Rey walked away from the quiet sobbing of his soul mate, and his heart broke with each step. He never wanted to hurt her like this, but it was either this or reveal his secret, and then Zalathar, the Sovereign of unwiped assholes, would descend, kill her off, and make Rey his personal torture buddy. Then whoever had sent Rey back would learn the hard way that it wasn't a good idea to put a lot of faith in Rey. He was only good at destroying things.

  He tried to block out Kassandra's cries, but unfortunately, he didn't know how to turn off his hearing. He walked faster towards the end of the alley. He just wanted to get away from here, or he might turn and blurt out everything that might get them all killed.

  He wiped the moisture from his eyes that wouldn't stop coming. He had just reached the dark part of the alley when he noted something was off. Something was seriously off. It was like he had walked into a dungeon of darkness or a different dimension, but when he looked back at Kassandra, she was still there, crying from all the hurt that he had caused her. Her shoulders rose and fell as she buried her face in her hands and wept.

  But that was not what caught her attention. Everything was darker in the part of the alley. It was almost like he was standing in a black hole. Every sound was muted, save for Kassandra's sobs. It was as if it were the only sound in the world. Rey jammed fingers in his ears, and still, all he heard were her cries.

  It seemed to go on for eternity. He tried to run towards her. To console her, but it was like his feet were stuck in quicksand. No matter how much he tried to move towards her, he couldn't.

  "Stop!" He yelled. "Kassi, stop crying. Please!"

  But that only intensified her cries. Rey tried again, and her crying drowned out his voice. It was like the only sound in the world was her cries. It was perhaps the worst sound in the world. He was shattered with each cry, and he didn't know what he could do to get her to stop.

  "Please, Kassi, stop crying," Rey cried. "Fine. I'll tell you."

  Her crying stopped. Well, it didn't stop. She was still crying where he had left her, but the intensity of her sobs died down so much that it felt like she had stopped crying. The transition was so jarring that when he looked up at her, he couldn't believe that she could even cry so loudly.

  Then a figure peeled out of the shadows, and he knew that he had been played.

  "Aw, you couldn't bear the crying of your beloved," said a voice that he knew all too well. "It's understandable."

  Standing before him was a shadowy figure slowly emerging into the light. He wore a brown leather coat made from the skin of Rey's family. Rey knew he wore that coat to anger and torture Rey, but little did he know that the only family he cared for had died in his arms already. That wasn't what angered him this time. It was the form he had taken to taunt him.

  He was portraying himself as Kassi.

  That made Rey absolutely livid, but he wasn't going to let him know that he had gotten to him.

  Zalathar spread his arms. "Come, Rey. Reveal your secrets to me. I promise you, they'll be safe with me."

  Rey glared at him but kept his mouth sealed shut.

  "Oh, come on. You were so fun last time," the Sovereign said.

  "What do you want?" Rey snapped.

  Zalathar smiled, and even though he had copied Kassi perfectly, those dimples just looked wrong. Rey wanted to rip them off his face and shove them up his ass.

  "Don't be so feisty, young man. Don't forget your place. Those cries were but a taste. I can make sure those last an eternity. Would you like that?"

  Rey gritted his teeth and swallowed his anger and pride. "No."

  "Then, get up from the mud, and let's talk, lover boy."

  Rey glanced at Kassi's weeping form. "Can she not hear us?"

  "Oh, she can't hear anything. She's too busy crying over you." He leaned forward. "By the way, that was some good work. There is a demon inside of you."

  Rey paused and stared. Does he know?

  Of course not. Demon Rey replied. There is no way he can. It's not like he can read minds.

  He was right. In all the time Rey had spent with him. There hadn't been a single time that Zalathar had made it seem that he could read minds. If he could've, then Rey would've died a hundred times over by now.

  Zalathar went on. "Only a demon could be so cruel to break the heart of such a beautiful creature." He pulled down the shirt he, or rather Kassi, was wearing slightly. "Do you want a peek?"

  Rey's hand twitched. If it were anyone else, he would've crushed them to paste, but he had to control himself, or this could end very badly.

  Channel your dumbass side. Demon Rey offered his brilliant advice.

  For once, he wasn't wrong. Rey drew a deep breath and forced himself to smirk. It was time to get to work.

