The Book Of Origin: Codex Architectus

Chapter 67: The Architect vs Satan CONT'D

Satan's flames flicker, just for a moment. A silence stretches between them, vast and unspoken.

The Architect watches, waiting—not pressing, not demanding. Just watching.

SATAN:
"You amuse me, Architect. Do you really believe I can change? That I even want to?"

His wings spread, blotting out the abyss itself. Shadows coil around his fingers, reality twisting in response to his very presence.

But the Architect does not flinch.

THE ARCHITECT:
"You asked me if I would have done differently."

His voice is steady, calm.

"But the real question is… if you were given the chance, would you?"

Satan laughs. A deep, rumbling sound that seems to shake the very foundation of Hell itself.

SATAN:
"You assume I regret. You assume I look back."

The Architect takes a step forward. The movement is small, but it shifts the air between them.

THE ARCHITECT:
"No. I assume you remember."

For the first time, Satan falters.

It’s small, barely noticeable—but the Architect catches it.

There is something hidden behind the smirk, behind the fire and the darkness.

A flicker of something older. Something deeper.

Satan exhales sharply.

SATAN:
"You think you understand me, but you don’t."

The flames around him intensify, the shadows deepening.

"I am beyond redemption, beyond doubt. I have built my kingdom on the ashes of defiance. I have become the very thing I was meant to be."

He leans in, his voice lowering.

"And that, Architect, is something you cannot redesign."

The Architect says nothing for a long moment.

Then—

THE ARCHITECT:
"Maybe not."

A pause.

"But I wasn’t here to redesign you."

Satan narrows his eyes.

SATAN:
"Then why are you here?"

The Architect tilts his head.

THE ARCHITECT:
"To see if you could still answer the question."

The fire dims.

Not completely, not noticeably.

But enough.

Enough for the Architect to know—he was right.