Chapter Text
The visuals that came into view upon exiting the portal left Adam reeling for a moment. He had been expecting many things, and tho he tried not to leave every possibility out of his assumptions, it always took him by surprise when he was greeted by the domain of Hell, and it wasn't a battle zone or post-massacre.
On the contrary...it was actually relatively quiet. Peaceful, even; admittedly, it made him suspicious. Nowhere was ever really this peaceful; something had to be wrong. Taking a steady breath and readying himself for any possibility, he began his trek through the area he had landed in. Seemed familiar, like there should have been a hotel here, so why wasn't there? The building was an obnoxious eyesore, usually, yet he was sure this was the same hill it was supposed to be on, and the only thing that was here was a dilapidated building.
So caught up in his musings, he hadn't paid any mind to the lightest ruffle of wings; it wasn't a threatening noise, so it didn't sound off any alarm bells in his brain. It wasn't until a familiar voice spoke out so close to his ear that he reacted, the guitar axe materialising as he swung, embedding the blade into the ground behind him. He stared at the spot where the ground broke, whipping around as an amused cackle sounded behind him, readying a swing before faltering at the sight of himself. Another version of him, rather. The male was perched on a rock, leaning back like he was lounging, one leg crossed over the other. The most notable thing was the soft, shimmering golden robe draped over his form, held at the waist, falling off his shoulders, and speckled with some design.
"Aren't you a spicy one~. What brings you here?"
Adam gave his alternate a disbelieving look. There was no halo, so this one was one of the versions of him that never got to Heaven, and he still looked very human, so he wasn't a reborn Sinner or a Sinner in general, but then the question became this...what was he doing in Hell?
"Could ask you the same thing...what are you doing in Hell?"
The alternate blinked before outright laughing, making Adams' nerves vibrate with annoyance.
"You're a funny one. I live here, duh, why else would I be in Hell?"
Why...why else?! Why was he living in Hell!? "You're...you're *living* here!? How in the fuck did you end up in Hell? You aren't a Sinner...are you?"
Another laugh tho this one was less obnoxious, almost sweet in a way. "No, no, not one of those, tho they're fun to fuck with, not as fun as mortals, but fun nonetheless. Lili gets real irate when I spend too long in the mortal realm"
Lili? Lilith? Seemed the only option, but if it was her...what of Eve? The look on his face seemed to give something away because the alternate Adam cocked his head "She's around, if that's what you're wondering. She still ended up biting the apple, still ended up starting humanity, just not with me"
Adam squinted his eyes at his alternate. What did he mean without him...he started humanity, did he not? He watched his alternate get up, crossing the distance between them with ease and in one bounding jump, landing in front of Adam. He was as tall as Adam, maybe a little taller? Nope, those were the boots, roughly the same height then. Closer, alternate made the design of the golden material more obvious; linked suns and moons with little stars scattered about. The black turtleneck halter itself had a gold-lined design on it. Man had style; of course he did. His eyes tho were not the customary gold of most others; the eyes staring back were green-based. There were some golden flecks, but ultimately they were 'human'...they were Eden eyes; only in colour, the look of innocence was absent, but they were Eden regardless.
"Let me rephrase that, not the me you see before you right now" his bare hands made a motion before pointing at himself "They weren't too happy with the stunt that was pulled or the choice I made, so they 'remade' me and gave him a new mind" He shrugged, then moved past Adam. "We can talk at the palace if you want; I'm heading back there now"
"Talk? I'm gonna need a drink and the whole fucking explanation- why the palace? Isn't that Lucifer's place..." Adam couldn't help but follow the other; he needed answers.
Another laugh from the alternate tho it petered down into a snicker before he hummed. "Tis, as well as Lili's. Charlie lived there for a while, but she's off doing her own thing now with her cutie patootie girlfriend, something about a hotel to redeem the Sinners. Girls got some lofty goals" As they walked, the palace came into view; it was a ways yet, but the fact it could be seen from this far made Adam grimace. He could fly that faster than walking. "You can't fly?"
Alternate looked at Adam.... Alternate needed a name other than Alternate...and grinned. "What? Don't wanna walk? Fine, we'll go the easier route" He sounded exasperated, but the smirk on his face was definitely one of amusement as he lifted one arm, palm up, and snapped his fingers. Within moments, there was a crackling noise before a portal opened. Alternate gave a sweeping, exaggerated bow. "After you~"
Adam looked towards the portal. In all his travels and all the times of witnessing different timelines and seeing different things, this should not have shocked him as much as it did in this moment. Taking a breath, he steeled himself for who he knew was going to be on the other side before stepping through.
Stepping through and seeing the inside of the palace wasn't a shock; the shock came in the form of Lilith, dressed in what looked like an elegant purple bathrobe, lying out on a chaise lounge, as she turned from her book to address who he assumed she thought he was.
"Oh, good, you're back, Sweets. Can you-....oh, you are not *our* Sweets" She smirked at him, raising a slim, blond brow as she moved her sinuous body up to stand, looking right at him as the aforementioned Sweets finally came through.