Unlike another unfortunate soul, this one was growing stronger and stronger at a rate unforeseen by any other hell spawn.
He was unknown at first; just another one of the damned trapped inside the infernal hell.
But it was soon gathered that the boy with the devil horns was not to be messed with unless you sought to become his food.
Every territory he passed was left devoured.
Every last imp, demon, lava creature, as long as it moved, he ate whatever it was promptly before moving on to the next prey.
'With this new body, I can finally do it!'
Edmond was elated to realize what he had become despite the underlying notion that it might not necessarily be a good thing.
'I can finally protect someone with this new power. I can finally be with my Evangeline without fear of what might happen to her.'
The happiness he felt each time he ate the flesh of another was a great juxtaposition.
Yet at the same time, it felt all too natural to him.
He couldn't help but smile as warm, black blood dripped from his lips.
Each time he swallowed there was a gush of energy released throughout his body that compelled him to consume more.
He would not stop until he was living peacefully with his beloved; he would not stop eating as long as there was food in stock.
To him, he was in heaven.
The only thing that would complete his paradise was somewhere unfamiliar to him.
He could sense an innate repulsion for the sky above, but he could somehow tell that there was something there that would set him free.
Oh, how he wished he could sprout wings like the dastardly winged creatures that could simply snatch their prey up without them being the wiser.
'Lucky bastards.'
Each time Edmond had to fight, he would end up near dead by the end of it.
He had lost track of how many limbs he had lost, how many lives he had took, and how much he had changed since he first landed in this fine hellhole.
So, forgive him for his pent-up rage each time he saw another prey stolen from right from his mouth by a ferocious hell bat.
'One of these days, I'll eat you up just like the rest. Even if all of your blood tastes like sewage and your flesh like a spoiled carcass.'
Edmond did not realize the savageness of his ways in his new life.
He knew he was something he shouldn't have been.
He knew it was like this before in his past life.
Before Evangeline.
"NO!!!"
An unholy growl frightened the scampering prey in Edmond's sight.
But just as surprised as they were, he too was frightened by the scream released from his own mouth.
With a bloody palm, Edmond covered his mouth as he tried his best not to retch his most recent meal.
It pained him so much to recall his past life's memories.
It made him feel hungrier than ever.
So why?
Just why could he not force the dirty scraps back down his gullet as he hunted for more?
Why was the pain in his torso worsening the more he devoured like a fresh wound?
It got to the point where Edmond had once cut his stomach open to search for the cause.
But there was of course nothing wrong with his new body.
It was perfect.
Well, almost perfect.
He just needed enough so that he could reach beyond the ceiling.
Up there, he just knew that there was something waiting for him.
No that's not it.
There was someone waiting.
So, he would have to grit his teeth and bear with it.
'I made a promise to you, right? But how long has it been since I last saw you, my beloved.'
He teared up and began to fall to his knees.
"EVANGELINE!!!"
But he would not allow himself to falter when it was all too perfect for him.
"Hehehe. Haha! You're a selfish prick you know."
Swish!
Edmond turned to face the direction of the voice but found no one there.
'Who said that?!' He only grew more tense as the unsettling voice resounded elsewhere.
"You did."
Smack!
Edmond smacked his own palm to his mouth without shuddering the slightest but despite the force behind it.
It was purely instinctual, but this time he had caught the culprit behind the foreign voice.
"Hmmh hmmh hmmh," as much as he struggled to contain his laughter, Edmond could not take it any longer.
Who was he kidding?
"PFFT! AHAHAHA! OF COURSE, IT WAS ME! WHO ELSE BUT I AM WANDERING ALONE IN THIS GODFORSAKEN HELL?!!!"
The pressure was finally released as Edmond wailed to himself in frustration as he was alone just like before.
But this time, it would be different.
No. It was different.
Because this time he knew what he was fighting for.
"Oh, Evangeline. My sweet, sweet Evangeline."
Edmond's eyes always radiated the same red glow they always had when he thought about his beloved.
It was a beautiful reaction fueled by his beautiful love for his beautiful wife.
For Edmond, red was always a bad color because it reminded him of his darkest days.
He could never forget his past decisions even as they followed him to his next life; the blood and gore that the Zolial family was once deposed of by their own blood could not be washed away from his agonized soul.
For the new Edmond, red was a beautiful color because it reminded him of Evangeline.
Nothing more be said, thought, or felt.
Only red. Only Evangeline.
Edmond was unbothered by the torrential flood of tears leaking from his tear ducts.
After all, his new body was perfect for him.
With it, he held his hand up towards the nearest flying creature and from it, a plume of red fired off into the distance.
"I guess today was the day then, huh? Pfft," Edmond couldn't get over himself.
He ambled his way towards the roasted corpse with tears pouring down his smiling face.
"Oh Evangeline, my light in the dark. Did I not promise to pluck my angel straight from the hands of God?"
Those words rang throughout every fiber of his new being.
"If so...," as he reached the scorched corpse, it was already devoured halfway through his sentence, "...then he must have thought I was joking."
"Hehe," the smile on his face along with the tears were nonexistent by this point.
Both evaporated with the surrounding heat and the depravity of the situation.
"Well, if that just so happens to be the case, then if you can still hear me God know that your loyal and faithful subject will never stop believing."
As religion was not a part of Edmond's past life, he believed he was suffering for all of his sins.
While that may have been somewhat true, the real truth would be revealed in due time.
Even so, Edmond continued his prayer both to appease his severe boredom and to remind himself exactly what he was up against.
"As long as I live and breathe, I, Edmond the Damned, will never cease my pursuit to bathe in the light of your holy graces and become a devout follower of your teachings."
Edmond raised his head high into the air and continued, "In the land above where only the pure may reside, yours truly will take it upon himself to crash the party and take what's rightfully mine."
"And when I do...," his eyes lost all traces of their red hue.
The natural red of his pupils remained only a different light shone through.
Not one of red or white, or yellow or any other color.
This light was different because it came from someone else.
It was both present and not at the same time and in that moment, Edmond could see the truth beyond the hellscape before his eyes.
There was a trace sanity inside his insane mind; a sense of purity that made all the bad go away and all the good feel even better.
"...I'll be sure relish the sight of your insides and have a taste of your most delicious ichor because you will bleed for me."
Then, as if it were but an illusion, there was no trace of sanity.
The red light from his eyes shone like two beacons up towards the heavens with a devilish gleam that would intimidate even the most wicked of beings.
And with that, Edmond finished his 'prayer' with the most spite he could muster, "Amen."