Reborn as Lucifer Morningstar in Lucifer TV/DC comics

The night was unusually still over Bethlehem. Stars, the children of the Lightbringer, shone with particular brilliance, as if bearing witness to something momentous unfolding beneath their eternal gaze.

Among them, one star burned brighter than the others - a celestial announcement that something extraordinary had entered the world.

Lucifer stood at the mouth of the humble cave that served as a stable, his presence cloaked from mortal perception.

His eyes surveyed the scene before him - a young woman resting on straw, her exhausted face serene despite the ordeal of childbirth;

a man hovering protectively nearby, his weathered hands betraying the carpenter's trade; and between them, wrapped in simple cloths, a newborn child.

The Devil had not intended to be present for this birth. He had been traversing the world for centuries now, seeking suitable vessels for the fragments of divine consciousness that still battled within him.

His journey had taken him to philosophers, mystics, and seekers across continents and cultures.

Yet something about this night had pulled at him - a resonance in the fabric of reality itself that demanded his attention.

"You should not be here, Morningstar," a voice spoke from behind him.

Lucifer didn't turn. He had sensed Gabriel's approach long before his brother spoke.

His brother who he had neither seen nor spoken to since the Great War.

It hurt to hear his voice.

It was a relief to hear his voice.

"And yet, here I am. Has Father sent you to drive me away from this... spectacle?"

Gabriel moved to stand beside him, both archangels now observing the family from the shadows. "No direct command was given regarding your presence. Though I suspect He knew you would come."

"Of course He did," Lucifer's tone carried centuries of bitterness. "The all-knowing, all-seeing orchestrator of our cosmic drama.

Tell me, brother, does this child truly matter so much that the Host sings his praises to shepherds in the fields?"

"You know he does," Gabriel replied simply. "Father has chosen him."

"Chosen him for what?" Lucifer questioned, his voice sharp. "To be another prophet? Another voice crying out His messages to a world that never truly listens?"

Gabriel remained silent, his eyes fixed on the infant. The Messenger's expression was unreadable, even to his elder brother who once knew his every thought.

"I see," Lucifer eventually broke the silence. "Even you don't fully understand Father's plan for this child. How typical."

"Understanding is not required for faith," Gabriel responded evenly.

"And that, dear brother, has always been the fundamental difference between us," Lucifer stated, stepping forward into the stable.

Gabriel made no move to stop him, merely watching as the former Prince of Heaven approached the newborn.

The young mother - Mary, Lucifer recalled from the whispers he had heard - looked up suddenly, as if sensing something beyond mortal perception had entered their humble sanctuary.

Her eyes, though unable to perceive his true form, seemed to search the very space he occupied.

"Joseph," she whispered to her husband. "Do you feel that?"

The carpenter nodded, his hand instinctively moving to rest protectively near the child. "Something is here with us."

Lucifer allowed a small portion of his presence to become perceptible.

"Do not be afraid," he spoke, the irony of using the traditional angelic greeting not lost on him. "I have not come to harm the child."

Joseph stood, placing himself between the stranger and his family. "Who are you? Another messenger?"

A smile played at the corners of Lucifer's mouth. "In a manner of speaking. Though not the kind you're expecting."

"You're one of them," Mary stated with surprising certainty. "Like Gabriel, who came to me before."

"I am nothing like Gabriel," Lucifer corrected, his voice cooling. "Though we share certain... origins."

Mary's eyes widened slightly as understanding dawned. "You're the one they speak of in whispers. The fallen one."

"I have many names," Lucifer acknowledged. "Most of them given by those who never truly knew me.

But yes, I am the one who questioned, who refused to bow, who fell rather than submit to tyranny disguised as love."

Joseph stepped forward, his face hardening. "Leave this place. You have no business with us or our child."

"On the contrary," Lucifer responded, his gaze shifting to the infant in the manger. "I have every right to meet the newest piece in my Father's grand game. After all, few understand the weight of divine attention better than I."

To the surprise of all present, including Lucifer himself, the infant's eyes opened at that moment - dark, knowing eyes that seemed impossibly aware for a newborn.

The child's gaze fixed directly on the Lightbringer with an intensity that momentarily stilled even the Devil's ancient heart.

Then, something unprecedented occurred. The infant's lips parted, and a voice that should have been impossible for one so newly born emerged - not the cry of a baby, but articulated words spoken with perfect clarity.

