Ed had a much easier time explaining things to everyone else. They were all rather afraid of what he said, having similar reactions to Masami. When they heard about how they could end up tortured, they threw themselves into their work, some with more enthusiasm than others.

Roman was very excited to get to work, he had finally been given an outlet after so many years in prison. While it wasn’t as fun and fulfilling as doing it himself, he could still take joy in watching people die in the traps he made. He didn’t take Ed’s words about redemption to heart at all, purely wanting to maximise the pain and suffering of the individual.

Mathew was similarly enthused to get started, albeit for a different reason. His mind had been trapped in his own torturous experience for a long while now. He thought that he had gone crazy. That everything that had happened was some sick and twisted dream. If it wasn’t for the lingering pain he felt, he could have almost convinced himself that it was a dream.

He was moments away from convincing himself that he was crazy and getting himself thrown out of prison and into a psychiatric ward when he found himself in this room. When Ed explained everything about what he needed to do, he realised it was all real, and that there was a higher power.

And that now he was on the other side of it. He couldn’t wait to sink his claws into people and put them through what he experienced.

Everyone else didn’t want to do this. They didn’t want to torture and kill anyone, but they knew their lives were on the line, so they had no choice but to listen. None of them wanted to go through what Ed had told them.

After explaining everything to the final person, Ed left and could finally return to the office. By the time he got there, he saw Zara patiently waiting for him, her work long since finished.

She jumped up when she saw him, eagerly asking him how it went. “What are they like? Have you seen any of their traps yet? Is there anything exciting? Can I come watch?” She launched her questions like a barrage of gunfire, not giving Ed a chance to answer any of them until she was finished.

“They’re all unique in their own way, I need more time with them to form an opinion. They are still in the process of creating their traps and I left once they had figured things out, so I haven’t seen anything exciting yet.” He pulled her into a hug, feeling the comforting warmth of her presence. “As for your last question, you’ll have to ask Buddie about that.”

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“No one will be allowed to see their traps other than you Ed,” Buddie answered, destroying Zara’s hopes.

She sighed but knew it was to be expected. “Your file has been sitting here for a while. Do you want to get to work on it, or do you want to get something to eat first?”

“It can wait. I think I’m deserving of a bit of a break first, right?” Ed asked, his question directed at Buddie.

“Of course. Go and enjoy lunch. I will call you back once Zara’s trap is ready and you can get started on work then,” Buddie said.

The two went back home and started preparing a simple meal for lunch, just some sausage sandwiches with barbeque sauce and onion.

“Do you think you’ll be home for dinner?” she asked over her shoulder while chopping the onions.

“I don’t know. I’ve still got five traps to watch, as well as making and watching my own. I might be able to, but that depends on how quickly I can wrap everything up,” Ed answered.

“Things will be easier in a couple days, just push through it,” she encouraged.

It didn’t take long for them to finish making the sandwiches, and after relaxing and eating for a bit, they were back to work.

When they stepped through to the office, they saw someone waiting for them at their desks. It was Zara’s friend Kieran, Elizabeth’s assistant that had given her information on Ed’s safety back when he was in Hell.

“Hey Kieran, what are you doing here?” Zara asked.

“My boss wanted me to send her congratulations to Ed for the promotion,” Kieran said, passing on a letter to Ed.

“Promotion?” both of them asked at the same time.

“Yes. While it’s not set in stone. Generally speaking if someone is asked to oversee new hires in their department, it means that management is thinking of giving them a promotion,” Kieran explained. “If you do well and have multiple of them pass their internship, then that will just increase your chances.”

I doubt that’s going to happen. Buddie is just doing this to punish me. Thinking that, Ed still put on a smile and thanked Kieran. “Tell your boss that I appreciate her kindness. I’ll try and pay you both a visit when I have the time.”

“I’ll let her know you said that,” Kieran said, a bit of sympathy in his eyes as he looked at Ed. He didn’t know if he should really let Ed meet his boss. He didn’t want to see Ed having a table thrown at him. “Well, I’ve still got a lot of work to do, so I won’t be able to stay any longer. Good luck with your work.” He waved goodbye as he walked back to the door.

“Goodbye.” The two of them waved goodbye, sending him off before they sat back down.

Zara pulled up the video, excited to watch her trap unfold, while Ed looked at the letter in his hand. I’m sure I've never met them before, but from what Zara’s told me, they’ve been paying attention to me for a while now. I should definitely pay them a visit. Now let’s see what this letter says.