A kingdom in a sorry state, a friend gone, a power in decline.

  What was he doing, leaning so close to this human woman? Why did he seem powerless in the face of this burning desire?

  His conflicting thoughts didn't stop Lucifer from moving even closer to Abigail, gazing into her eyes, feeling his lips inexorably drawn to hers. He felt her warm breath, her heady perfume, her soft skin against his fingers.

  The entire sofa had to tremble at Lilith's heavy arrival before he finally regained control of his body and stepped back from the young woman. She too recoiled, quite against her will, it must be said: the Infernal General had just used her as a shield and placed her between herself and her peers. The fallen woman then exclaimed that, as the Devil's protégé, they couldn't risk harming Abigail by attacking her; an argument that didn't seem to convince the other two Generals: they leaped from their seats to catch her.

  Abigail gave him one last look before being abruptly placed on Lilith's shoulder, who ran off with her. Chasing after their comrade, Adramelech took a moment to assure the Devil that they would take care of his human before following Leonard through the corridors, searching for echoes of Abigail's laughter.

  The Devil's amusement died as soon as everyone had left the drawing room. The conflict in his mind, far from being appeased, led him to seek refuge beyond these walls. While the ramparts once again welcomed him, Lucifer discovered that the magnificent surroundings of Lilith's abode took on a far more somber aspect after nightfall. Without a sound, he spread his wings and left the terrace.

  In the silence of the night, he reached a summit at the edge of the valleys and sat there, observing his Kingdom bathed in moonlight. Along the river winding through the plains of Hell, three clusters of luminous points marked the three infernal cities, while far on the horizon, a glowing aura indicated the entrance to Adramelech's domain. Alas, a dark mass stood at the heart of his land, a city plunged into darkness and its promontory that should have radiated light to the surrounding area. Instead, no light shone in the streets of Pandora, not even those of Pandemonium.

  What would Samael have said? The Devil couldn't help but wonder. He missed his friend terribly. Of all his Infernal Generals, Samael held a special place: not only had he been the first to stand by his side against God, but he had also supported him in his most arduous battles. Whether it was the Heavenly Wars, the demons' revolt, or their general ostracism, his friend had never faltered. He had even supported him despite his own struggles, and now Lucifer felt powerless to help him.

  With a deep sigh, he slid down against the stone and remained there, watching the stars beyond the barrier surrounding Hell. They too reminded him of Samael, alongside whom he had traversed the Universe, guided by God before shaping this place.

  His thoughts wouldn't subside; Lucifer could sense it. His only option was to go to sleep and hope that upon waking, they would have faded into the white noise of his mind. So he returned to Lilith's house, where he found Leonard in the living room, performing a human illusionist show, gliding cards through his hands and captivating his audience with his sleight of hand. Reassured and amused, the Devil disappeared to the upper floors in search of a place to sleep.

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  When he opened his eyes in the morning, the dark thoughts of the previous day had dissipated into the ambient noise of his mind, and he was able to go downstairs to join his friends, whom he could already hear talking on the ground floor. Seated on high stools around the kitchen counter, the fallen were chatting happily around a human woman whose head rested against the anthracite-colored countertop. While the celestials needed little sleep, Abigail had paid the price for her discoveries and seemed on the verge of falling back asleep. Feeling compassionate, he slid his hand to her shoulders and then went to the cup Lilith offered her.

  "So, what are you going to do now that you're back?" asked the lady of the house, crossing her arms to stare at him.

  "Just a moment," demanded the Devil, relishing the sweet-smelling, steaming brew. "I have made a pact with Beelzebub: in thirteen days, we will fight for the title of Satan. The victor will have the throne, the loser will leave Hell."

  "Wait, wait, wait!" Lilith said, waving her hand. "You mean you made a deal with that sly bastard? First of all, haven't you gone completely mad? Second, are you sure he'll even honor any of the terms? And third, and this is no small matter: why two weeks? Why didn't you just smash him to bits the moment you arrived? I mean, it's not like you didn't have any arguments to make him eat marble!"

  “I understand your anger, Lili, but allow me to explain,” Lucifer replied to his vehement friend. “Beelzebub is the one who proposed this fight, and he’s also the one who suggested these two weeks of waiting; however, I accepted, and for good reason. I’m not as strong as I used to be.”

  "Huh?" exclaimed Abigail, awakened by the weighty subject of the conversation.

  "Beelzebub sensed it, his Daemon Princess sensed it. I sensed it," he finally admitted, aware of the truth. "That being said, I have no idea what is causing this decline, nor even how to stem it."

  "Did Sam know about this?" the General asked.

  "Yes. I made him promise not to tell anyone, but now that even my enemy knows, I doubt that hiding it from my friends is right. Forgive your husband for his secret, and forgive everyone that I hid it from you," Lucifer said to the assembly.

  “We’ve been by your side for billions of years… You should have told us sooner,” Adramelech admonished, staring at him. “That said, since we’ve been by your side for billions of years, we kind of sensed it too. But we thought it was up to you to tell us. Honestly, Lux. Trust us a little more.”

  Although his Steward's words reassured the Devil, he nonetheless thanked each of his friends. He would have to rely on them if he hoped to regain his former strength and overthrow the regent.

  Turning to Abigail, Leonard then announced that to test the human's magical resistance, no place was more suitable than Kur, the City of Magic. This way, in addition to better understanding the powers of their newcomer, it would remove her from the Devil's vicinity, allowing him to focus more effectively on her recovery.

  The young woman, alas, didn't have time to protest, gently pushed through a portal created by the witch's snap of her fingers. She exchanged one last look with the Devil before, suddenly, the portal closed.

  If Lucifer momentarily considered how to counteract his loss of power, his companions anticipated him, unanimously offering their help. A mock-hostile glance was exchanged, and each presented their arguments: one suggested testing him, another leaving it to his machines.

  Not without difficulty, the Devil chose his former lover. After all, he argued to Adramelech, a test of exertion would be all the more accurate if it took into account existing data. Fortunately, this was enough to convince the Steward, who made him promise to join him once things were over there, before leaving them and flying away from the terrace.

  Left alone with Lilith, Lucifer thanked her for her help, knowing full well that her return had reawakened the painful feelings of losing Samael. She smiled sadly at him, then assured him that, in the reversed situation, she knew her husband would have acted the same way. Lilith then took his hand and pulled the Devil through his dwelling.