From one hell to the next (Open)

Gentle waves caressed the beach in a teasing manner before retreating to the sanctity of the open sea. Its loving embrace laid imprinted as a damp remnants in the sands before being quickly forgotten. This soft dance continued in the quiet night. The sky was cloudless, revealing a symphony of the stars though there was a light chill in the air.

This quiet serenity was disrupted by a rip in reality and a whirling portal of energy emerged. Lighting surged from its being and dissipated in the night sky. From this oddity came the form a woman is the loosest sense. Her thonged feet touched the sands and her ears perked at the sound. She peered down at her feet and lifted one to gaze upon the imprint left in the beach. The waves lapped up from its safe haven to overtake the imprint, erasing it from time. Her exposed toes became wet from the temporary intrusion and they wiggled in their discomfort.

She had never felt the sands of the beach give way to her weight, nor felt the cool touch of the ocean before. The experience she had of this were through stories of passing strangers. The demon was roused from her thoughts by crackling of the portal. She looked behind her, fingers gracefully touching the flesh above her heart. That was the doorway to the nether realm, her prison but she had been saved by whatever was inside her. This entity which conjured this body for her didn't belong to her; even she knew that and she was drawn to find the source of her salvation.

Cries of surprise and dismay caused her to snap her head toward the source. It seemed the appearance of the portal had caused a gathering of people. Some held contractions which made a shuttering sound and created a source of light. Others, spoke into foreign objects in a frantic manner. The voices of chaos were like a mighty drum to her ears and the woman flinched at the sounds. Hands came up to drown out the sound, but there was one word that she made out above the rest: Devil.

Frantic eyes searched for a place to hide, a way to escape. Finding a break in the crowd, with quick feet, the woman made haste for an escape.

She was on her way back from the prison she had been held in for six years straight. Heading straight for California, and the Flash Museum, Pulse was dressed in full gear. Though, it wasn't like anyone would be able to admire such an appearance, seeing how she was moving so fast that she was practically invisible. When she finally hit the beaches of California, she found herself slowing down from a dash, to a light jog, while running on the surface on the water with ease. Her eyes were focused on what seemed to be some sort of rift created in the fabric of time and space itself. Jeez, she hadn't taken two steps officially in California before seeing something so strange. Pulse figured Miss Flash would probably investigate what was going on, so being the cause of her demise the young speedster would have to investigate in her place. Running onto the beach, Pulse would skid to a stop. The young woman would pinch her chin between her thumb and index finger, while examining the portal. Bystanders looked upon her, but they didn't see her as a threat. Some muttered the name "Miss Flash" apparently thinking she was just that woman in a different costume. They were both right and wrong at the same time. Tara would turn towards this crowd of people while raising a hand. "Okay Okay, I know that you're all thinking. 'Oh look, it's Miss Flash. Oh cool, she's got this covered!' Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not Miss Flash, and I'm in no way related or involved with her. Ya know, it's actually a funny story..Ya see-" AHHHH! A scream was heard that took Pulse's attention away from the majority of the crowd. Turning towards the epicenter of the commotion, the young female would see what appeared to be a flash of a red demon. A shiver immediately went down her spine. "Oh jebus, this reminds me of that Doom game. No way, Hose!" A woman would look towards the young woman with a raised brow. "Well aren't you going to help?" Tara promptly looked back at the woman while stretching her arms behind her head. "I'm thinking about it." Sticking her tongue out towards the woman, the girl would disappear in a..Flash..

It only took 1.24 seconds to not only run around the escaping "devil" but cut it off aswell, by more than ten feet. "Hold up, Hanna Brotanna! Selena Bromez! Han Brolo! Robrocop! The Broinator!" Pulse said this all in an accelerated vocabulary, which would sound like a mesh of words to the demonic woman. Taking a deep breath, the young woman would shake her head. "Look, I'm new to all this hero stuff and living up to a title that I didn't make. Can we skip the climatic battle, and just get to the part where you turn around and jump back in that portal? I've been gone for awhile, but I'm not a fan of Hell on Earth. I've seen that Southpark episode..Satan's a dick!"

