“heaven is the space between us” by Olivia Thompson
Illustration by A&L Journal Advisor Mitali Khanna Sharma.
BOSTON, 2026
The city is burning. Not that it comes as a shock to Asura Hell. He saw the start of the Earth and he will probably witness the end too. That is what happens when you live forever.
Asura watches from the top of the building he is sitting on. There is smoke rising from the ground and he breathes in the ashy smell. It is quite ironic that death like this, violent and painful, reminds him that he is still alive.
“Funny seeing you here,” a voice says from beside him and Asura snorts.
He looks over and Iris is standing there, looking particularly beautiful as the moonlight illuminates her green eyes.
“Nice to see you again, Iris,” Asura greets by taking her hand and giving it a kiss.
Iris dismisses his advances by walking closer to the edge of the building, waist-long red hair flowing out behind her as the wind blows the smoke through the sky. She stares at the burning city and Asura cannot read her stoic face.
“It was bound to happen,” Asura tells her as some kind of sick reassurance.
Iris nods her head. “I suppose. I guess it never gets any easier.”
Asura sighs before walking over to her. There they stand shoulder to shoulder. It reminds Asura of the first time they had met, back in 1529 Vienna when the city was under attack. Asura will never forget that year. The year that he lost his favorite family to some sickness in the dead middle of winter.
“Does it not get old for you?” Iris eventually asks, glancing over at Asura.
Asura is silent, unsure how to answer. He searches for the right words and eventually settles on, “Does it get old for you?”
Iris just smiles softly at the question. “I guess it’s different for us, right? You are the reason the city beneath us is going to burn for hours and the citizens will scream and cry for their homes and loved ones. And, me? Well, I will find the bodies of the dead and take their souls to meet their destiny in the afterlife.”
Asura does not respond.
“I should be going,” Iris says. She turns to face Asura and touches his pale cheek tenderly.
“Will you miss me?” Asura asks with a cheeky smile.
Iris stares at him with her green eyes for just a moment, saying nothing, with the sound of chaos as their soundtrack. “I always do.”
And, with that, Iris steps off the roof. Asura watches her descend. When he blinks, she is gone.
+
LISBON, 1853
The sun is hot on his neck and Asura almost snorts at the irony. See, there are good people, there are bad ones, mediocre, great, horrible, and all the in between. Asura is quite sure that he falls under the horrible category. Though he is unsure whether or not it is really his fault. At the end of the day, he did not ask to be born to Lucifer.
The human world is different from Hell. It has seasons and it is quite unforgiving in terms of heat. Again, ironic because Hell is often depicted as red and hot, but it is nothing like that at all.
He is only here because his father sent him on some side mission. The facts of the mission are simple. Cause chaos in this city for no reason other than to help his fellow demons thrive. Demons usually reside in Hell and go to the human world like it is a 9-5. In some cases, they stay on Earth for years. It all depends on their job.
Asura, being the son of Satan, has a lot of freedom between the realms and worlds. Sometimes though, he is supposed to just cause death and destruction for the fun of it.
“I had a feeling you would be here.”
Asura looks up from his spot on top of the monastery when he hears the voice. The one he was going to set ablaze and let burn.
“Iris,” he greets with a small smile.
“Asura,” the angel says back.
“Caught me red-handed,” Asura admits before walking toward her. He is not used to this, even after all the time they have spent together, all the years they have been meeting. Where a demon is, an angel follows.
Iris laughs even when she is not supposed to.
The rules of heaven and hell are very clear. Interactions are limited to none. If an angel sees a demon causing chaos, they report it and move on. They do not confront them. Though, he supposes Iris has never been one for rules.
“You know,” Iris begins, walking to the edge of the monastery, “maybe you could do something besides burn stuff down.”
Asura shrugs. “It is my speciality.”
Iris rolls her eyes. “I figured. Hundreds of years of following you around and I have not seen you do anything but burn things to the ground.”
Asura laughs at this. “You know every demon has their so-called powers.”
It is Iris’ turn to shrug now. “Are you going to do it?”
Asura hesitates to answer. He has always known his purpose in the world. He is a demon. He is not good. He is nothing more than a force meant to cause destruction and chaos. This is entirely different for him. He has witnessed death, pain, and gore. In fact, he has caused it and loved the feeling of having so much power at the tip of his fingers. He has never tried to be this so-called “good” that Iris is asking of him.
“If you have to say no, I understand,” Iris whispers. She sounds so far away. “Asura, I understand you are a demon. But…”
She does not finish.