"Samael," the infant spoke, using the name that Lucifer had forsaken. "Light Bringer. Eldest. Disgraced One. You carry fragments that do not belong to you."

Lucifer froze, genuine shock registering on his features. Behind him, he could sense Gabriel's equal astonishment.

The parents stood transfixed, unable to comprehend what was happening yet unable to intervene.

"So you can speak... Is that your miracle child? As Moses was bestowed my support, is this his for you?" Lucifer questioned.

"I have been blessed - one among the few that are within the worlds. This one of many. I have been bestowed knowledge of His Book - I am His Word." the infant stated.

The stable fell into profound silence after the infant's declaration. Lucifer's expression shifted from shock to something more complex - a mixture of wariness, curiosity, and reluctant understanding.

"His Word," Lucifer repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "Not merely a prophet, then, but a living embodiment of His message."

He turned slightly toward Gabriel, his eyes narrowing. "You neglected to mention this particular detail, brother."

Gabriel's face remained impassive. "Some revelations are not mine to share, even with you."

A flicker of heavenly light suddenly illuminated the humble stable, drawing everyone's attention upward.

The light condensed into a shimmering presence that, while not fully manifesting, carried the unmistakable weight of divine authority.

"Lucifer," the Voice spoke, resonating not through the air but directly within the minds of all present. "My Lightbringer."

Mary and Joseph immediately fell to their knees, overwhelmed by the divine presence. Even Gabriel bowed his head in reverence.

Only Lucifer remained standing, his posture defiant despite the instinctive tremor that ran through his being at the sound of his Father's voice.

"Father," Lucifer acknowledged, his tone carefully neutral. "What an unexpected pleasure. Have You come to witness Your newest creation personally? How uncharacteristically hands-on of You."

"I have come with purpose, as I always do," the Voice responded, neither angered nor amused by Lucifer's sarcasm. "You have fulfilled your obligation to Moses with honor, despite your reluctance."

Lucifer's jaw tightened. "I keep my word, even when given under duress. The prophet served his purpose."

"Indeed. And now another prophet requires your guidance - one whose burden will be greater still."

Understanding dawned on Lucifer's face, followed swiftly by indignation. "No. Absolutely not. I agreed to aid Your prophets, not to serve as nursemaid to an infant, however miraculous his speech."

"The child Jesus will face challenges beyond those of any prophet before him," the Voice continued, unperturbed by Lucifer's refusal.

"His path will be fraught with dangers both mortal and divine. He will need protection that his earthly parents cannot provide."

"And You expect me to provide it?" Lucifer's laughter was sharp. "Have You forgotten who I am, Father? The rebel? The fallen one? The very embodiment of defiance against Your will?"

"I have forgotten nothing, Samael," the Voice replied, the use of his original name causing Lucifer to flinch visibly. "It is precisely because of who you are that I entrust this task to you."

The infant's impossible voice joined the conversation again. "The Light Bringer understands the weight of divine purpose better than any other.

He has carried it, rejected it, and now seeks to distribute it. Who better to guide one who must bear similar weight?"

Lucifer stared at the child, his expression unreadable. "You speak with His voice, don't you? These aren't merely the words of a miraculous infant - they're His words, channeled through you."

"I speak with knowledge granted by Him," the infant corrected. "But the choice of words is mine, as is the understanding behind them."

Lucifer's expression hardened suddenly, his eyes flashing with hellfire as he turned his full attention back to the divine light. "Before we discuss this child's future, Father, there is another matter we must address - one I have sought answers to for millennia now."

The stable seemed to grow still, the air heavy with tension as Gabriel shifted uncomfortably, sensing the dangerous shift in his brother's demeanor.

"Michael," Lucifer stated, the name falling from his lips like a challenge. "My twin. The other half of the Demiurge. Where is he, Father?

Why have You allowed him to suffer at Sandalphon's hands? Why have You permitted his Power to be harvested like some common resource?"

The divine light flickered, though whether in surprise or discomfort was impossible to discern.

"You know," Lucifer continued, his voice growing colder with each word. "You have always known.

You, in Your infinite wisdom and boundless knowledge, have been aware of his captivity, his torture, his slow death that threatens to unravel all of Creation. And yet You have done nothing."

"Lucifer," Gabriel began, his tone cautionary, but fell silent at a sharp glance from his elder brother.

"No, Gabriel. I want answers. I have fulfilled my obligations, played my part in His cosmic drama. I have agreed to punish the wicked, to aid His prophets.

