Sariel did not move.

  She could not.

  Even long after His light had faded, after the echoes of His footsteps had vanished into the abyss, she remained where she was—half-kneeling, half-collapsed against the jagged stone. The shadows had not returned. The air had not thickened with its usual malice. The weight of Hell itself had lifted, if only for a moment.

  And all because of Him.

  Her fingers dug into the rock beneath her.

  Why?

  Why had He smiled at her?

  Why had He looked at her—not with condemnation, not with scorn, but with something that burned deeper than fire?

  Compassion. Mercy.

  No.

  Sariel shut her eyes, exhaling sharply.

  It didn’t matter. None of it mattered.

  The Son of God had come and gone. Whatever victory He had achieved, it was over.

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  And she… she was still here.

  A shadow loomed over her.

  Sariel tensed.

  The cold that had vanished moments ago returned in an instant, coiling around her like unseen chains. She recognized the presence behind her before she even turned.

  Lucifer.

  His voice was soft, smooth as ever. "You saw Him."

  Sariel forced herself to her feet, but her limbs felt heavier than before. When she turned to face him, she found him standing there, golden-red eyes unreadable, his stance as casual as if they were discussing the weather.

  He was not smiling.

  He did not look pleased.

  She said nothing.

  Lucifer exhaled, studying her with quiet intensity. “It changes things, doesn’t it?”

  Sariel remained still.

  Did it?

  She had felt His presence. She had seen Him descend into the darkest depths and rise victorious. The very foundations of Hell had trembled in His wake.

  But had it changed her?

  She wasn’t sure.

  Lucifer’s eyes flickered with something unreadable. “What did He say to you?”

  Sariel hesitated.

  Nothing.

  He had said nothing.

  But His silence had spoken more than words ever could.

  Lucifer tilted his head, watching her carefully. A slow smirk tugged at the edges of his lips. “Ah. I see.”

  Sariel tensed.

  He took a step forward, closing the space between them with unhurried ease. “He didn’t have to, did He?”

  She clenched her jaw.

  Lucifer’s smirk widened, but there was something cold beneath it. “That is the problem with Him, isn’t it? He doesn’t command. He doesn’t force. He simply is—and somehow, that’s enough.”

  The air thickened.

  Lucifer’s gaze burned into her. “Tell me, little cherub… did you think, even for a moment, that He had come for you?”

  Sariel did not answer.

  Lucifer chuckled, a sound that echoed through the endless void. “That He would take your hand and pull you out of this place?”

  A flicker of something sharp twisted inside her.

  Lucifer watched her carefully. “He could have.” His voice was almost gentle. “But He didn’t.”

  Sariel clenched her fists.

  The flickering embers around them pulsed, the throne room stretching out into infinity. Lucifer turned slightly, as if glancing toward the distant echoes of the battle that had already been won.

  “It’s a cruel thing, isn’t it? Mercy.”

  Sariel’s breath hitched.

  Lucifer’s expression shifted—just for a moment. Not anger. Not amusement. Something deeper.

  Then, without warning—

  Darkness crashed down around her.

  The throne room vanished. The weight of Hell returned in full force, crushing, suffocating.

  Sariel hit the ground, the jagged stone of her prison biting into her palms. The familiar stench of sulfur filled her lungs.

  She was back.

  Lucifer had returned her to where she belonged.

  His laughter echoed in the void, fading like a whisper.

  And Sariel, bound once more to Hell’s will, could do nothing but endure.

  ---