If she had a piece of advice for anyone unfortunate enough to be visiting the Underworld, she’d tell them to bring a jacket. Even under all the layers of her dress and the coat she had on, an ever-present chill hung around her. Maybe she wouldn’t have minded if she were dead like the gray apparitions that surrounded her. Some of them had left the land of the living naked, ready for death in their birthday suits. Not a single one of them shivered like she did, calmly strolling to the river ahead.

She searches the crowd for Cedric, looking out for his messy brown hair and mismatched eyes. It doesn't take long for her to spot him. She runs up to him, tugging his sleeve.

"Cedric!" she exclaimed.

The Lord doesn’t respond, continuing his walk to the river. She steps in front of him, trying to block his path.

Don’t bother, Lillian said. He can’t see you.

How else am I supposed to get him back?

Cedric walks through her, briefly entering her body before ambling mindlessly forward. She shivers. It had felt like someone had pressed ice cubes against her bare skin.

Follow him, the goddess advised. The dead can’t speak for themselves in the Underworld. You will need to bargain with Thanatos for his soul.

As if bringing him back to life had to be more difficult. She grabs Cedric’s hand and allows him to lead her to the river, where hundreds of souls milled around. Cedric pushes forward, bringing them to the front of the crowd.

An old man stood before them in a fisherman’s hat, sizing them up with his yellow eyes. He sticks his hand out to them.

“Coin?” He scratches his chin, running his rough hands against the stubble.

Cedric wordlessly hands some currency to him, making his way to the man’s boat. Nicole dug through the pockets of her jacket, trying to find some payment. Her fingers close around soft bits of lint. No luck.

“Coin?” the man asks again.

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “Could you make an exception for me?”

The man narrows his eyes. “Charon makes no exceptions. Back of the line.”

“Please,” she said. “I need to get on the boat.” I need to be with him.

“No exceptions.”

Look in your pockets again, Lillian said. She does as the goddess says, fumbling through the coat. She finds something cold, hard, and small. It wasn’t round like a coin, but it hadn’t been in her pockets before. She pulls it out, holding the object before her.

The blue wings of the butterfly gleamed, reflecting in the man’s yellow eyes. To Nicole, it looked like it was frozen in time, captured mid-flight.

“Well I’ll be damned,” the man said. “I haven’t seen your kind down here in a while.”

“My kind?”

“Witches,” he clarified. “They usually go straight to Hell. But not your kind, not the Miracle Givers.”

Before she could ask him any more questions, he snatches the butterfly out of her hands.

"This will be more than enough for payment. Step aboard," he said, turning to the next person. She quickly finds a seat next to Cedric and holds on to his arm.

Meanwhile, down in Limbo, Aaron was burning. Flames scorched his arms, peeling his scales off. His presence in the Underworld had triggered his curse. So long as he was in the realm of the dead, he would burn for his sins. It was a fitting punishment to be tormented by the element he had been in control of since birth, to feel the destructive nature of fire. It consumed him like his desire for the throne once did.

Not even a new name could protect him from coming back here. Aaron the butler was no more. Here, he only suffered as Asmodeus, former Prince of Hell. If only he could move. Alas, he was in so much pain that even the slightest twitch of his fingers sent him into agony.

He had never expected the girl to stab Cedric. No, the girl loved him. He was confident in that. That’s why he allowed the Lord to keep her in the manor. That’s why he allowed all the extra days, all the pining and lust between them. Even when the girl presented a danger to them he acquiesced to the young couple’s desires. He thought that their love would protect them, but the girl was always an unknown variable with her butterflies and connection to Lillian.

Now, he paid for more than one mistake down here, drowning in his fire.

“Asmodeus,” a cold voice said, cutting through the flame. “Fancy seeing you down here.”

His eyes slide over to the dark figure at the corner of his vision. Tears leak out of his eyes from the effort, but his eyes widen at the sight of the man before him.

“Thanatos,” he said, recognizing the man.

“You still remember me,” the God of Death said.

