Part Two: Somebody wake me from this nightmare...
(Emotional turmoil ahead, but not that bad)

The human was aware that he had somehow entered a trance. This was unusual, because even when alive, he'd needed FAR more peace and quiet than what he got here in Hell... and even then, a trance was a rarity for him, though not entirely welcome all the time; when in a trance, someone could point a gun at his face and he'd never know. He only hoped that whatever the demons did to him here on... he guessed it was level Five, it sounded right... whatever they did, he hoped it healed, and he hoped- he grimaced in his own mind as he thought it -he gave them enough screams of bloody murder to keep them satisfied he was still with them. But now that he was in a trance, he had to act quickly, discover WHAT he could do.

He realized he literally was just a mind, without a coporeal body. At least, that's how he perceived it, since in Hell his spirit had tangibility. But somehow, he'd sent his very mind from his spirit... an all together strange and frightening experience. He really did NOT want to be Essence of Human just floating around in Hell. So where could he go? What could he DO? He had no doubt he'd feel everything the demons did to him once he returned... and he didn't want them to realize he'd escaped. But perhaps... well, demons possessed humans all the time, didn't they?

The idea wasn't his own, it was the monster he kept locked down. Yet he found it an oddly intriguing idea and figured, Why not?

The human floated- is that what it was, floating? -towards the furthest demon from the little group. As it was, the demon was napping, and the human prayed silently that the rules applied here like they did on Earth... and he overlapped the demon.

Suddenly, he woke up, and feared for a moment it had been a dream, because he hurt all over... until he realized that it wasn't his body. For one, he wasn't THAT muscular... and secondly, well... confidentially, he wasn't sure how these demons WALKED without tripping all the time, but he was certain that if someone ever turned the thermostat down, at least they'd be able to keep their feet warm.

Crude joking aside, the human found himself in an oddly spirited mood, and jumped up using the demons body. Nobody was watching; he was either that important, or that worthless, rank-wise, so he went unnoticed. He tapped into the demons memory, and posed a hypothetical question; If one wanted to find out what he needed to know, but he was stuck in Hell, what should he do?

Surprisingly, the demon had an answer, because HE was stuck in Hell, and HAD needed to learn much; See the Sage.

The human would have nodded his head, but that might draw unwanted attention, so he took off at what he hoped was a casual pace for a demon. In a matter of minutes, he was at a blank wall that had no distinct markings on it, and for all intents and purposes, might've just been that, a wall. But any wall in Hell, to a demon, was a prospective doorway, and this wall had rarely been used, or so the demons memory told him. Putting his hand to the wall, the human/demon uttered the incantation needed to open it, and a familiar doorway opened... it looked like a simple, ordinary wooden door. The demon didn't know what this was, but the human did. That was a door from Earth... and the human looked through and received an almighty shock.

Through the doorway, he saw a familiar woman, reading a book. The lights were dim, but that wouldn't impede her in the least, and the human saw that her eyes were moist...

"Where... where has he gone?" The woman whispered tearfully, and with a painful shock from the spine to his feet, the human knew, KNEW she was talking about him! He HAD to get back...!

But then the doorway of the womans home opened, and a tall figure stepped in, resembling... him! Someone impersonating the human was now in this womans house! The human would have done anything, given anything, to stop what he knew was coming, but he watched as the impersonator spoke, using his own voice, and deceiving the woman into believing it was him. She didn't need to see a face to know the voice, and she simply cried in relief. The impersonator then went on to talk about how he'd been imprisoned, but broke free... the woman cried harder, and would have gone to hug him, but the impersonator stepped aside, confusing the woman. The impersonator then went on to talk about how he'd found someone else, someone better.

Someone with working eyes.

The woman turned her blind eyes towards this imposter, unbelieving, uncomprehending, but not due to any lack of mental facility on her part. How could this be, she asked. How could you say this, she begged to know. The impersonator simply shrugged, then, as if realizing the woman wouldn't have seen, he audibly said he gave a shrug of indifference. The woman instantly stood up and grabbed her cane, and told the imposter- though she didn't realize he WAS an imposter -he could let himself out. And so the imposter did, leaving the woman to cry alone.

The human slammed the door shut. If the demon had been equipped for it, tears would be streaming his face, but as it was, the human HAD to focus... he had to find the Sage and ask how to escape. Again, he touched the wall... this time, a fiery portal opened, leading to a river of flames and lava. Here, he knew, was someone who could tell him how to escape. But how to reach him... ah, right.

Walking down the trail, the human found an alcove and entered it, finding an old man sitting in the lava. He looked to be in considerable pain... no surprise there, but the human couldn't quite grasp why he seemed at ease here...?

"So... you have returned." The sage said with a pained expression. The sage never opened his eyes...

"It's, er, not what it seems this time but, yeah, sure, okay." The human said through the demons mouth.

"Oh-ho? A human? Possessing a demon? What a turn of events." The sage commented thoughtfully. "And you want to know how to escape, yes?"

"Don't we all?" The human asked, almost daring to chuckle.

"How interesting you should say that... That is what the demon you inhabit wanted... to escape." The sage commented.

"He, I, what? Escape!?" The human said, shocked. Only now did he realize the demon, indeed, was awake and aware, and was not fighting the possession. "Well... I, er..." The human knew that some demons... very few, honestly... but some demons were tame and personable enough to interact with the living... on Earth, anyway. In Rhy'Din, Demon Kind and every variant and cross-breed imaginable existed, and demons weren't ALWAYS evil... "Well... I... er..."

"Will you take him with you?" The sage asked curiously. "Are you showing compassion for the enemy?" The sage raised an eyebrow, more force in his voice than the human could have guessed at.

"It's not... compassion... he's not... well, he is a Demon but..." Now the human was concerned and a little scared. A demon AND a Damned Soul had leverage over him, just like that! He was in serious trouble, now...

"Listen old man." The demon said, and now the human took a back seat, so to speak, on the controls. "When I asked you how to escape from Hell, you gave me a cryptic message I have yet to figure out. Just answer the human and be done with it; no doubt he'll be here a long time, he'll have time to riddle it out." The sage almost smiled, but the pain was too much, so simply gave an answer.

"The way out is the way you came in." The sage said. The human and demon stared, listening closely to see if he would say more, but the sage sank beneath the flames and did not resurface.

