Max stood at the far edge of his inverted garden — the hidden, forbidden heart of Hell that mirrored Eden in grotesque symmetry — his hand curled tightly into a fist. The crimson-black leaves rustled like whispers. Eyes blinked inside the bark of every tree, some watching him, others pretending not to.
"Now…" Max exhaled slowly. "Let's see what I can actually do in this body."
He extended his hand, drawing in the ambient power of the realm. Weapons began to materialize around him one after another — floating knives, war-axes, ornate demonic spears, even the unmistakable glow of angelic blades. They circled him like a metallic halo.
Max grabbed a mortal knife first, dragging the edge sharply across his arm. The wound sealed instantly.
"Expected."
He switched to a demon blade — the result was the same. A flash of pain, then perfect skin.
But when he picked up an angelic sword, the air shifted. The thing hummed with judgment, with authority.
"Alright… moment of truth."
He brought the blade down on his forearm.
A bright, divine cut tore through his flesh — and it did not heal. The skin around it steamed, refusing to mend.
Max hissed through his teeth. "Interesting. When I — or Entity, whatever — created this body, it really was the proper overlord construction. High resistance to holy weapons, but not immunity. And now I get to deal with this stupid scar."
He scowled at the glowing gash.
"Well… only one way to fix that."
Without hesitation, he took a sword and chopped off his own arm entirely. The severed limb dissolved into luminescent dust — but as a new arm regrew in its place, it carried the exact same mark.
A permanent, holy scar.
"No way to explain that one," Max groaned. "Spiritual damage? Seriously? They have physical bodies! You'd think I'd make this easier for myself. Sinners respawn for crying out loud."
He shook his head and summoned a pulse of energy, pushing the floating weapons away.
"Fine. Let's see what else this body can handle."
He centered his focus, gathering power into his palm. A sigil appeared beneath him — rotating, fractal, ancient.
"Jio Graze."
Reality bent as a massive cannon of pure magic assembled itself from twisting shadows and golden light. It hummed with impossible energy, charging far faster than Max anticipated.
His arm disintegrated in the process, turning to dust that fell like dark snow.
Max stared at the empty shoulder.
"Well… that's inconvenient."
The cannon roared.
A beam of annihilating power fired into the endless void surrounding the Reverse Eden. Nothing existed out there to hit — but the explosion lit the realm in a blinding white flash.
Then silence.
"Huh," Max murmured. "So anything above a mid-tier spell costs me an arm. Will I ever get it back, I wonder?"
A calm, neutral voice echoed in his mind:
"Estimated Time to Recover: one week."
Raphael's tone was as clinical as ever.
"Thank God or… whoever." Max rubbed his face with his remaining hand. "One week is annoying, but fair. All that energy has to come from somewhere."
He wrapped a thick strip of cloth around his shoulder stump and sighed.
"This is gonna be fun to explain."
With a snap, shadows enveloped him — and he returned directly to the hotel lobby.
---
Back at the Hazbin Hotel
Max stepped inside and saw the girls gathered near the couches. Charlie was animatedly chatting with Vaggie, Octavia was curled comfortably next to Loona, Husk nursed a drink behind the bar, Angel Dust lounged dramatically on an armchair, and Sir Pentious coiled proudly beside them like he belonged there — which somehow he did.
"And when we first met," Loona was saying, leaning back with a smirk, "he was kinda pathetic. Walked straight into a hellhound club while he was drunk out of his mind. Thought he blended in. Spoiler: he didn't."
Angel laughed so hard he snorted.
"Oh sweetheart, no. You mean he just… waltzed in? Like he owned the place?"
"He was kinda cute though," Loona admitted, cheeks warming. "All lost and confused. I figured I'd help him before someone tried to eat him or mount him."
"Or both," Husk muttered.
"Next thing you know," Loona continued, "a few months pass, he asks me out, I agree — begrudgingly — and boom. A year and some months later, we're here."
Max leaned against the doorway, smiling softly at the memory.
Angel Dust perked up. "Sooo~ how'd you all react when you found out he was dating everyone? 'Cause I LIVE for drama."
Octavia sighed but smiled. "It wasn't… hard to figure out. Max doesn't even have a phone password. Leaves it on the bed. I saw the texts, got mad, got sad… and then he sat down and explained everything instead of lying. After that, I watched him. He hasn't tried anything sexual with any of us. Not until we're ready. He's… oddly patient for a sinner."
"That's what scares me," Vaggie muttered. "He changed too fast. Almost too good."
"Hey," Max said, making them all jump slightly. "When you do a lot of bad things and want to change, you go big or you don't go at all."
"Max!" Charlie hurried forward — and then froze.
Everyone froze.
His missing arm was impossible to miss.
"Oh my— Max, what happened?!" Charlie's voice cracked.
Vaggie rushed him. "You're hurt! Why didn't you call us?!"
Octavia stood immediately, Loona right beside her, both wide-eyed and tense. Even Pentious hissed in concern.
Max raised his hand gently.
"I'm fine. Really. Some demons got their hands on angel blades. They're taken care of now."
"You were attacked?!" Charlie's arms flared in panic. "Max, you should've come here straight away instead of fighting them again!"
"I'm really fine," he insisted. "No pain, nothing. But… thank you. All of you."
Vaggie narrowed her eyes, touching the bandages softly. "No leaving the hotel. Not for several days. At least."
Max winced. "Sorry Vaggie… but I'm going to the Harvest Moon Festival with Loona in a couple days. I can't stay locked down."
Vaggie paused.
Her face went serious.
Deadly serious.
"Fine," she said finally. "Then you sleep with us, so I can take care of you properly."
The blush that followed turned half the lobby to stone.
Angel Dust dropped his drink.
Husk choked on his cigarette.
Charlie hid her face in her hands.
Loona's tail bristled.
Octavia made a tiny squeak.
Even Pentious sputtered steam.
Max blinked.
"Uh… I… what?"
Vaggie crossed her arms, still blushing.
"This is not up for debate."