Looking back through past events in my life, I could name quite a few times when I felt so scared I wanted to disappear. However, none of those times even came close to what I felt. I was utterly terrified. Not only did that invisible force blow me away, but he also paralyzed me with sheer pressure. Never have I encountered such powerful dark energy in any of my dreams. Moreover, if I were to die here, my soul wouldn't be able to return to my body. I would be a Lost Soul myself.

No. That can never happen. I can't die here. Think, Baka, think. No matter how powerful the dark energy is, it must have a weakness. One that every being from the Underworld has, something they fear the most. And just as I thought that a devious smile appeared on my face, unknown to me. A ridiculous idea was forming in my mind. But how I could put it into practice was the biggest challenge I had to face.

- Why are you smiling, Drifter? - asked the mysterious voice. - There's no reason to rejoice. You'll be dead soon, and your mission will fail.

- Am I now? - I asked, despite my terror of hearing him again and the pain from that energy pressing me down. - You saw wrong. That was me wincing. - I denied it.

Suddenly, more pressure was put on me by the powerful presence. By now, I was lying down on the hallway floor. I couldn't move an inch. However, my enemy's intention was clear. So I smiled. Or tried to. Just as I expected, the voice began talking again:

- Never saw a human wincing as you do. Such strange creatures are you. But a wince that resembles a crooked smile … I like it. - said the creature.

- I'm very honoured to hear that from such a powerful entity like yourself. - I said through the pain.

- Don't think that by speaking like that, you'll get to leave here alive. - Although he said that, I could still hear the smugness in his voice.

- I wouldn't dare. I've already come to terms with my imminent death. However, before I die, I would still like to know who was the powerful creature that led to my demise.

- And why would I do such a thing? Do you think you are worthy of such a privilege? - asked, albeit happily, what I thought to be a powerful demon. Demons are prideful creatures, so the fastest way for them to let their guard down is to show them how insignificant you are in comparison.

- Of course not, Your Eminence. I just …

- HOW DARE YOU CALL ME BY A CATHOLIC TITLE FROM YOUR WORLD, YOU INSIGNIFICANT SOUL OF A HUMAN?

And with those words, the pressure on me just got worse. I felt as if the weight of a boulder crushed all of my ribs, and I could barely breathe. The pain was unbearable. I was perfectly aware that if this continued, my soul would dissipate. Nevertheless, I haven't finished. I had to take it further.

- Please, do diminish your anger. This title is not suited for lowly humans but for powerful beings like yourself. It is my honour to die in your hands. - I said through clenched teeth.

- Now that you put it that way, you're not wrong. Very well, I'll entertain your wish as you'll die anyway. Consider it just a whim of mine to see you suffer even more knowing who killed you. - The glee in his voice was evident, and his demise (not mine) was nearer. - Listen well, Drifter. I'm one of the Upper Demons in Hell, His Eminence Raazid.

Upper demons. As I'd suspected, the so-called Raazid couldn't be a Lesser demon with such power. But how many powerful beings were there in Hell, apart from the strongest one all humans knew about?

- I'm genuinely sorry for my lack of knowledge, Your Eminence Raazid, one of the Upper Demons in Hell. I didn't know that there were such powerful beings in Hell.

- Is that so? Hasn't the Keeper told you about the presence of powerful demons in Hell? HAHAHAHAHAHA. So, he just sent you to your death HAHAHAHAHAHA. This situation is highly entertaining. You thought that there were only Lesser Demons—no wonder I seem extremely powerful to you (which I am). However, let me expand your knowledge briefly, seeing how pitiful you are now.

Drifter, there are ranks among us demons. The ones you probably defeated until now were the demons from the Lesser rank. They are like food to creatures like me from the Upper class. However, there are even more powerful demons than me, like those from the Greater rank. They serve the Seven Lords of Hell, the highest position in the Underworld. And, of course, there is the Supreme One above all of us whose name we, demons under the Lord class, aren't worthy enough to say.

Stolen story; please report.

Having said all of that, what does it feel like to face just a low-ranked demon? Has desperation taken over your soul already? - Raazid smirked.

Of course, as a higher-ranked demon, he was more intelligent than the Lesser Demons I've encountered so far. But I had never expected a day when I would discover myself being kept in the dark by my employer, a servant of the Imperial Palace of Winged Hope no less (or Heaven for short). This day wasn't getting any better.

Trying not to lose hope and get my soul corrupted, I took a breath and said to the demon:

- Your knowledge is vast, Your Eminence. I'm ashamed of my lack of it. It is indeed the truth that the Keeper hadn't told me about any of this before. I have been appointed recently by the Garden of Sinners, so this is my first time facing a job like this.

Demons are more challenging to deal with than the Wrath Shackles. And there is an excellent reason for that. These creatures can detect lies. As liars themselves, being deceitful is one of the essential ¨qualities¨ so to speak for one. To defeat a demon, one has to disguise a lie as the truth. I didn't lie about anything I told Raazid. I was indeed appointed recently as a Drifter six months ago. However, for experienced Drifters, that is undoubtedly considered new to the job. Your common Drifter would have worked for a minimum of 10 years. The most experienced one would have at least 50 years under his belt. But demons didn't know that except, maybe, the Devil himself. Also, when I said it was ¨the first time I faced a job like this¨ I meant that I've never encountered an Upper demon and a Pure Soul in the same dream. So none of what I had said was a lie.

