Lucius smiled almost absentmindedly as thought became reality. Only in this area of his home would that happen, though Lucius didn't necessarily take advantage of that often. "No thanks, I... I've already eaten..." He ran his tongue over his sharp teeth as he remembered the rather burnt taste of Cavalier's severed head. Fleshy and burnt, and a bit fishy, as if he'd crawled up from the sea after rolling out of a bonfire. After that twelve-pound thing, Lucius wasn't up for eating again.

"Patrols should be finished in a few hours. When Mobius fails to find you, he'll probably be locked in his pit for a few decades. That'll take care of one issue, certainly." Lucius was talking more to himself now than Darius. Giving voice to his thoughts and ideas made it easier to set them out in an order.

Darius ate the rest of his meal, and finished his drink. Now properly fed and rested, he could think properly again. He stood up and was thankful to see that the strength had returned to his legs. He was as content as he could be in a place like this. He sat back down and stared at his left hand. It twitched occasionally, a shook a lot. It was due to the brain damage he had received from his father when he was a baby. He was always grateful that a shaky hand was all the brain damage caused, and that it was not his dominant hand affected.
"How are we going to get out of here? Why can't you just send me back? I mean your brother has the power to send me here after all," he asked, wondering the reason behind why the son of the Devil himself couldn't send him home.

Lucius sighed, going to the other side of the table and sitting there. "Well, like I said---I used to be able to open portals to just about everywhere. Made for quick travel, and I could get to the human world now and then when I wanted to. But a few centuries ago, I'd tried to help a human like you, tricked and sent here. I failed because that human couldn't handle it. She... went a little crazy, especially when she saw my devil's body, through transition. We were found out, she was killed. I got that specific power taken away."

He shook his head, putting a hand up to the singed tips of his hair. "There's one portal a very, very long way away. We must travel through this horrible place, because there is no short way to it. Every path takes you along the very same results. But with a strong enough devil guide, anyone can make it. If they do well to obey their guide."

Darius listened carefully, still watching his hand twitch. He fell into deep thought. So it was going to be a journey through Hell that would take him to his life. Was his life even worth that? He lived his life alone, with no friends. His heart had been broken far too many times. He cut every night, wishing that he had the balls to cut deep enough to just end his life. Thinking of that, he ran his hand down his thighs, as if checking to see if his scars were still there. He never cut his wrists because people would see and then they would know. They would think he wanted to end his life because he was lonely. But it wasn't that at all. Cutting helped relieve all the emotional pain he suffered from. The pills never helped. They never helped.
He shook his head, trying to get out of his dark thoughts. That would not be wise to do in a place like this. "I don't think I could make it either... I'm not the strongest person around..."

Lucius shook his head. "Don't go without faith. If you lose it, I'll lose it. And so far, you've handled this better than you realize. Hell is meant to be a place of horror and fear, showing you your weaknesses and taking them to their full extent. Not many have a devil guardian, however. As long as I'm around, as long as you listen to what I say, you can get through the nine levels that the humans made a play about. 'Dante's Inferno', you know that play, don't you? We're on the outskirts of Limbo right now, this place is the home for demons and devils. There's a path, however---a path through each level. I can help you through, and then I'll come with you to the world of the living again. I'll make it a point to close the portal, kill my brother, and that will never allow a devil or demon back into the living world. I can't say it'll get rid of evil in the world, but as long as you have a friend, maybe it can make life better, if but a little."

He put his hand out, across the table. "I know you, like most devils do. We can gather emotions, pasts, and thoughts from the living, devils can. And if anyone or anything wants to hurt you again, they'll have to kill me first. I can promise that, if you accept it."

Darius studied the demon's hand thoughtfully. So Lucius did know about his suicidal tendencies then. He must also know all about his past too. He probably saw the beatings and forcing that his ex had put him through. He felt dirty, unclean. He never let anyone know about that part of his life. It was hard enough telling the police about it, after they arrested Todd for domestic violence. He couldn't help but to think that he had deserved everything he got, and that the police would just laugh at him.
"A friend... You are my friend?" he wished that Lucius would say yes. Even if the demon had to lie. He wanted the answer to be yes. He knew it would give him the willpower to make the journey.

Lucius nodded, and smiled. "I am. If you want me to be. It doesn't matter what I was born, but what I want to be to someone. I want to be a protector, someone to be relied upon. And I can help you through Hell itself if you want me to be there for you. Through the river Acheron, over burning fields of fire, through disgusting mud and fiery tombs, under red skies and beyond the frozen lakes of the very bottom of this filthy place."

