Guide: How to survive hell

@Reginald & @Melania & @Baal soon
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”Ella!” Reginald felt like he had been calling forever. He felt his body tremble as he moved around, but soon he heard her voice. Like a beacon of hope and love her voice rang and he followed it. He got to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her. He felt like he could breathe again and just held her close, before pulling her out so he could see her in the darkness. ”I didn’t mean to do it – I wasn’t in control,” he said, trying to find the words to describe what he was feeling. He could still feel her life being squeezed out between his hands. ”Ella,” he just said with a pained expression and felt a single tear run down his cheek. He had her. He had found her like he had promised.

”Hey! Could we maybe keep the sobbing down! Some of us are trying to suffer around here,” Keaton yelled and got up from the ground. He took a good look at the two new people. People joining hell wasn’t new, it was like daily business. Fast as lightning he stood by them, looking them up and down. ”Who did you piss off?” he mumbled and took a step away. Maybe h eshould report this to Samaira. Nah, if she was the queen, she could figure out her own damn kingdom. ”Keaton at your service – please call me Kit,” he said with a faint smile. Despite having lived in hell for far too long, he seemed awfully joyful. ”Need a tour? We don’t have a gift shop set up, not yet – I’ve been trying to get management on it, but noooooooo,” he said dragging the no for far too long.

”Excuse me?” Reginald said and held Mariella closer, as if he never wanted to let go of her again.

Reginald just held her close and looked at her with a small smile. At least he had her by his side, but he felt a weird energy around him. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, looking down and into Mariella’s eyes helped with that. ”You’re silly, and I love you too,” he said with a faint smile on his lips. He felt like his body was being drained from energy, but he couldn’t explain why. This stranger blabbing on about nonsense just made him irritated, at least just a bit, as he tried to focus on what Mariella said. He felt like he had a headache and he tried to stay focussed on the siren in his arms. ”Optimism suits you dear,” he said, but he felt like his words slurred a bit. He took a deep breath and tried calming himself down, but it wasn’t really working right now.

”Well, Imma go then, seeing as you two clearly know people around her – bye bye!” he said with a sly smile and ran off. Hell was a weird place to move around in, but having been here for a while, he just knew his way around. However he hadn’t really seen himself bumping into other people before now. He fell over his own feet, stopping a few milimeters away from the girl now in front of him. ”Sweet tea,” he mumbled as he looked into her eyes. ”Sorry,” he said and leaned away trying to act casual, after nearly colliding with the girl. ”Keaton at your service,” he said with a smile. He felt like she looked familiar, but he couldn’t really put a finger on in.

Reginald smiled as she leaned in to kiss him and he felt some of the dark pressure leaving him, but it almost felt more draining. Like his body couldn’t keep up with producing something. ”Sorry, it’s making me dizzy,” he said and pulled away, holding his hand to his head. He stopped for a moment to look at his hand as small dark flames stood out from his hand and he just looked at it for a while. ”I don’t get it – I feel like it’s draining me,” he mumbled a bit confused. He wasnt’ referring to the flames, but his sorroundings. It was like he was a battery and hell was draining his energy. How? He couldn’t understand, and part of him wished not to right now. ”Let’s go, before I get eaten alive – or dead?” he said as he kept his back straight.

Keaton chuckled at her remark about sweet tea and shrugged. ”Sadly, no – sorry to get your hopes up for nothing,” he said in a cheery tone. Her name rang a bell somehow, but he couldn’t really explain why. Did he forget something? He was always picking up on stuff, but her name sounded so familiar. ”I feel like hell just got a little hotter,” he mumbled with a crooked smil on his lips, almost flirty, but turned his attention to her describtion. Her lucky day, he guessed. ”Well, I did run into a lovely pair, but they seemed more bothered by me; I can give you a ride?” he said with a teasing smile on his lips, holding out his hand as an offer. When she took it he would move around and lift her into his arms, running in the direction where he had met the vampire and siren. He stopped a few feet from them, not wanting to risk another collision. The siren clearly recognized the angel in his arms, and he sat her down gently, making sure she wasn’t feeling too dizzy after the fast movement. ”You good?” he asked, holding out his hand if she needed some support.

