Hazbin Hotel: Another Adam

I slowly open my eyes. The familiar white ceiling of my bedroom in Heaven gradually comes into focus. Perfectly smooth, softly reflecting the diffuse, pearly light pouring from the huge panoramic window that takes up the entire wall, near which is the entrance to the balcony.

Outside the window – the usual, calming picture: fluffy, impossibly white clouds lazily drift across the endless azure sky, and in the distance, the faint, elegant golden spires of towers can be seen, piercing this blueness. Silence. Absolute, almost ringing silence and all-pervading tranquility.

The contrast with that primordial chaos, with that frenzied, furious battle on the brink of the complete annihilation of my "pocket" world, which had raged just a few hours ago in my personal dimension, was so striking it was almost deafening. There – the roar of an agonizing Asmodeus, the crackle of tearing space, blinding, searing flashes of Light, and suffocating, viscous Darkness oozing from the vanquished foe. Here – unshakable peace, serenity, absolute safety. Home.

I'm lying in my bed, under a soft, weightless blanket. My body still aches with fatigue – deep, bone-penetrating fatigue that reached every damn fiber of my being. But it was… the "right" kind of fatigue. Purely physical. My muscles hummed with a dull but almost pleasant ache after that extreme exertion of strength in the fight. The wounds received in the battle with that creature that had awakened in Asmodeus… hell, what wounds? A couple of scratches from his claws at the beginning of the fight and a slight burn from accidental splashes of his vile primordial Darkness. All of it had already completely healed – regeneration for beings of my level, especially in Heaven, worked almost instantly, thanks to the generosity of my heavenly "parents" and the power of Light.

But the energy structure… oh, that was much more complicated. I felt it like a string stretched to its limit, vibrating from the slightest mental effort, ready to snap at any moment. And how could it not! I had channeled a colossal, almost unimaginable volume of pure Light from my "sunshine"-accumulator through myself, through my soul, through all my energy channels, to burn that Darkness. Probably a dozen, if not more, of my full personal reserves! That's comparable to the combined power of three, or even four, younger Seraphim like Emily! No wonder I was so brutally exhausted and simply passed out on the sofa in the living room immediately after returning from my semi-destroyed little world. Thanks to Lute for dragging my weakened body here, to the bedroom, and tucking me in properly. My clever girl. It's even strange that my soul and energy structure didn't just crack at the seams from such monstrous overload. Apparently, my special nature, my closeness to the Seraphim in "structure," my essence as a being originally created from pure Light, did provide some hidden bonuses to durability and resilience. Or I just got lucky. Most likely, the latter.

But the main thing – my head was clear. Crystal clear. For the first time in long, agonizing weeks since my awakening in this body. No internal hum of doubts, no obsessive whispers from the past, no alien, dark thoughts, none of that irrational, soul-searing anger and thirst for revenge of Beelzebub. The Darkness of the Godkiller, that part of my past personality, was completely destroyed. Burned without a trace by that torrent of Light.

Although… the memories still remained. All of it was now an integral part of me. There was no getting away from it, like scars. But now these memories didn't press down, didn't break me from within, didn't try to seize control of my mind. They were simply… information. Experience. Terrible, bloody, painful, but important experience. And I could analyze it soberly, detachedly, without the veil of someone else's hatred, someone else's despair, someone else's madness.

I was Adam. The First Man, Archangel. But an Adam who now knew and remembered another life, also his own, yet at the same time so distant and alien. And this new knowledge, this burden of the past, made me… different. Not the carefree, selfish asshole Adam was before his death. And not the broken, obsessed monster Beelzebub became. Someone new. Who exactly? Time will tell… By the way, strangely, the flow of Adam's memories had dried up recently, as if frozen a month before my "insertion" into his body. What brought me into this particular body after death and why? This really bothered and alarmed me.

I turn onto my side. Beside me, someone is breathing softly, evenly, trustingly pressed against me with their whole body, one arm wrapped around me in sleep. Lute. I glance over – her light, almost platinum blonde hair is splayed across the snow-white pillow, long eyelashes fluttering slightly in her sleep, her face so relaxed, peaceful, almost childlike, without the usual mask of a stern warrior. The contrast with the ruthless, cold-blooded warrior, commander of the Exorcists, that she seemed to be just half an hour ago, giving orders during the club raid, was striking. And incredibly touching; I immediately wanted to hug this sweetheart, but she seems to be asleep, so "nuh-uh."

