Darius listened to Lucius speak with mild interest. So this demon was a powerful one, the Devil himself's son. "If you have so much power here, why don't you just tell them to leave me be?" he asked. He heard the screeching and noticed Lucius on gaurd, looking up at the sky. What on earth would be coming for them now? Darius nervously glanced up into the crimson sky, wondering how Hell could have a sky in the first place. That's when he saw something in the distance, flying in the sky. It seemed like a large bird, but he knew that it couldn't be something as harmless as that.

"I..." Lucius shook his head, turning his gaze from the sky. "... am not my father. And I'm considered a bit of a defective devil. I'm not supposed to feel anything for humans, or their newly-dead souls. Of course, I don't, when they come here after their death, after they're convicted. In fact, I find it... fun. Fun to cause them pain, the same they inflicted while in life. But misplaced humans, though rare, I feel pity for, I must help them. Because of that, underlings think my judgment can't be trusted. Lucifer isn't exactly the loving father. When we're young, we're sent out to fend for ourselves, then we're stationed where it's felt we'll help. I'm watchful, and terrifying when in my demonic form. I make for a good prison warden, someone to watch the prisoners while their case is being sorted through. Often I'm called away for the older ones, those already convicted, and I take the place of torturer while necessary."

The canopy of trees grew thick, blocking the sky above them. At least now the harpies wouldn't see them. "They're supposed to be coming for you today. Darius." He looked to the young man. Lucius was taller than most humans at seven feet. More often than not he looked down on others. "When I say run, you run. When I say hide, do so. Don't second guess, or it'll kill you. But don't run far. You need to stay near me, even if it's dangerous. I hope you understand that."

Darius nodded. He realised now that he wasn't in a bad dream and he really had to listen to everything Lucius told him. the way the devil had told him everything so truthfully made Darius trust him. He could be lying and taking him to his death, but somehow Darius couldn't believe that. He wanted to trust Lucius. He had never had a friend in his life, but now, while traversing this hellish place, he seemed to have found one.
Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw something move. He turned his head and started at the redish-black tree that dripped a dark liquid from it's peeling bark. He could have sworn he saw something watching them. He gripped Lucius tighter. As they moved deeper into the woods, the feeling of being closely watched started to mount higher. Darius continued to think he saw someone, or something, watching him from behind tree branches. "Lucius..." he started, hugging himself tighter against the demon.

Lucius paused, and tightened his grip on Darius. "I hear it." He said. The rustling grew vicious, as though something had landed in several areas right above their heads. Releasing Darius, he brought his hands up and twisted the right one against his left palm. A crack resounded, followed by a snap, and a long, white blade seemed to appear from below Lucius' skin, stained a bit with blood, as if he'd simply pulled it from his arm. But it was longer than his arm, and Lucius held it like a sword. "Don't you move." He told Darius. "I need to keep you in sight right now. These things can carry you off in a moment."

The trees rustled again, and suddenly, a shower fell on them. It wasn't sap, however. Lucius shook the dampness away as the things descended rather clumsily from their hiding places. Two of them. Harpies. A male and a female, both with ugly expressions and bat-like wings. Other harpies had feathered wings. The ones with hooked leather wings were very territorial and vicious, often attacking even high-ranking devils.

Darius ducked, covering his head. He closed his eyes to the horror before him and thought hard on being in the normal world once again. He thought about his pet cat, Tenshi. He thought about his computer and his games he had found comfort in. He focussed on seeing them again. A song came to mind and he hummed the tune, remembering it as the lullaby his grandmother used to sing to him.
The two harpies chattered, sounding like monkeys crossed with screeching cats. Sighting the powerful demon the grinned maliciously, showing thousands of sharp, pointed teeth. They had followed the scent of human and demon for awhile, and now they were ravenous. Human souls were very tasty, demon's not so much. It seemed they would have to fight this one before they could eat the human, however. they looked at each other and laughed. Oh, how they loved a good fight! They dove at Lucius with all the stealth and furiousity of a predator. Aiming for his eyes and the other soft parts of his head.