"Seems the best you're getting." The demon muttered, and the human found himself agreeing with him. "Well... better return you to your body." The demon said softly. The human was now completely confused... and noticed how distorted everything seemed and had a horrible revelation.

"Was this all real... or was it all in my head?" The human asked sadly.

"Oh, it was most certainly in your head." The demon said as he walked to the wall. "But does that mean it wasn't real? You be the judge of that." The demon opened a portal and returned to his resting spot, and the human opened his eyes to discover he was still being tortured by the demons. Sure enough, the pain hit him like a blow to the stomach, and he moaned and cried in despair, the pain shaking his body.

The beast within him stirred restlesly. It sensed its time was near. It wanted OUT, NOW... a low growl escaped the human's lips that was not entirely unlike an animal with teeth and claws...

Part Four: Somebody help me tame this animal I have become...
(Violent. Ye have been warned.)

The beast was free, and the human was glad for it. He felt himself stand up, and felt his body rip the chains from the walls. That drew the attention of everyone in the room. The demons, especially, looked surprised, and a little... scared. The humans eyes rolled back up into his head, red vein marked whites the only part showing. His breathing became erratic. His whole body was twitching as the change overtook him. A low growl rumbled deep in his throat as his lip curled back in a snarl. The demons all rushed at him to try and chain him up again, but the human jumped over them and slammed into them with his feet. Two demons vanished in a cloud of smoke as three others piled on top of him, but a sudden blur of chain wrapped around one demons neck and then, said demon began to spin round and round as the human swung him about, slamming him into other demons and walls with increasing ferocity. More demons arrived but at that moment, the human released the demon and sent him flying into the cluster that arrived.

Screams of agony as the demons were sent flying soon filled the caverns, and the human walked slowly and with purpose. Random stones and damned souls were lashed at by the chains, demons and pillars of rock alike smashed to pieces. This beast was ruthless, violent and did not discriminate. Anyone, or anything, in it's way, and it was fair game.

The Hell Hounds arrived to try and attack the human, but they were grabbed by the throats and slammed together, yipes and whines escaping their bodies as they writhed on the ground with their skulls crushed in and their windpipes clenched shut. Soon a legion of demons approached wearing armor, wielding weapons of various sorts, ranging from spears and swords to hammers, nets and clubs. The human stood there for a moment, eyes still rolled back into his head, swaying lithely from where he stood, and the demons readied themselves, and with a roar, they charged.

The human snarled and lunged at the nearest demon smashing his head in with a fist and taking his sword and shield. Demons did not bleed, but still felt the pain of death, so soon the air was filled with the black smoke demons left when they 'died'. The human fought like a beast unleashed, for that was precisely what he was. Left and right he slashed, severing hands from wrists and arms from shoulders. Screams of agony and torment soon filled the air as the number of demons lowered by a considerable amount; the remaining demons soon fled to different caverns... and the human followed.

But the human, though aware, was not in control. He had to watch with horror as the beast within went crazy... soon the beast had found the demon 'day-care'. The remaining demons were using the children as shields... and the beast didn't care. Now the human tried to reel him in, but he couldn't; too late he remembered how desperately he fought before to restrain him. How difficult it was. Suddenly, and without warning, the beast ran at the children, and they began to scream and cry in terror...

And the human yanked himself back. Forcing himself to the fore of his mind, he threw himself against the wall... and felt a collar snap around his neck. Another demon had arrived, a kind of beast tamer, and he had just captured the human... and with that collar, the beast retreated to its 'cage', and paced restlesly, as if simply biding its time before its next escape.

For once, the human did not care about the collar, or how it was too tight to breathe properly. His fiery rage was burning itself out and he was faced with a terrible truth; he would have hurt those kids, if the demon hadn't stopped him. Now those children retreated to the furthest corner, and the demons didn't stop them. The human passed out from exhaustion and knew naught but darkness.

. . .

"Wilder than I thought." A voice said, far away from the spot the human had collapsed on. The owner of the voice stood at a circular table, facing other entities like himself.

"More dangerous. What was the Master thinking?" A female voice asked.

"I WAS THINKING THAT I HAD A PRIZE WORTH MY TIME." A hideous voice said. The others gathered flinched, but held their ground. "HE IS PERFECT."

"Perfect at causing trouble! Release him, Master, there are others!" A gruff voice pleaded.

"I WILL NOT RELEASE HIM. HE IS MINE." The Dark One said firmly. "HE WILL MAKE A PERFECT WARRIOR... ONCE WE TAME HIM." And at this, the others comprehended what the Master planned, and they all shared in a good laugh.

. . .

The human didn't know it, that Renne was coming to save him. The human didn't know it, what was being planned for him. But what he DID know... was that time was running short.

Part Six: Wish I had an angel for a moment to love...
(Dark, kinda disturbing.)

The human had taken to clawing at himself with those massive talons, hoping beyond hope to drown out the dark voices in his head. It wasn't that the voice was particularly mean or cruel to him, quite the contrary, it promised him whatever he wanted if only he would do as it asked. But the human knew too well the cost of whatever rewards the voice offered. The night was eternal here in the corner of Hell that Satan had stuck him in, yet the human could see and hear perfectly. He often roared in agony and pain, as his claws left horrible scars on his new body; it refused to heal properly, no matter what he did or said. His face was, slowly, day by day, or so he perceived it, changing. More and more his head and face began to slowly change to match the body he had now. And the more it did, the more his beast retreated into the shadows of his mind. The human felt his humanity slipping away with every passing second, and didn't know how to hold onto it. He felt despair fill him anew, senseless rage and sorrow infusing him.

"It's hopeless..." He whispered in that rough voice, and it echoed off the stone walls to fill his ears with the words.

. . .

Back up above, Michael and Azrael were still staring at the human's body, frozen like a sickening statue of some terrible memory. The body would not decompose, frozen over like that, but it was deader than, well... death. It wouldn't be inhabitable as it was. Yet the Blue Child and the Human would eventually return... that much they truly believed. But by now, Michael realized the human would have figured out he didn't have a body to return to. Would that affect his desire to return? Most likely... Michael thought. So, what were they to do? The Holy Father had not given them instructions on this... were they to do as they thought right? And what happened if the Holy Father told them to take back the gift of Life?