My thoughts involuntarily return to the battle. To Asmodeus, to that primordial Darkness that erupted from him. Everything went completely off-plan at that very moment. Asmodeus, for fuck's sake, the Lord of Lust! Yes, he's one of the Seven Deadly Sins, undoubtedly an ancient and powerful being. But his strength had always lain elsewhere – in his conceptual power over desires, over passion, in his ability to seduce, tempt, and corrupt the souls of entire nations. Brute, destructive power – that was never his forte. And here – power capable of destroying my own pocket dimension! Power, in its essence, comparable to the might of the Seraphim! Where did it come from?! The only logical explanation – Eve. That same creature who once destroyed Eden and became the embodiment of Hell. My former wife… if that disgusting creation could even be called that after her transformation. It seems she's not just sitting somewhere in the depths of her underworld, but is acting, and quite actively: weaving intrigues, making contracts and deals, endowing other demons with her primordial Darkness, turning them into her enhanced pawns, her weapons. And Asmodeus, with his enormous power over an entire circle of Hell, with his extensive network of influence on Earth (which arose on Eve's "orders," I'm sure of that now), with his crystals… he was simply an ideal candidate for her purposes. Fuck. What a fucking mess!

My life really hung by a thread back then. I understood that clearly now. If my Purity field hadn't worked at full capacity in my dimension, blocking his own lust magic at the beginning. If he hadn't succumbed to rage and rushed into close combat after my first attacks, but had acted smarter, more cunningly, tried to push through my defenses from a distance with that Darkness… If I hadn't been accumulating energy in my "sunshine" all this time almost instinctively, preparing for something like this… It's terrifying to even imagine how it would have ended. I could have lost. Perished completely. Or, even worse, Eve's Darkness could have consumed me, just like it consumed her once… And yet the "previous" Adam, the one whose memory I carry, definitely defeated Asmodeus during that ancient War! And without going all out! So, Eve didn't just slightly enhance him – she gave him a completely different, transcendent level of power! And can she do the same with other Sins? Or even with Lucifer?

Phew. Deep breath. Exha-a-ale… Again… Inha-a-ale… Exha-a-ale… Calm down, Adam. You won. You survived. You now know the enemy by sight, and after you interrogate Asmodeus, you'll also learn about her plans. You need to calm down. My nerves are shot after such a fight and such revelations, but I can't descend into panic or blind rage. I need to act. Coldly. Rationally. Methodically. Like… like the Godkiller?.. No! Not like him! Like Adam – Archangel of Heaven, defender of this world.

I've already made one serious mistake – in the heat of battle and subsequent exhaustion, I stupidly left Asmodeus's mutilated but living body in the "sunshine" within my dimension. Yes, he's under the reliable protection of pure Light there, his powers suppressed, regeneration almost halted. But who's to say that Eve, or whoever is behind him, won't be able to get him out of there? Or contact him? I don't even know the limits of her real power and capabilities! It was foolish to leave him there unsupervised. I should have finished the creature off, to hell with it, while I had the chance. Or at least transported him here, to Heaven, under the supervision of the Seraphim, into some special cell. True, there don't seem to be any prisons here… And transporting such concentrated evil here, to Heaven, wouldn't have been a very good idea. Alright, I'll deal with him later. First, I need to pull myself together.

And I also didn't properly instruct Lute after declaring the Class Two Alert. Just barked an order over the comms and crashed to sleep. Idiot. I'm sure she was worried sick and in suspense, trying to simultaneously command all the Exorcists, maintain Heaven's combat readiness, and worry about me… Well, since she's here now, sleeping beside me, it means everything on the external front is more or less normal. At least, for now. I need to wake her gently. And then… then drag myself to the goddamn Seraphim again. Again, explain, report, prove, demand action. Fuck! Why can't I just live peacefully for at least one day?! Why does some universal bullshit always have to happen?!

