King of Locusts | ✔

Epilogue

Abaddon's purpose lay within the pits of Hell, but there was one detour he found necessary. He touched a hand to his chest and felt a deep warmth there. The piece of Lunan within him pulsed brightly at the opportunity to see his parents.

His wings folded neatly behind him as he entered the forests of Sheol. The surrounding shades were briefly stunned by his appearance, as so few living souls visited this part of the Underworld. They gradually resumed their actions, but gave the angel a wide berth. Abaddon knew searching through the land would take too long, so he settled on summoning Lunan's parents instead.

"I call you forth, Edward and Michelle Frost."

Moments passed before the shades appeared before him. The pair was less pallid than the others. Even in death, their magic was palpable. They stared at him wide-eyed for long moments in disbelief. Michelle reached out a tentative hand, which trembled as it approached the angel's wings. Abaddon held still as she traced her fingers over the sensitive appendage. As she confirmed its solid state, she pulled her hand back. A sob wracked her form, and Edward held her closely as tears filled his eyes.

"Son?" he asked. He was dismayed when Abaddon shook his head.

"Yes and no," Abaddon replied, touching his chest again. "Lunan is part of me, but I am at the forefront. He compelled me to seek you out."

"You are both of my sons," Michelle choked out, her voice cracked from disuse. "I have always seen you that way, Abaddon."

He nodded, knowing it was Michelle in particular that wanted to bring the prophecy to fruition.

"Lunan wanted you to see that his wish was made reality. He accepted me into his heart, and ultimately chose to align him, and thus me, with Hell," Abaddon told him.

Tears clouded Michelle's eyes.

"I'm sorry. We're so sorry that we couldn't protect you."

"We wanted you to have as normal a life as possible, especially after that damned Ravager took you from us," Edward added, his voice darkening at the mention of Azrael.

"Lunan felt great pain due to your early departure," Abaddon said bluntly. "He spent the remainder of his human existence thinking that you wanted nothing to do with him because you refused to appear when he used my power to summon shades. It was only shortly before his decision that Gadreel broke his promise to you and explained the actual situation to him."

Abaddon watched the emotions pass over his birth parents' faces, from shame to something akin to embarrassment.

"You're only human, even with the wisdom that comes from following Lucifer. I don't hold it against you," he added, recalling Gadreel's similar statement. He wondered if he had united with his lover yet.

"Thank you," Edward said quietly. "We were foolish, but we thought we made the best decision given the circumstances."

"You were only looking out, as parents do."

Michelle gave Abaddon a weak smile.

"Thank you for taking the time to see us," she said reverently. "I didn't think I would get to see you until the End Days."

Abaddon nodded. He prepared to release them from his summoning, but stopped himself short.

"You two are exceptional to have brought me into this world. For your ambition, desire for knowledge, and raising my vessel, thank you for being my parents."

Michelle and Edward enveloped Abaddon in an embrace, which he slowly returned as he freed them from his summoning. Upon releasing them, they watched from their spot in the forest as their son walked onward beyond Sheol until he descended to the true depths of Hell where his destiny awaited.

The End.

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Author's note: Thank you for reading King of Locusts in its entirety! I hope it was an enjoyable tale. Lunan's story may have come to an end, but I have a few bonus chapters to share. The first two are about Lunan's parents, Michelle and Robert, and the other is about how Gadreel met Lucifer. I plan to post them in the upcoming days.