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The Following is a fan-based

FICTION

Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss are all owned by Vivienne Medrano + numerous amazing independent animators, music-makers, and voice actors.

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Chapter 32: Past Lie, Present Truth

1942, from the pages of Nestor XXX…

I should have known that it was going to be more difficult than Alastor made it. But I wanted to trust my brother. He meant all that he was saying.

He was bound to this monster, shackled by the nefarious plot the bastard was aiming to drag him into. I knew, despite Alastor's own shortcomings in recent years, despite the fact he was now submitted to this monster, that he was still there. My brother was still there. And when we arrived at the manor, the very place I had checked on many times before investigating in town now… I learned that the place wasn't completely 'open'.

Not for those that didn't have the means to reach the 'lower basement' that I wasn't aware of. A place that not even our parents knew about, a small place that was once used by people before their presence. People that were tied to their mother. People that were family to her, once, and that she had broken away from due to the horrible deeds they were responsible for. If our parents were horrible, then those were far worse. Satan's worshiper, or rather people that wanted a demon to give them powers.

Satan might have not answered, but Furfur did. And whatever happened when he came forth and claimed a prize out of that family, mother's mind was shattered and her boyfriend at the time 'enticed' to take care of this mess himself. Father was… a monster himself. But one that did that kind of dreadful murder spree out of love and worry. This was well beyond the comfortable level of a serial killer, one that soon 'retired' when this whole ordeal sounded to be done with. It was a mistake to consider this as such, after all… Furfur had been roaming for some time, with his plans revolving about the rest of the court that waited for his return.

When we arrived at our destination, we were greeted by a massive ritual room meant to summon Furfur and his court within this plain of existence. The former had already done it, while the latter group was… taking some time before coming. Imps, gremlin-like creatures with red-skin, pointy tails and horns- there was a large posse of them. Cleaning up the room proved to be mostly a bloody endeavor. Especially when the little critters were really vicious and gave me no choice but ease down my restraint when it came to kill them.

Alastor… didn't mind being 'expressive' with his own powers. Tendrils appeared through small openings created mid-air, shredding through flesh and bone. It was a massacre, one that we were responsible for. But in good faith, all for the sake of shattering the hold this demon was building on the mortal realm. The room was soon clearing, with a single element remaining. A rift that led… to hell?

"It's beyond it. We need to move quickly."

A nod, holding back a nervous gulp as I could tell that this was far from simple. This still sounded simple despite the many corpses of Imps we just finished slaying, and I was proved correct with that intuition when we crossed the portal and we were greeted by a single individual. A very familiar one… except he was no longer using his human form. Furfur was… monstrous. Deer-like elements, similar to Alastor but taken to a greater notch, were most evident within its demonic appearance and his smile was… chilling.

"Alastor, you treacherous little thing. How could you break your father's heart like this?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded, confused by the words he just used. Father? To Alastor? He was my brother, and I couldn't believe it.

"Oh yes, you. Another spawn of mine, sadly unable to fulfill the expectations I had for a child of mine. Such a shame, Nestor. Such a shame."

Before I could get more out of it, the notion that he called us his sons, I was suddenly slammed away by an invisible force, something that forced me to land back-first on the wall right behind me. Pain shot through my whole being as I felt my body numbed by the pure agony searing into my bones. I coughed some blood, my vision a bit blurry as I saw Alastor trying and failing to stop Furfur and reach me, I could tell he was trying but… it was an uphill fight, and one he was losing.

[Do you want to win against the monsters of old and against those that endanger humanity?]

The voice left me stunned if not breathless with its angelic connotation. I felt my lungs cleared out of the pain and the stress. I didn't remember much of the whole experience beyond it leaving me in a state of ethereal understanding. My mind was no longer clouded as sole objective resounded deep within my core, cleansing the pain and leaving just… me. My shotgun glowed, a strange engraving appearing on the side and coating in a soft light as I stood up and glared at Furfur, the Demon dully glancing at Alastor as he continued to torture my brother. I felt anger echoing through the world around me and… the walls cracked due to this for some odd reason.

"Yes..."

