The next morning Alexander landed with Samantha, Celine, and Michael at the entrance to the palace in Hell. He had missed his landing spot by only two feet, which he considered a victory. Like last time, King Robert was waiting for them with a group of guards. This time he had lost the tight leather he had worn on his first visit and opted for his new look. The black modern outfit of the Special Forces with the red fire-breathing dragon on his chest:
"Princess Samantha, Prince Alexander, welcome. You know why you are here and what you have to do. So let us go."
Without waiting for an answer, the small group left in the direction of the weapon-smith. This time Alex paid a little more attention to his surroundings. The city seemed tidy and the Demons did indeed look like Celine. More human than he had imagined them to be. But what did he know? The only Demons he had seen before he was killed were the ones in horror movies. He wondered if the constant twilight might be the cause of the depressed, lackluster mood that hung like a suffocating blanket over the city. He got no further with his thoughts because they had reached Arbus's workplace. Once again, the latter threw himself on the ground in front of his king and his entourage. Alexander, in turn, was disgusted by the sight and immediately took charge of the event to put an end to it.
"Arbus, get up and come here."
The demon immediately did as he was asked. Alexander held out the katana he had used on Earth:
"Arbus, I want you to break this sword into pieces and throw it into the lava pits so that it disappears completely!"
The demon bowed deeply, afraid that he was in trouble. That he had disappointed or offended the Prince. Softly he said:
"I'm sorry, My Lord, I'm sure I can make a better sword. I will not fail you again."
Alexander thought of Robert's order to be always brief and firm against all demons at all times. But there was nothing in that command that said he couldn't be short and firm in a polite way, or give a veiled compliment to poor Arbus.
"No, Arbus, you did not disappoint me. The sword you made was truly perfect, so it must be destroyed. It completed its task with honor, so this masterpiece should never be used again!"
The weapon-smith had never received a compliment before. You could see him light up. His shoulders straightened, making him visibly taller. Samantha was so proud of Alex for finding a way to compliment the Weapon-smith without violating the King of Hell's orders. She would have liked to kiss him, but Hell forbade such displays of affection, especially in public. Arbus took the sword from Alexander and easily broke it into pieces on the anvil.
"My Lord, with your permission, I would like to personally go and throw the pieces and the scabbard into the lava pits. It will only take a few minutes."
"Did you protect the clog with your life as I ordered?"
"Absolutely, My Lord."
"Well, throw the clog into the fire first so it will be hot and ready when you return. I want you to get to work immediately as I don't have much time and don't want to lose any."
Arbus did as he was told and then disappeared with the broken sword. Robert came up beside him and whispered so quietly that only Samantha and Alexander could hear his words:
"Tonight at home in the suite we need to talk Alex!"
He thought he was in trouble and would be read to the Levites. He sighed deeply but decided that since he was in trouble anyway, he would just have to get on with it. As Arbus had said, he was back within minutes and reported for the first time with some pride in his voice:
"My Lord, the pieces have disappeared into the lava, never to be seen again, as you ordered."
"Perfect Arbus, where is the copy with the green sheath?"
The weapon-smith hurried to retrieve the sword and Alex looked at it intently. It fit perfectly in his hand. The green sheath had a violet blue and gold thread in it. He pulled the sword three-quarters of the way out of the sheath and saw that the blade was indeed a true masterpiece. It even had a deep blue collar, as so many Damascus blades seem to have. Something he liked very much because of his fondness for blue like the eyes of Samantha, his Red. He grunted his approval, not wanting to overdo it with compliments.
"Arbus, leave the clog in the fire until it is red hot through and through, to the absolute core. Then place it here on the anvil."
It took a moment and everyone left Alexander alone. The look in his eyes told them he was looking at something far away. Something that wasn't there. Most likely the future. As Arbus placed the red-hot clog on the anvil, Alex turned to Samantha with a gentle smile:
"My Lady, do you trust me?"
"Always, My Lord!"
I need two small feathers from you."
At the same time, they manifested their wings and spread them out to their fullest. A sight that made the nearby Demons gasp. The Demons also had wings, but they were more like those of a bat. They allowed them to fly and move, but angelic wings with their celestial glow were rarely seen. Samantha pulled two feathers from her wing and he pulled two from his. He took one of her feathers and gave her one of his.
"My Lady, please hold both feathers in your left hand with your palm facing up."
