Lucien stood frozen at the doorway.
The hidden chamber became completely silent. Golden lanterns floated softly above the room while the frozen memory of Celestia and the younger Lucien remained illuminated beside the silver table.
For one unbearable moment…
the Prince of Hell forgot how to breathe,because there she was.
Smiling and almost alive.
Warm. Not as a fading spirit or as a dying memory from battle.
But her....The Celestia he lost long before grief destroyed him.
Lucien's crimson eyes locked onto the younger version of himself standing beside her in the memory. His hand rested gently against her stomach while quiet love softened the sharpness he once carried so naturally.
Luke looked toward his father uncertainly.
"Dad…"
Lucien did not answer immediately.
His gaze remained fixed on Celestia like he feared she would vanish again if he blinked too quickly.
Then quietly,almost painfully he stepped into the chamber. The crystal recording resumed moving slowly.
Celestia laughed softly at something the younger Lucien whispered to her, though the sound became faint beneath the crushing silence of the present.
Luke watched his father carefully.
Lucien looked shaken. Not angry at anyone but broken.
The kind of brokenness hidden beneath years of pride and rage.
The older Lucien slowly approached the memory like a man walking toward a ghost.
When Celestia's recorded image smiled again… his composure nearly shattered completely.
Luke had never seen his father look vulnerable before.
Not truly. Even during battles,he always maintain his steeze and composure.
Even while grieving,Lucien always carried himself like something unbreakable.
But now…his hands trembled slightly,the memory shifted again.
Younger Lucien sat beside Celestia now while she organized several journals across the table.
"You're overworking yourself again," he muttered.
Celestia barely looked up.
"I'm documenting future possibilities."
"You need sleep."
"I need answers."
"You need sleep."
She smiled faintly.
"You sound old."
"And you sound stubborn."
"I am stubborn."
"I noticed."
Luke almost smiled again.
But his attention slowly shifted toward the older Lucien standing silently nearby.
The Prince of Hell looked haunted watching these moments.
Like every second of the memory reminded him of everything he lost.
Then suddenly the younger Lucien in the recording spoke quietly.
"What if the visions are wrong?"
Celestia stopped writing immediately.
The room dimmed slightly around the memory.
"They rarely are."
"You don't know that."
Her expression softened sadly.
"Lucien…"
"No."
The younger Lucien stood abruptly now.
"There has to be another future."
Luke froze slightly.
Because his father's voice sounded desperate.
Afraid.
The younger Lucien walked toward Celestia and knelt before her slowly, resting both hands against hers.
"I won't lose you."
The room became silent.
Even the recording itself seemed heavier now.
Celestia looked at him with heartbreaking tenderness.
"You can't control fate."
Lucien's jaw tightened sharply.
"Watch me."
Luke glanced instinctively toward the older Lucien.
His father had lowered his eyes now.
Like he could no longer bear watching himself fail.
The memory continued softly.
Celestia reached up and touched the younger Lucien's face gently.
"You know what I fear most?" she whispered.
Lucien looked at her immediately.
"Not death."
Her golden eyes shimmered faintly.
"I fear what losing me would do to you."
The older Lucien closed his eyes instantly.
Luke's chest tightened painfully.
Because she had been right.
Her death had destroyed him.
The memory Lucien looked away bitterly.
"I survived wars before you existed."
Celestia smiled sadly.
"Yes."
Then softly:
"But you never survived love before me."
Silence crushed the room completely.
Luke looked toward his father again.
And this time…
he saw tears.
Lucien turned away sharply as though ashamed of them.
But Luke had already seen.
The realization shook him deeply.
His father still loved her this much.
Even after all these years.
Even after rage consumed him.
Even after becoming someone colder and harder.
None of it erased her. Not really.
Then the memory changed one final time.
Celestia sat alone near the window now, writing quietly into one of the journals while moonlight illuminated the chamber softly.
Her expression looked tired this time.
Not frightened.
Just exhausted from carrying too many futures alone.
Then slowly…
she looked directly toward the crystal recording again.
Toward Luke.
"If you are watching this with your father…"
Luke immediately stiffened.
The older Lucien looked up sharply too.
Celestia smiled knowingly.
"Then I imagine both of you are being equally stubborn."
Luke laughed weakly through tears.
Even Lucien almost smiled faintly.
Almost.
Celestia's expression softened afterward.
"Lucien…"
The older King of Hell became completely still.
The recording walked closer slowly.
"If grief made you cruel to yourself after I was gone…"
Her voice became gentler now.
"…then you have grieved long enough."
Lucien's breathing turned uneven instantly.
"You are allowed to live again."
The words shattered something inside him completely.
Luke saw it happen.
Saw years of buried pain crack open behind his father's eyes.
The recording looked toward Luke next.
"And you…"
Her smile returned softly.
"Take care of him for me."
Luke nodded shakily.
"I will."
The memory glowed brighter now as the crystal began exhausting its stored energy.
Celestia's final words echoed gently through the chamber.
"You were both my greatest miracle."
Then the recording faded.
The room fell silent again.
Only the lanterns remained glowing softly overhead.
Lucien stood motionless for several long seconds.
Then suddenly—
Luke felt arms wrap tightly around him.
His father had pulled him into an embrace so sudden and fierce it almost hurt.
Lucien buried his face against Luke's hair silently.
And for the first time since Celestia's death,Lucien finally allowed himself to grieve openly.