Archive of Our Own ^beta

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I feel stupid for doing this. Talking to a non-existent audience is a thing lots of humans do for various reasons, no reason I can’t do it.

Hi, I’m Leah, one of the angels watching over Purgatory. I’m doing this because I have nothing better to do and documenting things that happen in Purgatory is kinda my job. Not that this is in any professional capacity, this is literally just for my own entertainment.

You want to know just how boring my job is? I stare at one window constantly, watching as humans die, and get sorted. It’s not that the job is bad, far from it, but I’m not actually doing anything. I’m not the one who judges things, nor the one who takes the souls from Earth, nor the one who takes them up to Heaven. I just watch.

I don’t even get to tell anyone when anything different happens, by the time anything does happen, everyone else knows about it.

It’s better by far from what I did before this… that’s a plus. Still, going from busy all the time to something so mundane is a shock.

So that’s where you come in my imaginary audience, someone who I can actually tell the things everyone else already knows about.

Did you know there’s actually a demon that resides on the border of Hell and Purgatory? He’s the one who takes the souls destined for Hell, most of the time anyway. His name’s Malak, and I greatly dislike him. I want to take his twisty horns and stuff them into a tree while he is still attached. 

Sorry, that’s a little overzealous of me… still doesn’t change it though.

See, somehow, he was able to get a way to summon himself on Earth, and now demons regularly show up on Earth. Not just in the spiritual sense either. No, actual. Physical. Bodies. All because of him. 

Not that the demons stay up there long, no one wants to accrue Wrath, but they steal souls that could have eventually found the path to Heaven. Every soul lost is a tragedy…

That’s not what I was originally planning to talk about, excuse me.

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Malak has been my greatest source of amusement for the past couple thousand years, all because his pride caused him to make a very... large mistake. 

He put the last of his angelic powers in a ring, and out of his control. I actually saw him do it, he’s close enough to Purgatory that I can watch him too. Most of the time I ignore him out of spite, I don’t want to watch what he does to the souls he’s stolen. But that was something glorious in the way that only watching someone you hate ruin themselves can be. 

Like watching an idiot draw something inappropriate and then getting stuck, allowing everyone to see what you just did.

Malak, like most demons, is a fallen angel. Once one of us, now isn’t, you get the picture. Well, he had a habit of using what little power he kept after the fall to construct pocket dimensions on the border of Purgatory. I don’t know why he liked making them, it’s not like he did anything with half of them. 

Well, one time, another demon caught him making one and asked why. I assume at least, I wasn’t watching over there when the entire thing started. There was a back and forth for a bit, that’s when I noticed it, when Malak screamed in frustration and pulled a ring off the other demon and sealed the power he was just using into it. They both stopped and I’m certain that they just realized what he did in that moment was a monumental mistake. Not that he would admit it probably, pride was the reason he fell.

I tried looking for that ring once, just out of curiosity. I didn’t find the actual thing, but I did find around where he hid it. Earth has one small rumor about a powerful ring, and the description of it was an exact match. What is even more ironic is the name of the ring, the Riddle of Heaven. 

Malak tried, and failed like the prideful moron that he is, to hide it with the humans. Humans who document everything and would not let the knowledge of a powerful ring given by a powerful demon like Malak just fade away. To even hide it on Earth, he had to be summoned by a human, how did he think he was going to get away with that? Humans are crazy enough that they regularly torture themselves with impossible video game things. 

The stupidity is astounding and hilarious.

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One part I hate, more than the rest anyway, of those rituals to summon demons? The sacrifice. No human actually knows this, but the being sacrificed also has their soul damned, given to the demon just like the human gives their own. 

Which makes it more funny when people try to sacrifice monkeys instead of humans. I don’t know why they think it’s going to work. Maybe because they think humans and monkeys are so similar? Newsflash, soul wise you are as different as you could possibly be.

Malak is no different. He has received no less than 14 monkey souls. I have counted, the fits he throws when he gets one make me smile. He likes using one of those pocket dimensions he created to store them.

Oh, and did I mention when he sealed his power in the ring he could no longer create more? Not only did he lose direct access to the power, he can’t even use it anymore! 

Those pocket dimensions actually started collapsing at one point and he had to go retrieve the ring, break it apart, and use the pieces to keep them open. He went from way too many to 9, count it, Nine! The one with the monkeys in it is one of the ones he was able to keep open.

The thing about sealing your power into a ring, breaking that ring into pieces, and then using those pieces to keep open what are basically glorified storage compartments, is that you need to keep it safe. Especially when you pull in an unwanted guest.

I can only assume his thought process went something like this:

“I have something I need to protect now, what do I have to protect with? Oh I know, I’ll turn those monkeys into abominations against everything holy and use them. What’s the unholiest thing I can think of. Hm, oh I know, hotel staff!”

