(BRICK's POV)

"Hey!"

I turned sharply, casting a piercing glance over my shoulder at the figure who had suddenly landed down behind me, a silent warning etched across my face. It was a female who I could identify easily.

"You picked a pretty bad time to challenge me. I've got a lot of shit that I gotta work through."

The girl scoffed at my threat. "I'm not here for a fight. I'm actually here to help you."

I pivoted on my heels, the sound of my worn shoes scrapping softly against the sidewalk, and positioned myself directly in front of her. I took a moment to appraise her, my slightly taller frame towering over her as I measured her posture and expressions. Just days prior, we had been embroiled in a fierce battle, each of us wielding our strengths in a desperate fight for survival. The tension from our last encounter still lingered in the air, a reminder of the high-stakes, deadly combat that had brought us to this point.

The more I looked at her, the more her appearance reminded me of a sinister version of Blossom. It made me a bit more uncomfortable standing so close to her.

"I have no interest in what you have to say! Don't waste your time trying to negotiate with me. You've already got one foot in the grave as it is."

"Give me a moment to explain myself!"

"Tch! You get thirty seconds. Make them count!"

She let out a nervous breath. "Lucifer would like an audience with you. He has a plan that will provide us ALL with what we want."

"You mean the bastard that stabbed me? Why should I entertain him? As a matter of fact, tell that motherfucker that I'm coming for his head."

"This is serious! He wants to teach you more about how to embrace your new power."

I glared. "I don't need his damn help! My strength is my own! I've done this much alone so that's how it'll stay."

"He also plans to help you overpower your brother."

"Don't bring him up! Soon, I'll be more than ready to challenge him myself."

"Just give him a chance! If you don't like what he has to say, you are more than welcome to kill us all and leave."

"You should go with her. This may prove useful for our development."

"What if it's a trap?"

"Then we'll be sure to handle it."

"You'd better be right about this!"

"Fine…Let's go!"

She nodded. "Okay, please follow me."

We both blasted off into the night sky. My face remained stern and cautious. I know she can feel my gaze on her. Hopefully, she understands my eagerness to slaughter them all. I only need one reason. Just one!

The flight stretched on far longer than I had anticipated, and after roughly twenty minutes, a wave of impatience began to settle in. My mind raced through thoughts and distractions, but the minutes felt heavy and unyielding, making the journey feel like an eternity.

"How much farther?" I asked.

"Shouldn't be much longer."

We pressed on for another ten minutes, and I could feel my patience wearing thin. Just as I thought I would lose my temper, she came to an abrupt stop, and I sensed that something was odd. I let out an annoyed breath and made my descent to the ground below.

"Are we here now?!"

She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yes! Now we must wait for Lucifer to appear."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You can't be serious. More waiting?!"

"Are you always this impatient?" She huffed with irritation.

"You're still an enemy and I very much would like to squeeze the life outta you. The fact that you're still breathing right now should be a good enough sign for my patients."

"Wow, your arrogance is suffocating." She sat down on a flat rock and stretched. "Is this how you always act or are you just drunk with power, now?"

"Shut the hell up. My demeanor shouldn't concern you." I folded my arms and gave her an accusing glance. "Besides, you're one to talk. You like to act real threatening for someone with a support-based power."

"Unlike you, I'm the heart of my team! Our dynamic crumbles without me!" She sneered before placing a finger on her chin. "Can't say the same for you. You're just cannon fodder in comparison to your green brother."

I could feel my anger boiling just beneath the surface, a seething power ready to explode. A fiery heat surged in my eyes, intensifying with every moment as I fixed her with a fierce glare that could pierce through steel. The world around me faded as I focused solely on her, my heart pounding in rhythm with my rising fury.

"She's trying to test you. Calm yourself, Brick."

"I'm fine!"

I took a deep breath and eased my rage. "Butch won't be a factor anymore. If this Lucifer guy can help my evolution, then he'll be an afterthought."

"I suppose we'll have to wait and see."

We sat in silence for a bit before a thought crossed my mind. "Who exactly are you and why are you helping a devil? I don't feel a demonic presence from you so what gives?"

"What makes you feel entitled to my story? I don't have to tell you anything!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I figured small talk would be a GREAT way to pass the time. You know…considering we've been sitting here for about thirty minutes!"

She gave me a harsh look that I easily matched. She looked like she wanted to throw out another crude remark but decided against it.

"You first." She grumbled.

"Me? How the hell is that fair?"

"I'm fucking evil. I don't do fairness, you dimwit!"

"Whatever…" I racked my brain for a good place to start. "I guess you could say I was born in prison. My brothers and I were created by a supervillain named Mojo Jojo. He created us to terrorize the city and defeat the Powerpuff Girls. Unfortunately, we had a glaring weakness."

"A weakness? What, like kryptonite or something?"