He does not ask her to.
“Iris, you should leave. I have a duty to fulfill.” Asura hates the way the words sound…hates the way they make him feel.
Iris nods and looks down at the city below them. “Do not make it too painful, Asura. I hate talking to the souls and knowing they died a painful death.”
Asura swallows.
+
HELL, 2078
The human world is constantly changing and evolving. But, Hell remains the exact same from Asura’s birth to now, where he stands in his father’s presence.
Hell is hell. Asura is not sure how he can describe it. It is not like any other realm of the human world. But, it is not exactly another dimension either. It is just a place. Only, it is home to demons and Satan himself.
“What brings you to me, my son?” Lucifer asks, sitting on his throne in the middle of his palace. It does make Asura chuckle a little to know that the depictions of Hell can be right at times. He wonders what demons have told a human what Hell was like when they shouldn’t have. The castle they live in is too big for just the two of them. They are the father and son duo everyone fears.
Asura snaps out of his daze and stares at his father’s throne. He has always admired it. It is black, gold, and so daunting just the presence of it is enough to make a human pass out in fear.
“How much longer will I be forced to stay in this domain?” Asura feels small under his father’s stare. It is a ridiculous feeling to have. He is the same height and build of his father. Though, his father wields power in a way that Asura could only imagine.
“Are you not content here, Son?”
“I have been here for nearly a decade, Father,” Asura reminds him. “I am just wondering why.”
Lucifer sighs. “You have everything you could possibly want, Asura. I do not see why we have to rehash this so often.”
He hates that his father has a point. There are many perks to being an immortal demon: power, billions of people to do whatever you please with, no bounds of the real world. Though, the real con to immortality is having Lucifer as a father.
“I mean, Father, I am used to being in the human world. I am used to doing the job of a demon. I do not understand why that was taken from me.” Asura stares at his feet, hands behind his back. He wishes he could stand up to his father, but he supposes even a demon has to fear something.
“It is not safe,” Lucifer answers.
Asura scoffs. “I am a demon. There is nothing that can hurt me.”
Lucifer laughs boisterously, chest shaking up and down. “Oh, Son. There is something much more dangerous out there than just death.”
“And, what would that be?” Asura asks his father, suddenly curious for the first time in a long time to hear what his father has to say.
Lucifer is quiet for a moment before answering with one word. “Love.”
+
PARIS, 1991
The bed is warm and cozy as Asura turns over and takes in the sight of Iris lying next to him. Their meeting in the city of love was somewhat of a coincidence, as any angel could have found him before he lit the Eiffel Tower on fire, but only Iris would ask him to stop. And, only Iris could get him to do so. The two of them both took advantage of this. They are from two very different worlds, but even Asura can admit that her company fills him with something he has never experienced with anyone else.
Iris’ red hair is cut short to her shoulders. She is more magnificent than the great wonders of the world, all of which Asura has gotten the chance to see.
She stirs in her sleep and he caresses her cheek to comfort her.
They did not talk much before falling into bed with one another. They rarely talk when they meet like this. On the off chance that they see each other across the worlds and realms and domains they travel, they know that all they can simply do is cherish it.
Iris’ eyes open and her lovely smile fills her face. “Hi.”
“Hello.” Asura moves a piece of her hair off her face. She closes her eyes and curls into his touch.
“I have been wondering when I would see you again,” Iris admits quietly, “I am glad it was here.”
Asura nods in agreement. “It has been nearly eighty years, Iris.”
“I assume you have been wreaking havoc on the mortals since we last met.” Iris does not say this with malice, but instead with a little laugh.
Asura smiles at the noise. “You know me so well.”
Iris chews on her bottom lip. She sits up, white sheets falling around her waist, naked body on display. “Do you ever wish…” she looks off in the distance.
“I always wish we had more time,” Asura answers her non-question. “But, it is quite unfortunate that we are bound by our duties.”
Iris sighs softly, still staring at the empty wall of their hotel room. “If we were human…and we lived mundane lives…and we could just be, do you think we could have made it work?”
Asura swallows hard. They do not talk like this ever. They do not talk about the what if’s and the what could have been’s. They both know exactly who they are and what they are to each other. Demon and angel, that is all.
“I have never thought about it,” he replies honestly.
“It is just that I have heard stories…”
Asura knows exactly where she is going, or rather, where she wants to go as she does not finish her sentence. There have been myths about demons and angels who denounce their immortality and go off to love one another. Nobody knows if this is really true. Demon and angel interaction has been forbidden since the start of the world and will be until the very end. But to some, love is worth everything and beyond.