What? Are you afraid of hotel staff? What happened to make you scared? I want to know, I want to laugh about it. I don’t get it either way. Sure, technically he’s made the remaining pocket dimensions, this one included, to reflect the human who enter’s worst fear, but the monkey’s base form is based around hotel staff! 

He has bellhops, maids, chefs, everything a hotel would need except they’re all monkeys with knives for hands! Sometimes they’re not even knives. It’s like a monkey’s business, although it’s more like a monkey’s madness honestly.

They seem to be very efficient at the job they’ve been twisted into, no one has made it past…

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Why would you need guards unless you had someone trying to steal something. I mentioned the ‘unwanted guest’ yes? That is Helen Bierce, she sold her soul and is now trying to get out of the consequences. 

I… don’t really know how to feel about her. On one hand, she killed a seven year old girl in a sacrifice to summon Malak, that’s not even mentioning everything she did before that, but on the other… 

Not that it matters at this point, she’s just delaying the inevitable.

Another mistake on Malak’s part, making an altar for his ring that is connected to it. When Malak was retrieving his ring, Helen had just found it.

Actually, that’s Malak’s mistake too. He’s the one who hid the ring on Earth and then accepted the summoning and took the deal when he knew she could get one up on him.

Whatever Helen wanted, I wonder if she thinks it’s worth it now.

I can watch her all I want, the ring altar is floating in Purgatory, but I can’t read her mind. Scratch that, I could, I don’t want to. I don’t want to know what she’s thinking as she sacrifices more and more souls in her desperate attempts of getting the ring pieces.

Technically, they were already destined for Hell, but she doesn’t seem to have any regrets sending them into the nightmares that were the pocket dimensions. 

I don’t want to know what she’s planning to do with the ring.

What was she planning on doing with it in the first place? She found the altar and had it taken to her mansion when Malak finally came after it. That was really the only reason she tagged along in the first place though, and the copy of her ballroom.

I don’t think she would even be able to use it honestly, it is the dregs of an angel’s power and she is a soul destined for Hell. 

Not that that fact would stop her if she knew it, she’s been at this for… 3000 years? I think?

Time gets wonky in the afterlife. It’s only been 70? 80? Years there and much, much longer here. You think we can deal with every soul who dies at once? There’s a process to go through, Book of Life and all that.

She tried to get the ring herself after the nightmares were first set up, using the altar to open portals into the nightmares. She went up against Agatha first, got only a few soul shards and left, unable to stand the memories I assume…

Although why she decided to turn the soul shards into jewelry… Actually, I don’t want to know.

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CHAPTER 5: Agatha Agony

Agatha… Poor Agatha… What can I say about her beyond she got everything bad thrown at her at once. She didn’t even have a normal life until she died, humans and the lengths of depravity they will go to...

Her father, one Tobias Henderson, was not someone you would call stable. He could not feel emotions, he fell in with Satanists very early in his life, he did not understand that others actually existed. When I say that, I’m saying because he couldn’t see through other’s eyes he concluded that he was the only one with true sentiance. 

How he managed to have a kid, I don’t know. I don’t want to know, given the horrible things he did.

Agatha was a sweet girl, still is if you look at her weirdly. She lived for 10 years before her father turned on her.

…

I… I don’t want to say what he did to her… It’s…

...

How can humans be so cruel?! How?! She was your daughter, you were already going to sacrifice her after you broke her foot, why must you make her suffer that much more?! You strip her of her innocence and then burn her to death?! 

If you weren’t already dead I…! I...

Breathe Leah, Breathe… His consequences have already arrived and he’s already in Hell. You do not need to add any more to his suffering, you are better than that…

...I’m sorry, I don’t like talking about him. Especially with what happened to poor Agatha.

Trauma makes you do weird things, like call the demon who you were just sacrificed to ‘Daddy.’

Malak must enjoy that, she doesn’t get as much torture as the rest of his souls. Sick demon…

Or Agatha just doesn’t know anything different from pain, she’s been twisted and warped just like the monkeys to guard her ring piece, she took Helen’s offer of kindness to be a threat. Although that’s probably what it was anyway, knowing the lengths she goes to.

Even after all the others who came through, every fear twisting her form into something disgusting and unsettling even to her, she still hates Helen more than the man who killed her.

Either misplaced love, or misplaced hate, or both I guess.

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I want to talk about something more… light. Something that is not the depths of sin humans can fall to.

Uh… the other security systems Malak has on the ring pieces? You would think that soul shards would be painful or torturous, they're not really. Some souls that come up to Heaven have pieces missing because of various circumstances, it’s described as a numb body part. The soul shards don’t have minds, or memories. I don’t think Malak knows that, he just tears a soul into as many shards as they could make, which removes pieces to be tortured.