Lucius twisted around, ducking over Darius as the harpies came at him. They were very clumsy on the ground, showing their true talents in the air, because their heavily taloned feet didn't allow for much maneuverability. Oh, he wanted to go back to his second form, his true form, back to thick skin, a formidable horn that could impale something in a moment, a heavy skull that protected from injury. Wings that let him fly. He settled on a gradual combination, though; he couldn't focus, but the anger at these creatures was enough. He felt his face stretch outward as though pulled by the sheer force of gravity, and harden to create a skull. As one of those heavy talons swiped his face, however, it left only a light scratch on the bone. Lucius's hands grew longer and larger, tipped with very sharp, thorn-like claws. He leapt at the female harpy, twisting her around so he could still see Darius as he pinned her in front of her mate.

The male screamed wordlessly at Lucius, and jumped onto his back. Lucius growled, and in a moment, his wings burst from his back, the spikes that protected the bones going through the male's chest and lifting him up. With a quick movement, Lucius shook it away and put his claw on the female's neck. His long, skeletal teeth snapped, breathing a poisonous gas upon the harpy, and as it stopped struggling, he ripped her throat out, then her heart.

Darius cowered, his eyes still tightly closed. He heard the ripping of flesh and popping of bone. He heard the bat-like creatures' screams and Lucius' growls. Shaking of fright, Darius focussed harder on the lullaby. He sung some of the words, trying to ignore the noises that filled his mind with horrendous visions. Darius had once been in a choir at school. He was a very talented singer, but alas, he stopped singing after what his life threw at him. The last song he sung pubically was at his grandmother's furneral. She was the only person in his life that had ever shown kindness towards him.

Stuck between transition, Lucius was in a desperate amount of pain. Ripping the skull from his face, it left a dark hole that began to regenerate gradually, pouring blood for a moment before his skin hardened and began to form again, peeling dry blood off in thin amounts. But the bones under his skin kept rearranging, forming and reforming, and his wings wanted to move on their own. He fell to his knees in the near silence, hearing Darius sing something in the back of his mind, but he couldn't understand it. His wings bent, and he screamed in the midst of pain. They raised up, ripping skin that began to knit back, and unfurled. His hands clawed the ground as the horn that was often seen protruding from his neck, when he was in his demon form, forced itself out of his spine.

Lucius' sharp teeth wouldn't allow words to escape outside a series of low grunts. But his skeletal system resigned to the fact that it would not be allowed to completely rearrange his body, and stalled, leaving Lucius in an aftermath of pain that didn't allow him to move for a few moments. "Darius." He growled. "Darius. They're d-dead. Stand up! Stand up." He did as he told the human to do, though on shaky legs, forcing himself to stand despite the feeling of magma-like blood running through his body. He breathed heavily, and couldn't quite stand straight.

Darius got to his feet slowly, unsure about what was happening. He slowly opened his eyes, staring in shock and horror at the vision in fron of him. He bent over and vomitted, in disbelief at what the kind face had turned into. He didn't want to hurt Lucius' feelings, or seem rude, so he spat out the rest of the vomit and slowly walked over to him.
"Lucius... Are you ok?" He had heard the demons screams and realised they were screams of pain, not or rage. "Can I... help?" He reached out with his hand, trying not to shudder too much. He appreciated everything Lucius was doing for him. He didn't want to seem ungrateful or rude.

He almost didn't understand the question. But it gradually hit him, and Lucius shook his head. "I'm... fine. Fine." He huffed. Clenching his clawed hands, he forced himself to stand up straight. Twisting his head around, he forced the claws and the bull-like horn to return to their rightful places. They did, though with a bit of struggle, leaving his heavy wings out and dragging the ground. Lucius couldn't put them back, at least not while he felt as if he were being eaten through from the inside. "I'll be fine. Sometimes my transition is automatic, especially when a threat presents itself. It'll be okay."

He stepped forward. "The harpies are... a plague. They live in the Suicide Forests, mostly, but come out to make nests to spawn. They're as prominent as rats in the living world." He pulled Darius on. "We can't stay in one place for too long. Not so close to the prison. They'll send Mobius out, and we'd be better of if that didn't happen. The only place I can take you is my home. I don't go there often, so you ought to be safe while things... begin to calm down."

