Even in Hell, Hope Never Dies

Jered had the most fascinating conversation with her. She knew how to play with her words, how to make everything sound so much grander than it was, how to turn a stale series of events into a passionate story. She was the Queen of the Nile, a woman whose life was woven with political intrigue, love, and a tragic fate. Cleopatra was, by all means, the most inspirational woman in history. She romanced two powerful Roman generals, led Egypt to prosperity, and her tomb had yet to be found. He had heard anecdotes about her, but now, standing in her presence, he realized many of those may have been downplayed.

"Jered," Cleopatra murmured, eyes bright and smile in place. The way she said his name made it seem like he was the center of her world, "Has the world really become like that?"

"Yes, Cleo. It's been a long time since you died, a lot of things happened, but you're still remembered."

"What about those... move-ees...? Tell me more!"

"You're so exceptional that people have made movies, documentaries, written books, and articles, all about you and your life. You're immortalized in history, and people will always wonder about you."

She shook her head, "Nay, Jered. I'm not interested in that," she gave him a heart-stopping smile, "Tell me about you. I want to know more. You're a powerful Magician, yet you're so young. What tribulations must have you gone through to become so strong? Time is all I have here, worry not about being long-winded."

Her constant 'Tell me' and 'Tell me more!' amused him. Cleopatra hung on his words, memorizing them, and shelving them in her mind for future reference. Jered, naturally, didn't recite a detailed report about his life, but he told her enough to keep her curiosity aroused. She was a Pharaoh when alive, or at least, regarded as one. She was not a powerful Magician, probably because she was too preoccupied with ruling Egypt and fending off the Roman army. But she was not surprised by his realm-hopping accident back in Little Spirit Forest.

"Oh, I've heard tales about Archiland. I've never been there myself—Antony always cautioned me not to go there. Is it true that the sky there is different? That the lands are saturated with mana? And that winged races with otherworldly beauty dwell in the highest peaks?" Cleopatra couldn't contain the mag of questions, and shot them one after the other, "In hindsight, I should have visited that place at least once before. Maybe dying there would have been better. But if I did, Antony and I couldn't be buried together."

Jered laughed at her enthusiasm, "Yes, the sky is different. It's more alive. And I can't say much about your second question. I've only been there once, and the place I ended up at was a barren wasteland," he said after chewing over it in his head, "According to rumors, Angels and Fallen Angels live in the clouds and the highest mountains. Never saw them though."

She lapsed into a thoughtful silence, "It's something to look forward to," she mumbled after a while.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"How long will you be staying here for?"

He shrugged, "A while. After I'm done here, I'll move to the next circle."

Cleopatra closed her eyes, and when she re-opened them, there was none of the humor and mischievousness he grew to appreciate, "Are you going to... erase me?"

"Hmm. Do you want me to?"

"Nay," she stared at him, "But after you're gone, I'll dearly miss having someone to converse with. So, maybe, that would be for the best. You've given me a glimpse of a world I'll never see, and you've been a wonderful companion so far. I don't think I'm strong enough to overcome the loss of your presence."

Despite the grim tone of her voice, Cleopatra still smiled.

"How dramatic," he rolled his eyes, and her smile widened.

"Admit it, I'm growing on you."

"Never."

----

[Your mana pool attribute has risen by 2 points.]

[Your mana pool attribute has risen by 1 point.]

[Your mana pool attribute has risen by 6 points.]

[Your mana pool attribute has risen by 1 point.]

...

The number of souls he gobbled up was a drop in a bucket when taking into account the number of sinners in the Second Circle. However, it still impacted Jered's soul. He was not killing people, he was erasing their existence. They would never be able to exist in any form or energy again. Well, technically, they would live inside him. As a part of his power.

Whenever he felt 'Soul Eater' was reaching its limit, he would stop and train his body, his mind, and his spells. Rainey's reminder bounced around his head many times, so he made use of each second he had there to improve. At some point, he even lost sight of Demi. The wasteland was too vast—as it had to accommodate billions of souls—and he hoped she didn't meander too far.

Jered was exhausted. Not physically exhausted—a few hours of sleep were more than enough to recover his mana. He was mentally tired. Hell had an oppressive atmosphere, and long exposure to it could deteriorate someone's mind. Fortunately, he was an Elder Magician, so he had more resistance to that, but he had a limit too. And he was fast approaching it. Which was why he wondered how the hell could Cleopatra still be so sound of mind and articulate.

Speaking of her. The Egyptian Queen had made it her hobby that of watching him absorb souls and level up his spells. And, although he had no proof of it, he was pretty sure she wouldn't stop staring at him even after he'd go to sleep. Some might call it creepy, but that was all the entertainment she had.

