David keeps his promise, personally taking Wyn’s team out for training over the following days. Noting areas where they can improve their melee combat, he lets them spar with one another, observing closely and offering advice. On days when other team members join, David allows them to fight against creatures under the watch of whichever leader accompanies him.

  Then Hell’s Day finally arrives – a day when the elites and the nerds gather to celebrate their achievements and, more importantly, honor their ruler. Unlike the Heaven King, Hell’s ruler doesn’t require praise; Hell’s Day exists simply because the elites wanted an excuse to revel.

  During the day, elites, nerds, and non-campsite cats gather in the square to transform it into a space fit for a grand celebration. The square’s surface rises, hovering high in the air to form a floating platform, while a secondary layer suspends just beneath it, creating a deep, vast pit below. Perched on the edges of the top platform and tied to ropes are bwakbwaklava – chicken-like creatures that ignite into flames when they take flight.

  The stage remains grounded, hosting a single frozen myniah. The creature stands rigid, a megaphone strapped to a stand pole before it, its speaker end equipped with an unusual chip. Surrounding the stage are grotesque creatures, their heads resembling horizontal cylinders encased in human-like skin, supported by thin, gray, macerated human-like limbs. To Mira's dismay, they lack any defining private parts. Their frail bodies seem incapable of supporting the weight of their oversized heads, leaving them slumped forward, their heads resting against the ground. Strapped to each arm is a lavatern.

  As night falls, the cats prod the bound bwakbwaklavas, sending them soaring upward. Their flames cast a bright glow across the dark sky. Meanwhile, the nerds tap on the lavaterns below, triggering them to light up and lift the grotesque cylinder-headed creatures into the air. Lava spills onto them from the lavaterns momentarily, though, despite their frail forms, they appear unaffected by the heat.

  The intense warmth radiating from the creatures begins to thaw the frozen myniah. Once fully thawed, it begins to sing right away, its voice carrying a haunting beauty. The chip on the megaphone enhances the sound, generating instruments that harmonize perfectly with the song. The cylinder-headed creatures amplify the sound, adding a powerful, echoing resonance that fills the night.

  Around the pit edges, portals emit constant gusts of wind, providing a way for souls to ascend to the hovering platforms. Large tables, filled with food, arranged in a U-shape encircle the gust-blowing portals, with the open end facing the stage. Gaps between the tables provide pathways for attendees to pass through and reach the wind portals.

  “Ladies, gentlemen – FUCK, nerds, cats – YOUR PUSSIES, creatures, or whatever the hell you are – FUCK FUCKERS, YEAH!” the emcee announces, punctuating her words with sharp, unexpected whistles that slice through the air. “Welcome to Hell’s Day!”

  “Th-th-that’s r-r-r-right! T-t-tonight, we’re h-h-havin’ a-a-a-a-a-a part-t-t-ty!” another emcee stammers.

  “What in the name of fuck is happening on the stage?” James questions.

  “They volunteered to be emcees. They’re doing their best! Having both of them on the stage adds to the charm of tonight,” Violet replies.

  “Doing their best to trigger each other?” Yu remarks, a smirk creeping onto his face.

  David’s entire gang joins Wyn’s as they check out the spectacle unfolding before them.

  “I remember Hell wasn’t supposed to have souls with disabilities, right? Besides dwarfism?” Wyn asks.

  “Those conditions aren’t considered disabilities. Well, at least one isn’t even a condition. The other one is just…ummm…hmmm…I don’t know, actually,” Eugene responds, scratching his head in thought.

  The crowd – elites and nerds – gathers at the stable, some lingering by the food tables, while most either occupy the platforms or crowd the pit. All the platforms are designated for revelry, but the top floor is particularly known for mingling and outdoor sexual experiences. The second floor caters to those who want to dance, though not as intensely as in the pit, where bodies collide to the rhythm of increasingly aggressive music.

  The myniah begins with a slow tempo, gradually ramping up the intensity of each song. These bird creatures are known to possess the ability to sing in a human voice, perfectly mimicking it. This talent is passed down through generations, enabling their descendants to sing without ever needing to hear a human voice.

  Suddenly, the emcees snatch the megaphone away from the myniah, who continues singing despite being drowned out by the murmurs of the attendees. For the opening remarks, Big D takes the stage.

  Dark Force, or Big D, retains his entirely red attire, including his hair and eyes. However, tonight he appears bulkier and friendlier, with his eye pupils now black. His height seems to have changed since the last time Wyn met him, now shorter and with light skin. Being a life force entity, Dark Force naturally lacks emotional expressions, so he subtly modifies his form to fit specific occasions instead. His war form, however, is said to be the same as the one Wyn saw in a museum picture: a friendly, lean, tall figure with dark red skin.

