The atmosphere of the game room was light-hearted but also filled with the anxiousness associated with anticipation. Jonas' friends weren't just anticipating the arrival of Simon and Felicia but also the departure of their leader, who would be leaving quite soon.

Jonas and Ralph teamed up to play Pete and Bannji in a two-against-two game of billiards. Although Bannji wasn't overly familiar with the game, he had quickly learned because of Pete's tutelage. His one-eyed teacher had been a former pool master and known throughout the Black Panther community as one of the best African American billiards players never to turn professional.

"I feel like I learn something new about you every day," Jonas grimaced as Pete smirked and sank the eight ball. Neither he nor Ralph took a single shot because their friend had quickly cleared the table. "Black Panther, pool master. They could make a movie about you."

"I'm okay with no one knowing my story. I wasn't too important in the grand scheme of the movement, but I hope I impacted the lives of some of my people," Pete smiled and pointed to the triangle. "Rack 'em back up."

"So, Pete," Jonas prepared the table for the next game. "What about finding your wife or plans for the future? Are you still going to look for her?" He watched Pete narrow his eyes in thought.

"Sometimes I want to. However, we might've moved on because it's been so long since we've seen each other. If I'm honest with myself, I might search for Jenesha just for closure rather than to reunite and stay together. I like being single and free in this new lifetime. She was my best friend, but our marriage before death was rocky, and we had been on the outs. That was forty-fifty years ago," Pete shook his head and puffed on his cigar. "Nah, there's no point in searching. I'll use Phillip's contact and see if she comes up, but that's about as far as I'll go to find her. As for my plans now, I'm just going to work. No one has heard from MLK in a while, and it doesn't seem like the Black Panther movement has made much noise in Hell."

"That doesn't surprise me," Bannji chimed in. "I haven't heard a peep from the Hutus, Tutsis, or any African organizations."

"All the old gangs, businesses, governments, political groups, and other organizations from Earth haven't found a footing here in Hell. It's hard when you've separated from everyone who shared your beliefs. There's also that feeling like you don't give a fuck anymore. I used to be the most patriotic mother fucker, ever. I fucking gave my life for my country, and within a few weeks of being in Hell, I started to think, 'you know what? Fuck America,' you know?"

"Yeah, I understand what you're trying to say," Pete nodded. "Those previous ties start to fade away when you arrive in Hell. Then you sort of just assimilate?" They all nodded at his words. "You sort of fall into your role as a Commoner of Hell, and you stop associating with your previous life. Sometimes, this place makes me forget about the past," his words rang true for all of them. It was difficult for them to come to terms with their past and current selves because the Overworld seemed to have some effect on them. Assimilation was a great word to describe how they acted when each arrived in Hell.

"I never had time to be a Commoner," Jonas shook his head. "You guys spent weeks, months, and even years before the Hurts gang captured you. I was human trafficked within a day of my arrival, and the Hurts gang bought me just a week later. I never had time to assimilate into normal society. I went from being a modern-day teenager to a fighting slave, and then, I became a Sinner."

"That's kind of crazy when you think about it," Pete broke the balls to begin their next game. "I admire the tenacity and guts it took to survive the way you did. Now, instead of finally experiencing Commoner society, you're taking off for the Sin Assessment and becoming a True Sinner."

"He's a little psycho. We've established this. I don't think he belongs in Commoner society. Sorry to say it, Jo, but you belong with those bastard Hellites," Johnson chuckled and lit a cigarette. His sarcasm was evident, and Jonas wasn't offended.

"Bannji, what about you?" Jonas deflected the conversation and made it about someone else. "This is the last night I'll spend with you too, and I want to know a little bit more about what you're planning."

"Ah, young brother. I want to reunite with my wife and daughter, you know? It's been a long time, and I was afraid I'd never see them again. However, Pete has shown me the error of my ways. I'll find my wife, Garuka, and my daughter, Keza, or I'll try to find out what happened to them," Bannji shook his head and looked a bit depressed. "What happens when the kids leave Little Heaven? What if my wife has never used Hell Works? What do I do then?"'

