Chapter Text
Preface
The Pride Ring was a vastness of red- the sky, the bloodstained ground, even the brimstone that made the buildings was a muted shade of the macabre hue. The color he once loved so much, made to represent his eternal torment.
In his youth, he'd been a golden child. Literally. His skin tone was golden, his eyes shoan with blazing starlight, and his wings shone like the ichor that made up his lifeblood. He'd been the brightest being in all creation.
But red- red was a brightness all it's own. It was the color of passion, of human life, and of the desire that burned deep in his veins. He thought that passion was for Lilith, but by the time he realized it was just their kindred spirits connecting, it was too late. She was queen of Hell and he was committed to giving her the best of what they'd made, even if that meant they were more business partners than husband and wife on and off.
It was in one of their 'on' periods that Lilith decided that she wanted to try to rise against Heaven, weaving a web of deception throughout Hell that resulted in Heaven stepping in. He was ready to fight them, had stood with his guards when the first wave of angels attacked, only to be knocked out shortly after by a blow that he didn't bother to dodge because he shouldn't have needed to.
That was when Bel told him he was pregnant, and that he'd almost lost his baby in the battle. He was in the second trimester- far enough along that they had a soul, but not far enough that they could survive outside of the womb.
He begged Lilith to stop, cited the safety of their child, but she took that as even more incentive to continue her assault.
So, Lucifer'd had no choice. He signed the treaty with Sera. He ensured the safety of Hellborns by segregating Sinners to the Pride Ring, locking it down and permanently disabling the lift system between the Pride Ring and the lower levels of Hell and confiscating all of the Asmodean crystals in Pride. Any Hellborn would have to put in a formal request to be evacuated to their home ring or purchase their own Asmodean crystal to traverse with.
Lilith had been furious. She didn't see that what she was doing was putting their child in danger. So Lucifer had continued his pregnancy and labored alone.
Charlie was absolute perfection. Never before had he understood the pure love his father held for his creations until then. She was everything good and pure in the world.
Which was why he didn't do more than scream and cry on the floor when after a half a century his slow-growing child was taken from his arms by her other parent and into the portal to Heaven. Lilith had secured salvation for herself and Charlie. She could live and grow up in the place he'd grown up himself, surrounded by his family who was as pure as she. Adam himself had escorted them through, solemnly promising Lucifer updates on his daughter every year when they had their post-extermination meeting.
And like he knew she would, she flourished in Heaven. He got pictures of her, smiling and happy as if she didn't miss him at all like he did her. And that was okay. His precious Duckling didn't deserve a single bit of pain, ever.
So he sat at his work station, passing the time molding rubber ducks by hand to go to LuLu World's gift shop and arcade.
Life lost it's meaning. Over time, Hell forgot about him. The Sinners worked out a self-governing system and it worked for the most part.
Charlie would have been about a hundred years old, about a ten-year-old compared to humans, when he felt it one fateful Extermination Day.