Max stood in front of the mirror adjusting the collar of his suit.
He tugged slightly at the sleeves, smoothing out the fabric before giving himself a quick once-over. The black suit fit him well—clean, sharp, and surprisingly formal for someone living in Hell.
Tonight mattered.
Tonight was his date with Poppi.
Normally he would have picked a place somewhere in the Pride Ring. There were plenty of flashy restaurants, bars, and rooftops with incredible views of Pentagram City. Unfortunately, the Pride Ring was… complicated lately. Between territorial disputes, gang fights, and a few other situations Max had caused himself, it wasn't exactly the safest location for a quiet date.
So instead, he had improvised.
Max adjusted his jacket one final time before teleporting out.
A moment later he appeared in a small park tucked away in a quiet district of Hell. It wasn't much—just a modest patch of greenery surrounded by twisted iron fences and crooked lamp posts—but compared to the chaos of the city, it felt peaceful.
Poppi was already there.
She stood beneath one of the flickering lamps, wearing a simple black dress. It wasn't overly flashy or revealing like many outfits in the Pride Ring, but the simplicity made her stand out even more. The dark fabric contrasted beautifully with her pale skin, making her bright eye almost glow.
Max smiled as he approached.
"Your sister helped with this?" he asked jokingly.
Poppi snorted.
"You really think Cherri has fashion sense beyond 'sexy street wear'?"
Max chuckled.
"Nope."
She spun slightly in place, letting the dress flow around her legs.
"No," Poppi continued proudly. "I found this myself."
She gave him a playful look.
"Sounds like you like it."
Max offered his arm.
"Very much."
She took it, and the two began walking slowly through the park.
For a few minutes they just talked casually, enjoying the quiet moment away from the constant chaos of Hell.
Then Max stopped.
"You ready for the real part of the date?" he asked.
Poppi grinned.
"Always."
Max snapped his fingers.
The world warped.
Reality twisted for a brief moment before they reappeared somewhere completely different.
They now stood in a massive forest.
Except… everything about it felt wrong.
The trees grew downward instead of upward, their roots reaching into the sky while their branches clawed into the ground. The air shimmered with strange crimson light, and faint whispers drifted through the twisted woods.
Poppi looked around slowly.
"…Nice place," she said.
Then she smirked.
"I assume this is your addition to Hell and not something the original universe forgot to mention?"
Max nodded.
"Yeah."
He gestured toward the forest.
"This place is called Reverse Eden."
Poppi raised an eyebrow.
"Sounds dramatic."
"It's basically the lowest point in Hell that nobody knows about," Max explained. "A corrupted mirror of the Garden of Eden."
He shrugged.
"Right now it's unofficial though. I don't fully have the powers granted by God in this universe yet."
He looked around the strange forest with a small grin.
"But once I become official here… this place will be a lot better."
Poppi nodded approvingly.
"I like it already."
Max waved his hand.
"Now sit."
A small table appeared between two twisted trees, along with a pair of elegant chairs. Plates and silverware materialized moments later.
Then Max began placing food onto the table.
The smell alone made Poppi freeze.
"…Oh wow."
She sat down quickly.
"Mmm! That smells incredible!"
She leaned closer to the food, breathing in the aroma.
"Way better than anything I've had since coming to Hell."
She picked up a fork.
"Is this stuff from Earth?"
Max shook his head.
"Not exactly."
He sat down across from her.
"I grow my own fruits and vegetables here."
Poppi blinked.
"You have a garden in Hell?"
"Several," Max replied proudly.
"The meat was trickier though. I can't really go back to Earth without messing up my glitch situation."
He poured drinks into two glasses.
"But it works."
He smiled.
"All the girls I'm engaged to in the future love my cooking."
Poppi paused mid-bite.
"…Future fiancées?"
Max coughed slightly.
"Yeah."
She laughed.
"Honestly? I'm not even surprised anymore."
She took another bite and leaned back happily.
"I'm pretty lucky though."
Her voice softened slightly.
"In my previous life, I never got to experience anything like this."
She gestured around the table.
"A nice dinner. A calm night. Someone actually caring."
She smiled faintly.
"I feel more alive now than I ever did before."
Max nodded thoughtfully.
"My previous life was pretty boring too."
He shrugged.
"No real love life. Barely much of a life at all."
He took a sip of his drink.
"You can probably see why I wanted a harem."
Poppi laughed loudly.
"Yeah, that checks out."
Max leaned back slightly.
"At first it was just Loona, Charlie, Vaggie, Octavia, and Bee."
He counted on his fingers.
"Then Millie joined."
He gestured toward her.
"And now… you."
Poppi grinned.
"Honestly? Sounds fun."
She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"I'd definitely enjoy hanging out with them."
Her grin widened.
"Especially Bee."
Max raised an eyebrow.
"Of course you would."
Poppi leaned forward excitedly.
"With four arms she could throw bombs like a machine gun!"
Max burst out laughing.
"You really are Cherri Bomb's sister."
Poppi shrugged proudly.
"We grew up together."
Max nodded.
"Good to see you two are still close."
Poppi suddenly clapped her hands together.
"Alright!"
Max blinked.
"What?"
She pointed at him dramatically.
"Let's get the boring romantic part of the date done."
Max leaned forward.
"…And what comes next?"
Poppi's grin turned slightly unhinged.
"I want some fun."
Max smirked.
"Say no more."
The air around them warped again.
Reality folded.
A second later they appeared on a rooftop in the Pride Ring.
Below them stretched an entire city block.
Poppi glanced around.
"…Wait."
Max tossed her a small lighter.
"Already rigged the entire block."
Poppi caught it easily.
The lighter clicked open.
Except it wasn't just a lighter.
It was also a detonator.
"You do the honors," Max said.
Poppi slowly pulled out a cigarette.
Her grin grew wider and wider.
"…Perfect."
She lit the cigarette.
Then pressed the detonator.
The entire block exploded in a spectacular display of colorful fire and fireworks. Buildings erupted in bright crimson, violet, and gold explosions that painted the night sky with chaos.
Poppi stared down at the destruction with absolute delight.
"…Best date ever."
Max leaned casually against the railing.
"Told you I'd make it memorable."
[[A: Good new, Fixed the AI helper so I should do longer chapters without it shorting it for some dumb reason. Anyways enjoy]