," I responded almost sweetly. Her face was grim as she nodded. 

"Emily hears nothing about this." 

"Of course. I would not want to be the one that ruins her adorable innocence." I pushed a few dark red strands from my face as I grin. "I will do everything in my power to make sure that this is taken care of." With that, Sera was gone. I chuckled darkly to myself as I aimed for Lute. Extermination day was going to be so much fun. 

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Astra's POV 

"We need to prepare to go to war with Heaven," Charlie explained as she sat me down in her office at the hotel. "And you are one of the few people that had gone to war against the Angels. I need to know what to expect. Is there any way around this?" 

I hummed as I thought over Charlie's words. A war with Heaven may anger God enough to intervene himself. If that were to happen, we were all as good as dead. I tapped my fingers against the table while my eyes fell to the silent fallen angel beside me. They both held an awkward tension around them. I decided to keep my mouth shut about it for the time being. 

"We will need bodies," I said after a moment. "And I think I know just the overlord that has subjects crazy enough to be a part of it." I stood from my chair. "And I believe I also know just the angel that could help us calm down the exorcists. Granted, it is not a surefire idea, but it will at least help you feel heard in all of this." I motioned for Charlie to follow me. Vaggie was just about to join when I stopped her. "I need you to go to Carmilla's territory. Ask her for weapons made by angel's steel. It is the only weaponry we could get in such a short amount of time and Carmilla must have a decent supply." 

"They can get hurt by their own weapons?" Vaggie asked, shocked. 

"Well, you have to realize that these are human souls. Not just any weapon can kill a soul. An angel is a soul as well, just on the other side. They get hurt the same way we do," I clarified. "In the grand scheme of things, it actually makes a lot of sense." Vaggie slowly closed her mouth as she stepped back. "Tell her I sent you. She might be more willing to agree." I waved Vaggie off while Charlie followed behind me. The two women looked at each other before we departed, and the pain was evident for both of them.