For what felt like ages I had to keep my eyes closed just to avoid getting blinded by the light I had flown into. But eventually, I could see from beneath my closed lids that the light was dimming, and I opened my eyes again to find myself in new surroundings.

The empty void had been replaced by a long stretch of hallway, the walls and floors of which were made of rows of gray stone. Along these walls torches were held in metal brackets on either side, giving the dark space a meager form of light. And interspersed evenly between these torches were metal gates. No, not gates, they were cells. I've spent enough time in Arkham to know that. Although unlike the hallway I was in, these cells had no light. I looked into one of them to see if it held anyone or anything, but it was impossible to tell.

I turned my attention back to the hallway, looking down both ends to see if there was a way out. No such luck, this little dungeon seemed to go on forever with no end in sight. But I knew I couldn't just stand here, and if I wanted to find the person who dragged me here I'd need to find a way out. So I chose a direction and started walking.

It wasn't even a couple minutes after I began walking that I started to miss the company of Alastor and Vox. Granted they both tried to kill me, but at least I'd have someone to talk to. Here the only sounds were my shoes clacking on the stone beneath me, and the crackling of the torches I passed. This unending silence was starting to grate. If only I could find someone to talk to right now.

As if someone read my mind, that's when I heard a muffled voice emanate from a cell to my right. The suddenness of it startled me a little, but my small surprise was quickly replaced with a smile. Turning my head, I peered into the darkness of the cell, hoping this time to get a look at the contents inside.

"Is someone in there?" I asked curiously. "No need to be shy, I heard you mumble a moment ago. Did you want to tell me something?"

For a moment I received naught but silence in return. But then I heard something in the blackness move as metal rattled against stone. Although I couldn't see it, my mind pictured someone in chains. Considering the surroundings I found myself in, it was the most logical explanation. The way the noise carried slowly sounded like whoever was attached to these chains was standing up. A tingling feeling crawled up my back, one that warned me to step away from the bars, and I listened to it.

Just in time too, as the metal rattled faster, carrying the sound of bare feet slapping on the floor. One second ago the cell was void of any life, and the next a dirty, naked, and disheveled man slammed into bars. His large hands bound by metal cuffs wrapped tightly around them, exposing his dirty and cracked nails to me, while he continued to mumble in the voice I heard earlier. I considered him for a moment, looking him up and down with slight intrigue. Mainly because this man didn't look like a demon, he looked human. The parts of his skin that wasn't covered in grime were peach colored; his body, while malnourished, was once again human. His hair was overgrown, completely covering his face and mostly covering the bits I was trying to avoid looking at.

When I finished with my examination of this man, he was still mumbling. What was wrong with him? Well, a lot of things based on my earlier findings, but why specifically couldn't he speak? Against my previous judgment, I stepped back up to the bars to find out. Once I was a foot away from the cell the man stopped mumbling, feeling my presence in front of him. His head slowly turned up to look at me, the action causing his hair to part around his face. What I saw caused my smile to drop and pull my lips into a grimace.

With his face exposed I could see now why he wasn't talking earlier. Tight stitches had been sewn through his lips, binding them together. Dried and darkened blood covered his mouth and along his chin. But it wasn't just his mouth either, his eyes too were in a similar state. Blood caked them as well, clearly showing whoever did this probably didn't have a medical license.

The sight caused me to step back a little and, despite being blind, the man could tell I had moved away from him. His head started shaking, and I could see the stitches grow tighter as his lips tried to open. He mumbled at me, louder this time, pushing desperately to get any kind of word out. His hands gripped the bars tighter, then he began to tug at them violently.

At first I thought he was trying to get my attention, tell me something he wasn't able to normally. But when the noise of his chains were joined by others, I realized this show wasn't for me. I scanned the immediate area, finding more captives in similar states to the man in front of me answering his call. They all went up to the bars they were locked behind, blinded and muted by stitches, and they too grabbed the bars and shook. Soon enough I was being deafened by the sounds of clanging metal and the muffled cries of lost souls.

It was cacophonous and never-ending, and more than anything I wanted it to stop. Reaching into my coat I thought of something, anything, to silence them. But nothing came. Of all times, why now can my suit not do its job? Screw it, I guess there's only one thing I can do.

