Arriving at the Lava Field, they find themselves standing on what resembles a wall, overlooking a vast field of molten lava. Below, lava creatures swim about, and beyond the field, the Blood Red Mountains loom where earth and wind creatures roam freely.

  “Come, sit with me,” David invites the team. “You won’t die if you fall into the lava, but...you’ll suffer a lot from severe burns.”

  “Yeah, that’s very reassuring,” Wyn responds sarcastically.

  Wyn’s team sits on the edge of the wall, their feet dangling over the vast distance between them and the lava field below. David points toward one of the mountain peaks. At first, there’s nothing remarkable, but David keeps pointing. Suddenly, the sky darkens, and a massive creature erupts from the mountain's peak, launching streams of glowing lava into the night sky. Wyn’s team watches in stunned silence, captivated by the sight.

  “That’s a lava worm. It lives inside that mountain,” David explains.

  The worm glows brightly as it emerges from the mountain, but once it remains outside for a while, the glow fades, revealing its light brown, earthy skin.

  “It’s both earth and lava,” David adds. “Oh, did I mention it’s also an ultra champion?”

  “How are you supposed to defeat something like that?” Wyn asks.

  “You attack the worm. If it retreats, you follow it inside the mountain.”

  “We traveled across the Frozen Ocean for days, but we never saw a night sky like this,” Yu remarks.

  “The second floor’s day-night cycle works differently,” David explains. “It takes longer to get a single night.”

  Chatter fades as the lava worm slithers down the mountain, leaving a trail of molten lava in its wake.

  “Long and thick. That gives me another inspiration!” Mira says, prompting James to turn to her with a lewd grin.

  “Won’t your team be mad you didn’t bring them here, Mister David?” Lisa asks.

  “Not at all. They’ve watched the night sky with me plenty of times already. Plus, they’re busy prepping for Hell’s Day.”

  “...Why are we here?” Wyn asks.

  David turns, smiling. “How do you feel about joining our faction now?”

  Wyn looks back at his team, sharing a silent nod with each member before responding, “No offense, but we’d rather stay independent and build our own faction – with blackjack and hookers.”

  “And we already have hookers,” James adds, playfully.

  “Mister James! I’m not like my sister!” Lisa responds.

  “What do you mean by that, sis???” Mira says.

  “We’ll happily become your ally, though,” Wyn concludes with a smile.

  "Ah, figured as much," David replies calmly. "I had hoped to make you part of the original group. With enough training, you'd catch up to us and help us lead Skill Tree. Would love to have a cyclone user as a leader." Wyn’s team looks surprised at the revelation, though their decision remains unchanged.

  David continues, explaining once more how impressed he was with Wyn for standing up to Charlotte at the junkyard, noting that most souls are too intimidated by her rude demeanor. He also admits that Wyn’s team’s high ratings from the Crow of Judgment was another reason he wanted them to be part of Skill Tree. David then praises how seamlessly Wyn’s team works together, acknowledging he wouldn’t dare separate Wyn from his squad. It’s the reason he was willing to accept all of Wyn’s team members, not just Wyn himself.

  “This might sound cliché, but as a leader myself, I understand how important your team members are to you. I’d do anything for my own team too,” David says.

  Lisa suddenly starts to sob, prompting Mira to gently comfort her.

  “Did I say something wrong? If so, I’m sorry,” David asks.

  “Don’t worry. She’ll be fine,” Mira replies with a reassuring smile.

  “We went through a lot to gel this well. You can ask that sushi hater over there,” Wyn says, nodding toward James.

  “Me? What’s wrong with deep-fried sushi?” James retorts.

  “Everything!” Yu chimes in.

  “Sushi? I love chicken teriyaki!” David says.

  “You’re no less of a monster than James is!” Yu exclaims.

  With the lava worm now out of sight, David leads Wyn’s team to the spawn point at the Frozen Ocean. Once there, he sits and looks up at the sky, inviting Wyn’s team to do the same. As they stargaze, memories of Anish flood Wyn’s, Yu’s, and Mira’s minds. Yu wraps his arms around Wyn’s and Mira’s necks, pulling them closer.

  “I stargaze every night,” David says quietly. “I keep track of the cycle religiously. Night sky soothes me, especially when I’m upset.”

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Wyn notices the flickering stars, far more than he remembers from his stargazing session with Anish. Yu observes Wyn's gaze.

  “Don’t you find it odd? You said dying stars were insignificant, right? But when many are fading at the same time, they don’t look so insignificant after all,” Yu says.

  “I never thought of it that way,” Wyn replies.

  “I remember you mentioned not being able to carry your friends with cyclones. You shouldn’t be focusing on that yet. Except for Crowd and Steve, I don’t know anyone else who can,” David chimes in. “And likewise, no one from Skill Tree and its allies can bend cyclones like you, including Crowd.”

  Not feeling proud but not wanting to ruin the mood, Wyn shifts the conversation. “What about the gazillot you fought during the city event? Why did it only fortify its eyes with rocks and not other parts of its body?”

  David shrugs, offering a simple explanation. “It’s just a creature with a tiny brain, maybe!”

  “And what about the fallen angels? Why are they here? And why does Maya resemble them so much?” Wyn presses.

