Tom was listening to the Fiend. His mother wanted him to be freed from the gods but Talkus wasn't going to let him go, he was feeling it. At the moment, all is attention was focused on Alice. She hadn't looked at him since she was there.

Alice looked at the Fiend. She hadn't seen him in weeks and now, she had to stay for a stupid trial. Ezik took her hand. Alice smiled slightly. Even if it was subtle, the Devil saw it. His face turned serious in the second. He was distracted by Lamia who said, "Are you going to let him, I'll give you my soul for that!" Talkus answered her, "He won't be free, he still had betrayed our daughter, but, he won't be tortured again. He will work as a slave here." Lamia started to cry. Also, Grimalkin will be freed." The goddess replied angrily to his last sentence, "The witch represents a bigger threat than my son! If she's free, Tom is too." Talkus laughed at her before answering on a orotund voice, "We take the decisions about your son Lamia. You interrupted me with your screaming while I was speaking. I wanted to ask that if you want your son to be relieved from his suffering than you shall give us your soul."

Tom looked at his mother horrified.

Alice gasped.

Slitter did the same as her.

The Fiend and Talkus were the only one smiling at the moment.

Lamia stepped closer. She looked at Tom with a sad smile. She said on a voice so low that only him could hear it, "Reduce them to ashes my son. Do it for me or in my memory." Tom tried to free himself from his chains without success.

Lamia knelt down in front of Talkus who got out of his throne. Alice looked at Tom for the first time since she was in the room. In front of his sad eyes and tortured face, she couldn't do anything than try to reach him and help him. She was stopped by the Fiend. She had no other choice than watch. Slitter was watching too.

Talkus slowly took out of his case one of the dangerous heroes blades. Talkus had access to all of them because Tom had the Destiny blade, Grimalkin had Bone cutter and finally the Fiend had Dolorous. The god chose Bone cutter. He made sign to the two guards next to Tom to come and hold the goddess. Lamia looked at Talkus with a neutral face.

He placed her in a way that everyone could see what he would do to her.

He started by cutting her fingers. She cried after the first hand was done. He was proceeding slowly to inflict a maximum of pain. He was slicing one phalanx at the time. Lamia screamed.

Alice tried to quit the room be the Devil was holding her. He whispered, "You're staying and watching. I'll hold you if needed." Slitter and Ezik weren't looking shocked at all.

When Talkus finished with the hands. He made a sign to a guard. A few moments later, the guard was back with a cross made of a dark wood. The guard tied Lamia to it. Talkus took Dolorous in his hand. After a moment, he started to skin her. The goddess screamed louder than ever.

Tom was crying, Grimalkin was too. Alice closed her eyes but the screaming and crying were worse. Even Slitter and Ezik looked away for a moment because they felt that it was too violent.

After a half an hour, Talkus sighed with satisfaction. He had just pulled out the goddess's heart and her skin was laying on the floor. He washed his hands and said, "What about we go and enjoy a great supper together. Slitter you could bring Nessa." The Fiend added, "The guard will clean the messe for us."

The two gods left the room together. Slitter, Ezik and Alice left to go take a moment in the living room. Ezik puked immediately. Slitter commented on a low voice, "How...it was so violent...so disgusting." Alice agreed silently to his comment. She was still in shock. "When Ezik will be done puking, we'll be able to go eat that supper."Alice laughed weakly.

Talkus was sitting at the table next to the Fiend. The table had been dressed beautifully. Their glasses had been filled with some delicious red wine. Satan had made the blood forbidden in his presence, he found it disgusting. Alice and Slitter finally arrived. Ezik wasn't with them. "The Shaiksa had an emergency and it was him or I who had to take care of it." Slitter had lied but if he had said that Ezik had left because he was tired, it wouldn't have been good for him. They took place at the table.

"What are you going to eat?" Asked Talkus.

Slitter answered, "I don't know, I'm not really hungry." Alice answered pretty much the same thing. Talkus nodded before saying, "You tried to left sooner Alice." Alice replied, "Yes." "Well, l would like to know why?" Asked the god while he was looking at her. The Devil answered for her, "She wasn't expecting a punishment for Lamia. She tough that you weren't expecting her to stay and watch which she did after I told her to." Talkus took a satisfied face.