"For what reason did the Father give us the ability to choose, if we are not meant to make our own choices?" Azrael said suddenly, interpreting his brother's silence. Michael stared at his brother silently, and a small smile formed...

. . .

The human had somehow fallen into an uneasy sleep, but it was a restful sleep regardless. He did not dream, not really, but he felt this strange comforting warmth of someone washing his wounds, here in the chill of Level Nine...

Level Nine?

He awoke with a start, not realizing or knowing anything beyond the fact this WAS Level Nine! He was here though he knew not how, at the deepest of the Pits, and it was here... the Demon of the Copper Wire had put his brother... a human most likely with a curtain of hair in his face, like the one washing the humans wounds...

What??

"You???" The human gasped, standing up and hitting his head on the low ceiling. The human before him was wearing tattered, rag-tag clothing, smelled of the worst kind of filth imagineable and worse, but that distinctive curtain of brown hair too thick to allow anyone to see the eyes was unmistakable. "You're the Demon of the Copper Wire's brother!"

"..." The human with the long hair didn't say anything, or at least, nothing loud enough to be heard. The human had a distinct impression something WAS said, though...

"I won't hurt you..." The human said, and the long-haired human nodded knowingly.

"I know..." The long-haired human whispered. "The Dark Master told me to clean your wounds... he thought you would... like me." The long-haired human whispered so silently he might not have spoken at all, but the human had been paying attention and heard him anyway. "Forgive me for waking you." The long-haired human said.

"It's okay... I wanted to be awake anyway." The human said softly. Well, step-one of his original plan accomplished... now to figure out how to fight the Dark One, win, and escape to a body that would hold him... but then he realized another flaw; the long-haired one didn't have a body... but then the human almost grinned, that wasn't as much of a problem. He had his ways to take him with regardless. "What's your name?"

"Matthew." The long-haired human- Matthew -said.

"You wanna get out of here?" The human asked. Matthew nodded so softly it would have been missed if the human hadn't of been watching so intently. The human, for the first time, was thankful of the enhanced abilities this new body gave him. "Me too. Don't mind floating along without a body for a while, do you?"

"Not at all." Matthew said softly. But suddenly, a fierce, horrific light filled the area and the Dark One was shillouetted against it.

"WELL, WELL, WELL. PLOTTING AN ESCAPE, ARE WE?! I DON'T THINK SO!" The Dark one said fiercely, and grabbed Matthew. The human rose at once and rushed the Dark One, but was held fast by his collar and by several chains which appeared. The human struggled uselessly against his bindings, and watched as Matthew was held by the neck of the Dark One. "THIS OUGHT TO TEACH YOU TO PLOT AGAINST YOUR MASTER. I WILL SEND HIM TO OBLIVION, AND YOU WILL FEEL HIS PAIN." The human struggled, his wings spreading wide and flapping fiercely, his muscles straining against his own skin. The Dark One raised a seemingly normal, human-looking hand, and brought it down into the eyes of Matthew, gouging them out.

The human shrieked in agony as he felt the fingers gouging into his eyes, and he knew the torment was just beginning. Eventually, the pain subsided and he felt the Dark One grip his/Matthew's low back, his talons digging in and gripping his spine... and with a horrible foreboding, the human knew what was going to happen. Soon, the Dark One ripped Matthew's spine out and the combined screams of agony filled Hell with a nigh tangible terror and pain. Eventually, the Dark One opened his mouth... and opened it further, and it stretched inhumanly wide and open, and he stuffed Matthew into his mouth and began masticating. The human felt the pain and cried in place of Matthew, and fell to his knees when he felt the pain leave. Matthew was gone... he was in... Oblivion. Better known to some as the Void... but not any Void people knew how to reach. The place of Death for the Dead. It was more of an Un-Void, like the deepest reaches of space, at the other end of a black hole... nothingness. No thought, no life... no feeling.

"You will pay for this." The human muttered. The Dark One belched and laughed.

"OH, I DOUBT THAT..." He sneered, and walked away, spitting on the ground as he did; a few hairs were stuck in that foul piece of excriment, but the human took them anyway, clearing away the saliva.

"Strike... three." The human said, and felt, from deep within him, his heart open itself to the darkness and accpet it. He had succumbed... and the collar fell away. Now all that held him were chains... at least, physically, all that held him were chains...

Part Eight: ...AND determined

The human wept. The song was that sad... and that beautiful. Every 'night', as he was aware of it, someone was coming to his oubliette to sing to him. But who was it? And how did they get away with such an act? But there in the dark- in the shadows of the night -that mysterious singer was his only companion. Every night, he would hear the song, and he would cry bitter tears, cursing himself for being so weak. Little by little, he thought he felt himself grow lighter, and believed it to be nothing more than emaciation and starvation. And he might have kept on believing it, too, 'til Judgement sounds, except, the chains, which had been designed to hold a monstrous demon in place no longer fit, and he fell to the floor.

That night, as he lay there, too weak to fully comprehend he was no longer bound and chained to the ceiling, he felt more than he heard that mysterious singer return again and begin singing. The human even smiled a little, to have the tiniest ray of hope here in the darkest of pits. Soon enough, the singer finished his sad yet beautiful song and vanished again. The human didn't even know if the singer was female or male... but he was mostly certain it was male. And in the darkness of the oubliette, the human heard a voice.

"Pathetic." A voice whispered in his ear. The human couldn't respond with his voice, but his mind was sharp enough to answer.

"Shut up." He said in his mind. He didn't expect an answer... which was why he was surprised when he got one.

"No. For too long, you've tried to shut me up." In the darkness, the human saw himself standing before himself. The self he saw was standing tall, but it's eyes were different... they were full of life, and energy. "I have a voice, and I will be heard."

"Just keep it down." The human cried softly. "Speak all you want, I don't care anymore. I give up."

"Give up? You? Who swore to reach Rhy'Din at any cost, PAID that price, and defied demon and Devil alike?" This other-self said mockingly. "Some hero YOU are."

"I never claimed to be a hero..." The human defended himself. His other-self scoffed.

"Oh sure, you may not have SAID you were a hero, but you sure act like one... it helps that others SAW you as a hero." The other-self said. The human would have laughed, if he had the energy.

