Chapter Text
Dark Choco Cookie knew he had died. And he knew, very well, where he was going. There was a bright light, he could feel himself falling, and then nothingness. He found himself here. He couldn't quite remember how it happened. Only that he was most certainly dead.
He had nowhere to go but the eerie dark tunnel ahead. He couldn't see where it began or where it ended- only relying on his sense of touch to find his way around.
The walls and ground were soft, cold and damp, as if they were entirely coated in mud. There was nowhere to go but forward.
As he walked, trying to keep himself calm though fear gripped his silent heart like a vice and the very core of his soul trembled, he heard the ever present echoes of malevolent laughter growing closer and louder, but still muffled as it seemed to be outside of the tunnel. He grinds to a halt. Perhaps they didn't notice he was here, or…
No, Dark Choco answered himself. He couldn't escape or try to run or hide. He knew better than anyone there was no turning back. He was here for good reason. If there was anything he deserved, he figured, it was punishment. He may as well be brave enough to take it.
A pair of giant, glowing yellow eyes snapped open before him, shedding only a small amount of light on his surroundings. Though it didn't help much at all- it seemed only to be entirely shadow solidified.
The unknown creature seemed to appraise Dark Choco as he shields his face from the light of their prying eyes, the air of judgement they seemed to give as it silently weighed the heavy burden of his sins.
The shadowy ground began to shake, causing Dark Choco to fall over. The creature before him opens its enormous gaping maw to reveal a myriad of ghostly flames inside. It lets out an inhuman roaring laugh as the screams of the condemned souls within echo with it.
A direct portal to Hell.
As the hot flames grew closer to Dark Choco, golden embers licking at his face, his terror became so great that he fell unconscious, begging to return to the dark shadows where he began.
He soon awoke with a start, lying on a harder surface than before. His body- or rather, his spirit- felt abnormally heavy. Which was odd- he had lost his armor. Reddish-brown wisps float about him, he noticed, but he, despite being a spirit, too, did not float- and his soul was nearly jet-black!
He takes a moment to regain his composure, looking around at his not-so-serene surroundings.
Fire and magma flowed through Hell like the trees and rivers of the earth, full of suffering souls who screamed and wept in their own agony and self-pity, once Cookies themselves.
As Dark Choco took in the view, he did not notice the shadow cast upon him by a menacing figure from above.
"Well, well, well…" a raspy, childlike voice whispers as Dark Choco whirled around to come eye-to-eyes with the very same glowing yellow eyes he saw back in the tunnel. The creature glances at the red-eyed bats that flocked around them, mischievously grinning, before looking back down at the soul.
"Wouldja look who it is…?"
Dark Choco stumbles back, unable to break eye contact with the hooded demon that landed before him, their massive batlike wings outstretched. Their golden horns stuck out from their hood, shining brilliantly in the light of the flames around them. The large staff they wielded shone just the same.
"Dark Choco Cookie. I was wondering when you'd wake up," they spoke, almost sounding annoyed with how long it took. They smiled, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth.
Dark Choco continues to inch back in terror until he hits a stone wall. It occurred to him that the demon had sealed off any possible exit, effectively silencing the inferno outside. If it weren't for their intimidating presence, Dark Choco would have found it peaceful.
The devil steps forward. Dark Choco squeezes his eye shut, enduring himself for an attack, though he cannot stop his own shivering.
He waits. And waits. Nothing happens.
"Sheesh! This is kind of insulting… Pretty bold of you to waste my time..."
Dark Choco uncovers his face to see the demon offering their hand to help him up.
"O-oh…" He cautiously takes the surprisingly small hand, allowing them to help pull him upward.
"I-I'm sorry… th-thank you…"
The demon lets out a very familiar little cackle.
"My, my, this is the mighty, dreaded Dark Choco Cookie? Did we get the right guy?" Their tone was playful and mocking. Befitting of a child, though rather bizarre given the regality of their attire.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, or a hundred!"
Dark Choco looks down for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts enough to speak. Was this a child? Or merely taking the form of one? Still fearful of the demon, he chooses his words very carefully.
"Sir… I feel that the answer to this is very obvious and I just don't understand… are you, perhaps, the demon sent here to torment me?"
The devil gazes at him thoughtfully, still smirking. They extend their heart shaped tail to tilt his chin up slightly, the pointed end dangerously close to what could have been a vital vein if Dark Choco were alive (or human). He tries to avoid their gaze to no avail.
"I am appreciating how polite you're being. Yes, I am here for you specifically. But no, I wasn't sent, nor am I here to torment you."
"May I ask who you are, then?"
They scoff.
"I am the King of Demons. Obviously. Mind the horns. And the staff." They brandish the menacing weapon before Dark Choco, a golden trident with the emblem of an upside down red and black cracked heart.
Dark Choco cowers, kneeling. It reminded him of a certain past experience just as unpleasant. This was a young child, but they very obviously held supernatural power beyond his comprehension. Be respectful, he reminded himself.
"Forgive me for that. I wasn't aware. But I know why I'm here- I regret everything and I know I can't take anything back. I am willing to accept any punishment you sentence me to."
The king watches Dark Choco in exasperated bewilderment, one eyebrow raised and mouth slightly agape.
"Ugh…. Listen, buddy, I usually like when souls grovel to me, but when you do it, I kinda wanna… throw up. Cut that out. You can call me Devil Cookie."
Devil Cookie helps Dark Choco back to his feet.
"And regretting your sins is just the very first step."
The condemned soul looks at Devil and their sudden change in attitude with one wide eye. They just smile back.
"Why-?"
"And- I have a little gift for you," Devil interrupts.
"Close your… um. Eye. No tricks. I promise."
Dark Choco obeys. He feels a light touch over his missing eye and the scar that marked it, and a tingling sensation that followed.
"Open your eyes!"
Dark Choco opens his eyes- both eyes! And it takes him a minute to realize what the gift was- of his long lost other eye, completely restored. He can feel tears coming as Devil watches in amusement at his reaction, and in embarrassment, tries to hide it. They look more sympathetic now.
"I know about all of your sins… but I am going to help you face them all."