Shifting grounds made it difficult for the woman to run. Loose sands gravitated into the creases of her toes and the loose ends of her sandals. There were several times in which she stumbled in her haste. She couldn't shake the word which had been thrown at her: Devil. Who was a devil? What on earth were those people seeing in her? She was certain that this new form was nothing like her old one. The woman felt leaner, taller. Her hearing and sight seemed to have improved night, and she was dressed in attire that her dear mother would gawk at. Mother. That was a being she hadn't thought of in--

A cold stream of air rushed past her causing her loincloth and hair to whip about violently. As she halted abruptly, hands flew from her ears to the scant garment to cease its convulsions in embarrassment. A series of rushed speech inspired the woman to find the source of such mayhem.

Standing some distance before her was a woman dressed in attire only a woman from the brothels would dare wear. The outfit's hue was bright and was fitted to this blond woman's shapely form. She too called her a demon and associated her with Lucifer himself. The woman took this opportunity to peer at her arms. They didn't seem to have the normal hue of a human, but her arms weren't deformed in any fashion. Her face, she noticed, had the appropriate features of a human- lips, nose eyes. The woman's eyes widen when long fingers grazed upon an oddity growing from her forehead. They were rough to the touch and had a point. Were these... horns?

The mention of returning to the realm beyond the portal caught her attention then and she glowered at the blond woman. This blond...wretch wanted her to go back? She would not return to that darkness!

"Thou can't maketh me return, cheap harlot!" was the woman's outraged reply.

The woman seemed to be exploring herself. Looking at her skin, and then running her hands onto her face, and then horns. To her Tara's surprise, it seemed like this demonic looking woman wasn't aware of what she looked like. Before the speedster could call her out on this, the woman raised her voice and called her a..Cheap Harlot. "Cheap Harlot? Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Do demons even have mothers?" The costumed blonde would wave a finger towards the demonic looking female. "Don't bother getting feisty with me. I've never been touched before! It's either you go back into that portal, or-" And as if on cue, the split in the space time fabric would close. Pulse was on a lost for words at this point. "..Or..we could just call it a day and wait for the next portal to open." A nervous laugh, as she looked towards the raged woman with a quivering brow. The surrounding crowd would grunt and moan at the speedsters words. "What kind of hero are you?! Take it down, Miss Flash!" By the grinding of her teeth, it was obvious Tara was getting slightly annoyed by the amount of times these people thought she was flash. Living in the shadow of someone who stole your life, and be constantly reminded of it, made her sick. Stamping her feet on the ground, she would turn towards this crowd. "My NAME is PULSE! I am NOT Miss FLASH! So stop already! I am no heroine, and I'll probably never be one. All I want to do is punch things, now leave me alone already!" She yelled out with teenage angst towards the people. It was almost as if she had forgotten all about the demonic woman who was standing a few feet infront of her. Rubbing her eye brows with her thumb and index finger, the annoyed speedster would look towards the angry demonic chick. "Out of spite of them, let's not fight. Instead, let's be buds. You can bring all your demonic friends with you, I don't even care anymore." The blonde crossed her arms like a child, while turning her nose up. She did mumble something beneath her breath, but it was so fast and incoherent that not even the most keen eared person would understand what she said. People seemed to get angry at this, as the crowd began to close in on both females in the center of it all. Pulse would jog up next to the demonic looking woman, and hold out a hand. "My name's Pulse, as you've probably already heard before. You should come with me, if you want to live!" The blonde would keep her hand extended, as the people seemed to want to charge towards them. How the hell did Ms. Flash become such a heroine where people would fight for her. Tara would never tell anyone how she felt inferior to her double..It made her not want to help people, so there would be a clear distinction between her, and the copy. But was that really the right thing to do? Would her parents truly want to know their daughter turned out to be a criminal? Or someone who had power to help others, but instead used it to help herself? She was living in their image, after all. The only person to carry the Strong surname, since her parents' demise.

