getting out is much harder than getting in.

"well this is interesting."(Granularr) I practically hummed as I began wading through the newly acquired memories, one thing becoming crystal clear the farther I journeyed through each of their content within my mind.

"what? what's interesting?!"(angel) half yelled as she nearly toppled Andrea, the girl grunting in annoyance as she struggled to push the winged person off of her, something that would eventually succeed.

"seems my portals are all but useless here since my connection with my realm was all but severed when we fell here, explaining the power loss, to get out we need to go in, we need to go deeper, we need to descend to hell's final level, from there my connection will be strong enough and I can portal us out."(Granularr) I informed the awaiting girls, one reacted as if she'd heard good news, while the other.....well...she lost it completely, her eyes staring blankly ahead while she paced in anxious circles, fingernails in her teeth as she gnawed, seems Andrea wasn't having a very good day.

granted neither was I but I could more than manage, she's pretty much screwed.

"relax, I still have more than enough power to fight my way through each level of hell twice over, up and down."(Granularr) I tried my best to assure, my words having either no effect or the exact opposite of my desired effect.

as it took milliseconds for her silent anxious freakout to become a muttering anxious freakout, making her look more and more insane by the passing second.

well at least for the moment, as the angel pulled something from a bag over her shoulder that I had never noticed until now and tossed some odd glowing orange powder directly into Andrea's face, making the girl immediately snap out of whatever was happening and assume a calm and relaxed demeanor.

"you have got to teach me how to make that stuff!"(Granularr) I let out with a whistle as I admired the effects in real time.

instant calm and rationality, man could I use that!

"if you get us out of here, I'll supply you with the stuff."(angel) offered, greatly increasing my already existing motivation to leave hell.

"alright! doorway down is this way."(Granularr) I said in sync with my first step, my feet carrying me forwards, toward the massive swirling eye of the storm in the center of the wasteland, a walk that would take days, so needless to say I didn't have time for it.

"remember how I said my portals are all but useless?"(Granularr) I asked the girls behind me, something they nodded to in response.

"I can't get us OUT but maybe I can make moving around IN easier."(Granularr) I said with a curious grin, my hand waving open a portal, and on its other side, the ground directly below the eye of the storm.

seems my guess was accurate, I can make travelling around in hell easier.

"well, aren't you just shaping out to be the perfect survival multitool."(angel) teased as she visibly relaxed, mistaking my experiment for personal aid, dropping all guard she possessed in entirety, acting as if this was just some large vacation.

an action I wouldn't do anything to correct, no, if she wants to die that's on her, it's not my problem, I'll just make sure I grab her bag from her body so I could reproduce that powder.

with my thoughts on the matter settled I ushered everyone through the slowly closing portal, soon all three of us stood facing upwards into the raging clouds, Andrea was the first to speak up, the only one without knowledge of the world or any of its separate planes such as hell.

"you said the doorway down, that's up."(Andrea) said, an obvious disbelief in her voice.

"trust me, it's like that on each level, to go down you must go up, I never liked dealing with it so I just portaled where I needed to go and left before I had the chance to get stuck here."(Granularr) I informed a very skeptical Andrea.

"weren't you here like a day or two ago?"(angel) suddenly asked, obviously referring to when I barged into the lowest level to find a succubus and make her undo an aphrodisiac poisoning curse.

"I was, in the lowest level, throne room of hell's current ruler."(Granularr) I confirmed, making Andrea exclaim something unintelligible in surprise.

"yes, I come here semi frequently, the demons owe me, A LOT, so I come to them for odd jobs and in return they can keep what they steal from me."(Granularr) I told her, something that only increased her surprise.

"oh yeah I forgot about that! the demons leech off of you for their power! up in paradise it's a very controversial topic."(angel) added, even further confirming my statements authenticity.

"ok! before we go ANY further, you two need to start telling me everything you know!"(Andrea) exclaimed with a foot stomp, causing the angel and I to sigh and eye roll almost in perfect unison.

something that shocked me to no end, but still something I ignored.

"if I were to tell you EVERYTHING I knew then we'd be here for at least a decade or more, same with the angel, we're insiders to the universe, we know A LOT, be specific."(Granularr) I said coldly.

---

Andrea pov...

"be specific."(Granularr) finished, his tone cold and distant, as if talking to a stranger.

ever since he had come back from that odd black ball, he had been nothing but cold to me, lacking any sort of recognition to the brother I knew.

it was as if that thing took his memories of me.

"well?"(Granularr) asked, his posture in a, "I'm waiting" pose, expecting me to ask a question since I halted our dive into hell's levels for it.

I had to make this count, I had the feeling he only had enough patience for one question.

I was going to plan it out carefully, but my own curiosity ruined it for me, my mouth blurting out a question that had been at the tip of my tongue for a while.

---

"are you even still jake?!"(Andrea) suddenly blurted after an uncomfortably long silence.

"what does that even mean?"(angel) asked for me, saving me the breath.

"you're completely different! you don't even look at me with any recognition, it's like we're two strangers!"(Andrea) exclaimed, her expression exasperated.

you have got to be kidding me.

all because I'm prioritizing leaving a dangerous place that could kill her at any moment over emotions!

"look, I will show you all the emotion in the world as soon as we're out, but right now let's not argue in a place that could literally kill you!"(Jake) I yelled, hoping I'd make it through that thick skull of hers.

initially it seemed to work, a small smile growing on her face before she suppressed it, then nodding to the both of us, gesturing that we could continue.

---

Andrea pov...

that was my brother, that was Jake!

he's still in there!

there's hope I can drag him out of this mess!

but for now, I need to let him be who he's had to become, we need to leave this place, something tells me that it only gets worse from here.