[Then I shall bless you. A single chance... don't miss it, Nestor~.]

And that was a sign that Furfur seemed to miss. A mistake that he would come to regret for his entire life. Especially when I felt vigor return to my body, my wounds healed as I took aim at him and took the shot. Surprise painted on Furfur as he dropped Alastor from his spell, his body having moved out of instinct as he tried to dodge the shot, only for the pellets to claim a large chunk of flesh out of his right arm. Eyes wide open, fear flashing back at me as I pumped a new shell in the gun, grinning as I knew that I just got the thing to push him away.

"I hope you are ready to fucking die for good, papa."

A smile briefly appeared on his face, as vicious as Nestor's, but unable to survive within the looming dread pooling within his chest. This was it, this was where Furfur would face his end one way or another.

And I was sure going to make him pay for what he did to our family, regardless of the truth behind this whole madness!

When I got back to the manor, I was incredibly tired.

I had many questions to ask, but soon found out that I couldn't get hold of Alastor as he was out for some unplanned businesses. A bit convenient considering the current situation I was in, but I doubted Uncle Al was aware of my skirmish with Furfur. No, I wanted to believe in the suddenness of the situation, especially since Molly was quite convinced that it had been tied to a legitimate 'issue from above'. A bit odd for a development, but I didn't question it. Not when I was just so tired and Molly's chest was so soft and fluffy that it drew me to bed almost instantly. Just cuddles, she had a rough day herself while spending time with her father and brother. From the way she worded it, it would seem both were unsure if they wanted to be angry at me at the discovery I didn't have just Molly as a girlfriend, or begrudgingly fine with the fact I treated her well, I had the means to make her happy and I was doing that.

So yes, that was going to be a can of worms to deal with once I had the chance to flush out the sheer amount of stress I had accumulated in a single day. The cuddling was nice to soothe my poor brain and body, and I was in heaven… for a few hours. When morning came, so did the first news from the tabloids mentioning a few things that happened the night before. Not much, I could tell that Stolas and Stella had put a lot of effort to prevent the worst from getting out to the public. But there was nothing preventing the news from getting out that I was now engaged with Via and that they had a raw depiction of how I looked under the mask. Something that both enticed the public and emboldened the paparazzi to try and get the picture of that 'mysterious guy' without a mask. Something that was going to be really worrying if I didn't find a way to protect my mask from any surprises to have it removed.

The morning was just quite 'mild' in terms of eventfulness, but nothing really bad or worthy of issues… except for when Uncle Al finally got back home and brought a new individual to the house. I didn't have much to say about this unknown element, mostly because 'she' was wearing dark clothes that blocked off any details about her and she had a mask on. It wasn't a gasmask like mine, but one of those white full-head Japanese ones with some red lines near the holes for the eyes and two fox ears-like protrusion atop it. I wasn't sure what it was all about, and I definitely felt surprised when the girl, walking towards me in a way that would seem to greet me with a handshake, actually went for a hug and…

This felt familiar.

"Alan."

Quiet, so quiet. A whisper. It was…

"Lara?!"

I tensed up, but didn't break the hug up, my chin actually moving to nuzzle her mask and… I felt surprised when she removed the mask itself and showed that it was truly her. Her eyes, her face and… that teary look I was quite aware she would pull when she felt uneasy and yet happy of a situation. I was happy about this development… but there was also a bit of confusion, and all for the good reasons. How did she get there? And why did she do this? Alastor shed some light on the doubts I had on the predicament and he was quite keen to make it clear that this wasn't going to be a permanent disposition. Lara had decided to check on me, didn't find me, started to look around and eventually Alastor found her. She got a bit of a pep talk, an explanation on the situation and the promise of bringing her to me if she got herself disguised before the trip in hell. Clearly this was a bit of a throwback to the shit storm I got pulled in when I first got yanked in this place, and it seemed to have worked well for the girl.

