Everyone knew the Black Devil.
—Whoever can guide me to him will have a single wish granted. I swear it on my name.
With such a promise, the Keymaster created thousands of posters and spread them across the Backrooms.
The humans became more daring in their exploration. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and death could not deter them.
Weeks passed without a single sighting. The Backrooms were infinitely large after all. Nevertheless, search efforts continued with little change in enthusiasm.
"Successor?!"
"Yes. He is my apprentice."
"Wh-what wonderful n-news...?"
Everyone had the same thoughts in their minds.
For real? This is why you've been looking for him?
Truly, such an event was unprecedented.
Thomas's mouth opened to speak. At that moment, the Keymaster gave him a sly look. A whisper floated over and entered his ears.
"Let the grown-ups handle this."
I'm mentally over 50 years old...
Thomas deadpanned. There were a lot of things he wanted to spit out. Frankly, he didn't know what to think of, well, anything.
This is a good thing how, exactly?!
"The Black Devil is my apprentice!" The Keymaster boosted his voice with magic. "Hear me now, for I will not repeat my words! From today onwards, the Black Devil is under my protection, along with his allies from the UBSS!"
There were those shocked to loud whispers, their words flowing out with little control, and those shocked to silence.
The Keymaster and the rumored Black Devil. The teacher and the student.
Two terrifying entities were working together.
That explains the delay from the task force we sent out. They must be dead.
The middle-aged man's face tightened. He was the highest authority in M.E.G. and approved the operation to acquire the UBSS's keys. They needed more materials for a prototype key that could lead to the Frontrooms, but...
It clearly didn't go as planned.
Because of them.
These monsters have come unannounced in the very heart of our settlement.
Are we next?
However, that's only assuming that they know it's us!
His pitiful expression quickly vanished as the middle-aged man showed a bright, convincing smile. "Congratulations to the Keymaster and the Black Devil! Truly, this is amazing news!"
The Keymaster almost lost it. Their attempt at appearing guiltless was just too funny in his eyes. However, he held the mocking laughter inside, interested in how his newest apprentice would respond.
A sense of reluctance and resignation emanated from the man, and Thomas sensed them all too clearly. Fear was sprinkled in as well; a healthy amount of it.
Good. It's better this way. He's given up thoughts of future attacks.
Thomas scratched his chin.
I'll admit, the plan isn't terrible. I don't have to do anything else this way.
Attack the UBSS camp or face the Keymaster's wrath. That message can be heard loud and clear. The ruler of the Hub itself has vouched for them. From Thomas's recently acquired knowledge of the Keymaster's magic, they had no chance of winning in a battle against the Keymaster.
Anything other than surrender was suicide.
"Would I be wrong to assume that the Black Devil has taken residence with the UBSS? We can send our congratulatory gifts in a day's time. Delicacies such as fresh meat and decades-old alcohol is the least we can offer. Of course, if they would prefer something different, we can provide those too."
A gesture of goodwill or perhaps a bribe. The middle-aged man still had cards to play.
There is still something to gain. Attacking the UBSS is no longer a plausible option, but we still need more Level Keys to complete the prototype. Perhaps the Black Devil will eventually be able to create Level Keys under the Keymaster's guidance or something similar... we need to entice him somehow.
"Don't ask me." The Keymaster tapped Thomas on the shoulder. "That is for him to answer. So? What will it be?"
Everyone waited for his answer. It wouldn't be inaccurate to call it an opportunity to learn more about the sought-after Black Devil.
Knowledge is survival. Should they tread carefully in his presence, feel relief, or surrender to their malevolent fate at the mere sight of his armor?
If the UBSS could befriend him, then it would be another great asset for humanity's continued survival and possible departure from these lands.
"First."
Thomas spoke in a low tone.
"Do. Not. Call. Me. That. Name."
An odd feeling of heaviness befell the wanderers. Instinctively, they knew it was from the one in devilish black.
"I understand—"
"Second."
Thomas cut off the UBSS leader.
"Don't. Bother. With. Trinkets."
Thomas replied coldly. Unfortunately for M.E.G., he had no intention of accepting anything from those he perceives as an enemy.
