(The Present)

A vast variety of clicks and bangs accompanied the indescribable sound of bodies being mutilated filled the air, all as a result of an impressive number of demons trying their best to approach the Slayer. Though even by the most extreme cases of things seeming impossible but were then accomplished, their "battle" could be summarized as trying to extinguish the sun with a hair spray bottle. Now if it were just the Slayer tearing them apart by both gun and bare hand, maybe a few Imps or a couple of Prowlers would get somewhat close. But to his advantage the Wretch's defenses still functioned without any issues even after all this time, and were as effective against them as a woodchipper being fed a bundle of popsicle sticks.

As he focused on dealing with the Barons, Hell Knights, and Mancubi who were trying to shield the smaller demons to absolutely no success at all, these defenses dealt with said smaller demons and the occasional flyer in the form of a Cacodemon or Revenant. They were able to take aim so accurately they could send a highly focused and powerful blast through multiple demons at once, then were able to switch to their next set of targets in less than a second. In a total of five minutes they could kill on average about five hundred demons, which although being a great number was still quite small to the true size of this assault. All the way back at the opening of this underground cavern were Archviles and Summoners, resurrecting the fallen fodder near instantly while also bringing in more.

So even though the current situation was as insane and chaotic as one would expect, they basically were just in a permanent standstill as the demons couldn't get even an inch closer. And this mind you was all being achieved without the Slayer utilizing any of his arcane abilities like Berserk or Invincibility, as well as without the assistance of the BFG or Unmaykr. Of course if they did manage to somehow gain a shocking amount of ground he would not hesitate to bring them forward, as this was far too important for failure to even be considered a possibility. However, as the Slayer continued to fight off the horde with great ease he noticed something, the markings all around him were slowly losing their energy.

This was actually a VERY good thing, for besides it meaning that the process was going well and Gabriel was beginning to form a body, the horde would start making some progress in reaching them. And when that happened is when things would TRULY get messy.

(The Past)

Needing only to wait a few minutes before the process was finished as the Wretch had done this many times before, soon he rejoined the Slayer with a brand new body. Looking the exact same as when he went in which was no surprise, now that he had a fresh flesh suit there was only one thing left to be done. Stepping out of the chamber he had been in he walked over to another machine that was a few feet away. However unlike the other it had nothing to do with his new body, instead it had everything to do with his new life.

"So...I guess this is it then...there's nothing else to be done..." He said as he looked towards his guest, "Words cannot describe this sensation in my chest Slayer...you are granting me a chance I believed was impossible when I asked for your ear...but now...I'll be able to live a life separate from this nightmare..." He told him.

Remaining silent the Slayer responded by coming over to stand beside him so they both could look at the apparatus. A Slipgate, one that neither of them had ever seen before in terms of its power,

drawing on the very energy of Doom itself it could open a portal to any location. Of course given what the Wretch was there were next to no places for him to go, as even in the most vile circles of Hell demons such as he were feared and would be killed on sight. But to his surprise the Slayer had one more thing to give him besides his freedom and life, which was coordinates to a place where he could be safe.

Walking over to the Slipgate he began typing into its connected terminal, after a few seconds a rift was generated in the center of the device. What they both saw on the other side was a seemingly endless barren plain, all of which was perfectly flat and gray in color. How the Slayer knew of this place was actually thanks to the Maykrs, as one of their countless gifts and forms of aid to him was knowledge of all realms, circles of Hell, and corresponding Heavens. Of every circle he knew this one held the best chance at serving as a home to the Wretch, and since he would be bearing the Slayer's mark its ruler would not question his presence.

Now one might think this was a dangerous thing to have in Doom, a device capable of opening a rift to any place across all creation, but there were two safety precautions in place to make sure not even the Dark One could use it. The first and most obvious was the holy energy that protected this entire structure, where as the second was something built into the Slipgate itself. It could only be operated by either the Slayer or the Wretch, if any other bio or soul signature was detected interacting with the terminal, then it would detonate a large cache of explosive charges beneath the floor, the resulting blast capable of leaving a crater the size of a small country.

Which to some may seem excessive, but they weren't about to take any chances that the Dark One could have some means of accessing other realties. Anyways, after staring into the portal for a minute or the Wretch prepared to leave. Taking with him only a few of his tools, some tomes to help keep his mind busy, and a cloak which was what bore the Slayer's symbol he was ready to depart.

