Hagalaz (RadioApple)

Chapter 14 - One single weak point

The destruction Alastor had caused in his quarters seemed to have no effect on his mood.Shame burned like a fresh wound on his skin, and looking at the destruction of the bayou, that illusory world surrounded by trees bathed in a dark night, seemed to give no satisfaction on that fire that blazed within him.The memory of that kiss was vivid inside his mind and no matter how much he destroyed, no matter how much anger he might feel, that shame on his honour would never completely disappear.The air filled with a tangle of static sounds and noises in a crescendo of reverberations and violent thoughts about all the ways he could get revenge.The radio sound screeched for a moment as his thoughts stopped and he brought a hand around his neck.It was still there, the chain Lucifer had used to subdue him, he could feel it tightening its grip even now that he was no longer present.He had twice subdued him: first with angelic blood, now with reminding him that he was but a wretched subject of a much greater domain.

Alastor breathed deeply, moving his hands away from his neck as he found a kind of 'peace' in his mind, he needed a walk around Cannibal Town and the surrounding area to finally let out all his pent-up energy.Using his shadow as a means of transport he vanished from his own room to descend towards the hotel basement, the same place where the escape room had been held, heading towards the back door so as to leave that building without having to cross anyone.

§

When Lucifer woke up that morning the first thing he felt was a terrible headache.The bliss promised by the pills produced by one of Belphegor's many pharmaceutical companies had lasted only a few hours. Once the effect was over, his mind woke up projecting dreams that had roots in his worst memories and moments.The result was a sleepless night spent tossing and turning in his bed until morning. He finally reopened his eyes, resigned to the inevitable lack of sleep, realising he was still wearing the previous day's clothes.Lilith had always taken care of her wardrobe. It was an essential part, she repeated, to show herself as ruler of the kingdom she had helped to create with her determination and her music.Lucifer, on the other hand, had never applied himself more than necessary and only had clothes that more or less matched each other.The mobile phone in his pocket began to vibrate with an incoming message, he grabbed it on the fly and finally a smile lit up his eyes as he read Charlie's name.As far as she had written there was an excellent pancake breakfast waiting for him downstairs. Today she was planning a wonderful activity for all of them to do together, she was excited and couldn't wait to share that project with him.Charlie always knew how to put a smile on his face when every light around him went out. Without further ado he quickly changed into a clean copy of his usual clothes, walked out of the room and humming to the lift. As soon as he pressed the button to open the doors he stopped and dread came over Lucifer like an icy shower.

Alastor would be downstairs with them, wouldn't he?

He swallowed heavily as a cold shiver ran down his spine. He had become so completely distracted by his daughter's message that he had completely removed the most important question: How should he approach Alastor? The radio demon had never made it easy to anticipate what his moves and intentions would be. He was sure he would wait for the right moment to plunge the blade in and win that contest of strength.He sighed heavily before pressing the lift button again to open the doors; to pause and think would only delay the situation.No, he thought, Lucifer, it was better if he got off now and took care of that.On the short ride to the lift Lucifer felt his anxiety growing steadily, he felt it like a knot in his stomach that he clutched tightly.Lucifer did not want to show weakness at that moment, and to be truly morally superior he would have to, despite himself, apologise first. The idea was not the most exciting, but he recognised that he had slightly overdone it with that passionate kiss. Once out of the lift he followed the sweet trail that had filled the hall to the kitchen. On the way he met Cherry Bomb, plate in hand, heading towards Sir Pentious' painting with one of his little egg demons that had survived the attack. She did not seem to notice him absorbed in her thoughts, guessed her feelings at that moment but decided not to disturb her as she sat down next to Frank to eat breakfast.