"Which is what I am," he said. "An angel."

"A fallen angel."

"Yeah, okay, so I fell—there’s no denying that—but your brother did, too. You don’t fear him or think he’s evil, do you?"

"No, but you’re not Samuel."

He stared at her in contemplation before glancing down at the sigils on his forearms. "These aren’t just decoration. My brother carved them into me with his blade of fire to keep me from hurting innocents. So even if I wished you harm—which, I don’t—he made it so I couldn’t hurt you."

He traced the black lines with his pointer finger, spelling out the words condemning him, as he let out a long, exasperated sigh. Timidly, Serah took a calculated step forward, then another, and another, until she closed the distance between them. The gate was so close she could hear the electricity crackling, the air glimmering like an enormous soap bubble. Slowly, she reached toward it, nearly touching the gate when Lucifer flew forward, abruptly closing the distance between him and the entrance. Startled, Serah let out a shuddering breath, suspicious eyes focused on him. He smiled guiltily, holding up his hands as he nodded for her to proceed.

There were no fireworks, no torturous screams, no massive explosions or eruptions of brutal pain. The reapers hardly even noticed as her fingertips skimmed the surface of the enclosure, carefully dipping into the enchantments. She’d half expected the bubble to pop, but instead it flickered, spreading around her fingers and forming to her skin as if she’d submerged her hand under water.

Lucifer watched intently, saying not a word, his hands still rose as he remained statuesque, more rigid than the ground beneath their feet. He waited until her shaky hand appeared on his side, clutching the stalk of flowers, to break his stance.

The moment he moved, Serah’s senses kicked into overdrive, her intuition sending alarms off in her head as he grasped her arm. An astonishing sensation surged through her, foreign and frightening. A tingle, deep in her gut, ignited a spark that ripped up her spine, so intense her teeth chattered. Gasping, she braced herself to be yanked onto his side, but he merely pried the flower from her grasp before letting go.

Serah pulled her hand back and clutched her wrist, wide-eyes watching Lucifer as he took a step away from the gate. "What was that?"

"What was what?" he asked.

"That thing inside of me. That sensation. That feeling."

She'd answered her own question. That feeling. She'd felt something, truly felt something raw and powerful for the first time.

Ignoring her, Lucifer’s attention fixated on the flowers, wilting only slightly in the infernal air, the light purple nearly as vibrant as it had been in her hand. That both shocked and saddened her, seeing something so beautiful, so alive, caught on his side with him. She’d almost expected the color to die, to fade away, tainted from his touch.

"This is called a—"

"Cleome serrulata," she whispered, cutting him off. She could identify every plant in existence.

"I was going to say Spider Flower, but that works, too," he said. "They’re opportunistic plants, and that’s exactly why they survive. They’ll grow anywhere—abandoned fields, vacant lots, cracks in concrete. Wherever the seeds fall, they’ll sprout roots."

"Amazing, isn’t it?" Serah asked.

"Yeah, it’s something, all right," he said. "Our Father offered more freedom to it than he did us. This thing does what it wants with no regard, grows where flowers aren’t supposed to grow, takes over fields and smothers everything else that lives there, killing it, and yet it’s hailed as one of His magnificent creations. A fucking plant is given more leniency than me."

"A plant doesn’t think. It doesn’t make conscious decisions."

"And what about mortals?" he asked. "His beloved humans, His favorite creation. He absolves them of everything as long as they ask. Why wasn’t I shown that same mercy? I wasn’t even given the chance to apologize."

Serah gaped at him. "Would you have apologized?"

"No. I did nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong?" she asked incredulously. "You tried to take over the world!"

He scoffed. "I merely asked questions. I had the audacity to doubt Him, to take a stand when he let mortals run amuck. Over half of the world doesn’t even believe in Him, doubts He even exists, and they’re easily forgiven. Even the angels who fell with me—around me—were offered a chance. But not me."

"Is that why you’re doing this?" she asked. "Is that why the war is still going on?"

As usual, Lucifer ignored that question, his attention returning to the flower in his hand. He brought it to his nose and inhaled, a shudder running the length of his body as he grimaced. "Are you aware Spider Flowers stink? One of the foulest odors, if you ask me, so strong I can taste the bitterness on my tongue, but it’s still not as repulsive as Michael’s scent on you right now."

Lucifer held his hand out, the tip of the stalk of flowers penetrating the translucent shield. Serah stepped forward, taking ahold of them, yanking the flowers back to her side without making contact with him. Once she had them, Lucifer turned away, vanishing soundlessly without uttering another word.

Hesitantly, Serah brought the flower to her nose and sniffed for the second time, wondering what it was he inhaled, wanting to know how he tasted the air.