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The Dreamhouse

  "There's always a Dreamhouse nearby, ready to relieve you of all your suffering. In fact, close your eyes. Listen. Can you hear it? Gasps of pleasure. The giddy laughter of madness. Screams of joy. Shrieks of ecstasy. Once you listen, you'll realise how close they are. It is the place where human beings purge their suffering."

  But, it can't heal you if you're Hateful, Lucifer thought, peering down towards the Dreamhouse, which was tucked away behind many backstreets in Rai. Unlike most buildings in Exia, it was made of wood, a ramshackle building that appeared on the verge of collapse. It was elevated on a silver platform as Lucifer noted the constant rising of smoke from cracks in the roof. A burly human man stood by its main door, staring down a small set of steps. Despite the old man's words he recalled, Lucifer heard nothing except occasional bursts of laughter. He shook his head, ruing what he was about to do.

  Remember why you're here, he told himself, taking in a deep breath. I want to know how humanity suffers. I want to understand what she meant.

  Confusion rose from within, questioning why he even cared about what a human said. He had never cared in the past, and he still had every intention of making humanity pay for what it had done to his kind.

  Is it because she treated you with kindness? Lucifer wondered, his gaze fixed towards the Dreamhouse.

  And why do I feel such revulsion towards this place?

  Knowing the spiral he was about to enter, Lucifer stepped off the building while tapping into his Physical Blessing. He landed with a loud clang before the staircase, which drew the attention of the bald human guarding it, with barrels for arms and a long beard, widening his stance. He and Lucifer exchanged stares, while the latter reverted to his normal size and moved forward, causing the human guard to move to obstruct him.

  'You wish to use the Dreamhouse, Cursed One?' he asked, his voice baiting a response. Despite how much he wished to rip the human apart for using the slur, Lucifer nodded instead, forcing himself to stay calm. He then ascended towards the guard, who appeared disappointed with his lack of reaction.

  'You got credits?' the guard asked next. Once again, Lucifer nodded, not saying a word. The guard nodded before moving aside, gesturing towards the door behind him.

  'Any funny shit and I'll kick you straight out,' he said. Lucifer ignored the temptation to smirk at such a threat.

  I'd like to see you try, Lucifer thought, still saying nothing as he reached the door. When he pulled it open, he was surprised to be met by a gust of mist that raced towards the air like vengeful spirits. His nose was flooded with the smell of hundreds of toxic chemicals, causing him to stagger back as he coughed. Behind, there was a slight chuckle from the human guard, compelling him to straighten and force himself to go in.

  He entered a small corridor, hazy with the poisonous mist as strobe lights flickered, blinding him as he squinted to see ahead. Beyond was a large darkened room that possessed the same ambiance: a synthesis of warm reds, oranges and yellows that struck him without mercy. Ahead of him stood a counter with another human man smiling towards him. He wore a pair of dark-tinted glasses, while his hair was short and spiky and his chin stubbled.

  'You alright there?' the man asked, his smile mocking. 'Don't think I've ever seen one of your kind come in here.'

  'I don't understand how you can breathe in here,' Lucifer remarked, looking beyond the man and noticing three doors behind him, frowning.

  'Those are your three choices.' The human chuckled to himself, as though seeing what Lucifer was thinking. 'How much you pay decides which door we send you through.'

  'What's behind them?'

  'Heaven,' the man replied, his smile growing into a wide grin. Lucifer felt disgust, wishing for nothing more than to turn his arm into his favoured giant revolver and be done with him. However, he forced himself to ignore this temptation.

  I need to focus, he told himself, his head swaying a little from the overwhelming scents and tastes entering his body.

  'I want to talk to the one who owns this place,' Lucifer said.

  The man's disconcerting grin never faded. 'I'm afraid he's not in today,' he drawled, leaning on the counter towards Lucifer as though daring him to pursue the matter.

  It's him, Lucifer realised, knowing that he needed this man to stay alive for now. In which case, he played the fool, so as not to reveal his thoughts. He chose instead to nod in understanding while fixing his eyes upon the doors once again.

  'Alright then,' he said, 'I want the best one.'

  'Oh, going for the top tier already? You must be suffering if you want to use that door.'

  'I'm Hateful,' Lucifer replied, directing his eyes towards the strange glasses the human wore, daring him to say something. He recalled the likes of Galli and the other Hateful who were supposedly More Cursed. The human shrugged before holding out his hand, his smile warm. Lucifer understood what he meant. He reached into his jacket pocket and drew out a roll of Divinity Credits before placing them on the counter. He doubted the human would care where they came from.