  “This marks another milestone for us. We’ve hit five thousand elites. Soon, we’ll be able to carry out our task,” he says, smiling as always into the megaphone. “Enjoy the extended night!”

  The crowd erupts in cheers, and fireworks shoot up from behind the stage wall. But before Big D steps down, Wyn has something to say.

  “What do we get from this war?” Wyn shouts, silencing the crowd.

  “I remember you!” Big D responds, still smiling. “You see, the human race is destroying itself without divine intervention. I can’t let that happen to my very own creation. Imagine a world where we punish those who deserve it and praise those with good intentions.”

  “Not saying I disagree, but I don’t get it. Why put us on Earth when, in the end, you and your friend have control over our souls anyway?” Wyn remarks, drawing murmurs from the crowd, though some appear to already know the answer, including David’s entire team.

  “Ah, humans are special. Creatures on other planets can’t think on their own – the key feature they lack is the brain. Even with brains, we let you roam Earth to shape who you become, so you don’t turn into sheep that follow the majority or us mindlessly.”

  Before Wyn can ask more questions, Big D continues, “Now, back to your first question. The ability to absorb essence was granted to human souls before the Heaven and Hell split. It was intended as a means for humans to climb ranks should we deem you worthy. But now, with the split, one of you will become a divine being through your essence-absorbing ability and will replace the Heaven King.” With that, he abruptly and awkwardly waves goodbye and steps into a portal he summons.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “What?” Wyn exclaims, turning to his team, who look just as shocked as he is.

  “Big D doesn’t have a specific form. He adopts a human appearance to honor his own creation. That’s how much he values us – his creation,” Violet whispers.

  “But that means my misfortunes back then had nothing to do with a divine entity...,” Wyn says, his face filled with conflict.

  “Let’s change the world together, Wyn. We can’t fix your past, but we can fix others’,” David urges.

  “And what about my existence? Do I just exist for others? What about my life? What about our lives, David? If we humans are the perfect creation, why are we so fucked up as a race? It’s our brains that make us flawed. Our creator – or creators – don’t understand how we operate at all,” Wyn mutters.

  “Let’s just enjoy the night, Oppa. Let’s have our private orgy!” Mira cuts in.

  “W-w-w-well, folks. T-t-time to pa-pa-par-par-teh!” the emcee stammers.

  The music continues, and drones fill the sky, displaying a play of how Earth came to be. Wyn quickly pulls his team with him to the top platform, where an orgy is already taking place. Of course, Wyn isn’t interested in that – he wants to watch the drones.

  A life force is a divine entity of an unknown origin, existing solely to create life. Each life force is paired with a special entity known as the void warden, who governs specific areas of the void space in another dimension, where the life force can store various items, including living beings and even microscopic worlds. While the void warden is alive, the life force can open portals to any location within the warden's domain. Though these void spaces are interconnected, they cannot enter another void warden’s territory.

  Light Force, also known as the Heaven King, traveled across various planets, gathering living beings and storing their samples within his void space. When he arrived in the solar system, he attempted to create a planet but faced repeated failures. This continued until another life force, Dark Force, who had been observing his struggles, decided to intervene and offer assistance. Together, they agreed to collaborate, ultimately creating Earth through what humans now refer to as the Big Bang.

  The two life forces began designing their own creatures that would thrive on Earth, drawing inspiration from beings they had encountered on other planets. Initially, they placed many mindless creatures on Earth for experimentation, but they quickly grew dissatisfied. Their dullness and lack of individuality felt unworthy of a collaboration between two life forces.

  Through countless experiments, they finally discovered that adding capable brains could imbue these beings with personality and consciousness. After taking a particular liking to the design of apes, they successfully created the first humans and allowed them to thrive. Without direct interference, the humans evolved.

  In their earlier days, humans lacked souls and faced frequent deaths, leading to concerns about extinction. To address this, the life forces developed the concepts of the afterlife and rebirth – essentially treating the human body as a suit that the soul inhabits. As the human population flourished, unworthy souls became a means of recycling the population on Earth, ensuring the cycle of rebirth continued. Newborns – new faces – were also allowed to be born alongside the recycled souls, fostering a dynamic balance that supported ongoing evolution.

  The show concludes with the drones exploding into a dazzling display of fireworks.