Speaking of which, she was still hugging me, unwilling to let go until she got out of my mouth that what was going on, that everything Alastor told her about this being Hell, and that we were really related to a demon or two, might be true. As I went on to confirm what Alastor said… I also started to get the topic regarding Furfur started. Slowly, carefully so, but Uncle Al picked up that this was going to be an incredibly awkward conversation. Soon Molly took hold and started to interact with Lara, the blonde taking a while to warm up to the spider sinner but eventually getting to the point where the two were sitting on the couch, chatting warmly while I was walking with the Radio Demon back to his office. There was silence, but it was a small facade meant to keep things civil. I could tell that Alastor wasn't ready for it, but I wasn't willing to wait anymore. Not when Furfur had already made a direct attempt at me.

"It's not a simple situation. I'm sure you understand this much, nephew." Alastor mused calmly, trying but failing to hide away the inner tension growing. "Furfur is not a topic I am willing to entertain if not necessary."

"...I had a brief skirmish with him. He tried to 'test' me and I barely got away with what I just got," I remarked flatly, his attention captured by my words and… I showed him the few changes this new form gave me. "And I got this while fighting some nobles and-"

I stopped feeling Alastor's gloved fingers poke at my cheek, the man's eyes wide open as he studied the few changes to my form and what felt so close to his. It was almost like a mirror in some aspects, except he was a Deer and I was a Fox. Quiet, confused, and yet… upset. Not towards me, I couldn't feel the heat gurgling within him aimed at me. No, it looked like he was angry at… someone else.

"So, he had lied to me back then… I should have known," He sighed, talking to himself from the looks of it. "Of course. He would have never told me this. A backup, I was a fool to think we beat him back then."

"Uncle-"

"Furfur is a mastermind, Alan. A very dangerous one if you are not completely prepared to beat him. And trust me when I say that you have to avoid him at all costs now as a confrontation at this stage," The Radio Demon interrupted, looking back at me. "Right now, you have… something that confirms his expectations and it's not good."

"What are you talking about? What sort of expectations?"

He sighed. "When my mother was still young, she was a strong believer of what her family stood for. Witchcraft, satanism and a full rejection of God as the true Lord. In their pursuit of power, Furfur became a possible solution to reach out to Lucifer. The issue being that… Furfur wasn't loyal to Lucifer, and he had been waiting so long to get a chance to leave his side. When he was first summoned, he saw that chance and he took it. From that first visit… Nestor was born."

"T-That doesn't make any sense."

"In a way it doesn't. Especially when it comes to the fact Furfur saw your ancestor great-grandfather as a failure. Someone that bore not a single hint of demonic blood in his veins. An anomaly, one that he didn't allow himself to let happen again. Not with me."

"...He came back again?"

"Our mother managed to leave, but she was kidnapped around the time our 'father' was dating her. He was… not a pleasant person, and took the kidnapping as a very personal slight to him. Furfur was lucky to get fully freed during that second summoning, or he would have been kept in hell for God knows how long," Alastor continued, looking as uneasy as possible due to the topic. "Time passed, and things would take a bizarre turn of events when Nestor left to live elsewhere and then joined the US Army."

My gaze numbly followed his movements, ultimately noticing the unfamiliar journal that he was holding in his hands. Yet, the explanation didn't stop, the tale didn't end there. Alastor went on to explain what happened to him. How Furfur approached him, how he promised him a chance to be happy, to be known, to feel whole but… then it all came to an end. When the trickery ended with him losing his soul for good and becoming a puppet to him.

Nestor came back to check on the family business, he found out what happened and then helped Alastor by returning Furfur to Hell and then killing Alastor himself. It wasn't a pleasant story, I didn't imagine it otherwise. The real unexpected factor was how much that influenced Uncle Al's perspective of things. Cautious, uncaring of Hell's affairs if not for his personal amusement or betterment. He had the power to 'play', but decided to leave politics shelved the furthest from him.

He looked so beaten down as he was done with it and… I was staring blankly at the journal. It was Nestor's, and it was meant for me. Why… Why was it here? Had it been there in the manor? Had he expected me to go back to it despite the warnings he gave to everyone to do it? Perhaps he knew that I would have still checked for a reason or another.