He then takes those shards and ties them to barriers around the ring and just around in general to give another layer of protection. It does work, as much as it’s needlessly complicated and against his job as a demon, and I hate that it works well.

Something that complicated and haphazard shouldn’t work.

It does anyways because of the monsters and human’s general fear responses.

He even has accidently left tools humans can use to survive longer in and amongst the shards.

The monsters drop soul shards sometimes, not too often and they pick them up after they realize what happened, but theoretically… If a human manages to get it, they should know exactly where the monsters are. Maybe only for a limited time, but that’s still a time where there’s no reason to worry about the monsters.

Not that any human has picked up one yet… Only the Father knows if there are any side effects.

Now, some humans have been able to pick up some sort of yellow stun orb thing. I don’t know what it is, but when it’s picked up the monsters can’t move for a short period of time. How Malak hasn’t noticed these things, I don’t know. I can only thank the Father he hasn’t.

My hypothesis is that they could be shards of Malak himself, but I don’t know if angels or demons can make soul shards…

Then again, Malak is only part of himself after he sealed his power in the ring…

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I think at some point Malak was trying to do something with the Seven Deadly Sins since one of his nightmares is so attached to greed. Then again, that could just be the monsters he has to guard it.

There may be a lot of those Watchers running around, but there really are only two souls. Two brothers, who didn’t read the fine print.

They wanted wealth, enough to be covered in gold. And they kinda got what they wanted, for a day.

To summon Malak, they sacrificed a day old baby. I don’t think Malak got the baby’s underdeveloped soul, or if he did he tossed it out. I haven’t seen it since anyway.

Malak told them that they would be covered in gold, and left out that it would only be for how long the baby was alive.

They left the building, ready for their wealth, and were covered in, hot, sticky, molten gold. They were rushed to the hospital and died the next day.

Now they are statues that cannot move if looked at. They can’t look at each other either, they have no eyes and are blind. 

Given the changing state of the nightmare and them, they are only most of the time covered in gold. Not that they know If they aren't, they are blind to all but human souls.

But they never want to not be covered in gold, they are desperate to never allow anyone to get close to the ring piece. That would mean they would lose their status and fall back to normal humans. 

How they figured that out when Malak doesn’t tell them anything, I don’t know. Maybe they’re just good at guessing.                                                                                                                                                                                                        

I also don’t know how they managed it, but they managed to use the ring to help them. They themselves are practically demonic, how did they use an angel’s power?

It doesn’t matter now anyway. One is now bigger than a mansion, and every soul shard they drop is converted into another Watcher. They’ve filled their nightmare with traps, more than any other. 

Probably the only reason Malak hasn’t told them off or done worse is it’s all in the name of protecting the ring piece.

I never want to watch when a human has them as their first nightmare, it’s been designed to be as difficult as possible, even with the limitations of sight preventing them from moving.

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The next- Huh?

Oh, just someone new ending up in Helen’s ballroom. Yada, yada, Helen being ominous and condescending. Wonder who that is…

Hmm…

Upside of once being one of the underlings of the Angel of Death, still having access to the list of recently dead. 

Not him… Not her… her? Maybe? No, died a week ago. Her! 

Married to a Doug Houser, had one kid, both her kid and her suffering mental problems. Ah, dabbled in dark magic to get back at her unfaithful husband, which eventually killed her. Little Tammy isn’t dead yet, so had enough forethought to not use her in anything… May the Father’s plans lead her to have a long life in the path of Christ.

This soul is just going to be another one on the pile of failures. Not that she was going anywhere but Hell… another soul lost…

Monkeys first, nothing too interesting about- wait what?

Oh… dark magic user, right… magic attached to her. Well, that tablet isn’t going to help much in the way of avoiding monsters. 

Do I really want to watch this…? Just to figure out how that’s going to work, no more.

…

Well, she’s not fast. That tablet is handy though, she’s able to tell exactly where all the shards are. No running around and searching.

And there are the monkeys, that’s enough- wait, she got one of the yellow orbs, they’re stunned. It showed up on the tablet… Wait, what was that? 

Oh… The yellow orbs and ring piece have the same color on the tablet. They could be shards of Malak then… 

No! Don’t open the door- ergh… No more watching…

There weren't any shards back there, just the chef monkeys… 

And now all the shards are back in their place… well, the tablet wasn’t that useful apparently. Oh Helen’s holding it, wonder how it got back… 

Hmm… well, I have to go tell someone about this, even if they already know. Be back in a little bit...

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I’m back, that tablet is apparently important. Oh well, nothing going on with it at the moment. Where was I…? Oh yeah, that nightmare...

Rubber ducks are my favorite human creation. One of the Father’s creations remade in a medium other than flesh, yet with a distinctly human flair. 

Which is why I hate Malak all the more for twisting them into monsters.

I can only assume Malak ran out of ideas at some point, there’s not really a dark story behind this nightmare. Just him taking a bunch of souls whose names reminded him of ducks, and stuffing them inside ducks.

