Prologue

"Once upon a time, a devil and an angel fell in love. It did not end well."

Damien gazed up at his father, adoration shining from his tiny face. His chubby little fists clung to the folds of his fathers robe, the dark material shimmering in the red light of the throne room. Damien, at the equivalent to four earth years, only had eyes for his father, his entire world was this one being. Of his mother, he knew nothing about, for his father never spoke about her, and Damien was too young to ask too many questions. Damien’s only memory of her was a warm touch on his face, a shining light tinged with golden red and a clean scent. Long elegant fingers stroked Damien’s soft red hair as his father spoke judgement upon those kneeling before them. His father often absently mindedly touched his sons hair without even realising it, and Damien cherished these small signs of affection. His large red gold eyes turned to those his father spoke to and he wrinkled his nose up at the sight of them. They weren’t beautiful like his father and his generals. Their deformed shapes shimmered, one moment they looked like normal human beings, next, they were humped, scaled, horned. Ugly.

“You have failed your mission. You had one task to accomplish, one task, and the five of you could not achieve it?,” One of the accused spoke up, one moment a tall handsome looking man, the next a face split like a snakes.

“But sire, she had her brother with her,” Damien stared back up at his father as the hand left his head and was held up. Immediately snake-face stopped talking.

“I understand that, which is why you are still alive. But you are meant to be some of my best. And you could not handle kidnapping and killing one young female. For this, there needs to be punishment,” Damien let go of the robes as his father stood, unfolding large midnight blue wings, the edges of the feathers tinged with dark red, like blood. Damien stared with awe at the feathers, not paying attention to those cringing on the floor in front of the throne.

“You shall all received a 1000 year punishment in the Sixth circle. You are to keep alight the flames for 1000 years, maybe less if I feel so inclined to forgive you earlier. Now get out of my sight,” With a wave of one pale hand, the five disappeared in a roar of flames. Damien reached his chubby arms up to his father, whom, with a sigh, swept the young boy up into his arms and stroked a lock of red away from his sons face. Damien’s own gold-red wings folded up neatly in his fathers arms and he sighed happily at the sight of the pale perfect face smiling down at him, framed with white gold hair. The only thing that ever seemed out of place were the bright red eyes, ones that never quite seemed to smile, despite what the mouth was doing. The only time Damien saw anything in them was when his father looked at him, always with affection.

“Ah, my son, I am forever let down by beings less perfect than us. Even my own family has let me down. One day, even you will let me down,” Damien snuggled into the silky robe as his father sat back down, circling his wings around the tiny figure in his arms. They sat, alone in the vast throne room of Hell, father and son sharing a moment. As Damien drifted off in his arms, Lucifer sighed and touched the small face with his finger tips.

“I tried to stop your destiny, my little prince. But some things even the King of Hell can’t stop. One day, you too will hate me,”