How could he forget the man he gave his soul to? It was a sacrifice he would never regret, a blessing, really, to be able to give the man he loved a second chance at life. But saying all that to Thanatos would cost him too much effort. He wouldn’t be able to bear the pain otherwise. Instead, he said something else.

“I’d like my soul back.”

Thanatos chuckled, letting out a hearty laugh. “I’m afraid that’s not possible, not while your angel walks the earth.”

No, he wouldn’t want Raven dead. But what else would stop the burning?

“You might be wondering what I’m doing here,” Thanatos said, circling him. Asmodeus doesn’t respond, the pain of the fire still occupying his attention.

“I’ve taken over Hell,” Thanatos continued, “thanks to your soul. Who knew that an heir’s soul, even a banished one, was the key to Hell’s kingdom? You were too rash in the way you tried to take over. You trusted the wrong people. But in my hands, everything fell into place. It was like Hell was made for me.”

Was he here just to gloat? Did he want a cookie for doing what he couldn’t?

“King of Hell and God of Death - sounds spectacular, doesn’t it? All the power in the Underworld. The old you would’ve definitely loved it. But it’s a lot of work managing two realms. I never wanted to put any effort behind it. I took over Hell because I could. But I need help. That’s where you come in.

“I need you to manage the Underworld for me. I’ve been doing this for thousands of years and frankly, it’s getting boring. Hell is more fun. It’s got all sorts of interesting challenges. The damned are good company, a cheeky lot. What do you say?”

Asmodeus glares at him. He wasn’t interested in doing Thanatos’s dirty work.

“I’ll free you,” he offered. “I’m the King of Hell. I could take away your banishment. You wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.”

“And lose my dignity?” The flames around him turn blue, melting off his skin.

“I’ll add something else to the deal,” Thanatos said. Another dark figure approaches, coming from behind the God of Death.

Raven. For a moment, the flames couldn’t hurt Asmodeus. All he could focus on was the angel and his lovely black wings.

“Accept the deal,” the angel said. “I’ve vouched for you. I’ve seen your humanity. I know you’ve changed. The old Asmodeus wouldn’t have acted as you did. He wouldn’t have known how to love. I know you’ve looked after the boy, that Lord you call master. You can take this mantle. I’ll even help if you’d like.”

It was too good to be true. Eternity with the love of his life? Who would say no to that? But it was torture in disguise. Raven couldn’t love him back. He wasn’t made to. But the angel looked so hopeful. He wanted to say yes.

“Fire,” he said.

“What was that?” Thanatos asked.

“Put it out. Then I’ll speak,” Asmodeus demanded.

The God of Death waved his hand and the fires ceased. Asmodeus collapsed, his skin still bubbling. Raven came to his side, wrapping a bandage around his wounds. The demon shoves him away, choosing to get on his own feet.

“You mock me,” he told Thanatos. “How dare you dangle pretty visions in front of me like I’m some child?”

The god shrugs. “I suppose bringing the angel into it was a bit of an overkill.” Raven’s form flickers, revealing his true nature as a glamour.

“But I really do need your help. Hell is another ballgame, so much different from the rest of the Underworld.”

The demon scoffs. “Then let me have it.”

“You’re in no position to bargain,” he warned. “I could bring the fire back again.”

Asmodeus flinches. “No need. I merely asked because it seemed logical. I know Hell better than you do, even with all my years apart from it.”

“It’s not the same kingdom you grew up in. Hell has changed. There are new sinners and new problems.”

“I was raised to rule it,” he argued.

“By a king who lost it to my hands,” Thanatos said. “I could easily give one of my siblings reign over the Underworld. I’m doing you a favor, Asmodeus.”

He narrows his eyes in suspicion. The god of death was merciless and hateful. Since when did he start becoming so generous?

“What about your twin?”

“Hypnos is preoccupied.”

"Right," he said, knowing full well that "preoccupied" was likely a metaphor for "imprisoned" or "cursed."

"Look, do you want the job or not?"

"Will you burn me if I don't help you?"

To answer his question, Thanatos summoned a circle of fire at Asmodeus's feet, the flames already licking his legs.