Darius welcomed a chance to rest. His body ached and he felt fatigue rolling in. He just wanted to sleep and wake up from this nightmare. He followed Lucius without hesistation. He jumped at any noise he heard, glancing around for pursuit. He knew the last place he'd want to be was in this forest. If Lucisu wasn't here, he wouldn't have lasted long. He really was grateful and wished he could do something to help.
"Thank you, Lucius," he said, clinging to his arm. "You're my angel." He didn't know why he said that, and also wasn't sure if Lucius would be offended or not.

Lucius' eyes widened, but he didn't respond immediately. It was partially true, perhaps. He curled one of his wings around Darius. "Technically, I can't be considered an angel. Not even figuratively. My father is a fallen angel, that's why his wings, and the wings of all devils, are black instead of white. I just have a sense of morality that no one else does. I care about right and wrong, rather than understand what the two words mean."

He led Darius off the two-lane road and into a thicket, past heavy trees leaking a familiar red substance and staining the dark grass as it fell like sap. They approached a small hut. "There it is." He said, and as they arrived at the door, Lucius ran a finger down the space between the door and jamb. It glowed slightly, hissed, and opened. Lucius pushed Darius through, and down a stairwell after closing the door again. The stairwell was dark, but still light enough to at least see the the stairs, which opened up into a living area. Everything was gold, red velvet, hardwood floors and chandeliers. "I know it's a bit much." Lucius said, and finally managed to force his wings back into hiding. "But one of the seven deadly sins is greed. Greed is characterized by only the most expensive of items. You can take a look around at your leisure, Darius. Nothing here can harm you, I can promise." He glanced to the young man, and gave a reassuring smile. At least in his human form, Lucius could smile without it looking horrifying.

Darius smiled back at the kind face he had come to trust and love. He wondered about the place, admiring the objects and the taste. "I live in a one-room apartment," he said, admiring some golden knick-knacks sitting on the matlepiece, "I just have one computer and I live with my cat." He found a red velvet sofa with golden trim and sat on it, making himself comfortable. "This place is much nicer." He grinned up at his savior, realising that he looked like his normal human form once more. He also noticed that this was the only time he felt safe and happy since he had waken in this hell-hole.

Lucius crouched down at the fireplace and put his hand on one of the several logs. Smoke formed around his fingers, and when he took his hand away, a small fire had flared up. "I'm glad you like the place. It's disguised from the outside, considering the location I live in. Locked so that only I can open the door so fugitive souls aren't able to get inside to hide." He sighed, and decided to sit where he had knelt. "I fear this is hardly the first step of your thousand-mile journey. We still have a very, very long road ahead of us, and nowhere will look like this after we leave. Maybe if---when you get back, you can do better with your second chance at life."

He almost said it. He did have a bit of faith in Darius, and hoped the young man, a boy by Lucius's age standards, could make the enormous journey. But it was almost a one in a billion chance. He had to keep his thoughts positive, as much as possible. "If you're tired now, you can take a pick of whatever room you take a liking to. Each has a different color scheme." He stood, stretching. "I'll be through that door." He pointed to the tall, slightly arched door to the back of the living room.

As Lucius talked and lit the fire, Darius felt his eyelids droop. Soon he had fallen straight off into a deep sleep. He had a dreamless sleep, which was a relief from the nightmare he was currently living in. He twitched slightly, however, which was a nerve reaction to the slight brain damage he had received from his father as a small child.

He hadn't quite gone toward the door by the time Darius seemed to fall asleep. "Maybe red's more your preference, then." He muttered, stepping around the couch and lifting Darius up. He was quite light, considering he looked to be out of his teens. Maybe not by that much, however. He took Darius through the hallway he'd mentioned before, past doors that were always several inches open. Lucius never closed a door when he was away. If by some impossibility someone or something got in and tried to hide, he'd find them based on the way the door was. If it were closed, or open too far.

Lucius chose the red room. Nothing too dark, nothing too light. Red was a conforming color, able to bleed into various shades to calm or alert, or signal anger. It wouldn't be so dark Darius would find fear in shadows, and wouldn't hurt the eyes to look at it. Pushing open the doors with a foot, he stepped inside. The room was carpeted in a very dark tone of red, and curtains draped over ornate walls, a four-poster bed lined with gold and dark wood. A couple couches sat in front of a fireplace, and a bookshelf stood along the back wall. Lucius deposited Darius on the bed and closed two of the three curtains around it.