  “Before the Heaven and Hell split, the void wardens merged into one, allowing each life force to enter the other’s space,” Pete says.

  “Pete? When did you get here?” Wyn asks, surprised.

  “I was watching the whole thing from behind you! Then I followed you here,” Pete replies. “Light Force was known to walk among Earth in another form, spreading some bad image of our big guy after the split. I believe that’s how religions came to be.”

  “But wouldn’t that be considered intervention?” Wyn questions.

  “Not sure, actually. Even Big D doesn’t have an answer for that,” Pete responds. “I’m like you, I don’t understand the whole point of the war. But it is what it is. We’re just ants compared to the divine entities.” He pauses, glancing off into the distance. “Think about it. If they can’t even get along, how can they expect us to? In the end, there needs to be one leader or a group of like-minded elites. It’s not much different from how the real world works.”

  “Are you joining the orgy, Pete?” Mira asks.

  “Huh? Oh, of course, yes! That’s the other reason I’m here!”

  With that, Pete quickly removes his clothes and jumps into the pile of bodies. Mira stares enviously before Wyn guides the whole team back down – jumping further than the portals. To ensure no one gets seriously injured, James suggests they all land on their faces, and they do just that. Poor Yu and Lisa jump so far that they crash onto a table.

  “Good job on the faceplants,” Marcus quips.

  “Marcus? Fancy seeing you again! You’re here for the orgy too?” Wyn asks.

  “Of course! Us nerds love orgies. I just wanted to swing by and say hi. The nerds told me you sent your ‘regards’.”

  “Yes! So, can we go inside the Nerds’ HQ?” Yu asks.

  “Sorry, I can’t do that just because I know you. Try asking me again next time we meet,” Marcus replies before ascending to the top platform.

  Mira eagerly peruses the crowd and spots Heysoos, dragging James along with her. She grabs his hand and asks, “Will you join us?”

  “Wait! Two men? That’s a hard pass for me!” James exclaims, while Heysoos is left speechless.

  “Did you know we call Heysoos ‘vakman’? A former friend of ours used to call him that because of his past as an expert in audio engineering. He kept the name in her honor after we lost her on the first floor,” David explains.

  “‘Fukman’? Oh! Heysoos! Come here!” Mira calls out. “Oppa, Yu, David, Eugene, do you guys wanna join too? It’ll be in my tent for privacy.”

  Although James refuses, Mira quickly covers his mouth while the others, except for Heysoos, shake their heads vigorously in response.

  “I’ll achieve my dream of a five-guy night one of these days!” Mira grumbles as she holds James’ and Heysoos’ hands, leading them toward her tent.

  Without Heysoos, David’s team decides to enjoy the food first, planning to let loose on the second platform afterward. They invite Wyn’s team to join them, and everyone but Wyn agrees. Worried about his friend, especially after the “Q&A” session with Dark Force earlier, Yu decides to tag along with Wyn as they head down to the first floor to visit Cateto. Before leaving, Wyn personally tells Lisa and, via message, Mira to let them know where he'll be.

  Upon spotting Wyn and Yu, Cateto jumps with joy at the sight of both men. The trio lose track of time, chatting animatedly and ignoring the other souls, even the new arrivals, to the point that a few nearby are giving them annoyed stares.

  “I don’t know. What’s the point in any of this? Say we win the war – then what? We’ll just have to find another reason for our existence. For humans, that can potentially lead to another war,” Wyn muses.

  “Take it easy. If this is your purpose for now, focus on it. When the time comes, you will discover your next goal. Anish used to say that to himself a lot,” Cateto replies.

  “Yeah! And just imagine if one of us became a vacuum! I’m sure we’d still be a team and have plenty to do to make the world better together!” Yu chimes in.

  Their long conversation is abruptly interrupted as sirens blare loudly throughout the floor, red lights flashing in an urgent rhythm.

  “What’s going on?” Yu asks, looking around in confusion.

  “This is it. Heaven has made the first move,” Cateto says, urgency creeping into his voice. “Come on, we need to gather on the third floor.”

  “What? You’re coming with us?” Wyn asks.

  “Yes. This will be our first direct involvement in this war; it is that serious, it seems. Each of us must do our part to defend Hell.”

  And with that, Wyn, Yu, and Cateto make their way to the square. Although Hell’s Day celebration seems to have come to an end a while ago, souls begin to amass in the square once again. Mira, James, and Lisa join the three, followed by David’s team. Suddenly, Big D and Pete warp in from a portal on the stage. For the first time, Big D isn’t smiling.