Reginald held an arm around Mariella, making sure to keep her close as he heard the noise of the blood demon’s movements. He was a fast runner. He was however shocked to see Melania in his arms before being sat down on the surface once more, a part of him wanted to push that demon away. The other part was greatful that he had brought Melania to them. ”You are full of surprises,” Reginald mumbled, feeling sad at the fact that either Melania had done this to herself or had been caught up in something similar to them. Mariella seemed to disappear for a moment, and he felt confused. What was going on? Soon she returned, telling about everything going on and he let out a sigh. Of course everything went to shit when he wasn’t there to keep people calm and collected. ”I’m good for any plan there is,” Reginald said with a nod.

”I could take you guys to Samaira? She’s basically the queen of hell?” Keaton said placing his hands in his jean pockets, his thumbs sticking out as he wiggled them a bit. He shrugged, actually just wanting to help for a change. He knew he was stuck here, and had been for a long time, but if someone had the chance to get out, he would gladly help. ”I hope you got a great mental state though, she can be a little scary,” he said with a crooked smile on his lips as he looked from Mariella to Reginald and back to Melania.

”Not a monster, ma’am,” Keaton said with a huge grin on his face as he looked at Samaira. ”But you have a tendency to do things your own way,” he said shrugging and folded his arms across his chest. He watched as Samaira spoke about the newcommers, and he felt his jaw drop a bit at the mention that Melania was the daughter of Lucifer. The name itself was enough for him to express a pained expression as images flashed in his head. He shook it slightly and tried to distract himself, however soon the two siblings started threathening each other. As Samaira slapped Melania he felt the injustice of this moment almost hitting him. The siren was quick to step in between them, and Keaton did the same, facing Samaira, his back to Mariella and Melania. ”Saaaaam, Sammy, pal – good friend,” he said placing a hand on her shoulder but quickly removed it again. ”Don’t get your temper up, you know I can’t stand that,” he said with a smile on his lips. Keeping Samaira happy in hell was a tough job, and if things didn’t go her way, she tended to lash out. ”How about we show them some hospitality – my guess is that it’s the pair’s first time in hell; let me show them around, huh?” he suggested. Anything to get rid of this tension. He turned around and looked at the three, and he felt bad for them. He was used to this bullshit, but they were new to things around here.

”Ella,” Reginald mumbled as she stepped away from him, but he felt weak. Taking a step forward he fell to his knees not really knowing where his balance went. He didn’t know why his vision started getting blurry as he just sat on the ground. It was like the he was getting drained by the second, the energy getting pulled right out of him before he could produce more. He breathed heavily, trying to keep calm. What happened if you died in hell, he wondered. A dark thought, but a real thought.

”Woah there, big boy,” Keaton said moving fast and got a hold of Reginald, pulling the vampire to his feet. Keaton pulled a face as he felt pain wherever he touched the vampire, but he kept him up none the less. ”Does he normally do … Whatever this is?” he asked a bit confused.

Keaton sighed at Samaira’s words. He wouldn’t call them friends, but they had some sort of mutual respect at least. He put his hands in the air as he could almost sense the way she looked at him, and he sent her a nervous smile. ”You want to replace me?” Keaton said in teasing as Samaira said that she wanted to keep the vampire. He didn’t take it personally, far from it, but it almost seemed like the queen of hell wanted to hurt him with those words. She stepped closer to him and gave him a warning and then another warning, and Keaton was not going to wait around for another warning. That being said he couldn’t close his damn mouth. ”Family discount or favorites skip the line?” he asked raising an eyebrow at Samaira. She clearly wanted people to join the game, but Keaton never had had a reason to go through it. He didn’t even know how long he had been down here, far less if there was anyone waiting for him. Besides if he got up there and got himself killed again, it would just be a waste of time, right? Keaton lifted the vampire up and kept him on his feet, though he seemed to get himself both drained and pained. He watched as Samaira went away for a second and then came back with a spear. He let out a sigh and pulled the vampire up so he could stand better with his wait.

Reginald could feel himself getting some energy from the blood demon holding him, but that didn’t mean that things were going great. He watched Mariella as she disappeared and his eyes widened. Keaton let out a groan as Reginald absorbed more of the demon’s energy and finally stood on his own. His eyes drifted to Melania, but as soon as he tried to let go of Keaton, he felt the energy getting sucked out of him. ”We need to get to her,” he mumbled and kept leaning on the demon.

”Could you turn down for that thing, you are draining me,” Keaton mumbled, but he kept standing.

