Jaime showed Angela and Esther into a room, where they were bathed by little imp-angel servants. They were called biraddali by Jaime, although there were iridescent scars down the lengths of their backs, where wings would’ve been.

Their eyes were pure balls of white, burning but only with a diminished glow. They flittered about like little birds, making sure every part of the girls were clean, removing blemishes, making sure they were the perfect caricature that Panginoon Tupas wanted.

Afterward, they were brought into a room where the walls were damp cave-walls, and Angela suddenly realized that they were, in fact, in some sort of underground house or palace or facility. They were illuminated with flasks of electric light, hanging high above them. The biraddali moved to and fro, fitting and mixing outfits until the Esther and Angela of them were tired of looking at outfits and simply let the biraddali do their thing.

When that finished, Angela and Esther were told to examine themselves in the mirror.

What they saw wasn’t a surprise to them: they were beautiful of course, covered in the best makeup (devil-paint, they said it was, made from the dust of burnt lust demons). Esther wore a simple white dress, sleeveless, and falling to her thighs, pure white, purity. Angela wore one similar to hers but this time pure black, silence and quiet serenity. Esther’s hair curled about her shoulders, while Angela’s was a straight black, leading down to the upper part of her back. Her bangs framed her small eyes.

What surprised wasn’t how they looked, but how they looked. Their eyes were tired, even under the makeup, they could see the dark circles under their eyes. Their faces didn’t really gleam with happiness but drooped with exhaustion. Even though the makeup did it’s best to hide it, their regret and sadness pierced through.

Of course, they were sure the beings here didn’t care about that, of course.

When they were done, they were left by the biraddali to stare at their countenance, which was as uncomfortable as it sounded. They were left there to wonder about themselves, to find if they liked what they saw. It was safe to say that they didn’t especially with how things were going now, especially since they didn’t know if they were ever going to get back home. Now they’re being sold or presented to some noble lord king thing as if they were some kind of gift or sacrificial offering.

Jaime stepped out of the shadows. “You know, both of you look pretty and all, but you definitely don’t bloom.”

“It’s kind of hard when you abducted us and now are planning to present us to some stupid king,” snarled Esther while staring at her reflection.

Angela reached out and grabbed Esther’s hand. Jaime stared at them both, leaning against a stalactite turned pillar, crossing his arms over his chest. He wore a simple black long-sleeved shirt now, with--strangely enough--skinny jeans that really showed off how thin and fragile-looking he was.

“You know what? You’re making me feel bad for abducting you now.”

“Why did you abduct us in the first place?” asked Angela now, the first to break off from staring at her own reflection. “I don’t get it.”

“That balete tree that you were under had eyes trained on it since it was within the domain of Panginoon Tupas. We saw you come in, and Poon Tupas wanted two of the girls presented to him.”

Esther frowned. “Fucking piece of shit.”

“She’s really angry, huh?”

“I mean,” Angela fell down onto the side of a table, where there were pillows for chairs. There was food arrayed on that low table. “Who wouldn’t?”

“Understandable. But anyway, Poon Tupas is a lust demon who somehow managed to garner more power than he should. He’s got a lot of backing, you know.”

“Why?” Angela asked, not sure why she was asking since she was sure to not know.

“Hm, you wouldn’t get it, though,” said Jaime. “But I’ll explain it anyway. Can I uh, have some beef?”

Angela looked down on a bowl and found some cooked beef. She nodded and gave her some.

Jaime sat down and used chopsticks to pick it up.

“Hey, don’t eat without me!” And Esther joined them.

“Alright, it goes like this--”

“Wait,” said Esther again, as she munched on a piece of chicken feet. Only now did Angela and Esther realize how hungry they were. “Aren’t you some kind of demon vampire thing? You need to eat?”

“I’m human,” said the man. “You might think otherwise, but I am.”

“Okay. I still hate you though.”

“And that’s fair and fine, I understand. Anyway, now that I’m here, let me explain some things since you don’t come from heaven.”

“Okay wait now,” spoke Angela again, her cheeks ballooning as she stuffed her face with meat and rice. “So let me get this straight: this world, this world that we’re in right now, with all the balete trees and weird creatures and devils and engkantos and whatnot: they’re all part of heaven?”