  'I assume this will be enough?'

  There was a glint of joy in the owner's expression as he counted the credits, although he wore the strange glasses over his eyes. A terrified shrill of a scream emerged from somewhere ahead. Lucifer couldn't tell which door. He fixed a questioning gaze with a raised eyebrow towards the owner, who shrugged again before he corrected himself with a grin.

  'We heal all ya suffering,' he whispered, his voice sending a chill through Lucifer's spine. 'We make the pain go away.'

  Lucifer said nothing to that, his face unchanging.

  'Very well. You can go through this door,' the owner said, gesturing towards the door on the right as more screams of ecstasy filled the air. 'Come, get ready to feel happiness again.'

  Only one person can give me that, and Hela sent her away.

  Lucifer placed his hands in his pockets as he followed. The door opened with a burst of violet vapour, which smelled to Lucifer like a gassy perfume.

  'What is this?' he asked, watching the gas twirl around his hand as they entered another narrow corridor. Its light was dim compared to before. Whether that was from the strange gas or intentional, Lucifer didn't know. It was then that Lucifer realised the owner hadn't answered his question, figuring that he wouldn't get an answer, and that his best course was to stay silent.

  The owner and Lucifer continued along the darkened corridor until they reached another door. More sounds emerged all around them. Giggles, which sounded as though they came from a child. Heavy breathing. Gasps of shuddering pleasure.

  'Here is the first room,' the owner said, turning to Lucifer and grinning.

  'I see that,' Lucifer replied, pausing as his anxiety rose, unsure of what waited on the other side. 'Will I be alone?'

  'No,' the owner replied, reaching towards the door and pushing it open, turning to face Lucifer and extending his arm. 'I do hope you'll enjoy your time with us.'

  Lucifer nodded and stepped inside. He was met by a stuffy and hazily illuminated square room as the door shut behind him, shrouded in violet and red lights while appearing full of the mysterious vapour. Sniffing the air, Lucifer deduced that a kind of drug was in it. The room was small, filled with long chairs, sofas and giant bean bags upon which humans lay, all sprawled out with mouths agape and eyes wide open. They seemed horrifyingly delighted, lost in blissful ignorance and glee. Lucifer regarded them, wondering if they were dead.

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  What is this? What's happened to them?

  A human woman gasped alongside him as she turned in his direction, gaining his attention as he stepped away from her. She was a brunette woman with exposed breasts and white underwear, her head hanging to one side as she shot him a lazy smile.

  'Hey,' she said hazily, as though this were all a dream. 'Wanna fuck, Hateful boy?'

  'What?' Lucifer said, aghast, before his face twisted in disgust. 'I don't like being touched.'

  'Aw, c'mon,' she replied, flickering her eyes towards her breasts. 'You're here for the same reason as me. You're here to feel good…'

  'No,' Lucifer said, shaking his head, doubting that the human was capable of any rational conversation. 'I came here to understand something before I continue on in my dream. Tell me, how do humans suffer? Why do you come to places like this – Dreamhouses, I mean?'

  Lucifer looked at the other humans again, feeling increasingly horrified.

  'Why do you do this to yourselves?'

  Lucifer watched the woman as she floated between comprehension of his words and the intoxicated state she found herself in, before she reached out a foot to touch him.

  'You know you want to,' she teased, before giggling again. 'C'mon, it'll be amazing.'

  Lucifer said nothing, grimacing. The woman was lost in madness. Perhaps they all were.

  'It isn't real,' Lucifer said aloud, uncertain of whether he was replying to her, or telling himself. 'None of this is real. You know that.'

  'Of course I do,' the woman replied, trying to suppress another giggle. 'It's just that I don't want to. That's the point, Hateful boy. We can all see it.'

  'See what?'

  'How fucked up everything is. How fucked up we all are.'

  To Lucifer's surprise, her face changed, the happiness and amusement disappearing, replaced by a bitterness that almost bordered on anger as her eyes widened.

  'Oh shit! It's wearing off!' she gasped, before scrambling off with speed he didn't think was possible for humans in this state. The woman dropped to all fours and crawled past him, heading towards a dish in the middle of the floor, which Lucifer hadn't noticed through the vapour. He watched her grasp a handful of whatever was inside before stuffing it into her mouth and swallowing. The woman turned to lie on the floor when she was finished, closing her eyes, relieved.