The demon jumped away from the fire. "Fine. I'll help."

On a boat in the River Styx, Nicole kept a vigilant eye on the waters, looking for a door back to the Charis Realm. She was ready to grab Cedric and jump in at any moment.

I wouldn't do that if I were you. There are things in here you would never want to touch.

She rolls her eyes at the goddess's warnings. I've been tortured before. What could be worse than that?

A series of screams come from the river as if to answer her question, each one louder and more terrifying than the last. The ferryman wacks her with a stick, keeping her away from the river.

“We can’t judge your soul if it’s lost in the river,” Charon said. He continues to row the boat, navigating through the foggy waters. Eventually, they reach the shore, where the spirits formed a line outside of a brick building.

Where are we?

A skeleton in a red bellhop uniform moves down the line, handing out small pieces of paper. “Wait for your number to be called,” a disembodied voice said. The skeleton paused. “You’re not supposed to be here, are you?”

“Um,” she said, staring into the skeleton’s empty eye sockets.

“You don’t seem dead either. Great Hades, this hasn’t happened in a century. How could Charon let you board?”

“I gave payment,” she said, trying to reason with the skeleton.

“Gah nevermind,” the skeleton said. “Just give the ticket to the man next to you. I’ll let the judges handle this.”

She passes the ticket to Cedric, tucking it between his fingers. She watches the skeleton walk away, occasionally collapsing in a pile of bones but eventually picking itself up to finish the job.

After what seems like hours of waiting, they make it inside the building. She stood next to Cedric in a large chamber, with ceilings decorated with paintings. It reminded her of the Sistine Chapel, except that instead of holy images, there were gruesome deaths rendered on the walls. In fact, the paintings seemed to move, knives piercing skin. She could almost hear the victims howl in agony.

She turns away, keeping her eyes on Cedric, who blinked rapidly as if he just woke up.

“Nicole,” he said. “What are you doing here?” A look of worry crosses his face. “Did you die?”

“No,” she reassured him. “I followed you to the Underworld to bring you back. Alice is healing your body as we speak.”

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said. “What did you sacrifice? I swear if you killed someone -”

The sound of a gavel banging on a block interrupts the Lord. Three judges materialize before them, each behind a bench. She reads their name plaques. From left to right, the judges were Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus.

Aeacus spoke first. “Lord Cedric Phillips. You’ve led quite a life, young man. From escaping a cult at a young age to rebuilding your family's wealth, I'd say you've done more than most people your age. It's such a shame you had to die. You could've done so much more.”

"He wasn't supposed to die," she said, interrupting the judge.

"And who are you?" He gazes down at her from his spectacles.

"I'm Nicole Walker. I request to speak with Thanatos on the matter of Cedric's life."

Rhadamanthus frantically flips through the papers on his desk. “We’re not supposed to see you today.” He grabs a magnifying glass, looking closer at the papers. “You’re not even in the registry.”

“I’m not dead,” she said. “And Cedric shouldn’t be here.”

Aeacus flips through his own papers. “He died. Of course, he should be here. Just because he died young and by your hands doesn’t mean he’s free from our judgment.”

His words hit Nicole like a punch to the stomach. Cedric puts a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he said.

“But it was your sword in his stomach,” Aeacus countered.

“How did that happen? The girl isn’t wrong when she said Cedric wasn’t supposed to die, Aeacus,” Rhadamanthus said.

Nicole recounts the events at the opera house, how the shapeshifters had confused and tricked her into killing Cedric. She describes the imbalance in the Charis Realm and how Ileana was breaking the rules by going against the blueprint that the Higher Order gave her, causing the Order to punish Alice.

“Blueprint or not, we’re still supposed to judge him,” Aeacus argued. “What do you think, Minos?”

“These are godly matters,” Minos said, speaking for the first time. “We cannot rule on them. I think it’s best that we call Thanatos and ask him how to deal with this.”

Aeacus sighed, exasperated. “If you think that’s the wisest course of action, then I will do it.” He pulls out a rotary phone from under his desk and dials a number, tapping his foot impatiently as he waits for a response.