"Aaaand there's your answer. Gentlemen, it was nice knowing you."
"Keymaster. Let. Us. Depart."
"Still not gonna eradicate them, I see. Oh well. Our business here is done."
The Keymaster created a Level Door made of garnished wood. He swiftly entered it without waiting for Thomas. He seemed oddly excited for some reason, but the man was full of mysteries. Who knows what he's thinking.
Relief filled the hearts of everyone once the Keymaster left, and they looked forward to seeing the other intimidating entity go as well.
Just as Thomas was about to set foot into the Level Door, he paused. He took one last look around before flashing his conqueror's haki.
"Ugh!"
The middle-aged leader dropped to his knees, pale and sweating. His limbs felt like they would snap from an invisible weight, and breathing became a humongous effort. He had little choice but to await his judgement.
"Your. Only. Warning." Thomas said briefly.
Without raising a finger, he made their leader kneel.
The surrounding wanderers thought it was an attack and scattered like ants. The guards who watched the situation anxiously, saw their moment to act and reached for their guns.
However, their hands paused beside the holster. The words of the Keymaster lingered in their minds. Acting against the Black Devil would mean making an enemy of someone merely tolerating their presence in his domain, the Hub.
But for wanderers who rely on their instincts, the body can sometimes move before the mind can catch up. In crucial situations, this trait has saved the lives of many wanderers.
But not today.
*Bang!*
A bullet was let loose. The hand that fired it was unsteady. The guard tried to stop himself at the last second, and he was half-successful.
The firesalt bullet's trajectory flew close enough to nearly graze Thomas's armor. It continued to move forward, and move forward it did, right into the scattering crowd.
The bullet exploded in a burst of orange light.
"AAAGGH!"
A bloody hand squelched when it hit the floor.
Like a rope snapping, a wanderer lost everything below his elbow.
"Shit... Shit!" A strangled cry escaped the guard. He understood that he fucked up.
Thomas stared at the wound, wide-eyed. It wasn't a clean cut in the slightest. He could barely recognize the individual bits of flesh. Muscle, fat, and bone had been blown away, decorating the concrete ground grotesquely. Dark red blood gushed out of the open wound, and the innocent wanderer could do nothing but scream and watch.
There was little that could be done. No one wanted to act either, their vision tunneling onto the motionless Black Devil and his next move.
Most hoped that Thomas would simply leave even after what just transpired. That would be the best-case scenario, except they understood that it was also the most-unlikely.
Suddenly, the haki emanating from Thomas intensified. All the wanderers within the vicinity of several hundred meters lost consciousness.
"..."
Thomas walked over to the unconscious man who lost his arm. Kneeling down, he weaved the magic power within him and released healing magic from his palm.
The missing flesh regrew in an instant.
I should have caught it.
Stopping the bullet wasn't tricky for Thomas. All he had to do was catch it. Yet he didn't. He felt no responsibility for these people.
And maybe he was curious—curious about how they would react to shooting one of their own.
These were the wanderers who tried to do the same to his people, after all.
It was a decision made in the moment. What he didn't expect was to feel terrible about it.
Thomas inspected the arm. It was warm and slightly pale, with a pulse that, while erratic, was strong and consistent.
Sorry. I doubt I'm welcome here anymore. I don't think I ever was.
The Level Door awaited him. At least he can rest assured that the people of the UBSS wouldn't be targeted again.
Before Thomas left, he released another wave of haki.
The unconscious wanderers woke up with cold sweat. They scrambled to their feet, highly alert.
But by then, the Black Devil was nowhere to be seen.
"Urgh..."
Unbeknownst to Thomas, a familiar woman massaged her forehead as she got up within the crowd of M.E.G. wanderers.
Sent here to find out why M.E.G. had begun gathering Level Keys, Hannah was the perfect candidate as she had only joined the UBSS recently. No one will recognize her.
She didn't expect to encounter a familiar face.
"I wasn't dreaming back then. The Black Devil... It was him. I really met him."
The Black Devil of her dreams was real.
Uncertainty welled up within her as she recalled that day. Does that mean that everything prior to the Black Devil's arrival—the Hounds, her blown-up foot—really happened?
"Thank God! My arm's back!"