Jaime nodded. “You see, it’s been eternities since heaven was, well, the heaven that it was meant to be. It has been destroyed, you see, when god, Batalang Maykapal, the eternal infinite, was killed by the Holy Trinity: the Tyrant Father, the Anointed Son, and the Holiest Ghost. Now heaven used to be a layer, like a physically round layer, stretching for billions of miles, but now it has been shattered, and now floats over the sixth layer of the multiverse, which is the Sea of Collective Thought, where all dreams, consciousness, and spirit come from.”

“Yeah, we saw that.”

“Oh, you did? How?”

“Drugs.”

“Ah, of course. Anyway, when God died, everyone else in the universe could suddenly enter into heaven, and enter they did. After, like, a few thousand years, lots of us have left and now live here, in Paraiso. You know why? It’s because the Holy Trinity wasn’t done: after killing God and becoming the Gods of the Multiverse, they wanted to conquer every single universe there was, and so they did, and they still are doing it. They won’t stop until the three billion universes that there are right now are evenly distributed among them. Whole realities, subjugated under their ceaseless pride and greed, which they call love.”

“You sound like a priest.”

“I used to be,” said Jaime. “I used to be.”

“But you look so young,” said Esther.

“I am. At least, in heaven time. I’ve… gained a lot of longevity, you see.”

“I don’t understand,” said Esther, speaking with her mouth full, so her words were garbled and hard to understand. “But okay.”

“So God is dead…”

“Yes. To be precise, the entire multiverse--”

“Multiverse?” said Angela. “Like, every reality to ever be real?”

Jaime nodded affirmative. “The entire multiverse is dead, is dying, and there’s no way to reverse it. You see, the universe was supposed to last forever, the eternal joy of the creator, but when the Trinity killed Them, well, bam. No more forever. No more eternity. The multiverse has been dying since. Hence, entropy.”

“That’s… depressing.”

“And there’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

“So what are you doing here in Paraiso?”

“The same as anyone is doing: surviving, riding it out until the last star twinkles away.”

They ate more in silence.

“This is good beef, though,” said Jaime.

Angela nodded. “I’m sorry, the heaviness of it all… it gets kind of hard to absorb. My mind is like… you know a sponge, and you’re asking me to soak up an entire sea.”

“Don’t worry I understand. Paraiso gets transportees like you all the time.”

Esther raised an eyebrow: “Do all of them get abducted to be dolled up for some lust demon?”

Jaime smiled. “No, no.” His smile turned sad. “Excuse me, give me a few moments.” And then with that, he up and left.

Angela and Esther looked at each other, uncomfortable, visibly cringing, unknowing of what it was to become of them as they struggled in this heaven-turned-hell. Angela reached out to Esther and they grabbed each other’s hands. They held each other tightly. Tears fell from both of their eyes. They couldn’t breathe. The world was crashing down on them.

“I can’t breathe,” said Esther. Angela pulled her into a hug and pat her slowly.

“It’s okay, I’m here.”

It wasn’t long before Jaime got back, now wearing an overly huge black hoodie, some baggy pants, and combat boots. His white hair seemed to be burning, and his eyes became a mixture of crimson and indigo. “You girls ready? Now the show really begins.”

/// HIGH ABOVE BIRINGAN, UPON THE FLYING CLOUD

“So, let me get this straight because I am kind of having a hard time over here. You’re saying that because of those… things that Sidapa made us eat, we can use a super special kind of magic thingy that let us do all those crazy stuff that you did?”

“Not with precision like mine, for sure,” Brother Owl said, peering over the cloud and looking down. They were moving swiftly, but the Sinking Fields was still far away. It did not help that Biringan was absolutely huge, tall spires of green and red and purple all toiling underneath the perpetual corpse-sun. “But yes.”

“Alright, and then we should try to use this magic power to fight against devils and demons and kings and Panginoons?”

Brother Owl nodded. "You are what we call those that can ascend the Angel's Ladder. You possess within you Gahum, that flame which unlocks the ability to gain power, and through gaining power, ascend the rungs of Heaven and become mighty enough to Make God Bleed.

"However, this will not come easily, and will not come immediately. You are an Attainer. You use your Gahum to strengthen yourself, to exceed even the uppermost skill ceiling of normal humans, to eventually attain the sobriquet of Karanduun. Only the Attainer can use Anting-Anting with skill and ability, only they can master the Martial Arts to the reach of the Gods, only they can impose their Will upon the Emanation of God, and make it so that the Emanation follows them."

"So... you're saying we're like superheroes."