"I wish I had the answers for you," said Jonas.

"Me too," said Bannji. "I'll work for now as I save money and meet new contacts. Eventually, I hope to have the resources to search for my family. Thank you for asking."

"Thanks for changing sides and helping us escape," Bannji nodded and pointed at the game. Pete's turn was back up, and he'd sunk the eight ball again.

"You lost, young brother. You're too distracted."

Jonas agreed with the sentiment: he was too distracted. He was only then realizing how little he knew about his friends, how much more there was to know, and how little time he had to speak to them. It was the first time Jonas had anyone other than Drake to care about him, and now he'd be separated from them too. He wasn't depressed or anxious, but it made him feel frustrated that he didn't have more time to explore a part of his life he hadn't explored enough.

"Get out of your head," Johnson smacked Jonas' shoulder, who was shocked back to the present. "Play pool with your friends until Simon gets here. Then you can go to bed and hang out in dreamland with all your fucked up thoughts."

"I hate that you know me so well," Jonas sighed and knocked on the edge of the pool table. "Another round. This time I'm going to go all out."

"Terrifying," mocked Pete. "You might be able to kick my ass in a fight, but I'm your daddy when it comes to pool."

They were about halfway through another game when Jonas heard his phone notification. He slipped it out of his pocket and saw that Phillip had messaged him.

"They're thirty minutes away," his heart gave a little jump of excitement. "Should we wake up Theo?"

"Nah, let him sleep," Johnson shook his head. "He can meet Felicia tomorrow. It's you who needs to stay up. What time are you supposed to be meeting the old man?"

"Eight pm, why?"

"So I know how much time we have left together," there was sadness behind Johnson's smiling expression. "Have you thought any more about how to use your Original Sin?"

"I have thoughts on how to use it," Jonas clicked his tongue. "The problem is coming across a situation that calls for it, and then I have to want it enough, but I don't know enough when it comes to Sin, and it feels like I'm missing pieces to the puzzle."

"That's what the old man is for, right?" Johnson grabbed a pool stick and began chalking the tip. "He's going to fill in the blanks for you."

"Yeah. That's true. I wish I didn't need to rely on Old Louie. I'd prefer learning alone instead of dealing with someone untrustworthy. Whatever."

"Don't fret about it," said Johnson. "Just get what you need to know from the old asshole, get a ticket to the ship, and then rid yourself of him for good. You won't need him after you learn more about Sinning and get on that boat."

"I didn't think of it like that," Jonas scratched his chin. "Just get what I want and leave."

"You don't need to be his friend or his student. Just do whatever you need to survive and find your brother," Jonas nodded and turned his attention back to the game.

"Are you ready to finish up?" Pete yawned. "I was getting tired waiting for your ass."

"Then let me wake you up. It's my turn, right?" Jonas turned to Ralph, who nodded. The young Crusader narrowed his eyes in concentration, called the pocket he wanted, and smashed the white ball to the point it flew and cracked against his target. A few minutes later, Jonas had sunk all the balls and won the game. "I'm taking a break until Simon gets here. Johnson can jump in for me."

Jonas left the game room and traveled down a few hallways until he made it back to the dining room, which had been cleared and cleaned by the staff, and took a seat on one of the dark wooden chairs. He needed some alone time to clear his head because the conversation about Original Sin made him anxious, and his Pride was disturbed. He was very talented and knew it was only a matter of time before he mastered new skills, but the fear of the unknown filled his heart with tiny feelings of dread.

Sin wasn't a subject that could be completely self-taught, and it was nearly impossible to access specific aspects of Sin without knowing their existence beforehand. A Commoner could kill, torture, or rape, but it wouldn't make their Sin Scars appear. Jonas had performed small acts of True Sin, but deep down, he knew what he had done was a drop in the ocean compared to a real Sinner's capabilities. He wanted to know what the mountain tops looked like for Sinners, and then he desired to climb past those peaks.

