Night encased the city of Corrupito. The glaring streetlights were fuzzy from the cold, depressing mist that seemed to blanket the entire city. The people, who were willing to venture out into the consuming mist, were neither smart nor stupid. They were the kind of people who had sold themselves to evil or were on the verge of it. They cared only for themselves, even if the weaker ones relied on groups to protect them. The groups and gangs however weren't the ones to be afraid of. It is the loners that are feared. They carried all sorts of weapons and trinkets that spelled doom for anyone stupid enough to cross their path. These people, most of them, showed little compassion and killed for the simple thrill of killing. And they did it unrestrained, bound only by their own morals.
Now one may ask, what about the police, or other types of law enforcement? And to those people I say this, they were too few to hamper the flood of corruption that ran through and consumed the city. Sure, they tried to stop the evil, but as most should know the police are merely reactionary forces. They are too few to stake out the entire city, so they hole themselves up in their reinforced headquarters and wait for the evil to consume itself. That's where the so-called vigilantes come in. These people fight in the hope of stemming the tide, and helping the innocent escape this hellish city. That is what life is like in this city, and that is why its' song is a dirge of good.
On the very same night, one man walked the almost empty streets alone. The man was tall, and the frame of an Olympian was evident from under his long, black trench coat. Underneath the coat, he wore an all black suit similar to one seen at a funeral. A gust blew back his black shaggy hair, revealing his features. The man's face was expressionless; his thin lips form the slightest of smiles, while his blue eyes stared straight ahead, their focus lost in the mist. His eyelids closed as he blinked, showing off and completing the tattoo that covered his right eye. The tattoo was, when his eyes were open, nothing more than a few black lines. However, when closed, the lines connected forming a wimble cross that pointed towards the sky. It looked like an ordinary cross, but the horizontal line curved down instead of going straight.
The man walked for what seemed like an eternity through the thick mist, seeing and hearing nothing save the steady growing laughter of drunkards, and of all things, a small girl. The girl was strange; she stared blankly at the man. Her long black hair formed around her pale face which accented her large red eye. The man stopped to talk to her, but she vanished into the mist. The man stared at the same spot for some time, but then continued on. Finally he stopped underneath a neon blue sign that read Dante's Ninth Circle. The man smiled, as the irony of what was about to happen. As he approached the door, a tall black man stopped him. Muscles bulged from under the black man's clothes, and a gun that looked similar to a desert eagle hung from his waist.
'Sorry sir, but the bar's closed for a special occasion. You'll have to come back later.' The guard said. He put his meaty hand on the shoulder of the man. However, the minute he touched his shoulder, red liquid bloomed from the hand. The guard let out a howl, and with his other hand reached for his gun. He pulled it out, cocked it, and pulled the trigger. The bullet punched straight through the space the cloaked man had just occupied. Before the guard could look for him, cold metal touched the guard's throat.
'I've always like crashing parties,' said a hollow voice, 'but it's too bad you won't be joining us tonight though.' And with a swift stroke of the man's hand, the guard crumbled to the ground. A small smile played across the man's lips. Looks like this might be fun. He raised his hand, and pushed open the door.
Dante's Ninth Circle was the main headquarters of probably the most famous crime syndicate in Corruptio, Satan's Light. They specialized in protection, drug trafficking, and assassination. They were cruel to all people, no matter what, and they believed in an eye for an eye. However, all this was why the man had come to this place. He was a vigilante of sorts, but he was not doing this for the greater good, only for his own revenge.
As the door to the bar opened, several large men looked over at it in a drunken stupor. The man calmly walked in and sat down at one of the bar stools. Looking at the man with the look of confusion the men got up, save one. This one was smaller than the others and he wore a hood that cast a shadow on his face. An unholy aura seemed to radiate from him, and his voice could have frozen beer.
'I suggest you leave that one alone,' he said. His friends shrugged off his comment, and grabbed the man at the bar.
'Hey man, what's your name? What are you doing in our bar?' one of the men said. The man looked at them with a blank expression and spoke:
'My name? Some call me Lucifer. And as to what I'm doing, well you'll find out.'
The men looked at each other and smiled. There were four of them, and only the man who called himself Lucifer. They grabbed Lucifer's head, and went to slam it into the table, but they couldn't push him. They pushed with all of their strength, but he didn't budge. They let go, and slowly backed away, reaching for whatever weapons they had. Lucifer smile, and two knives slid to his hands from the folds of his coat. He spun, throwing the knives which streaked forward like silver stars. They impacted into the foreheads of two of the men, killing them instantly. The other two backed away and stared in disbelief of what had become of their friends. They glanced at the cloaked man sitting behind them.
'I thought we couldn't die! You promised us we couldn't die!' They screamed at the man. The man smiled, and with his unearthly tone said:
'Promises are meant to be broken.'
The men screamed in anger and lunged at their former comrade. But they fell short, crashing into the bar table where they had once sat. Their eyes were expressionless, and glazed. The man just sat there smiling.
Lucifer walked forward, and checked their pulse. They're dead! he thought. His minds raced with possibilities of what could have happened, but it all lead to one thought. This man can kill without lifting a finger. The idea shook Lucifer to the bone. The cloaked man stood, and pointed his finger at Lucifer.