"Me? A hero? Sorry, I think you have the wrong damned soul. Literally." The human added. "I haven't saved anyone, ever. The Imp would have survived without me... his friends showed up. They would have saved him... and if you didn't know, *I* was the one to die, not him."

"So you sacrificed yourself... how very NOBLE of you." The other-self said, and the human winced.

"Noble, maybe... but it wasn't enough." The human said. "I've failed everyone."

"Everyone?" The other-self said. "I think not. Matthew depended on you. Even that demon depended on you. If you survive and get out of here, you know HOW to bring them both with you!" The other-self said, and his eyes flashed a brilliant color that blinded the human; when the color faded, all that remained was a pair of eyes in the darkness staring at the human. "On your own, maybe you're not much right now... because you still haven't seen the truth."

"The truth is I'm weak." The human said. "I haven't got any powers as a human!"

"Ahh..." The other-self said. "Then perhaps, it's a good thing you're not entirely human, eh?"

"...What?" The human scoffed. "Not human? Then what AM I?"

"A spirit." The other-self said gently, and the human stopped for a moment. A spirit. He'd known it, obviously; he was DEAD. But what this other-self just said... the way he said it... made the human realize something... he WAS a Spirit!

"You're right... but I haven't the strength to move anymore... my will is broken." The human sighed in defeat. He felt something warm stroll past him, but he couldn't see it.

"Maybe, maybe not... but I always had the impression your will was rather indestructible." The other-self commented. "You always believed everything would work out... and it did, didn't it? Just..."

"Not always the way... I hoped... it would." The human finished. The gears were turning in his head now, but he still felt so weak... so tired... "I can't now... and by the time I recover... it'll be too late." The human said regretfully, and felt that warm sensation draw closer, behind him... but he dare not look at it. Something told him if he tried, he'd only see darkness...

"It's never too late if you act quick enough... you HAVE the strength to move, you HAVE the will to move, you HAVE the motivation! NOW MOVE!" The other-self commanded, and the human defied him.

"I would if I could, but I don't HAVE the strength... YOU would, you DO. So YOU move the body if it can be done!" The human snarled.

"What am I?" The other-self asked. "A part of you. A personification given substance and life thanks to your abilities. YOU made me real. YOU gave me the strength you lack. YOU gave me the courage. YOU made me in YOUR image. I. AM. YOU. And you are me. So... what ARE YOU?"

"I'm... I'm not you... you're not me... I'm weak, okay? I'm tired!" The human said.

"Everyone you ever knew said you were courageous. Strong. Fierce. Powerful. Are you going to prove them wrong...?" His other-self said. "The few people, according to you, that actually BELIEVE in you...?" But at this time, the stone slab was removed from the top of the oubliette and Satan stood there.

"SO, MY SLAVE. HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH?" A fresh set of chains designed for human-sized wrists ensnared his wrists and dragged him painfully from the hole, but he didn't fight it. He was listening to that voice in his ear...

"Or will you embrace me?" The other-self said.

"You're not me... you're a monster... that needs to be locked down." The human whispered in his mind. The other-self snarled.

"You're close... I'm not you... you are ME. You have the potential, here, better than nearly anywhere else on Earth, to bring out your full potential! So what if there are Demi- or even Full Gods? Or Demons and Angels? Entities of every creed and color and race walk these fertile grounds, here in Rhy'Din. You are currently in Hell... you have the opportunity to access your full potential!" Satan was dragging his captive through Hell, bringing him slowly to the main chamber.

"My... potential?" The human whispered in his mind. A light, shimmering in the dark, seemed to draw the humans gaze.

"Your potential... you have the mystical strength and the stubborness to wield it. But you lack the strength to even move... that's where I come in. Stop fighting me, and I will stop fighting you. Embrace me!" Something great, big and warm stood as close as possible to the human, in his mind. He felt it's hot breath upon him, warming him to the core.

"But... what are you?" The human whispered, unfortunately this time it was out loud.

"I AM YOUR MASTER!" Satan roared, while a smaller, quieter voice said,

"You know what I am... what you are." The other-self insisted. "You need only say it... believe it." The other self insisted again. "You are a king above others... yet you rule with a gentle heart. There have been kings with my name. Characters with my image. My very visage has terrified and petrified others. Yet so few others have had my majesty and strength. There are few that are seen to rule on high as I am thought to do. Few are there that have more courage... at heart." The other-self said, his voice becoming stronger and louder. Satan had finally dragged the human to the main chamber, and threw him to the ground and sat upon his throne.

"WELL, MORTAL? WILL YOU SERVE ME NOW?" Satan asked. "DO YOU HAVE THE COURAGE TO STAND AND LOOK ME IN THE EYE?"

"...courage?" The human asked softly, a light shining brighter and brighter in his field of vision, a sudden comprehension lighting in his eyes.

"YES!" Satan cried. "OR DO YOU PREFER STUPIDITY? THAT SEEMS MORE LIKELY..." Satan scoffed. "YOU ARE NO MORE THAN A MISERABLE BEAST!"

"...a beast..." The human said. "A beast." He said with more conviction. The image of the beast within him filled his vision like a fiery tempest, blocking out all but that pair of yellow eyes.

"OH-HO? BABBLING NOW? WAS THE OUBLIETTE THAT TERRIFYING??" Satan asked with mock-concern.

"Terrible. Horrible. But it wasn't that bad." The human said firmly, realizing now, of all times... exactly what his TRUE strength was... what his true spirit was. "You're the most terrifying thing I've ever faced, coal-squatter. I'd rather wrestle an irate dragon to the ground with my bare hands than challenge you... but I see no dragons... and I see no challenge. You're nothing." The human said, slowly raising to his feet, the chains shaking loudly as he did.

"OH? IF I'M, 'NOTHING', THEN WHAT ARE YOU!?" Satan demanded, his anger boiling rapidly. For a moment, the human said nothing. "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION, FOOL! ANSWER ME!" Satan demanded again.

"A Shaman." The human answer, looking up, a different kind of fire in his eyes. "And more." Satan began to sense something... unusual radiate from the human...