Staring at the man I first encountered, I walked up to him and reached through the bars, grabbing his head. He stopped for only a moment before I pulled his dirt-encrusted and greasy hair, slamming his head into the bars. This action only seemed to daze him as he tilted his head at me, his stitches pulled up into a smile. Oh, so he liked that, did he? Well I hope he wants more.

Pulling him away, I grabbed him with my other hand and slammed him harder into the bars. Fresh blood flowed out of a cut from his forehead, but his expression didn't change. So I continued my assault. The clangs that surrounded me continued but were interspersed with loud bangs that came from the unknown man's forehead cracking against metal. More blood flowed, dripping over the man's face and onto the ground below. It even stained my nice shoes!

I could tell though that he was reaching the end of his rope, and with one last pull I slammed him into the bars as hard as I could. This final action carried with it a loud crunch, different from the earlier cracks. I could see the man's smile had dropped, while at the same time the rattling of the other prisoners ceased and left me in silence. All I could hear now was the sound of my own rough breathing.

Slowly, my fingers unclenched to allow the body to slip against the cell bars and slide down to the ground. I stepped away, until I was back in the center of the hallway once more. That's when I heard the voice again.

"Finished with your fun Joker?"

I snapped in the direction it came from, expecting to see that looming dark figure. Instead I found another curious sight. A man, much like the one I just killed, except he was far better groomed and not nearly as large as the figure I knew. His face was sharp and held dark eyes, the hair that cascaded from his head was well-groomed and lengthy. Within those locks sat a silver crown with precious gems inlaid on its face.

Also unlike the now-dead man he was fully dressed, and rather tastefully at that. It reflected the same royalty his crown carried. A black coat with silver buttons; black pants and boots with a silver trim to match. And a lengthy cape was draped around his shoulders, although I never would have been able to tell it was a cape if not for the silver which outlined it. For it carried a darkness that was different from the rest of his outfit, that void I was all too familiar with.

His solid black color scheme made it difficult to even look at him. If it weren't for his pale face I never would have been able to see him. Although, even with that issue, every other sense could tell he was there for me. I felt nauseous just being around him.

When he could tell he had my attention, he bowed slightly and spoke again, "Apologies Joker, I didn't know where you'd end up after your little excursion. My palace hasn't received guests in some time, so any visitors I have end up somewhere or another. I trust my… guests haven't been a nuisance?"

I looked down at the body crumpled within the cell, then around me to the other chambers. The prisoners that were there just a few moments ago had disappeared silently into the darkness. Whether it was because I killed their friend or because of him, I couldn't say. All I knew was they were gone now, and he was still waiting on my answer.

Turning back to the man I shook my head, "No, it's alright. Although, you say you are the man who called me here, yet you look nothing like him. Just who are you exactly?"

The man chuckled at my question, yet it didn't sound friendly, "It's true, I'm not currently in the form you know me by. I apologize for any confusion. While it's good for interacting with those influenced by my touch, I'm afraid it's a bit much in person. It tends to break the minds of men. I'd rather not test your limitations more than I already have, so for now this is how we'll interact when we're face-to-face."

"As for who I am," he paused to bow once more, deeper this time with a sweeping gesture. "I am Paimon, and the reason you find yourself in this realm, far outside your own. Come, let's talk."

He stood back up swiftly and elegantly, then raised his hands and clapped twice. After his second clap the dungeon disappeared like smoke and I found myself in different surrounds yet again. This time however, they were more pleasing to the eye.

The hallway had opened up into a grand room, the walls of which were decorated in red with black fleur de lis. The floors were made of smooth wood planks placed tightly together in rows and the ceiling stretched high above. There were no artificial lights in the room; much like the prior grim surroundings the only light came from fire, which emanated from a stone fireplace centered on the wall to my right. A couple paintings hung on either side, which I couldn't fully discern in this low light. The walls aside from that were pretty plain. No windows, no bookshelves, not even a set of knight's armor which a lot of fancy places similar to this usually seem to have.

I raised an eyebrow at Paimon after my look around, and he shrugged as if he could read my thoughts. "Like I said, I don't get a lot of guests. Besides, they usually never see this room, no point in meaningless decor."

