Peter’s body was covered in bandages. His left arm was blocked in a splint and his right leg was supported by a brace. He was wearing a tunic similar to the one he had before, but brown.

  “Hey, we recovered that where we found you. I think you will need it for a couple of days” Lucas said, extending him a stick.

  It was the same stick Peter cut out of a branch when he arrived. It will be a nice support, both physical and mental.

  “Thanks.” Peter said, taking the stick.

  “So, Peter ! Follow me, it’s time for you to eat and, then, you will tell us why you chose hell.” Tianne said, walking away inviting him with his hand.

  Peter followed her, walking slowly. Lucas was behind bringing up the rear.

  While walking Peter took a look at his new companions. Tianne was quite taller than him, around half a foot above his six feet. Her whole body, quite human looking at first glance, was almost fully covered in light blue and green feathers. Even her hands and feet were covered in tiny feathers on the exterior. Peter could still see the grey of her skin, the same grey of his skin. She was quite skinny, almost skeletal. Behind her were a short bird tail and a huge pair of bird wings. All she was wearing was a simple brown long tunic covering half her back to her knee.

  Lucas was as smaller as Tianne was taller than Peter. He was also way more muscular than both of them. His weirdest feature was the two protuberances under his arms that were looking like rifle magazines. His only other feature that revealed his demon nature, except the grey skin, was his crosshair shaped pupils in his eyes. But without it, and with his leggings and t-shirt, he could walk in any town on earth without anyone looking at him.

  Peter followed Tianne in a large room that was definitely a mix between an old kitchen and a basic living room. There was a large table in the middle with benches on both sides of it. Tianne indicated one of the benches while walking towards a cauldron standing above a small fire in a chimney.

  Peter sat on the bench trying to place his leg in a good position while Tianne brought back a bowl of soup and put it in front of Peter before sitting in front of him next to Lucas.

  “It’s not great but it’s better than nothing.” Tianne said, almost apologizing.

  “No need to apologize. You saved me, tended me and now, you’re feeding me.” Peter said. He took the spoon and ate a bite. The soup was really not good but, at least, it felt nice to have something in the mouth.

  Peter took three more bites before Lucas broke the silence.

  “So, why did you choose Hell instead of a life in Heaven ?” He asked.

  “Why do you think I chose Hell ? I could have been condemned to it.” Peter answered.

  “Nah, your comet was blue, and quite bright. There is no way you’re a damned one” Lucas said.

  “My comet ? ” Peter asked, surprised.

  Lucas wanted to continue but Tianne raised her hand stopping him.

  “Enough Lucas.”Tianne said, calmly. ”Let him eat more before harassing him with questions. We literally have eternity before us to hear him. And don’t forget he just arrived. He doesn’t have a ten year experience of Hell. Also, go work on your project. you still have work to do.”

  “But…” Lucas started.

  “Lucas.” Tianne interrupted him. “Please.”

  “Fine mommy…” Lucas said, walking away to where they came.

  When he was not here anymore, Peter turned back to Tianne.

  “Mommy ? Ten years ? Is he a kid sent to Hell” He asked.

  Tianne’s smile faded a little.

  “He is not my child but calling me mom helps him to accept what happened to him.”Tianne explained.” The kid was not lucky. Born in a bad suburb, the local priest was also a drug dealer. When he was ten, he was recruited to do some surveillance. He got shot four years later. When the reaper came for him, he did not even listen to her and just asked to be sent to hell without really realizing he could have gone up. It’s been ten years and he still dwells on it sometime”

  “He does look young for a twenty four years old man.” Peter said, still eating.

  “That’s normal. Your hell body is partially a reflection of how you saw yourself. He is still growing. Also, his mind is not developing anymore so he is still childish sometimes” Tianne said. “I’m still surprised by the fact that he survived the Fall.”

  “What’s that about ? The Fall, the comet ?” Peter asked, taking another spoon of soup. It was not that bad now.

  “What do you remember of your fall ? Probably pain and that’s it, right ?”

  “Yeah, I don’t even know how long I fell.” Peter said, still remembering the horrible feeling.

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  “Well, the Fall is the process everyone has to endure when they are sent to Hell.” Tianne started explaining. ”Your human body is destroyed and your demon body takes over. It takes up to a week and part of the process happens above the sky. Your Fall was a short one, you hit ground less than a day after appearing.

  ”That process deploys a large quantity of power and makes you quite visible in Hell sky, that’s what we call a comet. If you are condemned to Hell, your soul is marked and the comet burns in red. Blue ones like your or Lucas indicate a choice to go to Hell, they are less common.”

  “So that’s how you found me and why you saved me. I did not understand why someone would go in the middle of those beasts.” Peter said.

  “How, yes. Why, it’s more complex. First, you have to know that less than a percent of comets hit the ground. Surviving the demon transformation is already a feat per se. So we do not move unless there is a decent chance we find someone at the impact. And second, someone very important told us you would survive and they would not have been happy if we found you devoured.”

  “Who ? And how ?” Peter asked.

  “You don’t have to know it yet.” Tianne said. “Just know that you probably owe them your life. Fast fallers don’t tend to survive so we would not have sent a team.”

