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In 1972, [[Azazel]] possessed a [[Father Lehne|priest]] at [[St. Mary's Convent]], and killed eight nuns in the chapel. This enabled him to speak to the imprisoned Lucifer. Lucifer tells Azazel that Lilith is needed to break [[the 66 Seals]] that hold him captive in the Cage and that he needs to find a very "special child."<ref name="four22">[[4.22 Lucifer Rising]]</ref> This leads Azazel to recruit [[:Category:Special Children|select children]], including [[Sam Winchester]] and to set in motion events that subsequently lead to the breaking of the 66 Seals.
In 2008, after [[Dean]]'s return from [[Hell]], [[Castiel]] reveals that Lilith is trying to break the seals that lock the Cage in order to free Lucifer, who used the [[The Nun|head nun]] as a conduit. Dean later learns that the first seal was broken when he was in Hell, and broke under torture and began torturing [[souls]] himself. Sam continues clandestine missions with [[Ruby]], developing his powers even though this involves drinking [[demon blood]], believing that killing Lilith will stop the Cage being opened. In 2009, Sam unknowingly releases Lucifer from the Cage by killing Lilith at [[St. Mary's Convent]]. Lilith is revealed to have been the last of the 66 Seals.
As Sam and Dean attempt to find a way to stop Lucifer and the impending [[Apocalypse]], [[Gabriel]] tells them that the [[Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]] all own rings that together can reopen a portal to the Cage anywhere. After collecting all the rings, Sam comes up with a plan in which he will allow Lucifer to [[possess]] him, and then force him into the Cage. The initial attempt fails, but when Lucifer confronts Michael at [[Stull Cemetery]], Sam activates the rings and as the Cage opens, he manages to gain enough control to force himself (and Lucifer) into the Cage. [[Michael]] (in possession of [[Adam]]'s body) tries to stop him but is dragged into the Cage as well.
After the averted Apocalypse, [[Raphael]] tried to reopen the Cage to release Lucifer and Michael, to continue where the angel's plans lefy left off, but was ultimately unsuccessful due to Castiel leading a civil war in Heaven to stop him. During this time, Sam is subsequently rescued from the Cage by Castiel, but his soul remained trapped in the Cage being tortured by Lucifer and Michael. [[Death]] agrees to retrieve Sam's soul, and returns it to his body, setting up a temporary "wall" in Sam's mind to prevent the knowledge of the horrors that happened in the Cage from destroying him.
Following the release of [[the Darkness]], cries are heard coming from the Cage, and the demons speculate that Michael or Lucifer are trying to warn them about it. Sam also starts having flashbacks or visions of his torment in the Cage. When Sam finally journeys to Hell to confront Lucifer with [[Crowley]] and [[Rowena]], he learns that the impact of the Darkness' release had a massive effect on Hell, causing the Cage to become damaged. It was through those fissures Lucifer was able reach out and give Sam his visions of the Cage. Lucifer is eventually able to escape in [[11.10 The Devil in the Details]] by taking [[Castiel]] as his [[vessel]], leaving Michael, who had become catatonic due to his imprisonment, alone in the Cage.
