JohnWillStab entered the massive room, the walls were made from stone with seals that read "harden" all over them, in a metal cell just barely large enough to hold him, Felix lay motionless.

The cage was suspended over a massive pit of spikes.

The entire room was lit up with lamps.

"This place looks... cosy..." John remarked.

Llime was the one leading them into the prison located below the main jGuardian base.

"Well, we must make sure he doesn't escape..." Llime replied, he walked over to a small pressure plate on the floor and stepped on it, causing a stone bridge to extend towards the cage.

Jordan walked into the room next, he saw the cold, industrial look and felt chill run down his spine.

"This place looks worse than I expected..." he remarked.

"Well, it's not meant to be nice..." Alex remarked being the last to enter the room.

"You can go on and do your business, just don't kill him since we don't know where he'll respawn," Llime explained.

She waited by the pressure plate, in case something went wrong, she'd collapse the bridge.

The cage itself was covered in "healing" and "immobilisation" seals, that way Felix couldn't die of hunger or kill himself in case he somehow regained the ability to move.

Alex looked at Felix in his barely-human state, he couldn't help but feel a mix of pity and hatred for the person before him.

"Hello?" John knocked on the cage to no effect.

"..."

"..."

"Guess I'll try out the tentacles next..." John sighed.

He placed a hand inside the cage and manifested the tenecirus tentacles, brining them fort towards the ring that lay on the blood-stained fingers of the man.

As soon as John's tentacles made contact with the ring he found himself in a black room.

"Shit..." he thought.

"Welcome, mortal..." a guttural voice said from behind.

John spun around and saw the humanoid form of the demon-king himself, it was nothing like Thal, infinitely huge in a confined space, made with colours John could visualise in his mind, yet he knew didn't exist.

On its back, massive wings, on its featureless face, horns of black flame.

"Where am I!?" John asked taking a step back.

"You thrust your rope into the abyss expecting to feel around, not be pulled in..." the creature grinned.

"I was pulled in?!" John thought.

"Tell me, mortal... What makes you stand out?" asked the demon king.

JohnWillStab froze at the question.

"What?" he asked.

"I am Nekraxx, I am the god tasked with controlling the flow of souls in and out of this world, to me a soul is like a grain of sand, what makes your grain of sand worth my time, mortal?" the demon asked leaning in closer towards John.

"..."

"..."

JohnWillStab decided questioning the demon would do no good, he needed to answer the question, but how.

"What... should I say?"

"I am a strategist for the L.F.T.O!" John exclaimed.

The demon continued to look at him expectantly.

"I have been sent here from another world!"

The demon continued to stare at him.

"I have the tenecirus sub-class?"

Nothing.

"I know Thal!"

This finally got the demon's attention.

"Thal? The traitor to all gods..."

"Indeed... you may be worth some time..."

John breathed a sigh of relief, he wasn't sure why, but he felt as if a massive weight was lifted from his chest.

"If you didn't give me an answer, I would have cast your soul into the abyss," the demon said nonchalantly.

"I- I see..."

"So, what do you want with me, mortal?" asked the demon.

"I need help with my ally! I need a person brought in from another world!" John explained.

"..."

"No, that person's soul is here, it needs to be housed in a body!" John elaborated.

"..."

"A unique scenario indeed..." the demon leaned in even closer, John didn't feel any closer of further from the demon.

"Fine... I will grant your request," The demon king said.

"You must bring me a vessel for the soul to inhabit and I shall place the soul within it," the demon offered.

John's face lit up.

"Really?! That's awesome!" John exclaimed.

"For a price..." the demon continued.

"Of course... this is a demon after all..." John thought.

"I want to destroy Thal's soul," Nekraxx said, their words were followed by a deafening silence.

"...What?" John asked.

"I can read your thoughts mortal... And I am giving you a choice, Thal the traitorous demon or Jordan's brother..." the demon said with a grin of razor-sharp teeth.

"..."

"Why?!" John demanded.

"Did you expect a deal that would cost you nothing?" Nekraxx asked mockingly.

"..." John gritted his teeth.

"What makes you better than the thousands, tens of thousands that made the same choice, undead?"

"..."

"What ab-"

John was about to speak when Nekraxx cut him off.

"No, the soul of another demon king won't work..."

"What about all of them?!"

Nekraxx shook its head.

JohnWillStab was overcome with a deep feeling of despair.

"Please..." John pleaded.

"You still don't understand..."

"You could offer me the soul of Lorb himself and I would refuse..." Nekraxx exclaimed furiously.

"NOW GET OUT!" Nekraxx bellowed as John found himself once again standing on the stone bridge in the prison below the jGuardian base, a second later his eyes closed and he was once more thrust into darkness.

He opened his eyes moments later to a bright light.

"John!" Alex exclaimed, JohnWillStab was laying in the actual jGuardian base.

"What... happened?" John asked.

Alex breathed a sigh of relief.

"You just passed out randomly, I guess you must have touched the ring!" Alex explained.

JohnWillStab felt his memories return to him as he felt his throat tighten and his expression darken.

"...what happened?" Thal asked.