  David opens the bestiary to find the images of the fallen angels. He squints, trying to recall what Maya looks like before he begins his explanation. The fallen angels were once servants of the Heave King. As more divine-loving souls joined Heaven, there was no longer a need for these angels to praise him. They were later “gifted” to Hell after an army of Hell’s one hundred souls managed to breach Heaven’s third level. Only the archangels were kept to serve as messengers between him and the souls, and to screen souls to bring to Heaven.

  As for Maya’s design, it was inspired by those angels, but Dark Force didn’t want to “copy” too much. Instead, he created her as simply a giant floating eyeball.

  “Does this mean dogs are not angels?” Yu asks.

  “I wouldn’t know, sorry,” David replies.

  “How did you get all this information?” Wyn asks.

  “I got the answers from talking to the nerds and Big D,” David explains casually.

  “‘Big D'?” Mira quickly asks, eyes glowing with hope.

  “It's how we elites call the Dark Force guy.”

  “So, you’ve met him?” Wyn’s curiosity piques.

  “Yeah. He and Pete come by the third floor every now and then. You’ll see them on Hell’s Day!”

  A brief silence falls over the group as an aurora begins to dance in the sky. They watch in awe, mesmerized by its beauty, momentarily forgetting they’re in Hell.

  Once the aurora fades, David rises, preparing to head back to the tents.

  “Wait…can you tell us your story?” Wyn asks, surprising his entire team as this is the first time Wyn has ever asked anyone to share their backstory with him without being part of the team.

  Despite the unexpected request, everyone’s curiosity draws them closer, unintentionally pressuring David to share.

  David was born and raised in Germsarmy to a poor farming family. Never once in his life did he visit another country. In his teens, he decided to join the military and became a soldier. Despite never having been sent to war, he earned praise for his ability to fight, both in melee and ranged combat. Before receiving his promotion at just the age of twenty, he met a girl from his hometown whom he later married. Wanting to build a family, he left the military and took over the farm he inherited from his parents. A year later, he was blessed with his first child, a daughter, followed by a son within another year. Life was good.

  That is, until one fateful day when he took his family for a stroll in the city of Franksfart. A terrorist attack occurred; a van crashed into the crowd, and his family was in the path. While holding his daughter, he grabbed his wife, who was holding their son. Unfortunately, they were all struck by the van. The next thing David remembered was waking up in the hospital. He later learned that none of his children had survived, and his wife had fallen into a deep coma, becoming a sleepy beauty who would never wake up again. Eventually, he made the heart-wrenching decision to pull the plug, granting her the peace she deserved in such a condition.

  Overcome with sorrow and rage, David turned to alcohol. One day, after watching a revenge movie, he got the idea to do the same in real life. He began tracking the whereabouts of the surviving terrorists, who had been placed in jail. To get himself incarcerated, David committed a minor offense that would guarantee him at least a year in prison. Once inside, he carefully bribed officials and began eliminating the terrorists, one by one, slowly and painfully. He was never caught.

  Knowing more terrorists were still at large, he behaved well and was released in less than a year. He wanted to track down the organization behind the attack, but it was out of reach. Consumed by sorrow once more, he turned to alcohol, which eventually claimed his life through an overdose at the young age of twenty-seven.

  “I’m so sorry you had to go through all that. That has to be the darkest story any of us has heard,” Wyn says.

  “I’m sorry as well, David, but how are you only twenty-seven?” Yu asks, trying to be as polite as possible, though he ultimately fails.

  “What’s wrong with my age? Wait…don’t tell me you’re all older than me!” David exclaims.

  “No, you’re older than all of us, except for Oppa,” Mira chimes in.

  “No offense, but I’d say this for all of us: you look over forty, dude!” James adds.

  “Offense well taken, but I hear ya. It’s not the first time this has happened!” David chuckles.

  “I’ve been through Y2K, just so you youngsters know,” Wyn claims, not giving out the fact that he was just a little child when it happened.

  “What’s a ‘Y2K’?” Yu asks, with everyone eagerly awaiting Wyn’s answer.

  “It’s ‘Yours To Kill’, like a purge,” Wyn says.

  “You’re just fucking with us now, eh!” James complains.

  Wyn bursts out laughing while refusing to reveal what it is, despite the group begging.

  “Guys, before we go, can I ask each of you a quick question?” Mira asks. “What do you miss most from life? I mean, back when you were alive. I miss having a heartbeat.”

  “For me…,” Yu begins.

  “Don’t say guitar!” Wyn jokes.

  “I already have it, sheesh! Anyway, I miss my family and friends.”

  “I miss having all the money and servants! Wish you were all my servants!” James replies.

  “Hmmm…is it wrong that I don’t miss anything? I have my sister here with me already, and now I have you all,” Lisa says.

  “Nice, Lisa! Same here! I don’t miss anything too. I’m more than fine to be here with you guys,” Wyn adds.

  “Good answers. I wish I could see my wife and my children again. I miss their smiles,” David says.

  After hearing everyone’s answers, Mira smiles and proceeds to give each one a hug to express her gratitude before heading back to the tents.

  Once there, David promises to continue training with Wyn’s team despite their decision not to join him, then excuses himself to his tent.

  “Let’s all rest. We’ll meet whenever someone’s bored first! Call or send us messages!” Wyn suggests.

  Mira gives James a lewd stare, eyeing him from head to toe.

  “I shall crush you tonight, like the lamp on the ‘I’!” she declares, prompting a slow lick of his lips from James.

  “You can use the second floor while we’re busy, sis.”

  “Ewww, sis! Gross!” Lisa exclaims.