When the universe rejects you, and your heart is sealed with the Mark of the High West, only two fates remain:
to be cast into the Cursed House, or imprisoned within the Devil's Pit.
Blessed are those who labor for their afterlife— and wretched are those who choose this fleeting world; for the first shall be saved, while the second spends eternity either in a house so dreadful that even Satan dares not enter, or endures endless years of torment under the watch of the terrifying warden: Johnny the Fair-Haired.
At that moment, Siria and Jaja advanced cautiously down the dark passage leading to the cellar. Nurses stood in suffocating silence, their distorted faces frozen in cold smiles that whispered of doom.
Siria and Jaja aligned themselves side by side, adopting a strange defensive stance, as though following a hidden summons that rose from the depths of the shadows—a summons that was nothing but the echo of an unseen voice, guiding them toward Jack, before the twisted creatures reached him first.
Siria drew a massive sword that gleamed with a dazzling white light, as though forged from fragments of stars. Its radiance tore through the cellar's damp walls and shredded the darkness around them. She lifted it steadily and whispered in a sharp but low voice:
Siria:
"I will not let you touch him... Jack will live."
Meanwhile, Jaja had scaled the wall with spiderlike agility, clinging to the ceiling like the shadow of some monstrous arachnid. His black eyes shimmered with madness as he studied the nurses, jaws widening as though ready to strike.
Jaja (whispering to Siria):
"Give me the signal... and watch these empty dolls get shredded."
One of the nurses let out a chilling laugh that froze the blood in their veins. She stepped forward, her sunken eyes burning with a strange hunger.
First Nurse:
"Jack is not yours... The House has chosen him. You will only leave with his corpse—or your own."
Siria (raising her sword):
"Then your corpses will come first."
The second nurse shrieked and lunged with unnatural speed toward Siria.
But Siria only swung her celestial blade through the air—its arc released a wave of light that sliced the nurse in half before her body fell, charred and broken.
At that same instant, Jaja hurled himself from the ceiling like a black meteor, his claws sinking into another nurse's throat.
He lifted her high, then slammed her onto the stone floor, shattering her like porcelain.
The remaining nurses screamed, not in fear but in fury, circling Jack where he hung in chains as though their bodies themselves were shields.
Siria (furious):
"Move away from him—or I will cut you down, one by one!"
Third Nurse (hoarse voice):
"You do not understand... His soul is our feast. His body is the sacred altar. You play with a fire that cannot be quenched."
Jaja turned to Siria with a savage grin:
Jaja:
"Seems the fun has begun... What do you say we dance with them?"
Siria gave a sharp nod. Together they charged—she with her radiant blade, he with claws and a slithering tongue—colliding with the swarm of nurses in a brutal clash that filled the cellar with shrieks and clanging steel.
The battle raged like an eternity condensed into moments. When it ended, broken and charred bodies lay scattered across the cellar, twitching before falling still. Only one nurse survived, drenched in blood, staggering as she screamed in a warped voice:
The Last Nurse:
"It isn't over! I will return... I will claim him, no matter the cost!"
Siria stepped forward with cold precision, her glowing sword still blazing, eyes locked on the retreating figure. As she passed her, she tilted her head and whispered, voice sharp as steel:
Siria:
"Then we will wait for your return... so I may bury you beside him, should he ever betray me."
The words pierced the nurse like a blade. She vanished into the dark corridor, her scream fading into silence.
At that instant, Jaja leapt lightly from the wreckage, tongue flickering, eyes fixed on the massive iron door at the far end of the cellar. He pointed a long arm toward it, his tone tense:
Jaja:
"Here... Salman's Cellar. His stench is everywhere."
Siria tightened her grip on the sword and followed. Together they pressed against the door, the iron trembling beneath their hands.
Then—suddenly—the door burst open, as though some unseen force dragged them inside. The light behind them vanished, swallowed by the abyss.
The cellar was a cathedral inverted into the earth's bowels. Moisture wept from the walls like fossilized tears, and the air cut through bone with its frigid weight. Twisted carvings sprawled across the stone, etched in dried blood—scattered words resembling forbidden incantations:
"Jack... an inseparable part of the House."
"Welcome, Jack."
"Do not let love steal you... your place is with Sindō."
The whispers were more than sound; they were imprisoned souls breathing into Siria's ears, tugging at her very core. Yet she defied them, tightened her grip on the white blade, and forced her steps deeper into the cellar.
Then—her breath froze.
The massive chains that once bound Jack hung broken, coiled on the ground like severed limbs. From within the shadows came a voice, deep and resonant, as though spoken by the stones themselves:
Sindō:
"Welcome, Siria. I have a surprise for you."
Siria raised her sword, shouting in fury:
Siria:
"Show yourself, coward! Enough games!"
A mocking laugh echoed, followed by a taunting reply:
Sindō:
"With that sword... I cannot draw near. And you know it."
From the ceiling, Jaja hissed impatiently, tongue writhing:
Jaja:
"Then what do you want from us?"
A moment of silence. Then Sindō's voice split the dark, sharp and commanding:
Sindō:
"Unleash yourself upon them... Jack."
From the abyss, Jack descended like a beast unchained. He landed between them, a nightmare given flesh. His body had grown monstrous—muscles sculpted with unnatural might, his eyes glowing green without pupils, like windows into another realm.
Behind him unfurled four monstrous tails, each tipped with fanged maws dripping venom, writhing in the air, eager to strike.
The ground shook beneath his presence. Siria and Jaja froze in horror. Jack spoke no word, but the cold severity in his gaze was enough to drain all courage.
Siria (voice trembling):
"What... what happened to him? This isn't Jack..."
Jaja (whispering):
"His eyes... his body... those tails...! Has he become the very beast of the House?"
Sindō's voice flowed like dark triumph:
Sindō:
"He struck a bargain with me... and I gave him power worthy of his worth.
Jack is no longer a prisoner... he is my new blade."