"Yes, My Lord."
Celine, Michael, and Robert saw it coming and wanted to scream at Alex not to do it because the clog was red hot with hellfire. But before a word could escape their mouths, Alex had already picked up the clog with his bare hand holding the feathers. He pressed the clog against Sam's hand that held the feathers. Both hands lit up with a golden glow that grew more intense. The Demons near the forge became frightened. They had never seen so much light before. It hurt their eyes. The golden light reached its peak and seemed to disappear into the clog. Alex just put the clog back on the anvil. Celine couldn't hold back any longer and grabbed their hands. To her utter amazement, both of their hands were completely undamaged. She said quietly:
"How is this possible? This is Hellfire, it should have burned your hands to a crisp!"
Alexander glanced around to see if there were enough demons watching them. To his satisfaction, there were enough to make his next move on his 3D chessboard. He got that now-famous smirk on his face and turned both of his palms up, after which he asked:
"Which one is Hellfire again, Celine? This one?"
A small ball of sky-blue fire formed in his left hand.
"Or this one?"
A ball of red fire with all the intensity of Hell appeared in his right hand. As everyone stared at him with open mouths, he let the two different fires in his hands melt together until the blue and red seemed to be dancing together. After extinguishing the fire, he turned back to Arbus. He raised the sword he had just received to his chest for a moment and said just loud enough for all to hear:
"Arbus, this sword is a masterpiece, but the sword you will make from this clog should be your greatest masterpiece ever! Because believe me, that sword will be as legendary as its creator!"
He turned to Robert:
"My King, would you do me the honor of giving me four guards for an important task?"
Robert nodded and named four guards. Alex spoke loudly, clearly, and with authority in his voice:
"The clog here is not to be touched with a bare hand. Whoever touches or even wants to touch this clog and later the sword with his bare hands will first lose both hands and later his head will roll! Is that clear?"
Arbus and the guards swallowed audibly, realizing that there was no fooling around with this young Prince. Obviously not after his demonstration with Heaven's Fire and Hell's Fire.
"You four will protect Arbus and my new sword in the making at all times. No one is to bother Arbus under any circumstances. If anyone makes trouble, send them to the king with their complaints. Clear?"
Again there was busy nodding. Alexander, meanwhile, had learned from Samantha that time passed ten times faster in Dis than in Heaven. He turned to Arbus and looked him sternly in the eyes:
"Arbus, I know you said you needed five days to make the sword. However, I want you to take ten days to get halfway there. Your King, your Princess, and I will return in exactly ten days. You are the best weapon-smith, so I demand that this sword be the best sword you have ever made, just perfect. Take the extra time and work out every imperfection. When I see the finished blade, I want to see something that approaches the perfection of your Princess. I want the guard to be the purest violet-blue you can get your hands on in Hell. If not, let me know and I will provide the right kind from Heaven. I want the same for the hilt, wrapped in the purest violet-blue with a green and gold thread wrapped around it, and the same for the scabbard. Am I clear, Arbus?"
"Yes, My Lord, very clear."
The Weapon-smith would be damned if he would disappoint this Prince who had been so incredibly kind to him.
A short time later, Samantha and Alex left Hell together with Celine and Michael. They had just appeared in the square in front of the palace when Celine grabbed their hands again to make sure she had not made a mistake in Hell. When there was indeed nothing to see, she breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help yelling at Alex:
"Alexander, how did you get it into your idiotic tick head to do this? You are the Prince of Hell, even if your hand is burned beyond recognition, it will heal in no time. Samantha belongs in Heaven, she could have lost her hand. You could have hurt my little Hellion so terribly, you idiot!"
Both Alex and Samantha hugged her as she stood trembling on her legs and Sam said:
"Celine, I trust Alex completely. He would never put me in danger or do anything to hurt me. I trust him, Celine. Please trust him."
Two tears ran down her face and she said quietly:
"It's hard Hellion, you are and always will be my little girl."
"Our little girl."
The Goddess said with a warm smile. She had joined them in silence and put an arm around Celine. Michael, who had been standing in silence, asked:
"What was with that power display Alex? About being able to summon both Hellfire and Heaven-fire at will and do something no one here has ever seen before. You can fuse the two without them wanting to destroy each other."