There’s… a lot of them. Not all of them go after any humans, most are just content to float along or dance. I don’t know why they are dancing, but I guess when all you have left of your human body is your legs there’s not much else you can do.

Now, the humans stuffed in rubber duck body’s aren’t the only thing there, but whatever else there is sticks to the shadows. I do know it has lots of arms, and does vaguely look like a duck. 

Maybe it’s the discarded arms of all the humans? I…

Hold on…

…

Oh… 

I don’t know whether to laugh or be angry.

So, while I’m talking I’m looking at whatever I’m talking about, just to keep me on track. Malak has just pulled… Ok yeah, that looks like a cooked duck covered in arms. Why is that beak so long?

Doesn’t matter, I recognize that demon. That’s the demon that caused Malak to seal his power in the ring in the first place… Did Malak punish him by stuffing him in a duck and putting him here?

…

Malak isn’t being attacked, they’re acting downright friendly? 

Ha! Nope, Malak just got hit in the face with a duck, so not that friendly. 

Well it’s nice to know what happened to that demon at least. I wasn’t wondering but It’s interesting to know. All the souls in the ducks must belong to him then…

There’s any number of things that could be going on here, my theory is the duck demon is now under Malak’s control because he caused Malak to seal the ring. Makes more sense than Malak just liking ducks.

Also why they don’t seem so inclined to protect the ring…

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Something that’s always bugged me about all of this, how does the nightmares whole… thing with fear even work? Most humans don’t have one fear, some even have very specific fears. Like, anatidaephobia, the fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you. Or Frigophobia, the fear of being cold. 

How do you use those types of things to protect? Humans get over their fears all the time, and it’s not like you could put the ring in a fridge and expect the human to be so scared they can’t grab it.

I guess that's what the monsters are for, even if you aren’t scared of clowns, give them enough pointy teeth and anyone would be terrified.

But why go to such lengths then to customize them to the fears of anyone entering if you're just going to ride on the monsters. Why not just leave as is?

…

I really hope Malak can’t hear me, I don’t want to give him ideas. It’s just fun to poke holes in the creations of the man you hate, you know?

Oh… right… imaginary audience, no one is actually listening…

Maybe I am going insane. Although if this is what insane feels like I don’t really mind. As long as I don’t fall.

Still, why use fears in the first place if it's made redundant?

Or are they fears? Are they memories to distract? Wouldn’t that just spur the humans on?

…

Malak’s an idiot obsessed with aesthetics, that’s all I can say. What was he even thinking? Actually, no, I don’t want to know. It would probably not answer my question anyway.

First, trying to hide the ring on Earth and thinking humans wouldn’t be looking for it, now this? I don’t think Malak actually knows what makes humans tick. Maybe that’s why he’s on the edge of Purgatory? None of the other demons want to be near him?

…

Ew, now I feel dirty agreeing with demons… Scratch that, he’s just an idiot.

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I don’t really get why humans are scared of clowns. Humans created them to be funny, why would some find them scary? Fear is just like that I guess… Especially when they are designed to look scary.

The Clown Gremlins are the only monster I have seen so far almost never change forms past their base. They are always clowns, and there are a lot of them. The four Goliath Clowns are actually different from the little ones.

The Gremlins are souls who are scared of clowns, it’s a torture made by Malak because he’s lazy. They’re scared of clowns, make them look like clowns. It’s lost potency over the years, the souls couldn’t look at each other before and now they are taking solstice in their presences. 

If you get enough humans in the same area with the same issues they shoulder each other’s burdens. Even humans know that.

Well, they still get some torture by the Goliaths.

The four Goliaths were once a band of murderers who hid their identities by dressing up as clowns while killing. They didn’t do any sacrifices, or worshiped anyone, or did anything beyond kill a lot. They focused on churches sometimes, but not enough to warrant getting a whole nightmare dedicated to them.

I stand by my comment that Malak was running out of ideas. That, and was being lazy again probably.

Enough things humans do can be described by clowns anyway, and enough humans find them scary that they never change. The Goliaths never do anything to the humans who enter, and the Gremlins I think just play with the humans as long as possible. It’s a break from their own torture and they extend it just enough that Malak doesn’t think they’re not protecting the ring piece.

… Maybe there is something about being afraid of clowns…

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Well...Oh? Someone new in the ballroom already? It hasn’t been long since the last one… What’s so special about this one?

… Wait, I recognize him… Wasn’t he…?

Doug Houser? The last one’s husband? What’s he doing here? He wasn’t supposed to die for another… of course the dark magic was involved. Guilt and human anger, a nasty combination.

Blah, blah, oh that’s a new line from you Helen, “Only death awaits you there now”? Improving is good for your speeches apparently. Still with the grovel and beg though.