This time he closed the door entirely. It didn't lock when it clicked, and Lucius went back through to the door he'd mentioned before. Pushing it open, he revealed a dark room with black walls, a black floor, and black stone accents on everything inside. It was a place to calm himself, and take the pain from his body. A large marble slab of stone sat in the middle of the room, always cold to the touch. With a weary sigh, Lucius peeled out of most of his clothes and laid on the surface. The cold seeped into his skin, calming the fire that burned throughout.

Waking slowly from a somewhat peaceful sleep, Darius yawned and sat up, stretching as he did so. It took him awhile to remember where he was. The room was red, and very rich looking. He smelt perfume and incense. He cocked his head to a side, finally remembering where he was. So it wasn't a nightmare after all. Well, not a nightmare that he could wake from. He frowned and tried to stand, finding his legs a little stronger now. He remembered Lucius and went to find him, stumbling in the dark hallway. He looked in each room, as the doors were all ajar slightly. He had forgotten which room Lucius had said he'd be in. He came across a strange black room. He opened the door a bit wider and peered in. Cooling, soothing air blew from within the room. Darius wondered what it was, but he couldn't seem to step into the room. Something about the air in here made his skin crawl. It felt... Powerful.

When the door opened, it brought Lucius' eyes open. Unfolding his arms, he rose into the air, off the slab of black stone as if lifted by a harness, and was dropped lightly onto the floor in front of the door and Darius. "Don't come closer." He said lowly. "This room will destroy your soul should you break the barrier." He stepped forward, turning Darius around and pushing him away. "I'm surprised you didn't get pulled in not of your own accord," Lucius went on, and led him back down the hall he'd come from when leaving the red room. "Whenever a door is closed in this place, never open it yourself. You can't know what's within, and I don't want your soul to be blackened by a power you can't handle."

Pausing outside a door far down the hall, he pushed it open. "Other than that," Lucius said as he went to a wardrobe and pulled the doors open, "you're doing just fine. You simply startled me when you opened that door..." He chuckled shakily, pulling a shirt from the dark and pulling it on. It stretched a bit to go over Lucius's body, a snug fit to keep him limber and quick.

"We'll leave soon. I know that might not be a terribly comforting thing, but we've got a long journey." Lucius didn't turn around at once. "If you're hungry, I can find something... I don't usually have much around though..."

Darius was startled when he had found Lucius and thankful that his curiosity hadn't gotten the best of him. Chuckling nervously, he stated, "Curiosity kills the cat, huh?"
He followed Lucius to the wardrobe and blushed slightly, realizing that the demon was nearly naked. In the darkness, Darius couldn't see much. He looked away, feeling rude. He wasn't sure if demons even had a morale code, but he felt embarrassed at seeing his new friend half naked. Being a gay man, he didn't want to seem like a pervert or anything. This made a thought suddenly come into his head and he remembered something he was ashamed off. Still not looking at Lucius, he spoke softly, "Lucius... Am I here because I like men?"

Kneeling and belting heavy boots over the pants, Lucius glanced up, a bit surprised. "I would never think it." He said. "You can't be persecuted just because of what you are. It's something you can't help, you can't choose to love a certain gender, certain race. It's just not a choice, no matter what those psychotic preachers say. They're all becoming corrupt anyway, I'd say. You're here because my brother was bored one day and decided to not only string you along, but send you here to get rid of you when he was done." He stood and stretched. These clothes were mainly leather, heat and fire-resistant, and buckled tight around him to halt peeling that could happen along the surface of the material.

"I believe the God that created your world is a loving, kind God that loves all his creations. Though some just can't be saved from the darkness, I can't imagine him damning you because of a sexual preference." He closed the wardrobe door. "You're not dead yet, Darius. Your choices and your courses in life can't be a factor right now, because it's not right, even by the standards around here. Go on." He pushed Darius along, back out into the hall and down the hall. "We'll not decide on anything we can't control, okay? Not now."

Darius let himself be led by Lucius, lost in thought. He remembered the day he met Lucius' brother. He had the appearance of a handsome man of about Darius' age. He spoke softly and always knew what to say. He was the nicest person Darius had ever met and he quickly became enamored with him.
"Does your brother often pretend to love humans, just for fun?" he asked quietly, feeling disgust at both himself and the demon who seduced him. "We dated for weeks. If he just wanted to bring me here, why didn't he do it as soon as he met me? Why go through all the hassles of getting to gain my trust and affection? I... We... We even did that..." He shuddered, realizing that the person he had allowed into his trust was a demon.