"No, something far stupider than that." I sighed at the memory. "It was cooties."

I could see her lips twitch upwards. "That cannot be real!"

"Tch…Well, it is! We were killed by kisses."

"Okay, so how'd you end up coming back?"

"HIM put us back together again and enhanced our power. We attacked the city and fought the Puffs again."

"…Well did you win?"

I shook my head. "No. We gained resistance to cooties but developed a weakness to emasculation."

"So if I pants you in public, you'll die?"

"No, and if you try it I'll laser your fucking face off." I hissed back. "HIM modified us more and more over the years. We don't have any glaring weaknesses now. Well…Unless you count being a demon and losing your mind. Butch dealt with that a lot growing up. Nearly killed me and Boomer a couple of times."

She nodded. "I see. Well, that at least puts things into perspective. There's only one thing that confuses me."

"What?"

"Why'd you three go soft and turn good?" She asked with disgust.

"Being evil got us nowhere. We caused chaos and destruction but still never got to be free. Not with HIM still telling us what to do."

"So you wanted to free yourself from a demon's shackles? That can't be all! You could've done that good or bad!"

My mind flashed to the Puffs. "I guess I wanted to give normal life a try."

"Now you sound like my damn sister."

"Fuck off and tell your side!"

"What's to tell? We were created by the Oppressor to conquer the Earth. A parallel Earth. Not too many people stood a chance against us so it didn't take long."

I raised a brow with intrigue. "There weren't any heroes that tried to stop you?"

"Of course there were. That damned simian and his trio of guardians. They were the closest to stopping us."

"I'm guessing that they looked like me and my brothers…"

"Now that you mention it, yes."

"Hmph! Must've been weak in comparison."

She glared down at the grass. "No. They were quite formidable."

"You don't say. Do tell."

"They matched us with powers similar to our own." She rubbed the top of her hand with a bitter tenderness. "The damn fools."

"Don't tell me you miss them."

She gave me the finger and turned her head to the side. "Of course not!" I noticed her expression go sour. "That green buffoon had the gall to spare me when I was down. He showed me and my sister's mercy. Then his brother said that we could…change."

"Then what?"

"Brat ripped the redhead's throat out. Then, Brute punched the Blue one's head off." Her bright red eyes looked right into my crimson set. "As for me…I blasted that green bastard's hand off and made him suffer for his insolence."

"I see…" My mind trailed off. Her words sank into the depths of my mind.

The silence grew between us once more. This waiting was starting to get on my nerves but before I could voice my thoughts, her sisters appeared.

"How'd things go?" Berserk asked the two.

"Consider the gas, lit. If my little message didn't put a battery in that goofball's back then I don't know what will." Brat said proudly.

Brute had a troubled look on her face. "The green devil is occupied with the Powerpuff. He doesn't even know of the current situation. Didn't have to throw a single punch."

"Wait…What have you three done to the others?" I asked with a defensive stance.

"Relax. They're all still alive and well. We couldn't have them getting in the way of your meeting." Berserk answered.

I looked at Brat with hostility before switching my gaze over to Brute. "Who was Butch with?"

"The green, Puff."

My mind eased a bit while something else cried out in protest. This situation that I'm in right now isn't what I was expecting. It feels wrong.

"I'm betraying my siblings…"

"You're doing no such thing. This is your chance to establish yourself. If these fools try anything with you, we'll kill them all."

"I intended to kill them all anyway."

"And THAT is why we make a good team!"

I scoffed at the notion. "I'll be the judge of that."

Suddenly, the ground cracked and opened up a bright red portal before us. I stared at it with a faint sense of familiarity.

"Come! He awaits our arrival." Berserk said.

As we all stepped through the portal, I was immediately struck by an intense surge of heat that wrapped around me like a suffocating blanket. The harsh, hellish wind howled through the air, its fiery breath slapping against my skin with a relentless force. I knew this feeling. I had walked into the very furnace of the underworld, the air was thick with a choking warmth that sent beads of sweat racing down my forehead.

"Damn! I can hardly open my eyes!"

"You get used to it." Brat said with a smirk.

"Tch…I was used to it!"

We walked down the brimstone path towards the largest tower. The howls of agony rang throughout the blood-red sky. The stench of rotting corpses invaded my burning nostrils. This place had all of my senses going mad. Almost felt nostalgic…

We approached the tower and stood before the two large demons. Both wielded sharp spears.

"Move aside! We work with Lucifer!" Berserk shouted.

One of them pointed a spear at me in a gesture that I wasn't too fond of. "Who is this? State your reason for being here!"

"We are allies! We were told to bring him here! The devil would like an audience with the red Rowdyruff!"

"Which devil?" He asked.

"Lucifer."

He withdrew his spear. "Very well then. You may proceed."

"Damn right, we will!" Brat spat with a flip of her hair.