"I just wanted to demonstrate that I have complete control over both, Michael. Not just for you, but more importantly for all the demons that were around. This story will make the rounds in Hell. That their Prince controls both the fires of Heaven and Hell and they obey him. When I command the fires to work together, they do."
Celine said:
"Impossible, once unleashed, the fire obeys no one. It consumes the target until there is nothing left of it."
This sentence made Samantha giggle and Michael said with a smile:
"Prove it!"
"Are you sure, Michael? Do you trust me? After all, this is Hellfire, remember?"
"Absolutely!"
Was his short and determined reply. Alex just nodded and made a ball of Hellfire appear in his right hand. It seemed as if the ball slowly descended from his hand and moved towards Michael. When it reached the Angel, he was surrounded by flames from one second to the next. But the fire did not harm him. Michael himself looked fascinated at his arms that were surrounded by the fire of hell and licked at them. After a minute or two, Alex waved his hand and the flames disappeared. The Goddess and Celine watched the demonstration with open mouths. Celine recovered from her surprise faster than the Goddess, took a few steps away, and commanded:
"Heaven-fire now!"
"As the lady commands."
Alexander said laughing. The same thing happened to the demon as to Michael, without the fire doing any damage. When Alex had extinguished the fire, Michael asked:
"Is that why the Hellfire didn't hurt Samantha?"
"Indeed, I ordered the fire to leave Sam unharmed. She could have gone swimming in the lava pits and not a hair on her beautiful head would have been harmed."
Celine and the Goddess looked at him with wide eyes. Shaking his head, Michael said:
"Little Brother, I don't know if I should be damn proud of you. I'm damn glad you're my little sister's boyfriend and that nothing can happen to her with you around. Because I know what you would unleash on the person who wants to hurt her and that would be something out of the worst nightmare. Even without advanced combat training. Your power over the fires already makes you without a doubt the most dangerous person in Heaven or Hell. And I don't know if I should be afraid of you, Alex."
Alexander got a sad look in his eyes and spoke quietly:
"I don't know if you are proud of me Michael. Only you know that and I am not familiar with the phenomenon of anyone being proud of me. It seems I wasn't considered worthy of it on Earth."
This statement caused a stab of pain in each of their hearts. Once again, they were reminded of what this boy must have endured during his life on Earth. Their admiration for him grew each time. At that moment, the mighty warriors Celine and Michael had made their decision that this young Prince was more than worth protecting and that they would lay down their lives for him if necessary. But Alex was not finished:
"Yes, you are damn right Michael that anyone who wants to harm Sam will curse the day of his creation with a lot of interest on top of it. Mostly I am for fun and jokes and yes, I like to help people and I like to be nice to everyone and treat everyone with respect. Because I think everyone deserves it and because I think that is the most productive way forward. But as Celine can attest, I also have a very dark side. Someone who points a finger at Samantha to hurt her? Well, that will not end well... But why be afraid of me? In this Heaven, no one has anything to fear from me. You have welcomed me into your family with nothing but kindness and love. You..."
He pointed at both Michael and Celine.
"Of all the people in this Heaven, you should know that I would rather die than harm Sam or anyone else here."
He added with a sly laugh:
"Well... except to poke Samael a little, of course. Remember, Michael, I asked you to put an end to me the first day we met. You didn't, so we're in this together until the objective is achieved. Your sister wants me and I want your sister. Your sister can get everything from me if it is in my power to give and if it is not in my power, then I will steal that power to make her happy! It's as simple as that, brother!"
By evening they had retired to the living room. Samantha had spent a couple of hours with Samael. Alex had spent a few hours with his whiteboards, with Fuzzie never far away. A fun part of this time was spent introducing Fuzzie to the Play-station and Mario Kart. Apparently, the gruff healer also had a born desire to completely destroy his opponents. As usual, Sam was snuggled up next to Alexander with her head on his shoulder. He and Michael were chatting comfortably about what turned out to be their mutual hobby of libraries and museums. For Alex, books had been an escape, the local library his safe place. Others would say his second home, but given his actual living situation, the library was more his home and what was supposed to be his home was nothing but a building where he regularly went through hell. The museums, of course, he had never seen in real life, only read about them in books and seen pictures of them. Even a visit to a small local museum was too much of an intellectual request. Suddenly the Goddess said:
"Michael, why don't you take Celine with you and let Alex and Samantha see these museums? It makes no sense to push the boy seven on seven. He needs time to recover from the rigorous training program you are putting him through."
