Boom.
A deafening explosion tore through the battlefield. None of us had ever been blasted this far before—not even in the worst fights we had survived. It was as if reality itself cracked for a moment.
When we hit the ground, the pain was unbearable. Our bodies felt like ragdolls thrown by a god.
One by one, we started to regain consciousness.
I groaned, trying to move despite the pounding in my skull. My back felt like it had been crushed, but in Hell, pain was just another part of existing.
Justice rolled over and muttered a curse under his breath. Faith was coughing violently. Even Fearlessness stayed down for a few seconds, which said a lot.
But someone was missing.
Kindness.
She wasn't among them.
Far away, behind what was once a massive boulder, now half-melted from the heat, she lay hidden. The rock had shielded her from the worst of the explosion—but only barely. Smoke and heat still filled the air like poison.
Her eyes slowly fluttered open.
She blinked.
"...What...?" she whispered, voice hoarse.
Everything was shaking. Dust rained from the skies. In the distance, the gigantic demon that had caused the explosion was limping back toward the closing portal to the other realm. The ground quaked with each of its steps. The gateway pulsed... then sealed shut with a heavy thud.
Kindness turned her head.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"No… no no no…"
Her left arm was gone.
Five meters away, torn from her body, it lay lifeless on the charred ground.
She didn't scream. She didn't cry.
At first, she didn't feel anything.
The curse...
Her thoughts raced. If I lose it here… I lose it in the human world too… forever.
She grit her teeth, forcing herself to move despite the excruciating pain. Her legs trembled, her right arm barely functioned. But she ran. She ran with every ounce of strength she had left and collapsed next to her severed limb.
With shaking fingers, she grabbed it.
"No time to think. No time to panic."
Pressing the arm to the bleeding stump, she closed her eyes.
Her right hand began to glow.
"Heal. Heal, damn it!" she whispered through gritted teeth.
All her energy poured into the spell. Hours passed. The pain didn't fade—it deepened. Her vision blurred. Her mind screamed to pass out. But she refused.
"If I stop now… it's gone forever."
Time became meaningless.
And finally—after four hours of agony, sweat, and desperate healing—it was done.
Her arm, barely functional, was back in place.
But her body was too weak.
She couldn't stay here.
She needed to hide. To rest. To survive.
Dragging herself through the scorched lands of Hell, she wandered. Her clothes were in tatters, her steps uneven.
And then, in the distance…
A strange glow.
A demonic village.
Smoke curled from strange towers, and red light glowed from crystal-like structures. As she approached, she heard sounds—violence.
A small demon, no older than a child, was being beaten down by two larger ones. It screamed, and they laughed.
Kindness didn't think. Her body moved before her brain could stop her.
"HEY!"
She sprinted forward and, in one motion, leapt—kick!
Her foot connected with the side of one demon's face, sending it flying. The other turned toward her, eyes wide.
"Leave that little one alone!" she shouted, fire in her voice.
The demons growled.
Her body was slow—too slow.
She couldn't hold them off for long.
But somehow… somehow, she won.
And then she collapsed.
Unconscious.
The little demon rushed over, eyes wide in panic. "No! Wait! Don't die—!"
---
Back in the human world...
I groaned as mt alarm rang. My back ached like hell. Must be from the landing in Hell,
Still tired, i rolled out of bed and picked up the ringing phone.
It was a group call.
Everyone was already on.
Wisdom, as usual, was explaining her plan in excruciating detail.
"...If we all synchronize our energy during the dimensional pull, we might—"
Justice interrupted, her voice sharp. "Wait. Where's Kindness?"
Silence.
Wisdom stopped speaking.
That was a bad sign.
"She didn't answer her phone," I said, rubbing my eyes.
"She always answers her phone," Faith added, now worried.
Wisdom's face hardened, her voice becoming serious. "There's only one reason she wouldn't. Something happened. In Hell."
Fearlessness clicked his tongue. "Yeah, but… we all have school today. What do we do?"
Faith slammed her hand on the desk. "She's our friend! Who cares about school?!"
"I get that," Fearlessness replied. "But it's hard to sleep when your parents think you're at school—and if school calls them, we're toast."
Wisdom nodded. "Then there's only one option. Who's free today?"
A pause.
Then, finally—Creativity spoke up. "I only have one class today... and my parents are working. I can skip it."
Everyone looked at him through the screen. Reassurance washed over their faces.
"Alright," Wisdom said. "It's decided. Creativity, you'll go to Hell and look for her. The rest of us—get to bed so fast as posible after school!
I ended the call, grabbed my bag, and bolted toward the school gate.
My heart pounded.
Hang in there, Kindness...
---
Back in Hell...
Kindness opened her eyes again.
She was lying on a small bed, inside a crude stone hut. A soft, red glow lit the room. She blinked and looked around, confused.
"Where...?"
The little demon from before smiled at her.
"This is my home," he said gently. "You can rest here. Just until you're done healing."
Kindness sat up slowly. "Thanks, but I'm okay now. I need to find my friends—"
The little demon quickly grabbed her wrist.
"Wait! Don't go yet! You're still hurt. I made something for you."
He held up a small black cup, filled with a glowing liquid.
"You're in Hell," she thought. "He's a demon. I shouldn't…"
But she couldn't bring herself to reject the kindness.
"...Alright," she said softly. "Just one sip."
She took the cup.
A small sip.
Her eyes widened.
Dizziness hit her like a wave.
Her knees buckled.
Her vision blurred as she dropped to the floor.
"What… what did you… do…?"
The last thing she saw before blacking out was the demon's smile—no longer kind.
Just cold.
Twisted.
Sinister.
"You're mine now," he whispered.
To be continued...