"Hello, Doug. I'm the Devil."

It was a wholly unremarkable man who sat across from Doug. What was remarkable is that they were seated in the midst of darkness. There was nothing at all visible to Doug except for himself and the Devil. "Where am I?"

"You're in your bed. This is a dream."

Doug processed that a moment. "Usually my dreams don't tell me they're dreams... even though it's like really obvious they were dreams when I wake up because I was like flying and stuff."

The Devil smiled. He seemed like a nice enough guy, though the meeting was certainly odd. "God is defeated -- or so they say -- which would make me the most powerful being in existence. Still, I'm used to treading lightly, and while I wanted to talk to you directly, I thought appearing to you in a dream was a more subtle way of doing it."

Doug did not understand this at all, but he caught on to one part he knew was trouble. "Isn't God just made up or something?"

"Perhaps." He laughed. "It is the 'Age of Enlightenment,' so I can put it all in scientific terms if you prefer. It makes no difference to me."

"Yeah... I'm not really good at science either." When Doug was younger, people seemed to think that Doug learned concepts best through puppets, but the Devil didn't seem to have any.

"Suffice to say, there was a powerful force that held your world in balance and now it's gone. You've seen the consequences, haven't you? Place where reality itself has begun to rip apart."

Doug had seen the wastelands, areas of darkness where indescribable things moved in the shadows. No one ever entered those areas, and Doug knew no stories of anyone even trying to. When he was ten, his friend Bryce once dared him to walk up to the edge of one of the wastelands and throw a rock at it, but he chickened out.

"And the end of the human race has to be of concern for you," the Devil continued. "No new births for over twenty years -- not since the War that left you an orphan."

It was a concern for Doug, though he knew it wasn't supposed to be. The explanation was that the change in the world after the War no longer allowed new connection to a multi-dimensional existence -- the "soul" as known to primitive people -- that was solely an evolutionary advantage of the human animal. No more souls meant no more humans making Doug among the youngest alive, but their superiors constantly reminded them that this was of no worry anymore. "They can make us immortal, so there isn't really any more need for... humans."

"They say that, do they?" The Devil's disposition turned slightly less friendly. "Perhaps the biggest obstacle you face now is that the former prisoners of Hell now run your world. These bickering demons act as your gods, and surely you must see how wrong that is?"

Doug knew he was going down a dangerous path even if this was just a dream. The Transcendent were all-powerful and could see his thoughts if they wanted -- though it was unlikely they would be concerned with the thoughts of one of the Last Children... especially one who spent so much time thinking about videogames. "I thought they were like inter-dimensional aliens or something?"

"They don't really know what they are anymore, and some actually believe their own tripe about enlightenment. Of all the faults of the fallen angels, you would at least think they wouldn't end up being atheists."

"Well, we're all supposed to be atheists since God is just mythology or something."

"Then at least they're not hypocritical on that issue." He was silent for a moment. "It's hard to explain just how foolish the Fallen are. We fought a long war against the greatest power there is, and we finally had a huge victory and they've forgotten their purpose. I am a better leader than a teacher, but now they ignore me and use you people as pawns in a fight against each other for power over this world. You may think this world is vast, but it is infinitesimal compared to all of existence. To have escaped our previous confines only to try and rule your world it like freeing yourself from a jail cell only to willfully be imprisoned within a grain of sand."

Even though Doug's usual dreams made much less sense, he still followed them better. "So you're like the leader of the Trans?"

"Not the way I'd put it... and I am no longer their leader. As I said, I'm the most powerful being in existence other than God Himself -- or itself, considering your view -- but I have limitations. So do the Fallen -- the Transcendent, Trans, or whatever you want to call them. You can see that in how they can't do away with each other despite how obviously they wish they could. I want you to think about that, because understanding they are not all-powerful is the first step to believing they can be defeated."

Doug was stunned. It never had even occurred to him that the Transcendent could be fought anymore than one could fight a hurricane. They were just powerful forces with nothing physical to lash out against. Some of them often took physical forms, and he had been curious if you shot one in the face (he couldn't imagine a being so powerful it wouldn't mind being shot in the face), but he was careful not to muse too much on such a thing. "How could anyone defeat them? They're not just super-duper powerful -- all their followers are like invincible too."

"Yes, the 'Hallowed' -- the disciples of the Fallen. They may seem to wield great power, but they are damned. I assure you that there is quite a difference between what you perceive as power and what there really is. You have the potential for far more power than you'll ever know. Despite the Fallen's belief in a victory in the power known as God, I know He has not abandoned those who never chose to abandon Him. You may never have been taught about Him, but He has watched over you always. In the glimpses of light in the darkness that is this world, you must have sensed Him... someone who cares for you and assures you and made sure that no matter how hopeless things are that you keep soldiering on."

It was a nice thought, and Doug wanted to believe. Of course, he knew he wasn't too bright and thus susceptible to believing foolish things, and even he saw the flaws in this concept. "Are you referring to the being from the beliefs of those from before the War? If He was so powerful, then how come he didn't save them?"

"Good question. All I can say is that their last prayers were for their children, and here today you still are. They're appeal to God will only be shown to be in vain if you choose not to continue their fight."

It seemed a lot of responsibility to be put on Doug's shoulders, which was now making this dream seem as absurd as his usual ones. He took another good look at the Devil who appeared just as a normal man. He thought back to what little he knew about the Devil whom he usually saw portrayed with horns and red skin. "Aren't you supposed to be evil?"

He smiled. "I have my own purposes. If you think this world needs fixing, then for now our goals overlap. That may change in the future... but we'll cross that bridge when we reach it."

"And what do you expect me to do?"

"Just consider my words and keep your eyes open to see what the world really is and not how they want you to see it. You will soon have an opportunity to fight back, and I will help lead you there. This may seem daunting, but know you are not alone. You have a friend even more powerful than me watching over you."

Doug wanted to believe, but this just seemed so much like the foolishness he had been warned about since he was a small child in the orphanage. "Do you know my friends?"

"Yes, of course." The Devil chuckled. "'Hellbender.'"

"Maybe you could tell them to so they can help... if this really isn't just a dream."

The Devil's expression turned serious. "They can help you some, but at some point you will fight this battle alone."

That was a fearful thought for Doug. His friends were all he had. "But why me? I'm not smart or good at... anything."

"I know; in a world of gods and demigods, you're... well... Doug. What you must overcome seems impossible, but God deals with the impossible. Know that in the most important battles of this world, neither wits nor strength are of any use."

"Then what is of use?"

The Devil grinned one last time. "You'll have to find that out on your own."

NEXT

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Hellbender Take Two
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