Vivid

He fell to his knees as dark blood poured out from his mouth, eyes wide open in great pain as he convulsed continually.

They poisoned him. Again.

Lucifer stared at his own bloody vomit with shaky breath as his six elder brothers close in on him. Surrounding him. There is nowhere to escape. Are they going to finally kill him now? He was not sure, but he hoped not.

'Should I start begging for mercy? What in the hell did I do wrong this time for them to poison me the fourth time this week?'

Hot tears began to trickle down these cheeks as he felt like ten thousand knives were relentlessly poking his throat all the way down to his intestines. I haven't even healed from the scaring of the last poisons, and this feels like adding more wood to hell's fire.

"Forgive us, dear brother for having to repeat our mistake. We didn't know the herbs were… envenomed. The royal doctor wasn't that specific when it comes to which is good or toxic, so we kept making silly mistakes."

He heard one of his brothers say. Was it Mammon or Levi…? He wasn't quite sure. He couldn't focus. His entire body both inside and outside feels like it was set ablaze, and the burning wouldn't spare him even if it was for half a second. It was that painful and uncomfortable.

Levi smirked as he glowered on the last born of the royal family of demons. Lucifer, the chosen one. The one chosen by the elders to rule over Hell. While the rest of them were given worthless positions, according to them. Positions not befitting of them, and that made them furious and wrathful demons in the life of their youngest brother.

They were jealous of him. You could feel it from Asmodeus hateful stares.

Levi humbled himself before Lucifer and gently began to stroke the hair on his head. His single touch did nothing but bring waves of terror down his spine. Beelzebub snickered from where he stood.

"Little brother, poor brother, the favored one…" His hand fisted around a lock of his hair briefly before letting it free. Levi then proceeded to place his clawed digits on Lucy's chest, making bloody holes as he tried to reach for his heart. Lucifer knew no pain than this. Both fear and pain overwhelmed him greatly as more blood pooled out from his trembling lips. "The most beautiful."

The eldest brother, Beelzebub, scoffed as he allowed this wickedness.

"The chosen one." Lucifer gasped as he felt a rib snap and his heart tighten around his brother's fist.

This is the end, he trembled. They are really going to kill me this time. They have had enough of me.

Lucifer, with great effort, raised his head to stare at his brothers in pure horror. He had always considered them as his tormentors and bullies that hated the very essence of his existence. But he never once saw them as murderers.

"Bro..th..er?"

Levi smirked, "Hush now, it's only going to hurt for a moment before you find peace."

Lucifer screamed in protest with his every being as they all burst into laughter. All of it boiled down to his head pounding, his vision blurring, and every inch of his body was pain. A bright white light from nowhere overwhelmed him.

She woke up with a loud gasp and pulled herself to a sitting position as sweat poured from her face like raindrops. Lucy quickly rolled out of the bed and went to her massive golden mirror to tear open her night gown in a frenzy. The dull light from the moon peaking through the large windows of the room revealed her scars that were taking years to heal because of the numerous poisons she was forced to take. The poisons were so toxic enough to weaken her healing abilities as a demon, and some toxins couldn't be flushed out from her system completely. They are running through her veins and killing her slowly.

Lucy slowly lowered herself to the floor beside her dream bed.

All these years, I've been trying to stay strong. Keep it together and fight hard for my birthright. I wasn't made a weak demon…they made me a weak one.

She tried several times to blink back the tears, but they have been so challenging to hide these days.

And the nightmares are getting stronger, frequent and vivid. Almost like a memory, well, it is a memory. They ruined me.

Lucy coughed and wiped her lips with the back of her hands, and shook when she saw blood stains.

The poisons are regrouping, and my body is constantly reminding me of the trauma. How much time does the devil have left?

They were not earthly poisons, but poisons made in the fires of hell and strong enough to kill any angel, regardless. And Lucifer has been overdosing on them ever since she said her first words as a baby demon. How has she been keeping it all together for ages is still a mystery? Even to those responsible.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and tried not to sob out loud. Nobody must know about this. That she is dying slowly and does not have much time left. Not even her demons or Death himself. She would rather not be treated differently and with pity because of her condition. Lucy raised herself to her feet. That's the last thing on her mind, to be surrounded by a pity party as her end drew near.

She stared at her reflection. It was not enough that I escaped them and took the form of a mortal about four centuries ago…they had to dare take my place. My throne and give orders to my demons. This made Lucy furious. But she was no match for them. It was her against six, rotten minded, diabolical brothers. In her weakened and dying state, she doesn't stand a chance.

And that irritated her to the bone.

***

Based on her experience and what she has had to endure, she has been a steady rock against violence or abuse of any kind. Even if it was just a brief moment of being gaslighted, she would do everything in her power to put that person in their place. She has also wanted to save a fellow victim even though she couldn't be saved. When she found one, it didn't bother her if that person was a monster. And a hungry one.

Her demons bowed the moment the door to the basement was opened, and she walked in to find an agitated monster. The Dream Killer was pacing back and forth and destroying whatever was in its paths, growling.

Lucy sighed as she took a look at her basement in destruction. "May I ask why you are disturbing the peace of my demons? You might be an enemy of sleep, but that doesn't give you the right to disturb others, especially given the situation you are in."

The Dream Killer gnashed its ugly teeth at the devil and said, "I'm hungry. I need to feed on souls. You took my flute hostage, and my entire being feels dead without it."

There was a reason Lucy withheld his precious flute from him. She doesn't want him sneaking around playing dumb with humans and risk getting caught by either the humans or worse, Death. All her hopes of saving someone and efforts would be nothing but just dreams.

"Would you calm down if I get you something to eat and let us sleep in peace?"

The Dream Killer thought about it. "I don't need to go out there and hunt for my food?"

Lucifer pondered. It's just to get him a soul to feed on and let them be at peace or risk being exposed. Presently, it is unwise to deny him anything or try to make him feel oppressed in any way. He could retaliate by doing something foolish. Very foolish. And no one would want to clean up a foolish mess. It's a monster she is harboring and not some weak mortal or something. She has to corporate with him if she also needs his corporation.

"Yes. I would have one of my demons bring someone to you for a quick night snack without shedding a drop of sweat."

Who is that rotten jerk, she could offer to this monster until she gets rid of this curse? Lucy is not planning on giving up an innocent person. She intends to give up, someone nobody would miss if she did. Someone that evil and wicked without remorse.

She smiled when someone popped up.

"Bring me the human in the other room below us this instant," She whispered to the demon beside her.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The demon bowed and left to carry out her command.

That jerk is finally going to pay heavily for what he did to those innocent girls weeks ago. You don't have intentions of violence and murder and get away with it. And I don't think Death would mind taking care of that piece of crap in his place.

Soon, muffled sounds could be heard from the corridor as two demons drag down the jerk, staring left and right in horror. Pleading to be let loose by these strange men, he had no idea they were humans. That jerk was a frightened Lee Man-hwi.