"Thank you Slayer." He said one final time as he held out a hand to him.

Grabbing onto it in response they shared a short but firm handshake, their respect for each other being set forever with that action alone. After this the Wretch then disappeared into the portal, the Slayer after making sure it closed took his leave to resume his crusade.

Light, that was the only word the Wretch could think to describe this new place he found himself in, as everywhere he looked all he could see was bright radiant gold. Of course he knew this was from the Khans' souls, which had yet to manifest in some way to speak with him. Though that was assuming they'd show that much courtesy, in truth he expected them to be cold and belittling towards him. Which he truly believed they had every right to do, even now with his intentions made clear and his suit serving as his self inflicted penance, he didn't think he deserved mercy in any form.

This was the unavoidable cost of true sentience for any demon of Doom, the weight of every wicked deed they had ever seen fulfilled will consume their mind, making certain that their life from then on is attempting to atone for their sins. Unknown to the Wretch these thoughts and feelings were exactly why the Khans had kept silent thus far, for once a soul had entered the matrix in any way their mind was one with the collective. They could feel this turmoil that tormented him, they could see this was no act to deceive the father, he truly was a soul seeking redemption like they had never seen before.

"Your worries are wasted we're afraid." A voice sounding of many but speaking in perfect harmony finally broke the silence, "No form of punishment either verbal or spiritual shall be inflicted upon you, your aid to the Slayer and what you have done to yourself is all we need to be

certain." They told him.

"As I have said to the creator I am humbled by your words." He responded making sure to keep his gaze downward.

"There is no point in trying to evade us, everywhere you can look is we, you need not feel so unworthy." They assured.

"Even though this comes from you I still find it difficult to accept that, my hands are stained in so much blood and tainted steel that it just doesn't feel right to be forgiven so easily..." He argued.

In response to this the Wretch bore witness to something of indescribable beauty, as the Khans chose to manifest before him in what was once their forms. However given the nature of this place they were but figures made of the radiant energy that surrounded him, which in his opinion only made them more holy in appearance.

"We could spend our time going back and forth on this matter, but is that truly the best use of this moment?" They asked.

"No, of course it isn't." He answered.

"Good, we will revisit this at a later point, but for now let us focus on what our contribution will be going forward." They said.

"You have my full attention." He assured.

"The father in our previous meeting brought to us the concept of a device, one that is so powerful and is capable of so much it needs to be managed by a great many of souls, furthermore as this device shall be used against the most sinful souls in all of existence, it would be best if these managers are as pure as possible, in conclusion he has asked us to be placed in this device to not only oversee its function, but also to ensure that the souls kept inside will have no chance of escaping." They explained.

"So the device will be a prison then, much like the Soul Harvester?" He inquired.

"Correct, however the device will not run without us present, thus ensuring that no error relating to its design is possible." They replied.

"But what of the Dark One? I do not mean to insult you but his power far exceeds your own." He pointed out.

"We are aware as is the father, hence why there is one more component that we must require, one that cannot be made by your hand nor provided by us, we require the body of this device to be imbued with the power of one of the father's children, she who is death incarnate." They explained.

"Forgive me, I do not think I know of this child." He said.

"Azrael is her name, she and those made by her hand are what is known as true death, though she is not strong enough to face the Dark One in his full power if the device we seek to craft as stated possesses her power alongside ours, this together will be great enough to keep him sealed forever with his heathens." They replied.

Falling silent for a moment as he needed to think on this information, everything they had proposed astounded him. A prison for souls like the harvester had been, with wardens of divine origin, while the walls were all empowered by what they say is "true" death, combine this with his designs and

his penchant for creative engineering and this could be the single greatest invention ever made real.

"What is it called?" He asked while looking back to them, "You and the creator discussed this in great detail, has he decided what it shall be deemed?" He added.

"The Soul Cube." They answered as a light chuckle escaped each of them, "We asked him why it must be a cube, to which his answer was simply that it was his contribution." They told him.

"Heh, I see..." He replied unable to keep himself from being amused by that, "Well then, I suppose it would be best if I got to work, in collaboration with the creator of course." He told them.

