Hell had a heart, and it wasn’t made of fire.
It lay hidden beneath layers of death and destruction, far below the screaming rivers of lava and the jagged cliffs of punishment. A secret sanctuary buried within the very roots of the underworld—untouched by hate, invisible to most.
Lucifer called it: The Garden of the Damned.
Jue followed him through a narrow tunnel carved of volcanic stone. Each step echoed, faint and deliberate, until the roughness opened into sudden warmth and stillness.
The chamber bloomed.
Not with roses or lilies, but with flowers forged from lost memories—ghostly white petals, glowing blue veins, and blossoms that whispered the names of forgotten souls.
Lucifer stepped forward, kneeling beside one bloom.
"This one," he murmured, "was my first rebellion commander. Died because he believed I could build a better Hell."
Jue’s eyes scanned the garden. Hundreds of flowers. Thousands.
“How many have you lost?”
Lucifer didn’t look at her. “Too many to forget. Too few to forgive.”
He plucked a petal gently—it dissolved into golden dust. “They’re memories,” he explained. “What’s left of them. I keep them alive here… even when everyone else has forgotten they ever existed.”
Jue stood silently, letting the weight of it settle in.
He wasn’t the monster stories painted him to be. Not entirely.
“You’re more human than you think,” she said softly.
Lucifer laughed bitterly. “That’s the worst insult I’ve ever received.”
She crouched beside him, her white hair brushing his shoulder.
“I mean it as a compliment.”
Their eyes met again—his, burning red; hers, liquid gold.
[System Notice: Emotional Sync Level 6 Achieved. Target Trust: 58%. Heart Vulnerability Detected.]
[Mission Directive Progress: 41% – On Track]
Jue blinked away the glowing text only she could see. It burned across her vision like a quiet betrayal.
[System Note: Risk of personal conflict increasing. Recommend psychological distancing protocol.]
She ignored it.
That Night – Throne Hall, Alone
Lucifer stood beside the infernal map table, hands planted on obsidian glass as he reviewed recent uprisings.
Jue sat on the edge of the long stone table, legs crossed at the ankle, watching him.
“You never rest,” she said.
“I can’t afford to.”
“Even gods need to breathe.”
He gave her a tired look. “You’ve been watching me. Observing me like I’m… a subject in a lab.”
“You’re interesting,” she admitted.
“No one finds the Devil interesting unless they want something.”
Jue met his gaze evenly. “Maybe I do.”
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”
Your heart. Your trust. Your complete destruction.
She smiled instead. “That’s for me to know.”
Lucifer chuckled darkly, leaning closer. “You’re hiding something, Jue. You appear from thin air, heal like a divine weapon, walk through fire without flinching—and you smell like starlight, not brimstone.”
He tilted his head. “So tell me. Who sent you?”
[System Alert: PROXIMITY BREACH – Target Questioning Origins.]
[Suggestion: Deploy Deflection Protocol or Emotional Interruption.]
Jue’s heart thudded, once—rare and loud.
She stood up, closing the distance between them with fluid grace. Her hand reached out and gently touched his face.
“I’m here now,” she whispered. “Isn’t that enough?”
Lucifer’s breath hitched. For the briefest moment, his walls cracked. He leaned into her palm, warm and uncertain.
“…It should be.”
[Sync Spike: 71% – Critical Emotional Bond Forming]
[Warning: Mission Arc May Deviate from Intended Betrayal Path]
Jue stepped back before she could feel too much.
She turned from him. “I’m going to walk the cliffs.”
“Alone?”
“I always am.”
Lucifer didn’t stop her. But his eyes never left her until she vanished down the long hallway.
Outside – Among the Firelight
Jue stood at the edge of the cliffs where lava lit the skies like a storm of suns.
Zero’s interface opened beside her—quiet, calm, judgmental.
“You are deviating.”
“I know.”
“He trusts you. Perfectly. Betrayal will break him.”
Jue clenched her fists. “That’s the point of the mission.”
“No. The point is balance. His realm has too much emotional density. The heartbreak resets equilibrium.”
She stared at the infernal horizon.
“He’s not what the reports said. He’s kind. Broken. Brilliant. He remembers every soul that died for him. He built a garden for the damned.”
“Sentimentality is corrupting your judgment.”
Jue closed her eyes.
“I don’t want to hurt him.”
“Then you’ll fail. And if you fail…”
The interface flashed red.
“He dies anyway. And this time, you do too.”
Silence.
And Jue, a woman with a billion years behind her, for the first time in memory, didn’t know what choice to make.
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