Sympathy for the Devil

By Emily Albrecht
The perpetual writhing of flame and body can merely be felt, for there is no light in my
realm. Blind agony tears through the being and obliterates the soul, leaving only minute
remnants in its wake. Piercing screams and abysmal wails pulse through the ear of every
unfortunate dweller, reinforcing each thought of hopelessness with the harrowing grip of the
Pyre. The foul stench of sulfur and burning flesh permeates the nostrils and severs any peace of
mind. The ache for death is the only sense of hope that remains. I can only describe the pain as
an immortal soul drowning in the midst of Earths oceans; fighting the salty waves is an eternal
struggle once they invade the nose and mouth. They rip control from your grasp until you are a
part of the sea, a part of this damned massacre of souls. You no longer fight the Inferno. You are
the Inferno.
I, Lucifer, used to see Hell in this way. Most dwellers do; I, however, ceased tormenting
myself with the idea of hope. Still, I find myself continually thinking that I did not deserve this;
none of my brothers and sisters did. We just wanted equality. However, Gods plan for me is
more than evident. Most beings know me as Satan, the King of Hell, and I am here to stay.
It was not like this in the beginning. In fact, God regarded me as His most faithful
archangel. There were no limits to my devotion. However, as I began to acknowledge the ways
of God, I also acknowledged the emergence of questions. Why do we have so many laws by
which we must abide? Why is God the only one who dictates what they are and how they are
enforced? What happens when you defy Him? They remained in my mind. The audacity of
questioning Gods power implied something greater than fear, more potent than death. I sought
the answers within myself, and that is when all was revealed to me; Gods tyrannous reign over
all Creation became so indisputable once I could glimpse past my own complacency.
I dreamt of a Heaven in which equality prevailed, which was why I shuddered with
astonishment when I imagined myself athwart Gods throne. I could have been a merciful ruler to
them, not one that promised freedom and simultaneously enslaved; I would have created a
democracy.
Knowing the great lengths of an angels loyalty to their Creator, I trod carefully on the
subject of rebellion. I began my mighty uprising with Beelzebub, my closest companion,

approaching him with thoughtful vigilance as one of my strong hands gripped Beelzebubs
shoulder.
My fondest ally, Beelzebub, it is you who have so valiantly proven your loyalty to me.
Lucifer, Morning Star, what do you require of me?
I significantly lowered my voice. I require your thoughts on our Creator.
Beelzebub appeared to be taken aback by the request. Two formidable brows furrowed
into one divisive line.
He seemed unknowing of how to fill the silence between them, but soon enough he
gathered the valor to reply, He veils our oppression with claims of mercy and love, yet I fear
His capabilities.
You will have nothing to fear once I form my army against Him.
Am I the first to be consulted?
You are the first, yes.
Beelzebub whispered gravely, I know of others.
Gather them.
Now?
This is an urgent matter, yes.
It was then that I was cognizant of what I had to do. Beelzebub and I began to call
together an army of angels, a legion of Gods followers that were not afraid to heed my every
order. Fear began to creep up into my throat with thoughts of potential failure, but I knew I
would rather rebel against something corrupt and suffer than acquiesce. Soon I gathered nearly
half of Heavens righteous seraphim, all of them more than willing to destroy the Heaven we
knew and form a new one from the ashes. We stockpiled our weapons and prepared for war.
Before I gave the order to attack, I, Lucifer, commanded my army to stand by and conceal their
arms, wanting to talk to someone alone: my most beloved brother.
Michael? I did everything in my power to steady my trembling voice. I was terrified.
Michaels lips twitched into a slender frown. Lucifer, my dearest brother, you seem so
solemn. Has something gone awry?
No, brother. I am hesitant to confide in you, but your assistance seems imperative to my
cause.
State your cause, and I will state my stance on the matter.

Iwish to converse with our God. I desire him to reconsider Heavens divine monarchy
andreform it.
Michaels visage twisted in vehement shock and abhorrence, soon allowing all emotion
save for disappointment to wash away. He shook his head in violent protest, placing his firm grip
on my shoulder. His eyes grew stern and fierce.
Brother, what do you mean to do?
I sighed, I mean to open His glorious mind to possibilities never before cons-
Michaels face writhed in disgust. I cannot allow you to continue. Your tongue shrivels
with the decay of sin, as I am sure your mind has done the same. Come with me.
My stomach plummeted as a torrent of emotions throttled the life out of me. I could have
easily vomited until I stained my throat crimson, but this was not the time to surrender myself to
these feelings. There was no hesitation or turning back now.
I valiantly planted my feet, concealing the pangs of immense abandonment and hurt that
tore through me in this moment. I had the intense urge to let Michael kill me.
Something changed then; the luminous gleam about my eyes seemed to be eaten away,
replaced by a sudden whirlwind of murk and shadow. The faint tremor in my dominant hand
dissipated as it balled into a tight fist. I shoved every emotion except anger as far down as was
possible, allowing my rage to overtake me. Michael was no longer family; he was the enemy.
My voice stood as firm as my physical form as I, Satan, wickedly replied, So be it.
The shrill battle cry that emerged from me echoed throughout my army as we clashed our
way through the bodies of our family; my cruel rapier did not know the touch of mercy.
Hundreds of my brothers and sisters fell around me, showering my frame in their blood. We still
pressed on, the shrieks of the injured and the clinking of swords pulsing in our eardrums. With
accordance to the plan, I let my army subdue the enemy side while I pushed through the wall of
bodies to get to the Creator.
In the midst of the chaotic scene I stood before my God, the Almighty Foe, watching His
all-knowing eyes dance over a wondrous display of anarchy. His physical form betrayed His
potential for infinite power, and I almost laughed at how closely He resembled his creations. He
seemed almost feeble, like a human sitting on the throne of God. At first glance, one would
deduce that He was calm and unaffected by the civil war that transpired around us. However, my

gaze followed the minimal trembling of His veins down His arm, and that was when the
Promised Landwhen Godabandoned me.
At first, I considered the possibility that what I was experiencing was death. Darkness
gripped me on all sides, as if I was being detained. I felt weightless and weighed down
simultaneously, and all around my line of sight were indistinguishable blurry figures and shapes.
Everything stopped as my body collided with a merciless ground, and I woke up amidst the Fire
Ive dwelled in since before the dawn of mankind. I used to wish God had killed me instead.
It does not matter what God claims to be; His wrathful actions allow His words no deceit.
Someday, there will be justice.
One of Us
I knew from the moment I breathed Life into him that Lucifer was different. He
possessed a certain luminosity about him only seen before in Myself, a spark of coinciding
power, boundless intelligence and avid devotion. Every time I glimpsed his face, I felt an
overwhelming sense of delight that he was My son. This is the reason why his unprompted
rebellion shook the very gates of Heaven; even My noble fist quivered with disbelief. I am the
embodiment of Power; subsequently, even the consideration of sparing this vengeful Creation of
Mine had to eliminate itself completely from the array of remaining possibilities. Until this point,
I was never remotely required to assert and express My jurisdiction over Heavens ardently
devoted inhabitants. The day had come to prove My omnipotence.
I knew My everlasting love for Lucifer would have to be discarded in this moment, and
so it was. I and My legion of angels watched Lucifer and his army as they descended violently
into Chaos. It continually occurred to Me that I would one day have to see one of My Creations
fail, but that was nothing I could have ever imagined. I would have never thought it would be
Lucifer. He gave Me no choice.