Dan didn’t want to take any risks. He tried ignoring all the tortured bellowing around him to hear or somehow sense if Balls was nearby.

  To orient himself, Dan considered the wall nearest to him the south. If so, Walla was towards the east. He ran away west.

  Since he could move through the damned like they weren’t there, he sprinted through them all. A couple hundred or so yards into his run, as he passed through a strange looking demon-like type of living being, he felt something strange.

  He stopped and moved through the thing again. He felt the strange thing again.

  After feeling around and testing, he learned the strange feeling happened when he touched the demon-thing’s lower core.

  He got an idea. His eventual goal was to kill all the demons and devils in Hell. There were a good number of them trapped in here with him being tortured just like the damned.

  He needed frags. He doubted any of the demons or devils were Origin tier, level 0. If he killed them, he could use the frags to become more corporeal. If he became solid enough, he could ascend. If he could ascend enough, he wouldn’t have to worry about Balls killing him again.

  Diamond Barrage was too loud. It could attract Balls. He shot diamonds at the thing. It didn’t seem to do any damage.

  He created a cord of diamonds and began lashing the thing. After working on the demon for a long, long while, he only managed to make a very small cut that trickled out a little strange blood for a few seconds before completely healing.

  He created a thick and jagged formation of bort over his hands and began punching the same spot over and over. He didn’t get tired, but after working at the same spot for a great amount of time without his attacks doing any damage at all, he realized he needed a different plan.

  He could clearly feel something when his hand passed through the lower core. Right where he felt the strangeness, he started encircling it in the highest quality black diamond he could make.

  At first, he thought this was another failed idea. But the demon-like being’s tortured screams of the damned changed to painful screeches. Its hands reached for its belly as it shrieked. It sat down, then stretched out prone as it sucked air painfully between its fangs between shrieks.

  Though the thing hadn’t opened its eyes, Dan was becoming more and more certain it was awake. If it had certain abilities, or was high enough tier, it could possibly see him, so he slowly moved next to another damned and stood still.

  The demon-thing’s screams were far different than the screams of the damned. Way louder than Diamond Barrage. Dan was very worried Balls would hear, come investigate, and spot him, but he couldn’t leave. If this thing died, he needed the frags it’d drop.

  Sometime later, between painful screeches, it opened its eyes and began looking around. Its eyes passed right over Dan.

  Balls had said all beings of any tier could sometimes sense apparitions even if they couldn’t see them. If this thing was of a high enough tier, or if it had certain mana-types, its invocations could still hurt and kill ghosts.

  Dan was relieved the thing couldn’t see him, but since its shrieks were growing less and less agonized, he assumed it was recovering, and not dying, so he silently cursed.

  He was at a loss for what to do. He could go and try encasing its core in diamond again, but since he literally just freed himself from being a damned again, he didn’t want to take a big risk that landed him back on his plaque.

  Even if he couldn’t kill the demon, he thought having it free to distract Balls could be a good thing.

  After some more time passed, the demon fully recovered and made no noises at all. It pushed itself up and knelt. Then it bowed its head, grasped its hands together in prayer, and said, “Oh Lord, my rock, thank you for freeing me.

  “By Your grace, we succeeded. Not as planned, but a world has now won its second Game, and spit in the eye of the Shining One. I will continue my mission to thwart the forces of Hell. I pray that one day I will be redeemed In Your eyes.”

  Excitement blossomed in Dan’s chest. He desperately wanted news of what happened to his planet after it won the Game. He couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Are you talking about Earth?”

  The demon-like creature looked around. “I can sense you but not see you. Show yourself, apparition.”

  “I can’t,” replied Dan.

  “Why?”

  “I’m Origin tier is why.”

  That surprised the demon. It said, “Oh. This…this is not the first layer. Or any layer I’ve been to. The qi itself burns. Where are we?”

  “Hold up, now,” said Dan. “What is you? And was you talking about Earth? It won its second Game.”

  “I’m a demon. A Lilite, specifically. Though many name their world Earth, only one has won its second Game, or had at the time I was caught, so I believe we’re discussing the same planet. A world with the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa?”

  “Yeah, that’s my planet. What happened after it won its Game?”

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  The demon smiled frighteningly, its fang-filled maw stretching out across its face. “First, know that I am a worshiper of God, and have been deemed a traitor of this realm. Speaking to me could imperil you.”

  Dan said, “Dominus pascit me. In nomine Dei, vincam.”

  The smile left the demon’s face before it said, “The Lord is my Shepard. I seek to walk in His light. If you speak Latin, how do you know of the Americas and the Game?”

  That question took Dan by some surprise until he figured out what the demon was assuming. “I’m from the US and I was in the Game. I said that in Latin because…I ain’t sure, honestly. I know how to speak it now. When I say stuff like that in Latin, it sounds…uh…I reckon more serious, more earnest.”

  “What do you mean by knowing how to speak Latin now? You recently learned the tongue?”

  “When I stopped being one of the damned, God gave me new knowledge. I reckon to help me deliver hurt and despair. That’s what He wants me to do. I’m fixing to burn this whole realm to the ground.”

  It took the demon over a minute to reply. “We are commanded not to take the Lord’s name in vain. This means we shall not falsely ascribe to God acts or desires not His own, especially if such acts or decrees coincide with our own selfish interests or desires.”

  It took Dan a moment to understand why the demon said that. “I ain’t lying. I was given new knowledge when I broke free. God ain’t talked to me directly or nothing, but I know why I was sent here. I know what I’m supposed to do. I ain’t never been more certain of nothing in my life. Or death.”

  “What knowledge, specifically?”