Hannah's eyes widened. The guy who got his arm blown off was now perfectly healed.
Unconsciously, she nudged her own leg, feeling it.
What she chalked up to a nightmare was very real.
Hannah began to wonder: Why help her? Why did the Black Devil protect her from the Hounds and heal her injuries, but attack humans today?
"Ugh, damn migraine..."
The higher-ups of M.E.G. were beginning to wake up. Hannah, however, knew them as a group of veteran wanderers ballsy enough to approach the Black Devil.
Just as no one from M.E.G. knew who Hannah was, neither did the person herself know much about M.E.G. That was her fault though. Rupert gave her the rundown about M.E.G., and she retained almost none of it.
Immediately, she grabbed a few almond water bottles from her bag and rushed over.
"Here, here! Drink slowly."
"Thanks, lady..."
"Needed that, thank you."
"I feel better already."
"No problem, guys. It's been an interesting day for everyone."
"That's one way to put it," replied the middle aged man, sitting up. "You new around here, miss?"
"What?! How'd you know?!"
Hannah's heart dropped. I got caught already?!?!
"Relax, I'm not psychic. It's the attire and the feeling you give off. People here tend to be more relaxed. You're still in full survival gear. Not only that, they aren't the standardized equipment produced here. I'm guessing that everything you have was scavenged?"
"Oooh." Hannah has never felt so much relief in her life. "Good guess! I use whatever I can find."
"Not so different from the rest of us then," said the middle-aged man, finishing off the almond water with a satisfied sigh. He glanced at the empty bottle, then smiled abashedly. "My apologies, my friends and I finished your supply. To show our gratitude, how about joining us for a drink? I know I need one after meeting the Keymaster and the Black Devil in the flesh. Death stared us in the face and only decided to spit on us! That's a win any day!"
"True that, true that, but..." Hannah waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It's just a few bottles of almond water."
"Please, I insist. I wouldn't feel right otherwise. We will also replace what we consumed and provide extra commodities on the side. Right, men?"
A wave of approval returned.
Extra free stuff? That combination of words is always a welcome one, but Hannah insisted otherwise. "There's really no need."
"Even if its alcohol?"
"Wait, say that again."
The middle-aged man smiled graciously.
"Let's just say that one of the recent expeditions has led to the discovery of a Level full of safe, drinkable alcohol. I doubt that even the Keymaster himself has stumbled upon this Level. A supply line is still underway, but we've already obtained a batch of vintage wine, strong whiskey..."
The more he said, the more Hannah's inhibitions lowered. Needless to say, she was hooked.
"So, what now? Want to come with?"
"Fuck yeah."
Surely Mr Rupert won't get mad that I take a break from the mission right at the start, right? I mean, they have drinkable booze! That's fucking nuts!
Even though normal amenities were everywhere in some specific Levels, alcoholic drinks wasn't one of them.
Hannah had plans to get smashed, and so did everybody else. She followed them back to M.E.G.'s base of operations.
********
"Keymaster."
"You finally made it. What took you so long?"
Beyond the Level Door, Thomas found himself in the middle of a grand library, an aromatic scent filling his head. The Keymaster skimmed through a book as he leaned on a nearby shelf.
"Took care of something." Thomas glanced at the title of the book he was reading. He couldn't read or understand the language it was written in. "What do you have there?"
"Who knows? I can't read this blasted thing." The Keymaster snapped the book shut and returned it. "It has no images, which is a shame since the cover looked interesting enough. What secrets do you hold..."
"Uhh, okay."
After a closer look, Thomas discovered that he couldn't read any of the nearby books. The Keymaster acting like a toddler made more sense now.
I don't think it's gibberish.
The alphabet varied. The books were written in what seemed like multiple languages. Neither men simply didn't know them.
I'm gonna pass on more lessons, thank you very much.
"Can you read any of them, my dear apprentice?"
"No. I'm not your apprentice either, so don't call me that. That was a one-off arrangement that you pulled out of your ass."
"...what graphic imagery you present to me." The Keymaster was repulsed. "My apprentice needs to learn some manners. And yes, you are my apprentice, whether you like it or not. I ensured that M.E.G. knows it, so now the rest of humanity will hear it."