The giant dining room was quiet besides the ticking of a clock and the sounds of the night staff finishing their duties. The Glatorius mansion was always bustling with workers because Phillip was a very generous employer who often hired and scheduled way too many staff members so that everyone was making enough money to survive. Jonas had never seen the Overworld from the perspective of someone who worked an hourly wage. He didn't know how stressful it could be to survive the horrors of Hell, make enough money to pay your bills, and try to obey the unspoken social guidelines that kept people relatively safe.

Jonas knew he didn't have to go on a fruitless mission searching for Drake. He understood how blessed he was to understand a bit about Sin, have a contact like Phillip Glatorius, and have all the resources at his disposal that a Commoner could dream of wanting. Some might say Jonas was wasting his fortune by going with Old Louie to chase after the Sineville of the Seas and eventually his brother. Jonas would say that finding Drake was the most important thing to him; however, he found himself questioning the purpose of his Crusade. Before, it was just to be with his big brother and punch him in the face as payback and to hear him apologize for being such a jerk. However, Jonas had real questions he needed Drake to answer, such as how much his brother knew about their circumstances before they died, who their parents were, and the truth about anything else he was hiding.

The distance between their respective floors never made Jonas feel far away from his brother; however, the lying gave Jonas a foreign feeling when he thought of Drake, and any memory of him had an aura of unfamiliarity. The two of them had once shared an unbreakable bond capable of surviving trauma, abuse, and the horrors of the world. Together they survived the worst of humanity, the coldness of solitude, and for each other, they were the light that beat back the shadows in their hearts.

Who was Drake Ariel? Jonas had never asked that question until he was alone in the darkened dining room, wondering if it was worth leaving a life of comfort and certainty for a life of pain and unknown. Was Jonas no longer caged and confused, truly?

The minutes drained, and Jonas was slack-jawed and staring blankly at the wall in front of him, absorbed in his daydreams and inner thoughts. He heard a thud in the distance, an engine roaring, and the sound of a security guard's staticky walkie-talkie. The disturbances broke him from his brooding, and a smile crept across his face. Simon was back. Jonas leaped from his chair and crossed the house to the entrance hall, where his friends were already waiting.

"Do you think we look over-eager if we're all waiting at the front door like this?" Johnson grinned.

"Probably," said Jonas. "I want Felicia to see how much Simon means to us and how excited we are to meet her. If that means we look silly, oh well."

"True that," Johnson nodded in agreement. "Oh, here they come," they heard Phillip's voice from behind the front door, which opened to reveal their giant host.

"Ah, we've got a welcoming party. How's everyone?" Phillip looked tired, but he smiled and stepped out of the way so Simon and Felicia could enter. The two of them were holding hands, their eyes reddened from crying, their mouths dry from talking, and they locked fingers tightly like they were afraid they'd separate and never see each other again.

"Welcome back!" Jonas smiled and felt his heart melt because he'd never seen Simon look so happy like his life had meaning again. Felicia was a thin woman of average height and quite nice-looking, with big green eyes, happy eyebrows, and a broad smile capable of charming a room. She wasn't overly attractive, but she didn't need to be when she possessed things much more important: a lively expression, eyes filled with loving tenderness, and she cared dearly for their good friend, Simon. Jonas took one look at her and knew that she was a good person, and it warmed his heart to know he'd be leaving his best buddy in good hands.

"You guys didn't have to wait," Simon smiled. "Jo, this is my wife, Felicia. Lee, this is the kid I was telling you about, Jonas Ariel."

"It's great to meet you. I just spent the last three hours hearing all about how you saved my husband's butt and broke him free. Thank you, Jonas. It's all because of you that we were able to reunite," Felicia reached out and hugged Jonas, who was surprised but returned the gesture by politely wrapping his arms around her.