“I believe we all have.” Asura slides out of the bed to search for his clothes.
Iris looks back at him with gentle eyes. She stands up and walks to him, lying a hand on his chest, right over his heart. “It is never so simple, is it, though?”
“We will meet again,” Asura replies, placing his hand on top of hers and rubbing her skin with his thumb. “We have forever ahead of us, after all.”
It is not the answer she wants, but he cannot give her the one she desires, and he does hate to have to lie to her.
Iris does not pester him to say something different. She kisses him with passion before stepping out of his reach to put her own clothes on. They are scattered throughout the room, thrown haphazardly the previous night.
When Asura is dressed, he takes a seat on the edge of the bed. Iris sits next to him when she is ready to leave.
“Asura,” she says and the demon loves the way his name rolls off her tongue.
“Iris,” he replies.
She touches his hand and he intertwines their fingers.
“Until we see each other again,” she squeezes his hand.
Asura hums before kissing her hand. “Safe travels, Angel.”
She kisses his cheek before standing up. She strides over to the door and opens it. She is halfway out when she looks over her shoulder and grins. “And, you, Demon.”
+
HELL, 2095
“I have eyes everywhere, son. Trust me. I have known about your little angel girlfriend for a long time. I just never imagined we would be having this conversation.” Lucifer’s voice is deep and rumbles through his chest. He is angry, which is never good.
Asura swallows. He has been trapped in his father’s realm for too long by now. And, of course he made the mistake of bringing it up again.
“I do not understand the problem,” Asura argues, though he has a funny feeling that it is a mistake.
And, of course it is. The sky thunders and turns dark. His father has not been this angry in years. Asura licks his lips.
“I told you, Asura,” Lucifer shouts, voice deep and dark, “No.”
“Father–”
“Asura, let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, a young man met a woman. And, they fell in love, of course. But what they will later find out is that they are from two different worlds entirely. They will make love one fateful night and she will fall pregnant. She will give birth to a baby boy, something the man never thought would be possible. And, then she will be forced back to her realm and he will return to his. They will never find each other again. And, the man will raise his son alone.”
Asura furrows his eyebrows. “Father…”
“Devastation,” Lucifer begins, “that is what we do. We burn and burn. We murder and kill, Asura. We do not love. We will never love. If you return to the human world and find your angel in some time and place, you will continue to love her. Asura, I am protecting you.”
Asura cocks his head to the side.
+
TOKYO, 2100
“I love you,” Iris pleads. She looks so beautiful under the Tokyo lights, but Asura cannot give in. He made a promise.
“I know,” Asura responds, cold, hoping to make it easier on both of them.
Iris lets a tear slip down her cheek. She wipes it away as it hits her chin. “So, that is it?”
The traffic below them is so loud. Almost loud enough to drown out the sadness.
“That is it,” he confirms.
She nods.
And, with that, Iris steps off the roof. Asura watches her descend. When he blinks, she is gone.
+
VIENNA, 1529
The winter in Vienna is cold and wet, both being something Asura despises. He shivers. Despite being immortal, he is still subjected to feeling physically and maybe even emotionally (though this is to be determined).
He sits in the silence of death here. Quite literally, he is surrounded by dead bodies. The family he decided to reside with during the war is gone. It wasn’t even the war that killed them. It was some fucking disease.
Asura almost cries, but instead yearns for someone to take away his pain before he does something he regrets.
And, to his luck, steps in the most beautiful person he has ever seen in all his years of living.
“Oh,” she murmurs as she walks to the bodies. “I am sorry. I was sent here to collect their souls.”
Asura nods. “No, I am sorry. I should not be here.”
She licks her lips and cocks her head to the side. “You are a demon, but you are…sad?”
Asura laughs for the first time since they passed. “I guess so.”
“Well, I would be sad too,” she says. She walks over to Asura and grabs his hand. She flinches like she expects to get burned or something. Nothing happens. “Come with me.”
“I do not even know you, what if you kill me?” Asura blurts out and she smiles at him.
“You are immortal, no?”
“Well, yes…”
“Then come with me. My name is Iris.”
“Asura,” he replies.
She looks at him and he cannot help but wonder if he will ever see her again.
Olivia Thompson is a rising junior at the University of Michigan majoring in International Studies and Spanish with a minor in Intergroup Relations Education. She is passionate about writing. She enjoys reading and listening to music in her free time.