…

Doug says yes, as all do, and the first portal is? Monkeys, just like his wife…

In the portal, down a hall… and the monkey already saw him. Well, this is going to be quick…

I honestly feel bad, he could have lived another 30 some years and come to the Lord… Now he’s monkey food.

...I don’t know what you're hoping to accomplish Helen, you didn’t even tell him how the tablet worked before giving it to him after he’s already been spotted?

…

He’s fast, I’ll give him that… 

Red shard, away from the monkey trying to cut him off, he is... actually good at this?

… And there- wait no, that’s an actual empty room. Huh, most of them are locked or filled.

…

Yellow orb, grab more shards, he’s… he’s halfway there…

…

…

He… He did it… Someone managed… to do it…

He needs to get to the ring piece before he gets caught though, and the monkeys are fast. Oh no-! 

He Did It! He got the piece and is in the elevator! The monkeys are coming down too, all of them. They won’t make it in time, he’s got the lead.

...The nightmare is collapsing on the edges. Even if they get him now, the damage has been done.

The elevators open! And…!

He Escaped!

I need to tell them now!

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I’m back! Paperwork is a pain, but worth it. 

‘Don’t forget that’s supposed to be filled out in triplicate Leah.’ ‘You need to talk to Rhamiel for permission, Leah.’ As if I don’t know that, I had Rhamiel’s job for a while…

Let’s see… where are you Doug… In the ballroom… Wait, two ring pieces already? 

…Agatha, of course. Probably would be slightly easier going against one child than 14 monkeys.

Well, he’s taking a break at the moment, so time to snoop into his life. For paperwork of course, even if he doesn’t succeed I still have so much paperwork to fill out. 

Doug Thomas Houser, married to Clarissa Elise Houser, daughter Tammy Charlotte Houser. Died at age 45 in a… Revenge plot from a criminal he helped put behind bars that wouldn’t have succeeded if it wasn’t for the curse his wife put on him. A lot more complicated than I thought it was, but that makes sense…

Already know what happened to Clarissa, bipolar, paranoia, and dark magic don’t mix... Hmm? Oh, the dark magic didn’t kill her? 

…Ooow, accidental overdose from Doug giving her a third dose of her pills after she had already taken two… And a car crash. What a way to go. Thank you Father that Tammy wasn’t in the car…

Speaking of her, what happened to her…?

Adopted by one Daniel Evans, devout Christian and the one to keep her from the accident in the first place by offering to take her to school. 

…And that explains why Clarissa and Doug were so close together. Dying a day apart…

…I’m sorry Tammy…

…

Doug, I know you can’t hear me… but I hope you know your daughter’s safe.

… Into the next nightmare… And it’s the Watchers.

… That tablet really has come in handy… 

Huh?

…That’s… barely half the shards in this nightmare? Did it break or something? Is it the mansion blocking it or something?

Hmm…

Stay safe Doug, Malak needs to be dropped a peg or two…

Or nine.

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Come on… Come on… One more ax into the gate and it’s done… Come on…!

Yes! He’s out!

Take that Malak! You almost had him twice but he slipped right out from your clutches!

… Yeah, take a break Doug. That was a mess…

Well, I’ve filled out all the paperwork I can at the moment… I never finished talking about the nightmares to my imaginary audience…

Where did I leave off…? Clowns! Yes, that was the last one I talked about.

So, hmm… The Nurses next? 

So many stories have people sacrificing virgins, and while, yes, that technically makes the soul purer than one who had sex out of wedlock, that doesn’t matter in the long run? Not to demons at least, especially not to Malak.

He tossed every virgin he got in one pocket dimension, and when he broke the ring he got them to protect it by giving them the souls of men to torture. 

Although why the de facto ‘leader’ decided to eat them..?

Actually, that’s another question I don’t want answered.

The question I do want answered is why a hospital?

They’re called the Nurses, because the entire nightmare is… multiple hospitals. They ride around on top of ambulances just to get from one hospital to another in a timely manner. They can make the roads longer, they can't make them shorter.

And I know some people are afraid of hospitals, but the way the place is set up is more a detriment to your own minions than the humans… The closest anyone got to obtaining a ring piece before Doug was in that nightmare. That’s the one thing about the Nurses, they don’t like killing other women, and yet sometimes they’re still the first nightmare.   

…Ha, Malak’s an idiot, I know that already.

Though… Doug won’t have an easy time getting through…

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Hm?

Doug is already back at it? I would have thought that he would have taken a longer break.

…It’s the ducks next is it?

…

Yep.

… I think I can ignore this one for a bit.

Let’s see… The next monsters are the Joy Joy Gang… I don’t have much, if any, to say about them. A group of three satanists who sacrificed themselves, for some reason, and just barely managed to impress Malak. I’m not really worried about them, they’re really just a couple bumbling messes. They spend their time writing songs! 