"Indeed." They said with a shared nod. "..."

"..."

"..."

"...Um...it is...not working..." He spoke up after having just stood there silent for the last few seconds.

The reason for this is because he thought he'd just go back to his body now that their conversation was over, but as it turned out this was not the case.

"First time?" They asked.

"Yes, the most my soul has been outside my body, or I suppose in this context is connected to two separate vessels was back in Doom, as there were many times especially near the end of my residence where I needed to make a new body, but that was in a controlled environment with a machine of my making." He answered.

"Hm, then perhaps see it as though all of this was a dream, imagine waking up from a deep sleep." They suggested.

"I've never slept." He revealed.

A few more seconds of silence followed as the Khans' were now quiet, having been stunned by that response.

"Never?..." They questioned finding that hard to believe, "Not even after your departure?" They added.

"No, even before I began preparing for an unfortunate outcome as we are dealing with now, I mostly remained still in my dwelling reading tomes and tinkering with small inventions here and there, this is due to the fact that my biology does not require any of the necessities most mortals do, so I could just go about my business without pause or hinderance." He explained.

"So you've never dreamed then?" They inquired. "No." He responded simply.

"You have suffered more than we thought..." They admitted.

"I do not see the lack of dreams to be detrimental." He said as he crossed his arms, "But may we

refocus on my detachment from the sphere? There is work to be done." He reminded.

"Unfortunately that was our best option, anything else we could suggest would be as ineffective such as relaxing your breathing, which we assume you do not do as well." They said.

"So I'm just stuck here until someone pries me away then?" He asked earning nods from all of them, "I see, that is a flaw in this arrangement's design, I shall mention it to the creator." He noted.

"We could pass the time until then with more conversation." They suggested before then asking a question, "Such as, what other things have you not done besides dream?" They prodded.

"Is that REALLY the best thing we can be discussing?" He questioned.

"If we are to work together then it is best if we become close, if only to the degree of friendly associates, so we propose the best method is to ask each other questions and trade off after the answers have been given." They said.

"Fine, but I warn you if you continue with this particular theme for your inquiries then you are only going to make yourselves sad." He warned before going on to answer them.

(Meanwhile)

"My, they're certainly talking for quite a while." The Khan noted as she and Samur watched on.

Assuming that with the father's interaction having been so brief so too would the Wretch's, almost five minutes had gone by and still he was connected.

"I expect they are being quite thorough, for even with the father speaking to them they must have their own curiosities and suspicions." He replied.

"Do you think they'll be much longer?" She asked.

"Impossible to say, though I do believe after the interrogation part is finished they will discuss the nature of our plan, along with whatever our father came up with back in the chamber." He answered.

"That will certainly take a while..." She said as she put her hands behind her back, "Perhaps it would be best if we attended to our other duties, either until they are done or father returns." She suggested.

"A much better use of our time than just standing here being spectators." He agreed as they then took their leave.

It is unwise to try and house pure holy energy in machines not built for it, even worse if those devices were powered by its opposite. But that was happening within the Wretch's former domain, for as more of Gabriel's new body formed he pulled in the energy from outside. Doing so caused it to interact with the nearby machines, specifically the one responsible for granting him new flesh. Even from inside the tank with the process nearing its end he could hear the apparatus starting to break, unknown parts sparking or breaking as the purity coursed through them, he doubted this invention could be used again after this.

Though to be fair it wasn't like anyone would need to, for once he was restored to some version of his former self there was only one other soul who may find it useful, and he was currently busy slaughtering demons. Over the course of his reformation the sounds of combat grew closer, so by

this point he could hear clearly what weapon the Slayer was using to defend him. And from what he could determine given his limited knowledge of how his armaments sounded, Gabriel believed he had a fair guess as to which gun it was. As a result he had high hopes that once this was finished there'd still be some demons left, as he wanted nothing more than to exact his revenge.

"...60%..." A deep voice spoke up from the machine, Gabriel assuming it belonged to its maker. "...75%..."

"...90%..."

"...Organic construction complete..." "...Testing muscle and bone endurance..." "...Ensuring no contaminants are present..." "...Checking organ functionality..."

"...All tests passed."