“Mariella?” Baal called out as he stepped closer. He narrowed his eyes for a bit as he then ran closer to them, sighing in relief as he stopped a few meters from them. “Thank god,” he said as he scratched his neck a bit and looked around, just to be sure that Samaira had left them for good, for some reason it seemed to be important to him. His hand didnt bear his mark in his palm which could be spotted as he had scratched his neck. He turned his eyes back to Mariella, “You’ve caused quite the commotion up there. So it’s just better if you come back,” he then said and lifted his hand out for her to take. “Come,”

Meanwhile at Reginald and Samaira, a portal appeared as Baal crawled through it and sat on the ground. He exhaled a bit and looked at the mark in his hand that was glowing before he looked up at the others, “Hey,” he greeted them as he pushed himself to his feet and brushed some dust off his pants. “I dont have anything to trade their lives with, so I’m asking for a favor,” he suggested to his sister. They had quite an odd relationship, which was actually on good terms. He wasnt like that with all of his siblings, but Samaira was different. For some reason, he couldnt bring himself to hate her even if he didnt agree with her ways always. He still visited her regulary and even gave her the demons he was going to kill from time to time.
He was surprised to realize that Mariella wasnt with them. “Samaira, where did you send her to?” He asked in a rather worried tone as he looked at his sister. And then he widened his eyes for a bit as he put his hand up to his chest and inhaled shortly like something was irritating him from the inside. “Oh no. This is bad,” he mumbled. He knew what this meant.

The Baal with Mariella was still offering her his hand but his smile was suddenly off. Something odd and maybe even evil. If she had taken his hand, his hair would turn white and his skin a lot more pale than it was supposed to, she would feel nothing from him, neither good or bad energy, like he wasnt capable of bearing it. But she would feel that his touch was sucking her dark energy out of her and into him. “You know, I long to join the world of the living. So much, that I’d let nothing stand in my way. And my real self being here in hell with us is a perfect opportunity.” He explained as he tightened his grip around her hand. Of course the real Baal couldnt join her down here. That would only be if his sister allowed him to.
“I’m just gonna take you somewhere special. I’d like for you to meet our parent. A nice woman that was my father,”

Keaton watched as Melania walked over and took Reginald off of him. He shook his body a bit as he felt himself regain some energy once more, however the fact that the nice angel was now in pain, seemed to cause him more pain. ”We’ll take turns,” he said, not caring what she would say or demand. He wanted to help and felt a bit too invested at this point to just leave. ”My best guess is either further down in hell or one of her playgrounds, but she has too many to count,” he said as he thought about it. Down here things were different than what was upstairs, but he had been down here for so long that he saw hell as some sort of home. He crossed his arms and watched Melania sit down on the ground and he swallowed. It felt like he could watch her getting drained slowly, and he walked over and removed her hand. ”My turn,” he said with a crooked smile and sat down next to her, and took Reginald hand.

Reginald breathed out slowly. He could feel himself getting strenght from the two, but it was like it went out as soon as it got in him, just sustaining him so he wouldn’t fade into the darkness. ”She’s stubborn and strong – I know she can find her way to me; we promised each other,” he said and felt his throat so dry. ”I don’t want to ask this of you, but is there any spirits down here with immense energy?” Reginald asked. He didn’t know why his body was reacting this way, and it scared him a bit. Was this some ability he hadn’t ever noticed before? He breathed out as he now felt Keaton’s energy rushing to him. He could sense something in Keaton, an ability, but he felt too out of it to do anything with it. He looked up as Samaira had gotten back and he let out a small scoff. ”I might be weak now, but Mariella is far stronger than you believe – she’s not a damsel in distress, she’s the hero of her own story,” he said with a hint of a smile on his lips. He knew that Mariella was strong down here, but maybe the darkness would get to her too. He hoped not, but tried not to worry right now.

Keaton looked at Samaira and sighed. ”Sam, don’t you think he looks familiar?” he asked raising an eyebrow and looked to Reginald once more. He looked like the description that she had given about Marcus once upon a time. Except that Reginald was a vampire and Marcus was a werewolf. ”How about you just give him a little power? Just enough for him to stand, besides wouldn’t it be more fun if he could actually react to your little game?” he asked. He knew Samaira somewhat, but he was already on dangerous ground. His mouth however never seemed to stop talking when it felt like opening up.