How do they expect to control an army if there’s only three of them anyway?

… Well they’re not useless I guess, they have protected their ring piece for this long…

Oh well, Doug shouldn’t have too many issues with them when he gets there.

Now, how are you doing with the ducks…

… 

Has Doug literally not run into a single duck yet?

…

I guess Helen’s upgrades are helping…

Or Doug is that good, either or.

…

And there is the last soul shard, dodge Malak and… on to the ring piece…

He got it!

… Oh…

Well there’s the big duck…

Loyal pet, Malak? I remember that it tossed a duck at your face not too long ago…

Oooh, just missed, would have been really funny if that duck had hit Malak right in front of Doug. 

Run Doug! That thing may hate Malak but it hates you more!

… Oh, yeah the pillars! Well this is going to be easy.

… Even with the added ducks…

…

Gates open… 

…You are literally breaking the walls to get to him yet slow enough that he can easily run away! Thanks for helping I guess, I’m not going to say anything against anything that puts a pin in Malak’s ego…

And Doug’s out! 

That was one easy ring piece…

Straight into the clowns? That one might be a little bit harder…

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… I think that was the hardest by far… I didn’t realize Doug was afraid of clowns…

Take that rest Doug, you’re halfway there…

…

…Only a few monsters left… 

Mama Bear is the only one who comes close to scaring me. She’s a twisted form of all parents everywhere. A trait she still had back when she was alive…

She ran a cult, I never bothered to figure out what it was about, but she was very good at twisting others to her way of thinking. Was it her charisma, was it her motherly tone, or was it something else?

…Ugh, I shutter just thinking about it…

I don’t know if it would have been better, if she had sacrificed her own cult, but that wasn’t what happened. Somehow she had pissed off a cult of Malak, who then killed her and everyone who followed her…

That other cult are the first soul shards that populated her place, so Malak liked her for some reason. Not that she likes him, given she loves needling him with nicknames and no respect.

…I’ve seen too many be taken in by her soft appearance only to be slaughtered by the Teddies she keeps in her stomach.

She still has her cult members with her after all this time, I’d find it nice if it wasn’t so terrifying.

…Why does she keep them in her stomach anyway? It makes sense when they’re plushies or at least plushy adjacent, but those times when they’re actual humans or animals it just makes it even more gross. Even to them if I’m reading their faces right.

Well… she did die by having her stomach ripped open, so maybe that’s just something Malak kept to torture her more… I wouldn’t put it past him honestly… But if he doesn’t like her, why give her so much free will?

Same answer as everything else, Malak’s an idiot.

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So, Doug still isn’t moving. That’s fine, Helen is poking him but not demanding yet…

Hm..? What’s that? 

…How is something still in the collapsed nightmares? Malak pulled out his monsters, Doug collected all the soul shards… What is that? 

No, wait… Malak’s ring… pocket dimension walls? No, that can’t be it, that wouldn’t be moving… could there have been any shards left? No… Malak may be an idiot but he’s not going to just miss that amount of shards… Oh…

…

There’s one part of a soul that doesn’t break, that can’t be turned into shards… and that’s the part where the memories are… 

That… That can’t be a nice feeling, hundreds of lifetimes of memories all in one spot… 

Uh! Huh? It moved… Can it hear me? No, that's silly…

…You’re nodding… You can hear me? How… How long have you been able to hear me?

Stupid question, I can’t hear you… Can you make shapes? Letters to spell out your name?

… I can see the letter E… That’s your name? E? 

Have I been talking to you this entire time? That’s quite a lot of nodding, then again me talking was probably your only entertainment…

… You haven’t stopped nodding, are you agreeing with me or is there something wrong?

One? Oh! First, you were agreeing with me. Got it… So are you just stuck there? 

Yes- No? Small… Big… You need to be bigger to escape? 

Still no? You need to be smaller to escape? 

Okay… I can see if I can go get some help… No you don’t want me to?

You want me to keep talking? Well… I do have one more monster to talk about… If Doug hasn’t continued his journey by the time I finish talking I’m going to get you some help, does that sound reasonable?

Yes then? Okay…

Chapter Text

Apologies if I’m not on the top of my game… I’m not used to talking to someone who can’t respond… So… It doesn’t help that these are the strangest of the monsters…

The Mannequins, much like the Nurses or Gremlins, are one type of soul that are used for the monsters… In this case they are souls of the vain, with a few of the murderous types in there as well. It’s a simple torture, if something this simple can be counted as that, Malak took away their bodies and replaced them with… Well… everything honestly.

Depending on the person entering the nightmare, what their limbs look like changes.

Sometimes they’re normal, other times they’re made out of knives, cooking instruments, musical instruments, animals, and on one memorable occasion, actual wings. 