It didn't take us too long to reach Lucifer's chamber. The double doors flew open once we got closer and a sense of anxiety washed over me.

The smirking bastard sat at a piano playing a melody of dreadful eccentricism. The music grew louder in my ears and my heart began to race.

"Hello Brick. It's a pleasure to see you again. I hadn't expected us to meet so soon." He spoke to me with a subtle ire that he tried masking with his deep, cunning tone.

"Cut the bullshit. You wanted me here so start talking."

He sighed and stood from the bench. "Let's not be rash now young Brick. We have plenty of time." He looked at the girls with a sinister smile. "Thank you my darlings. Please help yourself to some hors d'oeuvres."

I folded my arms and tapped my foot impatiently against the tiled floor. "Listen, I came here for the sole purpose of-"

"Yes yes yes! My word you are just as curt as your dominant brother."

I grit my teeth and let out a hostile growl. "I was told that you have valuable information pertaining to my transformation."

"Oh, I see! Well, I did stab you with a blade that had my blood infused with it."

"Nasty prick!"

"Oh don't be so agitated. We are both sons of HIM! Besides, I only brought out what was already there. You had a ninety percent chance of death yet you still triumphed!" He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Be proud Brick. Your evolution is at hand!"

"I am sick of your silver tongue! Start giving me some details dammit!"

"Hmm…Care for a visual?" He stuck his index finger forward and drew a large circle in the air. "Gaze into this portal and gain some perspective!"

I did as he asked and looked. My eyes widened with awe as a well-defined man with long red hair stood atop a mountain of riches with thousands of people bowing down to him.

"This man…is that me?"

"It is Brick. One of many possible outcomes. Care to see another?"

I nodded. "Show me."

The image was replaced with another. This version of me was standing in the middle of a burned-down city. He was beaten and battered but one thing stood out. It was the man he was holding by the collar. The dark-haired man had suffered far worse injuries. Namely the lack of a left arm and his missing right eye.

"That's me and Butch, right?"

"Yes. As you can see, he stood no chance." Lucifer said with a chuckle.

"So I do end up surpassing him!" I shouted. Then there was a brief yet sharp pain in my head.

"No! I can't do that to my own brother! It's too much! I've gone too far!"

"That's what you want! He's an obstacle that you'll have to overcome! Don't let yourself lose sight of that!"

"Seems I have little to fear. Butch doesn't seem to be a threat to me in the long run."

*CLAP*

"Incorrect! There are many outcomes Brick. MANY! Trillions in fact. Many are very similar while others are very different."

"I figured that out already."

The devil smirked. "You enjoy math, yes?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Well out of a hundred percent…You win the day about forty percent of the time. Butch wins fifty percent."

"What about the other ten percent?"

"I don't know. Could be anything!"

I glared. "Then show me Butch's possible outcomes!"

"Well, now that's just flat-out cheating!"

"I'm not fucking around! Show me NOW!"

"Fine, but only one." He drew a new circle and within moments I saw through it.

A shirtless man stood alone at the top of a tilting, shattered building. His black hair was long and wild. His bare chest was littered with scars. His green eyes showed no signs of emotion. He was all alone in an empty city. It was like some sort of dystopian world. There was no life. No sign of joy or happiness. It was just the lone man standing with his head held high.

"What is this?"

"Butch wins. He wins the final battle but tragically…He loses the war."

"I don't understand…" I muttered.

"This instance is a timeline where Butch kills you but fails to stop you from killing everyone else. His wife and unborn child died a week prior."

"What? No! I wouldn't do that!"

"You WILL do that!"

"Even in death, you managed to still get the last laugh. You broke your brother." Lucifer crackled evilly. "The poor bastard can't even kill himself!"

"S-show me another!"

"I really shouldn't."

"SHOW ME!!!" I snapped.

"Fine, fine. Only because you asked so nicely." He said.

Another image appeared with two figures. A woman in a pink blouse was sobbing and a man in a dark green jacket who held her close. As she cried against his chest he rubbed the back of her head gently.

"Blossom?" I muttered.

"Ruffles the feathers doesn't it?! Your brother is consoling the one that you seek an intimate relationship with."

"What happened?"

"In a thrilling twist of fate, this story unfolds five years after your whirlwind marriage to the enchanting Blossom. Together, you not only forged a bond of love but also welcomed a beautiful child into the world! Yet, lurking in the shadows, a heart-wrenching betrayal looms—a chilling act of cruelty that shattered the peace of your lives, sending Blossom fleeing into the unknown. The pain had never been greater, and the echoes of that fateful moment would haunt you for the rest of your short life."

"What? I don't understand! What do you mean?!"

Lucifer smirked. "You killed Boomer."

"W-what?"

"It's true Brick. Your anger got the best of you and Boomer was accidentally killed. Blossom took the son that you both created and ran off to Butch seeking protection."

