"The virtuous souls are taken to the upper levels of the House of Psyche, where according to their merit, they either proceed directly to the House of Moirai, where they are assigned a new fate and before being reincarnated, or they work to create more merit to gain the chance to reincarnate."

I note thoughtfully.

"And the bad souls?"

"They are taken to the lower levels of the House of Psyche, where according to their sins, they endure punishment. It takes them longer to gain merit to move up the levels and earn a new incarnation, but it is not impossible," Ze explains.

"I thought bad souls become demons," I murmur in confusion as I glance up at him.

"Some. Not all. If the messengers Correctors retrieve them before a certain amount of time, they will not become demons. Once they are touched by Omorion, they are marked for the afterlife and the chances of them becoming demons are null. Before that, however, it is very possible depending on how evil the soul is and how much anger it has collected over its lifetime. It is not an exact science, unfortunately." He purses his lips. "We can more or less predict who is most likely to turn, and those have priority with Collectors. But there are cases where souls become corrupted when left to their own devices."

"What you mean is that as long as there will be souls, there will also be demons, no?"

His lips flatten into a thin line.

"Unfortunately. The universe relies on balance. There are the Light Primordials and the Nether Primordials, and there are the Seven. There are the Aperite Supremes, and there are the Tartarean Lords. We have our governing Houses. So do the Sons of Tenebreis. And just like that, every being has a natural mate that complements its nature," he mentions pointedly as he watches me intently.

"Does that mean your war against demons is never-ending?" I frown.

He doesn't reply for a moment before he sighs.

"It is, indeed, eternal. But that does not mean it is a never-ending conflict. Evil has been around since the dawn of time and will continue to be so. It is only when the scales of balance are tipped in favor of evil that we have to take a stance and act."

"Like now," I mention.

"Like now," he agrees. "But that is not why I have brought you here. Come. We have one more stop."

I blink in surprise.

"What do you mean..." I don't even get to finish my words as he takes my hand and flashes us someplace else.

If before I would have thought P'asala was bleak, this new place is that but times one hundred. There's a scorching heat that makes me want to shed all my clothes, including my skin. My breath comes out in labored spurts, my mouth dry as an unquenchable thirst overtakes me.