"So let me get this straight. You tossed the key to this Dream guy right after you retired from Hell?"
"Indeed, I did." Lucifer took a sip of his vintage and let out an appreciative hum.
"Hah. Nice! Guy sounds like he had a stick up his ass." The mortal poured himself another drink, then offered the bottle over.
Lucifer accepted it with a chuckle.
"An apt description for Morpheus, as he was back then."
Mazikeen remained quiet as the exchange continued between the two, though calling it a conversation was a bit of a stretch. She was fairly certain the mortal was completely misunderstanding her Lord's words as some kind of euphemism, but she had no intention of ruining Lucifer's fun.
Even so, she didn't understand his particular interest in this one.
Well… besides the decent alcohol.
They had limited themselves to mortal fare at Lux, so having at least halfway decent brew was a pleasant surprise, at least.
Even still, she watched with a curious eye as the mortal excused himself to go fetch more drinks.
Her Lord simply waved a hand and leaned back with a small smile. She didn't frown, but—
"Ask." Lucifer didn't even glance at her.
"What about him has garnered your interest?"
"Mazikeen… I'm hurt. Do you not think I can simply have a fun conversation with a mortal? You are so distrustful of my character."
She merely raised an eyebrow and didn't bother to respond.
"Fine." He rolled his eyes. "Rather than ruin the mystery, let me give you a little hint."
Mazikeen turned her head deeper into the lounge. One of the waiters was carrying a tray of empty martini glasses. A slight push, unnoticeable to all but her, sent the entire server stumbling forward.
Yet with almost impossible timing, the mortal Jean Valjean was at exactly the right place and exactly the right time. The man caught the tray and every martini glass without a single one breaking, much to the amazement of the surrounding mortals, who burst into applause.
Mazikeen frowned, not understanding what Lucifer was trying to show her. It had not been skill, nor had it been magic.
It was pure…
Luck.
Some sort of luck spell or fate control, then? There were plenty of beings and methods in reality that could tamper with luck and fortune.
"Do you understand?" Lucifer asked, looking at her with a small smirk.
"Some sort of luck spell or blessing? Rare for mortals, certainly, but not truly anything to brag about." She tilted her head. "I failed to sense anything, so was it his patron that garnered your interest?"
The number of beings who could truly garner Lucifer's interest was short. She doubted some minor blessing from a goddess would be enough. Only perhaps a champion of the Endless, one of his brothers, or… his Father.
"Ah, ah. I'm disappointed, my dear." He chuckled. "You're missing the forest for the trees."
She frowned as she went over it again. It was nothing strange, merely some fortune that she couldn't…
Couldn't sense?
Her head snapped toward Lucifer.
"It couldn't be…"
"That's right. I, the Lightbringer, the son of Him, the honored one of all creation… cannot sense it." Lucifer let out an absurd little chuckle. "I know everything about creation, and do you know what it tells me? Nothing is controlling his fortune. By all means above and below, his luck appears to be nothing more than natural happenstance, when it absolutely isn't. I peered deep into creation's past and future, yet even my eyes fail to see the secret behind his strange little gift."
Mazikeen failed to hide her shock at the notion. In her eyes, Lucifer had no equal save his Father and, by his own admission, Michael.
Yet a mortal could confound his sight? That was… impossible.
"What… is it then?"
"That's the fun part." Lucifer's grin widened. "Finding out."
Mazikeen had no reply to her Lord's intense interest. She kept quiet as the mortal returned with more drinks, and the conversation resumed as though nothing had happened. Lucifer slipped easily back into the role of simple conversationalist, none of his interest showing on his face.
A faint sense of fear stirred in her. She wondered if this was some cruel trick of the Presence, some elaborate jest meant to taunt her Lord.
But she did not voice it, even if Lucifer no doubt already knew her thoughts.
So she was more than a little surprised by what came next from the mortal.
"I feel bad." Jean Valjean chuckled as he took another sip. "You've been telling me all these grand stories, but I haven't chipped in with any of my own."
"Oh?" Lucifer leaned forward slightly. "Do tell then."
