Hazbin Hotel One-shot: Holy Grandma

The Sorrow of Good/God

This is a shorter chapter.

The hearing for redemption arrived. The court had questioned Charlie's wings. She said that they were a gift from God. A note from the virtues had appeared before Sera to confirm this. Meanwhile, God was watching in private to see the proceedings. The meeting itself did not go in her favor. God had discovered many things that day. She had learned about the extermination campaign that Sera had been hiding. She witnessed Angel Dust's progress, but she was not concerned with that. She saw Adam threaten Charlie and saw why Vaggie fell from heaven.

A couple hours had passed since the trial. Sera was flying through the air, looking through paperwork, until she heard the cries of God. This was the loudest she had ever wept in centuries. Sera teleported over to God's chambers to check on her. Cracking open the doors, Sera could feel the wave of sorrow flooding out. This was bad. Going in, she saw God crying on the sofa while Uriel was comforting her mother.

"Your divinity?" Sera inquired.

"What are you doing here, Sera," Uriel berated. Some of the virtues had heard about the hearing and Uriel was the first to come to God's aid.

"Uriel, I didn't know you were here."

"Mother was upset and I was the most available to support her."

"Crying about Lucifer then?" Sera said remorsefully.

"I believe she is crying about more than JUST Lucifer's absence, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

Sera was surprised. "Is something the matter?"

God gathered enough composure to acknowledge Sera's presence.

"Why would you allow that?"

"Allow what?"

"Allow the extended suffering of those poor souls!" God shouted as she stood up to face the seraph behind her.

Sera was taken aback by God's concerns. "What do you mean, your divinity," Sera asked.

"We know of the exterminations, Sera," Uriel said, disappointed in Sera.

... Sera had a shocked expression on her face when hearing that. "You saw the trial?"

"Well, I didn't, but mother did."

"Denying Charlie's proposal was one thing, but allowing the genocide of thousands of human souls?" God shouted.

Sigh, "Your divinity, you weren't supposed to see that," Sera exhaled.

"Were you expecting her not to?" Uriel questioned.

"You both are aware that the conditions of humans are not your concern."

"And yet you decided to give Adam free reign over killing a swath of people every year."

"It's for a good reason!"

"And what reason is that, because the way I see it, you are indirectly causing mass genocide-"

"URIEL, with all due respect. I understand that what Adam is doing is wrong, but I had little other choice. I am working to protect our people. If we allow the demons to gain enough power to rise up, it would spell doom for heaven!"

"I highly doubt that Lucifer would allow such a thing to pass."

"You don't know that."

"Don't know that?" God interjected.

"Your Holiness, I understand that Lucifer is your family gem, but he is not the same person as he was millennia ago."

"We are aware, Sera," Uriel said. "But it is not enough to disregard his capabilities. Even then, what power do you think Hell has to rebel? They cannot hurt us. If it were the hellborn, I would understand a little better, but it's not normal demons you are condemning. Those are human souls, just like the ones here. They may be victim to the vices that got them there, but you are basically denying them an afterlife."

"At least they are freed from suffering..."

Uriel and God were surprisingly disgusted by that notion. Implying that having no afterlife is better than spending an eternity in hell.

"Keep in mind, I don't have issues with the daughter of the Morningstar, I just can't allow heaven to be at risk on the notion of conjecture," Sera continued.

"And that is another thing," God said. "My Granddaughter is at risk."

"Adam won't harm Charlie," Sera reminded God. "He had promised that the hellborn were spared."

"And you believe he cares?" Uriel asked.

That was a fact that Sera found hard to defend. "I'll admit, Adam is many things, but he's nothing if not loyal."

"Loyal enough to spare my niece?"

Sera paused to think about that. Adam is well-known to be very belligerent for an angel. Sure, he knew his place, but considering the trial, Adam seemed very eager to disrespectfully shoot Charlie down and potentially kill her, too.

"Sera, I trusted you," God mournfully said. "I believed that you would see the light in Charlie's efforts and help her in that endeavor. I believe in the good of all things, even those who sin. All is forgiven to those who walk the path of light, or at least have their good outweigh the bad. But genocide? How could you be so regardless of the injustice and cruelty you illicit and for Adam to uphold?"

"It is not as though you can decide who passes divine judgment yourself," Sera answered. "Keeping heaven safe was my only reason for allowing the extermination. I never thought that it would lead to this."

"And what about my granddaughter? What if Charlie is killed in the next month? She is the one connection to my fallen son that we have. She is a sweet soul with a heart of gold, and now... I may never see her again. If something happens to her, I fear Lucifer may not be the only one to break."

"I... I don't know what else to say to ensure her safety..."

God turned her back to return to her strife. She would never truly condemn anyone, and she doesn't for Sera, but she didn't want to see her right now and Uriel could feel it.

"If it means anything," Sera said, trying to comfort her divine sovereign. "The extermination is being put into question throughout the council and the upcoming one could be the last."

"While that is all well and good, I think you should leave," Uriel Ordered.

Normally, Sera would try to influence God into accepting the decision, in this case, bringing up the likely true source of evil, but she wouldn't get anywhere so long as one of the virtues was in God's presence. So, Sera leaves, letting God and Uriel know, just how truly sorry she was. But she could not keep that remorse for long. Sera was stalwart in her drive to keep order, and if it meant continuing the reign of the exorcists, it was a sacrifice she was willing to take. Even if the evidence is against her, she cannot allow sinners, or demons in general, to convene in heaven.

Little did she know, the hope of better lives for sinners would come flying in her face a month later.