  “Great. I’m new in Hell and I already have a debt.” Peter grumbled, finishing his soup and giving back the bowl.

  “Don’t worry. They are quite nice usually.” Tianne said, smiling.

  “So, now what ? What do we do in Hell ? You don’t seem like you are in perpetual suffering.” Peter asked.

  Tianne laughed.

  “Yeah. Surprise ! Hell is not the eternal pit of torturing the Great Tome talked about. It still is Hell in a great number of aspects. Follow me, I’ll present you to the council and I’ll teach you the basics.”

  ******

  Peter was following once again the feathered demon. They left the house after Tianne told Lucas to stay there and they were now walking in a small town. The house they left was a single storey house mostly made of clay with some wood beams like each other around in the street. The house was on the upper side of a hill and they were going down slowly toward a large plaza. Tianne was explaining Hell to Peter.

  “So, you now are a demon. We live basically forever, can’t get sick and we regenerate. In a couple of days, those wounds will be a thing of the past. We don’t have to eat, drink or sleep but most of us still do it as we work better with than without. We can still die with enough grievous wounds. Our soul is then destroyed. True end.

  “In Hell, there are two types of demons. A large part of them are red ones, those are the Damned, they lived such a horrible life they could not be accepted in Heaven. Usually the Fall changes then enough to a point they at least try to behave around.”

  “What did they do ? ”Peter asked.

  “Great evil, by choice, knowing it’s evil and not really regretting it. It’s still not clear and the only one who truly knows the rules is not really appreciated here…”

  “The fucking Absolute…” Peter grumbled.

  “Yes. Don’t try to pray to Them here, it won’t work. To come back to the demon topic, I saw you using your demonic power. You have to know that Choosers like you, Lucas and a majority of this town usually have a stronger power than the Damned.”

  “I can not not remark that you don’t include yourself when you’re talking about Choosers.” Peter said.

  “I prefer not talking about it.” Tianne responded calmly. ”About powers, I won’t give you a full explanation until we start training it. Just know that after what you did to that pack of hellhounds yesterday, you are probably out of juice for a couple of days. So don’t leave the town and do not provoke people. Damned can still be susceptible and Choosers have a tendency to be on edge. And do not speak about your power to others. I have stuff to teach you about.”

  “I was more counting on living my new life in peace and calm.”

  “Yeah, do not hope too much about it. Hell is not really accommodating to life as we intended it. There is no day or night. Water is almost nonexistent. The ground is not really fertile and the whole fauna is at the same level as those hellhounds you encountered. And the meat is toxic.”

  “Are you telling me everyone is vegan in Hell ? ” Peter asked.

  “Not really. The best water source is distilled and purified blood. One more proof that the Absolute hates us.”

  “The feeling’s mutual.”

  They arrived at the plaza. There were three larger buildings around the plaza. They were still built with the same mix of clay and wood beams. Some demons were working around bringing and taking ressources.

  “That’s the granary, the council building and the general storage. That plaza is the heart of the town” Tianne said, indicating each building. “Now, let’s meet the council.”

  Tianne brought Peter to the council building. Inside, there was a small demon with small fins on his arms and legs working on a rock desk. When he heard them enter, he raised his head from his papers.

  “Lady Tianne. I see you’re bringing the newborn to the council.” The fins demon said.

  “Yes Donero. Convoke it.” Tianne said with an authoritarian tone.

  “At your service. my Lady.” Donero said before leaving the building.

  “Lady Tianne ? ” Peter asked.

  “Yes, I’m one of the three members of the council and for some demons a title has significance.” Tianne answered. “We are leading this town, trying to prevent anyone from disturbing what we achieved in half a millennia. Do you have any questions while we wait for the other two ?”

  “A lot actually. First, that small town looks like a bastide from the south of France near where I died, is there any link ? Second, even including the survival rate of the Fall and the small percent of people just sent to Hell, there should be more people in the town right ? Third, are you really half a millennia old ? And how are you keeping time with no sun cycle ? And how do I hear you like someone of my era ?” Peter asked.

  Tianne smiled.

  “You are a logical one. Well, Hell is roughly half the size of Earth, and there is a direct link between where you die and where you fall. So yes, ninety nine percent of the town died ‘around’ Toulouse. We even named the town Tol’Osa when we created it.

  “For the absence of population, let just say that Hell is a cruel place for now. And Demons are sterile.

  ”As for me, I died during the Wars of Religion, so yes, I am a nearly five hundred year old demon. We know the time by asking the death date of people who join us so it’s really approximative. And you can easily guess the answer to your last question, now that you know the Absolute is real.”

  Peter thought for a minute and he finally assembled some pieces.

  “There is no tongue curse in Hell because it’s only on humans. We are all speaking the original soul tongue.” Peter explained.

  “Yes. A smart demon is definitely an enjoyable change around here” Tiane confirmed.

  The exit door of the room opened. The fins demon entered followed by a very large demon with huge goat horns and a small one with reptilian scales covering her body.

  “Edgar. Sophie. We have a newborn at Tol’Osa.” Tianne announced ceremonially. “It is time to form the Council !”