"OH REALLY? AND WHAT ELSE CAN A POWERLESS SHAMAN BE? HMM?" Satan asked, eyeing him suspiciously. The human took a deep breath, bolstered by the warm, furred thing curled around his mind.

"I, am the Lion."

Part Nine: I am the Lion. (This takes place at the end of '...AND determined. Sorry about the lateness of this post.)
(Violent and mildly graphic language and situations. Parental discretion is advised.)

"I, am the Lion." The human said, and a golden light encompassed him. Satan was unimpressed.

"YOUR LIGHT SHOW IS ANNOYING AT BEST, YOU'RE NOT INTIMIDATING ME. BAH. YOU, A LION? MORE LIKE A LION CUB! YOU HAVEN'T THE STRENGTH OR COURAGE TO USE THE DARKNESS, WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN BE A LION!?" Satan demanded to know.

"Because I am a Shaman... and the Lion... is my Spirit Animal. And I, thanks to you... happen to be a Spirit right now." The human said in a voice not his own. Satan's eyes widened as the Human began to glow brighter. "You speak of courage, goat-humper? I heard, once, that a truly courageous man knows when to ask for help... or something along those lines." The light was blinding, both to Satan and the human; it seared his mind with a terrible pain as the darkness within him tried to surface to fight it... but the Lion was subduing it. The deeper the darkness retreated, the more the human began to take on Lion-like attributes.

It began with his feet. His feet were bigger than most other humans, but now instead of long, they began to grow sideways while shortening a little. Great claws slide out of his skin and then retracted themselves as the proper muscleds formed to keep them sheathed in their proper place until the time came for their use. The soles of his feet began to thicken and bulge out into the pads of a cat's foot... a BIG cat's foot. Golden fur rippled along his skin from the tips of his toes to the ankle as the change overcame him... no. The change did not overcome him, that would imply he was fighting it. No. This time... he willed it. WELCOMED it, and not for any nefarious deed like revenge or some such bull-shit... no, this was for justice. For Matthew... for those children in Hell that didn't belong. For Renne... and even... even... the demon that helped him. And he never even learned his name.

From his now lion-feet, the change continued along it's course, his muscles growing and shifting in place to accomodate the new skeletal-structure that accompanied such a body; the slightly nauseating grinding noises as his bones reshaped himself would have been enough to make most mundane humans heave their lunch... but the human beared through it all. Satan, however, was not a fool.

"I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO COMPLETE THE TRANSFORMATION!" And Satan approached him rapidly... but it looked in slow-motion to the human. His eyes had already shifted to that of a Lion, fierce and yellow in color, keen and watchful. The human knew he couldn't win in a fight as he was, so he had to stall for time as the transformation finished itself. Satan swiped at the human, but he used his new legs to spring to the side with rapid movements, crouching down and building the muscle tension he'd need to leap even further. But Satan was learning, and raised his hands up, causing the very stone beneath the human's feet to rumble and raise, a razor-edged crag of stone shooting forth with blinding speed... well, blinding speed to a human. To a lion, it was merely faster than he was comfortable with, so dodged at the last second, once he determined where and how it would raise. Satan kept at it, raising pillars and spikes of stone, shooting flames from his hands and forcing the human to tire out by dodging so rapidly one after the other... but something became very obvious to Satan. Somehow, the human was NOT getting tired. "YOU IMBECILE! HOW CAN YOU KEEP MOVING YOU WRETCHED BASTARD!?"

"Easy." The human replied in a growling voice one might expect to hear from a great cat. "As a Spirit, I am free from trivial matters such as breathing and tiring out. Most people cling to the memories of when they lived, and they think they tire out and suffocate to death... well, RE-death... so they do. It took me a while to remember that, but once I did... well, you get the picture." The human explained, happy to bide some time that DIDN'T require him to dodge something. In truth, it wasn't HE that was perpetually energized; it was the Lion. The human was bluffing; he WAS tiring out, he was tired out from the first few fancy maneuvers, but the Lion knew better than to rely on the laws of Earth Physics, so it could push the Spirit Body beyond mortal comprehension.

The transformation had continued it's course throughout the entire ordeal. Now his legs bristled with golden fur that shined with a brilliant sheen, and the transformation reached his lower torso. Here was where the chains began to bind the human as if to imitate a mummification, but those chains were not material... they were immaterial, made of ethereal substance. It was the belief and the power poured into those chains that made them so dangerous and unbreakable. As the human felt his nether regions shift to match that of the great cat, the chains began to clench tighter, constricting him. Satan knew this was happening and laughed with a pre-victory laugh, believing that this time, he'd keep the cat IN the bag... but his laugh was cut short as the human hunched over and inhaled deeply. Satan watched with curiosity, confused what the human was doing... when suddenly the human stood swiftly and threw his head back, and the inside of his mouth was filled with sharp teeth as his face elongated ever so much to that of a Lion's face, fure bristling all along his face, a mane of pure fire errupting around his head and down his back a little. Flames errupted from the soles of his feet, forming a kind of anklet that blazed brilliantly yet didn't hurt... but that wasn't the most astounding thing, despite the fact Satan had not seen such a transformation, ever.

The most astounding change was when the human, eyes ablaze with power, dressed in shabby, rag-tag clothes, bound in so many chains he could be the anchor of a ship, tensed his now-growing muscles, and began to strain against the chains... as if he truly felt he could break them.

"FOOL! DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN BREAK THOSE CHAINS?! I MADE THEM MYSELF, MY WILL IS IN THEM, MY POWER COATS THEM... AND YOU THINK YOU CAN BREAK THEM THAT EASILY!?" Satan guwaffed.

"No, don't be... silly, goat-humper. I don't think I can break them... I KNOW I can break them!" The human said, and as he strained against those chains, he could FEEL the will of Satan in them, whispering, trying to lure the darkness in him to come out and dominate him again. The human felt it lingering at the fringe of his consciousness, felt it's tempting power, and sensed, more than felt, how much of a difference there was between his current state and the darkness he had swelling inside him.

Abraham Lincoln once said, 'Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.' That statement was more true than many would want to admit, but the human knew it... even if he HAD forgotten for a while.

"FACE IT HUMAN. YOUR HEART IS WEAK. YOUR COURAGE FAILS YOU. YOU COULDN'T SAVE A FLY IN A GARBAGE DUMP, LET ALONE YOURSELF OR OTHERS!" Satan taunted him.