"Literally not how it works."
Thomas scowled beneath the armor. Unaware and a little unconcerned, the Keymaster carried on browsing the shelves, thinking about a separate matter entirely. "It's rare to find a legible book in this place, much less useful."
None of the books resembled any language they both knew of. The word pointless came to Thomas's mind. Unless, the Keymaster wasn't here for a good read.
There has to be something else at play here. The books could be a key or enter condition to the next Level.
Thomas was tempted to use his distortion powers. But with the Keymaster around, that seemed like a bad idea.
"Let me guess. Your colleague is a bookworm," Thomas copied his company and skimmed through a few books, intrigued by the foreign alphabet.
"On the contrary, she can't read."
Thomas paused his reading/looking-for-pictures-to-get a-clue-of-what-a-book-is-about. "You messing with me again? Wasting more time? Tell me why we're in this library."
"Patience, my apprentice. She is here. Somewhere."
"So find her already like you found me."
"She is nothing like you. Even a Guru such as I have limits."
The Keymaster continued leisurely scanning the books, much to Thomas's annoyance. The grand library had as many tables, chairs, and couches as it had books. Thomas sat in a comfortable armchair, randomly pulling books to himself with magic. Might as well entertain myself.
To his surprise, he found 4 books that he could read. They were all magic related. Perhaps the Keymaster was just unlucky.
Since it was a library, Thomas decided to borrow the books by sneakily placing them in his spatial storage.
It's not like a few books missing would matter in an infinite library anyway.
"Nothing today. Oh well. How about this? Let us instead get to know each other better. Little can be learned from these scribbles." The Keymaster's keen voice rang from behind a bookshelf. "How about we start with a simple opener. What is your name?"
"..."
"Come on, it would be embarrassing for a Guru to be unaware of his apprentice's name. I have to introduce you to my acquaintance but you are giving me nothing to work with."
"Sounds like a you problem."
"Would you rather I call you the Black Devil? I saw your face when it was mentioned earlier. It was... well, I wouldn't mind seeing more of the same expression."
"I already said don't call me that," he sighed. "My name is Thomas. You happy now?"
"Thomas... uttering your name feels strange on the tongue. It's rather plain."
"Didn't ask for your opinion."
"And you will never have to. I give them out for free."
The Keymaster dragged a chair behind him and sat in front of Thomas, a multitude of books floating behind him. He crossed his legs, showing off his boots made of sturdy leather. Perhaps it came from the skin of some unlucky Backrooms creature.
"Anyhow, nice to meet you, Thomas. My name is the Keymaster, if you aren't already aware."
"Wow, I didn't know that. It's so nice to meet you too."
The Keymaster ignored the obvious sarcasm. "The humans also call me 'Entity X' in some cases. They have terrible naming sense, and they're supposed to possess a brain."
Thomas raised a brow. "You talk like you aren't human yourself."
The Keymaster clicked his tongue. He leaned back on his chair, his voice taking an educating tone.
"My dear Thomas..."
"Cut that out."
"Thomas," he said with a soft smile, "I can see that you're young, impressionable, and frankly, clueless about the true nature of this realm. You cannot learn this lesson from reading any of these books, so listen closely."
The Keymaster kept skimming through the books until he reached the very last. Flipping through the last book only took a few seconds.
"This one is no good either."
The whole stack was a miss. There was nothing surprising about the outcome.
This was especially true for someone like the Keymaster, who had visited this library in the past a thousand times, a thousand times more, and a thousand times over. Finding a readable book in this place was simply incredibly rare. The fact that Thomas found not one but four on his first visit was already absurd.
"What do you consider a living being?" asked the Keymaster. "Is it the capability for movement? Thought? Reproductive function? Blood? Death? Is it death that makes us alive at this moment? Those are all a part of it, but not the full picture."
Thomas leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he locked onto the Keymaster. What is he getting at?
"I am human, through and through. I am as human as you. But the same cannot be said for the humans we encountered. They belong here."
"They belong here?"
"That's right."
Before Thomas could inquire further, what the Keymaster did next surprised him.
The stack of books between them suddenly caught fire.