Why did he have to be the child of the Master, of Lucifer, of the original fallen angel? Why couldn't he simply have been a human, like this one? Then Lucius could be alive, if only for a moment. Perhaps he could have the chance to see a better place. A kinder place. But if he had to choose, this was the second best thing he could do.

Darius jumped across the table at Lucius and threw his arms around the demon's neck. He was so relieved to hear that he wasn't a burden. He found himself crying, but from happiness this time. But then he stopped. If he got out of here... Lucius wouldn't be able to stay with him. He'd lose his friend... And what would happen to Lucius?
"When are we going to leave? I don't think waiting around will make our journey any shorter," he said slowly. He didn't ever want to leave, but he knew that what he had said was the truth.

Lucius gasped, and almost didn't know what to do when the young human jumped at his words. But he was glad for the reassured sense Darius radiated for a moment. It was a moment that reassured Lucius in turn.

He paused, and listened. Mobius had been stalking above, but now he couldn't hear anything. Not even the screeches of harpies. "We have to leave now." He said, and stood. "We'll get off the road here and turn right, and there we'll be met with an archway that leads into Nowhere. Before we enter that archway, you have to hold onto me. I can't lose you through that transition into Nowhere, and from then on, I'll be of more use in my original form. I'll be able to carry you, and go quicker through the... horror." He shook his head, going into the other room. The staircase leading into dark was almost like an ominous sign.

Darius nodded, but couldn't imagine having to deal with Lucius' real form. He had grown to love the kind, familiar face. "Can you talk English in your demon form?" he wondered out loud. He wouldn't be able to follow his orders if they couldn't understand each other. Darius went quiet in thought again. "It's going to... Hurt... Isn't it?" he asked after Lucius. He started to follow him, glancing back at the kitchen. He felt like this was the last time he would eat his comfort food.

Lucius nodded as they ascended the stairs. "I can, yes. My voice may be rough and a bit unpleasing, but I can speak English in both forms."

Before he unlocked the door to the outside, Lucius glanced around. Did he really want to lie? Of course not. He'd never lie, he made this promise to himself centuries ago. "It'll hurt like hell." He said at last. "Nothing you've ever gone through in life will compare, or even come close. There are circles that are endlessly hot and uncomfortable, some that smell worse than a million rotting beasts, other that are bone-chillingly cold. But you will not die, not by the heat, nor the cold. Not unless you are struck down by the hand of a demon or devil, which I will not allow." He ran his finger down the space between door and jamb, and pushed it open. Nothing was outside, only the scattered woods and the old paved road. "Come on." he muttered, and stepped outside. "Before we enter Nowhere, I'll change. It begins to get... more dangerous... when we leave here."

Slightly shaking from fear, Darius followed the demon outside. He glanced around. He knew that Lucius would know if something was near, but he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched. It was as if the trees themselves were staring at him, plotting his demise. He hugged himself, uneasily staring back.
"I can handle pain..." he replied, knowing that it was only half-by true. He did have a high tolerance to pain. But he knew that what was in store for him would, like Lucius had said, be unlike anything he had ever experienced. He thought about all the beatings and humiliations he had through his life and shuddered. If it was going to be worse than that, he didn't think he'd make it.

Lucius glanced back as Darius exited the old shack. "You can handle human pain." He corrected. "I'd be careful with what you think you can take as long as you're here." Then he turned around, and bent over. "Okay. Just stay right there... It's hard to turn when I'm not... not angry..." He gritted his teeth, and that same cracking of bones and stretching of skin, as his body reformed and his clothes sunk into his skin. The wings burst from his shoulders, followed by that horn, this time from either side of his head, stretching up, then forward, something like a bull's. His body elongated, thickened a bit, and became covered in a coarse fur. His claws and hands grew larger, and his feet, this time, didn't resemble a goat's hooves. They looked like his hands, only longer, and the claws were thicker, like the harpies. His face was the same bone-like skull structure, and this time, his eyes glowed yellow with what looked like small fires.

"I apologize for my appearance." Lucius' voice was low, and rumbled, but it spoke English. "But in this form, I'm stronger, and can help you easier. Come, the harpies may return should we linger too long." He nodded forward.

