It was dark, and it was cold. Not to mention that it smelled like death.

Not exactly the Cryophoenix's idea of a getaway, but there wasn't much he could do about it now.

Hot Wings had a scowl on his face as he trudged through the gloomy habitation, muttering something under his breath. He was probably cursing that over-sized clown for sending him here in the first place… not that Super Dimentio could hear him.

The whole place was kind of off. Any plant life seemed lifeless, and the inhabitants… well, they were dead too. Large worm-like creatures scurried about, or simply carried on with idle chat. They stared at Hot Wings as he passed, exchanging looks and whispers. The large bird merely rolled his eyes. But then, he stopped in his tracks; where exactly was he going again? He had no idea where this place was, or… well, WHAT this place was. It couldn't hurt to ask directions… no, that was silly.

Wait, what am I thinking!? He thought to himself; grinning. The Magic Anon must have been getting to him.

"Uh, excuse me? Sir, or, uh… Miss?" Hot Wings called to one of the smaller entities; a darkly-colored creature with white eyes. The fragile-looking thing gave him a shocked expression, before tilting its head to the side.

"Yeah, uh, you! Hey, can you, like, tell me where I am?"

"…"

Hot Wings sighed, hurriedly trotting over to the creature, only for it to produce a frightened squeak and dart into the withered underbrush. Or… at least it tried to.

Grabbing the shadow-like being's middle, Hot Wings yanked it from its hiding place and held it close to his face.

"So. You're the quiet type, I'm guessing?"

"…"

The creature suddenly cried out, nearly bursting into tears.

"I-I-I… p-please sir, don't send me to the Depths! I-I didn't do anything wrong, I s-swear!" It squealed in a pathetic, high-pitched voice. It was definitely a girl.

Hot Wings sneered. "The Depths? Come on, I'm not going to kill you or anything. I just want to know there I am."

The little lady stared at him, dumbfounded. "Oh. Well." She whispered, staring at the ground "W-well, sir…"

"… Yes?"

"…"

"Well!? Come on, spit it out!"

"You're dead."

Everything seemed silent, until the worm spoke up again. "So, how'd your game end, anyway? Poison 1-Up? Bad jump? Or did someone-"

Hot Wings dropped his associate in shock, resulting in another pitiful squeak.

"I-I… I'm…"

The worm nodded, frowning. "You're dead, sir."

Hot Wings screamed.

"N-no, NO! I can't be dead! I… what about…" He squawked, glancing around frantically. "W-what about… oh, NOVA…"

The worm stared at him with a look of sympathy. "H-hey, don't flip out! Everyone here is dead. It's the Underwhere."

Hot Wings shot her a weird look. "The under-what?"

"Not that kind of Underwhere, stupid. It's the place where people go when they get the big "GAME OVER", huh? Guess you weren't that bad in life. But then again, you weren't that good either."

Hot Wings was confused; he wasn't understanding any of this.

"W-what do you-"

"For a guy with no extra lives, you're pretty clueless. Isn't it obvious? The Underwhere is the afterlife for people that've been neutral in their time of living. You know, World -1? The Bad Guys go to the Depths; the Good Guys go to the Overthere. The people who fit in between the two poles of life end up here."

Hot Wings had to think about this for a moment. "So I'm definitely de-"

"Yes."

Rats.

"But then again, the fact that you haven't turned into a Shayde, like me, is completely and utterly unusual." The worm muttered, shaking her head. "Queen Jaydes must favor you."

It was all too perplexing. Hot Wings waved frantically, signaling for the girl to slow down.

"Wait wait wait! Who's this Jaydes you're-?"

"EXCUSE you!" The Shayde interrupted rudely, scowling. "That would be Queen Jaydes to you, sir. QUEEN Jaydes. Nothing less. She's the scariest thing in the Underwhere… and that is SAYING something."

Hot Wings winced. For her size, this little Shayde had a sharp tongue.

"W-well… alright. Queen Jaydes. Who exactly…?"

The worm rolled her eyes. "She's the queen of the Underwhere and the Depths below it, sir. She watches over us with the help of her D-men. She's the one who sends people back to their worlds when they prove themselves. Like one time- um, sir, where are you going?"

Hot Wings was already walking away when the Shayde called out to him.

"Well, I'm going to find the Queen and get back to my old life! What do you think I'm doing?" The Cryophoenix laughed, lightening his pace just enough so his guide could catch up.

Speaking of his 'guide', she didn't seem too happy about Hot Wings leaving on his own. "Well, you see, sir… dear Grambi, you'd never make it! The Underwhere is just treacherous and… well, you'd be sent to the Depths in a matter of minutes."

"Oh, I would, would I? Well then, I suppose I need an escort. And now thinking about it… you'll do just fine. Come along now; I'd like to get back to life as soon as possible." Hot Wings explained, hurrying the Shayde along with one wing. Another thing she didn't seem too happy about.

"W-whaat!? No! I-I can't go! I-I don't want to die again!" The worm squealed, squirming away.

The large bird stopped and looked at her for a second, before he continued to walk, leaving her behind.

"Well, suit yourself, honey. You can just hang out around here and continue the rest of your dull little life in this dump. You'll be missing out on the adventure~!" Hot Wings cooed, disappearing further into the distance.

… Adventure?

"Sir! Excuse me, sir!" The worm called, slithering as fast as she could to catch up. "We're going to need to go west towards the River of Tears. Come on, turn around. You're going east." She instructed, nudging the wandering bird in the right direction with her head.

Hot Wings only smiled.

"Fenikurou." He suddenly replied, stretching a wing towards the Shayde as he walked. In return, the girl only rolled her eyes.

"I can't shake your hand, but the name's Constance. Follow my lead, and you won't get lost in this loony bin. But just remember… we can turn around if you get scared, alright?" She mocked, staring up at the Cryophoenix with a crafty expression.

"… Maggot."

"Chicken."

((Welp, Hot Wings is dead. Will she- ... er, HE ever regain his not-deadness? Tune in next time if you're actually interested!))