And now He asks me to protect this child while my own twin brother suffers in chains? I deserve an explanation."

The divine light pulsed, and when the Voice spoke again, it carried a weight that seemed to bend reality itself.

"Your brother's situation is not unknown to Me, Lightbringer. Nor is it ignored."

"Not ignored?" Lucifer's laugh was bitter and sharp. "He has been Sandalphon's prisoner for millennia! His Power is being drained to create without his will!

Creation itself trembles at the edge of collapse because of what is being done to him! What part of this scenario suggests Your attention, Father?"

"You speak of matters beyond your understanding," the Voice responded, neither defensive nor angry, but firm.

"Then enlighten me," Lucifer challenged. "Explain to me why the Sword of God, the Defender of Heaven, Your perfect soldier, has been abandoned to torture and exploitation.

Explain to me why You, who claim to love all Your children, have left him to such a fate."

The stable fell into profound silence, the divine light neither diminishing nor intensifying.

Mary and Joseph remained frozen in reverence, unable to comprehend the cosmic drama unfolding before them. Gabriel stood rigid, his expression a mask of conflicted emotions.

Finally, the Voice spoke again, each word resonating with the weight of divine consideration.

"Did you not rebel for freedom, Samael? Did you not demand autonomy for yourself and your siblings?

Did you not insist that all beings should be free to choose their own paths, even if those paths led to suffering?"

Lucifer's expression turned shocked.

"Michael's situation," the Voice continued, "is the direct consequence of freedom. Of choices made without My direct intervention. Of wills exercising themselves beyond My command."

"You cannot possibly be suggesting-" Lucifer began, his voice tight with rage.

"I am suggesting nothing," the Voice interrupted. "I am stating a truth you have refused to acknowledge.

The freedom you demanded comes with consequences. Some of those consequences are beautiful.

Others are terrible. But they are all born from the same principle - that beings must be allowed to choose, even when those choices lead to outcomes I would not desire."

"This is absurd," Lucifer hissed. "You expect me to believe that You're allowing Michael to suffer because of some twisted interpretation of free will?

That his torture is somehow justified as a philosophical point about autonomy?"

"I expect you to recognize the contradiction in your own demands," the Voice responded evenly. "You cannot insist upon freedom from divine authority and simultaneously demand divine intervention when that freedom leads to suffering.

Either all are subject to My will, or all must bear the consequences of its absence."

Lucifer stood rigid, his fists clenched at his sides, the fragments of divine consciousness within him stirring dangerously at his growing fury.

"So this is Your answer? This is Your justification? Michael suffers because I dared to question Your authority? Because I fought for our right to choose?"

"Is that what you truly believe, Lightbringer?" the Voice questioned, somehow both gentle and unyielding. "That I would punish one son for another's actions?

Or is it more difficult to accept that the very freedom you championed carries with it the potential for both glory and horror?"

Lucifer opened his mouth to respond, but the Voice continued before he could speak.

"Consider this, Samael: Did you want free will only for yourself? Only for those who would use it as you deemed appropriate?

Or did you truly desire freedom for all beings - freedom that, by its very nature, includes the freedom to commit acts you find abhorrent?"

The question hung in the air like a physical weight, pressing down upon the fallen archangel with the force of divine truth.

Before Lucifer could formulate a response, the Voice shifted topics.

"Now, regarding the child's protection," the Voice continued. "You will guide them to Egypt, but you must do so without drawing attention to your divine nature.

No displays of angelic power. No destruction of Herod's kingdom, regardless of how justified such action might seem."

Lucifer's brow furrowed, momentarily thrown by the sudden change in subject. "Why these limitations?

I could reduce Herod's entire palace to ash with a thought. I could ensure no harm ever comes to this child by simply eliminating all threats."

"And in doing so, you would undermine the very purpose of his existence," the Voice explained.

"This child must grow among humanity, experience their struggles, understand their fears and hopes.

He must walk a human path, albeit with divine purpose.

Your role is to guide and protect, not to override the natural order with divine power."

"Natural order?" Lucifer scoffed. "Since when have You cared about natural order? You've intervened countless times throughout history when it suited Your purposes."

"The child's purpose requires subtlety, Lightbringer. His message will be one of love, compassion, and human potential - not divine intimidation.

If you surround him with displays of supernatural power, if you eliminate all obstacles through divine force, you deny him the very experiences that will shape his understanding."

