3 Chapter 2: Opening Of The Gates To Hell

The footsteps of multiple men taps against the clear metallic floor of another hallway. Lucifer is being escorted to another room by the man from before. "Uh I know we are going somewhere, but do you mind telling me who you are where we are going?" Lucifer asked, relentlessly and with worried hesitance in his voice. 'My name is Asmodeus. And you will be staying at a special room with a couple other people. We will be taking care of you so don't be so uneasy" Asmodeus answered with a smile on his face, trying to calm Lucifer down and win his trust.

As they reach a room, Asmodeus uses a card like the one Alfred had before to open the doors and they all step inside. Lucifer looks around curiously, he wonders how much has the world changed before he sighs, displeased at his state and saddened by seeing no one he knows around him. "You will be staying here Lucifer. And don't worry we will be seeing each other soon, but till then you may speak with the rest of the people who will be staying with you here" Asmodeus told Lucifer trying to reassure him that he wasn't going to be alone, though it only increased the uneasiness Lucifer was feeling. Now he was distressed, questioning if something bad is going on. Wondering what Asmodeus wanted from him. "What's going to happen to me and these other people who will be here with me?" Lucifer thought, worried about what was next to come his way. Just then he looks around the room, noticing how it looks.

Unlike the last room, this one wasn't pleasant at the least. It consisted of four walls made of metal, though it looked a bit odd and seemed different than any metal Lucifer has ever seen. Though he disregards it and keeps scanning the room, he realizes that there isn't much except that as the only other things in the room is another room in the corner of the room which Lucifer concludes is the restroom. Feeling confident in himself he smirks a bit, proud of himself for his deduction skills and keeps looking around till he notices there is a bookshelf in the room as well. Next to which was a table with a cup which seemed to have been drank from recently. As he continued looking around Asmodeus spoke, "I hope you enjoy your time here. But we must go for now as I'm running on a tight schedule" telling Lucifer in a rushed voice and then walked out of the room and left, closing the doors behind him before Lucifer could get a single word out of his mouth. Lucifer who had multiple questions in mind for him, a bit frustrated that he got no answers calms himself down and decides to wait till he returns as Asmodeus had told Lucifer they would see each other again soon.

Lucifer returns to look around inside the room, realizing if he was to live there he should probably know what is in there. And also, if he will be staying here he should probably get to know those people that will be staying with him. He suddenly remembered that Asmodeus told him something about other people also living in the room with them. Just then Lucifer hears a glass shatter on to the ground from behind him, taking him aback and by shock. Lucifer reflexively turns around to find out who else is in the room, putting up his hands in front of him and curling them in to a pair of fists as if he is ready to fight. He looks behind him shocked but ready for whatever comes next but as he turns around he notices that the only thing behind him was a bunch of children and teens, who seemed to be the same age as him.

"So these must be the people I'll be living with... They seem around my age or younger." Lucifer thought to himself. Carefully observing them and where they were standing Lucifer notices that there are four girls and three boys. Two of the girls seemingly around the ages of 7 to 11, another seemed as if she was around his age whilst the last girl seemed like she was around her early 20's. The boys also were seemingly around the same ages. They all stared at Lucifer, Concerned about their own safety. At a closer inspection, Lucifer noticed that all of them whilst in this room that didn't seem to be able to cause them any harm, were in complete utter horror. Their lips trembling from the cold, clothes that seemed similar to his own teared, and wounds all over their bodies. Lucifer became worried if they were alright. Then he notices that the floor was covered with bits and pieces of glass, supposedly from a glass that was dropped and shattered. "I wonder what happened to these people" he thought. Just as Lucifer looks up at the others, the man amongst them that looked as if he was in his early 20's shouted at him in a horrified and nervous voice. "W-WHO ARE YOU!? WHAT DO YOU WANT M-MONSTER!?" he shouted.

"..Huh..?" Lucifer muttered under his breath. His eyes widened, stuck in place from the shock of what he just heard from the man. He tried to make sense of what he just said but was still stuck in place from the shock that came from the sudden shouting that took him aback. Just then one of the girls walked over to the man and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Calm down Jack. I think he's the boy they told us is going to be staying with us from now on. He isn't a threat" the girl says, scanning Lucifer from top to bottom looking him straight in the eyes with a cautious look. Lucifer realized then that something very wrong was going on, that he probably wasn't safe there.

After all the commotion ended and everyone had finally settled down, everyone started to introduce themselves to Lucifer. Though they were still hesitant to get close to him, they stayed a bit of distance apart as they spoke amongst each other. The man who shouted before started it off, telling Lucifer a bit about himself. "I'll start things off, My name is Jack. I was brought here from the streets of Europe. I was homeless before coming here and being... Tortured. They brought me here for my imperium, which is immortality. I am also the oldest to live here, counting back to a century ago when all this started." he spoke as Lucifer was shocked not just at the age but also how he looks for that age. But then a sudden thought hits him. "What's an imperium?" he thought to himself and as he decided to ask them, another boy was about to introduce himself, which led Lucifer to decide that he will ask at the end. "M-My name i-is Leon... I'm 9 a-and my i-imperium is the a-ablity called p-precognition-.." he told Lucifer, his body trembling not from fear but of nervousness. "I see..." Lucifer spoke. "Are they okay in the head-? Are these Imperiums supposed to be superpowers or something-? I am so confused-" Lucifer thought on his head as he forcefully smiles trying not to seem rude. "That sounds nice, Leon." he said to Leon as he smiles a bit, relieved it went well and nothing went wrong. Then the third boy started to introduce himself as well. "Name's Alex. I'm 14 and you ain't gotta know what my imperium is aight." he spoke in a rude tone, seemingly hostile towards everyone and Lucifer as well. "Uh... Alright?" Lucifer a bit confused on what he did wrong, feels bad thinking he might have done something to hurt the boy's feelings.

