The Great Plan

The wind and snow raged on, the cold biting to the bone.

His gaze gradually dimmed as memories surged back like a tide, bringing with them the setbacks and pain he had buried deep within himself.

"Mephisto."

He murmured the name, his voice thick with hatred and resentment.

Back then, he had already been powerful enough.

He had found a way into Hell and confronted that demon lord who toyed with souls, carrying a heart full of rage and hope.

He had been certain he could bring his mother back! He had believed in himself!

He had kept telling himself to hold on, that he would succeed.

He knew how terrifying Mephisto was, and he knew even better how obsessed that demon was with his mother's soul.

After all, his mother had been a Gypsy witch.

And her soul had been pure and powerful, the kind of collectible demons loved most.

"I'll bring her back, no matter the cost."

He donned his strongest enchanted armor, armed himself with carefully prepared spells and weapons, and stepped into the blazing fires of Hell.

But reality dealt him a crushing blow.

His power, his magic, everything he had been proud of in the human world, seemed so laughable before the Lord of Hell.

Mephisto did not even take the battle seriously. Like a cat toying with a mouse, he casually neutralized every attack.

"That's all you can do?"

The demon's laughter echoed across Hell's scorched earth, shrill and mocking.

"You aren't even worthy of seeing her."

Before he could even see his mother once, Mephisto casually waved a hand and sent him crashing back to the human world in disgrace.

"No, impossible!"

He knelt on the ground, his armor shattered and blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. But what hurt more