The sound of Mariella made Reginald look to the girl of his dreams with a small smile. ”I’m fine,” he mumbled. He was not fine. He felt his spirit waste away and let go of Keaton to hold Mariella. ”It’s okay, I’m here,” he said trying to not panic. ”What did you do to her?” Reginald demanded and turned his face towards Samaira. His eyes might’ve been a bit blank, but behind it was a burning fire.

Keaton got to his feet and looked to Baal. ”Baalie! Welcome to hell old guy,” he said with a small grin. Of course Baal was offering a favor. Keaton knew that Samaira and her family loved making deals, but to be honest he didn’t have much to argue with that currency. Not now at least. He let out a sigh and looked at the people around him. ”Are we going on a fieldtrip?” he finally asked looking at Baal. Keaton might come across a little dimwitted, but he was actually rather clever, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t stupid too.

As Keaton greeted him, he turned his eyes to him and sighed shortly, "Keaton," he simply said as a reply, as he turned his eyes back to his sister. It was more important to solve this than bother with greetings.
Baal growled a bit as his sister didnt seem to comply to his wish for a favor. He exhaled deeply, but couldnt be angry with her. But Keaton's question made him give him a stern look - Was it really a time for jokes? He didnt answer, but instead looked at Samaira. As she handed him Mariella, he stared at her for a bit before he let go, frowning deeply as the mark in his hand glowed. Mariella would open her eyes but it wouldnt be her eyes that were looking up at Baal, "Hey, owner," he heard himself say through her lips. He blinked a couple of times as he staggered back and clenched his teeth. "Get out of her," he demanded, but his soul made Mariella smile a grimly smile, "I will take her to father," he said through her lips before he made her turn to look at Samaira take Reginald's soul, "Keep him," he said in her voice as he forced her to walk away.
A shadow appeared that took a firm grasp on her and moved her away with a unimaginable fast speed. Baal just stared at the shadow taking her away as he then clenched his fist and felt a rise of anger in him. "This wasnt supposed to happen!" he then said angrily and ran his hand through his hair. He turned his eyes to Melania and exhaled. "I'll get Mariella back. You guys get Reginald," he then said as he started running the direction of the shadow. If he was truly going where he said he would, Baal knew exactly where to go.

As the shadow lifted it's grasp, Baal's soul stepped out of Mariella and let her regain her control once again. He crouched down and moved some hair from her head, "Wakey wakey, miss sunshine," he said in a neutral tone as he rose and turned his back to her. He lifted his hand to his mouth as he called, "Oh mother, dear mother! I have a gift!" he yelled and let his hand fall as he waited. All they had to do now was wait.

Keaton sent her a small and crooked smile as he took her place and let the vampire take some of his energy for a change. Reginald’s question he chose to ignore – normally he would answer, but spirits down here were not the best way for the guy to gain energy. Better stick to safe sources, he thought. It was hurting like hell, and Keaton made a pained expression, yet another feeling went through him as the angel placed her hand on his arm. He chuckled softly and shook his head, looking away for a bit. They might share DNA, but they are so different, he thought to himself, finding himself sneaking small looks at Melania. Melania got up when the siren returned, but Keaton could quickly sense something was off, and he got to his feet. Something in him made him put out an arm in front of the angel to protect her, but as he noticed it he got a bit flustered, but kept his focus on the siren. Baal and Samaira were still talking – jeez they were really related. Soon Mariella was off and Baal followed, giving them orders to find Reginald. Keaton nodded and shrugged – the prince of hell sure knew how to hand out orders, he had to give him that at least. ”Wanna go for a ride?” he said turning his head to Melania. Suddenly alone it felt weird, but good in another way. However more pressing matters were needed to be fixed before he could say anything. He held out his hand like he had when they had met not long ago. As she grabbed his hand he would pull her up on his back. ”Hold on tight,” he said and fixed her arms around his neck to be more secure – then he was off to Samaira’s personal place.