"Maybe you're right..." The human muttered, looking down, and Satan swelled with pre-concieved victory. "But..." The human said. "Maybe you're not. I guess we'll have to see... won't we?" And the human hunched over again, still tensing his muscles, and suddenly with a sound equivalent to a gaggle of harpies swarming on the biggest, foulest, juciest carcass in the history of carrion-eaters dreams, the chains binding the human began to stretch and bend. Then with a mighty crash like the collison of two or more planets, the chains broke, and were sent flying everywhere, and the transformation completed itself in fast-forward, a shadowy essence smoking off of the human and dissipating into the air harmlessly. And then the human did something else, too, once his body completed the transformation, leaving him with golden fur all over, muscles to make anyone jealous, hands the size of an ogre's hand and just as strong with claws instead of fingernails, and fire that circled his wrists. He inhaled deeper, threw his head back, thrust out his chest, stomped the ground and clenched his fists, and roared.

Anyone that has heard a big cat roar knows just how terrible a sound it can be from a distance. The effect was far worse to have it be in front of you, and you KNEW it was coming for you. Satan did not scare easy, and he was not scared now... but he was starting to get a little nervous. The human stared at Satan with ferocious yellow eyes that could pierce the soul, a mane of fire that burned the brightest red like an angry sun flared wildly behind him. The clothes that the human had been wearing were nothing but shreds, now. Standing there nude, the human felt no shame at his nakedness, nor did he feel pride in himself; pride was a foolish thing at times though acceptable in small doses... but this was not a contest to see who had the bigger phallus, nor was it a time to try and impress or intimidate. Though his phallus was now that of a lion, it was barely visible, both from the lack of arousal and the fact his current anatomy was not designed for a lion to stand on it's hind legs, so the great, thick bushy fur hid it very well. A tail swung back and forth behind him, sprouting from his lower lumbar legion just above his buttocks, like a great rope of muscle that ended in a tuft of flames that did not burn away his flesh. The human stood relaxed, actually RELAXED, and simply felt the power coiled within his body stir restlessly... and it made him, or at least the cat side of him... feel very yummy.

Satan neither sweated nor made proclamations that such a transformation was impossible. He did not try to decieve himself into thinking that just because a human LOOKED like a Lion-Anthro that he could not possibly have the strength of one. That was the greatest folly of all those who practice evils way. They underestimated their opponents, especially when they knew just how strong they themselves were. But Satan was not stupid. He had already underestimated the human's tenacity and endurance and knowledge. He would NOT underestimate his power. A power he himself felt rolling off him like a heat wave. The human broke his chains. The human survived in the oubliette. He even managed to cast off the darkness in his heart.

Satan was getting excited.

He hadn't had a good challenge in quite some time, so he was itching for a good, ol' fashioned rumble. He tore his own clothes off, revealing the 'perfect' physique; hard, chiseled muscles, smooth skin, a phallus to make any woman- or man, for that matter -swoon with delight, and not a single hair anywhere except on his head. He was the epitome of 'flawless', a veritible compendium of beauty and masculinity. He felt his own body tense at the excitement of the oncoming fight and his body reacted similarly to that of an aroused lover. Satan felt no shame or embarassment; rarely did he ever feel much of anything, actually, always cooped up in the bowels of Hell, doing the same damn thing (no pun intendid) day after day until he lost count of the number of millenia he'd been at it. Though he had no heart, his veins throbbed with his boiling blood, and on his back... scars, two great scars. shapped much like where something might've once been a part of him, perhaps like a set of wings... and his scars twitched violently.

The human and Satan both had scars, but for the human, the scars were in his heart and soul. Embarassment and shame from his past, cruel punishment and torture when he didn't do anything wrong. One could argue that both the human and Satan had been wronged, but there was a key difference; Satan lead a revolt against Heaven and got booted out. The human simply struggled to exist in a world that hated everyone. But despite their dramatic differences, they were both undoubtedly headstrong and equally determined to achieve what they felt was rightfully theirs.

"COME TO ME, MORTAL; LET US EMBRACE." Satan said, running forward with blinding speed.

"Yeah. Let's dance, punk." The human said, matching that movement by pushing himself forward towards the on-coming Prince of Darkness, and they struck at the same time.

The human swiped at Satan while Satan threw a kick; the human scored a light graze on Satan's chest, having misjudged the distance his claws could reach, and Satan had pulled his punch at the last minute to dodge the claws, so no real harm had been done yet. But if the fight had been a simple trade of blows, it'd be nothing more than a game or even a dance. No, immediately after their initial attacks, they continued on just as strong, slashing and chopping, kicking and biting, throwing any and all rules out the proverbial window; this was no mere street brawl. This... was war.

Satan enjoyed war; it often unlocked the worst in most, revealed the traitors and cowards for who they really were, showed people who the natural born leaders were and who the cold-blooded murderers were. War forced a person to face death, possibly their own death, and make them choose; do you fight... or do you run? The majority of the human race would choose to run over fighting, because their sense of self-preservation had heightened itself beyond normal standards; humans, on a whole, were cowards, when viewed from that light. But there was more to it than that; some would flee to save their family and friends, some would PRETEND to flee, then sneak into enemy lines and slaughter them all in their sleep. War truly brought out the worst in most... but it also brought out the best.

Satan is the empitome of 'worst' according to many, in whatever light he was viewed as. While the human may not be the epitome of 'best', he WAS determined, and that determination did not waiver even under the oppressive weight of the Prince of Darkness and he fought like the beast unleashed that he was; Satan had the advantage of pure power, might and the hard-earned knowledge of how to use it, but his own faith was lacking, and that put them on equal footing in this fight. Satan, for the first time since he could remember, was fighting with a purely physical strategy, using neither his dominating influence nor his superiority in the dark and mystical arts. The fight carried on leaving them both physically weakened; the human had the advantage of sharp teeth and claws, which allowed him to rip at tendons and gouge out muscle from the bone, but Satan had such strength that he had been able to crush several of the bones in the humans body and force him to vomit blood with several open-palmed thrusts to the stomach.