Thomas eyed him skeptically. "Frustrated much? That's uncalled for, taking it out on those books."
"As I said, you are clueless. Give it a second. You'll see."
The fire burned slowly. It wasn't a natural fire but one fueled by magic power. There was no smoke, no burnt smell, and no ashes.
"Watch closely."
The Keymaster stared at the flames, flickering with the slightest breeze. Thomas did the same.
Slowly, the orange hue of the flame became fainter. First the edges, then the discoloration spread to the center.
"!"
Thomas shot up from his chair. The fire wasn't the only thing changing in the library. Everything was losing color.
Could it be... is it that entity I met before?
Using his distortion powers crossed his mind, but he dismissed it. The Keymaster was here, someone who was more than capable of sensing something amiss.
The earthen tan of the library diminished into dull shades of grey. Even the crimson light from the daedric armor became less intimidating, almost lifeless.
No... this feels different.
Thomas turned his head in a particular direction. His haki detected another presence approaching.
"Your acquaintance sure knows how to make an entrance," he said nervously.
"No. That's not her."
"...then who is it?!"
"I have many acquaintances."
The entity approached, and the sound of the shelves being pushed aside, scraping against the floor, came closer and closer.
Whatever was coming must be huge and sturdy.
"They're here to greet you, Thomas. They mean no harm."
"Man, shut up."
Thomas withdrew his lightsaber from storage.
The last shelf blocking the view was pushed aside. The entity behind it was revealed.
A large, polished stone wall hovered in mid-air.
"Another lost child." "I have been waiting for you."
One half of the wall depicted a stern bearded man, and the other a beautifully blank woman. Together, their faces formed one of uniform judgement.
"A talking wall?" Thomas murmured.
"My name is Ego Rex." "I administer rules."
Its mouth didn't move, yet it could speak. A mixture of a man's and a woman's voice reached his ears.
"Keymaster, a little help here?"
"Let it say its spiel. It'll go on its merry way after."
"We meet again," "Keymaster."
Ego Rex rotated to face the Keymaster.
"I have stated this in the past." "Your current behavior is unacceptable."
The Keymaster sighed. "Yeah, yeah, sorry for the books, blah blah. We are in a hurry here. Get it over with."
"Conform." "Conform."
With a single word spoken, the Keymaster vanished with the burning books.
Thomas moved without hesitation, slashing Ego Rex from top to bottom in one fell swoop.
The stone entity was split in half, evidenced by the molten rock separating the two faces. There was little to no resistance.
"This behavior is unacceptable," "but understandable."
The split sections of Ego Rex effortlessly rejoined.
"Su Grah Dun." (Elemental Fury)
Thomas rushed forward, his figure a streak of black and red. His arms became weightless and swift.
Within the span of a second, he had swung his lightsaber thousands of times, melting the entire stone sculpture into magma.
"Thomas Wolford," "calm yourself."
Hearing his name stopped Thomas mid-swing. Shaking, his mouth fell open underneath the armor.
Calling it shock was an understatement.
The stone figure of Ego Rex regained its shape and solid texture. No damage whatsoever.
Ego Rex continued.
"I know who you are. But do you know yourself?" "I have been watching you. Your wandering mind found me."
"In here," "with me,"
"you will find you," "yourself."
And with those words.
The two halves of Ego Rex split in opposite directions, and the bookshelves in its path creaked as they returned to their original layout.
Thomas, like any normal person, lost his shit.
"What the fuck was that?!"
"I see that your meeting with Ego Rex went splendidly."
"Fuck! How long have you been here?!"
The Keymaster had silently returned to his chair, making the already hypervigilant Thomas jump. He smirked, satisfied by the reaction.
"I just got here."
"I thought that thing killed you!"
"Were you worried for your master? You should have more faith in me."
"Worrying for you was the last thing on my mind. You seriously couldn't have fucking warned me about the possessed talking wall beforehand?!"
"Possessed talking wall? That's one way to put it." The Keymaster chuckled lightly. "The possessed talking wall you mentioned is awfully lenient to newcomers. Warnings were unnecessary. You could have gone on a bigger rampage and nothing would have come of it."
