Taylor's phone begins to ring and he immediately answers.

“Taylor. Get to the Central Ocean now. As fast as you can.” Johan says.

“Why? What's happening over there?” Taylor asks.

“Heaven is being erected. And Hanz. That bastard is hiding inside.” Johan responds.

“Damn. Alright. I'll get over there as fast as I can.” Taylor says before ending the call. He looks over to Sylvie and sighs. “Come on, let's go.” He says before flying forward.

Like bullets trailing through the air, Taylor and Sylvie move forward as fast as they can.

…

…

As the two approach, they see some sort of citadel in the sky, covered by some sort of barrier. Several people were in the air around it, and there seemed to be several people pouring an immense amount of energy into breaking the barrier.

Taylor spots Johan and Jesse doing what they could to break through the barrier and flies over.

Johan sees Taylor and signals for him to come closer. “Try to go through.” He says, gesturing to the barrier.

Taylor raises an eyebrow. “Why?” He asks, somewhat suspicious.

Johan lets out an annoyed breath and puts stops pouring energy into the barrier to explain. “According to the theory, the person who activated this spell should be able to let certain people come and go as they please, according to the situation. So everyone has to try. Just in case.” He says before gesturing Taylor forward.

“Fuck. Okay.” Taylor responds before pushing forward a hesitating hand. To Taylor’s dismay, the tips of his fingers were able to pass through the barrier. “Fuck.” He exclaims.

Johan sees this and frowns. “Don’t be a bitch. Go all the way in.” He says with furrowed brows.

“Fuuck.” Taylor exclaims again, not really wanting to. He could tell where this was going. If he was able to pass through that barrier, he would be have to be the one to face Hanz. And he really didn’t want to face Hanz. Taylor’s body cringes before forcing himself forward, easily passing through the barrier. “For fuck’s sake!” Taylor exclaims.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Several other people see the event and come over. In a moment, several eighth stage overlords had approached Taylor, including Tasha.

“Who’s this?” One of them asks, wondering what was so special about this person.

“Taylor. You realize what this means don’t you?” Tasha says with a solemn face.

Taylor lets out an exasperated sigh. “You guys can’t send me in there alone, right? I’m only on the seventh stage. There’s no way I could take on Hanz.” He says, hoping for a way out.

Johan frowns. “You’re right. But you have to go in. We don’t need you to instigate him, we only need you to communicate with him. If we can end this peacefully, we’re more than willing. But this spell… It can’t be allowed to complete.” Johan says, gravity in his voice.

Jesse lets out a sigh. “Be careful, Taylor.” She says with worry in her eyes.

Sylvie frowns. “Taylor, if you don’t come back to me, so help me god, I will find your ghost and force it back to life.” She says, somewhat angry.

Taylor looks to the sky and sighs. “Fuck. How’d it come to this. Alright. I’ll go. Just wait for me.” He says, before turning around and flying towards the citadel, a few grumbles escaping his mouth.

…

…

On a throne, in the middle of huge hall, Hanz sees Taylor and smiles. He quickly gets up and walks towards Taylor with open arms. “Taylor, my love. You finally made it.” He says with a smile.

Taylor frowns. “Cut the shit, Hanz. What the fuck is happening here?” He says reluctantly. He really didn’t want to be the one to be asking these questions.

Hanz looks at Taylor and sighs. He waves to the surrounding room before letting his arm down, letting it hang limply. “This. This had to be done.” Hanz says, not seeming to enjoy the situation himself.

“Had to be done? Why?” Taylor asks, still unsure of the situation.

Hanz, seemingly very tired, decides to sit on the ground. “Taylor. When you get to my level, you start to hear them. The people. Praying. Always praying. I want this. I want that. Why am I in this situation? Why is my luck so bad? Am I really a bad person? At first you try to ignore it. But the prattling is endless. They’re just so dumb, Taylor. All of them. They dig a few holes, jump in, and then they pray. They ask, ‘Why am I in this hole that I dug myself?’ It’s so fucking annoying.” Hanz says as he leans back on his arms.

Taylor raises an eyebrow. “So? Why do this?” He continues to ask.

“Because, Taylor. Just because. On a whim, I decided to answer a few prayers. These assholes are right. Everyone deserves a chance to get high. So I’m giving it to them. After this is done, there will be a clear path to heaven from hell. Then I won’t have to hear their bullshit any longer.” Hanz says with a sigh before deciding to lay on his back and look at the sky.

Taylor’s eyes widen. Sylvie had explained to him what that path would look like. They would be forced forward, with the devil pushing at their back with a pitchfork. And if they couldn’t go any further, they would be destroyed. As Taylor saw it, only to truly psychotic would be able to walk this path. “Hanz. It doesn’t have to be this way. You can still stop the spell.” Taylor pleads, hoping everyone could walk away from this peacefully.

“I can’t Taylor.” Hanz says as he sits up. “I just can’t.” He says with a sigh. “If I’ve learned anything from my journey, it’s that, if the world allows it, it is valid. Unfortunately, I’ve also learned that the world likes to fuck around. So I’ve left myself a way out.” He says as he looks up at Taylor. “I allowed you in here.” He says.

Taylor’s eyes widen. “Me? Why? For what?” Taylor asks, confused.

Hanz smiles and gets up. “Well. Let’s just say I like you Taylor. I like the way you do things and I like the way you think. If anyone’s going to stop me, I’d prefer it if you were the one to do it. Also… You’re very attractive.” He says with a teasing smile.

Taylor’s eyes widen once again. “First of all, I’m married. Second of all, I'm straight.” Taylor immediately says to defend himself.

Hanz smirks. “Everyone always says that at first. But don’t worry, if you manage to stop me, we still have the opportunity to explore the truth of the matter later.” He says before letting out a laugh.

Taylor shakes his head, deciding to ignore that for the moment. “How do you expect me to stop you?” He asks, seeing no real way forward.

“How else? We’ll fight!” Hanz says as he raises a hand. A black flame is ignited, staring at Taylor menacingly.

“Fuck. How do you expect me to win!? If you wanted to fight you might let one of the other eighth stage dudes outside in!” Taylor exclaims, thinking that this was unfair.

“No, no, no, Taylor. This is exactly what makes this interesting.” Hanz says with a chuckle.