Not speaking beyond that he waited until he felt the hot air of the room hit him before opening his new eyes. Starting slowly to adjust to his new vision properly, he saw the chamber he had been in unsealing, and with a few blinks soon the whole space was as clear as day. Continuing to be cautious his departure from the machine was at a tortoise's speed, though he could not keep a smile from coming to his face as his feet touched the floor. Not only because he could feel it perfectly, but it was the ONLY thing he felt besides the warmth of the air.

There was no pain, no exhaustion, no strain on every single fiber of his flesh, after what had felt like an eternity he was finally free. But there was one more thing he had to do, so he closed his eyes to focus to make sure it was possible. Taking a few deep breaths to help him drown out the fighting outside, he brought forth energy his soul had absorbed as well as its own, in turn covering him in his former attire. Yet there was still one thing missing, hence why he held out one of his hands so that he may conjure his spear, which just as his garments had did so without fail.

Bringing it close to his chest his smile became a grin, changing his expression to one the Slayer would be proud of.

"What is it again?...Oh yes...rip and tear..." He said with a rather sadistic chuckle as his wings of light spread out from his back.

Deciding to make a grand entrance to the battle with a display of his returned power, Gabriel after a brief use of clairvoyance threw his spear through the front of the building. As for why he had used clairvoyance he did not want to hit the Slayer, which besides accomplishing that he also impaled multiple demons of impressive size. The first was a Baron, followed by a Hell Knight that had been behind it, then as both and the spear flew through the air it landed in a Mancubus before finally being halted. Now embedded in lumbering mass he sent the spear away, doing so in a violent burst of its energy releasing all at once.

Watching in twisted splendor at the sight of the creatures and those that were nearby being reduced to nothing, he summoned the spear back to his hand before flying out. Going unnoticed as he did this was the Slayer who just stood there but not out of shock, he remained where he was as he knew the archangel needed this. Flying over the horde Gabriel in no time at all reached the cavern's opening, where before the Archviles and Summoners could react he killed them all in one swift action. Impaling them with one sideways thrust of his spear, he then burned their bodies away

while still retaining his weapon.

Allowing an Imp to be so bold to try and lunge at him he smacked it aside with his weapon's shaft, the creature exploding from the force alone as it made contact. From there the bloodshed that only the Slayer bore witness to was shocking, as he never expected someone like Gabriel to be capable of such carnage. Every swing or thrust of his spear cleared dozens in a single go, their bodies like the ones before quickly burning in golden light and turning to blackened ash after. Yet even that was not enough to satisfy the archangel's desire to watch them suffer, he could wield his spear with one arm allowing him to use the other as well as his wings.

Almost like a blender being fed fruits did every demon who stood in his way be shredded, his wings of light acting like hot knives cutting through them while his hand grabbed onto their bodies and tore away whatever he gripped. However as this went on the Slayer's shock quickly subsided, for as he studied his face he saw himself in the angel's eyes. The same limbo between madness and sanity, a fine line that if a soul were to walk it they could easily fall to either side. The Slayer had succumbed to madness both in his past and again in his present, though both were distinct from each other as the former was like Gabriel's filled with unbridled rage, where as now he felt next to nothing as he had accepted it.

This is why he couldn't let this go on any longer, Gabriel had done more than enough to satiate his desire for revenge and the Slayer didn't want the same fate to befall him. Activating Overdrive he took out his heavy cannon, from there he began to shoot the demons' heads at an unprecedented rate. In combination with Gabriel they were killed in less than a few minutes, but when the archangel realized what he had done anger consumed him.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" He shouted as the Slayer sent his weapon away, "THEY WERE MINE DAMN IT! I WAS GIVING THEM THEIR DESERVED PUNISHMENT FOR WHAT THEY DID TO ME! YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO-"

SMACK

With Overdrive still active he closed the distance between them to deliver a hard slap to the cheek. The Slayer was determined to make sure he kept his mind intact, he would do everything in his power to ensure no one else turned out like him.

"I...I'm sorry..." He apologized sincerely as he brought a hand to his face, "I...I don't know what that was...I...was just so...angry..." He tried to explain.

