My new life in Hell

(Geri POV)

Pain.

All I feel is pain.

For the last two days, I've been training non-stop. He keeps me awake with magic and has been training me in the strangest ways.

At first, he actually trained me like anyone would, but after just an hour, it quickly devolved into... shenanigans.

He started making me do arts and crafts—making different types of rubber duckies of varying shapes and sizes.

My hands were starting to ache from all the ducks I was making. At first, whenever I tried to make a rubber ducky, I would keep crushing them under the weight of my own hands.

But slowly, I learned how to control my strength and increase the speed I was making them.

Usually, it would take me at least an hour to make one, but now it only took me a few minutes.

In the last two days, I had made over 1,356 rubber duckies. It was a grueling experience but really satisfying once you knew what to do.

Grandfather looked satisfied with the results of my training and quickly summoned a small stamp with a rubber ducky symbol on it.

He gestured for me to raise my hand and then proceeded to stamp the back of it.

At first, it looked like regular ink, but a few seconds later, it began to glow with a light red color.

"What's this, Grandfather?"

"This is proof that you've completed the training given to you and that we acknowledge your accomplishments."

"But all I did was make rubber duckies?"

"You didn't just make rubber duckies, my boy. You learned how to control yourself—and to be just as effective, even when holding back."

He then motioned for me to follow him to the garden.

As I followed him, I saw Plagg and Beth already there sleeping—Plagg on the tree's branches while Beth slept inside a rose bush, her stone skin ignoring the thorns.

When we finally reached the tree, Grandfather grabbed both Plagg and Beth and placed them beside me.

They slowly woke up from their naps and sat beside me.

"As a reward for completing your training, I present you with a small gift."

He then picked one of the apples from the tree and handed it to me.

I had a confused look on my face when he handed it to me.

"An apple?"

"Not just any apple—an apple from the Tree of Knowledge."

"Wait—this is from Eden?! Like, the Garden of Eden?"

"Close. The original tree has been long gone, destroyed in the flood. This, my dear boy, was grown from a piece of the tree I stole back when I was still an angel."

"So what happens if I eat this?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"To be perfectly honest with you, no one has really eaten the fruit and survived."

"So... you just expect me to eat this... and live?"

"Don't worry. Even if you die, I could just revive you. I mean, you'd feel a lot weaker, but hey—that's neither here nor there."

I looked at the apple in front of me, took a deep breath, and took a massive bite.

I slowly began to chew the apple. The sweet insides of the apple slowly enveloped my taste buds, allowing me to feel the texture and appreciate its flavor.

I then swallowed the apple with a nervous gulp and waited for anything to happen.

A few minutes passed... and nothing happened.

I opened my eyes and looked at Grandfather, confused. He shrugged. I took a step to hand it to him, but as soon as I took that single step, my body felt heavy—and I fell face-first into the dirt.

My vision faded, and when I opened my eyes again, I noticed I was now in a white room—or to be more accurate, a white void of nothing.

As I got up and looked around, I saw someone sitting on a chair reading a newspaper.

I slowly approached the figure from behind and finally saw what they looked like.

Their face had no eyes on it—but they did have two pairs of eyes floating beside them.

I looked to see what they were reading, and what I saw shattered my world.

> Breaking News: Stygian of the Ars Goetia has fallen in battle fighting—

But before I could finish reading the page, the person holding it quickly closed it.

I stepped back a little as they slowly stood up from their chair. They turned to me with a wide smile and spoke:

"No spoilers," he said, placing a finger on my mouth.

---

The next second, I woke up with a gasp.

I looked around and saw both Plagg and Beth crying. They were hugging me tightly, not wanting to let go.

I looked up and saw Lucifer, with a bit of tears still in his eyes, standing in the same place.

He wiped the tears from his eyes and moved toward me, then hugged me.

"I thought you said you could revive me?" I said, my voice a bit raspy.

"I did… Still, seeing you fall..." He hugged me tighter.

"How long was I down?"

"For a minute that lasted an eternity."

A minute? I felt like I was in there for much longer.

As I pondered this, all three of them continued to hug me tightly.

After a few minutes passed, they finally let go and helped me up.

After wiping off all the tears, Grandfather finally spoke.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry too much."

He sighed in relief, then spoke once more.

"Could you guys... not tell your mom what happened today? I'd rather not die today."

"Of course, Grandfather." I said with a smile.

"Hey, wait just a second—your big brother may keep his mouth shut, but we need compensation," Plagg said, trying to blackmail Grandfather.

"Of course, my little ducklings." He snapped his fingers, and both Plagg and Beth were enveloped by a cocoon made of light.

Just as quickly, the cocoon burst open, revealing a now humanoid Plagg and Beth.

They got up and looked at themselves.

"AHHH! What happened to my paws?!"

"They're hands now, Plagg," I said, slightly smirking at his misfortune.

He noticed me laughing and lunged.

"I'll kill you again!"

As Plagg tried (and failed) to attack me, Beth sat on the ground, continuing to examine her new body.

I placed the angry Plagg on the tree and walked over to Beth.

"Hey sis, you feeling alright?"

She opened her mouth and spoke.

"형, 저는 정말 기분이 좋아요."

I stared at her for a few seconds, then looked at Grandfather.

He looked just as confused about why she spoke like that.

I sighed and helped her off the floor. Her legs were wobbly—she wasn't used to walking on two legs.

As I helped her walk, Plagg got off the tree and walked forward, using only his legs.

We all walked toward Grandfather to see what was next.

"Since you completed your training, you can rest up and head home now."

He opened a portal to the hotel, and both Plagg and Beth stepped through, Beth being helped by Plagg.

As I stood in front of the portal, I remembered the person from the white void... and what happened to Dad.

I turned from the portal and walked back to Grandfather.

"I want to go to the next trainer."

"Why? You could rest up before starting."

"I know. It's just... really important to me, you know?"

He looked at me and smiled. He opened a portal to the next destination, and I walked through it.

---

After I stepped through, I was now somewhere really hot.

As I looked around, I saw extremely large gym equipment.

And then I saw him.

Satan.

He was doing pull-ups, and as he did, he noticed me.

He dropped down with a loud thud and walked toward me, every step feeling like a small earthquake.

When he finally reached me, he leaned down and placed his hand out. He gestured for me to go on it—and I obliged.

He lifted me while I stood in his palm.

"So, you're my new training partner. Well, I hope you're ready for an intense workout, because we're not stopping until you're built like a tank!"

I chuckled nervously.

And he laughed—smoke puffing out of his nose.