After a one or two hours, Alice decided to go to sleep. The Fiend got out of his chair and said, "I'll take you to your room." Which he did in a few seconds. Once she was in her room, Alice sat on her bed. The Devil sat next to her.

Alice was looking at the floor. She got up to go change her dress for a more comfortable clothe such as a night gown. After she was dressed, she went back to were she was sitting. The Fiend put his hand on her back she was shaking, not much but still. "What's going on?", he asked. She ignored her question which she didn't needed to answer because he knew exactly what was bothering her like that. He tried to engage a conversation about what have happened earlier with a calmer voice, "Talkus did something that was needed. In fact, our enemies need to have an example of what will happen if they try to make any move against us." Alice replied on a broken voice, "But I can't...I...I won't be able to unsee theses images. They'll haunt me just like my others memories." She was looking at him straight in the eyes. Tears were coming out from her amber eyes. At that moment, he realized how much she was still the fragile little girl that Tom had sold to him, his fragile little girl. He passed his arm around her and got her closer to him. She didn't resisted. He could feel the movement of her chest caused by her breathing. Alice tried to calm herself, her breathing became more regular and body relaxed. She felt the Devil's hand passing trough his hair. He wasn't doing that to comfort her, it was because when he was closer to her, he was able to know what were her emotions. It was caused by the fact that he had been in her mind. She was falsely calmed.

He said, "Alice, you won't have to stay for the next trial, I promise you." She nodded weakly. He took hand he almost gasped because of her coldness. It was like ice. He continued to hold it in attempt to warm her, his hand so bigger than Alice's one couldn't even fulfill his palm. "Are you feeling a little bit better?", the Fiend asked. She was lost in her mind she said on a serious voice, "Get out!" He asked innocently, "Alice, what are you saying?" She gripped his hand and whispered with an angry voice, "Get out of my mind. Leave me alone." He stopped. It was probably the first time that someone had noticed his mental intrusion so quickly. Alice got up and went sitting on an another side of the bed. The Devil turned back to face her and said, "I'm sorry, I should've asked your permission but it's easier for me to understand when I can know what you're thinking or feeling in the moment." She ignored her answer, "I thought that you cared enough about me to ask for a permission. Even if you don't need one.", she responded. The Devil sighted, she was right after all. Alice had moved while she was talking, she was now standing in the middle of her room.

He got out of the bed and walked in her direction. He tried to hug her but she refused. The Fiend said, "I'm sorry Alice. I truly am. You're right." She whispered, "If you don't care about me..." He stopped her by saying, "I do care about you, I'm sorry for not asking your permission. I just wants what's best for you." She looked at him with a face a little bit less sad. He passed his arm around her her. She got closer to him. He kissed the top of her head.

Alice's eyes were closed. She was incredibly tired and she was starting to fall asleep against the Devil's chest. She was literally falling on the floor when the Fiend stopped her by taking her in his arm. He brought her in her bed. He hesitated to search her mind one last time, just to make sure that she was feeling better. He decided to let her mind alone.

He stayed a few minutes before he left her alone.

The Devil entered his room. Talkus was waiting for him on the bed. He only had his pants on. The Fiend sat next to him and kissed him passionately after. Talkus said on a hoarse voice, "I waited enough, take your clothes off." Satan whispered on the same tone, "Do it first." Talkus executed himself and waited for him to do the same. The god had a perfectly sculpted body. He was very appealing. The Fiend looked at him with a smiling face before taking his clothes off. Talkus kissed him again before saying, "I hate saying this but I love you". The Devil laughed and said, "Oh, everyone does my dear."

Slitter's appartement

Slitter was sitting on the couch of his nice salon. A fire was warming the whole room. Nessa was in his arm. He had bought her after he had to give her as a slave. She was beautiful with her long and brilliant hair. She was perfect for him. She turned back to him and said, "How was the trial finally? Is everyone happy?" Slitter shook his head negatively and answered, "No one is happy about how the way that trial ended. In fact, everyone is pretty disgusted or shocked. I rather forget everything that happened there." Nessa took his face and her hands and said with her sweet voice, "It doesn't matter to me Slitter." She kissed him. "I just wish we could be parents." Slitter replied softly, "You would have been a great mother Nessa. But I can't have children 'cause I'm just infertile like my sister." Nessa added, "And I don't want to raise children that aren't our."

They went to their bed. The day had been difficult for everyone.