The Heaven-Hell War

Rosemary bounced her soccer ball off her feet all around Lu’s office, trying her best to keep it from touching the floor. She was going for the ultimate record.

177. 178. The talented mortal girl kept a mental count of every bounce. 179. 180.

The official record is thirty hours straight. Only an hour has passed and she did not feel restless. If she needed to stop juggling off one of her feet, she switched to the other foot. If those were tired, it was up to her elbows to keep the challenge going. Then it would come to bouncing it off her head. A concussion couldn’t stop her. Nothing can stop her now. Except occasional bathroom breaks, but those don’t not count. The kid has talent. Couldn’t be captain of her school’s soccor team if she didn’t. Higher and higher her ball flew in the air. The ceiling in her stepfather’s office was pretty high up. No way it would reach it. Could it? One way to find out.

She kicked the ball up higher now. Much higher than before. It bounced up, just several inches short from the ceiling. Now Rosemary was determined more than ever. Getting it, at the very least, as close as it can to the ceiling would be a record on its own. No prizes or recognition will come from this. But it sure would be cool to see it could get close enough. The ball dropped back to her like a meteor, with Rosemary at the ready. Her leg kicked up. They met. The ball flew, right into Lu’s desk. She kicked too hard. The ball crashed and flew off in another direction. “Oh crap!” Rosemary cried, helpless to stop her ball from ricocheting everywhere. She watched it hit across the granite floor, knock off a set of book, bounce off the giant glass window—thank her Grandfather that it didn’t break through it.

Finally it hit against a lamp placed on the far corner of Lu’s desk. Lucky for her it didn’t fall, which was also unusual. It tipped yet not fall, stuck in its new position. Rosie then watched the bookcase sink down into the floor, disappearing into the dark, mechanical abyss. And in its place rose a large display case with a set of body armor stored inside. It was dark crimson red with a black hood resting on the back and small spikes on its shoulder pads. Rosie drew herself closer to it, entranced by its mysterious appearance. Lu never mentioned having body armor before. Was it actually his, she wondered. Now she was standing right in front of it with her face reflecting off its plackart—the part of the armor that protected the stomach and guts. Something clicked and Rosemary jumped back a step when a hidden drawer below the casing slid down. Her mouth gapped in astonishment when her eyes gazed upon a pair of twin blades, twenty-seven inches long—tip of the blade to butt of the handle. The steel was red as blood but the hilts were black as dusk. The guards were shaped into snake heads complete with open mouths swallowing the grips and small black jems decorated like the eyes of a death serpent which twinkled inside Rosemary’s dark eyes.

“Whoa,” was the word that escaped her lips. She was enchanted by their unique design. These were the coolest things this ten-year-old girl has come across with. But those black jems, were they real jems? She had to touch them to be sure.

As her hand reach up to feel them, the door to Lucifer’s office popped open. “Hello, luv” a friendly voice greeted the mortal girl. Lilith stepped inside, smiling cheerful as ever. “How’s you’re-”

She stopped. Rosemary was about to touch the swords! “Blimey! Don’t touch those!” the succubus secretary hurried over quickly. Rosie’s fixation broke in time for Lilith to cut in front. Her fingers never reached those swords. Lilith position herself between her young friend and the swords. “That was close,” she sighed, reliefed. “For a second, you could’ve-” her fingers felt like someone lit a match under them. Looking down, she found them placed over the steel of one of the swords. “Oh bugger...”

Being burned was not new territory for demons like her. It never bothered them once. But that doesn’t mean they couldn’t get hurt from being burned. Four of her fingers had second degree burns. “I am so sorry that you got hurt, Lilith.” Rosemary was feeling extremely guilty as she watched her oldest friend bandage her own fingers together.

“Oh, fret nothin’ of it, luv. A day or two and my hand will be good as new. We demons are fast healers, you know.” she finished wrapping her fingers in some gauze from Lu’s cabinet, unfazed by the whole experience. “You best be careful around those swords. They don’t like anybody but the boss wielding them.”

“Do they really belong to Lu?”

“Indeed they are. They’re called the Blades of the Serpent. Weapons forged from the blood from the Heart of Hell itself. Given to him by the previous king of Hell as an induction gift after he was banished from Heaven by his Father, and then converted and accepted into our society.”

“Whoa,” her eyes went back to the blades. Their black eyes sparkled again, calling her back. They were casting their hypnotic spell once more. “He’s never mentioned these before.”

“Oh that’s because he hates them.”

Rosie looked back to Lilith. “Huh?”

“Oh yeah,” Lilith nodded, still smiling. “he loathes those things with no end. Yet can’t seem to ever part himself from them. Maybe that’s the reason he hates them. But he sure knew how to use them in battle.”

“Was he good?”

“Was he good? I dare say he’s the best bloody swordsman I’d ever seen in my long life. Helps to have been trained by the angels for the War.”

“What war?” Rosie’s head tilted. Curiosity grew like a hunger.

Lilith paused, realizing what she said. “That’s ancient history now. Our ancient history, to be precise. Nothing you need to know about.”

“Come on, Lilith,” Rosie urged. Each of the demons, and the small couple of angels she knew, would always change to another subject whenever she would ask about their history.

Lilith understood this. She watched as the mortal child grew sad in her eye, denied once more to learn about her stepfather, who’s past he kept vague from his new family. There were so many questions she knew her young friend wanted to ask, yet the answer she received again and again was too vague. Or she wouldn’t get an answer at all. Lilith wouldn’t mind answering her questions or sharing the history of her world and her people. These answers were never meant for humans to learn or hear. Sometimes such knowledge could lead one to madness. Their history belonged to their world. But wasn’t this girl, this mortal child that ventures into their world, unafraid of Hell’s darkness and seemingly unaffected by its corruption and madness it can poison in the minds of some mortals, wasn’t she part of their world now? Isn’t she and her family now apart of their new history?