"Simon did more for me than I could ever do for him. He supported me and had my back throughout my entire time at the Hurts gang, and I wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for him. He's the best man I know. I'm crazy happy for you both, and I'd love to sit down and hear all about you," they broke apart, and she smiled at him.

"I'll need another drink. I haven't stopped talking since we left Burningham. My employer was quite gentlemanly about the whole situation and made everything much smoother. I felt guilty for leaving on such short notice, but he understood my situation and wished me all the best."

"That's good. I'm glad your boss didn't give you a hard time. You'll be okay without that job, though. Simon's a Sinner and has a good-paying job with tons of benefits," Jonas met eyes with Phillip, who smiled and nodded in agreement. "He'll be able to protect you and Annie when she comes to the Overworld."

"So I've heard, though, I still don't understand what a Sinner is."

"I'm going to get Felicia settled in," Simon interrupted their conversation. "Once we bring her stuff upstairs to our room, we'll meet you in the dining room. Jonas nodded and waved to the rest of his crew.

"You heard the boss. Let's wait in the dining room," to which nearly everyone followed him. As he took a seat at the table, he spotted Mr. Ken. "Mr. Ken, could you have the staff put on some soup or something and maybe grab some drinks?" The head butler nodded and left behind the kitchen doors. He returned five minutes later with a few pitchers of lemonade and a stack of glasses. It was a refreshing drink that chilled Jonas' throat and made him feel relaxed and sleepy.

"Almost bedtime," Johnson saw Jonas fighting back a yawn. "We'll chat with them a bit and then head off to sleep. You need to get a few hours in before tomorrow."

"Okay, dad," Jonas smirked. They all chatted for another ten minutes before Felicia and Simon came to the table and took their seats. The two of them had spruced up a bit, but they both still looked tired. "So, I'm assuming you have some questions?" Jonas directed his question at Felicia, who nodded and smiled.

"Simon tried to explain Sinners to me, but I still don't understand."

"Well, you've probably noticed that Simon looks different from what you remember?" Jonas asked, and Felicia nodded.

"For one thing, he's jacked. He looks healthier and sexier than I've ever seen him. Even his bald spot is gone," Felicia checked her husband out, who gave a sheepish grin and blushed.

"When you get to Hell, everyone is given a new body that's healthier and more durable than those on Earth. Our new bodies are made adaptable to Sin: it's a type of force that makes up everything in Hell. Think of electrons."

"Okay, I've understood that much. Sin isn't an obscure topic in Hell, and Commoners like me have some understanding of it."

"There are people in the world who've learned to harness the power of Sin and use it to perform magic. We call them Sinners. And people like us can use our powers of Sin to do tremendous and terrible things."

"Yeah, Simon said as much," Felicia nodded. "I still don't understand what a Sinner does or how someone becomes one."

"You need to go through a lot of harsh situations to unlock your Sin Scars," Jonas flipped his hands and showed off his glowing red crosses. "Sin Scars are like a Sinner's magic wand because they channel our powers and represent our Cardinal Sin."

"Like the seven deadly sins," Felicia sipped her lemonade.

"Exactly," said Jonas. "Beginners like Simon can enhance their physicality, making themselves powerful and faster. I'm a bit more advanced and can do a variety of magics like heal myself in minutes, heal others, or even make my blood burn like acid."

"So, Sinners must be rare because I'm surprised I've never heard anything about them," Felicia still seemed skeptical.

"Let me show you something," Jonas pulled out the Blade of Sacrifice from the harness on his belt. He always kept it holstered at his hip since Theo recommended he keep it as a reminder. He sliced the blade across his hand and watched the blood pool in his palm. "Now, I'm going to channel my Sin of Pride and use it to heal myself," Jonas healed himself effortlessly and didn't have to think about it. He grabbed a cloth, wiped his palm clean, and showed Felicia. "All healed."

"Amazing," she was open-mouthed and mystified. "Truly like magic."

