[Lucifer] Ch: 40 [Wings to Ashes] (Patreon)

[A Few Days Later]

[Night] [Beach]

The beach was almost deserted by the time Lucifer arrived, with only the distant glow of Los Angeles behind him and the endless black Pacific stretching ahead beneath the moonlight. Waves rolled toward the shore in slow, steady lines, breaking against the wet sand before retreating again, while the cold wind tugged at the edges of his dark coat.

'Haaa... Been a while... Feels so peaceful.'

Lucifer stood several yards from the water with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a large canvas bag resting near his feet.

For a while, he did nothing. He drank and stared down at the bag.

He had known this moment would eventually come, especially once Amenadiel started poking around more aggressively. The original Lucifer had cut off his wings after leaving Hell, yet he'd never destroyed them. For all the anger he carried toward Heaven, Father, and everything connected to his old life, some part of him had still preserved them.

He understood why now.

He crouched and pulled the canvas open.

Two divine white wings rested inside, folded awkwardly over each other. Even severed from his body, the feathers still caught the moonlight with an almost unnatural brightness.

Lucifer stared at them longer than he meant to as old memories flashed in his mind.

He remembered flying through the Silver City with Amenadiel beside him, remembered Azrael laughing somewhere behind them, and remembered Remiel turning everything into a competition whether anyone else agreed to participate or not. He remembered Uriel endlessly calculating patterns, Michael always wearing that irritating expression, and countless moments when Lucifer had spread these same wings across Heaven and genuinely believed he belonged there.

Lucifer closed his eyes briefly as the memories settled through him.

'I wonder if I'm Karl or Lucifer... Things are getting a bit murky lately. Is it possible that Father split my soul in two, sent one to hell and the other to another reality just to help me learn humanity and the truth to prevent the war and unnecessary death? After I learned, he fused my severed soul again... Only if he answers...'

When he opened his eyes again, he lifted the whiskey bottle and took another drink.

"Oh well," he muttered.

Lucifer tipped the bottle over the wings and slowly poured. Whiskey soaked into the feathers, running along the white surface before dripping into the sand below. He continued until most of the bottle was empty. He drank the rest and then used telekinesis to crush the bottle into fine dust before vaporizing it.

'Nice. I'm getting a hold of these new abilities.'

A familiar celestial presence brushed against his senses moments before footsteps sounded behind him.

Lucifer smiled without turning around.

"Right on time, brother."

Amenadiel stopped several feet behind him.

Lucifer could practically feel the confusion coming from him, followed almost immediately by alarm once Amenadiel noticed what was lying in the sand.

Lucifer lifted one hand, and a small flame appeared over the tip of his finger.

"Lucifer..." Amenadiel said, his voice suddenly tense.

Lucifer flicked his finger toward the wings. The flame landed among the alcohol-soaked feathers. Fire spread almost instantly.

Orange and gold raced across the white wings, curling along the feathers while heat pushed back against the cold night air.

Amenadiel's face transformed.

"NO!"

He rushed forward fast enough to kick sand into the air and dropped beside the burning wings. His hands moved toward them before stopping just above the flames, as though some irrational part of him still believed he could save what was already burning.

Lucifer walked to him.

Amenadiel stared at the flames with something dangerously close to grief in his expression. "Are you insane? What did you just do?"

Lucifer watched him for a moment before answering. "Saved us both a dreadfully boring conversation, it seems."

Amenadiel slowly looked up.

Lucifer slipped one hand into his coat pocket and continued, his tone almost conversational despite the fire crackling between them. "Skulking in the shadows behind Maze and me for the better part of a week? Honestly, your stealth is insulting. You were hunting for a pressure point to press, since barking Father's orders at my club hasn't quite yielded the obedience you're used to."

Amenadiel stood slowly, his eyes hardening.

Lucifer gave him a small smile. "And then you stumbled upon these old dusty things, and a lightbulb went off in that feathered head of yours."

Amenadiel flinched, though he still said nothing.

Lucifer walked slowly around the edge of the burning feathers. "You pictured a grand, tearful reunion, didn't you? The prodigal son weeping at the memory of his former glory. I'd clutch them to my chest, pack my bags, and fly right back to my miserable throne because big brother finally reminded me of my place."

