Weyland's Visit

[7twistedwishes]

On the other side of the door... Hell.

No, no fire and brimstone. A large room, half living room, half office, tastefully decorated and furnished. Thick carpet, a big couch, several recliners, an old-style desk, bookshelves, filing cabinets... and a computer too. Classical music plays in the background and the delicate scent of incense hangs in the air.

The Devil steps aside to let Weyland in enter. No need to make promises of release for him, since he is out of her purview.

Comments

[mechanicalswans]

"I was not a god, but I have made myself into one," he says, taking her hand. "If you want to be freed from this place, I am sure there are ways... not easy, of course, but nothing worth having ever is. Would you like to be free?"

[7twistedwishes]

"Weyland, dear... the way to free me is to convince a god that he does not need me anymore, or to take the keys from these manacles from their guardian. And even of I am freed that way, what would prevent him from locking me again?" Oh, look... her touch makes a thin layer of frost appear on his hands.

[mechanicalswans]

"If he can't find you, he can't lock you up," he says with a light shrug. "If he doesn't see what is happening until it's too late... there are always ways."

[7twistedwishes]

"Tell me when you have a plan, dear. I don't dare having hope." It would just add to her suffering. "Do you still think I am strong?"

[mechanicalswans]

"Even the strongest can be tricked or trapped," he says. "There is no shame in that, only in giving up once trapped. There is always a way out. Is there anything special about the locks? Can they be broken, or picked, or... and the chains?"

[7twistedwishes]

She moves the manackles enough to show her wrists, scarred over and bruised. "I have spent thousands of years trying to break them. I don't think they can be broken. They are not mudane locks, so I doubt they can be picked."

The Devil shifts from an uncomfortable position to the next. "My brother Uriel has the key."

[mechanicalswans]

"Anything is possible," he says quietly, firmly. "It just depends on how you go about it. They could be broken, but it would take something very powerful."

He touches one of the locks. "Would your brother give up the key? Or could he be tricked into it?"

[7twistedwishes]

"Uriel? Dear, If such thing is possible, Uriel is worse than me. He was made to be the cold unfeeling bastard needed to do dirty work that can be done openly by an angel... he is the sword of divine fury, the herald of revenge. And he is not a dim-witted bully either, so... no chance of him giving it away, no, and tricking him would be extremely hard if not impossible."

She touches his arm briefly. "Weyland dear, do not worry yourself. I did not bring you here to convince you to free me."

[mechanicalswans]

"If you wanted to be freed, and if it were in my power, I would make it happen," he says quietly. "Tell me, little one--how quickly do you heal? There is more than one way to break a chain."

[7twistedwishes]

"Too quick here, Weyland. I tries tearing off my own limbs already, it does not work. There is only one way to release me."

[mechanicalswans]

"Only with the key?"

He rubs the back of his neck, watching her.

"If there is one thing I have, one thing both of us have, it is time. I'm sure it can be done."

[7twistedwishes]

"The key, to open them. And a living, self-aware being has to willingly take my place. My world needs a Devil and a Hell." Oh, yes, there is the trick and catch.

[mechanicalswans]

"If a replacement were found, would your brother give us the key?" he asks. "Or would it still require some manipulation? I would think it wouldn't be so hard finding a volunteer, as long as they would not need to know the full extent of the situation."

[7twistedwishes]

"But they do. The agreement can not be tricked nor coerced, they have to know what it entails, to be chained to this rock and spend eternity here tormenting humanity." The Devil shakes head. "Forget it, Weyland. As bad as it is, my prison will not kill me. I am needed."

[mechanicalswans]

"The solution seems very simple, to me," he says with a dangerous smile. "You are surrounded by how many souls, who have been themselves tormented for a long time? Offer one of them their freedom if they take your place. Life is simple enough to arrange. If your god finds out and sends you back, well, you will have had some freedom in the meantime."

[7twistedwishes]

"Weyland, I have been here for nearly seven thousand years. If it were that easy, I would have done it already. No tricks, no cheating, whoever takes my place can not be coerced. Free will. Complete free will. I have tried all the tricks and loopholes you can think of already."

[mechanicalswans]

"It will happen, I am certain," he says. "In the meantime, though, are there ways to make you more comfortable? As comfortable as one can be in a frozen prison, anyway."

[7twistedwishes]

"Not much. I con not be warmed by any means, and the chains and the rock were made to be short enough and rough enough. A devil has to be an angry being, right? The prison was made to keep my rage endless." She looks around. "And in good company."

[mechanicalswans]

He offers her his cigarette.

"Your god is cruel," he says, "more cruel than you are. Such a world your people live in--life is cruel in mine, but we were honest about it. The All-Father was never portrayed as kind."

[7twistedwishes]

The cigarette is accepted. "The Lord is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and wrath. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and furiously destroys his enemies! The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished."

She smirks. "I rebelled against him, and I am being punished."

[mechanicalswans]

"But it was decreed, was it not?" he asks. "If he knows everything, he would know what you were to do. It would have been his will, yes? Why should he punish you for that?"

[7twistedwishes]

The Devil just shrugs hopelessly. "I am not a god, dear, I would not know." Her cold made the ciggy go out and the Devil sighs. "Fact is, I am here to do a dirty job. For example, right now one of my avatars is putting in motion a sequence of events that will lead a protestant preacher to murder someone in broad daylight with a tire iron, over a pointless argument that gets out of hand. He will be gunned down by police... unless he or the guy he fights with remembers to back off, use a bit of common sense and realizes the argument is petty and both are upset about other things."

[mechanicalswans]

"I prefer to test individuals on their own," he says, "without the innocent bystanders. But sometimes it is only by involving the innocent that you can see the depths of a person's character."

[7twistedwishes]

There are no true innocents in my world. "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of the Lord."

"All are mine to torment until they prove themselves worthy of more."

[mechanicalswans]

"I like to test them," he says. "Sometimes some people catch my attention, either in a good way or a bad one. So I study them, as one would an exotic animal or a new species of plant. I see how they react to different situations. A good way to help boredom, I have found."