Part 1: Departure

Ian woke the next morning, coiled up on the couch in Nora and Michelle's hotel room. His chin was resting comfortably over a loop of his stomach. A white comforter was draped over him, light worming its way through the fibers.

Wait.

He was coiled on the couch in Nora and Michelle's room? When he realized what that meant, he jerked his head up automatically. Apparently, even having the talisman under his pillow hadn't been enough to keep him from changing as he slept. He glanced quickly around, trying to make sure he was completely covered by the comforter.

He was pretty sure he was. About three feet of his lower body had fallen off the couch sometime during the night, but the blanket touched the ground, and he was almost positive he was fine.

"Ian?" Nora called from somewhere across the room. "You up?"

Great. Ian took a deep breath and started quickly changing back to his human form.

"Ian?" Nora asked again.

"I think he's still asleep." Michelle said.

"Maybe..." Nora didn't sound convinced. "He's moving around an awful lot..."

"So? People can toss and turn in their sleep." Michelle said.

"I guess."

"Come on— let's go get breakfast. He can catch up to us when he wakes up."

Ian nodded to himself; he liked that idea. He'd much rather finish changing in the privacy of an empty room. He figured it was probably for the best, especially since it didn't seem much easier to do today than it had yesterday. Apparently, even the talisman could only do so much to counter the magic of an unauthorized portal.

There was some thumping on the floor as one of the girls walked heavily across the room. The door creaked open. He waited for it to close again, but he didn't hear it.

"Nora? What are you doing?" Michelle called out from the direction of the door.

"Just writing a quick note so he'll know where we are." Nora said from somewhere closer to the window.

"Well, hurry up." Michelle said.

"Ok. And...done." Nora announced. Then, another set of footsteps followed the first. A minute later, the door closed.

Ian continued changing, nearly falling off the couch as he did. Just like yesterday, he was still stuck being at least half-snake. At least the way he'd managed to do it yesterday seemed to work out reasonably well. He decided to go with that again today. He pulled his clothes on and went over to check the note Nora had written on the hotel stationary.

Ian, gone down to breakfast— join us when you're awake. ~Nora

Well, who could argue with a nice, warm breakfast? Ian threw the pad of paper and the pen into his pocket and went downstairs to join the girls. The room was fairly crowded, but they'd managed to find a table in the corner. He helped himself to the buffet before joining them.

"Morning." Nora said as he sat down.

Ian nodded a greeting at first her, then Michelle.

"Feeling better?" Nora asked. Ian shrugged.

"Same." he said. But there was a lot of noise in the room, and he wasn't sure if she heard him. Either way, he guessed she'd figure it out.

Nora nodded at him in sympathy, but Michelle didn't look like she cared either way.

"So we're really doing this?" she asked.

They'd gone over the broad strokes last night. Amon and Sophie had come up to the room, where they could discuss everything in more detail: the five of them were going to try to save the world. Ian wasn't sure he really wanted Amon or Sophie to join them— he didn't trust Amon, and he was still pretty mad at Sophie— but he guessed they were going to need all the help they could get. Besides, he'd been outvoted.

The first stops they were going to make would be to the Realms of Rage and Terror. Amon said he knew a place in Terror where they could get a few talismans to travel to Beauty, Survival, and Compulsions. Sophie insisted she'd heard of a similar place in Rage. Ian wished he'd known of whatever place Sophie was thinking of. It would have saved him a lot of trouble getting back here.

"Well, both Sophie and Amon said they'd be here in about two hours." Nora said, glancing at her phone.

"I still don't understand how those two already knew about portals." Michelle said. "I mean, they were pretty cagey about it when I asked."

Ian reached across the table to get their attention. He pressed his palms together and opened his hands, pantomiming cracking a book.

"Yeah, I know." Michelle grumbled.

Amon had lied, saying he'd read a similar book to the one Nora had found. It was apparently why he knew that the birds were an omen, how to open portals, and where to find artefacts from other realms. As he'd described it, Sophie had gotten a strange look on her face.

"Sounds like the Hall of Knowledge." she'd said.

Ian had just stared at her. He knew about the Hall of Knowledge, of course. It was more of a museum than anything else, dedicated to the so-called glorious battles that his people had waged against the mountain tribes and the ocean-dwellers of his realm.