As Lucius started to change form, the bending and contorting of his body made Darius queasy. Before he could control himself, he was being sick again. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the disgusting popping noises coming from Lucius. He felt his mind break slightly at the thought of having to spend the rest of his time with this abomination. He took a few deep breaths, and reminded himself that Lucius was his friend and that he shouldn't be judging his appearance.
He walked over to the demon now, as he finished his transformation. With burning yellow eyes, it looked at him. The voice that came from deep inside it's skull didn't sound friendly or remotely like Lucius had sounded in human form. Swallowing down more sickness, Darius joined him and held onto a furry arm. It felt warm and sticky, like a beast sweating in a hot sun. Darius gulped again. "I'm... as ready as I'll ever be..." he said, feeling his legs shake from fear.

Lucius turned his gaze to the sky, or what he could see of it. Clouds drifted from the northwest---it was actually fog high above them, leaking from the archway to Nowhere. When Darius approached him, Lucius started off, leading the way through the trees and avoiding the road. He walked on all fours, with his claws pointed up toward his palms. Turning his gaze down, he let out a long breath. "I want you to know something." He said at last, and looked to Darius. "What you see, hear, and smell when we go through the archway to Nowhere, you'll never be able to forget. And even if we make it through to the final level of Hell's circles, we'll still have to endure the levels of Purgatory. When we make it to the living world, you may never be able to forget what you experience here. While I'd hope you might be able to, I doubt it could be possible."

He shook his head, and snapped his mouth shut. Why did he have to do this? Why did he have to possibly dash this young man's hope for a normal life if, by some boundless miracle, they made it through the Palace of Minos, beyond Limbo, through the Suicide Forests and past Cerberus and the gluttons, through desert wastelands and the City of Dis... Lucius shook the thoughts from his head. It was the future, and he couldn't predict what was going to happen.

"I figured that I wouldn't have a normal life after this, if I get back that is," Darius replied honestly. He could already feel his sanity slipping. He'd be lucky to make it out alive, let alone sane. "But as long as you are with me, I feel that I will have the strength to make it." He spoke the truth. Somewhere in his damaged heart, he knew that Lucius would be his protector, his guardian, his rock until they got free from this horrific place. He trusted the demon with his life, with his mortal soul. As long as he thought of Lucius, Hell didn't seem that nightmarish. He gazed up at the skull and looked past his hellish appearance. He saw Lucius' kind face staring back at him. He smiled and clung tighter to his arm.

Lucius kept his ears perked for sound outside their general area. His ears, which looked a bit like what a dragon's would look like, twitched a little. He kept himself close to Darius, crouched a bit as he walked. The forest was getting thicker, and a small dirt path was now underfoot. Instinctively, Lucius put a wing over Darius as they walked. "I'm glad you have faith in me." He said at last. "That may not be enough, but it'll make things a little easier. Especially... especially on my own faith in you." He sighed, the sound similar to a big rig's steam breaks. "With some of the humans I try to help, they go crazy. What you see will certainly, certainly be unbelievable. And sometimes we'll have to stop in these horrible landscapes to rest."

He glanced up as they came to an archway, and Lucius stopped. The arch was overgrown with black ivy, which also contained white-petaled flowers that let out a heavy, sweet perfume and sang light songs that from time to time became screeching, angry screams. He looked down to Darius. "When we enter Nowhere, we'll be safe for a while. There, we can pause if you need to. Are you ready?"

Darius braced himself. He was as ready as he'd ever be, but before he entered the archway, he wanted Lucius to promise something. He knew it was a long shot, seeing the demon didn't have to promise him anything. Taking a deep breath and staring into the darkness beyond he slowly, and carefully asked Lucius, "Can I ask you to promise something? I know it's asking for a lot, seeing you are already doing a lot for me... But I need to know something before we continue..." He tore his gaze from the inky black darkness and looked upon Lucius once more. "If I am to... Lose myself... Please don't leave me. Please, if I go crazy in there... Please don't leave me," his voice broke, showing how scared he was.

Lucius glanced down at him, then rested his head on the young human's shoulder as a protective dog would do. "No human has made it this far when they were transported to this place. They all went crazy far sooner, so I have faith that you won't lose your mind." He paused, and closed his eyes. From the outside, the skull that was his head remained static and placid, but the fires deep in the black sockets extinguished. He raised his head. "I promise I won't leave you." He said sternly. "Even if I have to drag you through the forests, the deserts, and the cities by your ankles, I won't abandon you."