The human counter-acted by lunging, diving between Satan's legs and biting onto his left hamstrings, and tearing violently, causing Satan to errupt in unholy agony and pain, screaming with a violent passion and fury. Satan reacted by grabbing the tail of the human and yanking, not entirely debilitating but then again, Satan didn't mean it to be so; after pulling the human from between his legs, he formed an orb of pure black energy and slammed it into the human, sending him flying against a stone pillar that rose up. The impact of body to stone was, unsurprisingly, painful and slightly dizzying, even for one watching. The human pulled himself from the pile of rubble that had appeared and stood woozily... and suddenly started laughing.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY? DID THAT BLOW KNOCK YOUR BRAINS LOOSE?" Satan asked, panting.

"Maybe, maybe not... but now that you used your other abilities, I feel at liberty to use mine..." And the human began chanting in a language that had been dead for millions of years... dating back to before the time of the Tower of Babel... and Satan began to grow worried.

"HOW!? HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT LANGUAGE!? IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! IT'S BEEN DEAD FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS!" Satan screamed, charging up his OWN energy...

"I don't." The human admitted. "I don't know the language.. but, some of your tennants do." Satan squinted his eyes, and saw something startling... a line of children, standing behind the human, chanting, whispering, yelling... but Satan didn't hear them!

"WHERE DID THOSE CHILDREN COME FROM!? WHAT ARE THEY SAYING!?"

"They came from your 'Day Care', Beelze-butt. Many of them came from the age of Babel, and wouldn't you know it, they still speak it fluently... and surprise, surprise, you don't hear them, eh? Guess being a Shaman has it's benefits..." The human smirked, and an orb of pure light formed in his paw/hand. Satan fired the orb of darkness he held, but it was swallowed up by the light... the primal light...

"Get ready, Mehpis-shit-oles!" The human said, his fiery mane flaring wildly, the fire on his wrists and ankles turning blue, then finally white, and his mane followed suit. "Here it comes! Ready!? All hands... FIRE ALL!" And the light burst forth from before his hand and encompassed Satan drowning out his screams and sending him flying against the far wall. Eventually that light faded and the human fell to his knees, surrounded by several children of different creed, color and gender, all of them hugging him tightly, thanking him profusely, trying to help him to stand. "It's okay kids... I'll get you out of here... don't worry... but you have to trust me." The children had no fear of this great cat-man, and willingly allowed themselves to be turned into Spirit Flames, similar in size, shape and appearance to Will o' the Wisps, and the human took every last single one and took them into his body for safe keeping. Just then, from the far wall, he heard laughter. Cruel, wicked laughter. Triumphant laughter.

"MILLENIA... EONS... AGES... I HAVE WAITED... FOR A CHALLENGE." Satan said from his position in the rubble. "AND IT PRESENTS ITSELF... IN THE FORM OF A HUMAN STRAPLING. AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Satan laughed, and pushed himself up... completely healed, as if untouched. "YOUR POWER IS MOST IMPRESSIVE, HUMAN... A SHAMAN, 'EH? WELL THEN... YOU'RE FREE TO GO." Satan said, and walked back to his throne calmly.

"Wha-wha-wha?" The human said, baffled. Satan sat himself on his throne and stretched.

"YOU BESTED ME IN COMBAT... YOU'RE FREE TO GO. I MUST BE GETTING OLD IF A BRAT LIKE YOU CAN SURPRISE ME LIKE THAT..." Satan mused silently. The human, however, did NOT trust this. Something about spiders and their parlors...?

"Free to go? Just like that? The kids too?" The human asked.

"THE CHILDREN AS WELL." Satan agreed. The human did NOT trust this, and he got an bad feeling that only got worse as time went on.

"You'll let me leave...? Without trying to stop me?" The human asked, still confused.

"WHY, DO YOU WANT ME TO TRY AND STOP YOU?" Satan asked mirthfully. The human shook his head.

"No, no, it's just... waaaaaitaminute." The human had sudden inspiration. "YOU'LL let me go... but what about the other denizens of Hell?"

"AH-HA. THEREIN LIES A STORY." Satan said cheerfully, applauding the human jovially. The human gulped nervously, but didn't sweat too much. "HURRY AND LEAVE... JUST KEEP THIS IN MIND, HUMAN." Satan said, and that jovialness seemed to increase... "I WILL BE REDOUBLING MY EFFORTS TO GAIN POWER. WE WILL MEET AGAIN. AND NEXT TIME, I WILL BE THE WINNER." The human gulped and didn't even try to hide the fear and contempt in his voice.

"Beelze-butt, offense fully intendid, there's very little that will get me to EVER be your Sparring Partner willingly... even in Rhy'Din." The human said bitterly. Satan... wanting to be his sparring partner!? He'd have said, 'No way in Hell!', except, well... he just did spar with Satan. In hell. So obviously, there WAS a way...

"BE THAT AS IT MAY, WE WILL MEET AGAIN." And Satan sat back, contemplating whatever it was that dieties of pure evil and corruption contemplated... and the human ran without looking back. Somehow, he didn't understand how he knew, or WHY he believed it, but he knew Satan would be true to his word. HE wouldn't try to stop the human...

...but the human had no doubt everyone else in Hell just might try themselves.

He ran as fast as his injured body could, before one of the children he was carrying appeared and spoke to him. She spoke with that ancient tongue they chanted for him, but he heard an undercurrent of English as if the others were automatically translating for him.

"Thou must stop and rest, Hero. Take thy time to meditate and heal thyself." Even with the translation, the speech was archaic. Realizing she had a point, the human did slow down and find a quiet alcove where he COULD rest for a moment. And there in the darkness of the cave, he slept... and had a dream.

Part Eleven: Run.

...he awoke, and had just enough time to realize if he didn't start running, he was in SERIOUS trouble. Jumping to his feet almost two seconds too late, the blade pierced the rock where his head had lain.

"DAMN!" The demon shouted, and thrust again, encountering only air as the human, with a lion-like body still, dodged yet again. But a soft whistling noise drew his attention, and he saw yet another sword swishing through the air at him, and he had to dive forward and break into a dead run to avoid it and the first demon as well. The human didn't like running; on Earth, he was far from physically fit or atheletic, so running seemed a pointless chore to him. That did not mean, however, he was unaccustomed to running from danger.