"I get it, hence why I slapped you..." The Slayer responded as he ended Overdrive, "There's something about them I've never been able to figure out...don't know if it's the corruption they're made of...maybe it's the influence of the Dark One...or maybe the desperation to survive and make them suffer is just that overpowering...but it takes no time at all to become a new breed of monster..." He explained before turning around, "But now that it's over we need to head back...there's one more thing we need to do..." He told him.

Unsure as to what else they required, Gabriel just followed silently as he clearly knew best. Leading them back into the former forge they ignored the slowly dying machine that had given him his new body, as the Slayer walked over to a second device located not too far away.

"What is this?" Gabriel asked as he had never seen something like it before.

"A Slipgate...the only one of its design...and for a very good reason..." The Slayer answered while interacting with its connected terminal.

It took him only a few seconds to bring it to life, a few more to input something, and what Gabriel saw once he was done left him speechless. A portal was created in the machine's center, but to his confoundment it didn't lead to another place in Doom. He recognized the terrain that laid just beyond the rift, a gray colored barren waste that was a circle of Hell, one that he knew was governed by his sibling Abaddon.

"This...this is incredible..." He said in a breath as he slowly stepped towards it, "We...we can get out...we can leave these abominations behind and return to our lives..." He went on as a smile came to his face, "Slayer...how come you never mentioned this before?..." He asked.

Suddenly feeling a great deal of pain flare up on his backside the archangel was sent forward into the portal, whatever was responsible having been strong enough to send him in nearly ten feet.

Feeling the ash of the ground fall from his face and his torso as he propped himself up on his elbows, he looked back to the Slayer who had moved behind where he just stood.

"Someone's gotta make sure they behave..." Was all the Slayer gave as answer before he then turned away.

"NO!" Gabriel shouted out realizing what he was doing, quickly getting to his feet so he could bring out his wings and fly back.

Unfortunately the Slayer had one final trick up his sleeve, and it just so happened to be a massive stockpile of volatile materials beneath the structure. Taking out his rocket launcher and activating Onslaught he shot at the ground, just as Gabriel took off flying as fast as he could towards the portal. The blast created was enough to break through and reach the waiting explosives, resulting in an instant detonation that consumed the entire forge. This in turn caused Gabriel to fly into nothing, leaving him to hover in the air alone.

"No...no...damn it no...SLAYER!" He cried out in anger though not towards the other, his rage came only from the fact that he did not reach him.

"No, no, damn it no Vega!" Angel Dust exclaimed as he crossed his arms.

After getting passed the initial shock of the Judas in their midst being the last person they expected, as they thought about the details of this mystery it was actually super obvious. Alone yes it did seem like it could've been anyone in their group, but when you combined Lucifer's voice and credible alibi, with how Katie's counselor was kept silent, and how each of them received a cryptic letter exactly when they were supposed to, it made perfect sense that some classic "divine" intervention was behind it. Though unlike say a couple of guys surviving a flood, or some lucky bastard getting shot and it misses his vital organs while going clean through, this was the big man upstairs wanting to play therapist, and NONE of them were about to let that slide.

"Won't you just hear me out?" He responded.

"Why? So you can manipulate us some more?" Cherri asked.

"I didn't manipulate any of you, yes I did form this meeting in secret, and yes I did go to great lengths to hide my identity, but nothing forced any of you to come here nor did you come here assuming this was something else, you could have easily avoided this and made me look like a fool." He argued.

"The only reason we came here is because we wanted to shoot the bastard responsible!" Blitzo countered still holding his flintlock.

"You still can." He offered.

"Oh yeah sure, let me just casually point a gun at god and pull the trigger, I mean I'm already in Hell but ya know there could be a super Hell or something, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHERE I'D GO IF I DID SOMETHING THAT RETARDED!" Blitzo shouted while waving his gun angrily.

"I would never let that happen, also super Hell is not a thing." Vega replied as Stolas then took away the Imp's weapon.

"HEY!" He exclaimed as he looked to the owl.

"You're already in trouble for sneaking this in here, don't make things worse by waving it around when you're angry and accidentally shoot one of us." Stolas said.

"You know for a fact that I NEVER misfire!" He argued.

"PLEASE tell me that isn't meant to be an innuendo..." Moxxie requested.

"Moxxie this is not time for your filthy brain right now we're being pissed at Vega!" He replied.

