Magical Girl Exorcist Squad: Meanwhile, In Hell (Season 2, Issue #20)

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***

After the Fall

Astra coalesced, her winds and sand imploding on themselves and gathering into a central point, and for the first time in her existence, she felt pain. She was bound in spiritual chains as wind transmuted into blood and sand into flesh. Agony stabbed through her newfound nerves as a black fire ignited in her chest and became her heart. She felt so small and so weak, as if she’d been compacted into a single point and the universe loomed over her and mocked her for her size. Her eyes opened, and she saw she had hands, arms, legs, feet, breasts- she had a body. She was bound in chains of flesh, and she fell through the blackness and landed on a jagged crop of glaciers. Seven people laid aching on it with her- she recognized one as Lilith, but the others…

“Is that you, Astaroth?” asked a tall, thin, bronze-skinned man with long black hair and bat wings jutting out of his back.

“I… I think so,” she said, shivering as she looked at the mountain of ice surrounding her on all sides. Cold, so cold, everything was cold-

“My Father has bound you in flesh, just like me, just like all of us,” he spoke.

“L… Lucifer?”

“Yes,” the man said. “Along with Lilith, Moloch, Beelezebub, Mephistopheles, Asmodeus, and Belial. My Father apparently decided the punishment for following me in my rebellion was to know pain that we couldn’t before, and to cast us out.”

A thunderous pounding in her chest and a sharp, biting feeling flowing through her, Astra screamed, “This is… This is horrible! This is a nightmare- I’m a storm, I’m not meant to be a human.”

“You’re not quite human,” Lilith said, her legs bunched up as she sat on the ice. She cupped her hands, and a spike of black flame ignited. “Neither am I anymore, if that helps.”

Astra’s hands trembled, and she stared at them, useless pale digits shaking as she tried to find the black heat within her and let it out, anything to make this damn cold stop. “This is horrible,” she repeated, a harsh whisper. “I’m in prison. This is the ultimate prison.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Lilith said in a snide tone as she rolled her eyes. “At least God gave you an adult body- Mephistopheles looks like a child.”

“WEEEEEE!!” the little demon girl said as she slid over the ice on her belly.

“Get back here!” a slender young man with straight black hair said, stumbling and slipping as he ran after her.

“That doesn’t make sense, she was hardly any younger than the rest of us,” a rotund, broad shouldered, pale man with white hair said.

“Nothing makes sense anymore, you idiot!” Astaroth screamed. “I don’t even know where we are right now.”

“Below Chaos,” Lucifer said, walking past her and standing on the edge of the ice, looking out into the endless expanse of darkness. “Below the Floodwater. My brother Michael’s doing- Father commanded him to throw me, throw all of us, as far from Heaven and Earth as he could. I guess he was stronger than I thought.”

“What do we do now, sir?” Lilith said, holding the black flames close to her chest, letting it singe her skin.

“Now, we build something new,” Lucifer said. “And it’s going to take souls. Lots of souls. We’ll have to lure them down here, but they’ll burn quite nicely and warm the place up. Besides, my Father has always wondered what to do with the unrepentant. Perhaps now they’ll finally serve a purpose.”

NOW

Astra peered through the bone bars of her cell, listening to the music of damned souls screaming outside. Chains bound her to the iron wall of the cell, cuffing her at the hands and feet and throat. She smiled as she breathed in the acrid stench of brimstone, and she waited, and waited, and waited.

Each day had been an agony since the betrayal. Her skin burned at the touch of a hot poker, her chest grew heavy with mucus from all the smoke and ash and dust, she needed things like food and sleep. Before she had wanted them, sure, but she’d been able to resist the urge. Now she was saddled with human NEED.

If she could kill herself, she would- anything to end the agony of sensation. It was the only good thing about being human she could think of- at least now she could die.

But then again… Perhaps there was a way out of her cage. Her numerous cages.

“La la la la la la la,” Mephistopheles- Phoebe, as the happy little idiot liked to be called- paced back and forth outside her cell, holding the Sin-Eater’s skull and tossing it up into the air so she could catch it when it fell. It was just like Lilith to put the key to Astra’s salvation within eyeshot and just out of reach. She wanted Astra to try something, to attempt an escape, just so she could prove to her how futile it was, how much easier things would be if she just rolled over and accepted her punishment like a good little bitch.

Not. Fucking. Likely, Astra thought.

“Mephistopheles,” Astra said, her throat dry and her voice hoarse and scratchy.

“It’s Phoebe, Astra, you know that,” she said as she continued to play one-person catch with a human skull.

“Phoebe,” Astra said as she let the name slide off her tongue. “You’re a good girl- has anyone ever told you that?”

“Bob tells me that all the time. He does such a good job looking after me.”

