"Ouch."

The rugged rocks rubbed tightly.

"Ow."

I made it through with difficulty, leaving behind a sticky handprint. A single flickering torch sat on a sconce. The clay walls narrowed and turned once at a sharp angle.

The orange torchlight transitioned into a more natural blue, some remnant of Earth's sunlight reaching this dark and dismal place. A tiny stream trickled down the ochre walls. Some cave bats seemed to have made a nest high above. They occasionally swooped down from the top of the ravine, flapping their wings past my head.

Following the wet wall forward led me to a place I couldn't comprehend.

A small piece of heaven forgotten in hell.

A tiny tree illuminated by the purest light. It's translucent leaves cast shade on the small grassy island. Leaning against thin white bark was a familiar woman, sound asleep.

And standing over her was an angel, hair as red as fire. It cascaded down her back in waves, accentuating her perfect curves. She turned to me, her regality superseding the need for words.

=

A devil walked out of the shadows.

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Stained red and painted black. The giant shielded its eyes from the blinding light. Its powerful muscles carried it onto sacred ground.

"Asteria."

I felt my heart tremble hearing my name on its tongue.

"How do you know my name?"

"It hovers above your head."

The devil lied and bared his teeth.

I'd fallen far. Fleeing that cosmic horror led me into a lower level of hell. Looking around for a new weapon, I picked up a fallen branch of the mystical tree. Its unmarred exterior contrasted the blood-soaked sword sheathed at the devil's waist.

My experience told me to attack before my enemy had a chance.

*Whack*

The branch hit his head straight on. He didn't even try to dodge.

I was tall for a girl, but he towered over me. A trail of crimson trickled down his temple and dripped down his eyebrow. Through the shade, I could see he wasn't even looking at me.

"Move."

"W-what?"

My breath caught. I glanced back at the girl on the ground.

I could fight him. He was nothing compared to the monstrosity that chased me here. However, something made me step back. Maybe it was the fact that I could now rationally tell that this man was human. His tattoos were clearly more organic than demonic, and his battered appearance made him seem vulnerable.

Circling, I stayed alert and ready to defend myself or attack if he did anything unreasonable.

The suffused light hit his back as he overshadowed the unknown woman. He crouched low to the point that he was now at her eye level. Unhurriedly, he reached out and pushed aside her long brown hair to reveal her face.

She was beautiful. Someone who would listen to a friend cry all night long without saying a word. An understanding boss or a diligent employee who would stay after hours to help. A woman in her prime who would have enjoyed spoiling her future children.

Her lifeless eyes cried.

"Did you know her?"

The words came unbidden. Death had a way of drawing out platitudes.

"No. I didn't."

He retrieved an item from her lax grip; a metal thermos, half-full. He swirled it languidly before opening the cap and spilling its contents. A dark liquid drowned the earth, leaving behind a small pile of black dust.

The stranger stood. He examined the woman one last time. Then he turned away, returning to the darkness.