Chapter 204

Malachi grew up in a palace with a caring mother, but a cold father. The only person to receive any sort of kindness from Lucifer was Malachi's mother. The earliest memories Malachi had of his home was the immense stress everyone seemed to be under.

All the servants and guards always seemed scared around his father. Even Malachi would get chills from time to time but assumed it was just the effect of him lasing out at the others. Malachi would often overhear others talking about his father. That at least Lucifer was in a good mood lately, but Malachi disagreed.

All Lucifer's moods seemed bad, and the only person he seemed different around was Malachi's mother. When in her presence Lucifer would seem like a different person altogether. Even with the odd atmosphere around his father Malachi grew up to be a very caring and empathetic child who was friendly to everyone in the palace.

As Malachi grew older and learned more about the world he developed a distaste for violence. This started to change once Lucifer offered to train him. It was the only time the two ever spent time together away from his mother, and because of this Malachi tried his hardest during their drills to be worthy of his father's affection.

As the years went on Lucifer began opening up to Malachi, and slowly they started to resemble a real family. Lucifer was even starting to improve his mood around the castle, and for the first time, the servants seemed happy. With no war going on, and his family coming together Malachi had everything he ever wanted.

Then one day Malachi heard his parents arguing in the garden. This was unusual because the two never bickered about anything besides his father's manners, but Malachi saw no servants around. When Malachi found out what they were discussing he became ecstatic at the thought of being an older brother.

Unable to control his emotion Lucifer detected his presence and exposed Malachi's eavesdropping. The look on his face ceased the arguing and that night they had a celebration. Both of his parents seemed happy, but there was one thing Malachi couldn't help but notice. His father genuinely seemed filled with joy, but there was a strong look of concern hiding behind his smile.

When the time of the birth neared everyone in the palace was in a panic to get things ready. Malachi would no longer travel to the other territories and instead spent his days helping his mother. During the nine months, his father was nowhere in sight.

As the labor started Lucifer returned with a frantic look on his face. He had left to ensure the safety of the child and managed to obtain the artifact needed just in time. Lucifer quickly took to his wife's side and tried to help guide her through the labor.

Even with all their efforts, and preparation, the baby was stillborn. Not long after they discovered the baby's fate they felt her life fading. Lucifer clung to her side and attempted to mend his wife, but it wasn't working.

Watching the color slowly draining from her cheeks, and feeling her hand losing its grip Lucifer knew it was coming. Tears were running down Lucifer's face as he dropped to his knees looking up into the sky with a serious look.

"I know I have no right to ask for this, but please save her...I'll do anything you ask just name it." Lucifer pleaded.

Malachi was at his mother's side confused about who his father was talking to. Lucifer sat on the ground continuing to ask for forgiveness, and once the warmth completely left her body he began groveling. With no reply, Lucifer slowly grew silent and the look of desperation was replaced with anger. He slammed his hand into the wall as the servants rapidly left the room with a look of terror.

"I finally see the light you talked so much about, and you take it from me!" Lucifer shouted as a blast of holy energy evaporated the ceiling engulfing the sky.

"Is this all just a game to you?!" Lucifer roared into the sky.

Lucifer's voice was enough to make the palace rumble as his blue eyes turned into an ominous red. Malachi feeling the pain in his father's voice tried to comfort him, but the second his hand touched Lucifer's shoulder it was smacked away.

"I knew this was dangerous...She only tried to have the child because of that stupid look you gave her." Lucifer said in a cold tone while glaring at Malachi.

"Please let me help fath..."

"I'm not your father!" Lucifer shouted while knocking Malachi to the floor.

Malachi had a confused look on his face as a shiver shot down his spine. This was the first time Malachi ever saw Lucifer like this, and staring into the fiery eyes left him petrified. The eyes were filled with so much hatred that it was suffocating, but Malachi couldn't look away.

"I only took you in because of her, and now she's dead..." Lucifer stared at the lifeless body on the bed as he caressed her cheek.

Malachi knew there were many orphans from the war, and the possibility of Lucifer not being his father was always in the back of his mind. This didn't matter to Malachi and he knew his father was simply lashing out.

"I know you're in pain, but you are my father, and that's my mother." Malachi declared as he stood up.

"You're mother was charged with treason, and rendered to ashes in the golden city. Your father was charged with the same crime..."

Lucifer looked down at his hands and then up at Malachi as he walked forward.

"And I tore him apart with these two hands," Lucifer said while giving a cold look at Malachi.

"You're just trying to push people away!" Malachi shouted recalling his mother's advice.

"Look me in the eyes, and tell me I'm lying," Lucifer demanded while snatching Malachi up by his collar.

Seeing the look on Lucifer's face he could tell it wasn't a lie, but Malachi was still in denial.

"Because of her I will let you live, but if you ever return here I will kill you," Lucifer said while tossing him towards the door before disappearing.