And just like that, days turned into weeks. Not that Jered could accurately tell how much time passed, but he'd still scratch a mark on a slab of stone whenever he 'thought' a day had gone by. While he was powerful, he was a human also. Therefore, he drank the rainwater to quench his thirst and ate insects to satiate his hunger. There were not many of them, and those he found were tucked beneath huge boulders.

Luckily, the land was large, so he didn't think he'd run out of grasshoppers, larvae, or locusts anytime soon.

Jered was not afraid of being poisoned. He doubted that there was any insect there whose venom could bypass his Elder-Tier mana.

"You're an incredible young man," Cleopatra commented with genuine respect, "This is no place for the living, yet here you are, training, honing your spells, making yourself a better man. The passage of time here is naught but a distraction. Your ambition is noteworthy, but may I know what are you striving to achieve? What is your goal, Jered?"

As usual, right after he was done training, she'd strike up a conversation. And considering that Demi was nowhere to be found—not that she was a good conversationalist, to begin with—he found that Cleopatra's company was something he appreciated in that hellhole. Jered floated over to her, a thoughtful frown on his face, "At first, I wanted to turn my life around," he began slowly, a deliberate softness to his tone, "You know, give it that extra sprinkle of excitement."

She listened attentively, "Were you successful?"

He nodded with a detached smile, "Kind of. I didn't just turn it around, I turned it upside down. Is it a good thing? On many aspects, no. It's not a good thing. But I can't say I don't enjoy it. I came close to death many times, only to come out stronger, more determined."

"And what are you hoping to accomplish, friend? Surely, there must be a reason for you to seek more power, to the point that you'd come here of all places."

There was a brief stretch of silence as he pondered.

What was his purpose?

To become stronger than everyone else? Yes, but then what?

"I don't have one," he admitted, "Well, I don't have a specific reason. I have a few goals I want to accomplish, but... that's not my goal. People expect me to be powerful, and I don't mind it because that's something I also want. To find comfort in power, unveil the mystery behind my father's death, help my employer achieve what she wants. The list goes on and on. But then what? I don't fucking know. And maybe that's okay. A few weeks ago I would have never thought that I'd end up here, talking to you, and actually enjoying it. But here I am..."

Cleopatra's laugh was a lyric sound, "Here you are..."

"I'm sure I'll find a reason along the way."

"A man with a clear goal in mind is unstoppable. I hope you find it soon."

"My desire to become unstoppable won't change, even if I don't find a purpose for that power. "

She eyed him up and down with interest.

Jered floated back down. His mana pool was dwindling, and he didn't wish to suddenly drop down mid-conversation. That would have been embarrassing.

----

He let the rain wash over him, rinsing off the sweat and the dirt. It was a refreshing, sweet respite that allowed his throbbing, aching muscles the time to recover. The marks on the slab of stone indicated that at least three months had passed since he got to the Second Circle, and it was practically time to move to the next. That was especially true after 7.0 magnitude earthquakes began to tear through the land, disrupting his training sessions.

Someone had noticed him.

Even Cleopatra advised him not to dally and leave. An earthquake in Hell was not because of natural causes.

It was a warning.

"You need to go!" she said urgently, a touch of concern in her tone, "You have consumed too many souls, friend. You can't stay here anymore."

As hardened as she was, it still saddened her that he had to leave. But she knew that his place was not there. Jered was meant for incredible things. And Cleopatra was a passing acquaintance in his life.

He stared at her, long and hard, "I know..."

She stared back at him, "I wish I could see those move-ees..." she said wistfully.

"You wouldn't like them."

"Why not."

"They aren't anything like the true thing."

She smiled, and for the first time, Jered caught a glimpse of the woman both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony had fallen for.

"Demi," he called out, and the demonic entity crawled out of the cave she was snuggled up in.

She was vastly different now. Her skin was less chipped, wrinkled, and pale. Her hair had filled out nicely, so there were no bald spots on her head. Her eyes were more shapely, more bright. And to Jered's surprise, her teeth had regrown—not all of them, but her smile was not hideous to look at. He didn't know how much stronger she had become, but on mana alone, she had reached the Neophyte threshold.

"We have to go..." he said simply, and Demi nodded.

As if on cue, another, more powerful earthquake shook the Second Circle. The ground split and cracked, crumbling huge chains of boulders and rock formations.

Jered faced Cleopatra, "You don't want me to consume you, right?"

She scoffed, "You better go, little man. Even in hell, I still hold hope. Maybe one day we'll get to see each other again."

"You're irredeemable."

Cleopatra laughed and blew a kiss his way.

He gave her a military salute, grabbed Demi's hand, and made a dash for the gate in the distance.

And as they ran through it, the ground they had just walked on caved in and collapsed.