"Yeah, I know what you're thinking." Sophie said, seeing the look on his face. "But Upala..." She trailed off, clearly realizing that bringing up the local lore-keeper of the village would guarantee Nora and Michelle figured out what she was. Amon probably already had a good guess. Ian was willing to bet Amon could tell they weren't from here just as surely as Ian could tell it about him; the way he'd been grinning at them from the moment they strolled across the parking lot all but confirmed it.

Sophie decided to try again. "Mrs...Upala my...teacher... She told me about it."

It sounded obviously fake to Ian. But then, he already knew who Upala was. But Nora and Michelle seemed satisfied. And all those excuses were enough to give both Amon and Sophie plausible deniability. While Michelle might not have fully believed it, she didn't ask many more questions.

After breakfast, the three made their way into the woods, not far from where, only yesterday, Ian had found Nora. They didn't have to wait long for Sophie and Amon to appear.

Amon pulled a silver chain from under his collar and slipped it over his head. Attached to it was a jagged black stone that looked razor-sharp. He pulled another one out of his pocket, hesitating before handing it to Michelle.

"That's my roommate's." he said solemnly. "Don't lose it."

"I won't." she promised.

He took his own stone and dramatically cut a large circle into the air in front of him. There was a flash of white. Then, a deep violet portal swirled ominously in the space.

"...How did you do that?" Sophie asked before Ian had time to. Amon made it look way too easy for Ian's liking.

"You only need something sharp." he said, looking between the two. "Well, something sharp that's from another realm. And it helps if it was enchanted to cut through the barriers between the realms."

"Oh, is that all?" Ian whispered, but Amon ignored him.

Amon sighed, taking a step towards Ian and Sophie. Then, he made another slit in the air. The new portal was still purple, but not quite as vivid as the first. Ian grabbed Amon's arm. Amon turned and regarded him coolly.

"The color." Ian whispered.

Amon blinked. "...What about it?"

"It's lighter." Ian pointed between the two portals. He'd already gone through one strange-colored portal; there was no way he was going to go through another. Who knew what would happen? Especially in his current state.

"It's fine." Amon assured him. "It's only lighter because it's not going to the Realm of Terror, where this—" he held up the stone, "—is from."

Ian nodded, trying to decide if he believed him.

"Excellent." Amon said. "Then, you three had better be off."

"But...how am I supposed to go through?" Nora asked. "No one's given me anything from another realm."

Amon looked over at Sophie. "What are you using?" he asked.

Sophie pulled what looked like a marble out of her pocket. It was identical to Ian's, except the flower inside was canary yellow.

"And you?" Amon asked Ian.

Ian showed Amon his own talisman.

Amon thought for a moment. Then, he turned back to Nora. "You know, I've been wondering about something all night. I do hope you'll forgive me."

Then, he grabbed her shoulders and shoved her through the portal.

Part 2: Terror

"What did you do to my sister⁉" Michelle demanded. Amon turned to her impassively. Did she have to be so melodramatic about it?

After Amon had shoved Nora through the portal, Ian had leapt in after her. Sophie hesitated before following suit.

Now, Amon and Michelle were standing alone in the middle of the forest, in front of two swirling vortexes. Admittedly, the one he wanted to go through looked decidedly healthier, but the other one was still perfectly fine. So what, exactly, was the sister whining about?

"She's fine, don't worry." Amon told her. For now, at least. He wasn't quite sure what they'd do to her if she was caught in the Realm of Rage. He made a move to enter the second portal, but Michelle grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop.

"You pushed her!" she screamed. "Into who knows where!"

Yes. Yes, he did push her. But he was pretty sure they all knew exactly where she'd gone. He was about to point this out, when Michelle's glare softened and her eyes became watery.

"What if we can't ever find her again?"

Amon sighed. He guessed he did owe the human some sort of explanation. Especially since he was going to need her.

Amon thought back to last night. As they'd made their way up to the hotel room, that boy had pulled him aside. "Michelle doesn't know...about any of this." he'd whispered urgently.

"Who's Michelle?" Amon asked. He'd been introduced to a lot of people recently. And sure, he'd met some of them before. But Amon had never been one to bother learning other people's names.