Demon, demon, demon. She wasn't sure what she was, but she knew she wasn't that. There was never a time she recalled doing Satan's evil deeds. She and her family attended all church services and meetings. But the woman was growing weary of this stranger and everyone else labeling her as such.

With a wave of her index finger, the masked blond forewarned the woman of her aggression. The crackling of the portal ceased and the light it imitated dispersed soon after. The demon looked back to see the passage to her prison was gone, leaving her stuck in this world. An inkling of her almost mourn this seclusion from all she knew. But now the creature before her had to be dealt with.

"Refrain from slandering me anymore, woman, lest your face feel the wrath of my hand." The woman spoke this with that very hand raised in warning.

The crowd began to murmur is agitation. They were coaxing the female to slay the wicked beast. She may not have had proper schooling, but at this point it was obvious these people were referring to her. Why were they so adamant in being rid of her? She had done no wrong to these strangers.

This seem to agitate the masked woman and she threw a tantrum like a child. Apparently she didn't want to fight. This abated the woman's caution a bit, but with the inching approach of the crowd, her anxiety approached wit ha vigor. She made out the sound of her tail thumping against the ground anxiously. Her tail...The demoness's brows creased. She was a monster!

The blond woman closed the distance between them, and the demon's body tensed. Half heartedly, the woman introduced herself as Pulse and held out a hand. The gaze of white orbs seared into this extended gesture of...kindess? She wasn't sure. Only moments before this "Pulse" was threatening her.

Her tail thumped against the ground once more and eyes traveled upward to the face of Pulse.

"What does thou want with me?"

Pulse waved her hands infront of her chest in an defensive manner. "Woah Woah, cool it with the attitude, Selena Bromez. This is nothing but a big misunderstanding! And you're abit too slow to be sending a hand into anyone's face. But let me entertain you.." The speedster would clear her throat before extending an arm out, as though she was holding a skull like helmet. "Does thou maiden of the night knoweth you weareth her drapes?" As the situation continued, Pulse would take notice at the woman's tail. Her eyes would widen, as it pattered against the sands, and caused the crowd to take steps back and away from them both. Most of them were scared. It wasn't every day you saw a demon on the beaches of San Francisco. Especially one with an attitude behind her. And although most of them were in fear of the demon, Pulse's eyes seemed to spark the moment she saw the tail. "Cool..So totally cool! This is too twist!" The speedster spoke with her usual accelerated voice, as she dashed fast enough to seemingly disappear in a blink, and reappeared behind the woman. She would kneel down, examining the tail with wide eyes, before sudden grabbing it with the palms of her hands. Though her initiate grasp was rough, it would soon be replaced with a much softer stroke. "Wow, I've only seen something like this on T.V. This is totally twisted!" These were one of those moments where Pulse's short attention span came into play. It went from her wanting to stop the woman, to her wanting to escape, to now her wanting to play with her tail. What was next?

It seemed the demoness's words fell on deaf ears. In a blink of an eye, the source of her annoyance had vanished. She blinked bewildered and then flinched from a rough sensation toward the tip of her tail. The woman twisted about in alarm to see Pulse kneeing behind her, hands grasping at her extra appendage.

The tattoos which decorated her body gave off a soft light. Her cheeks felt hot, and she frowned in her discomfort. This...this woman wasn't taking her seriously! She was not here for this woman's amusement!

"The nerve..." The demoness's body began to quiver. "Does thou have such little regard for me as to touch my person without permission?" Leg muscles tensed as her right fingers stretch forth and aligned beside one another.

"Don't touch me!" The woman whirled about violently, hand souring toward the cheek of her assailant.