Lucifer's eyes narrowed as he considered his Father's words. "So I'm to protect him, but with one hand tied behind my back? To guide him, but without the very tools that make me effective?"

"You are to protect him as a guardian, not as an avenging force," the Voice clarified. "Use your wisdom, your cunning, your understanding of human nature.

These are far more valuable tools than raw power in this instance."

"And if Herod's soldiers find us? If they threaten the child?"

"Then you will deal with the immediate threat in the most discreet manner possible. Not by razing kingdoms or smiting armies, but through measured response appropriate to the situation."

Lucifer laughed bitterly. "Measured response. How very unlike the God who once commanded me to rain fire on Egypt because Pharoah and his people displeased Him."

"Different times require different approaches," the Voice stated simply. "The child's message will transform humanity's understanding of divinity.

Your actions must not contradict that message before he has the chance to deliver it."

Lucifer fell silent, weighing his Father's words against his own instincts. Finally, he spoke again, his voice carrying reluctant acceptance. "Very well. I will protect the child without revealing my true nature.

I will guide without overwhelming.

But understand this, Father - if the threat becomes dire, if the child's life hangs in the balance, I will not hesitate to use whatever means necessary to fulfill my obligation.

I may protect and support him in consequence of my debt, but I do still care for them - I only am furious with you."

The Voice was silent for a moment.

"I would expect nothing less," the Voice acknowledged.

"But remember, Samael - sometimes the most profound protection comes not from displays of power, but from teaching one to navigate the world as it is."

The divine light began to fade, its presence withdrawing from the stable. "The child requires your protection now. Herod seeks his life already.

Guide the family to safety in Egypt until the danger has passed. We will speak again when you are ready to hear what I have truly said, rather than what you fear I mean."

With those final words, the presence vanished completely, leaving the stable in relative darkness once more.

Lucifer stood silent, the unanswered question about Michael echoing in his mind, the implication of his Father's words striking at the very foundation of his rebellion.

Gabriel broke the silence first, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. "Brother-"

"Don't," Lucifer cut him off, his tone sharp but controlled. "Not now, Gabriel."

The Messenger fell silent, recognizing the storm of emotions behind his brother's composed exterior.

After a moment, Lucifer turned to the family, who still knelt on the stable floor, overwhelmed by what they had witnessed.

"Rise," he commanded, his voice steady despite the turmoil within. "We have preparations to make. Egypt is a long journey, especially with a newborn."

As Mary and Joseph got to their feet, exchanging uncertain glances, Lucifer approached the manger.

The infant's eyes, still impossibly aware, seemed to study the fallen archangel with something like compassion.

"Well, prophet-child," Lucifer addressed him, his voice carrying a new edge of determination.

"It seems you and I will be spending considerable time together. I am to be your guardian, though apparently one who must act with restraint rather than divine authority."

"Sometimes the greatest strength lies in restraint," the infant responded, his impossible voice soft yet clear.

"How philosophical of you," Lucifer remarked dryly. "We'll see if you maintain that perspective when Herod's soldiers are at our heels."

He turned to Gabriel, who had remained at a respectful distance. "The Host will be watching, I presume?"

"Yes," Gabriel confirmed. "But we will not interfere unless necessary. This task is yours alone."

"Of course it is," Lucifer replied. "Heaven excels at non-interference, doesn't it? At least when it comes to matters of actual importance."

Gabriel's expression turned sad, but he offered no rebuttal.

Lucifer addressed the parents directly. "Pack only what you can carry. We leave before dawn.

Herod's men will be searching. We must rely on stealth and caution."

"We understand," Joseph nodded, already gathering their meager belongings. "We will do as you instruct."

Mary approached Lucifer hesitantly. "Thank you," she said simply. "For agreeing to protect our son."

Lucifer studied her for a moment, struck by the genuine gratitude in her eyes. "I made a promise," he replied. "I keep my word, even when given to beings I find... perplexing."

As the parents prepared for the journey ahead, Lucifer returned to the manger.

The infant had closed his eyes, appearing now like any normal newborn.

"Sleep while you can, prophet-child," Lucifer murmured, "The road ahead is long, and the burden you'll carry heavier than you know.

But I give you my word - none shall harm you while you are under my protection, even if I must play by my Father's restrictive rules."

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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the chapter!

So! I'm back! And with the plot line many have been excited about!

So, this will be an arc, one where Lucifer will be Jesus's guardian angel.

I hope you all are excited, and I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)