"This is the person you want to become, right?"
"Yes."
"Then go. Go first it's right there. All of the rewards in life await for your arrival, but you can't stay there and wait for it to get to you."
"Melisa, what's on the other side?"
"You'll have to see it for yourself. Then you can come back, I also left."
Capucine was reminded with those words the absurdity of all that happened when she was alive on Earth and took one deep breath and crawled into the hole for one minute. She looked at what it was, and as dark as the room was, she could perceive people talking.
Strange beings, black shapes conversing in a different language that made them sound like sentient beings. Capucine tried something and touched her chest where Yael's brand was with her left hand, while her right one was directed at the beings. Suddenly they started convulsing in pain. She retreated and sighed in relief when she saw Melisa.
"I can put them down. Ismael did this to me and I felt this horrible pain all over my body."
"That's great news, we can maybe try that, but the thing is, there might be hundreds of them beyond this point."
"I'm ready to try, what's the worst that can happen?"
"You lead the way."
Capucine went in first and crawled back again, this time with caution. She knew that after a few tries, they would get suspicious of it. She went out first, while nobody was there, and helped Melisa to get back up. They crouched and when Capucine was hearing voices getting closer, she went behind the door and grabbed Melisa's arm to get her to the side.
The things went in and filled the hole with multiple furnitures and left the room. The two looked at each others and went quiet. Capucine was once again reminded of what happened to her.
"Honestly", she said out loud, "these things are scary, but I come from far worse."
She goes outside, bursting the door open, holding her hand on her sternum on the brand and with her other hand, pulling away all of the monsters looking at her. She understood that the more hatred she had, the more pain she could inflict.
"Melisa! We're leaving now!"
"No you're not."
"Who are you? Do you rule this place?"
"Yes. My name is Osmond. I rule this realm, this thing you call hell."
"Get us out of here."
"I'm afraid this won't be possible."
Capucine tried to find words but the grim appearence of the old man on the balcony was so revolting that she was losing focus. He was tall and had big red eyes, long straight white hair and white clothes. The entire place was coded in red, fancy royal fabric, but also felt demonic, not because of the nature of the area, but rather the actual nature of each individual present.
The man was talking slowly, with a thick native accent.
"I assume you died and had your consciousness back in the prisons."
"Yes. We just want out of this place and go back to Earth."
"Of course, of course. But there is a small issue with this. You see, Efalis has me in quite the deal. I get to live here with no pain, and he remains there in Paradise. I would let you out, but it would cost me my comfort."
"Theoretically, how would we leave?"
"I'll propose you a deal also. I get you girls out, and you bring me Ismael's head. Send Ismael to hell. We do not have personal hatred against him, but his sister is unreachable for the likes of us. So we will get her brother."
"Fine! I hate him, I'll kill him for you if that's what you want. Just let us out of here!"
"One minute."
The old man was whispering with his advisors in the back. Capucine and Melisa realized the weird beings were humans who adapted to hell. They had long black and red robes.
"We reached a conclusion. You have a month to kill Ismael and send him here. If you fail, we will send our worst abominations to Earth to take care of you."
"We accept."
"Admirable behaviour. Get them to the ritual room."
Capucine talked with Melisa, explaining that they would logically be reborn in two different locations. She spoke of Kenza, which someone in the room overheard. "I don't know the exact location but find me there."
"Looks like you've overcome your fear after all."
"I never wanted to leave a place that bad before."
"Place yourselves in the center of the circle", the old man asked.
"Why is it a Thorned Circle?"
"You have it in your eyes, Capucine, please don't make this any more complicated than it has to be."
"That's why I ask, actually."
She still stepped in barefoot and walked in the center, feeling the energy of Efalis submerging her once again. The men in the room closed all doors and the old man said: "do not think of yourselves as reborn. This is a temporary truce before we inevitably drag you back here."
The men placed themselves at the border of the circle and started chanting all around them. The two girls held hands and a black and red energy pulsated all around. In a matter of two minutes, the energy vanished and the two girls were already transported. The old man smiled in an atrociously inhuman way while staring at the circle.
"Well, Efalis. You outdid yourself, you've offered us two sacrifices as a surprise. Thank you my Lord Efalis, you've brought them to us and forever we will feed on their energy! Forever!"
At Kenza, Awane called for an emergency reunion at the security center as the coffin in the room was moving around. Everyone was there, watching. Awane had already forecefully closed all ways out and prepared to gaz the room for this specific type of eventuality. Because of a security function, the coffin room lights turned on, and they could see the coffin being broken from the inside out. After a moment, Capucine was out, naked, staring at the camera. She had a thorned circle seal on her forehead.
She harms her right arm with her left hand's nails and writes "ISMAEL" on the camera's screen.