Amenadiel finally looked at him directly. "I was trying to save you from what you've become."

Lucifer's smile became colder. "Oh, spare me the savior complex."

Amenadiel stood up, conviction filling his voice. "You are the Lightbringer! Those wings were a literal piece of your divinity. You hacked them off like a petulant child and drowned yourself in human vice! But pretending responsibility doesn't exist won't change the facts. The balance Father designed demands a king, whether you enjoy it or not."

Lucifer stared at him for several seconds before speaking. "A quick question for you. When exactly did Heaven's most decorated warrior trade his sword for sneaking around like a petty thief?"

The reaction was immediate.

Amenadiel crossed the distance between them with two hard steps until they were nearly chest to chest. His jaw clenched, and anger flashed behind his eyes as his entire posture changed from wounded brother to celestial soldier.

"Do not push me, Lucifer."

Lucifer didn't move.

Amenadiel stared down at him. "I did what I had to do! I'm not afraid of you; I'm exhausted by you. Every plea, every reminder of your duty—you deflect with cheap jokes. You left me no choice by constantly spitting in the face of Father's expectations."

Lucifer gave a quiet chuckle. "Ah, the magic word. 'Father.' You wave His name around like a get-out-of-jail-free card to justify your own scheming."

Amenadiel was really angry.

Lucifer tilted his head. "Did the Almighty explicitly instruct you to rifle through my belongings? Did He command you to use my severed body parts as bait? No."

Amenadiel's silence stretched between them while the flames crackled nearby.

Lucifer's smile returned.

Amenadiel drew a slow breath. "I am His eldest. I know His will."

"No, brother. You only know what you desperately need His will to be."

That hit harder. Amenadiel shoved him.

The force would've sent a human flying several yards across the beach. Lucifer moved less than a foot. His shoes slid through the sand before stopping.

For a brief moment, neither brother said anything.

Amenadiel stared at him.

Lucifer chuckled. "Feeling better after that little tantrum?"

Amenadiel blinked and grabbed the front of Lucifer's coat and pulled him closer. "Is my failure a joke to you?"

Lucifer's expression immediately lost all humor. His hand closed around Amenadiel's wrist and squeezed.

Amenadiel's grip weakened despite his obvious effort to maintain it, and his fingers gradually loosened from Lucifer's coat. It happened once before, and it's happening now again. 'How is he stronger than me?'

Lucifer leaned closer. "I think you're terrified. Father's gone quiet, hasn't He? Yet you strut around Earth playing His mouthpiece. Well, look around. Your grand manipulation went up in smoke, and I haven't moved an inch."

Amenadiel ripped his arm free and stepped back, anger covering whatever else had briefly appeared.

Lucifer glanced toward the wings as part of one burning section collapsed into itself. For a second, something painful tightened in his chest again. He let himself feel it. Then he looked back at his brother.

Amenadiel looked toward the flames. His anger faded enough for grief to return around the edges. "You just burned your own grace."

'Grace! Supernatural?! Hell no. I must be overthinking,' Lucifer watched the fire for several seconds before answering. "And it was wonderfully warm."

Another feather curled into black ash.

"Does it mean absolutely nothing to you?" Amenadiel asked.

Lucifer's voice grew quieter, though it never lost its certainty. "Not a thing. And that's what kills you, isn't it? You don't get to dictate my attachments or weaponize my past. I am never going back. But hey, solid effort. I'm sure Dad will give you a gold star for participation."

"RAAAAGH!" Amenadiel yelled in rage as he tried to tackle Lucifer down on the beach, but sadly Lucifer's telekinesis field stopped him from touching him.

Boom! Instead, a telekinesis blast sent him flying a few steps back. He looked super confused.

"Going to have to hit a bit harder than that, brother," Lucifer said with a grin as his eyes flashed red for a moment. 'This is self-actualization. Damn, it's really hard to control. I should start training soon.'

Amenadiel's confusion lasted less than a second before anger swallowed it completely.

His wings exploded from his back in a blur of dark feathers, kicking sand into the air as he launched forward. His fist came straight for Lucifer's face with enough force to crack concrete.