"I wouldn't do that!" I shouted angrily.

"Oh, but you did! Your power grows and you end up lashing out violently and even slay Buttercup. Butch angrily confronts you after killing his betrothed and finally puts a stop to your rampage."

"Ok…That's enough…"

"Ah, but the best part is yet to come. Don't you wish to hear it?" He asked.

"No…"

"You sure?"

"…"

Lucifer shrugged and smirked. "Very well then."

"What is going on? How is this all real?! No! It can't be! Am I truly going to turn into that kind of person?"

"You are and that's not a bad thing at all."

"SHUT UP! I killed Boomer! He actually died! Shit, I think I'm gonna be sick!"

"You are still too soft! None of those possibilities are set in stone!"

I shook my head and glared at the demon. "I will NOT kill them!"

"Correct. You WON'T kill them. That's if you allow me to help you foster the rage inside of you and turn it into strength. You'll need to control your power in a way that puts you ahead of Butch. To do this, you'll need guidance. I will help you."

"What's the trade-off? You want me to kill a bunch of kids and slaughter some lambs? Maybe you just want my soul."

He chuckled. "No, Brick. What I want is to fulfill HIM's desires. Helping you to defeat your brother will do just that!"

"Doesn't HIM hate all six of us though?" I asked.

"Priorities, Brick. Can't fault our lord for keeping his eyes on the prize. He rarely makes mistakes. However, he may have misjudged just how powerful he made your brother. While HIM cannot be killed permanently, he CAN still feel immense pain."

"Right…"

"N-no…" Brick noticed the semi-frightened look on the devil's face. "Our lord can truly create the impossible. A being so strong that he can shake Heaven AND Hell. He was so blinded by his hatred for the Powerpuff Girls that he didn't realize that he made a weapon with the potential to dwarf his own strength."

"Yes, I'm aware of that fact."

"Then you understand the situation. Butch cannot be left to run rampant! He's a constant threat to our lord and even our neighbors upstairs. It won't be much longer until they decide to intervene."

"Who exactly are they?"

"The holy realm. There is no doubt that they've felt the balance of our worlds shifting. They fear another powerful devil usurping power. The bastards have been loving HIM's time away from the spotlight."

"So Heaven really does exist?"

"OF COURSE IT DOES! Damned fool! You can't have Hell without Heaven."

I pinched the bridge of my nose in a thought-provoking gesture. I didn't know how to go about this. I mean, this could be dangerous. What if I lose my mind?! Are they trying to control me???

"Calm your nerves, Brick. Nothing will happen to us!"

"How do you know?"

"Because I don't care much for Heaven or Hell. The intricacies of both realms matters very little. Our primary goal is Butch and that will remain constant until his demise."

"Okay I get why he annoys me but what's your beef with him?"

"I hate losing and feeling inferior. He WILL be bested by us!"

A strange wave of satisfaction flowed through me, stirring a sense of ease that felt unsettlingly hollow. I realized that these thoughts and emotions weren't solely mine; they belonged to the beast lurking within, intertwining with my subconscious in disconcerting ways. I could sense its presence, yet my logic began to unravel. The small voice in the depths of my mind screamed for attention, its cries echoing unheard beneath the clamor of my confusion. How could something so urgent feel so muffled? It was almost…sad…

"Lucifer!" I said loudly.

"Yes?"

"I have two questions and then a request."

He sighed. "Go on."

"First, I wanna know what'll happen to me if I do take down Butch. Wouldn't that just make me the next target?"

"Haha! Quite the display of forward-thinking! Luckily we won't have such a problem with you, dear boy."

I glared. "And why is that?"

"I have some…contingencies in place to keep you out of trouble. Besides, there are multiple plays set up in our favor!"

I didn't like how that sounded but decided to leave it at that for now. "How long is this training of yours supposed to take?"

"That all depends on you. It could be a month, or it could be a year. It's all up to you."

"I will finish this as soon as possible!" I declared.

"Do know that my training can be a bit harsh. I do hope you'll keep this attitude." He took a sip of the wine glass. "It would be very disappointing for me if you were a failure."

"Save your meaningless concerns for someone who cares."

"Hehe…Very well then. What is this request that you have?"

"I need to tell the others." The demon looked flabbergasted by my sudden statement. I shook my head and continued. "If I am going to stay here then I need to tell them the truth. Boomer, Blossom, and even Butch."

"That isn't a good idea, Brick. Not while we have the benefit of discretion. Do you really want unnecessary interruptions?"

"Don't try to sway me on this. I have no desire to conceal myself nor do I feel the need to hide my intentions."

He gave me a nasty look and snapped his fingers. "Your stubbornness is both endearing and infuriating. I'll oblige, but do know that this trivializes some of the prep work that we have set in place."

The portal to Earth appeared before us and without delay, we stepped through.