'This is what you wanted right? For their gang to die with them right? Sorry to say, but they were merely pawns. I'll just replace them with other souls I've damned.' The man erupted in an evil cackle. Lucifer stared in disbelief. This man, he can't be'
'Yes, I am Satan, Scratch, the Devil, and Lucifer.'
The man's eyes glowed an unholy red, and black, leathery wings sprouted from his back. His cloak burned away, and the man's long white hair spilled out from the hood. The air grew heavy from the heat, making it hard to breath. Lucifer gasped for breath, and stared in disbelief at the creature known as Satan. I've got to get out of here, I've got to leave, but my body won't move.
'There's no use thinking of running. You've committed a sin, and now I will damn your soul to hell for it.'
Satan stepped forward, and the ground beneath his feet melted. Lucifer tried to run, to fight, to anything, but he was bolted to the ground. A large spear appeared in the man's hand, its' tip gleaming in the oppressing heat. Satan lowered the spear, and drove it forward. ' Have a taste of the Spear of Destiny!'
The tip pierced Lucifer's stomach. It burned so hot, that it kept blood from spilling out. Tears welled in Lucifer's eyes as his body was racked with an unstoppable pain. Why does it have to end like this? Satan pulled the spear out, and as he went to drive it back in, Lucifer felt cold. His body felt light as air, and he dodged the spear. He rolled to his right, and pulled a knife from his belt. Satan stared at him in disbelief.
'Why can you move? What, what is going on?'
A voice that was cold as ice spoke.
'You have broken from your prison, and I have come to take you back.'
Both Lucifer and Satan turned to the open door of the bar. The girl that Lucifer had seen earlier stood there. Her eyes glared with an icy coldness, and the room grew cold from just her look. Glasses and bottles from the bar froze and shattered as the temperature grew colder and colder. Frost formed on everything, but it was replaced by snow and ice. Satan's eyes glowed red as he glared in anger at the girl.
'I will never go back to that frozen pond in the ground! Never! I want to burn this world to the ground and with the hatred and evil, here I can. I will burn this world to a crisp, and usher in the age of demons.'
Satan spun the spear around, and hurled it at the girl. Fire trailed from it as it sped toward her. Lucifer stared in awe at what happened next. The girl caught the spear with her right hand and hurled it back at Satan. It hit him in the stomach with enough force to pin him to the wall behind him. The girl calmly strode forward, and stopped in front of Lucifer.
'The shores of Cocytus are calling for his damned soul. He is the ultimate traitor, and it is his sentence to suffer all eternity in that frozen lake; lost to his precious fire. However, I am afraid of what is to come. Hell holds home to all evil, and the guardians of it have kept those evil souls under lock and key since the beginning of time, but now they can escape from their fate. We guardians are too few to hunt down every escaped demon.' She turned her head and looked Lucifer in the eye. 'Would you help us keep this world and the underworld separate? You managed to kill a few of his servants even though you are a human. You have promise, but you lack the power to hold your own with the demons from the lower circles. If you choose to help us, we will make it worth your while.'
Lucifer stared at the girl, and closed his eyes. Fight against demons? Why is she asking me, aren't there better people for this job? Can't they ask some sort of preacher, or something? The thoughts raced through his head, but before he could answer, she spoke.
'Your hesitation is normal. We ask only those who have a grudge against these souls, for we show no pity on them. We hunt them and make them wish for death, only to give them eternal torture. That is our duty as their guardians. So what is your answer?'
Lucifer smiled, and opened his eyes. 'Sure, why not. I'll do it, but I'm going to need something to help me out with the stronger ones.'
The girl smiled, and held out her hand. 'Then let us make it a deal. As for your help with the stronger demons, you can use this.' A large broadsword appeared in her hand. The hilt was long and worn. A skull decorated the guard of the sword. 'I believe you'll find this to your liking. And by the way, my name is Ai.'
Lucifer took the sword from her, and drew it from the sheath. The blade glowed white in the frozen light.
'Well then for my first act as a guardian of hell, I'll finish up what I started.' Lucifer walked over to the demon pinned to the wall. Satan glared at him with an unquenchable hatred. Lucifer raised the blade, and held the tip to Satan's throat.
'It's been fun, but now, I'm going to end your life, just like you ended hers. She was my heaven, and you swept her out from underneath me. You made me into the fallen angel I am, which is why I will destroy everyone of you hellions with my own hands. When you go back to hell, tell anyone thinking of escaping that I'll be waiting for them.' And with that, Lucifer pushed the blade into Satan's throat, ending his life in the human world. The girl, known as Ai, grabbed the body from the wall and disappeared into the night with it. Lucifer sheathed the sword and walked out of Dante's Ninth Circle smiling at the irony of what had transpired.
The mist seemed to try not to touch him; the shadows shrunk when he drew near, and a new day dawned as he walked through the streets that night. He walked until he reached the center of the city, and there he stopped. He drew his sword, and held it high in the air. The blade glowed with a blinding white light as he did. A smile spread across his face, and he yelled at the top of his lungs.
'Run while you can! I'm coming to drag you back to the place where you belong!'
As his words echoed through the still empty streets, a scream followed it. Lucifer chuckled. Looks like I get to start early. And with that thought in mind, Lucifer took off in the direction of the scream.