"For once I actually agree with him." Lucifer admitted as he crossed his arms, "I don't know why you thought this would be a good idea father, but just like the Hindenburg this is going up in flames." He said.

"HEY THAT'S MINE!" Angel Dust shouted shocked he'd steal his quip. "Sorry, it fit too perfectly." He apologized with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I think we all need to calm down." Vega said as the situation was rapidly deteriorating. "YOU don't get to suggest that!" Loona told him with a very pissed off glare.

"Yeah what she said!" Nifty chimed in agreeing with her.

"Come on everyone I think we should hear him out." Charlie said seeming to side with him. "You're only saying that because he's the grandpa you never knew you had." Husk replied. "Seriously Husk? I thought you didn't care about any of this?" Vagatha questioned.

"I don't, doesn't mean I don't agree with everyone that this was a shitty thing to do." He said.

Watching as things continued to get worse and worse, everyone stopped talking when the loud sound of a chair being pushed against the floor was heard. Looking to where it had come from no one was surprised to see Katie standing up, those in her group honestly impressed she stayed silent this long. Expecting her to go absolutely ballistic on Vega whether it be through words or maybe even physical, they were all shocked to see her slowly walk up to him with a hurt expression on her face.

"Did you honestly think this would help?..." She began as she gripped her arms, "Gathering us all in a circle, making our favorite meals, did you REALLY think we'd just start spilling our guts out and finish it up by singing kumbaya or some stupid shit like that?..." She continued while looking up to meet his gaze with her own, "Because I find that hard to believe, besides the fact that you're you which among many things means you're super fucking smart, nearly everyone here has never once opened up about personal shit before, unless of course it was in private or because we were drunk or high or something else, so tell me Vega did you actually expect us to open up on

command? Or be happy that you ignored our wishes to try and make it happen?" She asked.

No one knew what his response would be to that, and from how silent he was after neither did he. The truth is he was ready for this kind of reaction whether it be from her, Angel, Charlie, or maybe even Lucifer, so the reason for his silence actually had nothing to do with that. Instead it was due to the recent developments back in Urdak, a part of him wanted to betray his initial decision and confess what was going on, for that would definitely get him back in their good graces immediately. But the rational part of him just as before pushed that aside, for the purpose of this meeting was to help them with their feelings and he was going to keep it that way.

"No, of course I didn't." He answered.

"Then why even bother doing this?" She questioned.

"Because Will is gone Katie." He said which caught her and everyone else by surprise, "It has been six months since he left us, and I know all of us miss him in for our own reasons, but we cannot allow our grief and frustration to weigh us down any longer, do you think it has not weighed heavy on my mind and soul as well? I have gone over all the things I could have done differently at every possible point in time, for the first two months like all of you I isolated myself to deal with the pain and the sadness, but I have experienced a tragedy like this before so I can safely tell you this is something we need to do, if we don't it will only get harder until eventually it's too painful to even mention, I accept your anger and your hate but I did this because I had no other choice, but I understand if you do not want to go through with it, I will not force you to stay." He told them as he pointed to the exit.

In response everyone seemed to have a silent conversation with each other, exchanging looks to try and discern where they each stood on the matter. All except for Katie, who just kept staring at Vega with that hurt expression on her face, trying to keep up some kind of tough exterior. Sadly with each passing moment it gradually crumbled away, and while she was still clearly angry with him tears were now in her eyes.

"I don't want to do this Vega..." She told him while gripping her arms tighter, "I've never cared about anyone before in any way...and it was for such a short time before he was gone..." She said.

"I know, which is why I want to help you get through this, please let me do that much for you." He replied.

Finally looking away from him as she didn't want him to see her cry, a few tears quickly rolled down her face and hit the floor near her feet. That is when she felt two hands be placed on her shoulders and lightly grab them, though what surprised her was that neither were Vega's.

"Hey." Angel Dust greeted from her right tears also present in his eyes, "No matter what you do we got your back ya know." He told her.

"That's right." Cherri said from her left with a smile on her face, "Stay or scram we're right beside ya." She assured.

Feeling a smile of her own appear on her face as she never had anyone support her like this, the teary eyed woman with her friends now by her side looked back to Vega and said-

"Fuck it, lets talk."