I sigh heavily again and carefully turn towards Lute, trying not to wake her with a sudden movement. I'm about to gently touch her shoulder, to nudge her awake… but I freeze. She's not asleep. Her golden eyes, huge and deep in the soft twilight of the bedroom, are wide open and looking straight at me. In them – a whole storm of barely suppressed emotions: immense relief that I've finally woken up, unconcealed worry for my condition, anxiety about the declared Alert and the consequences of the battle, and… something else. Something very warm, tender... Love?

"And how long have you been awake?" I ask quietly, feeling a little awkward and guilty under her intense, scrutinizing gaze. It seems she noticed my awakening much earlier and was just waiting.

POV Lute

I hadn't slept all night. From the very moment I found Adam unconscious on the sofa in the living room. I just lay beside him in our huge bed, where I had dragged his weakened body, afraid to move, afraid to breathe, afraid to disturb his fragile, much-needed sleep. I listened to his steady, deep breathing, felt the reliable warmth of his strong body beside me, and my heart literally tore apart from wild fear for him, from anxiety for Heaven, and from some new, aching, almost maternal tenderness for this being who had become everything to me.

When Adam told me that morning, before the foray into Hell, that "it's time to act," when he asked me to find Asmodeus and be ready for an assault, I was… honestly? I was glad. A foolish, blind, reckless joy that he had finally stopped hanging out in that ridiculous hotel with Lucifer's sickly-sweet daughter and her traitorous girlfriend, Vaggie. I was glad that he had once again become the Adam I knew and to whom I had long ago sworn allegiance – a decisive, powerful, ruthless Archangel, ready to deliver righteous retribution and punish the evil of Hell without doubt or hesitation.

Vaggie… Oh, how I hated her! Despised her with my entire being! Adam gave her everything – not just a chance, but a full new life in Heaven, a name, incredible power, the high rank of Lieutenant of the Exorcists, a place among us, his elite, almost fatherly love, and absolute trust! And she?! She betrayed him! Betrayed Heaven! Betrayed everything we believed in! She disobeyed his direct order during the Extermination! Spared some pathetic sinful bastard! Such things cannot be forgiven. Never! To anyone! Even if Adam told me later, when he had cooled down a bit, that she was young, inexperienced, that it was a mistake, that he himself was to blame for pushing her too hard… No! An order is an order! Loyalty is loyalty! And betrayal is betrayal! And it deserves only one thing – death! Slow, agonizing, and exemplary! And he… apologized to her! I still couldn't understand or accept this unheard-of magnanimity of his. Or weakness?

Adam… Lately, after that strange "memory loss," he hadn't been himself. No, he undoubtedly remained Adam – I felt it through that invisible energy connection he himself had once created between us, the exorcists, during our conversion, but something subtle, yet fundamental, had changed in him. At first, he became… softer? Quieter? More thoughtful? Less unpredictable in his jokes and antics. It was strange, unfamiliar, but… somewhere in the very depths of my soul, I even liked it a little. He became… closer…

But then… then something else began. Something new and frightening. I saw it. Felt it with every cell of my being. The coldness that sometimes appeared in his golden eyes. A strange detachment in his voice, even when he spoke tender, affectionate words to me. Sudden, causeless outbursts of wild, almost uncontrollable anger, which he restrained with enormous, visible effort, thinking I didn't notice. And this new, frightening obsession of his with experiments… He would disappear for hours in his pocket dimension, returning from there deathly tired, but with some unhealthy, feverish gleam in his eyes.

I knew that long and close contact with the concentrated Darkness of Hell was dangerous even for the strongest angels. It could distort the soul, sow doubts, malice, despair within it. Defile the inner Light itself. All exorcists knew about this risk and underwent regular checks after exterminations. But Adam?! The First Man! Archangel! A being created from pure primordial Light! It seemed simply impossible!

I desperately pushed these terrible thoughts away. Convinced myself that it was just hard for him because of the immense burden of responsibility, the suddenly returned memories, the pressure of a new, unknown threat from Hell. Convinced myself that these were just residual effects from that old clash with Alastor, when that vile Radio Demon somehow managed to influence him with his filthy Darkness. After all, Lady Sera herself had personally checked him then and said he was clean! That he had overcome the influence! But doubts, like vile worms, continued to gnaw at me from within. I saw how he was changing. How he sometimes distanced himself, withdrew into himself. How something… alien sometimes flickered in his golden eyes. Something cold and dark.