"Nora's sister."

"I see." Amon said. So, as they went over what was happening and what they were going to do about it, they were all going to have to pretend to be human— for the sister's sake. And now, everyone else was gone, and it was up to him to explain it all to her. Somehow, this hadn't been the game he'd thought he'd end up playing.

"She's in the Realm of Rage." Amon told her. "With her boyfriend."

He still found it strange that the human was dating someone from Rage. The denizens of Rage weren't known to tolerate humans all that well.

"But how do you know?"

"The ring she has. It's clearly from another realm. When I first met her...I thought she was from there— not the ring. And she was able to pass through the portal— that one goes to Rage or it doesn't work at all. Now, are you ready for our part?"

That seemed to satisfy her. She hesitated, but finally she managed a somewhat shaky nod. He took her hand, trying to act like a gentleman for once. There was no sense in alarming her before they even crossed over; this was supposed to be the easy part.

They stepped through the portal.

The world seemed to spin a bit, and the air left for just a second or two. Then, everything snapped back into focus. Michelle leaned heavily on his arm, gasping for breath. Clearly, she was more bothered by the travel than he was.

The sky was dark, like a storm was brewing in the ominous orange sky. That's how it always looked in the Realm of Terror. The coal-black cliff they'd landed on was cracked and barren, and the city below was full of dark, jagged buildings.

Home.

He'd almost forgotten how much he loved the place.

"...Where are we?" Michelle asked quietly.

"The Realm of Terror." Amon told her, not taking his eyes off the glorious sight. Then he added, "Humans sometimes call it Hell."

He didn't know why he said that last part. Maybe he thought she deserved the truth just once; she had apparently been lied to an awful lot by the people around her. Or maybe, he simply wanted to see the hope melt off her face. But after he said it, he felt just the tiniest bit guilty. Amon scoffed at his own weakness. Clearly, he'd been away too long.

"You dragged me to Hell?" Michelle asked, eyebrows practically in her hairline. He couldn't quite read the expression on her face. He did know she didn't look happy. He was surprised that the look didn't give him the joy it used to.

"I believe you volunteered to come with me." he reminded her. She hadn't wanted her sister to be alone with him.

"...So, where do we go?" Michelle asked, ignoring his last comment.

Amon bent his knees until he was at her eye level. He leaned close, and, looking over the cliff, extended his arm. "See that building over on the left?" he asked, pointing at the tallest, most craggy building on the horizon.

"The super foreboding one?" Michelle asked.

"That's the one."

"Oh good." Michelle rolled her eyes. But she couldn't hide her fear from him.

"Ready?"

"Oh yeah. Bring it on."

Amon grinned. If nothing else, he admired her moxie.

They crawled down the narrow path from the top of the cliff, only skidding a few times. Once, Michelle slipped, and he had to catch her to keep her from falling off the edge of the mountainside. There was, of course, that little part of him that wanted to just let her fall. What was a human life, in the grand scheme of things? And if she died and her soul ended up here as a direct result of his actions, it would only enhance his reputation. He had the distinct impression that his reputation had taken a terrible hit since he'd stationed himself in the human realm. Any boost to that could only be a good thing.

But he didn't. He told himself it was only because having a partner on this journey was to his benefit. There was no other reason. It definitely was not because humans and their empathy were rubbing off on him.

They got down to the bottom of the cliff. This was where the hard part would be. They were either going to have to go around the outskirts of the city to avoid any demons lurking inside, or they were going to have to stroll right through, acting as if they belonged. Amon turned to Michelle.

"Do you trust me?" he asked. Her reply was instantaneous.

"Absolutely not."

"Really?" He had to admit, he was a little taken aback. "But I saved you four times up on the mountainside."

"Three times." she snapped. "And one of those was only because you bumped into me in the first place."

Amon grinned despite himself.

"And that has nothing to do with trust anyway." Michelle continued on. "That only has to do with not murdering me."

"It wouldn't have been murder." Amon insisted. "It would only be—"

"Negligent homicide." Michelle cut in.

"That's not what homicide is." Amon scoffed. Then, he got control of himself. "That's not the point. I wanted to know—"

"If I trust you. Yeah, I heard."