The human had a long list of instances and people he wished he could forget, though at the same time, he dared NOT forget, lest he fall prey to them again. Running at top speed, letting the lion within carry the body, he dropped to all fours and shifted to a true lions body. At length, the human felt at liberty to relax his mind... right before the lion roared in agony.

"What!? What is it!?" The human yelled as he felt his body shift to it's regular humanoid appearance.

"They're assaulting my mind! I cannot bear this burden alone!" The lion writhed, doing its best to remain motionless. The human snarled in a strikingly similar fashion to the lion, and stood up, not caring that his 'body' was now nude without fur to hide anything.

"Then bear it not alone!" The human said, and took off running. There were fiends and demons all around, simply WAITING for the chance to strike; a mere human, besting their Master!? Half of them wanted to kill the human to avenge their Master; the other half wanted to fight him, to see if they could beat him and claim the glory of saying they were stronger than Satan. The human continued to run, doing his best to ignore the throbbing pain in his chest and sides; I'm a spirit, spirits don't breathe, they don't get tired! I have no mortal body! My muscles do not get sore! SO WHY CAN'T I DO WHAT THE LION DID!? As he thought this to himself, the answer became painfully obvious; because he was still attached to the realm of the living. And because he was still attached to the realm of the living, he held fast to the memories of it, such as breathing and getting tired. As such, his muscles felt like lead and his lungs told him he was breathing in nothing but firey air... which was true anyway, but once again, the human chastised himself for having any lingering memory of-

"YARGH!" The human screeched as his mind seemed to burst with pain beyond comprehension. He normally would have gone to a stand-still, as would nearly any human under a psychic assault, but the human was stubborn enough to run blindly forward, if by 'run' you mean 'stagger forward in an uneven yet generally straight pattern'... but he kept pushing onward; now was not the time to fight. Fighting would only eat up more time... he HAD to run. He had to save the children... he had to rescue Matthew... he even had to save Derek the Demon... but there was one more reason, or rather, there was a bigger reason, in his mind...

He had to save Renne.

The human felt no sorrow at the idea of not making it out 'alive'... but the thought of letting down all these people that depended on him, the thought of breaking a promise to Renne... even if Renne didn't really know he made it... the thought soured his stomach. The human couldn't really say when or where he learned about Renne. At this point, couldn't even remember much of anything from Earth... but he knew Renne. He knew Rhy'Din. He knew these children needed to go to their final rest. He knew Matthew could be pulled back from Oblivion...

And he knew 'her'.

Thoughts flooded his mind as a new tactic of the denizens of Hell began to unfold; rather than try to destroy his mind, overload it with fond memories and distract him. Make him want to go home... make him beg to go home. He recalled the woman he loved on Earth... recalled family members. The fun times he had, the people he'd miss. Though the pain in his mind subsided, the pain in his chest swelled to bursting as tears cascaded his face... how could he have forgotten? Was he that terrible a person to have forgotten such important memories?

"We have him..." A demon whispered to its comrade, and they all grinned. They began to close in as the human came to a standstill... but they watched as the human began to move forward again. The demons kept at it, their psychic assault now a compendium of painful and fond memories, pure pain and pure pleasure. But with each strike they made mentally and emotionally, the human would jerk about, but keep walking. Soon, he broke into a trot and eventually, he was running again.

"Impossible!" A demon shouted. "How can he be moving!?" But the human turned and stared at the demon that shouted this... and his eyes were no-longer that blue/green color... but a deep, deep lavender.

"Because we assist him." A child-like voice spoke from his mouth. A chorus of whispers agreed, and the demons realized the children were all taking turns switching inside the human, taking the edge off the psychic assault; they'd been subjected to it for millenia, it was nothing new to them! But the demons had a plan to counteract this, too...

"Pathetic." A demon said snidely. "A grown man, letting children bear his pain? I thought better of him than that..." And it worked. The human realized why the pain had stopped, and immediately wrenched control of the body from the children... and fell to his knees. His 'body' was tired and sore... his memories told him he could barely move. And nothing the lion or the children could do had any effect on him... he was a sitting duck for the hoard of demons approaching him.

"I'm... sorry..." The human whispered gently, as the first demon reached him, and raised his blade high...

Prologue: Aces High!

The Devil drew another card and grinned at his hand. Looking across at his poker partner, he gave yet another grin. The person sitting across the table neither smiled nor frowned, having developed the ultimate poker face after centuries of playing in the afterlife. After a moment, the man across the table drew a card as well, without even the slightest of muscle twitches to tell Satan whether it was a good card, or a bad card.

"SO..." The Devil said at last. "READY TO PLAY YOUR HAND?"

"Not quite." His playing partner responded, and stared at his cards. "Never thought I'd see the day when you, of all people, would let such a prize slip away."

"AH, YOU'RE REFERRING TO THE BRAT I LET GO." The Devil said. "YES, PERHAPS I WAS FOOLHARDY IN LETTING HIM GO LIKE THAT... BUT I PLAY FOR KEEPS, AND I ALWAYS HONOR MY AGREEMENTS, EVEN IF I DO FOLLOW THEM PRECISELY TO THE 'T'."

"Meaning if it's even implied or possible, you'll do it." His playing partner said, discarded a card, and took his third and final card. "Still... it was really amazing to see him do what he did." The man said, and looked up at last. "Ready."

"WELL, IF YOU INSIST..." The Devil said, and laid his hand out; Royal Flush, Spades. "ROYAL FLUSH. YOUR TURN, AND REMEMBER, ACES ARE WILD CARDS."

"How could I forget...?" The man said, and laid his OWN hand out; Royal Flush, Diamonds. "Well... I didn't win, but at least I tied with you... again." And at last, the man allowed himself a small grin. The Devil laughed heatily, thumping the table.

"DAVEY JONES, THERE'S ONLY BEEN ONE OTHER MORTAL TO ENTERTAIN ME THIS MUCH, AND I JUST LET HIM ESCAPE. WILD CARDS, INDEED..." Davey Jones didn't laugh, but he did grin all the more...

I hope that boy finds whatever he was looking for... Davey Jones thought to himself, and shuffeled the cards yet again. Ye gads, I think I'm feeling lucky today... must be that boy. Sure does have a talent for it. Tomorrow, I think I'll take her out to try rounding the Horn again...