Sometimes they stop moving when the person looks at them, sometimes they will only attack when looked at. The only thing that stays consistent through the people is their bodies of man made materials.

Which material that is can also change, plastic, cardboard, metal, stone was in there once I believe, but that was also the time they had wings for limbs. I was paying more attention to the wings than to the material…

…That one didn’t last long against flying monsters…

The place they’re stalking through changes often as well. Malls, woods, building complexes, offices… It’s always large, but that doesn’t mean the hallways are also large…

When it has hallways…

I’ve caught Malak getting lost there once or twice, it’s that confusing. What makes it more confusing is the portal never changes, it’s always a stake. That’s their default form, but I’ve never seen them go against someone in them…

This is why I say these are the weirdest monsters. I don’t think even Malak knows what he did to make it this random. 

Hm? Oh, Doug’s moving again… Well, I said I’d talk some more…

Chapter Text

You did hear me talk about the nurses right? Okay, this is not how they normally act.

Why are they being cordial?

Thay do know what’s going on, Malak couldn’t have not told them. Oh I didn’t even notice the watchers there, yeah there’s no way they don’t know.

…

Oh, they're pretending… good for you Doug in dodging that fire.

…

They are not giving up, you realize that Doug already figured you out? Why am I giving them advice, the answers are always the same.

Malak’s dumb.

… 

Why is the Nurse leaving? Why are the walls covered in holes?

Doug, get out of there..!

Woo that was close, that’s… a lot of needles. I can see now why needles are scary.

…

Wait, you're trying again? You know Doug can get through the barriers and get out the locked doors, he just showed that.

…You're not even moving that… fast…

Oh, they truly were trying to get Doug on their side… 

Excuse me while I shudder.

Up the elevator…and there’s the shards.

…Why is Malak obsessed with elevators… 

…

That was a rhetorical question, I don’t want to know…

…

…

…

Doug’s gotten quite good, he’s already gotten most of the shards. Only a few close calls from the flying pills, but that magnet upgrade is definitely helping.

…

That’s the last shard! Back to the matron’s room to grab the ring piece…

That’s a good point Helen, where is Malak? Where’s the Nurses and Matron… Oh there they are.

How’s Doug going to get out of this one, the roads can be stretched forever so he can’t just wait.

…Wait what?

…

Using the Nurses weapons against them and the Nurses bodies against the Matron… not bad.

…

Come on, come on, Yes! He’s got the Matron down and is back to the main building! Run Doug!

… No! They’ve blocked the… Okay, Doug is a whole lot more willing to kick them in the chest than I thought he was going to be.

Out the front door, he’s escaped!

…

Malak didn’t show up once during that whole thing…

He’s not the sort to give up, He’s planning something. 

… Be careful Doug…

Chapter Text

Invisibility is definitely going to help with the Joy Joy Gang, and also Malak probably. 

… It’s quiet. Keep on your toes Doug, it’s probably going to be an ambush…

…

Ah! Oh… It’s just some of the clones. There is nothing behind those eyes.

… What is it that humans say? Brain worm? No?

…Ear worm! That’s it!

At least the song is catchy…

Well they know you're here now, get those shards and get out of there.

…

That’s the… Last of them here one to the next- Ah! 

Twice now! I’m not even there and twice now you’ve managed to scare me!

Oh that’s the real one. Doug, get ready to move… Now!

Well there’s the army, they aren’t doing much beyond forcing Doug to go the way he wanted to go anyway…

… I’m getting worried…

…

I was wondering where the pig got to.

…

Got to turn the power on to get to the rest of the shards, good thing the box is righ- Ah!

Three Times! Three!

…You are standing on live wires in the power room, what did you think was going to happen? Not get electrocuted? 

Now I know why Malak likes you, your as dumb as he is.

…

…Even more elevators… 

…

How are they back? They definitely shouldn’t have come back from that so quickly… without help…

Where’s Malak?

…

… Oh there he is, after Doug has all the shards and it’s a straight shot back. 

There’s even a crusher… I’d ask why they have a crusher but I’ve answered my own question enough times.

… What’s Joykill? 

… Oh… Well if this was your plan, giant invincible robot, I will give you half a credit.

…And then immediately remove a full credit because your arena is above a pit of lava, with a pusher to push it in.

Self destruct? Like Doug isn’t used to working on a time limit?

There’s the portal, NO! Why are you back!

…I can’t look… 

…I’m so sorry Doug…

He’s not dead yet.

Malak?!

I have plans for him and I can’t have an angel on his shoulder.

Wait-

[CONNECTION LOST]

That’s much better.

…

…

…You can't get rid of me that easily…

Chapter Text

“Let go of me!”

It’s quite fun, telling the mortals a story. An evil dimension? Don’t make me laugh, I’ve been to heaven.

Oh how easy this soul was to break, when there’s nothing left for him on Earth. But, he is clever, trying to trick me into thinking he was still alive. Not that it would have helped him anyway.