"Well, that's irrelevant." Amon said. Seeing Michelle's face, he found himself backtracking. "I mean...I..."

"Yeah?"

Amon cleared his throat. Who was this human? Why was he allowing himself to be unbalanced like this? He was a Marquis in the Realm of Terror. And she was nobody in either realm.

"I was merely going to warn you. There is an easy way to go through here and a hard one."

"Oh, oh! Let me guess! The easy one has some weird catch, doesn't it?" Michelle asked. "...We're going to go with the hard one, aren't we?"

Amon fought down a growl. He was getting really tired of this little human.

"We can spend almost a week skirting the city. Or we can go straight through." He could see she was about to open her mouth again, so he hurried on. "But in order to go through the city, there's something you should know."

For once, Michelle didn't seem to have anything to say. Instead, she waited with arms crossed for him to continue.

"This realm... This is my home." he told her.

"Oh, I'm sure it is." Michelle rolled her eyes. "I mean, just look at you."

"Yes." Amon grinned. "Just look at me."

This was it, she'd practically asked him to do it. And not only was he getting tired of kowtowing to someone so much less than he was, but he was tired of hiding who he was in general.

He smiled at her, allowing his wings to rip from his back. Long black horns swept up from his forehead, and his incisors lengthened into fangs. He looked back at Michelle just in time to hear her scream.

Part 3: Entwined

Amon had to admit, he enjoyed seeing Michelle's reaction. It had been a long time since he'd had a nice, proper scream. Unfortunately, his enjoyment was cut short by the arrival of a lesser demon.

"Everything alright here?" the lesser demon asked. He had long, spindly legs and beady eyes that made him look vaguely like a tarantula.

"Naturally." Amon grinned. "Just escorting this wayward soul to Registration."

The demon turned to Michelle. She looked properly terrified, which really helped to sell it. Amon would have almost thanked her, but judging by her face, she wouldn't be in the mood for it even after that other demon left. Instead, he sneered at her. If he could get her to scream again, it would be even better. Then they could be on their way, and his reputation would get that much-needed bump. Really, it seemed like a win-win to him.

The demon looked between Amon and Michelle, leering. Saliva dripped off his fangs, landing on the ground with a soft, acidic hiss.

"Well, then. I won't keep you." the demon said. He turned to Michelle. "Do try to refrain from screaming so much— the city folk don't appreciate it. Besides, you'll have plenty of time for it in the dungeons."

Michelle whimpered as the demon walked away. Amon actually started feeling sorry for her.

"Look—" he said. But he didn't get the chance to finish.

"I only came here because I thought it was for a good cause." Michelle said. She sounded numb. "And it was all a trick? Some weird plot of yours? How selfish could you be?"

Amon stiffened. He might have been a lot of things, but selfish wasn't one of them. Why else would he have volunteered to go to the Realm of Possibilities? It certainly hadn't been to take a vacation.

"Now look here—"

Michelle held up her hand, not even slowing down.

"I'm going to make you regret this. I don't know how, but trust me, I will. I'm going to get you if it's the last thing I do."

"Stop it." Amon growled, stepping menacingly towards her with fangs bared.

Michelle finally shut her mouth. She shrank back, eyes wide.

"Wonderful." It was all well and good for her to be scared; she wouldn't be sane if she wasn't. But he still needed her to keep her wits about her.

"Now," he said. "I didn't bring you here to terrify you. And regardless of what I told that gremlin, I have absolutely no intention of taking you to Registration."

"Then...where are you taking me?" Michelle asked meekly.

"To the Gallery of Insight."

"Yeah, I remember you talking about that..." Michelle nodded slowly.

"I said nothing about it." Amon said sharply. He'd been smart enough to not volunteer such extraneous information.

"But I swear I heard..." Michelle said.

"Sophie mentioned something." Amon told her once it was clear she wouldn't let it go.

"Oh! The Hall of Knowledge!" Michelle said, brightening somewhat.

"Something like that."

"So like...she knows about a Hall of Knowledge, and you have a Gallery of Insight?" She grinned, looking more at ease than she had since she'd first gotten a look at his horns. "Are you saying that's a coincidence?"

"Clearly." Amon said.

"Neither of you consulted a thesaurus or anything?"

