The portal was not unsimilar to a door. Though it couldn't be seen through, it led directly to a small corridor, one fit for humans. After Cyril stepped through it, he turned back to watch it shrink in on itself, disappearing into mid-air.
He would have liked to observe it further, but the echoing sounds of the old man's footsteps drove his attention away.
"Hey! wait up," The man spoke quickly, speeding his pace up to match that of the old man's.
"Phew…"
It was only after Cyril caught up did he realize that the old man was not as composed as he had seemed.
From up close, he didn't pay Cyril much attention. Instead, his eyes were unfocused as sweat dripped from his forehead. It looked as if the old man was under great stress, like he had just run a full kilometer marathon.
"Uh… are you alright, old mister?"
The old man took another breath before looking at Cyril, "Sirius, call me Sirius. I'm fine, I apologize for the trouble."
"Sirius then. It's no trouble at all, but you don't look fine. Did he do something to you?"
"No… no, he did not." The old man, Sirius, paused his steps as he caught his breath. "Were you not nervous at all?"
"Nervous? I guess I was a bit nervous by how strange this all was, but why would you be?"
The old man gave Cyril another glance before shaking his head.
"Truly, ignorance is bliss. You realize you were standing in front of the Grand Court of Hell, yes? A single word from them would not only have sentenced you to eternal torment, but even erased your entire existence!"
"Uh… I see. But that Lord Lucifer didn't seem like the type of person who would do that."
"You are correct, but I value this old soul of mine. Having interrupted his speech, the only emotion that passed through my mind was gratitude for having been born human."
"Grateful that you're human?" Cyril paused for a moment, contemplative. "Does that mean Lord Lucifer likes humans?"
"Yes," Sirius nodded. "If I was any other species, I would likely have been erased for my disrespect. His Excellency Lucifer favours humans as a species molded by God. It is why he fashions himself after one. It was my Lord Mammon's foresight that allowed not only my intervention, but my survival."
"I see…" Cyril nodded his head at the man's answer, turning to inspect that corridor.
The hallway was, despite being small, very grand. It was a long hallway, stretching into the distance with seemingly no end in sight. It was cylindrical shaped like a tube.
The ground and walls seemed to be made entirely of solid gold, as judged by the heavy sound under Cyril's footsteps. A white light shone in from above, almost blinding as it met the shining golden floor. The walls gave way to a blue crystal-like window, but nothing could be seen outside aside from a bright light from below. Everything else was pure darkness.
The corridor appeared to be suspended in the air, and would almost seem as if they were in space if not for the utter absence of stars or planets.
"Sirius, are you able to explain to me what's happening? I accepted your Lord's offer because I didn't really have any other option, but I frankly have no clue what's going on."
"Of course I can, Sir Surrey, and I will at once. But I feel the need to correct you on the Lord's title. He is no longer simply my Lord, but from henceforth he is your Lord as well. As soon as you stepped through the gate he was your Lord, I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice."
"What do you mean?"
"I will put the matter simply," Sirius straightened his back before patting down his ruffled clothing. "I was sent by the Lord to recruit you under his wing, in a matter of speaking."
"Under a demon's wing?"
"Correct. Essentially, you will be granted a gift by the Lord. From here on, you will no longer be mortal, but rather a demon."
"…" Cyril stared, slightly astonished, at the news.
"…It seems you don't fully grasp the situation. Come walk with me, Sir Surrey." Gesturing forward, the old man began walking down the corridor with Cyril in tow. "I don't know from what world you come from, but all legends relating to religion should be somewhat similar, no matter what. Tell me, Sir Surrey, what is Hell in your world?"
"Well I can't say I was very religious, but from the most mainstream religion, I knew it as a place of torment for sinners. Maybe even a prison."
"Then who were those tormenters, or the wardens of that prison?"
"As I know it, demons."
"Good. But where do demons come from?"
"Uh…" Cyril took a good minute to think on the question. "The fallen angels?"
"That is a good answer, and I cannot say you are entirely wrong. However, Lord Lucifer and his followers cannot be considered demons, but fallen angels as a separate existence." Saying that, the old man held out a bony finger towards himself, then pointed towards Cyril. "The ones who can be considered demons, are those such as myself and you, Sir Surrey. The primordial demons such as Lord Mammon and the 72 are indeed not originally mortal, but those who make up the bulk of demons in Hell are actually originally mortal."
It took Cyril a moment to contemplate on the man's words, but his understanding of them shocked him.
"Then… when you say that I'm going to be a demon from now on, does that mean you're recruiting me for labour? As a demon?"
"You catch on quite quickly." Sirius gave the man an approving look and a nod. "Indeed. However, it cannot quite be called labour but rather an opportunity. If it is labour, then it is the most respectable labour in the world."
"Uh… I think I understand what you're saying, but why me? I was pretty sinful in life, but I had a moral line that I didn't cross no matter what. I wasn't an outright monster. On the same topic, why humans like us at all? I don't see how we're worthy."
As they walked, Sirius nodded his head at Cyril's words. An understanding look was on his face.
"I too once shared similar thoughts, but once you've existed long enough, you'll change your mind. Demons are thought to be the most sinister beings in existence, cruel, malevolent, and evil. However, that is a misconception."
"You're telling me it's not true?"
"No, it is. However, it is not entirely true. While the Judges and the 72 are the source of demons, they are not those who I have witnessed the most evil from. Instead, it was from mortals, like us.
I will not exaggerate when I say that mortals have that capacity for evil within them. I have seen atrocities that sickens even Hell itself. Forbidden acts unsanctioned by both Heaven and Hell. You will soon realize that true demons live among us."