Malachi left the castle distraught, and once he calmed down he went searching for answers. Knowing the best place to get history was from a watcher he went searching for one of the surviving ones. This led Malachi to the pit where the fallen angel Azazel was imprisoned for irritating Lucifer. The two talked about Malachi's parents, and he found out the origin of his birth.

Malachi's father was a watcher named Gadreel, and the right-hand man to Lucifer. Gadreel never disobeyed an order from Lucifer, and always showed him his unyielding loyalty. After the third dark age ended Gadreel was stationed along the southern border.

During his time there Gadreel became infatuated with an angel from the new generation. Her name was Angela, and she was just barely appointed to the rank of sentinel when the two met by chance in the neutral territory.

The encounter between Malachi's parents started as a battle, but when brought to a stalemate they were forced to recover. While sitting around healing the two began talking, and they agreed to have a rematch. Both of them agreed to keep it a secret to ensure the integrity of a duel, and as the duels began to add up they started to fall in love.

Angela heard all the fallen were pure evil, but Gadreel treated her better than anyone in heaven. When the time came for her to betrothed to ensure their species survival she fled. Hearing rumors of a rebellious angel being hunted Gadreel laughed, but once hearing their identity he desperately fled his post.

When Gadreel caught up to Angela she was still within their borders fighting off a few sentinels sent to retrieve her. Without hesitation, Gadreel crossed the borer killing her attackers, and with his actions broke the treaty. Following the battle, the two eloped and attempted to hide from the rest of the world.

They lived in hiding enjoying a life similar to humans, and their efforts to avoid detection were working until Malachi was conceived. Once the factions caught up with them Malachi was already born, and both parents were apprehended. Then their fates ended just as Lucifer said.

Wanting to obtain the power to avenge his parents Malachi willingly went into the deepest pit of hell, and through the gates of Tartarus where the watchers were once imprisoned. Inside was nothing but darkness and the answer to his problems.

The chaos dwelling within corrupted the lowly watchers and allowed them to do battle with high-class angels. With this in mind, Malachi found it to be the ideal place for him to achieve the power he needed for revenge.

This was a prison meant to torment the wicked, but Malachi walked in without hesitation. It was dark, but he could feel the water come up to his waist, and once he was far enough in black chains bound him tightly yanking him to a post. The position left only his ears, and nose above the chilling water.

In all of creation, Malachi was the first being to imprison himself in Tartarus willingly. With his sight taken, and being bound the only thing Malachi could experience was the blood-curdling screams of the damned, and a malevolent voice whispering into his ear. While the others who were imprisoned there resisted its corruption Malachi invited it.

By the time the corruption did its job, another dark age had passed, and the world was under a new treaty. Confident in his chances of revenge Malachi shattered his bindings and returned to Azazel's cage. Upon seeing Malachi's wings dyed black from the corruption of the pit a smirk swept Azazel's face.

"Let me out of here so we can achieve your revenge and rule over this world," Azazel said while extending his hand through his cage.

"I have no desires for such a thing," Malachi replied.

"Then what is it you desire?" Azazel asked wanting to manipulate him another way.

"I heard many stories while locked up, and one intrigued me the most," Malachi approached the cage revealing a crazed look upon his face.

'Stories? Seems his mind is still scrambled.'

Azazel spent over a millennium in the pit, and never heard a single story. The only thing he ever heard was the wailing of the other watchers beside him and the distorted voices of the damned. He figured Malachi was simply being theatrical and became irritated at the run around he was receiving. Having no other means of escaping Azazel was forced to play along.

"What story is that?" Azazel asked impatiently.

"When God thought the world was unredeemable he wiped it clean with a flood. What I don't understand is if the world was cleansed how is it fucked up now? It was a good plan, but it needs some tweaking..."

Malachi lifted his hand as a black hole formed in the center of his palm. Azazel never saw this technique before but assumed his cage was preparing to be shattered.

"A flood isn't very through so this time God sent me, and I'm not stopping with the mortals," Malachi grinned as Azazel shrieked in pain.

Azazel's wings were slowly being torn apart, and the skin on his body was being peeled away faster than it could regenerate. Azazel was squirming in pain and he tried desperately to fight the overwhelming force, but the void was too powerful. He looked up at Malachi preparing to beg for mercy but froze when seeing the look on his face.

Malachi had a grin from ear to ear and was laughing hysterically seeing Azazel in despair. Azazel himself came out of the pit unhinged, but none of the fallen ever displayed this kind of lunacy. The sinister feeling radiating from the void was something Azazel never experienced, and he has been watching since Lilith was cast out from the garden.

The abyss in Malachi's hand was swallowing everything before it, and once Azazel's body was no more a small light appeared in the center of his palm. Malachi closed his hand as a wave of power surged through his body.

"Can't wait to see you again 'father'." Malachi snickered.