Dark Succession

I am my fathers’ son, which means I must prove my worth. A rite of passage must be undertaken before I am found worthy. My father underwent the trial, just like his father before him and his before him. This is more than a simple matter of pride or glory. If things were so easy, my bags would’ve been packed and I would’ve been home some time ago.
I have been chosen as my fathers’ successor; to take the throne after he passes on. I have been chosen as the next leader of the underworld. There is so much at stake in this that I must not fail. I cannot fail! There is much more at risk than a simple life such as mine. The very existence of Hell and all that word entails is dependant on my success.
Just like those before me, I have been called by many names. The list has gotten so long that I sometimes forget what I am called at any given time. For the sake of argument, posterity, or whatever else, let’s just say that I am called Joseph Simms. If it were up to me, I would use the name my father gave me, but things are never so simple. My birth name isn’t relevant to this story, so I won’t write it here, but it will still hold weight in my heart until I die and my son will succeed me.
It has been my experience that humans are a weak, stupid, and deluded race of beings. An example would be their meager belief structure. The book they cling to with reckless abandon, the so-called great and powerful Bible is simply full of wrongs and inconsistencies. They believe that the names Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Satan are all the same name given to their “Father of Lies”. They also believe that there has been only one leader of Hell. How gullible, ignorant and idiotic can you be?
While Lucifer was banished from heaven with all his followers in tow, what’s left out is what happened afterward. While it is true that our lives are longer when compared to human life, we still live and die in much the same way. Think of Hell as a sort of aristocracy. When one king dies, his oldest son inherits the throne, and succession continues on down the family line. Heaven is much the same way.
There has never been, and nor will there ever be, one supreme leader that has lived and ruled forever. We are all bound by the rules of life and death. When Lucifer passed on to the next, the right of the throne fell to his son, which was Beelzebub, who was succeeded by my father Satan. Though they have all been different men, they have all ruled in much the same way that Lucifer had in the beginning.
As my fathers’ rule will soon be coming to an end, I must make my journey to prove myself. It is a journey of knowledge and enlightenment. For the first millennia of my life, I was taught in the ways of Hell. Now, I must assume human form, exchanging my horns and crown for the skin of a common mortal. Being human promises to be a revolting experience, as the stories have told me. We all have been taught that humanity is a joke, something to toy with and hate.
The road I am taking is similar to my fathers’ and his fathers’. They each had their own personal experience, and now I must go through the same trials. With that in mind, I set out on this fools errand, if only to learn. I must learn what makes humanity the blight they are, and find ways to use that knowledge during my time on the throne. Each era has been different, which is why we do this rite of passage. Each king must learn new ways to convert; new ways of tormenting.
So, I have set out on this road of higher learning. It has been a sickening road, but I must persevere. Humans are such a base, simple creature, and I cringe every time I look at myself in a mirror. I must press on, however. The next succession falls to me and I must not fail. Too much depends on it.
It’s been nearly 300 years since I first set foot in the human world. Since that time, I have bore witness to a great many things. Everything from the falling of the wall, the falling of two towers, and the many technological advances that have been made, has happened in my time here. I must give credit where it is due, though. Some of these human creations have come in very handy in my travels.
I must remain impartial, however. I am here to learn; to observe. The observations I have made in recent years all prove one thing, however: these humans, these simple bags of flesh, are all fools. Not one of them seems to have a mind, or will, of their own. They all seem to fall in line and do what is expected of them like sheep. Beauty and superficiality are held to a higher standard than knowledge and accomplishment. I am beginning to think that individuality is only held for those who have died and passed on. Even those who have shown a sliver of such individuality seem to have been beaten down into submission. Well, I only have a few more years of observation, so maybe I may yet be surprised. I won’t hold my breath, however. Humans are nothing if not predictable.