I'm The Devil

Lucifer walked down the empty street, neon lights washing across his face in bleeding streaks of red and blue. The wind carried stale city warmth mixed with the faint sweetness of nearby flowers that refused to die, even here.

He heard her footsteps before she even stepped off the curb.

He sighed softly, closing his eyes for a moment, feeling the tiredness seep through him like cold water soaking into old stone.

"Come out," he said, his voice low but carrying. "Ivy."

She froze, half-hidden behind the burned-out husk of an old street kiosk. Then, slowly, she stepped into the open, her boots crunching against stray gravel and broken glass.

She wore the same jacket from the van ride. Her hair was tied back roughly, dark strands falling over her eyes. She looked small against the emptiness of the street, but her gaze didn't waver.

Lucifer turned to face her fully, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"What do you want?" he asked quietly. His tone wasn't annoyed, just… tired. Like someone who already knew the answer but needed to hear it anyway.

Ivy swallowed hard. The neon flickered against her pale skin, catching the edge of her eyes. "We… we freed you."

Lucifer tilted his head slightly. "Yes."

"From that pit. That… place. That book. Whatever the fuck it was."

"Yes," he said again, softly.

She took a step forward. Her boots scraped against the concrete. "Then… we deserve something in return."

Lucifer raised a brow. "Do you now?"

Her lips trembled, but she kept her voice steady. "We do."

He chuckled faintly, the sound dark and empty. "You think I owe you."

"I know you do," she said, voice hardening. "We went through hell to pull you out of there. Lost friends. Lost ourselves. We didn't do that for nothing."

Lucifer sighed again, glancing up at the sickly yellow street lamp flickering above them. He looked back down at her, golden eyes glowing faint in the dark.

"What is it you want then, Ivy?" he asked. "Be simple. Don't play around with words."

She blinked, surprised by his directness. "I… I don't know."

He stepped closer, the ground silent under his shoes. He stopped only a foot away, close enough for her to feel the cold that clung to his skin.

"Power?" he said softly, eyes locked onto hers. "Wealth? Fame? Eternal life? You just have to name it."

She shook her head slightly. "It's not… it's not that."

"Then what is it?" His voice dropped lower, almost a whisper now. "Speak. I don't have the patience to pull it from your chest."

Ivy clenched her fists. Her breathing came quick and shallow. "I just… I want it to matter."

Lucifer frowned. "What?"

She swallowed hard, her eyes burning. "Everything we went through. The blood. The fear. The nightmares. I want it to matter. I want it to mean something. I want to wake up tomorrow and not feel like it was just… pointless suffering."

Lucifer stared at her quietly for a long moment. The wind blew down the street, rustling a torn plastic bag that skittered past their feet like a dying rat.

"Meaning," he murmured. "That's what you want."

She nodded, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "Yeah."

Lucifer looked away, out across the sleeping city. His jaw tightened slightly.

"That," he said softly, "is the one thing I cannot give you."

Her breath hitched. "Why?"

"Because meaning isn't something I make," he said. "Meaning is what you decide for yourself."

She shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks now. "That's bullshit. That's—"

"It's the truth." His eyes snapped back to hers, sharp and glowing. "I can give you power to crush anyone who wrongs you. I can give you gold to buy this city a thousand times over. I can even take your pain away and leave you empty and smiling forever."

He stepped closer, their bodies almost touching.

"But meaning… that's your burden to carry. Not mine to give."

Ivy sobbed once, her shoulders shaking. "Then why even offer anything else?"

"Because power is easy," he said simply. "Wealth is easy. Meaning is the only thing that's ever been hard."

She wiped her eyes roughly with her sleeve, smearing tears across her skin. "Then give me power."

Lucifer tilted his head. "Power?"

She nodded shakily. "If it's easy… then give it to me. Maybe… maybe if I have power, I can make my own meaning."

Lucifer studied her for a long time, the neon flashing red-blue-red-blue across his eyes. Then he reached out, gently pressing two fingers against her forehead.

His touch was cold. Ancient. It felt like ice sliding down her spine, curling around her heart, sinking deep into her bones.

Her eyes widened as darkness spread through her chest, blooming like ink in water. Her knees buckled, but he held her upright with his free hand.

When he pulled away, she gasped, sucking in ragged breaths.

"What… what did you do?" she whispered.

Lucifer stepped back, slipping his hands into his pockets again. "I gave you what you asked for."

She clenched her fists, feeling heat and cold swirl under her skin like black fire. She felt stronger. Lighter. Like her bones had been replaced with tempered steel.

She looked up at him, her eyes glowing faint in the darkness.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Power," he said softly. "How you use it… will decide what meaning it has."

He turned away then, starting down the sidewalk once more. Ivy watched him go, her chest heaving, her hands trembling with new strength she didn't understand.

"Wait," she called out.

He paused, but didn't turn around.

"What… what happens now?" she asked, her voice small.

Lucifer tilted his head slightly, his hair falling over his eyes as he looked up at the flickering sky.

"Now?" he said quietly.

He started walking again, his words trailing behind him like fading smoke.

"Now you decide what you become."

And with that, he vanished into the neon night, leaving Ivy standing alone under the flickering street lamp, power thrumming under her skin and the taste of tears sharp on her lips.

Above her, the city buzzed on, unaware that everything had just changed.