Vampire Progenitor System

Lucifer pulled his hand away from the bed frame, the thought already forming to turn and leave.

[Wait.]

He paused mid-step, eyes narrowing slightly. "It's done. I've stayed long enough."

[No, my son. Stay until she wakes.]

His jaw tightened. "For what? She'll see me, say whatever she has to say, and we'll both go on pretending the years between never happened."

[Not this time. You've carried the weight of her leaving since you were a boy. You know why she did it, but knowing and forgiving are not the same. You've built your life on walls she left you with. You can't keep them forever.]

Lucifer turned his head just enough to glance at her still face. "Forgiveness doesn't change the past."

[No, but it changes you. And it will change her. You may not believe it, but she has been in this state because of you.]

His expression didn't shift, but his voice was low. "I know."

[Then face her. Give her the chance to hear from you what she's been waiting for all this time. I've seen her fight armies without flinching, but she fears losing your heart more than she fears losing her life.]

Lucifer stayed where he was, his gaze on the candles flickering along the walls. The silence stretched.

"You think she's waiting for me to tell her it's all fine," he said finally.

[No,] Damaris said. [She's waiting for you to tell her you see her. That you understand. That she is not only the progenitor, not only a ruler, but still your mother.]

Lucifer exhaled slowly through his nose, then stepped back toward the bed.

He stood beside her, watching the faint shift in her breathing. It was subtle at first—slightly deeper, slightly quicker. Her fingers twitched against the silk.

[She's coming back.]

Lucifer's eyes stayed fixed on her. The soft sound of her breath changed again, her head tilting slightly toward him, like some part of her was drawn to his presence even before waking.

Her eyes opened slowly, unfocused at first. The crimson in them was dim, but there. She blinked once, then again, and finally her gaze sharpened enough to see him.

"…Lucifer?"

He didn't move. "You weren't expecting me."

A faint smile touched her lips, though her voice was still weak. "You are the last face I thought I would see."

"Not much of a welcome," he said, but his tone was neutral.

Her eyes didn't leave his. "I thought you would never come."

"I almost didn't."

Something passed through her gaze—something between pain and relief. "You've grown… and you look just like him."

Lucifer didn't answer.

"I suppose you want to hear me say it again," she murmured. "That I'm sorry."

"You've said it before," he replied.

"And you didn't believe it," she said softly.

Lucifer's head tilted slightly. "You never gave me reason to."

Her smile was faint, but without mockery. "You've always been sharp." She drew in a slow breath. "I can't undo what I did. I can't give you back those years."

"No," he said. "You can't."

The quiet between them settled heavy.

"I thought keeping you away would save you," she said at last. "And it did, in ways you'll never know. But it also hurt you in ways I can't undo. I have carried both truths every day."

Lucifer's gaze didn't soften, but he didn't look away.

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness because I want to feel better," she continued. "I'm asking because I want to give you peace. If my absence built walls around you, let me help you take them down."

Lucifer was silent for a long time.

[She means it,] Damaris said quietly. [She has been carrying this as long as you have.]

Lucifer's voice was low. "You left me with nothing to hold on to but myself. And I learned to like it that way."

Her eyes stayed on his. "Then let me earn a place in what you've built."

He studied her for another few breaths. Then his shoulders eased, just barely.

"I know why you did it," he said finally. "And I've hated you for it for most of my life. But…" He exhaled, the word heavy. "…I don't want to carry that anymore."

Her breath caught almost imperceptibly. "Then you forgive me?"

He gave a short nod. "I forgive you."

Her eyes closed for a moment, and when they opened again, the crimson in them burned a little brighter. "You have no idea what that means to me."

Lucifer stepped back slightly, giving her room. "I didn't come here to rebuild something that never existed. But I can start with this."

She smiled again, a real one this time. "Then it's more than I expected."

[Good,] Damaris said, his voice warm in Lucifer's mind. [You've given her what she's needed most. And maybe, in time, you'll see you needed it too.]

Lucifer didn't answer. But he didn't leave. And for now, that was enough.

Lucifer stayed beside her bed for a few more seconds, watching the faint red glow return to her eyes.

Then he raised his voice, the sound sharp and cutting through the still corridors.

"Ruka! Daniel! Get your asses in here—your mother's awake!"

The words carried, echoing off the blackstone walls. Somewhere down the hall, boots struck the floor in quick rhythm.

Lilith's head turned slightly toward him, her hair shifting against the pillow. "Ruka…?" she asked, almost cautious.

Lucifer glanced at her. "Yeah. He's here."

Her lips curved faintly. "Bring him to me."

Before he could say anything more, the heavy doors creaked open. Daniel stepped in first, posture straight as ever, expression guarded. Ruka followed a few steps behind, his aura still rough around the edges from his new power—Gluttony's sin rolling off him in slow, lazy waves that made the air heavier.

Lilith's eyes went to Daniel first, but they didn't stay there. The moment she saw Ruka, her breath caught, and her smile grew in a way Lucifer hadn't seen from her in years.

"You've… grown so much," she said softly, eyes glinting. "Come here, Ruka."

He hesitated only a moment before walking closer, the faint heat of his aura curling into the space between them. She looked him over, gaze narrowing in recognition.

"You carry Gluttony now," she said, her voice warm with approval. "A demon king."

Ruka gave a small nod. "Lucifer made it official."

That drew a quick glance from her toward Lucifer, something unspoken passing between them before she looked back at Ruka.

"You're both here," she said quietly, almost to herself. "My two boys… after everything I've done to you." Her eyes softened, and for a heartbeat, the weight of her position as progenitor was gone. She was just a mother looking at her sons.

Ruka gave a faint smile, not the playful kind he sometimes used, but a small, honest one. "Guess you're stuck with us now."

She reached up, fingers brushing his cheek. "I'm glad for it."

Out of the corner of his eye, Lucifer caught Daniel's expression shift—a quick flash of something sharp before it was buried under that practiced mask. Daniel stayed silent, but his gaze lingered on Ruka longer than usual.

If there was one place he'd never let his jealousy slip, it was here. Not in front of her.

Lucifer leaned a shoulder against the wall, watching them. "Well, you wanted him, you've got him. And he's not going anywhere anytime soon."

Lilith's smile didn't fade. "Good." Her gaze moved between the two of them. "You've both walked paths I wish I could have shielded you from. But you're here now. That's what matters."

Ruka didn't say anything to that, but his eyes softened a fraction.

Daniel finally stepped forward, stopping just beside Ruka. "Mother."

She looked at him with the same softness, though he kept his tone level. "It's good to see you awake."

"And you, Daniel," she said, her voice warm. "All three of you in the same room again… I almost thought I'd never see the day."

Lucifer pushed off the wall, his cloak brushing the floor. "Well, don't get too sentimental. You've only got so much strength for now. You'll wear yourself out before the hour's over."

Lilith gave him a knowing look. "Always the one to ruin a moment."

He smirked. "Just keeping you grounded."

She shook her head slightly, still smiling, then let her gaze rest on Ruka again. "We have much to talk about. But for now… just stay here. Both of you."

Lucifer glanced toward Daniel, who gave a short, silent nod, his face unreadable. But Lucifer caught the way his jaw had tightened.

Yeah… he thought. He's feeling it.

But in front of her, Daniel didn't let it show. Not a flicker.

For now, the room was quiet but heavy—the kind of heavy that came when years of distance suddenly collapsed into the same space. And for once, none of them rushed to fill it.

[This is wonderful but it is missing one thing]