He looked up, and stepped to the side, placing himself directly above Darius. Then he nudged the young man forward, through the archway together. The writing that condemned them was hidden by the black ivy and their white flowers, which snapped at them as they went through the stone arch. A cool breeze and absolute darkness enveloped them momentarily, then revealed a dark gray sky. On either side, walls stretched enormously wide, endlessly in both directions. Before them, the river Acheron stretched before them, and a dock that housed the ferry to boat them across. The ground underfoot was dirt, constantly changing from the worms crawling along the surface, writing constantly in languages no one could read. Looking back, the archway was gone.

Darius frightfully held tightly to Lucius, afraid of getting lost as they passed through the infinite blackness of the archway. The shadows stroked his flesh, feeling like a million frozen cold hands. As they made it to the other side, Darius felt a small, sharp pain near his heart. He bent over, gasping for breath. As his gaze was directed at the ground, he saw the mass of flesh-coloured worms writhing in the dirt. He squealed and jumped back, almost standing on Lucius.
He felt queasy again, but there was nothing to come out. He dry reached, feeling dizzy.

Lucius put his head down behind Darius, halting him as he tried to go backward. "Easy, now." He muttered. "They're only worms. They won't, can't, hurt you. Look up, now." He didn't look to the brass urns littered about, within the trapped calling out angrily against God. In the distance, his keen ears could hear the calls of pain as lost souls scattered through the hills were chased and stung by wasps and hornets, eternally cursing and fleeing. He nosed Darius forward. "Come on." He said. "The sooner we get across Acheron, the sooner we get into Limbo."

It was a small comfort, but Limbo was quiet, serene, though a sense of hopelessness was instilled in everyone there. He pushed Darius along, and walked beside him. The dirt became mud not far from Acheron's shores, and on the dock, beside the ferry, Lucius could just make out the form of Charon, the fiery-eyed old crone that manned the ferry. His long white beard was very visible even in the distance between them.

Darius looked about the place with a mixture of awe and fear. He wondered how many living people got to witness this horrible place, and if he'd be the first one to make it out alive. He shook his head as they made their way towards a murky looking river. He shouldn't assume he'll make it out alive just yet. He gazed across the river's muddy surface. It seemed to have a fast current and every now and then something splashed the surface, but disappeared before Darius could make out what it was. The mud below smelt and was a slimy green colour. He struggled a bit, as it became deep and seemed to want to suck him down.
He noticed the boat, made from many bones and skulls. He shivered as his eyes fell upon the old man.

As they stepped onto the dock, Charon observed the boy with steady eyes and then turned to Lucius. As he neared the dock's edge, water lashed up and surrounded his form, and with a sound that resembled bubbling, crackling fire, returned him to a human form. "Charon. My charge and I require passage across the river Acheron."

"Certainly, Master Lucius." Charon's grizzled old voice laughed lowly, and he stepped into the ferry. His old robe moved with the flow of the river, as if it had a mind of its own. Before Lucius followed, he put a hand on Darius. "Don't speak a word to Charon. Should you say or do the wrong thing, he'll beat you into unconsciousness with the pole he uses to propel the boat. And don't, ever, touch the water of this river. It'll pull you in." He gazed at the inky blackness, and remained where he was to help Darius into the ferry.

Darius glanced nervously at the dark, murky water and stepped onto the boat with the help of Lucius. He sat near the front, as far away from Charon as possible. He didn't look at the old man as he sat, but he felt his eyes staring at him with an intense displeasure, as if the thought of letting a human on his boat was deplorable. The old man readied the oar, which he used for steering mainly, as the boat itself knew where it was going.
Darius stared across the river, wondering what was on the other side. All he could see was the swirling water and a heavy darkness that seemed to hang in the air around here. He hugged himself again. He was glad Lucius had changed form.

Charon's gaze fell on Darius for a moment as they started off, but as Lucius took a seat at the edge of the ferry, he glared at the man. Charon, as he tended to exert his power over the weak or living, he wouldn't dare touch Darius if Lucian didn't want him to. The river lapped at the bones that made up the ferry, and cried out as they went along. The other shore was far off, but they moved swiftly, and it began showing as a black line even darker than the river itself. A larger form came up from the ground, a wall that separated Ante-Hell from Limbo. Charon's gaze was steady, as were his bony hands that gripped the pole as it flew through the rough waters.

The silent rush became pressing as they finally made it to the secondary dock, before a narrow road that ended at a large, relatively tall wall. Gates locked from the other side lined the crumbling stone. Lucius stepped up onto the solid dock. "Be careful in there, Master Lucius." Charon grinned evilly at the young human, but his face fell as Lucius glared at him.