After his comment, he took a seat in a chair behind him that I didn't notice. He gestured at me to do the same, and turning I found another chair that I also missed. Rather than question my sanity for who-knows-how-many times at this point, I took him up on the offer. With both of us seated, Paimon spoke once again.

"So, Joker, I know you have questions. Anything in particular you wish to address first?"

Normally this would be the part where I'd make a joke. Where's the bathroom? would be the first thing I'd say. Followed by Got anything to drink? But for some reason I didn't say anything like that. Instead, possibly for the first time, I answered his question seriously.

"You said you were the reason I was in this realm," I said softly, curiously. "Did you kill me?"

He huffed air out of his nose, then threw one leg over another. "No. I'm sorry to say I don't know who made you face your untimely demise. I just capitalized on the opportunity that event gave me."

I looked at him silently. He didn't seem like he was lying, yet I couldn't understand what he meant. He must've read the confusion in my eyes because he quickly explained himself.

"When I said you were in my realm, I mean you are removed from your world in more ways than one. This Hell you have been galavanting in isn't yours. It isn't the one you were destined for. I pulled you out of that fate to give you a new one."

This information hit me like a sack of faulty pipe bombs, but it was cushioned somewhat. Thinking about it, it made a lot of sense. Why no one knew or was afraid of me, why no one knew who Batman was, and why none of my other frenemies were anywhere to be seen. I'm the new guy around here. I'm the alien!

Realizing this, only one question could come to mind. "Why me?"

Paimon considered me with a look, the crackling fire grew louder in the silence after my query. Then he uncrossed his legs and leaned towards me in his seat. "Honestly? I'm a big fan of your work," he smiled, and much like his chuckle it wasn't friendly.

There was something behind it that was sinister, ancient and awful. Rather than think about it, I let out a nervous laugh and waved off his comment. His smile immediately dropped and his head tilted at me.

"Don't believe me? I've been following you for some time Joker. Not for everything, my power does have its limitations, but long enough to see what you were capable of. While you could have gone farther in some areas, you have that outside-the-box thinking that makes what you do unique."

His head turned to the fireplace, and he looked at it contemplatively. "This world could use that brand of thinking. While I am not dried up of creative flair myself, I have made a reputation for myself down here that many would consider dangerous. It's become harder to reach out, as I've had to operate through others to achieve my goals for some time now."

He paused then looked back at me, "Which brings us to you. I believe you will be my best agent yet, and we can finally turn Hell into the place it was meant to be."

The way he looked at me, as if he was purposefully withholding information, gave me pause to respond. More so than everything he said up until this point. Agent? If he's implying I must work under him then this meeting will be shorter-lived than the one with Alastor. And what was Hell 'meant to be'? Somehow, I had a feeling whatever it was would be bad news for me.

"I can tell I have confused you again," I heard his voice right next to my head, and I quickly jerked my head to see him right in front of my face. Somehow he had gone behind me, and like the chairs I didn't even see him coming. This man unnerved me on levels Batman wished he could do.

Undeterred by my reaction, Paimon stood up and paced around as he explained himself. "Hell is not what it once was. When me and my brothers were cast down by Father, the one you know as God, we turned this plane into our own kingdom. We each had a piece of Hell, and we amassed armies so that we may one day storm the gates of Heaven anew. But then, the sinners came. People like you who God deemed as too corrupted to enter his kingdom, so he sent them down here."

There was an anger in his tone, but I couldn't tell if it was directed at me after all the praise he gave earlier. "At first it was tolerable. We had our way with the poor souls and discarded them without a second thought. But then they kept piling on, to the point they managed to actually amass numbers to fight back against the lesser Goetia. Can you believe that? It seems even in death humans cannot ignore their own hubris."

"Pretty soon, there were constant wars in Hell, and their numbers continued to grow. Armies made for God were wasted on them, until we were left with nothing. Eventually, Lucifer grew tired of it all and decreed that the wars would end. Sinners were to stay in Pride, where they fell, and they would be allowed to live however they want to live. We would make room for them, and leave them to their own devices."