“Thanatos,” he said when the other line picked up. “We have a situation.” His brows crinkle. “What do you mean he’s busy? Well, who can you send in to deal with this?” His brows shoot up. “Him? No way. He hasn’t been down here in ages.” He stays silent for a moment. “Send him in,” he said, defeated.

In the center of the court, a bonfire appears. The great flames part for a well-dressed man with horns and fiery wings. One of his eyes was gold and the other was brown. Somehow, down here, he wasn’t hard to look at, even in his true form.

“Aaron?” Surprise colors her voice. “What are you doing here?”

“His name is Asmodeus, you twat,” Aeacus said. “Show some respect for the interim ruler of the Underworld.”

“What seems to be the problem?” the demon asked.

“We’ve got a living mortal woman and a man who isn’t supposed to be dead. Something about dimensional imbalance,” Minos said.

“Ah,” Asmodeus said, finally looking at the pair. “I see. I’ll take them from your hands. Sorry about this dreadful inconvenience. Continue with your work, please.”

He ushers the two out of the room, directing them to a portal of flames. “This might hurt a bit,” he warned.

When they emerged from the other side, Nicole and Cedric were covered in ashes. Only Asmodeus remained unscathed, still his golden pristine self. He invites them to sit in plush red chairs, giving them rags to clean themselves.

“Interim ruler of the Underworld?” Cedric asked. “I see you’ve been promoted.”

“Hardly,” Asmodeus said. “I didn’t have much of a choice. It was either this or burn for an eternity.”

“What are you doing here?” Nicole asked.

“Well, after you stabbed Cedric, you killed my only link to the Charis Realm,” Asmodeus explained. “In doing so, you sent me back to the Underworld, specifically Limbo, where I had to resume my punishment for crimes I committed thousands of years ago.”

“Sorry.”

He waves off her apology. “I don’t resent you for it. Why are you in the Underworld?”

She tells him about her mission to bring Cedric back to the land of the living, how she needed to find a door created by Alice to leave and put his soul back into his body.

“We don’t usually let spells like that float around in the Underworld,” Asmodeus said. “The door you’re looking for is probably in a containment chamber. Sadly, I don’t have the key to that.”

“Where would the key be?”

He strokes his chin thoughtfully. “I’ve got an idea. Wait here. In the meantime, enjoy some of the Underworld’s finest beverages.”

He snaps his fingers, summoning two drinks into his hands. He hands the glasses to the pair before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Nicole pokes the eyeball in her glass. “Where do you think he went?”

Cedric shrugs. “Beats me.” He takes a sip of his drink. “Not bad. I think the eyeball is a nice touch.”

Down in Hell, Asmodeus walked through narrow, dirty streets, trying to find Thanatos’s palace. He had the ability to teleport anywhere in the Underworld. However, due to the lingering effects of his curse, he still couldn’t go directly to the palace. After several twists and turns, he finally spotted the lava moat before the palace.

“State your business,” the stone guards at the door said.

“Tell Thanatos that Asmodeus is here and that the matter is urgent.”

“How urgent?”

“It’s a godly matter.”

The doors swing open. He enters, stepping foot for the first time in the place he had called home thousands of years ago. Certain things remained the same, like the impaled heads that decorated the walls and the blood-red carpet. But Thanatos had added his own flair to the place, putting up gargoyle chandeliers that Asmodeus found tacky. At least the throne room was in the same place.

“Asmodeus,” Thanatos said. Beside him, lovely succubi were feeding him grapes. They bat their eyelashes at Asmodeus, but the demon was immune to their charms. After all, he trained them on those seduction techniques several millennia ago.

“We’ve got a problem,” he said, approaching the throne. “One mortal woman and a man who isn’t supposed to be dead have entered the realm.”

“Just contain them,” the God of Death said.

“They aren’t ordinary people,” Asmodeus said. “They’ve got powers. I need the special cuffs.”

Thanatos grumbles, getting up from his throne. “You’re telling me to find them, ugh. I already have enough on my plate dealing with two kingdoms. Follow me.”

