LXIV - The Residents of the UnderKingdom

Nearing the doors of the Palace of the UnderKingdom, Lucifer stopped. He seemed to be deep in thought about something, as if he was planning something. 

Lucifer picked at his tunic, as if it was no longer to his taste. "Ravenna, dear, did you want to change your dress before we explore? I think I am going to change before I make my appearance before the Lost." 

Ravenna looked at her emerald green dress, and tugged a little at the skirt. "I think this is fine, but I will wait if you wish."

Lucifer smiled. "So courteous. Come with me, I will just be a moment." 

The Fallen man led Ravenna to his bedchambers; noticing her slight frown, he attempted to reassure the young woman. "Do not fret, I will be changing in the dressing room. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. I just thought this room may be more relaxing than the Great Hall. Please, feel free to sit in the chair there while you wait." Lucifer gestured to a large black plush chair near his bed, and he disappeared from view into an attached room. 

Ravenna made her way toward the offered chair, and tried to sit on it, giggling as the plush chair nearly swallowed her whole. She had never sunk so deeply in such a comfortable chair. Hearing the musical laughter of his guest, Lucifer shouted from the adjoining room "I told you so!"

Lucifer soon returned from the adjoining room his simple tunic and dress pants replaced by an elegant black tunic adorned with gold trimming, more elegant pants, and a black cape with gold detailing. His boots seemed to be freshly shined. Ravenna laughed at his attempts to look foreboding, knowing he was often just a showoff.

"I am the Ruler of this realm, it is my job to look the part!"

"You're wearing a cape!"

Ravenna continued to giggle as Lucifer rolled his eyes, and stuck a sword into a scabbard that doubled as a cane. He had meant the outfit to be elegant and intimidating, but Ravenna continued to laugh.

"Laugh all you like. We will see who is laughing when you meet the residents of my realm."

Whipping his cape around dramatically, Lucifer headed toward the Great Hall of the Palace, a giggling Ravenna in tow.

"Are you about finished?"

"...ha…a cape…"

"Apparently not. Edward!"

Lucifer's right-hand demon shortly appeared in his customary cloud of red smoke. "Yes, sire?"

Lucifer fidgeted with his cane, the sword hidden in the shaft of the cane. "We are going to be leaving the Palace, venturing out into the UnderKingdom. Please, go prepare Hellena, nobody announces my presence quite like she does."

"I will return with her shortly." 

Edward disappeared, and soon returned with the female demon, who was dressed in a form-fitting black leather dress that scraped the ground as she walked. Her long white hair was tied back with a black ribbon. Hellena looked like she was prepared for the trip to the UnderKingdom's depths.

"Good afternoon, Master Lucifer. Edward tells me we are venturing into the UnderKingdom today, and you had requested my services?"

"Hello, Hellena. Yes, I am taking our guest here to explore the realm, show what our UnderKingdom has to offer. And nobody announces my presence in quite the manner you do. You just have the knack for it, dear."

Hellena smiled widely; the praise from her master was welcome. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ravenna, Lucifer, and the pair of demons descended the long ornate stairway that led to the UnderKingdom from the Palace. Ravenna was in awe of the UnderKingdom before her - a bleak expanse of darkness and despair stretched as far as she could see. Simple, dull black buildings rose no higher than two storeys, and tall, twisted black spires could be found throughout the landscape.

The group began to head toward what Ravenna guessed was similar to the Canden village center. There was a large clearing between buildings, with a raised platform on one end. The center of the clearing had a fountain, but the fountain appeared to have liquid gold flowing through it. –So true to Lucifer's aesthetic,– Ravenna thought to herself, as they passed by the black ornate fountain. 

Lucifer offered Ravenna his arm, which she hesitantly took. He shuffled his cane to his free left hand, and Edward moved to stand behind them. Lucifer nodded toward Hellena, a silent signal to the demon, who smirked. Hellena began to appear and disappear at each door of each building, banging on each of the doors. The demon was screaming as she did so, shouting "LET'S GO, MAGGOTS OF THE UNDERKINGDOM! YOUR RULER HAS ARRIVED! IT IS TIME TO MAKE YOUR WORTHLESS PRESENCE KNOWN!" Hellena repeated her cries as she realm-travelled throughout the UnderKingdom, drawing a massive crowd of the Lost into the clearing.

Ravenna became uneasy at the large amount of dead-eyed Lost who began to fill the clearing. They looked like regular people, but their skin had become grey and scabbed. Their eyes were dull and listless, the whites had gone a pale yellow, giving the Lost an eerie look. Ravenna had not noticed that her grip on Lucifer had tightened until he passed his cane to Edward, and put his left hand on her hand for comfort. 

Hellena appeared in her cloud of smoke on the raised platform, and loudly announced Lucifer's presence to the Lost. "ON YOUR KNEES, RESIDENTS OF THE UNDERKINGDOM! IT IS TIME TO GREET YOUR RULER, HAIL TO THE MASTER LUCIFER!"

The Lost dropped to their knees, and murmurs of "Hail…hail…hail…" flowed throughout the listless crowd. Lucifer guided Ravenna to the platform, Edward following the pair. Lucifer looked out through the crowd of the Lost, and turned to Ravenna. "I personally look over the arrival of each Lost person who enters the UnderKingdom. All of these Lost souls deserve to be here. Edward and Hellena were not good enough for the Forever, but did not deserve a fate like this. Edward was not eligible for the Forever, as he was a thief, but he only stole to feed his family. What would you have done with such a man?"

Ravenna pressed her lips together. "I…I'm glad you have another option for people who don't deserve…this," she said, gesturing to the dead-eyed Lost. "Edward is a good man, I am glad you saved him."

"Now what would you do with a man like this?"

Lucifer left his place beside Ravenna on the platform, leaving her next to Edward. He descended through the throng, and made his way to a specific Lost man that he had been scanning the crowd for.

"Stand up."

The Lost man stood, his figure grotesque and his neck at an inhuman angle. Ravenna's heart raced, and her stomach leapt to her throat.

Peter Jones stared back at her, dead-eyed and grey.