Jonas thought that his life on Earth had been shitty, but he had to give the nod to Yuki and pass over his tragic hero crown. She had truly lived a terrible existence from a sheltered girl living under the rule of her father, all the way to being given to a violent psychopath who should have protected her instead of raping her on the day most girls looked forward to. At least he had both Drake and freedom.

“Don’t feel so guilty towards me,” she giggled at the sad expression on Jonas’ face, “This was hundreds of years ago, I’m over it,” but the fact he was so sympathetic made her heart stir.

“It’s not fair that you’re here,” Jonas shook his head, “After everything you went through. Where's the justice in that?”

“There's no justice in Hell, only revenge,” said Yuki, she sipped her wine and her demeanor told Jonas that she wasn't upset at all, “Sure, my ex-husband most likely got sent to a lower floor to live with other assholes like him, but as soon as he discovers Sin he'll be sure to master it. He was a psychotic bastard, but he was an expert martial artist with a terrible moral compass; a recipe for a good Sinner. He'll leave his assigned floor and come here where he doesn’t belong, and he'll subject the innocent to his new powers,” and she paused for a moment just to let the reality soak in for Jonas.

"Jesus," he said, "That's so wrong."

"That's not all, at least not for people like my ex-husband," she sighed, "He'll then dominate and rape an entire harem of women until one of them produces a Hellite, who he then raises to be just as psychotic and destructive as himself. Unfortunately, they'll have both the benefits of being born in Hell and having a parent who can teach them Sin."

“Does that happen very often?” Jonas was dreading the answer, "It can't be that simple."

“It happens all the time,” she said, “Once a Hellite learns Sin they can easily rise above us plebeians, and they will tame the monsters of Hell, and they too will become monsters as they obtain power. Then, it's just a matter of forming their cliques and gangs, or companies, and finally, the children repeat the cycle."

“So that’s it?” Jonas looked despondent, “No matter how evil you were in your past life, no matter what floor you get sent to as punishment, once you discover Sin you’ll have an advantage over every other good person who either can’t use it or hasn’t discovered it yet?” Jonas realized that since he had already begun to learn about Sin, it was likely that Drake had progressed even further. It was also possible that Drake might've already left the sixth floor.

“Exactly,” said Yuki, “They discover the secrets of Sin, try to produce a Hellite, and hope that either themselves or their children can become something powerful. Sun City is tiny compared to the big cities, but in the main cities, you'll find clans full of Hellites who operate with this motive. It's all to acquire power for survival.”

“I've met two Hellites though,” said Jonas, “And neither knew much about Sin.”

“Not all Hellites are born on purpose,” said Yuki, “Some just come to be, and they're dropped into circumstances similar to our own; ignorant, and vulnerable. Some are abandoned because they hadn't been born with the talent for Sin, some are thrown away or killed because they were born too kind, and some just left home on their terms. Clans split, and families fall apart, this is a normal occurrence in Hell. It's hard to live with powerful relatives for all eternity without wanting to kill each other, you know?"

"I wish I was with my brother for that long," Jonas could never hurt or abandon his family, he couldn't fathom it.

"I understand," Yuki could see how much Jonas loved his brother, and she wasn't going to say anything to make him feel bad, "Where is your brother?"

"Dead," said Jonas, "We died together a few months ago. He was sent to the sixth floor because some kids died in the car crash. He's not a monster though, it was all just… an accident," he didn't want to explain to Yuki how someone from Hell had been sent to kill the two of them. He didn't like talking about those secrets with anyone but Pride, he felt like powerful ears could be listening at any moment.

"I see," Yuki nodded her head, "I'm sorry for what happened. Do you wish to be reunited?" She could see the answer plastered on his pretty face.

"More than anything," Jonas sighed, "He might be a royal dick, but I love him, and I'd do anything to stay by his side. He's my big brother," and Yuki gently stroked his cheek, she seemed to have been emotionally drawn in by his vulnerability.

"You have so much talent and potential. One day, you'll be able to become a truly powerful Sinner who is capable of taking the Hell Challenge. You'll be able to find your brother and reunite."

"That's the plan," Jonas stared off into the distance, "How do you know if someone is a Hellite, or not? Is it possible to check?"

"Well, if they are young and very talented at Sinning, usually that means they are a Hellite. People from Earth take decades, sometimes centuries, to master Sin…" Yuki trailed off as she stared at Jonas, "Which begs the question, how the Hell did you get so talented? You were born on Earth, weren't you?"

"What do you mean?" Jonas chose his words carefully as Yuki looked like a person who was good at detecting lies, "I grew up on Earth."

"It sounds like it's a matter of luck. Sometimes, people are just born more talented than others. Not super surprising, but it's rare to meet someone that special. It seems like people from older periods, people who are expert martial artists, and people of a brutal nature, they're the ones who find the most success when they die and arrive in Hell."

"I am special," Jonas gave a dorky smile, and Yuki giggled. "Thank you for telling me," he also agreed with her observation about what people found success in Hell.

"That you are," she nodded, "Any other questions about Hell, or Hellites?"

"Yes, actually," Jonas collected his thoughts, "How does the Sin Assessment and Hell Challenge work for people on different floors of Hell?"

"That's an interesting question. I wish I knew more, but that's something only a powerful Sinner would know. However, I do know that each floor has its Sin Assessment, and I'm pretty sure that a Sinner has to pass the Hell Challenge of their floor, then they start here on the first floor. Don't hold me to that, I really can't be sure."

"That makes sense," Jonas nodded, "Do you want to take the Hell Challenge?"

"Not at all," Yuki shrugged, "It's a waste of time for me, I have nothing I'd wish for, at least nothing worth dying over. I'm just focused on escaping, nothing more," though Jonas felt like this wasn't the full truth, however, he wasn't going to pry.