The God of Death leads him to an old room filled with enchanted items. He hands him a pair of cuffs studded with white gems. “Here. Satisfied?”

“Are you sure those are the right cuffs?”

Thanatos glares at him. “What else could they be?”

“They could be the cuffs that amplify power,” Asmodeus said. “Remember the guy who designed them? He wanted them to be identical.”

“So?”

“Do you want the Underworld to be overrun by two overpowered mortals?”

“What do you suggest I do?”

“Try them on yourself,” Asmodeus said. “You’re an all-powerful god, right? They should work on you. I have the key right here so it should only take a few seconds.”

Thanatos slapped the cuffs over his wrists. He tries to summon an object from the air and fails. “See? The cuffs work. Now unlock them.”

“No,” Asmodeus said, swallowing the key. “I like you better this way.” He takes the ring keys from Thanatos’s belt, vanishing in another cloud of smoke. The God of Death bellowed in anger, calling for his servants. To his dismay, none of them answer.

Asmodeus reappears before Nicole and Cedric. “I’ve got the key. Let’s go.”

“That was quick,” Nicole said. “I didn’t even finish my drink.”

The three enter another portal, appearing before a black door. Asmodeus takes an ebony key and unlocks the door, ushering them inside.

The room was a museum of many strange and magical things. Everything was trapped in translucent colorful cubes, suspended in time. Dragons, serpents, forbidden amulets - there were hundreds of things in containment.

She spots the door behind a row of cursed tomes. She drags Cedric to it, ready to leave the Underworld.

“Hold on,” Asmodeus said. “You said there was an imbalance in the Charis Realm, right?”

“Yes,” she said. “Why?”

“There’s a good chance you won’t return there when you walk through that door,” he said. “Right now, there are two lives missing from the realm. One was killed unjustly and the other came here willingly. Because Cedric died, only one of you can go back to make his rebirth natural. One life in exchange for another. At the same time, there’s a life missing from the dimension you originally came from. When you walk through that door, you’re most likely going to end up there.”

“So you’re saying this will be my last time seeing Cedric.” She faces the Lord, a lump forming in her throat.

“I’ll miss you,” he said. He places a light kiss on her lips. “This won’t be the last time we see each other.”

“Isn’t it?” She was already starting to cry.

“I’ll find a way to reach you. I promise.”

The translucent cube over the door melts away. Nicole turns the doorknob, standing in the doorway as she holds Cedric’s hand. She was afraid to walk through and lose the love of her life again.

“We’re in this together,” Cedric said. He waves goodbye to Asmodeus and walks through with her, disappearing from the Underworld. Inside the door, Nicole feels Cedric’s hand dissolve in her grasp. She cries harder, letting her tears fall in the void between realms.

The demon watched them disappear, feeling a strange sense of emptiness. He was going to miss them. Or maybe that was his soulless body talking, finally aware of the thing it lacked after thousands of years. So he decided to go find his soul.

It wasn’t a very difficult task. He only needed to ask a few succubi before he found it, on display behind a glass case in Thanatos’s bedroom. He smashed the display and stuck the soul back into his chest, feeling alive for the first time in a long while. His curse faded, unable to stand against the sheer power of his soul. Invigorated, he decided that like Thanatos, he would be king of two realms.

As king, his first order of business was to punish the God of Death for the agony he had to endure. He forced the god to live as a mortal so that when he died, he would experience Hell as mortals do, with very little tolerance to the pain and no magical powers. He redecorated the palace and patched up holes in the Underworld so that no unwanted intruders could sneak in. And he punished the demons that betrayed him in his previous attempt at the throne. All was well in the realm of the dead.

Still, Asmodeus sat on his throne, feeling more alone than he wanted to be. He reaches into the pocket of his tailored suit and takes out a black feather. He holds it before him, hesitant. There was something especially dirty about the thought of dragging an angel into Hell. But something was pulling him to the feather, something in this newly placed soul of his.

He sighs and gives in, calling the name of the man he loved from the deepest pits of Hell.

And, somewhere in the realm above him, an angel answered.