As he entered the ethereal realm, Matthius found himself walking down a soot covered cobblestone path. Surrounding him were shadowy mountains covered by a thick haze of fog. He sensed more than he knew that he was no longer in the realm of the living. Wondering where exactly he was, he continued along the walkway.

The mountains were looming suffocating the life out of everything their shadow fell upon. There were no trees on them, just the same scorched earth blackness that covered the road he was walking down. Being led deeper and deeper down, Matthius felt a shiver run rapidly through him as he heard a chorus of screams more and more clearly.

As he journeyed further and further down the path, he saw things that at first he didn't understand. He came upon a house, much like one you would find in those dream sequences in movies like Little Shop of Horrors ,with a white picket fence and a freshly trimmed lawn. On the lawn was a young man with a very handsome face, tall and muscular, crying out in agony holding a woman in his arms who had a disgusting laceration across her throat. Her skin was a pale hue and her eyes were glazed over with what appeared to be flies landing upon them.

What the fuck? What the fucking hell is this? Matthius thought. As he did so though, the handsome man began wailing even louder and saying. “I’m so sorry, Honey. I should have been there…” His voice cracked. “They did unspeakable things to you. They deserved to die, but I couldn’t do it, Honey. I was scared and weak.”

He screamed in agony again. Matthius watched as the woman disappeared from his arms reappearing in front of him being grabbed by another menacing figure. The figure was holding a knife to her throat. Matthius could see that the woman had been violated and beaten by whoever this figure represented. .

Slowly, the figure grinned wickedly and ran the sharp knife across the woman’s supple throat blood squirting directly into the man’s face. With an unceremonious shove, the figure threw the woman upon the perfectly even lawn in front of the man. The pain behind the handsome man’s eyes was a form of torture that no man can escape. Losing those you love was the ultimate form of torture, and as he rushed to his woman’s side, Matthius knew now where he was.

Realization hit Matthius. This is Hell. He said with realization. The endless agony they speak of and the constant torture. It isn’t being flayed open, probed, burned, or whatever other fucked up thing we’ve always thought. It’s reliving your failures or loss again and again. This guy's girl died in a horrible way and now they repeat it for him over and over again never allowing him to find peace. They didn’t need obscene torture devices; this was much worse.

He descended further and further down watching one scene after another unfold in front of him as every few feet a person would be reliving their hell. Drug addicts taking their last dose or watching their friends overdose, fathers and mothers watching their daughter be raped in front of them, gamblers losing their last cent to the one machine that ruined their entire life, and a teenager putting the cold steel barrel against his forehead as his parents rushed through the door too late to stop the inevitable “boom”: These were only a few of the terrible scenarios played out in front of him. The wails of agony rose to a crescendo; each moment ending at the same time only to restart the same way as before.

Shit. This is heavy. Why am I here? As if hearing his thoughts, an unseen force grabbed Matthius throwing him in front of an imposing throne made of what appeared to be human bones. A rather normal looking man with ginger hair was seated upon the throne. His face was thin with red stubble peaking through his pale skin. The first word that came to Matthius’ mind was ordinary. This man was plain, with a plain suit and plain features.

Matthius could sense that this was anything but true. Seeing him rather suddenly, the man grinned.

“Well, what brings you here, Matthius. You are not due to be here for a few years yet.” The ginger headed man asked.

“Umm…. Who the fuck are you.” Matthius knew what his answer would be, but pissing Satan off just seemed hilarious to him. “How do you know, my name? Are you Jesus?”

“You little fuck! I know that you know who I am. I know that you know where you are cause I am the one who fucking brought you here.” Composing himself he continued, “I am, of course, Lucifer, Prince of Darkness, Ruler of Hell, or whatever the fuck you want to call me. I have a proposition for you.”

“What might that be?” Matthius said slightly intrigued.

“I have a little problem. One of my subordinates is a thorn in my side. I need him gone, and I need you to get rid of him. If I don’t handle this properly, then I could have an uprising on my hands. I need a more discreet solution.” He peered down at Matthius. “You are that solution.”