  'You know, I once dreamed I could become anything. I wanted to be a dancer, a dancer who swept audiences away, hearing them applaud my brilliance. But when you're a kid, people allow you to have stupid dreams. They think it's cute, but eventually they tire of it. They tell you that you can't do that, silently saying that you have to become like them, suffer like they do. I tried so hard to fight against it, to be different, to break away. Everyone wants you to become just like them. Hopeless. Depressed. I realised they don't wanna see someone else succeed, because it reminds them of their failure. They become jealous, petty…'

  'And hateful,' Lucifer added.

  The woman opened her eyes, turning towards him. 'Yes, hateful,' she agreed, before brushing her hair back, 'But not like your kind.'

  'No,' Lucifer agreed. 'Not like my kind.'

  The woman nodded then, saying nothing as she continued to regard him. Though he didn't understand why, Lucifer felt compelled to sit at her level, lowering himself so that he was sitting on the floor. The woman then reached behind her and brought the wide dish towards Lucifer, who could see what looked like hundreds of black tablets sitting within. He didn't know what they were, nor their effects. He realised he had only a few minutes before he lost her again, his expression darkening as he returned his gaze towards her.

  'What are they?' he asked.

  The woman shrugged. 'No idea, but they make you feel good. You dream after a few minutes.'

  Lucifer nodded, pretending to understand as he considered his next question. 'Why are you so obsessed about feeling good?'

  The woman smiled, though Lucifer saw the sadness within it. 'Because I've felt the opposite most of my life. My head's fucked, Hateful boy. You don't wanna know what goes on in here. Stress. Anxiety. Depression. I got it all. Most of us do. We just wanna be free. We just wanna feel happy and…'

  Her face broke then, her lips trembling as tears fell. Despite himself, despite the fact he knew he should hate this woman and everyone else in the room, Lucifer leant forward and allowed her to embrace him. He listened to her sob, trying not to allow the emotions to overwhelm him. Emotions could do that if you weren't careful. You didn't want to take on everyone else's pain.

  Still, one could offer comfort, even if for just a few moments.

  This is human suffering, Lucifer thought, allowing the woman to hold him despite his desire to pull away, despising the sensation as his skin crawled. Inside, he felt a strange feeling rise from within. It was like a cold flush, emerging from his chest towards the rest of his body, ending at his head, fingers, and toes. Lucifer had felt it enough times to know what it meant. It was the emergence of the voice.

  Nothing changes, it said. The dream must come to fruition.

  I know, Lucifer replied in his mind. We all suffer, but at least I can offer her this mercy.

  The woman released him, prompting him to let her go. For a moment they regarded each other in silence, he saying nothing; her appearing appreciative.

  'Thanks, Hateful boy,' she whispered, as tears continued running down her cheeks. 'But…it's already too late…'

  A grin emerged then, signalling that the drugs were working, heralding the return of the madness.

  'Wanna fuck, Hateful boy?'

  Lucifer said nothing, regarding her sadly before he rose to his feet. He then held out his right hand and tapped into his Elemental Blessing, summoning a ball of fire that drew the woman's fascinated stare. Lucifer allowed himself to feel sadness, knowing that he had never done so for a human.

  'I'm going to end your suffering now,' he whispered, before tossing the ball of fire towards the floor. There it ignited and spread, while Lucifer turned and stepped towards the door, closing it behind him. Screams did not follow, only laughter and gasps of euphoria. Lucifer made his way back towards the main reception, prompting the owner to gaze at him quizzically.

  'Everything alright?' he asked. Lucifer answered by tapping into his Blessing as a Transformative, summoning his large revolver, before shooting him in the head. It exploded like a burst melon, and the owner's corpse fell back before sliding down the wall, painting it in blood.

  'That's for taking advantage of them,' he said, before looking ahead and noticing the large bald guard burst into the room. By this point, he knew that smoke was emerging behind him, and he shifted his revolver into a pair of razor-sharp black claws, with long silver blades for fingers.

  'You have three seconds to run,' Lucifer warned. The guard looked beyond him, realising what he had done. He turned and ran, leaving Lucifer to follow him while the rest of the building burned all around them. By the time he reached the staircase, he saw the guard staring at the burning Dreamhouse, glancing down towards Lucifer in horror.

  'Tell them,' he said, as the voice laughed from within, causing him to shudder, 'Tell them all: My name is Lucifer Armedeus, and I will become the new god of this world. I will end the suffering of my race.'

  The guard said nothing, gazing horrified towards the Dreamhouse before he span on his heels and ran. No doubt he would spread the message far. If not, the sight behind Lucifer would, as he allowed his Blessing to fade. The Dreamhouse seethed with fire, creating a mighty torch that all of Exia would see.

  'Your suffering is over now,' he said.

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