While the Keymaster was giving one of his lectures, Thomas recognized a familiar flow of magic power emanate from him.
The Keymaster was out to burn more books.
"Cut that shit out!" A thought from Thomas disrupted the flow of magic power.
"What a neat trick. You continue to surprise me the more time we spend together."
"I'd really rather not meet your acquaintance again. It's a talking fucking wall that can abracadabra a person. Walls shouldn't even be talking on its own."
What truly concerned Thomas was different, however.
He didn't feel any change occur. No knowledge came to him about the entity's abilities.
This has never happened before.
"Is that what you thought I was doing? Truly, you are naive."
The Keymaster attempted to summon more flames, and Thomas foiled each one.
"Well, it is too late. I already burned some books. She is already on her way here."
"Please tell me this is the acquaintance and not an acquaintance."
"I see nothing wrong with the latter."
"I fucking knew it..."
It didn't take long for Thomas to sense another presence approach.
A person, not a wall, who possessed a weak aura was coming towards them.
Soon, a young woman emerged from behind a bookshelf.
Thomas studied her intently. Her clothes were not those of a typical wanderer. Tailor-made and elegantly crafted, her Victorian-era-style, formal European attire fit her perfectly. She held a book in gloved hands, reading as she walked, lips unmoving, expression unreadable.
When her gaze finally rose to meet them, it was slow and deliberate, like the turn of a page in a book.
"Well, look who showed up. I've been tired of waiting."
Her words were not meant for Thomas.
"You." She pointed at the Keymaster. "Unless you plan on repaying your debt, get out. You are no longer welcome here."
As if expecting this, the Keymaster smiled gleefully.
"My debt is precisely why I am here. I even brought my apprentice to aid me."
Thomas had a bad feeling. "What? Debt? What debt?"
"An apprentice? This boy? You took on an apprentice?"
"Yes."
"No!"
The woman's face remained expressionless, but her mind was skeptical. One was saying one thing, the other another.
"Thomas, agree with me."
Another magical whisper came from the Keymaster.
"Have you been dragging me all over the place just so I can help you resolve this 'debt' of yours?! You've mentioned jackshit about it!" Thomas replied.
"I admit that I may have neglected to warn you about the number of hoops that must be jumped through. However, She knows where to find the acquaintance, but she won't lead us to her unless we do this little favor."
"No fucking civilization with more than two brain cells spells favor as D-E-B-T! This is more like you fucked up and now want me to fix it!"
"Give me a break. It was not entirely my fault—it was barely my fault."
Thomas felt his veins pop. He can detect falsehoods, not concealed truths.
The woman addressed Thomas directly. "So? Is the Keymaster being sincere? Are you here to aid him?"
"...I feel like I need to ask this first, but aid him with what, exactly?"
First, measure how deep in shit the other guy is buried in. Whether or not to jump in depends on that measurement. I'm already here. Fucking hell, what am I doing? I should just leave. But I'm already here anyway...
The woman sighed, closing the book gracefully. "It is a simple and straightforward task. "
"I want to know more about it."
"Alright. The Keymaster must replace the damages that he and his accomplice have recently caused in this library."
Thomas nodded, following along. It seems the Keymaster has a habit of burning books. His accomplice too, which could be the acquaintance we need to meet.
"So... how bad is it?"
"The ruined furniture can be dismissed. They are sentimental but replaceable." She paused. "What matters to me are the books that were resting on the furniture. I cannot read them in the state they are now."
The woman raised six fingers.
Six books? That's not too bad. Still, can't the Keymaster do that on his own?
"That's it? Six books?"
The woman, however, shook her head. She clarified the number.
"The Keymaster must replace the six million books he and his accomplice destroyed."
Six million. 6,000,000.
A packed football stadium can have 100,000 people within its premises.
The amount of hair on a person's head ranges between 90,000 and 150,000, less if they're balding.
The number continued to echo in Thomas's ears. Six million...
"Did I hear you right?"
"Six million books," she repeated monotonously. "It's straightforward, isn't it? Please get to work immediately."
"No, I don't think I will."
Thomas wanted to run away himself.
To his words, the woman reacted faintly. The corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
Not into a smile, but resignation.