Pulse did notice the reaction in the woman's body, from the touch of her tail, and a sly smile came across her face. "Oh ho ho..What do we have here?" The impulsive speedster would bring to stroke the tail even faster at this point, even while the woman turned to strike her. Pulse simple gave a super speedy step back away from the woman, before the slap would have the chance to brush her cheek. "So are you like a saiyan from that one anime show? Cause I know they got all twitchy when people touched their tails too. Oh wait, does that mean you'd grow into a giant under the full moon?!" Pulse gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh nooo! A full moon is tonight! Dun dun DUUUUUN!" The speedster snickered under her breath before the sound of sirens started to make their way towards the scene. She would raise a hand to her ear, as if she was trying to extend her hearing range somehow. "Sounds like the fat lady is singing. I better dash! Seeya later, sexy demon lady!" And like that, the speedster disappeared in a dash, leaving a trail on the sands. She shot through the crowd with precision, not even hitting one person, as she made her way off the beaches and back onto the streets. She was all over the place, and that little stop on her journey was to be surely noted. As she ran, the world seemed to appear in slow motion. She dashed along the side walk with narrowed eyes. Her mind couldn't help but wander back to that tail. "That was so totally twisted. I totally want a tail like that one day!..I mean, not on my backside, but to play with. Oh it'd be totally twist! I'll have to mess with her again someday!" With that last thought, the young woman was gone in a golden flash of light.

[exit]

It seemed that a large commotion was going on at the beach, however Nol was just now arriving in California. He didn't really care how Nameless got him onto the plane, but the burden of traveling across the country was immense, especially with something as slow as an airplane. He wished he actually trained using his chi to increase his speed, so he wouldn't have to worry about traveling anymore, but of course until then he would be stuck taking human methods of transportation. His blindness seemed to get him a better seat on the plane, and allowed him to board it faster, even though he could tell what was going on around him regardless. He had been sent to California by the Nameless one for some reason, apparently he had to go an pick someone up. Nameless said that the person would be coming from some portal that led to Hell. Well, then this person would be much like Nol himself. He was simply walking around, feeling a bit jet lagged and groggy, especially since the food on the airplane was horrible.

As he looked around, he wasn't even sure if it was going to be that day, which is why he had the hotel and such booked. Still, he hoped that it wouldn't take long, he simply had to tell Nameless by phone, or telepathy if Nameless was close enough, that he had gotten the person. Also, apparently Nameless was the one that was going to bring the person to this world. Nol didn't much care for all these portal shenanigans, especially when the afterlife was the place. He disliked Naraka, which was an afterlife in and of itself. Some would argue it was worse than Hell, but Nol wondered if that was the cause, because why would anyone want to experience both to have an educated opinion on which was worse. Nol's thoughts were going into the abstract a little too much, but this was broken by the spoken word of a person nearby. "Dude, did you hear? There's some weird demon girl, and Miss Flash is totally going to stop her!" The other one looked at him and replied. "Really? I saw that girl before, and she kept saying her name was Pulse or something, not Miss Flash."

As the two were arguing over something as simple as a name, Nol was quickly on his way towards where the man pointed. Running through sand sucked for the most part, and quickly he reached an area where the crowds were surrounding an area, and he thought for sure he had found the place. As Nol pushed his way through the crowds, people looked angry until they noticed that he was blind. As he pushed his way to the front, his field of chi would reach the two women, and it seemed that one of them was acting a bit childish. Nol couldn't help but laugh, as it seemed that the demon was flustered, and the other woman was simply playing with her, like some sort of new pet. Nol sighed, and then walked forward towards the two. He would wait until they stopped messing around, and then begin to speak to them. However, the speedster would pretend to hear something, and then dash away in a flash, her speed almost bending the air around her.

Nol could gauge the strength of people, and a shiver went down his spine when he sensed the speed user. She was nearly as strong as Nameless. That was a fairly scary thought. Regardless, Nol was on a mission, and then addressed the woman, after walking a few short steps towards her. "Don't mind that woman, she seems to be a bit eccentric." Nol looked over the woman, and it seemed that she was more confused about the world than anything. Much like Nol was when he first arrived, meaning he could probably help her with everything. "This world is strange, but I can help you. I was sent by my master, who brought you here, and he wishes to speak with you. I am Nol." Nol would then direct her towards the hotel that he had booked a room at, if she followed him of course.

Spoiler:

Pulse continued her ministrations despite the demoness's rage and the tattoos gradually grew in brightness. Her palm struck nothing but the night air as the masked blond made a speedy back step. How could a mortal possibly be that fast? Had she the touch of God? The woman's brows furrowed. No. This harlot mocked her with words she could not comprehend. She was a devil!

