Hell never slept.

It pulsed.

A living, breathing abyss of fire and ruin, where screams blended into something almost rhythmic—like a heartbeat that refused to stop. Rivers of molten gold carved through blackened stone, casting a dim glow against towering obsidian pillars.

At the centre of it all sat Satan.

Still. Silent. Watching.

A demon grovelled before him, trembling so violently that its claws scraped against the floor.

“My lord—please—I can—”

“Enough.”

Satan didn’t raise his voice.

He didn’t need to.

The word alone pressed through the air like a physical force, forcing the creature flat against the ground.

For a long moment, Satan simply stared at it.

Then, with a flick of his fingers—

The demon vanished.

No scream. No ash. Just gone.

The court remained silent.

They always did.

Not out of respect.

Out of fear.

When the hall finally emptied, the silence that followed was… louder.

Satan leaned back in his throne, exhaling slowly. His gaze drifted upward—toward the endless cavern ceiling, where flickers of light from above occasionally bled through.

He knew what lay beyond it.

Heaven.

Perfect. Untouched. Whole.

His jaw tightened.

“Still watching them?”

The voice came from the shadows to his right.

A figure stepped forward—tall, horned, with a grin too sharp to be trusted. One of his oldest generals.

Satan didn’t look at him. “I don’t watch.”

The demon chuckled. “Of course not.”

Silence stretched.

“You’re thinking about her again."

Her. The only being that mattered.

This time, Satan’s eyes shifted.

Slowly.

Dangerously.

“Careful.”

The warning was quiet.

But real.

The demon raised his hands slightly. “I mean no disrespect, my king. I’m just… curious.”

“Curiosity gets creatures erased.”

“And yet I remain.”

A pause.

reluctantly...

“Yes,” Satan said.

The word hung heavier than any command he’d ever spoken.

Because it wasn’t power.

It was truth.

“I don’t understand it,” Satan continued, his voice lower now, less… sharp. “I have seen every form of desire this existence can produce.”

“Greed. Lust. Obsession.”

“They all break the same way.”

The demon tilted his head. “And her?”

Satan’s expression shifted, just slightly.

“She doesn’t want anything.”

That was the problem.