Jerry leaned back, his eyes narrowing as his tone grew heavier.
"Organ collateral," he said flatly.
Johnson gave a slow nod, his expression unreadable. "I see… then what happened next?"
Jerry sighed, as though dragging out words carved from old wounds. Well, you see… that's the thing. Alastor had no issues helping my dad. But there was a condition. He agreed to grant his wish for a child only if an innocent soul from hell could be reincarnated back into the world."
Rose blinked in disbelief. "There are… good people in hell?"
Mary frowned, shaking her head. "I thought it was impossible to come back once you've been sent there. Isn't hell eternal?"
Jerry's lips curled slightly, a mixture of bitterness and knowledge. "There's a way to bypass it. But it isn't simple."
Angela leaned forward, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "How?"
Jerry's voice dropped, almost conspiratorial. "A soul has to be rejudged. Not by how they lived on Earth, but by how they spent their time in hell. And the judgment isn't done by just anyone… it's a higher-ranking angel who decides."
Rose slowly nodded. "I… see."
Jerry continued, his tone grim. "The soul chosen was that of a little boy from the Philippines. He had been destined to kill fifty million people. Instead of erasing him completely, the higher powers sent him to hell. His life on Earth ended before it even began—his mother miscarried. That miscarriage was the cause of his death."
Angela crossed her arms, conflicted. "Well… I can't blame whoever sent him there entirely."
Johnson tilted his head. "Why?"
Angela's eyes hardened. "Would you let someone live if you knew they would destroy the world?"
Johnson's voice was calm but firm. "Technically, he hadn't destroyed anything yet."
Angela raised an eyebrow. "Fair point… so what would you do then?"
Johnson's gaze sharpened, his voice ringing with conviction. "Everyone deserves a second chance at life—whether they've destroyed the world already or not. No matter how evil they are, no matter what they've done."
Rose's breath hitched. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Even the man that killed Mom and Dad?"
The air froze.
Johnson's jaw tightened. "They died in a fire. We can't say for certain that they were murdered."
Rose's voice cracked, her eyes brimming with emotion. "How can you say that? You were there that day! Didn't you fight that man in the dark suit—the one who looked exactly like the figure I described to you? The one who killed them?"
Angela's brows knitted in confusion. "Wait… your parents are dead?"
Johnson exhaled slowly, his tone heavy. "Yes… they are. But I believe it was an accident. Their bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. A human couldn't have done that."
Mary lowered her head, her voice soft but certain. "I think so too. My sister—your mother—was a kind woman. Nobody would have wanted to murder her or her husband."
Jerry cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "Well… can I continue?"
Johnson nodded stiffly. "Yeah. I won't interrupt you anymore."
Jerry's shoulders slumped as he let out a long breath. "As the ritual began, something went wrong."
The group leaned closer.
Jerry's voice grew darker. "Instead of a simple soul summoning, an entity that should not exist… a being not of any dimension, not of any universe—was summoned. Something far too powerful for human imagination."
Rose frowned, confusion flashing in her eyes. "I'm… confused. How—"
Jerry's eyes suddenly glowed. His face twisted with irritation, and when he spoke, his voice distorted into something otherworldly.
"DON'T INTERRUPT ME!"
The room fell silent, a shiver running down everyone's spine.
Jerry's voice returned to normal as he pressed on. "The creature stood motionless at first, as though recalling a lost memory of how it arrived. It was confused, but even in its silence, its superiority was undeniable. Alastor—the mighty demon—was subdued in an instant, trembling before it like a child."
He clenched his fists, his gaze distant. "Then… the entity turned to my father. Terrified, he could barely stand. But the being looked at him and spoke softly… 'Do not be afraid.'"
Jerry sighed like he was tired of talking "Hmm I hate doing this but..."
Johnson's eyes narrowed. "And what are you going to do now?"
Jerry gave a crooked smile. He reached to the side, grabbed a bowl of popcorn, and with a casual snap of his fingers, leaned back. "I don't like talking in the third person..."
To be continued...