Alex started to argue, but the goddess raised her hand:
"Alexander my boy, to sustain such a program your body needs time to recover from time to time. In that time your mind can better process and place what you have learned, making the training more effective. So why not use this time to live your passion with Samantha? And for Sam, it is also useful to get to know humanity better, which will help her once she is our new Goddess and your plan to save our humanity from its demise in our universe is put into action."
He thought about it for a moment and nodded:
"Mom, you are right. Sometimes I get so caught up in my thinking and my impatience to work that I forget that I am only thirteen and have five more years before the real shitshow starts. So yes, please, I would like that very much."
Michael sat there with a big smile on his face. Now he would serve not only as a military affairs instructor but also as a guide to the museums he loved so much. He asked:
"Okay, little brother, where would you like to go first?"
Alex didn't have to think long:
"Florence, the Villa Medicea di Castello, Botticelli's The Birth of Venus and La Primavera. Those have always been second on my list for lack of access to Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi."
Michael couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Well, well, well, our little Prince clearly has taste. Okay, we leave Friday afternoon and return Sunday night. We'll be staying at the Four Seasons; a Prince and Princess need a bit of luxury and believe me there will be no hanky-panky at the hotel because you Sam will be sharing a room with Cas so you won't get any crazy ideas about sneaking around!"
Samantha and Alex blushed to the amusement of the adults present. Celine, of course, had to chime in:
"Yes, because it would be a damn shame if a certain future God lost a certain body part."
And she looked at him in a way that only a Demon could when it had a victim in its sights. Alexander swallowed audibly.
Before he could be worked on any further, Robert came into the living room. He took off his jacket, kissed the women present and then dropped into a seat next to his wife. To everyone's surprise he lit a cigar and pointed at Alexander:
"If you want to smoke, go ahead. Tonight is an exception. Because we are going to have a serious talk, Alex!"
He sighed, manifested his cigarettes, and lit one, after which he said:
"I know what you're going to say, Robert, and I'm sorry. I blurted it out before I realized it."
"I don't believe a word of it, Alex. But tell me, what was I going to say?"
Samantha had sat up straight but was still close to Alex, holding his hand. The look in her eyes betrayed that anyone who attacked Alexander now would have to deal with her. The four adults present noticed and couldn't be more proud of her. All of them already knew that the two of them together once grown up would be a force to be reckoned with. Alex said:
"For violating your orders in Hell. Be always, always, always short and firm against all Demons."
"And what did you do?"
"I gave Arbus some veiled compliments."
"Why?"
"As we walked around the city, the Demons in Dis looked exactly like Celine. If they look and act like that, then there must be at least a large portion that can become like Celine with a little encouragement."
"And what is the purpose of this Alexander?"
"Well, Celine lives in Heaven and was the nanny of your daughter, the Crown Princess. If you see her as a daughter, as everyone knows you do. If you, the Goddess and the God, entrusted your daughter to Celine minutes after her birth, how can she be evil? The Angels like her, some to the point of seeing her as family. Look at the way Michael, Laia, and Fuzzie treat her. They treat Celine the same way they treat their siblings. Well, in Fuzzie's case, he treats Celine a lot better than he treats most Angels. He would love to kick their asses, something he would never do with Celine. I can't imagine, and I don't want to imagine, that Celine would be the absolute exception to the rule. So, if it can be done with one Demon, why not with many, many more? Why not start with Dis and then work our way down through the circles without setting limits on how far it can go? How far we want to go. Less segregation, more cooperation on an equal basis."
Salome understood where Robert was going with this conversation and asked in feigned surprise:
"Cooperation on an equal basis? Would you argue that Demons are equal to Angels?"
"What is the difference between Michael and Celine? What is the difference between Laia and Arbus? Both are masters at what they do. Should I put Laia on a pedestal because she is an Angel? Should I put Arbus in the dust in front of me because he is a Demon and maybe put my booth on his neck to make a point? Why can't I treat them both equally and with respect?"
Robert looked at Salome as he pointed at Alex and said:
"For centuries we have wondered what we have done wrong and how to do it right. This sweetheart is the answer to that question. That is why we must make way for the new generation. For Samantha and Alexander."