  "What makes you think I haven't seen all of her already?" Rey said.

  Zalathar frowned slightly. "Oh, you sly dog. Now, that's not very nice."

  Rey shrugged. "What can I say? It's a nice Element. Let's me see all sorts of things."

  "Then what is so important that you were willing to leave her like that, but not reveal whatever you're hiding?"

  Rey glanced at Kassi once more. She was leaning against the wall and wiping at her eyes. He stared into the distance and wondered if his past life had been better. They never fought like this. They never had to break up. Though Kassi's end was worse than anything he could've imagined.

  "Quit stalling," Zalathar said. "And just like your Kassi, sorry, Kassandra, I want the truth. I will know if you're lying to me."

  No, you won't.

  But there was no way to confirm that unless he lied to him, and could he risk that now? For now, he hadn't threatened him with anything, but he didn't need to. Rey had seen his handiwork through the years. Demons that ruled over entire kingdoms bent over backwards to satisfy his asshole's needs.

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  All this to say that Rey was fucked. He was royally fucked. What could he tell this fucking demon that would satisfy his ass that was burning with curiosity? That was the million-dollar question on which his life rested. He could just lie from his teeth, but then this was a demon that had been there since the inception of Hell. Was Rey that good of a bullshitter? Even he didn't know the answer to that question.

  Do I want to test my bullshitting powers?

  There was no two ways about it. On one side, he could bullshit him and make up some lie like he had six nipples and he was insecure about them, or that he was a certifiable case. He shook his head internally. The demon would see through them.

  That left only one path—the truth.

  But he doesn't need to know the whole truth. Just enough to keep this dog sated.

  "I'll tell you everything but not when you're like this," Rey said.

  Zalathar gave him an amused smile. "Aw, if you can't even tell me when I'm like your girl, then how would you have fessed up to her?"

  Rey chuckled. "Funny. Now, change please."

  "You asked for it."

  Zalthar began to change. He didn't change his whole form, but he grew another foot, and Kassi's teeth turned to fangs, with her upper incisors turning into long, protruding fangs like a sabretooth. Her eyes became slitted like a snake's.

  "Is this better?" Zalathar asked, grinning.

  It was not. It wasn't by a hundred miles. Only if Rey had the power to wipe that shit-eating grin off his face.

  Rey smiled. "Much. Now, what do you want to know?"

  "Whatever you're hiding from your woman. Oops, sorry, she isn't your woman anymore."

  "So funny." Rey drew a deep breath. "What I'm hiding from her is hard to explain. I just don't see the future. I can change it or try to, but it seems Fate has other plans. Mostly feels like I'm fighting with him and losing."

  "And that is something you're afraid to tell her?" Zalathar raised an eyebrow. "Don't bullshit me." He gave a guttural growl. "Next time, you try to be coy, I'll rip off your face and give it as a gift to your ex."

  Rey sighed. "Fine, but you're not going to believe me."

  Zalathar crossed his arms. "Try me."

  "It's not that I can just see the future, it's more like I live it. Most of my visions come as dreams, and it's like I'm there, living it and not just watching through my eyes."

  "Interesting. Go on."

  "And I've seen my death and resurrection as a demon. It's about a year out, but I will die in a land that is called the Kingdom of Volcanoes. I get ganged up on by some Sniffers that use volcanic hounds to hunt down their prey, which is mainly poor old me."

  "And then you regain your soul and turn into a demon." He waved a dismissive hand. "Boring. Tell me something juicy."

  "Well, the things that I don't want to tell her are what I do after I turn into a demon," Rey replied. "They would turn anyone from me. I hold nothing back and go full demon, from torture to abuse of all kinds to selling virgins and human souls for a nice little profit. But not before I've had my fun with them. I do it all. The dreams were so vivid, it was like I was there, and that was why I was so open to—"

  "Torturing that demon for information," the Sovereign finished.

  Rey nodded. "Just about."

  He wondered if he should tell him anymore. He could stop here. This was enough, and he was vague enough that it should do the trick, or so he hoped. There was a part of him that said that it wasn't enough. He had to sell why he was so hesitant to tell Kassi about it. Of course, he wasn't going to tell him everything, but just enough.