“And a good girl like you deserves to be told that by everyone-”

“No, not really,” Phoebe said. “Bob has always looked after me, so I let him dote on me. But I’m 6000 years old, Astra- we both know that I’m not actually a little girl. I just wish my body would age normally so I could look like a grownup. But then again, if I did age normally, I’d be nothing but a skeleton. Like this thing.” At which point, she began juggling with the skull and a few other bones she retrieved from the pocket of her hoodie. “Can you believe this used to be Cyrus’ wife- that’s hilarious!”

“Who is Cyrus?” Astra said.

“Oh, he was one of Lilith’s,” Phoebe said. “Probably in the Floodwater right now. He was so envious of everyone else getting to be a parent that he decided to become one himself. With this stupid lady here.” The skull landed on her nose, and she balanced it like a seal balancing a ball.

“That’s absurd,” Astra rolled her eyes. “Why would anyone want to be a parent?”

“I dunno,” Phoebe said. “My demons just sort of spawn outta me sometimes and then run away- I don’t really have much say over them. And what about yours?”

“...”

“Where are your demonic spirits, anyway?” Phoebe asked. “I’ve never really been clear on that.”

An aching sensation echoed through her chest, and Astra whispered, “I don’t… I don’t have any.

“Hm? What’s that?”

“I’ve only ever been able to have children the normal way,” Astra said. “Succubi have to be Manifested Demons, otherwise they aren’t able to fulfill their purpose. Their disgusting, hideous purpose…”

“Oh my Satan, would you quit whining already?” Phoebe said, taking the skull off of her nose and rolling it over her shoulders. “Do you have any idea how annoying you are? How grating your constant complaining has been for thousands of years?! ‘Oh boohoo, I’m Astaroth, I hate having a body because I’m a stubborn idiot. It’s so hard being a super hot sex machine who can get laid whenever she wants!’”

“Do you have any idea how disgusting the bodily functions you’re referring to are-”

“That is a problem for you and you alone,” Phoebe said. “But all you ever think about are your own non-problems, so I guess this makes sense.”

“And what does that mean?”

Phoebe’s youthful sneer was replaced by unadulterated rage. She grabbed the skull in her hand and marched over to the edge of Astra’s cell. C’mon, closer, closer.

“It means that you nearly ruined our chances at salvation because you just HAD to torment your daughter!”

“She needed to be shown the error of her ways,” Astra growled. Closer.

“The error of her ways- are you serious? You think trying to assert some stupid puritanical bullshit is more important than our survival? You do realize, oh fearless former leader, that if we don’t live, that if we lose Pandemonium, your precious, precious ethics won’t mean a damn thing anymore because WE WILL BE DEAD!”

“Yes, that had occurred to me. What of it?” Astra said, trying to keep the smirk from infesting her face. She needed desperately not to blow this, needed Phoebe to get just an inch closer-

“OH COME ON! Are you fucking serious!? Are you seriously so concerned with moral grandstanding that you won’t budge an inch to save everyone? How stupid are you!?”

“Not nearly as stupid as you,” Astra said, grabbing Phoebe by the wrist and prying the Sin-Eater’s skull loose with one hand, yanking at Phoebe’s hair and delighting in her shriek with the other. She slammed Phoebe’s face into the bars of the cell, then held the skull aloft. Normally, a goat’s skull was necessary for the ritual, but a Sin-Eater’s skull would suffice in a pinch.

In Aramaic, she said, “We offer the sacrifice of the sinners to Azazel, daughter of Samael, Archdevil of Sin. Across the desert of the soul, may the energies of the wicked and the damned pour into the skull and BURN!”

“What are you doing? That’s only supposed to be used to skim excess Soul Energy from the recently departed! You can’t do that here! You’ll absorb souls directly!” Phoebe cried.

“That’s the idea, kid,” Astra said.

“We can’t get those back! You’re throwing them into the paper shredder!”

“And I care because?” Astra said, smiling with teeth. The cries of the damned grew louder as they were drawn into the skull, and it burst into black flames.

***

Moloch prowled the edges of Castle Pandemonium, remembering when the ice of Hell’s Frozen Heart dominated the endless chasm of damnation, before the Lightbringer had set it all on fire and diminished the ice into the center.

The screams of the damned grew louder as the shelling continued, raining on the edges of their territory. The souls were useful as shields, but Moloch knew they would not hold forever-

… Especially when they were growing louder and closer, as if something were drawing them away from the iron spikes they were impaled upon.

Moloch’s eye grew wide with terror as white trails of light were drawn into Castle Pandemonium. He turned and ran into the castle, a black streak catching up with him and slowing next to him.

“What’s going on?” Beelzebub asked. “I was at the front lines and suddenly our soul reserves just started vanishing.”

“I’m not sure, but something is happening inside the castle,” Moloch said as he tore the door open.

“Where’s Phoebe?!” Beelzebub, panic lacing his words.

“Look for her! I shall find Lilith!”

