A cold, dead wasteland stretched as far as the eye could go. It was perpetually dark, except for the streaks of lightning cutting through the sky. The blustery wind prickled Jered's face with its icy claws, penetrating through his skin and freezing his bones. The rain, incessant and just as cold, came down like a wall of sharp blades. He let his mana circulate and warm him up. The environment was a bit too extreme for him to endure it with his physical body alone.

Demi didn't seem to be too affected. Probably because she wasn't a living being, to begin with. After squinting his eyes, he noticed a wide, black gate in the distance, socketed into a mountain. Due to its similar appearance to the gate he had just come out of, he had no doubt that that was the portal to the Third Circle.

Then he looked up, where the brief flashes of light allowed him to see an unending stream of souls getting buffeted back and forth by the stormy gale. From time to time, he would sense a sliver of mana in that clusterfuck of swirling sinners. The screams, wails, and cries of pain filled the air—barely hearable over the claps of thunder. Some of them had their hands stretched out, desperately hoping to catch the hand of their lovers, but missing by a few inches every time.

That must have been another form of torture.

Jered floated ten meters in the air, his 'Soul Eater' still active. Naturally, people were bound to notice an anomaly like him, unfettered by the storm, eyes like a demon, and a silver mist that looked more threatening than the winds battering them around. The first thought that came to their minds was that he was one of the Guardians, another Hell's magistrate, a nightmare that had come to administer more punishment.

However, one of the Magicians that was there thought differently, "You're alive," he rasped out—his voice scratchy and brittle. There was a hint of disbelief in those old, brown eyes.

"Correct," Jered was curious, "How did you end up here?"

The old man smiled in a way that denoted he wasn't the least bit of guilty of what he did, "I might have led a kingdom to its destruction because I was horny."

"I'm impressed..."

"And you should be!" the man chuckled at Jered's conflicted expression, "I used my dick way too much—for diplomatic reasons, of course. So, what are you here for, young fella? Visiting someone?"

Jered shook his head, "Not quite. I'm here as a part of my training regime. I even brought a friend along," he pointed at a dazed Demi, "Care to help?"

The man was slightly skeptical, "How..."

"Hah, like this..."

The silver mist stirred as it blast out towards the man, enveloping him in its embrace and breathing death into him. Permanent death.

[The system has converted Soul Essence into mana.]

[Your mana pool attribute has risen by 3 points.]

Jered was visibly disappointed by the meager number. Then again, the man had most likely gone through decades, if not centuries, of torture. It wasn't unreasonable to think that he had gotten weaker. But if that was what there was to harvest in the Second Circle, he didn't know how long it would take him to make great strides into unlocking his fourth vein. Rainey did tell him that he had to find a 'Virtue' or a 'Sin'. It was one of the requirements to become a Royal-Tier.

She didn't think that he had a 'Virtue', and Jered readily agreed with her assessment. The fact that his Status Window alluded at such had nothing to do with it.

The souls sweeping around the wind were surprised to see one of them disappear into a wispy, silvery smog.

"Demi," Jered called out, "Don't stand there gawking like an idiot and have your pick."

She was once more reminded why Jered gave her the creeps, even though she was already dead. That kind of power pulsing in his hand was seemingly handcrafted to deal with entities like her. It would not only erase their existence, it would also absorb a portion of their power. However, she was also reminded of the fact that Jered not once did threaten her with it. In fact, he even went as far as to wash her and think of ways to make her 'beautiful'.

And Demi did not see those souls as beings with consciousness, but as all kinds of cosmetics that would, one day, turn her into the princess she knew she was. Also, Jered had promised it to her.

[Your mana pool attribute has risen by 1 point.]
[Your mana pool attribute has risen by 1 point.]
[Your mana pool attribute has risen by 7 points.]
[Your mana pool attribute has risen by 1 point.]

There were too many souls for Jered to find the ones that had mana. And more souls were steadily entering the Second Circle. He tried absorbing the normal sinners, but they only gave him 1 point. It was simply not worth the trouble, or the waste of mana. Demi didn't have that problem. But there was a limit to how much she could 'eat' in a short time. Also, she couldn't float like Jered, so she had to pick the ones closest to the ground.