  "You know, the reason I didn't tell her is not just because of the things I did. Hell, I'm not over the visions myself. I can't believe that I'm going to do all those things. So, how could I tell her and hope she understands?" Rey paused for dramatic effect. After all, he might as well be an Academy Award Winner at this point. "I'm going to fight like Hell to make sure that future doesn't come to pass. That I don't do all those horrific things."

  It was hard to read the Sovereign's expression since he was wearing a demonic version of Kassi's face. He rubbed his chin in contemplation. The fact that he hadn't called him a liar outright meant that Rey had done a good job in bullshitting him. After all, it wasn't really a lie. He had told him the truth for the most part. He did indeed do all those things and much worse.

  "Why do I feel like you're still hiding something from me?" Zalathar mused.

  "What? No! I did do those things. I mean, I will."

  "See, it's the fact that you say that it feels like you've lived those things. I call that bullshit, because there is nothing in the skill's description that says the visions act like that."

  "Do you have the skill?" Rey asked. "Have you had a vision before? No, then you don't know what it feels like."

  He wanted to be more uppity with him, but he also wanted to keep his head squarely on his shoulders. He figured that playing around with a demon of ultimate power in Hell was not a good idea.

  Zalathar raised an eyebrow. "Watch your tone, pissant. I'm not some run-of-the-mill demon. I am a Sovereign who reigns supreme in these lands. You don't want me as your enemy."

  You are my enemy, fuckface.

  Rey, of course, controlled his intrusive thoughts and decided to give him a few more crumbs. Maybe it would satisfy the lord of shit guzzlers, and he would leave him alone.

  "We're not. I saw that we will be great friends in the future. As I progress through the Ranks and Tiers, you will give me targets to eliminate. Demons, who have slighted you and those you don't like. Together, we will take the fight to your brother."

  All emotion evaporated from his face, and despite the fangs and demonic eyes, he mirrored Kassi's unreadable face. He stepped forward, shaking the ground beneath him.

  He gripped Rey by the neck and picked him up off the ground. His legs dangled in the air as he tried to break the demon's grip. He might as well be trying to break Mount Everest with his fists. It was getting hard to breathe. Zalathar brought him closer to his face, and Rey had the sudden urge to blast him with one of his skills, but he figured that would only anger the Sovereign further.

  "What did I say about lying to me?" Zalathar drawled. "Looks like someone wants to join the rest of his family in this nice little coat I have."

  "I am…telling the truth." Rey managed. He might as well be squeaking. He desperately needed air, so he gave him a little more info about the future. "We fight Zarius…in his throne room. You and I." The pressure relented a little, and he could breathe a little.

  Zalathar squinted, but said nothing. Rey knew he had precious seconds to give him something that would tell him that he was telling the truth.

  "Zarius wore a coat or armor with eyes on his arms and back, and he teleported all over the place." The grip loosened some more. "And there was a big glowing crystal in the room as well."

  Zalathar dropped Rey to the ground. He hacked and rubbed his neck while simultaneously trying to shove as much air as he could into his air-deprived lungs. A few moments later, Rey looked up.

  "Do you believe me now?"

  Zalathar didn't need to answer that. The look on his face was answer enough. Rey had him. Sure, he had to give the demon a little more than he wanted, but at least this way, he would stay off his back for a while, hopefully.

  "So, looks like you're the chosen one that I've been waiting for nearly a millennium." Zalathar grinned. He bent down and picked Rey off the ground and set him on his feet. "Tell me, was there anyone else in the room when we attacked the usurper?"

  Rey shook his head.

  "Last time, you told me that only you made it out of purgatory. Has that changed?"

  "I haven't had a vision that would tell me otherwise," Rey replied.

  "Then you must correct that. The more people who are fighting my corrupted twin, the greater my chances of taking my rightful throne." He clapped him on the shoulder. "Your task remains the same, get at least six people to the D-Tier in a little less than nine months."

  "What?"

  "Relax. The way you're going, you should accomplish that by next week." Zalathar turned and walked off towards the wall. "All the very best. I hope you don't disappoint me. I would hate to have to show what I do to those who disappoint me."

  Rey knew what he did to them. He had seen it firsthand. It was his very first lesson in torture.

  Zalathar merged into the shadows on the wall and was gone, leaving behind a bewildered Rey, whose life had just gotten even more complicated.