"What is Hellite society like, in the big cities?" Jonas asked, "I'll probably end up visiting Sin City someday, and I bet it's full of them."

"Some are like royalty. CEOs, government officials, celebrities, and billionaires, they're treated like kings and queens. However, none of these people could get to this point without being powerful Sinners, or related to powerful Sinners. In the Outlands, Sin is scarce and hidden. It's much more normalized in the Inlands. I'm not sure if you've seen a map."

"I have," Jonas nodded, "So even movie stars and musicians are Sinners?"

"Most of them, I think. It would otherwise be very difficult to earn respect and protect their property. However, don't forget that the security business is extremely lucrative. Those people who don't have the talent for Sin can at least acquire some protection with enough money."

"How do you know so much?" Jonas wasn't complaining, but he was too curious not to ask.

"Thomas Vale, mostly. I've also picked up things here or there. Thomas once let me watch his television set. I wanted to learn more about modern-day Earth.

“What movies did you see?”

“I watched something called a documentary, and it discussed the history of Earth from the Renaissance period to the modern-day,” Jonas made a strange face at her, and she couldn’t help but ask, “What?”

“It’s just strange to imagine you sitting in front of a television and watching documentaries.”

“It was interesting,” she said, “I asked to have my own, but he refused. According to him, televisions are too expensive, even for a top-five slave.

“Well, I’d assume so,” said Jonas, “Mass production seems to be extremely limited in Hell, considering how dangerous life is, it’s almost like every day is some epidemic with people avoiding going outdoors and also avoiding each other.”

“Vehicles are fascinating too. I never drove one, but I noticed they started popping up more and more before I became a slave.”

“Which was when?” Jonas asked.

“As I said, I worked on a farm for a hundred years while barely surviving with a family who was just like me,” and her face turned sour as she said, “Then the gangs began to form, and they grew powerful from a cycle of raiding, conquering, and enslaving.”

“They eventually got you?’

“Ten years ago. Eventually, I found myself purchased by Thomas, and he threw me in the fight pits with Keal,” she said, “I thought that after all that time I had finally grown into an independent person, someone who couldn’t be easily pushed around, but I was beaten and enslaved by the Hurts gang, and then you already know the rest of my story."

“It took you almost ten years to become a top-five fighter?” Jonas felt confused.

“No,” said Yuki, “Keal was a small-time fighter, I was his dummy slave. This went on for a few years. Until I finally discovered Sin, and I was able to share my findings with him. This catapulted his career until he became a top-five."

“Thanks for telling me all of this,” Jonas said earnestly, “I’m glad you feel like you can share things with me.”

“No matter,” she said while her cheeks tinged a flattering red, “If we’re going to be working together we should know things about each other, less we run into problems.”

“Very true,” Jonas watched Yuki grab another bottle of wine, “Grab me a plate of tarts while you're at it,” he shot a playful grin, and Yuki couldn’t help but roll her eyes like a housewife grabbing her husband a beer.

“If any other man had spoken to me like that,” she threatened while sprawling herself on top of him, “They’d be crocodile food.”

“Lucky I’m not just any other man,” said Jonas through a mouthful of custard-filled tart.

“Not even a man, yet,” Yuki teased as she used her thumb to wipe custard off of Jonas’ hairless face.

The two of them laughed, drank, ate, and spoke all night, just like they had done previously, and just like their last night together, it did not end with them sleeping together. It was to the point that Yuki had nearly stopped propositioning Jonas, and had simply accepted the fact that he was not eager to have sex with her.

“Stay the night with me?” She whispered as the candlelight began to burn out, and their conversations turned quiet and sleepy. Part of Jonas felt like he shouldn’t, but he saw an innocent look in Yuki’s gaze, and he managed to convince himself that he would leave right after she fell asleep, that way he wouldn’t get caught in the bedroom of a top-five.

He nodded his head, and she took his hand and guided him towards her four-poster mahogany bed, and they climbed inside. Jonas had forgotten how comfortable and pleasurable a good mattress could be, and he felt like he could never again subject himself to the cruelty of a cage floor. For a moment, it appeared as if Yuki might try to kiss him, but he beat her to the punch.

“Sweet dreams,” he said, and he kissed her on the head. Yuki felt annoyed that he had once again been turned down, so she forced him to spoon her. It was probably some strange consolation prize. With a mouthful of black hair and an awkward erection, Jonas wondered whether he would be able to sneak away in peace.

Thankfully, Yuki fell asleep rather quickly, and when he saw that her chest was quietly heaving up and down, he managed to delicately slip from her trap, and tiptoe his way out of her room.

The guard who led him there was waiting patiently, but when he saw Jonas sneak out, he shook his head at the youngster's luck. Although he had been making some side benefits from Yuki for quite a while, he wished sleeping with her was on the table for a low-level guy like himself.

“Enjoy yourself?” He asked with a frustrated voice.

“Very enjoyable,” Jonas said while pulling a long black hair from his mouth, much to the dismay of that guard who no longer felt the urge to sleep with Yuki.

When Jonas safely made his way back to his cage, he was once again berated by his friend, Johnson, much more than Simon. They were upset that he left in the middle of the night, but Jonas had to point out that neither of them would decline drinking fine wine, eating sugary snacks, or cuddling with a babe in a soft bed.

“I think we can trust her,” Jonas concluded before he prepared to sleep, “I know you weren’t there, but I just have a good feeling.”

“Good feeling?” Johnson gave a sarcastic grin, “Why don’t you stroke one out and see if that good feeling sticks around? Post-nut clarity is a hell of a thing."