The stench of sulfur clung to the air as Creativity opened his eyes.
He was barely breathing. His legs were pinned under a jagged rock, and the searing heat of Hell pressed down on him like a suffocating blanket. Pain flared through his body, but he didn't cry out. He couldn't.
If even one demon saw him—
It would be over.
Teeth clenched, he pushed the rock off with shaky arms. Every movement burned, but he kept quiet. He rolled behind a larger stone, hiding himself in the shadows. All around him, glowing red portals flickered open and shut. From each one, demons emerged like insects, snarling and twitching, drawn to the scent of fear.
He couldn't let them see him.
Not now.
Not before he found her.
Kindness.
He had to find her.
Moving like a shadow, Creativity crept across the scorched terrain. His thoughts were racing. Every heartbeat echoed like thunder in his ears. Then—suddenly—a portal flared open right in front of him.
A demon stepped out. Towering. Grotesque.
Creativity dove behind a rock in a single breathless motion.
Too close.
He didn't move. Didn't breathe. Only when the demon turned and walked away did he slip out and continue forward.
He picked up speed—but another demon blocked his path. There was no escape this time.
In a blur, Creativity reached behind his back and drew a weapon from a disguised sheath—a jagged black dagger, humming with strange energy. The demon lunged.
Creativity struck first.
A clean stab. Silent. Precise. The demon fell.
No time to waste.
He ran, faster and faster, until something caught his eye in the distance—
A village.
Or something like one. The buildings were twisted, scorched, almost alive with darkness. This wasn't a village from Earth—it was warped. Rotten. Hell's idea of civilization.
But it might hold the one he sought.
He had to go.
Each step toward the village was like walking into death. Shadows moved unnaturally. The air itself whispered lies. His instincts screamed at him to turn back.
Then—
Behind him.
A portal opened.
A demon stepped out—and saw him.
Before he could react, the creature vanished back into the portal, carrying the truth with it.
"No…" Creativity whispered.
Suddenly, portals opened in every direction. Dozens. Hundreds. He was surrounded.
Demons poured out like a wave of nightmares. Flames sparked in their hands. Weapons aimed.
They were going to end him.
But Creativity grinned.
His eyes burned with raw madness. His hair lifted with unnatural force. He laughed—and then flung his hair outward, stretching it like black tendrils. He grabbed the demons with it and hurled them behind him like toys.
And then—with the same energy—he drew a glowing path into the sky. A staircase. A bridge. Something impossible.
He ran.
He had to.
One wrong step, one moment of hesitation, and he'd be swallowed whole. The horde behind him was endless.
But he didn't stop.
---
Far above, on Earth…
The school bell rang.
I bolted out of my seat, heart pounding.
Wisdom's voice echoed in my mind—something urgent, something I couldn't ignore. I ran. Through the hallway. Past the others. Straight out the door.
No time for goodbyes.
I made it home fast.
"Hey, sweetie! How was school?" my mom called from the kitchen.
I didn't respond.
I rushed upstairs. Slammed my bedroom door.
"I'm sick!" I lied, diving into bed.
But I couldn't sleep. My nerves were shot. The others were probably already in. Already dreaming. Already there.
I needed to sleep—but I couldn't.
Then I remembered… the pan.
It worked before. It might work again.
Desperate, I grabbed a pan from the kitchen and stood in front of the mirror.
One hit. That's all it takes.
I slapped myself. Hard.
Pain burst through my face. My vision blurred. I could feel the memory of the last time… but I knew it was the only way.
Darkness took over.
---
I woke up in Hell.
Again.
My back still throbbed from the explosion. The sky burned above me. Everything ached. But the mission was clear.
Find Kindness.
A voice echoed.
"HEY!"
I turned sharply.
Justice—trapped beneath a pile of debris.
"Hold on!" I shouted, rushing toward him.
Stone by stone, I freed him. He coughed, then laughed.
"Took you long enough."
We stood together.
Reunited.
The others were still missing. The horizon stretched endlessly. We could see no one. But we didn't give up.
We hid. We sprinted. We whispered plans we didn't understand.
Then… we saw them.
Tiny silhouettes, far ahead. Familiar.
We ran.
Faster. Hope rising.
But the others…
They didn't move.
They didn't speak.
They were completely still.
Something was wrong.
Wisdom. Faith. Creativity. All staring at us like statues.
Because they knew what we didn't.
We had been seen.
We had led the demons to them.
Still, we ran. Smiling. Laughing.
"We're back!" we yelled. "We're together again!"
And that's when the truth hit.
They didn't cheer.
They facepalmed.
Because we had doomed them.
I stopped running.
Justice looked at me.
"I'm sorry…" we both whispered.
We were the reason everything would fall apart.
---
And deep within the cursed village…
Creativity had arrived.
He sprinted through blackened alleyways, dodging demons, flaring portals at every corner. He had no time to think. He moved on instinct.
Every home he passed… he checked.
Every building… he searched.
"Kindness…" he whispered. "Where are you?"
And then—he felt something.
A strange pull. A scream.
One house.
He kicked down the door.
Inside—a demon hovered in the air, its claws sunk deep into a girl's chest. Her soul… was being ripped out.
Kindness.
She was pale. Barely breathing.
The demon grinned.
"Took you long enough," it hissed.