“How the hell am I the solution? I’m a fucking nobody; I have no skills or abilities that would help you.”

“Oh but you do. A fact that you will learn soon enough. Accept my offer and you will be handsomely rewarded in this world and the next; refuse it and you will suffer. The order you are currently riding with are known as the Vizacs. Let them train you; hone your craft. When you have complete control over your abilities, I will bring you back to my realm and explain what comes next. Do we have an agreement?”

“Isn’t another one of your names, Prince of Lies. Why the fuck would I trust you?” Matthius queried.

“I know you were walking down the path of torment earlier. You observed what happens when you are sent to my realm. Is that really what you want? To relive your mother and Samantha’s death over and over.” The last words froze Matthius' heart. “Oh shit look at me giving away the surprises of the future. My bad, kiddo.” For an instant, Lucifer's eyes lit up with glee. He was enjoying making Matthius squirm. “Let me tell you what you really want to hear. If you do this for me, then you will get your revenge on Nerraz. He is a fucking fool thinking that one sacrifice would settle the debt for failure.”

Those words resolved any doubts Matthius had.

“You think that just because you offer me exactly what I desire most; I will actually trust you. Fuck you and your offer.”

Enraged Lucifer’s form changed from the plain ginger man to the same ashen colored skin beast that Nerraz. Unlike Nerraz however, Lucifer was a giant now towering over Matthius. He had twisted horns that added an extra three feet to his height and his claws were golden with specks of blood throughout them. He had similar tattoos as Nerraz, but as he gazed upon them, Matthius felt himself sinking into madness. Ripping his eyes away after what seemed like an eternity, Matthius sunk to his knees onto the soot covered ground.

Lucifer roared shaking the entirety of his realm, “You have no idea how much you will regret that decision. I told Nerraz to leave you be besides some light torment, but now, you made your choice.”

Matthius strained to get off the ground. He should have been terrified by this transformation and the threats that came, but he was calm on the inside. He looked up at the towering beast in front of him.

“Threaten me all you want; I have made my decision. I will not be a puppet to the one who allowed my mother to be killed by an underling. Fuck you, Lucy.”

Lucifer bellowed, “So be it, Matthius. The blood to come is on your hands. Remember that.”

With this statement, his golden claws stabbed Matthius repeatedly with a vicious flurry of blood and gore flying throughout the ashen air. Matthius awoke with a start grabbing his chest and looking around confused.

Looking back at him concerned, Mark asked, “You good, kid?”

“Huh, yeah I’m okay just a bad dream.” Matthius explained lamely.

“Shit I know how you feel. They come and go for me too; can’t remember the last time I got a good night’s sleep. Well, the good news is we are almost to our destination. Are you ready to get some answers?”

Matthius was perplexed. Mark hadn’t said a word the entire time he had been talking to Frank. He noticed the genuine kindness in his deep blue eyes and the twinge of a smile forming on his lips. This was a good man; I know he is. What if my decision causes his death? What if Lucifer meant both Frank and Mark’s blood would be on his hands? What awful fate awaited them?

As he pondered this, the car slowed. Lucifer said Sam was going to die. Matthius remembered horrified. I have to protect her. Maybe this order will give me that ability or maybe I just fucked us all. Looking out the car window, he saw they were pulling up to a large cathedral in the middle of nowhere.

The cathedral was white with two giant oak doors and green shingled roof. It appeared to be quite old with signs of wear and tear on the dirt stained white siding. Matthius could imagine that at one time this must have been a truly stunning place, but now all that remained was a dilapidated mess.

“What is this place?” He asked.

“This, kid, is the Lyiaza Cathedral. It was once a resplendent place filled with the very best of our order; however, now it is only a husk of its former self much like the order it once contained.” Frank replied “Zachariah and those remaining of our order dwell inside. Follow me; Zachariah is waiting.