Reginald felt his world crumble as he saw Mariella like that, but he had a limited time to react. Soon he was getting dragged off and was now in a weird apartment. He stood for a bit, as if he was catching his breath, but this room somehow was more pleasant for him to be in. He stood, regaining some of his strength and watched Samaira sit down on a couch. ”Now that I can actually speak, I want to correct you,” he said and walked over to the couch, however not sitting down. He simply stood for a bit and watched the fallen angel. This so called queen of hell. ”I never said you were the villain – the world is not black and white,” he said and looked out to the tortured souls. He wanted to know who decided their fates. How did you know if you were bound for heaven or hell? Reginald had heard of witches going to heaven and angels going to hell – who decided that? Who had such a power to evaluate a soul like that? ”You might not see Mariella like I do, but don’t we always glorify the one we love more than anything? I’m not blind to her bad sides, but I can see through them and see who she really is – and whatever you are trying to accomplish will fail,” he said and breathed out. Was he really defending his relationship in front of this fallen angel? Clearly yes, but he felt like he needed to. ”Now before my lovely fiancée breaks in here, please enlighten me on who I remind you of?” he asked. Mariella wasn’t far from them, and he felt it as soon as her dark energy came into the room. He chuckled at her comment looking at her. He reached out and took Mariella’s hand, knowing he would sacrifice some of his strength, but damn it, he didn’t care. He wanted to be close to her, and never let her go. Hell was clearly trying to break them up for a reason, and he wondered why.

The blood demon smiled at the angel as she took his hand once more. Hell had a habbit of driving away whatever humanity someone had, but it had been hard getting to Keaton. Most of all he had regretted his actions in his life before this, but he had come to accept what reality had dealt him. Maybe this was a chance for him to show he had changed. That he could be salvageable. As Melania sat on his back he could move much faster, and grabbed a hold of her thighs to be sure she didn’t go flying off of him. ”Close your eyes, the wind down here is not nice for the eyes at a fast pace,” he said and set off. Moving like a bullet shot from a gun and in full control of the things around him. To him things seemed to move in slowmotion around him, and he moved simple and flexible until they reached their destination. He slowed down a bit away from Samaira’s place, just to make Melania’s body not freak out at the change in G-force. He placed her down on the ground and made sure she was stable before he sent her a smile. He was about to move up the stairs as he looked to the angel. Never in his life had he seen anyone go through a panic attack, even less helped one going through it. She spoke, and the words didn’t make sense. He walked closer, holding out his arms to her side, just to make sure if she fainted he would catch her, however what happened next made him freak out a little. Her arms around him, pressing herself close to him, he just stood a bit in disbelief, before moving her arms around her torso. For once Keaton had no witty word play or stupid thing to say. He was baffled. Who even used the word baffled anymore, he thought to himself and let go of the angel as she loosened her grip. ”Don’t be sorry – It’s been ages since I’ve gotten a hug,” he said with a crooked smile. Hell was not a place of hugs or love, but a place of torture and hatred, however when he looked at her, he wished he could go with her up to life again. ”Let’s save your friends, huh? They clearly need your help, seeing as you so willingly got down here,” he said and held out his hand. Maybe part of him hoped for something better. For a new start. Holding her hand seemed surreal, but he wanted to support her, protect her.

”Love is the reason for living,” Reginald said, looking at Samaira with a calm look in his eyes. He was slowly regaining himself in her apartment. Could he even call it that, he thought and shook the thought out of his head. She didn’t even look at him when speaking, and he wondered why. ”It is a pity that doing one's best does not always answer,” he said with a sad smile, to the fact she said she could accomplish more than he understood. Apparently he hit a soft spot and her eyes darted to him and she got up from the couch and walked to him, threathening once more. But this time he could see fire in her eyes, and he recognized. ”We accept the love we think we deserve, but I wonder if you don’t feel deserving at all,” Reginald said as an answer, showing that he understood what was beneath those words of hers. As Mariella appeared he got to her side, but needed to let go of her hand, as she was draining him a bit too much combined with the darkness of hell. In here it was better, however. Samaira spoke about her sister, Melania, and he felt the jabs clearer than anyone. ”Then it’s good I love her too; a heart is not limited to one kind of love,” he said as she mentioned the angel’s affection for him. ”Of course I feel bad, but in life and death you make choices, but don’t you dare say I only think about Ella; my heart may not be beating, but it has room for all of those around me who needs me,” he said and looked to Mariella with a smile as she threw fire balls at the queen of hell. He nodded at the words that the siren spoke, maybe he would get drained before finishing the game, but he would do anything to go back and see all of his friends. He had a promise to uphold regarding Anastasia, and he feared her reaction. ”We come in a packaged deal, two for the price of one, so if only one of us makes it through, the other wouldn’t hesitate to come back to get the other,” he said as he looked at Mariella. He wanted to touch her and hold her close, but he knew that would drain him, and he needed all the strength for the upcoming games.