Beelzebub vanished in a black light, and Moloch ran to the center of the castle, where he knew Lilith went to meditate, where she wanted never to be disturbed. Right now, though, that didn’t matter. What mattered was dealing with the crisis at hand-

Moloch stopped when he opened the door to find Lilith standing over the Frozen Heart, watching her daughter scream while trapped in the center.

“What is this?” Moloch said.

“I thought I told you never to come in here when I’m meditating,” Lilith hissed.

“WHAT IS YOUR DAUGHTER DOING IN THERE?!” Moloch bellowed, marching forward.

“It’s not my child anymore- just look at it!” Lilith said. “I’m trying to get it back to the way it was before so that it can be reabsorbed-”

“WHAT?!” Moloch said, grabbing Lilith by the lapel and hoisting her into the air. He wrapped his hands around her throat.

“Let go of me!” Lilith said.

That was when an explosion shook the castle to its core, and the door burst open. Astra stood on the other side, holding a human skull burning with Hellfire, covered in blood. “Hello. I’d like to negotiate the terms of my parole now.”

***

“We need to go to Hell,” Nicole said.

“I’m sorry, what?” Cass said.

“My demon is trapped there, being tortured by her own mother, and it’s my fault. We need to go there and rescue her,” Nicole said, her hands trembling, pacing back and forth in their clearing in the forest.

“Nicole, you’re getting ahead of yourself,” Sister Quinn said. “There’s still so much you have to learn about your connection to your demon-”

“She’s right, though,” Winona said. “If what she’s saying is true- which I believe it is- then Lilith is punishing my friend just for existing right now. Same as she did to Adam and Eve, same as she did to me, same as she tried to do to Uncle Yeshua. When she doesn’t like what something represents, she tries to break it down.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thank you, Winona,” Nicole said, ignoring the slimy feeling in her throat as the words came out.

“Nicole, you can’t just go half-cocked here,” Debbi said. “We need an actual plan. You’re talking about marching into Hell to save a demon. It’s not that straightforward.”

“Saving a life is pretty straightforward to me,” Nicole said.

“I don’t disagree, but-”

“Gaaaaahhhhhh!” Gabriel screamed, leaning against the tree and sliding to the ground. Then he vanished in a golden blur.

“We’re gonna have to do something about that,” Cass said, face-palming. “I knew there was something off about this guy.”

“I just wish I’d seen it before now,” Matt said bitterly.

“I can fill you in on some of the details later, if you want,” Winona said.

“That would be a good start,” Amy said. Then she looked over at Nicole and said, “If this… If this is something you want, I’ll back you. But I have to admit, it’s a big risk to save one life.”

“There’s never too great a risk to save a life,” Nicole said, bunching her hands into fists. “No matter who’s life it is. Especially not when they have the chance- a real chance- to be better than they used to be.” Nicole met Sister Quinn’s eyes and said, “I understand that I’m not ready. But this is serious. And I can feel something big going on down there. Please help me save her. Help me save my sister.”

“There is a way,” Sister Quinn said. “But it will take at least a day to make it happen.”

“A day is good,” Debbi said. “Gives us time to prepare.”

“And to figure out how to square all this with the War for the Throne of Hell business,” Cass said.

“And to say good-byes,” Heather said.

“Good-byes?” Iris said, her eyes dropping and her brow creasing.

Nicole walked over to her little sister and put her hands on Iris’ shoulders. “You’re not coming.”

“I- what?!” Iris said.

“Did I stutter?” Nicole monotoned.

“I’m coming with you!” Iris said.

“Mom and Dad are not gonna let you go to Hell!”

“They’re not gonna let you go to Hell,” Iris said. “But you’re gonna go anyway. Because it’s the right thing to do. Because, as you said less than a minute ago, this demon is our sister, our family. And she needs help.”

Nicole sighed deeply through her mouth. “How did you get this stubborn?”

“I learned it by watching you,” Iris said plainly.

“I think we’re all getting ahead of ourselves right now,” Debbi said. “My powers and Cass’ powers are still on the fritz, Gabriel ran off before he had to infodump, we’re currently harboring a fugitive, and we’re talking about breaking into a war zone.”

“What do you recommend?” Nicole asked.

“I… Are we sure I should be making this decision,” Debbi said.

“Yes,” Nicole and Heather and Cass all said at the same time.

“You made a mistake, yeah,” Cass said, “But it happens. I still trust you.”

Amy said nothing to agree, but she didn’t disagree either. Simply stood there with her eyes on the ground and her hands wrapped around Nicole’s.

“Then… Let’s reconvene at St. Joseph’s in twenty-four hours,” Debbi said. “By then, hopefully we’ll have everything sorted out.”

Amy was the only one who didn’t look happy with the arrangement, but even still, she held tight to Nicole’s hand and nodded.

And with that, off they went, to prepare for the descent into Hell.