"I'm a beginner too, but I've learned a few tricks to help me survive. In the Outlands, Sinners are few and far between. The government likes to keep information on them on a need-to-know basis, and Sinners don't like to expose themselves because it puts a target on their backs. Hence, you haven't heard of them because they don't want you to. Believe it or not, there's an entire world of super-powered psychos out there who live entirely different existences compared to a Commoner."

"That's terrifying, but it paints a clearer picture for me," Felicia looked both a bit disturbed and amazed. "I have a few more questions if you don't mind," Jonas obliged and answered every single question she had. Sometimes, Simon or Johnson would chime in, and the rest of the questions Jonas would try his best to answer. There was a lot to learn about the secret world of Sinners, and each topic further alienated Felicia from the rest of the Commoner society, who knew nothing about Sinners. They spoke for nearly an hour before everyone at the table was yawning and occasionally glancing toward the staircase which led to their beds.

"Jonas, it was a pleasure meeting you," Felicia looked like she was going to pass out, and her eyes were watering from tiredness. "I hope we can speak more tomorrow before you leave. I'm going to sleep now," and the rest of the party wore tired smiles as they appreciated Felicia being the first to excuse herself.

"Not at all. It was my pleasure. I'm tired as all hell too, but we can get to know each other more tomorrow. I'm leaving around seven-thirty-ish, so we should get some time. Goodnight, everyone," and they all wished each other a good night before heading upstairs and to bed. Jonas wasn't far behind them, and when he closed his door, he quickly undressed and launched himself into his warm covers. "One more day," Jonas mumbled before drifting right to sleep.

Jonas must've slept for a very long time because when he finally awoke, it was nearing three in the afternoon, and his appointment with Old Louie was only hours away. "Fuck," he yawned and stepped naked into the walk-in shower, and ten minutes later, he was drying himself off while throwing on a pair of skinny jeans and a hoodie.

"Why'd you guys let me sleep so long," Jonas smiled at seeing all his friends lounging in the game room. Some played pool, some watched television while seated on the massive couch, and some sat at tables with alcoholic beverages in their hands.

"Jonas!" Simon looked joyful and had a beer in his hand. "We agreed to let you sleep in because we knew you had a big day."

"Guys," Jonas looked a bit exasperated. "It's our last day together, and I spent it all sleeping."

"Oh, forget it," Johnson rolled his eyes. "We can video chat using our new hell phones," he pulled out a shiny black touchscreen phone from his pocket and showed it off. "Phillip got us them while you were sleeping. Unfortunately, the apartments won't be ready for another two days, but I trust him to get it done after you're gone,"

"Me too," said Jonas. "Looks like you're all stuck staying in this mansion for now," and everyone grinned at him. "Where's Phillip?"

"Getting some other stuff ready before you leave," said Simon. "Everyone still wants to connect their phone with yours, so pull it out," to which Jonas did so.

"So, I select to add multiple contacts, and you all share your phones?" Jonas only had two contacts: Phillip and Old Louie took the liberty of adding their number to his phone.

"That's right. It's a cool feature that lets you quickly add multiple people at once. It should even have our names already down," said Simon, and Jonas did as instructed. The phone told him nearly a dozen people were sharing their information with him, and Jonas clicked each person's name and added them to his contact list. Yotama Yuki, Theodore Wallace, Pete Ingram, Ralph Gordon, Simon Rhule, Felicia Rhule, Erik Johnson, Bannji Balewa, and Amberlee Glatorius.

"Perfect," Jonas finished adding them. "Now we can text, call, and video chat," it made him feel a bit better knowing his friends would be at his fingertips, and he could check in on them any time he wanted.

"We already had breakfast and lunch, but the cooks will be glad to warm something up for you before dinner," Amberlee smiled.

"Maybe a couple of sandwiches wouldn't hurt," Jonas was feeling a bit hungry, and he watched one of the servants bow and head toward the kitchen. The next hour went by in a flash, and Jonas watched Phillip come inside the game room and wave at them.