A Lovely Way to Burn

In the shadow of a dying sun, Lucy Morningstar, a young Black woman with ember-cracked skin and coiled natural hair, prepares her mother’s body for burial in the ashes of a forgotten village. Haunted by grief and rage, Lucy confronts the father she never knew—the Devil himself—who appears to claim her mother’s soul. Their cryptic exchange ignites a fire deep within Lucy, and she swears vengeance not just on Hell, but on every sin that dares stand in her way. Guided by whispered visions and a mysterious old demon named Marbus, Lucy descends into the underworld with nothing but twin cleavers and fury to fuel her. Her first steps take her into the Bugbog Swamps, a festering mire of bile, decay, and secrets. Here, she faces manifestations of Gluttony—grotesque, bloated creatures who feed on sorrow—and retrieves the first of many lost Shards of Damnation, a piece of her mother’s shattered soul. By the end of the issue, Lucy earns her first companion: Gamora, a hellhound forged in flame and loyalty. But the deeper she goes, the more she begins to question her own humanity… and whether her fire is hers alone, or a curse inherited from the very evil she seeks to destroy. Themes: Vengeance, grief, origin of power, identity Key Locations: Ashen Village, Bugbog Swamps New Characters Introduced: Lucy Morningstar, Marbus, Gamora Boss Tease: Whispered hints of Gluttony, The Ravager

The second issue descends deeper into the spiraling torment of Lucy Morningstar’s journey as she enters The Blair, a cursed forest where Envy feeds on insecurity and illusion. Haunted by whispers and echoes of self-doubt, Lucy's path becomes more psychological than physical—her memories fractured and her perception warped. As she trudges through the eerie woods, Lucy faces mirror-born monsters that twist her appearance and mimic her past regrets. A sinister version of herself appears, smirking and cruel, taunting her failures and questioning her strength. Pucklin warns her, “Not all shadows follow the light.” Meanwhile, her once-loyal hellhound, Gamora, momentarily turns against her—corrupted by the forest’s influence—forcing Lucy into a painful confrontation. The forest only grows darker as Lucy discovers scattered sigils, each one triggering fragmented visions of her childhood, her mother, and the life she was denied. With every step, Envy claws deeper into her psyche, threatening to unravel her from within. Issue #2 climaxes with Lucy reaching the Hollow Glade, where the Envy boss awaits—a fast, cunning demon that possesses allies and shifts identities mid-fight. But Lucy, hardened by the pain, overcomes the trickster in a brutal battle. The issue ends with Lucy gaining her second hellhound, Sodom, and receiving a haunting vision of her father—Lucifer himself—standing at the gates of her next trial. Themes: Identity, Doubt, Duality, Resentment New Additions: Second Hellhound: Sodom Ability Unlock: Mirror Breaker (destroys illusions) First hint of Lucifer’s presence Ominous reveal: beneath The Blair lies something older... and hungrier.