The Kiss Of Wrath is a supernatural short story by Lightysnake, and an entry in The Kindness of Devils, functioning as a prequel to the main story It can be read here.
Living an idyllic, endless existence in Hell, the Devil Satannus, Sin of Wrath, is approached by a young Daemon who seeks training for the war ahead. Seeking to become her pupil, the two begin learning from one another in a manner that will define Daemon's life to come as Hardestadt Delac, as Satannus grapples with her past and her choices to come.
The work contains examples of the following tropes:
- Authority Equals Asskicking: As per usual, the top Devils are strong, with Satannus the most martially powerful.
- Benevolent Boss: Lucifer treats his subordinates with respect and love, which ends up returned.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Daemon seems a very nice, young Devil through most of the story. After Satannus's betrayal? He brutally savages and kills one of Karadas Baal's men, slaughters the rest after in a cold wrath and even tells Karadas hearing him "mewl for mercy" should prove amusing. Much like his darker side when he inevitably becomes Hardestadt millennia on.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Karadas really, really thinks he stands a shot against Lucifer, who points out he could literally kill him from dimensions away.
- Blood Knight: Satannus, the Sin of Wrath, loves fighting.
- Bloodbath Villain Origin: Well, anti-villain, but Satannus gets her start as the Sin of Wrath and earns the attention of Lucifer when she turns on and slaughters her angelic brothers for having led her soldiers to their deaths for an easy move on the enemy.
- Broken Tears: Upon Satannus's seeming betrayal, Daemon can only weep brokenly and say her safe word 'Dawn.'
- Brother–Sister Incest: Satannus maintains a close relationship with Lucifer, as well as regularly holding liaisons with Belial, Leviathan and Mammon. Devils do not seem to be bothered by this whatsoever.
- Child Prodigy: Daemon is the youngest of Lucifer's many children but he's also one of the most capable and competent, with both skill and wit he uses to quickly impress himself to Satannus.
- Coitus Uninterruptus: Satannus walks in on Nephera and Lucifer quite engaged. Nobody seems bothered and continue while Lucifer and Satannus hold a casual conversation.
- Evil Is One Big, Happy Family: Evil they may be, but to be a Devil? They're more than comrades, they're a family and love one another deeply.
- Eye Scream: By the end, Satannus has lost an eye and refuses to regenerate it.
- Fantastic Racism: Karadas, a born demon, despises Devils, which are former Fallen angels.
- Good Parents: Lucifer and Aleviel are utterly loving and kind parents to Daemon, and his foster mother Nephera adores him as well.
- Green-Eyed Monster: This is the hat of Leviathan, Sin of Envy. She can't see anyone having something else without wanting it to the point she had a child with Lucifer just because Mammon did.
- Groin Attack: Satannus spits Karadas Baal through the groin before flinging him at Daemon at the end.
- Hot-Blooded: Satannus, and how. She is the sin of Wrath.
- Foregone Conclusion: It's inevitable that Aleviel's war will end in failure and Daemon will abandon Hell as a result, eventually changing his name to Hardestadt Delac. Karai Gehenna will eventually become the High Queen of Hell as well.
- Important Haircut: Daemon cuts his hair short to look like a soldier when Satannus offers him a chance to become her Soul-Bound.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Satannus is not a very approachable person and acts cold and angry, but she loves her fellow Devils, loves Lucifer deeply and cares immensely for Daemon.
- A Million Is a Statistic: Averted. Satannus remembers every single one of her fallen brothers and sisters. Not only those who fell alongside her, but those she killed as well.
- My Greatest Failure: Satannus bitterly regrets the deaths of her old students back when she was still an angel, believing she is the only Devil who remembers them.
- No Kill like Overkill: Karadas is chopped up so many times, so quickly, that all that remains of him is 'fine red dust.'
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Daemon acts like a spoiled aristocrat to test Satannus's power before asking to become her apprentice.
- Out-Gambitted: Karadas' conspiracy is utterly undone by Satannus and she absolutely wrecks Karadas when she has the chance.
- Pink Mist: Daemon and Satannus reduce Karadas to nothing but a fine spray of blood."
- Safe, Sane, and Consensual: Hell puts a great focus on consensual relationships. Every demon has a safe word and if given, one is expected to heed it without question.
- Shameless Fanservice Girl: Nephera Vallikan is a gorgeous woman and has zero shame being seen naked, or even caught in bed with Lucifer.
- She Is the King: The Nine Kings of Hell. The title is gender neutral and at least three of them, Vinea, Belial and Karai are female.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Karadas Baal, son of King Azazel Baal, thinks he's a lot more than he really is. Nobody gives him that respect.
- Daemon: I've never heard of [Karadas Baal].Satannus: Yeah, he's pretty insignificant.
- Smug Snake: Karadas Baal is a wannabe demon lord who thinks he's on the level of Lucifer, Satannus and the others, who oozes slime with every minute he's on-page. He is proven vastly wrong about his capabilities.
- So Proud of You: Satannus expresses her utter pride in Daemon for his advancement and managing to defeat her.
- Teach Him Anger: Satannus's motivation is to also educate Daemon about the wrath she lives with every single day.
- Teacher/Student Romance: Daemon and Satannus are physically involved while Soul-Bound, which is considered normal for demons and devils.
- Took a Level in Badass: Daemon goes from competent and somewhat gifted, but not especially impressive to one of the strongest beings in Hell under Satannus's tutelage.
- Tragic Keepsake: Satannus keeps replicas of her fallen siblings' weapons to memorialize them after their deaths in the war.
- Training from Hell: Satannus's training is not a gentle affair. She is harsh as can be expected from the Sin of Wrath.
- Tranquil Fury: The ultimate pinnacle of both Satannus and Daemon's rage is reaching a state of eerie calm.
- Underestimating Badassery: Karadas adorably thinks he stands the ghost fo a chance against Lucifer. He takes Daemon far, far too lightly as well.
- Undying Loyalty: Satannus's loyalty to Lucifer runs very, very deep. So does Mammon's, and even insinuating something disloyal to Lucifer gets Mammon very, very cross.
- Unstoppable Rage: Not only Satannus, who of course has this as the Sin of Wrath, but Daemon picks it up as well.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Satannus and Asmodeus are friends, but tend to trade insults left and right. Satannus and Daemon pick up this dynamic when teacher and student as well.
- You Killed My Father: Karadas has this against Lucifer killing King Azazel Baal...though he seems less concerned with his father dying and more the loss of status.