He shook his head and let out a short guffaw, "Because of this, they now think they are equal to us! Sinners calling themselves 'Overlords', acting like they have actual power. In truth, if it wasn't for Lucifer, they would have been long removed. Now we have angels swooping into our lands once every year acting as they see fit. Sure, they say it's to fix our 'population problem', but anyone can see what the endgame here is. It's to make sure we stay down here, forever. Keep an eye on us under the guise of an annual culling."

It was at this point I could feel my old self coming to the surface. While earlier his presence made me act differently, having listened to him drone on for so long made me want to butt in. "Yes this is all rather interesting Paimon, but, why does any of this matter to me?"

He stopped pacing at my inquiry. The silence he gave me made me tense up once more, my senses telling me I shouldn't have done that. I braced for the worst, and instead he faced me once again with a small smile.

"The angels are here to cull our population, correct? Or rather, that's what they say. If that's true, then they would have no reason to come down here if the population was under control. Now do you understand?"

The gears grinded in my head for a moment, but I quickly figured out what he was implying. Seeing the understanding in my eyes, his smile widened. "That's it. Because Lucifer doesn't want us interfering with the lives of sinners, you will do that in my stead. I brought you here to enact your chaos. The next Extermination is in 200 days, I'm sure that's more than enough time for someone of your talents. When the sinners' numbers are lowered, and the angels still come, Lucifer will have to see the angels were never here for them. He will have no choice but to march on them and the remaining sinners alike; we can finally take Hell back for ourselves. At which point, we can turn our eyes back to our original goal."

Now this was something I could agree to, and a smile grew on my face that matched his. Unfettered chaos was one of my many names, I didn't need encouragement to go out and have my usual brand of fun. Although it was a nice gesture.

But my smile dropped as quickly as it had appeared; there was something he said that bugged me, and I needed to address it. "You said, 'sinners alike'. Doesn't that also mean me?"

Paimon nodded, "You would be correct, but I promise you won't be sticking around for that part. When you have played your role, I'll be sending you back to your realm."

This didn't sit well with me. Sure there were some things I missed about Gotham, but the prospect of leaving this new world behind, especially after everything I just did, wasn't one that interested me. I crossed my arms and, once again, said something that all of my senses warned me not to say.

"And what if I don't want to do as you ask? What then?"

Paimon laughed audibly, "Oh come now Joker, don't act like you weren't going to kill them anyways. I'm simply encouraging you to continue on this path you've chosen."

When he looked at me again he noticed my expression didn't change, leading him to sigh and shake his head. "Fine, if you want a serious answer. Should you choose not to do as I ask, I will have no more use for you. You'll be sent back to an early grave."

He put a hand up after he said this, as if to calm me down, and continued, "Don't take this as a threat, it is simply what will happen. The fact of this reality is that everything runs on deals. Deals that tie and bind the soul, like the one you made with me. If you break the conditions of the contract it becomes null and void. In this case that means you return to your realm as a decomposing pile of bones. While I can't tell you much about your afterlife, I can say it is nowhere near as fun as this one is."

Although his hand was meant to calm me, his words had the opposite effect. Once again I felt a sort of primordial fear listening to him, and I sank into my seat. Blinking slowly, I noticed he had disappeared when I opened my eyes again. When I felt his hands snake down onto my shoulders from behind, I tried my best not to jump.

"If you do as I ask, killing sinners no matter what they call themselves, I promise to send you back restored. You can continue your attacks on Gotham and this place will become nothing but a distant memory. Deny me, however, and your time here will be brought to a crushing end."

He squeezes my shoulders, "So, will you abide by these minor conditions? Or will you trade the devil you know for the one you don't?"

Sweat perspired down my forehead, and I tried to keep the fear from leaving my voice. "How do I know you won't break your end of the deal if I accept?"

I could almost hear him smirking, "Deals go both ways Joker. Should I break my end I can say that it won't go any better for me. Besides, all who have invoked my name have been rewarded handsomely in different ways. I'm no cheat, you will be brought back to life as promised."

I could feel myself nodding at what he said, it didn't sound like he was lying to me. But as I soaked in his words, my mind wandered to the scene I saw down in those dungeons.

"And what about those people down there? Those… guests, as you call them. Did they also make deals with you?"