They both looked at him, not understanding, and Robert said:
"After you left, Arbus changed completely, and certainly not in a negative way. Where once he was afraid and shuddered at the sight of warriors bombarding him with demands for new weapons, he now defends his forge with the disposition of a raging tiger. That the project for HIS PRINCE takes precedence over everything, and thus over their ridiculous demands. His story has even made its way around Dis. I have lost count of how many demons like Arbus are willing to serve you, to serve their Princess and Prince. In these few days that you are now gone in Dis, according to the time lapse in Hell, a kind of optimism, of hope, has taken hold of the city and its Demons. And that, my boy, is your work, accomplished with just a few sentences. This kind of leadership, this kind of vision for the future is second nature to you. You see something you don't like and instead of over-thinking it and over-analyzing it, you get a vision and there's no stopping you. And Samantha stands beside you and gives you all the strength and energy to do exactly what you set out to do. And that, my children, is what our Hell, but also our Heaven, needs!"
Samantha saw the mischievous smile forming around Alex's mouth and asked:
"What are you thinking about now, Alex?"
She looked hopefully into his magical green eyes and knew that something typical of Alex would come up again. He said:
"Well, the sword is the most important thing, so that has to be done first. Since that won't take long, I'm actually in the mood for a little shopping trip to Dis. It's time for me to get a signet ring. I'm sure I've forgotten some other important things to make my stay in my room more pleasant. Oh, and of course for use in my work area with Fuzzie. As Mom said, they both look rather empty and bare indeed."
He grinned, winked at her and said:
"Ever since I first saw Celine, I've always wondered how tight leather would look on you. Let's see how the Princess would look as a Warrior Princess. Let's put the answer to that question to the test, shall we?"
She blushed but nodded quickly with a broad smile. Playfully, Robert asked:
"Besides seeing my little girl in a far too revealing outfit, Alex, which I would rather not hear about and even less want to see, what do you want to achieve?"
"You don't have a sun or a starry sky in Dis Robert, at least not yet. Only eternal half-darkness. I suspect that this semi-darkness is the cause of the depressed and oppressive atmosphere in Dis. There is nothing I can do to change that for now. For now, the only light I can shed is that of hope for a better tomorrow."
With this answer, everyone sat in silence for a few seconds, their mouths open so wide that they were sure to hurt. It was Celine who spoke first:
"Come again!"
Alex replied dryly:
"As I said, darling, I would love to, but it would be best to discuss this particular matter with my dear Samantha first, who knows, she might have something against it."
Michael and Samantha burst out laughing. Salome and Robert watched in amusement, even though they were not part of the seemingly intimate joke between the three of them. Celine, seeing her joke used against her twice in a row, said wearily:
"Alex, this is Hell we are talking about. It was created that way, so Hell is static. You can't change it, ever. Otherwise, Robert would have done it long ago. If Robert can't do it, then it's impossible."
At this last, Samantha burst into a loud, almost uncontrollable fit of laughter. When she had recovered a little, she asked with a broad smile:
"Please, My Prince, tell us how you are going to give our Dis a sun and a starry sky."
"Well, now that you mention it, my dear Princess, people seem to be forgetting who and what I am. Do you think I should wear a board around my neck or something?"
"Well no, I'll make you some of those t-shirts you like to wear so much, they're much more comfortable than some cardboard."
Celine really couldn't contain herself any longer and the verbal game between the two was driving her almost crazy.
"Alexander Marcus Morningstar! Answer me, damn it! May the gods present protect you or I'll twist your little chicken neck!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Celine, so aggressive. I am the son of Lucifer, the Lightbringer. How many stars has he not hung? I have his light in me, so I must be able to make a simple but effective simulation of a starry night sky and a sun."
She sighed and said:
"If it were that simple, our Lightbringer, Samuel, would have done it long ago."
"True, but I have something that neither Samuel nor Lucifer have."
"And what might that be?"
"A mother who is the Goddess of the multiverse, which makes me the Crown Prince of the multiverse, which ensures that I can bend this universe to my will to a certain extent."
Michael leaned back in his seat and muttered:
"You've got to be fucking kidding me... You want to give our Hell a sun and a starry sky!"
"Yes, but unfortunately not tomorrow, not next year, but definitely before I have to leave. I can feel my powers growing, but they are nowhere near enough to make that happen. However, I know they will be there in time to make this my parting gift to Dis."