"Not yet," said Brother Owl. "Not yet. To fully realize your abilities, you will need to learn how to harness your powers. We do not have enough time for me to explain all of the abilities that you will be able to do, but it has long been said that you have the ability to save all of Heaven. Whether that is true or not is yet to be seen."

Mattheo blinked and then coughed. "That... doesn't make me feel good nor reassured."

Brother Owl shook his head. "Good. You are not supposed to be complacent. To achieve harmony, we must first have disharmony. Right now, just try your best to keep out of my way. I would not want you to be placed in danger. You do, after all, still have a goal to accomplish, do you not?"

They nodded.

"Do not worry, we will be safe soon. All I will need is a split second."

/// THE SINKING FIELD, THE THRONE ROOM OF THE INVERTED UNDERGROUND ZIGGURAT-PALACE OF PANGINOON TUPAS

The doors to the throne room of Poon Tupas opened, and he sat there with legions of men and women, their faces ripped from their heads so that all they had were their sexualized areas. Black chains wrapped around their necks chained to the throne of Tupas.

The throne itself was a tall, high-backed thing, made of grotesque flesh and crystallized wind. The throne room smelled of overpowering perfume, the kind hastily sprayed upon one’s self after they have just realized that they were going to potentially have a sexual night with another of their preferred person.

Panginoon Tupas himself sat, a small little boy, wrapped in the most conservative of robes, horns long and tall, burning bright blue, and wearing large round spectacles. His hair burned orange, stark against his blue skin. He looked more like a guy who read cheap Chinese cultivation novels while playing counter-strike, somewhere.

“Ah, the newcomers,” he said, and his voice was high, shrill, annoying. “Come, come!”

Flanking the throne were two giants: one with the single eye and the other with the head of a water buffalo. They both only wore huge bahags that reached their knees. Before Tupas was a tall woman, barefoot and wearing only a simple long-robe around her body. One can see the numerous tattoos that wrapped around her entire body peeking out where one can see her skin. Her hair had been shorn from her head.

She stood tall beside Tupas, unmoving, her hands behind her back. There were those faceless beings clamoring and touching her, but she stood still and cared not one bit for them.

The doors opened, made of that strange crystallized wind. Jaime led Esther and Angela in. They were instructed to wear what the biraddali had brought them: a black gown for Angela and a white one for Esther, complete with a veil. It wrapped around them uncomfortably, and with every step they took, they felt weaker.

“Here they are,” said Jaime.

“Ah, ah! Oh, GOD.” Tupas writhed in his seat. “They are even more BEAUTIFUL when I see them TRULY with my EYES. FUCK.” He continued to writhe as if something was tickling him from within. Jaime looked at the writhing piece of shit coolly, while Angela and Esther looked at each other and cringed.

“Now,” said Tupas, now not writhing and suddenly standing straight. “You two will be an excellent addition to my brides.”

“What?” Esther spoke out. “I never said--”

The woman spoke. “Poon Tupas gets what he wants. Do not question him.”

“Shut up! I am speaking!” Tupas stood on his throne and pointed at Esther. “You, bitch! You will stay SILENT unless I tell you to SPEAK to me!”

“Fuck you!”

“Gah, I hate this! You’re supposed to bow down to me! Fuck, that’s HOT.” He shook his head and then slumped down his throne. “I’m going to explode.” He addressed the woman standing beside him. “I’ll take them, they’re perfect. Rip their faces apart and chain their souls to me.”

“Understood.”

Rikit leaned forward and then was suddenly a blur, too fast for the eye to see. Esther shut her eyes, looked away, gripped Angela’s hand…

...but no explosive pain nor death greeted her.

“What the FUCK!?” The annoyingly shrill voice of Poon Tupas resonated across the throne room.

Esther opened her eyes and saw that Jaime was standing in between her and Rikit. He used both hands to catch Rikit’s gigantic hand. Rikit towered over Jaime.

“What are you doing, hangal?”

Jaime grinned. A wind suddenly blew the force of a hurricane, blowing Angela and Esther back, causing them to roll. The chained beings moaned, somehow, without a mouth.

Blood exploded from Jaime’s brow. “Facing you. I’m kind of tired of all… this.”

“You will die. I will split you apart and feed your bisected halves to the Serpent of the Earth and the Eagle of the Sky.”

“That’s all well and good,” said Jaime. “All I need is a split-second.”