His hands froze for a brief second, as if he had been caught out on a lie, but just as quickly they retracted from my shoulders and Paimon answered me. "They weren't the ones who made the deal with me, they were the transaction. Just like I must act through you in Hell, I need vessels for Earth. Of course, to be able to contain me, they must be pushed to the breaking point and be able to surpass it. Most of the ones you saw down there won't survive that first stage of preparation. Anyways, none of this should concern you. Our deal doesn't involve them, nor should you worry about me occupying your body."

"Oh, well, good to know," I said, trying to shake away the nerves now that he had removed his touch.

I then noticed movement out the corner of my eye, seeing Paimon silently walk back around in front of me instead of teleporting or whatever he was doing earlier. A pale hand came out from underneath the void of his cloak and extended itself towards me.

"So, if you feel satisfied with everything I've told you, do you still wish to honor our agreement?"

I considered his hand cautiously, less out of fear of him lying and more-so due to the aura he gave which I have noted throughout our interaction. Even so, I got up out of my seat and took his hand hesitantly. Nothing he said bothered me in the least. If he wasn't hiding anything important from me, and it didn't sound like he was, all he wants me to do is… exactly what I've been doing. Honestly thinking about it, it kinda made this whole meeting pointless if all he wanted to do was tell me keep up the good work! But I suppose it wasn't completely pointless, I got the answers to questions I did care about, and I didn't get tied up in anything in the process!

"Of course," I said, "after all, I could see myself how bland this world was without me. I'd hate to leave so soon." I decided not to mention the fact that refusing his offer meant I would die, we were both clear on that fact so it didn't bear repeating.

Paimon smiled at my response. "Excellent," he removed his hand from mine and, with a flourish, waved it to the side of him. When he did that, a circular portal appeared from nothing. It was filled with the void I had floated through to get here, and I realized this was him bidding me farewell.

"If there is nothing else, this gateway will take you back to Vox Tower, where I first picked you up. Alastor isn't there anymore so you should be free to explore at your leisure, until the other 'Overlords' get wind of what you've done. Then, well, you know what to do."

He winked at me, and I nodded back at him in response. Speaking of Alastor, before I walked away from him I asked him about our mutual acquaintance.

"You've mentioned Alastor before, when you found me at Vox Tower. How do you know him?"

"If you must know," he said, "there was a time where I made a similar offer to him. He intrigued me much like you did Joker, especially with how easily he cut through Hell's population. Unfortunately… he ended up refusing my offer and has avoided me ever since. I'll admit, I may have gone too far with how much I disclosed to him. It probably drove him away. That's why I was so cautious with you. I don't like lying, but some things are better left unsaid. Especially if they don't concern you. You understand right?"

He asked the question as if I had a choice in my answer. I knew the consequences of refusing him, and it wasn't like I cared what Alastor saw or heard. I just wanted to know how he knew Alastor. He answered my question, now it's time for me to go. I didn't want to waste any more time here. I had a whole city to explore, people to kill, and only 200 days to do it in.

So I nodded to him with a nonchalant wave of my hand, "Right, yeah. You act like I don't have any secrets of my own. You sure it wasn't the way you talked that scared him? No offense, you've had me on edge pretty much the entire time I was here."

Paimon placed a hand on his chest, "Perhaps. Forgive me, I'll try not to let the way I speak give you fright in the future."

I stepped up to the portal, the void seemed like a more welcome space than the room I was currently in. I nodded again, "Yeah yeah, don't worry about it. Well, I'm off then-"

"Wait." Paimon interjected in a voice that echoed through my entire being. I froze in place, staring at the inky blackness, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Don't forget about your gift Jack. It's important you spread it to as many sinners as possible if you want to fulfill your end of the deal."

Bitterness filled my mouth at the mention of my 'gift'; poison dripped from my sharpened teeth. But I barely registered it over the utterance of that other name, the name he called me several times before. Why did it sound so familiar, and why did it give me so much pause? He had called me by my actual name multiple times already and I didn't even flinch. Yet… Jack. Who was Jack?

I shook my head, there was no need to think about this. I merely tilted my head in his direction, throwing him a simple, "I'll keep that in mind," before I stepped back into the void. Back to Vox Tower, and far away from him.