The souls knew what they were up to, and as much as they tried to avoid it, the winds had them caged and waiting for slaughter. There were a few that were willing to 'die' by their hands. They figured that whatever form of death they were granted, it would have been a better fate than being tormented in those freezing currents for eternity. Everlasting silence was better than everlasting pain. At least, it depended on who was more desperate and had given up any hope of ever making it out of there.

Some souls still wanted to live, and struggled against the gusts to survive.

Jered's silver mist had limited range and potency, so he could only absorb one soul at a time. That made it extremely counterproductive since the mana absorbed was less than the mana used. He would tire fast, and had to wait quite a bit to recharge and resume. That was one of a bitch of a drawback. But it didn't matter.

Time flowed faster in Hell.

And he had enough time to accomplish what he had set out to do. The only issue was keeping track of time.

Demi had her mouth opened so wide open that her chin had dropped to her chest. And between that gaping maw, the ashes—the essence—of the sinners billowed into her like smoke. There was no change in her besides that of her 'presence'. Jered noticed how she had regained a spark of lifeforce. Something unnoticeable, but when overlapped with Demi's lifeless self, it shone like a shaft of sunlight through stormy clouds.

"Excuse me, young man," a sweet, incredibly pleasing to hear voice tinkled out somewhere in that rabble of souls, "Could you come closer?"

It was amazing how the moment she spoke, Jered didn't have to look for her, he instinctively knew where she was.

And the moment he saw her, he had a hard time accepting that such a heavenly, alluring voice belonged to such an ordinary face. She wasn't ugly by any means. In fact, some people might label her as 'pretty', but compared to Jered's acquaintances—or even Kenny—she was lackluster, as average as the next woman. She had black hair, drawn back in braids and coiled into a bun at the base of her head. She wore traditional Egyptian clothing, with gold-plated anklets and bracelets.

Even in those stormy winds, she held a dignity he had seldom seen.

Jered couldn't help his curiosity and float closer, "Why would you call for me? You don't look like you wish... for what happened to the others. Had you stayed silent, I wouldn't have noticed you."

She wasn't put off by the sinister ring of his voice, "But I want you to notice me," she said with eyes so bright and pure that indicated she was genuinely happy he was talking to her, "I don't talk to many people, not the ones who have nothing interesting to offer. On the contrary, you come from the outside. You're not dead, yet you yield its mantle. Maybe it's the scent—your mana reminds me of sulfur and brimstone."

He laughed, "Come on, now. What do you want?"

"A conversation. Regal me with one before you consume me. A fair trade, nay?"

Jered canceled 'Soul Eater'. It was taking a toll on his mana pool. He stared at the mystifying woman in front of him, who despite the blasts of cold wind thrashing her around, still had an inherent sexiness, a playful glint in her eyes, a certain way with how she spoke that made him want to listen to her, to know her. It was the first time for him. And maybe that was her plan all along, to pique his curiosity, stir it, and seize it until she had his undisputed attention.

"Not really fair. You hold no sway or power in what I decide to do, but fine. Let me humor you."

She narrowed her eyes, "I have seen millions of souls here. A million more before I died. And I'll see a million more after you go away. And there's one thing I'm certain about..."

"And that is?"

She wanted to touch his face, but her movement was restricted. With a bitter sigh, she held his gaze and smiled, "You're the most beautiful man I've ever seen. If you told me you're the devil, I would believe you. Only a devil could play with my heartstrings as if it were a mere instrument. I wouldn't be surprised if you were here to torment me more. Tell me, young man, what's your name?"

"Jered," he replied, rolling his eyes at her undisguised flattery.

"Jered..." she repeated it with a fond smile, imprinting it in the deepest reaches of her mind, "Tell me stories, Jered. Tell me of your adventures, of your family, of your friends, of your lovers."

He chanced a glance at Demi, who was chasing after a bunch of souls, and then looked back up at the enigmatic woman, "And what do I get in return?"

"I can't offer you my body, for you don't seem interested in it. I can't offer you power, for you have way too much of it already. I can't offer you wealth, for all of my treasures are buried with my mortal coil."

"Then, what can you offer me?"

Jered didn't really think she had anything that would pique his fancy. She barely had any mana left, so consuming her soul was more trouble than it was worth. However, she looked like an important character from history, and he was interested in knowing more about her.

She spread her arms in a shrug, "Companionship, and a story mayhaps? About the last queen of Egypt. The most passionate Pharaoh, who even in the face of defeat, didn't let herself be triumphed over. "