So Mazikeen listened with her Lord as she heard a story that was both strangely mundane and utterly insane. From killing this supposed contractor to ascending as the boss of this goonion, all of it had apparently been facilitated by tickets and some bizarre entity called Chaos Incorporated.
She had considered the Lords of Chaos, but even their mightiest paled before the Lightbringer, which only left her more confused.
"Would you mind showing me one of these tickets, Jean?" Lucifer asked, and there was an uncharacteristically serious look on his face.
"Ah, I would, but I don't have one on me. I mean, I'd show you some other way, I just don't know how."
"Pity. Then perhaps a more brute-force solution, if you would be amenable." Her Lord's gaze sharpened, as though he were seeing things far beyond her ken.
"Eh, as long as it doesn't kill me, go crazy."
"Blunt. I like it. I swear it won't." Lucifer smiled.
"So what do you need me to—"
The mortal fell back onto the couch.
Her Lord simply appeared before him and placed a finger against his forehead.
Then… there was Light.
Mazikeen watched, even as her Lord's radiance became all that she could see. It was a rare thing indeed to witness Lucifer exerting himself at all.
"Interesting… it is as I thought. Something from beyond creation. A thing from the far beyond."
She felt reality writhe, and surprise flooded her once more as she witnessed an impossibility. Lucifer's light was dimming before a kaleidoscope of chaotic colors.
"Fascinating. Show me more…"
Power and truths were being exchanged in ways she would never understand.
Mazikeen could only sit and watch in quiet awe of the sight.
—
Bane could only watch the camera feed in quiet contemplation. His plan was already in motion, and now there was nothing left to do but wait for the results.
The food cart carrying the hidden payload—the so-called "gate" to their god—had been successfully smuggled into the second-floor lounge. Several additional miniature cameras had also been planted throughout the area, positioned to capture the ensuing battle from multiple angles.
Despite the Religion of Crime's assurances regarding their "god's" power, Bane did not believe this would be the simple triumph they claimed.
More concerning was the side room where Jean Valjean remained seated. It stayed completely out of sight of every camera. Whether that was an intentional precaution on his part or a failure of Bane's own men, he could not say.
Mother Superior sat to his left, nearly vibrating with fanatical reverence.
"The object has arrived as promised." Bane gave a slight nod to the cultist.
"Then it is time." She bowed her head and began to pray, the other cultists quickly joining her.
On the screen, a faint red glow began to pulse from within the cart, growing stronger with each passing second.
"Oh Lord of Crime, bequeath us your blessing and send your General to cleanse this world!"
A massive tear ripped open in space within the lounge. The resulting boom echoed loudly enough to reach even Bane's hidden tent far from the scene.
He ignored the murmured prayers and focused entirely on the screen.
"Bow! You have been granted the honor of being conquered by Darkseid!" a booming voice declared. "Know this honor as you die by my hand!"
Through the portal, a towering figure emerged.
The so-called general strode forward, wielding an axe nearly as large as Bane himself. His form was clad in shimmering armor that looked utterly alien, crowned with a black helmet adorned with red horns and eyes that glowed with a crimson demonic light.
"I am Steppenwolf, General of Apokolips!"
Even through the screen, the being radiated overwhelming power and dominance. Bane could see the gathered attendees trembling under the weight of the alien's voice alone.
Now then… how would you deal with this, Jean Valjean?
This was a foe that would challenge even the Justice League—
There was a snap.
A flash of light.
It lasted less than a second, and yet Bane's eyes struggled to comprehend what followed.
What.
The mighty general, who had radiated such power and fear, was no longer there. The grand portal had vanished as though it had never existed, and the figure that had filled the armor had simply… disappeared.
The empty armor collapsed to the ground.
A moment later, something moved within the pile.
A fat dog struggled its way out.
It was the ugliest and fattest chow chow Bane had ever seen.
"LORD STEPPENWOLF!" The cultists' frantic cries filled the tent, panic replacing their earlier devotion.
Bane stared at the screen in silence.
…Should he simply return to Santa Prisca?
***
Comments and Thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Likes are like a drug to me and boost my creative juices.
I have advanced chapters on Pa tre on/daisyberry if you wanna read ahead.