They continue on to tell Lucifer about each of themselves. He finds out that the oldest girl is 22 and is called Layla. Whilst another girl around his age is called Elisa. He also finds out that the two youngest girls are called Historia and Tiffany. Historia being 12 while Tiffany is only 7. They had decided not to tell him their imperium's just to be safe in case he becomes a threat to them. That is everyone except Tiffany who had told them that her ability was chronokinesis, also known as the ability to alter and control time. As Lucifer is taking all the information told to him by the people there, he wonders to himself if this is really a safe place. But then he takes a look at the others, realizing that this place probably poses a threat to himself if it does to them and if he is in there with them. So he decides to ask them about everything when Layla suddenly interrupts his thoughts. "Sir uh... What's your name? You never told us. And it would help if you told us what your imperium is.. At least, make it easier for us to trust you.." she told him. Lucifer looks at her, not knowing how to respond. This takes Layla by confusion as she wonders why he is taking so long to answer. As she is wondering what the matter may be with Lucifer, he chuckles, as he spoke. "Eheh.. About that. What's an Imperium again?" he told her. What Lucifer said took all of them by surprise, leaving them in shock. Wide-eyed and questioning what they just heard Layla prompts Lucifer to repeat himself. "Uh yeah... I don't know what an imperium is-" he said with a soft smile on his face, not knowing what else to say. Still a bit shocked, the others look at each other and seemingly come to one conclusion and explain to him what an imperium is.

"Ah now I see what it is. Yeah I don't have one of those-" Lucifer told them and then proceeded to explain to them how he woke up in a chamber and that everything is so much more different than before all this. He also told them what year he was last conscious in, thinking it could help them explain to Lucifer what's going on since earlier when he told Alfred, Ali and Zion they were shocked. They explain to Lucifer how the year after that was when the virus started allowing people to use imperium's. As they spoke, Jack cut them off and speaks in a rude manner while he is changing his shirt in the restroom. "If you have no ability then I see no reason for why you were brought here. So I think you're lying." He remarks as he walks out with a strict voice and cold glare towards Lucifer along with it. "Maybe they don't know he has no imperium? Well I suppose he is lucky. At least one of us can safely get out.." with an irritated look on her face and glaring at Jack, Elisa spoke in a tight voice.

As the eight were talking, the door swings open as the soldiers with the same suits walk in along with Asmodeus. They all turn their necks sharply towards the door to see them entering, frightened and worry in their eyes. Lucifer looks back at the others wondering what to do next, but as he turns around he realizes the others are mostly trembling in fear and the others are enraged and glaring at Asmodeus.

"I see you all have been getting to know each other. That's good! Get used to these people Lucifer." Asmodeus told Lucifer, with an evil smirk on his face leading Lucifer to have a bad feeling about what will happen next. "What do you want from me Asmodeus!?" Lucifer exclaimed with anger in his voice as he stood up, trying to get between Asmodeus and the seven others in the room with him. Asmodeus noticing what Lucifer is trying to do, takes a few steps forward and smiles. "Don't worry Lucifer, I'm only here to take you" Asmodeus explained, leaving Lucifer confused and the others relieved, thinking that Lucifer was going to get released. "S-So you really are going to release L-Lucifer-?" Layla exclaimed in a hesitant voice as she trembled, trying to confirm that Lucifer would be safe whilst terrified of something to happening to her.

Asmodeus turns to Layla. "Now why would we let him go?" He asked her with a tint of amusement in his voice along with confusion. Layla a bit taken aback by this is about say something as Jack speaks up as well. "THE DAMN BRAT HAS NO IMPERIUM- WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU NEED HIM!?" He screamed at Asmodeus as he got furious at what he said. But just then, the soldiers pointed their firearms towards him and released their bullets in to him, penetrating his skin and going straight through him as his body fell lifelessly to the floor as everyone is taken by shock while leaving Asmodeus amused. "Haha, poor Jack. What did you think would happen? Shouting at me. I must say though. These soldiers are well trained" He spoke still with a smirk on his face as he chuckled at the state Jack was in. But as he was talking, Jack slowly rose back up, his wounds healing. Returning him to a state where he had no wounds. But he falls back seemingly exhausted from healing himself.

Lucifer who is still not well versed nor used to the concept of imperium's was left shocked at seeing the use of an imperium for the first time, let alone such a strong one. As Lucifer was taken aback and shocked at how fast everything happened, the others ran to Jack, making sure he is alright. Then, Asmodeus takes the moment of panic to his advantage. "You think he won't be of use to me just because he has no imperium. But you're wrong! He is the MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF THE PUZZLE!" Asmodeus spoke with amusement in his voice and enjoyment on his face before getting a hold of himself. "I apologize for that." he said, coughing to clear his throat as he looks back up. "Now then... Come with us, Lucifer" He said in a menacing voice, almost as if it was a threat.