Now, what was so important that you had an angel watching you? One who was narrating your every move? One who knew I was planning something but didn’t think I had… bugged the ring.

… Is it that tablet?

…

Go save Doug.

…

“Thank you. Who-?”

…

“Close by- how do you know where they are?”

…

“Easy for you to say, you're a floating ball of light.”

What now! What happened!

“Don’t find me, don’t find me, don’t find me.”

He’s in the attic and he’s watching us!

“Okay, time to- why can’t I move?”

Have you forgotten? I see what you see. I may be away but I’m in your head mortal. You can’t hide from me. 

He’s Over Here!

“Time to run!”

…

…

You can’t do anything until he has more of the ring pieces. But when you break his connection to Malak, you will break your connection to me.

Don’t worry, I’ll be there shortly.

…

What? You’ve collected half the shards? How are you still alive?

“Spite?”

…

Bad choice mortal.

“If you think it is, then it obviously isn’t.”

…

“Then break it already!”

Who are you-

[CONNECTION TERMINATED]

… It seems the ring's power was dissolving my marking… and his sanity. I was the only one in his mind and no one else was there… Grr, I’ll collect his corpse later.

…

…

…

“Bierce! Open the portal!”

…

“Bierce!!”

…

…

Good job E…

Chapter Text

…

…

“Oh. You're here. Over here.”

…

“The mannequins are already in a frenzy so I have to move fast. I never did thank you for opening the portal.”

…

“Well thanks all the same. Hey, come with me! This is the last ring piece and I don’t want you stuck here when everything collapses.”

…

“I’m going to assume that the other collapse you’re talking about is the bear area and continue running.”

…

“Don’t laugh at me…”

…

“...How long were you stuck there? If you don’t mind me asking.”

…

“Stuck between them… all? I guess that’s how you know so much. Well I’m glad I could free you.”

…

“All of you then. Do you know anything about Bierce?”

…

“...That’s a lot of very specific information.”

…

“I do not want to hear what you know about me.”

…!

“Running! You mannequins are as slow as my grandma, and she was wheelchair bound!”

…

…

“Bierce! I’m back! I brought back a ring piece and a friend!”

“A friend?”

“Yeah! Say hello… blue glowy ball.”

…

“E? Your name is E?”

“Well they are just a glowing ball.”

…

“E for everyone? …Pfft, Okay I get it.”

“I don’t.”

…

“Movie ratin- Oh now I get it.”

“Bahahaha!”

“Well if you are quite done, bring the ring piece over here. It’s time.”

…

“I would have used the word gorgeous…”

“Magnificent, is it not?”

And It’s Mine!

“Malak!”

“Malak!”

…!

You think just because the mortal no longer bears my mark that I can’t come back here? He just unlocked the door!

“You can’t have it! It’s Mine!”

…

“What do you mean grab it! I’m not getting between those two!”

And what is this? What are you?

…

How insolent-!

…!

“Huh?”

Hm?

“I didn’t open that portal.”

Because I did.

…!!

“You know her?”

“An angel?!”

You were the one watching the mortal!

Technically, I wasn’t. I was watching you and Helen.

“... That’s a big scythe…”

…

And now that the ring’s no longer yours, I have a job to do.

Chapter Text

…

…

Oh! Hey E, still hanging around?

…

Well the others are still working on piecing the souls back together so it will be a bit till we can start pulling the shards out of you.

…

…No? What do you want to know then?

…

Malak? Well, he’s dead. Very, very dead. Without the ring being owned by him, his transgressions caught up to him.

…

By my scythe yes. You did here that I used to work under the Angel of Death didn’t you?

…

Just checking. Well he’s been fast tracked to the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, so he’s enjoying his eternal punishment sooner than the rest.

…

Helen and Doug… I’d have to check but they’re not due for their eternity, whatever it may be, until John's Revelation comes to pass. Why do you ask?

…

Taking over Malak’s ‘position’ as the liaison of Purgatory does not make them a demon.

…

Well, the nightmares and the ballroom are still around, tied to the ring, not Malak himself. That includes the monsters and the habit of catching random souls sometimes. With Doug owning the ring and Helen owning… the rest of Malak’s power, they get to be the ones to take care of it.

…

No, that doesn’t make Helen a demon. Yes, the construction will probably fall apart eventually, but not until long after the rest of the issues and problems Malak caused are fixed.

…

I am not calling you a problem, I’m calling the state you are in a problem. All of you in one place can not be comfortable.

…

Too many of you tried to say conflicting things at once, but I get what you’re trying to say.

…

Hold that thought…

…

…

Well, guess what? The first few souls have been reconstructed, you guys don’t have to share a mind anymore.

…

Yes you can keep in touch when you're separated.

…!

[THE END]