One day, I walked into his office without knocking – he was so engrossed in something that he didn't even notice my arrival. He was sitting at his huge desk, bent over an old, battered leather notebook, writing something quickly, feverishly, almost scratching the page with his pen. And he was smiling. But it wasn't his usual cocky, self-assured smirk. It was… a mad, predatory, almost maniacal smile of a being anticipating the pain and suffering of its victims. A smile that made my blood run cold. At that moment, he seemed absolutely… alien to me. I quietly closed the door and walked away, never daring to disturb him or ask what he was writing. My heart was pounding wildly from an inexplicable fear.

That same day, I couldn't stand it anymore and went to Lady Sera. I told her everything: about my fears, about Adam's strange behavior, about his new obsession with experiments, about that horrifying smile, about his outbursts of anger. She listened to me for a long time, but her face remained absolutely impassive. And then… then she simply said that I should "believe in him." Believe! Bitch! The Head Seraph, for fuck's sake, responsible for the safety of all Heaven, just brushed off my direct and well-founded concerns! I almost tore her whole office apart then! But I restrained myself. I am a warrior. I am an officer. I know how to control my emotions. I left silently, feeling spat upon, betrayed, and utterly helpless.

And then… then he called me that morning. Before heading off to Asmodeus. And his voice… it was completely different! Again! The real Adam! My Adam! Warm, confident, calm, with the usual mocking notes, without that creepy icy detachment and the malice hidden beneath it! I almost cried with happiness and immense relief then! He managed it! Himself! He somehow miraculously overcame that Darkness, that filth from his past that had been trying to consume him for so long! My Adam had returned!

And so we burst into Ozzie's club. Adam was magnificent! Radiant, powerful, decisive, full of righteous anger! He playfully scattered the guards, knocked out that disgusting cyborg clown with one precise blow! And then he fought Asmodeus. First here, in the club, easily suppressing his lust magic, and then dragged him into his personal dimension for the final battle. I stayed behind, commanding the girls. We quickly and efficiently "packed up" all the demons and sinners present. Even "Prince" Stolas couldn't do anything – the "anti-magic" field Adam left behind completely blocked his powers. We won. Easily and without losses.

And then Adam contacted me. His voice was exhausted, deathly tired, but… calm. Firm. He said Asmodeus was "temporarily incapacitated" and under his control. Told me to release almost all the detained demons, leaving only the club staff for interrogation. And… declared a Class Two Alert.

Class Two! I couldn't even believe my ears at first. It meant a full-scale, confirmed threat to all of Heaven! A threat on the level of a full-scale Hell uprising or something comparable! Only Class One was worse – a direct enemy breakthrough into Heaven. And the secret Class Zero – high treason and betrayal by the Seraphim themselves, which only a few like myself and Abel knew about, and the possibility of which I still refused to believe, despite all my suspicions about Sera. This threat level classification was proposed by Abel (who, like all veterans, didn't appreciate the Seraphim's inaction) right after the War, and Adam approved it to have a clear protocol of action for the most extreme situations. In the entire long history of Heaven, Class Two had been declared only three times: thousands of years ago, during one of the major demonic riots in Hell, which then almost escalated into a new full-scale war; seven years ago, when that bitch Lilith, Adam's ex-wife, led an army of sinners to storm Heaven's gates; and now – this time. It meant immediate and full mobilization of all combat and reserve forces of the Exorcists. Everyone – active girls and men. All veterans who could still hold a weapon. Full combat readiness. Increased patrols, activation of all defense systems, preparation for the defense of all heavenly cities. A shitstorm. A real, motherfucking, shitstorm was coming. What terrible thing had happened between Adam and Asmodeus that required the declaration of such emergency measures?!