"Well, clearly, they did." Amon scoffed. Everybody knew Rage was well below Terror.

"Oh. Well, naturally." Michelle grinned.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better about all of this." Amon said. "Because the sooner we get out of here the better. That means we're going to have to go through the city. And you're going to have to do a little acting."

"What did you have in mind?" Michelle asked sceptically.

"You'll need to act like a forlorn, lost soul."

"Like a ghost? Like a spirit trapped in Hell?"

"Well...I wouldn't have phrased it quite like that..." Amon trailed off. "But if you can't sprout wings or grow convincing horns, then yes. A lost spirit trapped in Hell seems to be our best bet."

Michelle eyed him warily before sighing. "Do I have a choice?"

"Not really." Amon said. He couldn't send her back to her own realm, not when she had his roommate's talisman. It'd be too hard to track her down later. And he really was going to have to return that as soon as possible.

Amon marched towards the towering city, Michelle in tow. It would have been an almost pleasant journey— at least, as pleasant as a walk through the sweltering Realm of Terror could ever be. And Michelle had even stopped looking quite so downtrodden. As they reached the outskirts, Amon turned to face her. She wasn't going to like this.

"Now, you're going to feel a little lightheaded." he warned her.

He didn't wait for whatever snappy comment she was going to make. Instead, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his stylus— the special one he used to sign contracts with the damned. With a flourish, he drew his sigil onto her forehead. It glowed brightly for a moment before fading into inky black.

She closed her eyes and swayed for a moment. He reached out to steady her.

"What did you do?" she asked.

He'd marked her, bound her life-force to his. It was the only way he could be sure she wouldn't be carted off by some other demon when he wasn't looking. As an unbound soul— and a living one at that— she'd be a prime target for any demon close enough to sense her. This would put a stop to that. And the fact that it would increase his own dark powers while they were down here was just a bonus. He'd undo it before they left. Probably. Almost definitely. Maybe.

"This'll help hide you in plain sight." he said. "Now, don't talk to anyone. And keep the eye contact to a minimum."

"...Ok." Michelle said, still looking somewhat dazed.

Amon nodded to himself. She'd remain mildly stunned for at least another hour or two while the spell continued to work its magic. It meant that not only would he not have to worry about any other demons trying to claim her, but she'd do what he asked for once. Really, he should have done this the moment they'd landed in Terror. The only problem was that the longer it lasted, the more entwined their essences would become. And hers would slowly start to drain. Still, they'd have about three days before that became a problem, and he planned on being out of here long before then.

Part 4: Registration

Amon led Michelle through the gnarled alleyways, doing his best to keep off the main roads as much as possible; he knew they'd be far too crowded to be safe. They still passed a few demons here and there, some with lost souls of their own in tow, shambling along behind their masters. Fortunately, none of them gave Amon or Michelle more than a passing glance. Amon peered over his shoulder at Michelle. She'd been looking more alert the past hour or so, and now she was busy staring at the blackened, crumbling buildings as the two of them walked by.

"Was there a fire here?" she asked.

Amon shook his head.

"Then what happened?"

"Nothing happened. That's how we build them."

Michelle raised her eyebrows at that but let it go.

As they neared the center of the city, Amon slowed down. From here, all the streets, no matter how small, would lead into the town square. Even from a block away, he could hear the yells and screams from the crowd— Registration was currently underway. Amon turned to Michelle. She looked frightened.

"Everything alright?" he asked quietly, not wanting to attract attention by seeming to care about her. As far as any other demons would be concerned, she was nothing more than his property.

"Everything just seems so...ominous." she said, glancing down the street towards the sounds of Registration.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, following her line of sight. Michelle gave him a look.

"That's not exactly the word that comes to mind." she mumbled. "I mean, this place looks like it's been through a war— maybe two. And have you seen some of the people around here?"

Amon laughed. She hadn't seen anything yet.

A demon with a goat's head and knifelike teeth walked by, hooves clacking noisily on the cobblestones. Michelle's eyes went huge as she slowly turned her head to follow him. As luck would have it, they would be heading in the same direction; she might get to have a very good look.

"Keep quiet. And don't look so alert." Amon told her. Didn't she notice that none of the other lost souls looked half as interested in anything around them?

Michelle nodded, stepping closer to him.