"Nestor… he never gave off any signs of having powers. He was too stubborn to be human, too 'common' for him to have any form of connection with Furfur beyond blood and… yet his line ended up creating you. With high chances Lara too has a degree of power. This means that it would be best for Lara's stay to be temporary. She will live at the old family manor, and can visit at times, but I don't need to explain why her stay could compromise her life altogether."

"Yes," I hummed curtly, trying to understand the intricacies of that entire predicament. Who would have known my family was this messy in terms of blood ties and magical ones?

"I want you to make a promise. Not to me, but to yourself, Alan," Alastor muttered quietly. "You have to be careful to not use your full power. If you do, if you unleash what is left to unleash… Furfur doesn't know that Lucifer will be the least of your troubles. God will be involved, for the power you hold now… compared to what you could get. It would be a game changer. A big one."

"I see-"

"You don't. This might sound like a simple warning, this is actually me telling you that any moment you go to that extra step, God will know and God will try to end you. And it's not about Magic, this much I think you will just end up obtaining the power to be considered Furfur's heir and the one that will surpass him. No, it's the type of magic that our family plays with, with some differences… and yours being the closest to him."

"...I understand."

"Now… I suggest you don't think too much about it. Yes, it's an… important matter. But please, don't let this be known to others. At least, not those that you can't fully trust."

"I will just tell those that can keep quiet about it," I promised and he offered a… tired smile. A very tired smile.

"Thank you."

It sounded almost like a whimper, and I wasn't even sure this was about me promising him that last bit. It sounded more tied to what I just heard and what it meant in the great scheme of things. I couldn't tell why on the spot but I had this distinct feeling that this- this was something Alastor had been waiting for a long time to let out. And relief was now pouring in as he did so. And now that I knew what drove Furfur to be this obsessed with 'our' family, I could shift my attention on Lara and make sure that what happened to me didn't become a reason for her to be targeted.

That was the last thing I needed was to become a thing...

AN

The truth is out, Lara is now here in Hell and… I think I want to make a bit of an announcement.

Considering how this plot is stretching a wee bit, I don't need to explain that I will probably stop in a few chapters (for a 'few' I generally mean between 6 to 14 chapters from now), which means I will have to wrap up unsolved stuff and try to make all ends right. Next few chapters will focus on three big arcs:

1) Hazbin Hotel's interactions;

2) Family-related situations like the one with Lara and with Furfur;

3) Velvet and Sallie May;

After that, I think there will be two more arcs about Alan's rank improving and then dealing with a big finale which I will not bring up right now, not even with a hint or two.

Lastly, I know that many of you will be slightly disappointed with this, but the story that comes after this one is not about Hazbin/Helluva boss. I thought about it, and I decided that another 'barely known' genre is getting some love. This one will have better traction in AO3 due to how large that specific fandom is, but will be mostly unknown to FFN. In fact, there's no category in FFN about this fandom (despite the fact I think there should be one due to its popularity in Webtoon). Either that or a story set in the Erma webcomic, I think I will set up a poll or something to get some insight in that regard. Still, that's all I have to say… and I have plans for something big this Christmas. Something that I'm quite sure some of my readers for a while will love since it's a… sequel to something I had completed in the past. And that's all I will say about it. XD

REVIEW Q&A!

LurkerReader007: Yes.

Coldblue2015:
1) There will be a focus on that quite soon;
2) Something of that kind, yes;
3) Very unlikely;
4) Furfur's plan is complicated and messy, I will just let the story do that rather than tell it;
5) There are plans for that. After all, this is still a serious relationship between these individuals and they need to talk out the fine details, limitations and, hopefully, sanctions for some behaviors and plans for the future;
6) I can't say much about it, but there is a plan about angelic stuff.

HelluvaFan:
1) Dunno;
2) Yeah-ish;
3) Yes;
4) No. I think it's time for Alan to met another group with an acronym;
5) Not in this chapter. It's not relevant… it will be brought up the next time Via is getting screentime;
6) That's not exactly how it works. I think;

Guest (Chapter 40):
1) Some do, yes;
2) Not… yet;
3) No. Not when the attention could become more problematic than good;
4) Soon;