I clearly and quickly gave all necessary orders over the secure communication channel. Some of the girls stayed in the club to interrogate the staff and that half-dead Fizzarolli – maybe they knew something about Asmodeus's plans. Another part threw the heavily battered but generally unharmed patrons out of the club, including Prince Stolas and his company of imps – Adam had ordered them not to be touched, so not touched it was; Adam's order was absolute for me. The rest returned with me to Heaven. I officially declared a Class Two Alert through all Exorcist communication channels. Confirmation immediately came from Abel – he was already at central headquarters, had taken operational control of mobilization and deployment of forces, and demanded Adam for a detailed report at an emergency council with other senior officers. I replied that Adam couldn't come yet. Abel understood without further questions; he always understood Adam better than others, which wasn't surprising.

Then I flew home. I found Adam unconscious on the sofa in the living room. His new armor, created by Saraqael just a couple of days ago, was heavily damaged – deep cracks on the breastplate, dents on the gauntlets, melted patches on the helmet and wings. He was physically intact – his regeneration had dealt with the wounds – but he looked terrible: pale as death, emaciated, almost white from colossal energy loss. I struggled to undress him, removed the remains of the mangled armor, carefully carried his strong, but now so defenseless, body upstairs to our bedroom, laid him in bed, covered him with a warm blanket. And then… then I just lay down beside him. On the edge of the bed. All night I lay like that, without closing my eyes. Just looking at him. At his calm, peaceful face in sleep. And I was afraid. Desperately afraid for him. For Heaven. For us. What would happen next? Would he cope with what he had learned? Would we cope with it?

When he came to, looked around, I for some reason decided to pretend to be asleep. Stupid, yes, but I understand that myself. After some time, he got out of bed, stood by the window for a bit, apparently thinking about something, and then looked at me again. I felt his gaze.

"And how long have you been awake?" his voice was quiet, a little hoarse after a long sleep, but… calm. Firm. Confident. The very voice I loved so much. The voice of my Adam. He was back. It seemed, this time for good.

"Almost didn't sleep," I answered honestly, propping myself up slightly on my elbow and looking into his golden eyes, searching for confirmation of my desperate hopes. "I was worried about you. Very. What happened there, Adam? With Asmodeus?"

Adam sighed, then gently ran a warm palm through my hair, brushing a strand from my face. His touch was so tender, so familiar, and yet new.

"It's a long story, little angel," he said softly. "And a very shitty one."

And he told me everything: about Asmodeus, about that monstrous, primordial Darkness that had unexpectedly gushed from him in the heat of battle, about his suspicions that Eve herself was behind it, that she had somehow enhanced the Deadly Sin, that she had started her own game against Heaven. He told me about that insane battle in his personal dimension, about how he was on the very brink of defeat, how he miraculously managed to win, expending almost all his Light. He told me about how he captured Asmodeus's mutilated body and imprisoned it to "interrogate" later.

I listened silently, afraid to miss a single word, and with each second, my face grew paler. And inside, everything grew cold with horror. My eyes darkened with rage and helpless hatred at the mere mention of Eve's name. The creature! The ancient creature, because of whom Eden fell! When he finished his story, I simply looked at him in silence for some time, trying to digest what I had heard, to comprehend the full scale of the threat hanging over us.

"Eve… So, it's definitely her…" I finally managed to whisper, feeling my lips disobeying me. "But… but how? Why now? And… what are we supposed to do now, Adam? The Alert has already been declared… Abel has put everyone on their feet. All of Heaven is already preparing for war…"

"He's doing the right thing," he nodded seriously, his golden eyes firm and resolute. "It seems a new war really awaits us, Lute. And judging by the power I saw… this time it will be much more terrible than the last. Eve, it seems, has become an absolutely fucking powerful piece of shit over the millennia…"

Adam pulled me close, burying his face in the crown of my head, and I felt him take a deep breath of my hair's scent. The anxiety hadn't gone away – neither his nor mine; I felt it in the tension of his muscles. But here, next to him, in his embrace, it was… not so all-consuming.

"Will you tell me the details of that fight with Asmodeus?" I asked quietly after some time, lifting my head and looking into his eyes.

"I will. I'll tell you everything, definitely," he answered just as quietly. "But first…" He gently pulled away and looked me intently in the eyes. "Let's just lie like this for a little longer. I need to… finally pull myself together. Gather my thoughts..."

I nodded silently, wrapping my arms around him again, pressing against his warm body, feeling his steady breathing, his strength, his… resolve. Yes. As long as he's here – I can handle anything. We can handle it.