Apparently, something else had caught the blond's attention. She stretched forth to listen to sounds the demon could not hear. Then with a farewell, made a hasty departure. Fists clenched as she looked on at Pulse's imprints in the sand. Just..who was she?

The world grew quiet after her exit save for the soft murmurs of the spectating crowd. That's right, she was alone with these people again. Her heat began to hammer against her chest then. But it wasn't fear which roused it. Something...was calling her. White orbs surveyed the sea of faces for answers. Her searching gaze ceased when it landed on the face of a silver haired man. He was a tall broad shouldered individual. His yes hid behind a headband. It seemed apparent that the man was plagued with blindness But even without eyes it seemed his sight bore into her. Her chest tightened. She felt connected to him somehow.

His approach was slow and deliberate. His whole person seemed to be seething with power. This wasn't just in the physical sense. The male seemed so sure of himself. The man apologized for Pulse's rudeness and then introduced himself as Nol. But this Nol was sent by his master and they wanted to help her. It was strange to feel safe with a being she had never met before. There was no need to ponder his invitation though. The answer was already clear.

"Take me to him."

Nol sort of chuckled when the woman showed no signs of emotion, it was as if she and Nameless were the same. Perhaps they were the same species from Hell. Nol knew that Nameless was from some version of Hell, but Nol didn't know which, simply because he had only experienced the one. The girl was short and to the point, something Nol admired, even though he himself enjoyed saying either long winded derogatory sentences or phrases, or simply not speaking at all and smirking to mess with his opponents. Nol would need to explain a few things to this woman, before they set out, and first of all, he would need to make sure that all the people at the beach weren't really in danger. "Alright everyone, you can go back to whatever you were doing, she's with me." The people simply had a strange look of confusion on their faces, before sort of continuing and going back to their business, although they all seemed to keep a close eye on the girl. Nol would soon realize that Shield would probably be on their way, a large scale demon sighting like this didn't stay silent for long, and so Nol quickly removed his overcoat, revealing him being shirtless underneath. He didn't really like wearing the overcoat anyways, so taking it off wasn't a chore.

He placed it around the shoulders of the girl, and then lightly grabbed her hand. "This way mi-lady. The male creatures here seem to be more perverse than normal, so covering your body is a necessity. Not that they would try anything." Nol would then lead the woman down the streets towards the hotel in which they would be staying the night. As they were walking through the street, getting strange looks, they would hurry towards the hotel. "We must rest somewhere, as it might take time to get where my master is, so I have shelter prepared." He was trying to speak in slightly older vernacular, so that no matter how the woman spoke or what she knew of, she would understand what he was saying. As they made it to the hotel, he would simply walk to the front desk, where the man would give a strange glance and a slight smile, as they were trained to give all the guests, and Nol simply placed his reservation ticket onto the counter, and the man simply placed his room key on the counter for Nol to swipe. It seemed that he was in a type of shocked state, most likely because of the woman's horns.

With only a few words from Nol, the people dispersed. Some left with haste, others were sluggish as they took one last look at her. No words were spoken until the two of them were alone. The tall man removed his attire and draped it around her being. The ends of the garment scrapped against the sands of the beach. Obviously, the coat didn't appropriately fit her stature. Lean arms found the entrance to the coast arms and easily slipped into them. The material felt thin, but it warmed her chilled body.

Strong fingers clasped around delicate ones and with a light tug, her feet were set in motion. Nol explained the reason behind his generosity and the woman chuckled at the notion.

"Whether it be my time or this, it seems the heart of men has changed little." She stated. However, such perverse thoughts went against the sanctity of family and God himself. For a male to act on such fiendish thoughts would mean heavy punishment. Was it the same in this world too?

Grainy grounds morphed into concrete ones, as the two continued their journey. The woman's eyes grew wide from towering building made of metal. These building looked harsh and unforgiving. They were adorned in glass and lights which hurt her eyes. Metals objects zoomed on wheels and emitted horrid shrieks which caused the woman to flinch.

