As the man in front of him disappeared, Mephistopheles grin curled even more on his pale face. His hand still grasped the air where he'd shaken Viktor's. In his grasp was a throbbing red organ: a heart. Viktor's heart, specifically. A representation of it, anyways. This was Viktor's soulheart, the thing that held his affinities, his soulbrands, his experience, and everything else. Experience would still get transmitted to the thing due to the Purgatory's mechanics, but nothing would be able to touch it while it resided outside of Viktor's body, including Viktor's own mana.

As Mephistopheles turned towards his desk, a column of blue flame burst up from behind him, and he felt the presence of another devil appear. His trusted lieutenant, Vorathink, scuttled towards him to inspect his latest prize. Vorathink's body was a thing of nightmares: 10 long, insectile legs of black chitin connected to a sleek thorax with two human torsos stacked atop each other where a centaur's chest might be. Four arms stretched away from his grotesque body, each one as long as two with four joints. Vorathink's head consisted of nothing but two plates of black and green chitin that split down the middle when he talked, the large brain that hid beneath appearing when he made his voice known. The sight of him scuttling towards adventurers had been enough to drive many mad.

"My liege, this is the Faust boy's soulheart?" The devil asked. Mephistopheles nodded, placing the soulheart into a crystal display case.

"Yes, Vorathink, this is the boy's soulheart. I'll give it back momentarily, but for now I'll bask in its potential. See how virile it is? I can see so much potential. I can't wait to see where he ends up."

Vorathink's brain shutters shivered in anticipation.

"My liege, I have done some research as you requested, and the next world will be commencing soon. How long until you must give back the soulheart?"

Mephistopheles cocked his head.

"A year and a day. Why? Has someone staked a claim?" Mephistopheles asked his minion. In many new purgatory worlds, gods or other powerful creatures might pay divine power to stake a claim on individuals that meet certain criteria. It was possible that someone had staked a claim to put soulless individuals or those without a certain affinity in a certain starting location.

"Yes, my liege. The bird, Thoth, has opened a Divine Library on the Material Plane there. It shall be a safe haven for those without any sort of affinities. If the mortal does not have his soulheart when Purgatory scans him in, he may well be sent to the library."

Mephistopheles considered the problem. Those sent to a Divine Library from the start were bound to it, unable to leave without sacrificing their memory of the time there. The only way to escape without a significant drawback was to leave immediately or wait for someone to offer to bring you away with them. Librarians who left the Divine Library didn't forget who they were or even those inside the Divine Library, but they could no longer re-enter, and they lost the knowledge of anything they'd learned while inside. There was just one caveat...

"If it's a new world, there are still restrictions on the power that can be exercised. How are the newlings bound to the Library?" If it was through a certain method, then this might be to Faust's advantage...

"According to my sources, my Liege, it will be through a soul brand of Tier 3 or Tier 4 magic. That will be all that is available from the start," Vorathink explained to his commander. New Purgatory boons and outer interferers were restricted in what they could offer to the new residents. For the first ten years, the new planet was protected, meaning that no other could offer aid more than three tiers above the highest tiered human. In a new world, that should be Tier 3, since humans would all start at Tier 0. Sometimes, though, a unique human soul might come in with access to Tier 1 power, which would then increase the starting tier of a world. Mephistopheles considered the information, a smile curling his lips.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Excellent. Soul magic of lower than tier 5 doesn't pierce our borders, so he'll go to the library and they'll stick that useless brand on him and he'll be able to walk out whenever he wants! Only problem will be letting him know that..."

Mephistopheles considered this new problem as, somewhere else, Viktor finally entered Purgatory.

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Viktor didn't awake this time, he just was. He stood in an expanse of white. Not like it was snow, but like it was the absence of everything else. Looking down, he saw that he was wearing roughspun clothing. As he moved his arms and legs, it chafed against him uncomfortably. At the same time, he also saw that his hands and feet were translucent. His whole body, aside from the clothes, seemed impermanent. The only thing not translucent was a spot near his chest, where his heart would be. There, instead of his normal chest, a dark red energy emanated through even the clothes. Oh well, that's a problem for later.

Just like in college and his career, he'd face his problems one at a time. Prioritize. So he made a mental list of what he knew.

1. He was entering Purgatory separate from Claire.

2. He'd just made some sort of deal with a devil from a fairy tale.

3. He would have the ability to sell and buy anything?

4. If he amassed enough power, he'd be able to see Claire again.

Those four things were all the information he possessed entering into this new world. The first three things did nothing for him at the moment, so he would derive his next plans from the fourth and final piece of information: power was his goal. But what would power look like? It seemed like magic was a possibility in this world, but he'd need more information before he could do anything worthwhile. Information was the name of the game, it seemed.

As he thought about his situation, a vaguely humanoid being appeared as though walking out of mist. It was grey in color, with a faceless orb where its head should be. It was unsettling, but really liked like a robot rather than anything out of a nightmare.

"Hello, newling Faust. Welcome to Purgatory! I hope you endure your stay...

You enter a world of magic and myths, of struggle and perseverance. Each of your wishes can be granted through struggle, but be warned. You enter a God-less world, where His eminence and power are wanting. He has set this place aside for humans from all worlds to live according to their whims, be they wicked or virtuous.

This world is not merciful. You have been given the minimum to survive, as were those before you. Millenia have passed with billions struggling from the same position as you are in now, and they succeeded. They thrived, as you are able to. You enter a new world with exactly one billion individuals with exactly one billion motivations. Those who perish will be recycled at a later date. You will be protected for exactly 10 years. On the first day of the 11th year, you will join the rest of Purgatory. It is recommended that you provide value to those outside.

Now go, and pursue your dreams. You will join the newest world in Purgatory in five minutes.

...

The faceless robot rattled off the information as though Viktor wasn't there, then turned and walked into nothingness. Viktor considered the information he'd been provided. Could Claire be somewhere in Purgatory? Mephistopheles could be withholding things or lying, but Viktor got the sense that the vow he'd made was true. It had the ring of power behind it. Ultimately, the information he'd gained was unimpactful. His goal remained the same.

Finding a way to get to Claire remained his one and only goal, and he'd use any resources available to him to succeed. He took stock of his body. He lifted up the roughspun tunic he found himself in and saw that his body was more or less the same level of physical fitness that it was before he'd died... in other words, about average but nothing impressive. As he lifted the tunic, though, a small piece of paper with a short paragraph on it.

Heartmonger

Hey there, young Faust. One parting gift from me is your awakening... no traumatic event or grueling training for you! Enjoy your newfound awareness of the soul and its yearnings...

This must be what I got from Mephistopheles. But looking at the paper, it was still incredibly unclear what the awakening was, but it was still another weapon in his arsenal. It was a weapon he'd use to accomplish his goals and reclaim the love he'd lost.

The road ahead of him seemed long, but the reward at the end would be worth any hardship. A timer appeared in his vision ticking down from 10, and a world of lush green phased into view around him. As the scenery materialized, so did his body, becoming solid. He set his face into a visage of grim determination and prepared to fight for his life.

I'm coming, Claire.