"Hey Lucifer," a voice called out.
"I heard you have some new participants in your hell" it said.
"Yeah, they are already on the 3rd floor you know? What a suprise right?" Lucifer replied.
"I do know that you love to play around with mortals, so that's that but...you should really stop that you know? The fact that they still are on the first floor leaves me with nothing to play with most of the time." it complained.
"Well, I did say that they have to complete 18 floors of hell you know. Not that I said anything about my hell being a single floor anyways. Besides, its the floor of deception" he continued.
"Until they realized this fact, they wouldn't be able to overcome the sin of deception. And even if they do, they'd have to endure the feeling of being betrayed in an illusion and accepting the fact and even forgiving it like a saint just to pass you know?" Lucifer said.
"Its not like yours which just requires them to resist their urges you know" Lucifer replied.
Just then, a clear sound shouted off from his magical orb spying on them.
"Hey Lucifer, we are still in the first floor isn't that right?" Mitsuha's clear voice shouted out into the surroundings.
"Now isn't this a new record?" the other voice laughed at Lucifer.
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"That's correct" the voice(Lucifer) responded to the group.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"However, you have to leave one person behind as a sacrafice. This is hell you know?" the voice replied.
That was when the illusion was cast.
Benedict saw the rest of his group ostracizing him. They had decided to sacrafice him. He saw Mr David's hand hitting him on his neck, causing him to collapse on the floor.
"Why?" he cried out.
He didn't understand. Perhaps they had some sort of resentment against him somewhere along their lifes? It was probably the most confusing betrayal. "You should stop acting like your the center of the world sometimes" Usagi told him, as she left.
He recalled his memories. Perhaps he had always intepreted things as he wanted to instead of what it actually was? Maybe he saw Michelle's constant strange behaviour as her way of expressing love to Dominic but instead was just her hating him? Maybe whenever Usagi told him not to touch her ears, she meant it?
And then, the illusion broke. He found himself standing back on the ground, as he saw the others in a dazed state.
This was because he never blamed them or hated them for sacraficing him. Instead, he had chosen to find fault within himself. He was okay with being sacraficed. Hence allowing him to break free of that illusion.
Mr David broke free as well. He accepted it as he was the one who got them into it in the first place.
Mitsuha realized it was an illusion upon seeing Benedict with hateful eyes. She knew her brother was incapable of physically expressing hate to a person. Perhaps not fufilling the actual requirements of the floor but it was still acceptable.
Risha thought of herself as someone who knew them for the shortest period of time. Mitsuha and Benedict were some great heroes in the future and Mr David may be essential in getting them out. And for her sister, she probably loved Benedict to that extent. Hence allowing her to break free, added on to that, the moon rabbit tribe had a strange fetish for self sacrafice. Perhaps that allowed Usagi to break free as well.
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"AHAHHAHHAHAAH" the voice laughed at Lucifer.
"YOU DIDNT EVEN MANAGE TO GET A SINGLE ONE" it continued laughing.
A door automatically appeared infront of the group, as they stepped into the next stage. This time, for real.
"Let's see if you can even get one" Lucifer taunted back. Unintentionally raising the difficulty of the next stage.