The two of them stepped out into the town square. The broken buildings crowded all around them, nearly blocking out what dim light there was in the sky. The square was so full of forlorn, dull spirits that there was hardly any way to maneuver around them. The various undead had formed a haphazard line, all slowly making their way to the far end of the square. There, a group of twisted goblins sat behind a rough wooden desk, scratching names off their papers. Once each soul was recorded, they were shunted off to the varying levels of Hell, to either serve out their punishments or to be put to work.

When Michelle caught sight of the goblins, she let out an audible gasp. Her fingers reached out towards Amon, seemingly to grab his hand. He turned slightly to avoid it, pretending he hadn't noticed. If she were actually a ghost, he wouldn't have let her touch him. And there were way too many eyes here for him to make that kind of mistake.

"Hey, you!" someone snarled loudly. "Back in line!"

Amon turned and saw a tall demon with flowing, golden hair, donkey ears, and leathery wings that nearly stretched to the ground. Valefar— a duke of Hell and one of Amon's direct superiors. As soon as Amon made eye contact, Valefar came storming over. Amon leaned just slightly in Michelle's direction— he was going to have to be quick.

"Don't let him touch you." he said quietly, lips barely moving.

"Who?" Michelle asked.

But Amon didn't have time to respond. Valefar was already upon them. He grabbed Michelle roughly by the shoulder, attempting to force her into the horde of souls. Amon quickly stepped in front of him.

"Actually, this one's mine." Amon said, dipping his head just slightly. He was trying to be respectful without looking weak— a difficult balance.

"Is she?" Valefar regarded Michelle with interest.

"She is. Already been to Registration and everything." Amon jerked his head in the direction of the goblins. "I'm taking her to...Beleth."

As soon as he said it, he winced inwardly. Beleth was a king of Hell and one of the only demons that ranked higher than Valefar. He was the first demon Amon could think of that Valefar wouldn't be likely to interact with in the near future— or be able to summon in order to check Amon's story. The trouble was, Beleth invoked terror not just in the souls of the damned, but in anyone who crossed his path. Amon had heard of more than one demon who'd decided to go to the seventh circle just to avoid a meeting with him.

"Are you now?" Valefar grinned wickedly. "A pity I can't join you— I'd love to see it."

"...Why?" Michelle asked, voice small and trembling.

"Someone poisoned his warhorse." Valefar gave a raspy laugh. "You should have seen it! He maimed six stable hands when he found out."

"Someone killed his horse?" Michelle asked, jaw dropping. Clearly, she'd forgotten she was supposed to be a little less animated around here. Amon glared daggers at her, wishing she'd shut up. But she wasn't looking at him.

"Of course not. Demons don't die— not even horses." Valefar snickered. Looking back at Amon, he asked, "Don't they teach them anything up there?"

"Apparently not." Amon snickered. Michelle scowled at him, making his grin even wider. Then, he turned back to Valefar. "Well, best not keep him waiting then."

"Indeed." Valefar nodded.

Amon grabbed Michelle and spun her around roughly. He marched her towards the far edge of the square. Michelle let herself be led, clearly anxious to get away from Valefar and the rest of the crowd.

As soon as they were on the other side, she turned to Amon.

"Stop it! You don't have to be so mad."

"I'm not mad." Amon told her, loosening his grip. "But I'll guarantee you he's still watching."

"Who is he?"

"A particularly sneaky demon, specializing in thievery, and tempting people to steal."

And he'd laid a hand on Michelle. Amon just had to hope the fact that she was already marked might lessen Valefar's influence. Otherwise, he'd have to keep a very close eye on her in the Gallery of Insight; he didn't want to come back to Terror only to find half of the artefacts had mysteriously gone missing.

"Do you see that guy over there?" she asked, trying to subtly point at someone to their left. "The one with hooves."

Amon shrugged. Hooves were fairly common around here. He would have thought she'd be more concerned with the emaciated jackal that had strolled by on two legs. Maybe there was only so much her mind could absorb.

Finally, they made it to the imposing structure that overlooked the sludge-filled river. The building was jet-black and looked like a sinister cathedral. Now all they had to do was open the doors, sneak through the hallways, and find the artefact room in the Gallery of Insight.