It seemed the two had reached their destination when the man made a beeline to a particular building. It had glass doors which slid open without command. The interior was larger than any room she had ever laid eyes upon. Was this how kings lived?

They approached a desk, Nol slipped the man an item and a other gestures were made before they left the counter. Their feet led them to another door which emitted a sound upon opening. A few persons left the death trapped all while giving her a lingering glance.

The woman's tail flickered in discomfort and took a step back from the strange room. She wasn't going in.

Nol would smile a bit, as they were walking and the woman was becoming all twitchy and slightly frightened at all of the new information and things, such as cars and other land vehicles. Nol would place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, because a demon with unknown power freaking out on all of the humans there, wouldn't be very good. So, as Nol and the woman entered the building, she remained fairly quiet, until they reached the elevator to go up to their floor. As Nol stepped in, she hesitated, and simply looked towards the small little room. Nol put on a smile, before walking out of the elevator, and then put his hand on her shoulder again, leading her to another doorway.

"I guess we'll just take the stairs."

Nol would say, before walking through the doorway with her, and there would be a large multitude of stairs leading up. They were on the 5th floor, meaning it would be a little while before they actually reached their destination, and Nol decided to strike up a conversation. "So, what is your name?" Nol would ask in a slightly inquisitive manner, as if he was only partially interested. He didn't want to put on this facade like he wanted to know everything about this woman, because yes, she was interesting, but Nol had already experienced all kinds of things involving demons in his own world, even though she simply looked different, she was basically just another person to Nol.

So, he would have small talk, maybe become friends with her, if she wanted to and if Nameless was going to keep her around. As they walked up the stairs, Nol wondered is the tail was prehensile, as he noticed it moving around, almost nervously. It would be interesting if she could control it and use it as a weapon, but it might have been much like a cat's tail, and simply move around on its own based on the woman's mood. She also had horns, but altogether, she looked more beautiful than frightening. Either way, Nol couldn't see color and such, so this was based solely on body type.

Noticing the woman's unease, Nol decided against the elevator and led her to the stairs. This room was narrow with rows of steps which twisted upward. When they reached a new floor, a door with said number would be posted on the wall. These stairs were carpeted, so the sounds of their foot steps were absorbed into the material.

The ascend to the top was shrouded with silence until Nol broke with quiet wit ha question: Her name. She hadn't thought about that in such a long time. It wasn't necessary to do so because of her solitary confinement. Her mother had given her a name, of course. Was it...?

"Mylia.." The words felt foreign on her tongue as she took the moment to pronounce it. She said it a second time to reinforce it. Satisfied, Mylia looked over her shoulder toward her blind guide.

"That is the name given to me by my mother." Was her more confident reply. "Now tell me about your master."

As soon as the woman returned her name, and then asked about Nol's master Nameless, it seemed to spark something. Well, it seemed to spark something within Nol's mind, which was a signal that Nameless could hear his thoughts, and so Nol would walk into a strange portal, no doubt created by Nameless. Before he would get in the strange portal, he would turn to the woman. "Well, you'll get to meet him yourself." Nol would say, before offering a hand to the woman. Half of Nol's body was within the portal, while the other half was out and outstretching a hand towards the girl. They would depart fo wherever they were needed it seemed, rather quickly, and he enjoyed the thought of seeing what Nameless wanted this woman for.

[crap post sorry, exit]

Light exploded within the narrow halls as a surge of energy manifested itself. Mylia had to shield her eyes from the abrupt flash, but removed her arm moments later. A portal stood before them. This one was different then the one which brought her to this world. However, her initial reaction was still fear. She didn't want to return to the underworld and only recently a masked menace wanted to force her back.

Nol took a few steps toward the passage, but stopped to look back at her. He said she would realize her answer soon. Did this portal lead them to the man's master? She looked down at the offered hand. This was the second time a complete stranger displayed this gesture, only she found solace with this one.

Mylia's hand clasped tightly within his open palm and followed him into the portal.