Of Light And Shadows

Chapter Twenty One...

"You interfered with the Greater Demon Abaddon while he resided in the human world. You came into contact with an Angel while there and you helped her. You know it's forbidden for Demons to interfere in the workings of those sent by me to live outside of our realm, don't you?" Satan narrowed his eyes at his first born child.

"Yes, sir." Lucifer's reply was flat, void of any hint of emotion. It reminded Jia of the many times she'd responded obediently to her father.

"And you know it is an even higher breach of my trust to aid an Angel, yes?"

"Yes, sir."

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I have nothing to offer that would help my case." Jia felt a swell of pride as he lifted his head to look Satan straight in the eye. "I did what I felt was right at the time."

"You did what you felt was right?" Satan started circling him slowly, hands still clasped behind his back. Lucifer kept his eyes on the window in front of him as Satan moved out of his field of vision, refusing to show fear. "You felt like helping an Angel was right? Can you explain that to me?"

"Our rules dictate that Demons and Angels can't mix. The Greater Demon Abaddon enslaved Seraph Lauviah and forced her into becoming his companion, breaking our highest law. I went there to rectify that and to help Abaddon's daughter. Once freed, the Angel returned to her realm and Abaddon fled."

"I suppose I can understand that," Satan nodded, still circling his son. As he passed, his gaze strayed to Jia. "What I don't understand is why you kept it from me."

"I was concerned that you would harm Abaddon's child for being what she is." Satan laughed like Lucifer had told him a good joke.

"Oh dear me, no. I am fascinated by her. I would never harm someone so unique. She is too impure to be allowed passage into the Angelic Realm so she will find a perfect place for herself here among the elites. Had you simply come to me and asked about her, I would have told you the very same." Something in Satan's face made Jia's heartbeat stutter erratically.

"I'm sorry that I didn't approach you first, father." Lucifer was still looking out of the window and she saw his shoulders tense ever so slightly, almost as though he knew what was coming.

"Kneel." Her stomach flipped in anger as Lucifer Morningstar, Prince of the Demonic Realm, was forced to stoop to one knee in front of all of them. "I truly admire everything Lucifer has done for me and for this school, and I appreciate that he was acting in Lisbeth's best interests," Satan called, addressing the rest of them.

"I know now that his actions were simply to rectify a heinous rule-breaking. However, that does not excuse the fact that Lucifer broke rules himself. Not only did he meet with and help Seraph Lauviah, in direct violation of laws created for us at the time of the Uprising, he also disrupted the life of Abaddon, who was sent to the human world by me to monitor the spread of the Vampire disease. And that is unacceptable."

There was a beat of horrible, heavy silence as Satan rounded on his son and Jia watched as the rest of the Devils looked down, knowing what was coming.

"None of you will interfere. You will witness Lucifer's punishment as a reminder that none of you, not even the mighty first born, are above my rule. Let this be a lesson for all of you." His voice took on a resonant quality and Jia realised then that the rest of the Devils had been rendered powerless by it. Bell's hand tightened on hers, not hard enough to hurt but enough to know that he would hold her back no matter what happened. A second later Mammon's hand closed around her other wrist.

"We can't defy his orders. I'm asking you one more time to close your eyes, Jia." She couldn't do it. Her eyes remained glued to Lucifer as he knelt on the ground, tense and waiting for the first strike. Mammon's warning meant nothing because her body wouldn't obey.