Lucius growled, a noise that resembled a panther's defensive sound before swallowing it. "He gains joy out of leading humans along. Every moment is fun to him, every day he gains their trust and manipulates their emotions is a thrill ride to him, and after he gets where he wants to, he discards them. Most of the time, he tosses them here. Most never survive more than a few minutes before a harpy or demon gatherer finds them and... well, kills them eventually. You were lucky to get transported so near the prison, though. Perhaps when we get to the portal I can join you. We can find my brother, since he'll probably never stop what he's doing now. I can halt him for good. He'll never harm another again, never raise someone's hope, take advantage of them, and send them here to die in horrible ways again." He shook his head as they entered the front room, and he put a hand to his head. "We have to go soon. They'll be searching around the prison soon for you, and it's better to get far away."

Darius nodded, frowning slightly. He doubted they would escape this place. He didn't know how he got here in the first place, so how could they escape? He knew if they did, he would never trust anyone ever again. He shuddered, thinking about his lonely life he had to live. Maybe dying down here was a better idea. Darius didn't say anything, knowing how Lucius would act if he knew about the suicidal thoughts Darius had suffered from, even while alive. Then again, the demon probably already knew.
Outside in the forest that dripped dark red liquids, harpies flew from tree to tree. They were searching for the bright, delicious human soul that had escaped from the prison. Their prize; being able to consume the soul for themselves. Human souls tasted the best to demons. They were highly addictive, like a drug. Demons would kill each other just to get to one human soul. But this one, was corrupted slightly. They could smell that.
A loud thumping noise startled the bird and bat-like creatures, causing them to fly screeching into the air. A thunderous howl reverberated around the area. Mobius was hunting the human soul for itself as well. Its cruel Masters had promised the sweet taste of human flesh. Mobius had to find the human. If he didn't, he'd be punished. He didn't want his Masters to think he was a bad dog. Because Mobius was a good dog. He would find the human soul and bring it to the Big Master. The one that cared for him enough to allow him out of his pit every once and awhile. Then the Big Master would know that Mobius was a good dog.

Lucius heard a slight thumping and stifled a shudder. Harpies, Mobius... They were nearby. But they were too far underground to sense where Darius could be. He led the human through another door, this one revealing an ornate kitchen. "I've always wanted to escape here." Lucius said as he gestured to a seat at the table in the corner. "My power to open portals has been taken away, however, as I've been punished for trying to help another like you. They didn't make it, but I wasn't as vigilant as I am now." He leaned on the counter. "We should leave soon, but we can't right now. Mobius and the harpies are no doubt stalking out there. If you're hungry, this place will, itself, create whatever you can think of, and more." He motioned around. "Might as well take advantage of what's here while it's here, after all."

He almost said it with a heavy sigh. He just didn't want to be here anymore. His job was disgusting. He hated being around these grotesque things, though he was one of them. Maybe he could come with Darius, and be a friend to the young man.

Darius realised that he was indeed starving. He thought of all the wondrous and delicious food he could have, but settled on one thing. His comfort food, the meal he always ate when he was sad or lonely. After Todd beat him, he'd make himself this meal to cheer him up. It was something his Grandma used to make for him. He concentrated as hard as he could on the meal, with his eyes closed.
He heard a strange dissolving noise and his eyes snapped open. On a silver platter, steaming like it had just come out of the oven, was a dish of lasagne. Sitting next to the pasta was a tall glasses with a pink, fizzy liquid in it. Darius beamed wildly, so happy to smell the food again. Maybe he could escape from here! Then he could eat a huge helping of lasagne. Maybe Lucius could come around and... He stopped thinking about the future. He had to focus on getting out of here alive first. He grabbed a fork and dug in. The food tasted almost exactly like how he made it, but something about it tasted slightly different.
"It's amazing!" he said with a mouthful of food. "Do you want to try? I make it better, but..." He then wondered if demons did eat. He washed down his mouthful with the pink drink. It tasted exactly how he remembered it. The lemonade tingled his tongue and the sweet raspberry flavour soothed his dry throat.