text: Bill ran, searching for Cerberus. The top of the mountain was flat and smooth, like he was walking upon black glass. The Hall of Virtue was made of white marble. There were no walls, but a massive roof held up by Doric columns. Sitting in the heart of the Hall was a silver mirror shining like the sun.
  
  Three dogs bayed.
  
  The light of the mirror dimmed. Cerberus was charging straight for him. He couldn't make her out through the blinding glare of the mirror haloing the beast, but she was massive and quick. She howled and bayed, curdling his blood. He wanted to think, to react, to do something useful. All he managed was thrusting his sword forward.
  
  Sophia-Illusion flashed in front of him, trailing white feathers, and swiped at the beast with her burning sword.
  
  "Don't stand there, Bill!" Cynthia yelled. "Remember the plan."
  
  The plan. Right. Harry. Quick attacks.
  
  Cerberus was turned to the left by Sophia's attack and Bill had a better look at the beast. Black as night, massively built, and bristling with thousands and thousands of small spikes instead of fur. Her three heads slobbered and howled, big and brutish like a pit bull, and all three sets of her eyes burned like red-hot coals.
  
  He darted in, slashing at her flank. His sword struck the spikes, snapping a few off and just scoring a small wound in her side. She howled in pain, turning from Sophia and lunging at him. He jumped to the left, landing on his shoulder and rolling onto his side, pain blooming.
  
  He regained his feet, his legs burning from the climb. Adriel raced up, slamming her flail upon the left flank of the monster. Frost glistened on Cerberus's spikes. The beast spun about, snapping at Adriel, but she gracefully danced back. Sophia's burning blade slashed at the hound's right side, leaving a long gash that oozed black pus.
  
  Cerberus howled in pain, her three mouths frothing and snapping at the illusion. Her teeth passed through the Angel. The illusion's blade slashed, cutting deep into her shoulder. Bill darted in, his feet slapping on the smooth, glass-like stone and sliced his sword deep into the hound's flank.
  
  Maddened by pain, the three-headed dog whirled on Bill, opening herself up to Adriel's attack. The flail crashed, and Cerberus turned on the Fallen Angel. The Sophia-Illusion had its opening, its blade leaving another deep cut. Black blood dripped onto black stone, the froth at Cerberus's lips grew dark, stained with her inky ichor.
  
  Bill's heart beat for the poor beast's suffering. Cerberus was merely a big dog. Her whines and pants were so pitiful. Her breath was labored, her burning eyes wild. Her heads jerked back and forth. Every move she made just left her vulnerable to someone else. She limped, frost covering her left foreleg.
  
  She didn't deserve to suffer. She was just a big dog guarding the yard they were intruding on.
  
  "Let's finish her off!" Bill shouted.
  
  "Right!" Cynthia called back.
  
  The Sophia-Illusion darted in, her burning brand swishing through the air and cleaved through Cerberus's right head. The remaining two howled in mournful rage, the beast stumbling and moving sluggishly. Bill stabbed his blade, impaling the left head. She collapsed in a heap, breath wheezing from her last living head.
  
  "Sorry," Bill whispered and slammed his blade down, putting Cerberus out of her misery.
  
  Relief flooded him. The way home was clear. We're getting out of Hell. I'll get to see Rochelle and Hikaru and Juanita —
  
  BOOM!
  
  "Bill!"
  
  Cynthia's scream curdled his blood.
  
  He whirled. A hulking and bloated figure, his skin gray and waxy like a drowned sailor, stood between Bill and Cynthia. The Demon laughed, turning to face Cynthia, and took one step towards her.
  
  BOOM!
  
  The Sophia-Illusion zipped across the space in a flurry of white feathers, commanded to save her Mistress, burning blade pointed straight at the Demon's back. Dagon whirled, his massive fist lashing out, and he grabbed the illusion.
  
  "Pathetic," his voice grated, then his hand squeezed. Sophia-Illusion wavered like a heat wave dancing on a hot road in his tight grip, then she billowed away into a thousand rainbow motes. The Demon turned back to Cynthia. "I am Dagon the Undrowned, and you think such pathetic tricks can harm me, little morsel!"
  
  Bill raced at the Demon, sword raised, but Adriel as faster.
  
  Her flail of ice swished down. "Run!" the Fallen Angel screamed as Dagon whirled to face her. "Go through the Mirror! I'll hold him!"
  
  The flail connected with Dagon's arm. Ice encased him. He flexed and shards of ice exploded. Adriel's flail lashed out again, striking the Demon's side, ice crystallizing across his bloated torso. The ice cracked and fell off him as he laughed, deep and booming.
  
  "Foolish Angel," he grated. "You never should have sided with these weak mortals."
  
  Cynthia sprinted around the pair, racing towards Bill.
  
  "Get to the Mirror!" screamed Adriel, her voice thick with fear.
  
  "I'll help you fight him!" Bill shouted.
  
  "Help her?" sneered Dagon. His hand lashed out and seized Adriel about the neck, lifting her up.
  
  "Flee! He's too strong!"
  
  "No!" Bill roared, fear clenching his heart. He had only known the Fallen Angel for such a short time, but without her help, he and Cynthia would have perished from the fall into Hell. "We're in this together. I'll not abandon you!"
  
  He could see a single tear trickle down her cheek. "Don't let my suffering be in vain. Let me accomplish this one good deed!"
  
  His heart breaking, Bill let Cynthia pull him towards the Mirror. The Angel screamed and her flesh ripped. Bill couldn't look back as he raced after Cynthia, putting all the energy that remained in him to keeping up with his fiancee.
  
  I betrayed her. I should have stayed and helped her fight. They had come so far, came within inches of their goal, and now he was abandoning her. The Angel had gambled her life on saving him and Cynthia, and she had lost. Bill's heart broke, great cracks opening, as he traitorously saved himself.
  
  "Be free!"
  
  Her dying words did nothing to assuage his guilt.
  
  They ran and ran, whipped by Adriel's screams. Cynthia leaped onto the Hall's floor, and Bill followed, suddenly bathed in the warmth of the Mirror of Virtues. Cynthia stopped in front of it, her eyes widening. Bill joined her and gazed into the Mirror.
  
  Bill stood amid his four loves, gazing at them each in turn with all the affection in the world. A tear built in Cynthia's eyes. "You really do love us equally."
  
  "I do."
  
  She turned to face him. "I've loved you since the day Ms. Katsaros hired you. I've wasted so much time trying to fight it, thinking you weren't worthy of me. I was wrong. I'm not worthy of you, Bill."
  
  He touched her cheek. "Love doesn't work that way. It's not a commodity. Neither of us are buying each other. It's a gift. I'm giving you my love."
  
  "And I give you mine."
  
  The Mirror's light whited out everything except each other.