- So this is the first time you enter a dream? HAHAHAHAHA I see, I see. Consider yourself lucky to have encountered a powerful demon like myself on your first job. But sadly, this is also your unluckiest day as you have to die here. It was a pleasure to meet such a pitiful creature HAHAHAHAHA. Now it's time to say goodbye.

A big dark thunder had formed above me. I was perfectly aware that if it struck me, my soul would dissipate there and then. And that was precisely what I was waiting for. Accumulating all the divine power that the Keeper granted me upon my enrollment, I kept all my senses open for the moment that attack would come. Just a second before it finally came, a golden shield enveloped me. The force of the attack rebounded on it and reflected all the dark energy, dissipating it across the dream.

That's when I felt the one I was searching for, the Pure Soul. Taking advantage of the lack of response from the demon, indeed surprised and affected by the outburst of divine power, I ran. I was no longer trapped inside that ¨bubble¨ of dark energy created by the demon. Thanks to the dissipated energy across all the dream, I could feel the only place protected from it. Passing corridors and ¨climbing¨ stairs, I finally found a door at the far end of the hallway. ¨ Director's Office¨ was written on it. I couldn't discern the colour as everything turned grey. The dream was ending.

I passed through the door. Sure enough, a gold bead of light, the size of a soccer ball, was there. But not alone. Multiple little lights were floating around it. If you were to look from afar, it resembled Jupiter. But before I could say anything, the ball of light transformed into a little girl. Her form was like mine, transparent. The only difference resided in the colour of our auras: mine was white, and hers was golden. That meant it was in her destiny to go directly to Heaven without passing through the Judgement of Souls, as she was already born with divine power.

- Welcome, Drifter. - said the little girl. - My name is Maggie, and I'm the soul you were supposed to save. However, this task is too difficult for you the way you are now. Many eyes are watching, some of them belonging to dangerous creatures. So listen well. My soul has no salvation. Even if you save me, many will covet my soul, and you'll never be free. The world and you are in danger, but there's still a chance for you to survive. Nor Heaven nor Hell are to be trusted, so choose wisely. Despite all the challenges you'll have to face from now, I have two favours to ask of you. First, take these little souls with you and give them freedom. The second is to find our murderers and bring them before the Judgement of Souls. For that purpose, I'll give you all my memories.

After that, she touched my hand and dissipated. A mark resembling a vine coiled around a tree trunk appeared instead. Her voice still sounded in the room:

- Now that you have the mark, visions about my past will appear at the right time. I will use my power to send you out of my dream. The demon is coming. Try not to die, meanwhile. It will take some time. And remember, do not trust d…

I couldn't hear the rest as a whirl of dark energy appeared out of nowhere. It got more prominent by the second, destroying the room and the dream. From grey, everything turned into black in an instant. I was trapped in the middle, an invisible hand strangling me. I could swear I was feeling some claws piercing the skin I didn't have.

- HUUUUUUUUUMAAAAAAAAAN!!! HOW DARE YOU DECEIVE ME!!! Be grateful that the soul protected you until now, or you've been dead by now! I bet you thought you were smart buying time to do that move on me. But guess what. YOU GAVE YOURSELF NO WAY OUT OF THIS DREAM. YOU'RE TRAPPED HERE FOREVER, HAHAHAHAHA, But don't worry. I'll ensure your soul won't get reincarnated as I'LL BURN YOUR SOUL RIGHT HERE AND NOW. That way, you'll be gone forever HAHAHAHAHA.

I knew I couldn't leave here after consuming all the divine power I had left. Yet I deemed this sacrifice necessary in order to save this precious soul. But in the end, I couldn't even do that. I had to wait to be protected by the one I was supposed to save in the first place. The demon was right. I was a very pitiful creature. But Maggie gave me a mission I had to accomplish. For that, I must survive.

- Does … the Devil himself … know that you … are coveting such a … powerful soul for yourself? - I said with difficulty, barely being able to breathe.

- HOOOOOOW DOOO YOOU DARE SAY HIS NAME, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT! You can't even satisfy us as food, and you have the nerve to insinuate something preposterous!!! I should cut your tongue and limbs one by one to teach you a lesson. It doesn't matter if your physical body isn't here. I can make you suffer something even worse than death! After all, your soul is even more fragile than your body. HAHAHAHAHA So … what should I begin with? I want to hear you scream, so let's begin with your left arm. What do you say? - said the demon, smiling cruelly.

One hand was strangling me while the other was on my left arm. Once again, I could feel the claws piercing my skin as if I were there, body and soul. The next second I felt how a powerful force yanks my arm. I couldn't help but scream. However, no voice was coming out. I couldn't breathe. My soul was trembling. I could feel my consciousness slip away. The force wasn't diminishing. But I had to survive. For Maggie and the other souls, for my job as a Drifter.

And for that person I'm desperately searching for.

However, no matter how strong my will was, my soul couldn't endure. I was as good as dead. I couldn't resist much longer. At that moment, I heard a crack. And then another. Ohh, so that's how it feels to have your soul shattered. The time for my demise was near. I never expected it would turn out this way. I'm sorry, everyone … I failed you.

And I closed my eyes forever.