She sighed. “Very well.” perhaps it there would be no harm in learning some of their history. But this moment of time that made up most of the history for both Heaven and the Inferno, were from darker times. “You’ve heard it before, I’m sure. In the beginning, the Creator made Heaven for his angels. But then he went on to make a second world and its people. But this world didn’t have a name like its people. Shortly after, a celestial being called Corruption came to this world and, well, made all this, and us.” the succubus made an awkward smile. “One thing led to another, and then there was a war. But it did not start in Heaven. It started here. A great demon named Satan, I’m sure you’ve heard of him before, rose against Heaven. You see, they were looking to control us, limiting our freedom. But Satan said no more! Then all the demon clans united together as one nation, under his rule, thus he was crowned the first Devil, the first king of Hell and all its demons.”

“You were there?” Rosemary asked, now deeply engaged in the story.

Lilith laughed histerically. “Oh please, I may be thousand years old, but I’m certainly not that old. Although my breed of demons technically stops physically aging when we reach adulthood. That’s why you’re never gonna see a single wrinkle on this face. All that happened way before my time. Blimey, even before your stepfather’s and uncle’s times too, I dare say. But we did all came into the war much later on though.

Satan led the demons into many battles. Had many victories, but also many defeats. That was until he was captured and executed for war crimes. Those angels thought that’d be the end of all this, they did. But no. The demons rallied again and continued to fight for their freedom. Through time and again, Hell went through a number of kings. Beelezebub, Asmodeus, the likes. Each crowned and lorded by sin. Like the Lord of Lust, which was Asmodeus. And then there was Belphegor, the Lord of Sloth...”

“What about Baracrus?” Rosemary then asked. That was a name she heard of before, and his painting was still seen in the Hall of Kings.

Lilith stopped. “Right...” her breath shuttered. Her face saddened as she reflected on the worst person in her life. “Him...”

Rosemary noticed Lilith’s hands scrunch along the edges of her dress, trembling from fear. She was starting to think that asking about him was a bad idea. But she had to ask. No going back now. “He was the Lord of Envy, right?”

“I guarantee if he were still alive today and you called him that to his face he’ll tear yours clean off. He fancied himself a new title. One that would strike fear into the hearts of angels and demons alike. We had to call him... the Lord of Darkness.”

“Why are you all afraid of him? You treat him like he’s Voldemort or something?”

“If you’ve seen first hand some of the atrocities he’s committed—and worse, used us to commit them—you’d be afraid of him too. Sometimes the dead can still hurt you in the worst of ways.” she paused again. “The thing everyone seems to label us demons as is evil. We may look different. And we may act a bit violent and crazy at times. But we’re not all bad once you get to know us. We can be decent and kind, and we have no shame in showing it. Too bad no one wants to really get to know us. Except for you and your fam and friends, luv. You’re all alright by us. But I suppose we only have ourselves to blame. Us and Baracrus.

“Baracrus wanted to conquer more lands, many of which were on other worlds. Mortal worlds, like yours, to be specific. All other fronts usually took place within our thresholds, to the worlds beyond the mortal plains, as it should have been. He did quite a number of cruelties against the angels. And a number more on his own people. The same people he was suppose to care for. We were nothing more than his foot soldiers and subjects to him. Just expendable assets that he’s willing to sacrifice in order to achieve his own victories. But the worst pain he gave was to those outside our worlds. So many civilizations now extinct. So many worlds destroyed. And we all followed every order he demanded, or risk execution by his hand.

“It was he that convinced your stepfather, our king, Lord Lucifer, to turn against his people and Father. He took him in as an apprentice, and had him serve as his right-hand during the war. And he was responsible for the boss being able to...” Lilith stopped again. “Well, I think you’ve seen the Beast before...”

“How did he die?”

“Well, there came a final battle. Over two thousand years ago. Or maybe three, somewhere around those times, I think. It happened in a small village hosted in your world. Bethlehem, I believe you humans named it. Baracrus was looking for something there. Something greater and ancient than our universe was hidden there. Baracrus wanted it, believing it would serve an edge in the war. The angels rallied and a enormous battle was fought. Then, amist the chaos, Lucifer, your stepfather, called on Baracrus. He told him, ‘I challenge you for the right of the fiery throne’, and the two dueled each other. A pupil against the master. A king against his right-hand-” Lilith was about to continue but stopped. Her eyes darted over Rosemary. “Boss!” she gasped.

Both girls jumped at the sight of Lu standing beside them, arms crossed behind his back. His scarlett eyes glared at them both. He did not need to say a word to convey how much anger he felt.

“I was-” Lilith gulped. Lu’s eyes were burning into her dark soul. “off to do something much more important. Goodbye, luvs.” and off she ran, far away from her boss’ room to find something more important to do.

Lu turned his fierce stare toward Rosemary, who stood perfectly still as if she was hoping that his vision was based on movement like a dinosaur. But he still spotted her, clear as day. “Don’t you have homework to do right now?” he scowled.

Rosemary nodded and slowly made her way towards the door. Her heart was beating heavily against her breast. At least she wasn’t in complete trouble, or grounded or anything.

“Smiling,” she then heard her stepfather say. Looking back, she saw Lu now staring down on the Blades of the Serpent. The tips of his fingers grazed along the polished metals, unburned. Unharmed. They recognized the touch of their true master. His face was reflecting off his armor’s breastplate. No longer angry. That feeling passed fast. Sadness and regret were in his eyes. “You wanted to know how Baracrus died, right?” the tone of his voice was regretful too. “He died smiling. Like he was proud of the monster he created.”

#sinsofthefather #fiction #fantasy #comedy #horror #demons #hell #angels #heaven #lore