  Dan reviewed the divine gift he was granted and the Demon asked, “Why? Such knowledge doesn’t seem very helpful if your mission is to destroy this realm.”

  “No idea,” replied Dan. “My mind felt like it was burning, and I knew stuff I ain’t never knew before. I know why I’m here. Like I done said, I’m certain of it. I got a whole eternity to execute great vengeance upon all those enemies and defiers of God and His will, so that’s what I’m fixing to do.

  “I reckon we’re allies, at least somewhat. You still ain’t told me what happened to my world after I won the Game. And I ain’t never got your name neither.”

  The demon shook its head. “You most certainly did not win Earth’s Second Cycle Game. Unless you claim the devotees of the world Gallim are liars. Mother Dorothy, wielder of the Claws of Asmodon and the cloak Tenebrae Dominus, survived five of the eight Trials of the second phase.

  “Chet the Wise, wielder of the lance Aquila Ferox, and the boots Calcei Vafer, survived two. His wife, Enkhtsetseg the Mighty, armored in Impetus Scalae, wielding the hammer Bane Armatura, survived one.

  “Those three won the Game. This was never disputed. Though many who participated stayed on Gallim including Chet the Wise and the Enkhtsetseg the Mighty, all those who returned to your world verified this information.”

  Dan was beyond happy and relieved to hear that Chet and his girlfriend weren’t dead. He figured they must’ve made it into a Trial and waited out the final fights in safety. And not his girlfriend. His wife, Dan reminded himself. That’s what the demon said, at least.

  Dotty and those two doing so well in the second phase filled him with pride too. But hearing all that caused Dan to feel a good bit of anger. For a couple reasons.

  He didn’t fight so hard to receive praise or credit. He didn’t sacrifice his soul for any of that either. He did it to save his world. But that’s not how it went. Unless Satan lied.

  Satan specifically told him Earth would win if he chose the portal to Hell.

  Dan didn’t believe this demon had a reason to lie, so he reaffirmed his vows to murder that lying prick, Satan.

  “Ain’t no one said nothing about the guy that killed the champion and the sponsor? Asmodon and Duke Agares?” asked Dan.

  “Wait, are you Daniel Branigan?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, yes, you were mentioned. Praised. Quite often. It was said that you killed both the champion and Duke Agares, but that you had outside help, enough to nullify the Duke’s interference.

  “The surviving participants migrated to Gallim for the second phase, and due in large part to the upstanding character and devotion of Mother Dorothy, Earth won that phase, and subsequently the Game.”

  Dan thought about all he was just told for a minute. As he was thinking, the demon said, “My name is Megaes. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Daniel Branigan. I need to hear your story. You killed a Duke, a very praiseworthy deed. But first, please tell me where I am, specifically.”

  Dan took his time explaining everything. He even admitted to his regression.

  When the story was finished, Dan said, “Looks like he lied about the portal though. Still, I know exactly why I’m here in Hell. What I got to do.”

  “It’s well known the Shining One keeps his word. It may not be in a way which was expected or assumed, but he keeps it to the very letter. The new bargain – take the portal to Hell and Earth would win the Game. You took the portal to Hell, and Earth won the Game, did it not?”

  Dan still considered Satan a lying prick.

  In return for his own story and knowledge, Dan learned Megaes’ story, and more of Hell.

  Megaes was the reason Earth had extra centuries to prepare for the Game. He was also the main reason the suppressers were never found as he believed the enhanced rewards could give Earth an advantage other worlds on their second or later Game didn’t have.

  The demon said, “I was able to evade my enemies successfully until the Shining One personally came for me about 25 cycles after the win, roughly 30 of your planet's years.”

  Dan learned the Redeemers was a broad term for a loose collection of factions with somewhat disparate beliefs and goals, and more about the early layers.

  Megaes was a Chief, tier 14, but preferred Exarch as a title. The two talked for a very long time, and Dan was glad Balls hadn’t made an appearance.

  Xotl was lost within his mind, and had been for a long, long time. He was teetering on the brink of understanding the underlying truths of the universe.

  “If my skin is lotion, if I am the lotion, how could I put myself on me? I must get the hose again. I must. But am I also the hose? Then what? What am I not? Maybe I’m not the hose. Or maybe the lotion is the friends made along the way?”

  Some whiney shrieking interrupted Xotl’s musings. He tried ignoring them for as long a she could, but they persisted in interrupting his revelations.

  Xotl got up and looked around. The same far too loud tortured screams of the damned were there. The super loud and whiney shrieking had stopped. He heard talking. He heard talking!

  Dan was talking!

  Dan was no longer damned!

  He hoped this meant he could finally exit Dan’s soul.

  He looked at the prude. She was muttering nonsense. He had long ago ensorcelled her mind. Though she liked to pretend otherwise, she was fully under his control.

  “Hey, prude! Prude! Aphariel! Dan’s not a damned anymore!”

  The prude ignored him and kept mumbling her inanities.

  It took a long time and a great effort, but Xotl eventually managed to rouse the prude.

  She was even more surprised than he was that Dan wasn’t damned anymore.

  Xotl said, “Like Dan, our time of penance has come to an end. Release me.”

  “No.”

  Xolt cursed the prude and slithered onto his seat.

  As she took her own seat, the prude asked, “How long has he been free?”

  “No idea. Wait! I do know. I’ll tell you if you release me. It sucks so bad in here. Please.”

  “No. I can check myself. Holy shit! This is his second time freeing himself. He was awake before. For a long time. Kind of a long time. Almost two cycles. Then he was killed and spent about 200 cycles as a damned. That was nearly half the time he spent as a dammed before breaking free the first time.”