Amon had to admit, he enjoyed seeing Michelle's reaction. It had been a long time since he'd had a nice, proper scream. Unfortunately, his enjoyment was cut short by the arrival of a lesser demon.

"Everything alright here?" the lesser demon asked. He had long, spindly legs and beady eyes that made him look vaguely like a tarantula.

"Naturally." Amon grinned. "Just escorting this wayward soul to Registration."

The demon turned to Michelle. She looked properly terrified, which really helped to sell it. Amon would have almost thanked her, but judging by her face, she wouldn't be in the mood for it even after that other demon left. Instead, he sneered at her. If he could get her to scream again, it would be even better. Then they could be on their way, and his reputation would get that much-needed bump. Really, it seemed like a win-win to him.

The demon looked between Amon and Michelle, leering. Saliva dripped off his fangs, landing on the ground with a soft, acidic hiss.

"Well, then. I won't keep you." the demon said. He turned to Michelle. "Do try to refrain from screaming so much— the city folk don't appreciate it. Besides, you'll have plenty of time for it in the dungeons."

Michelle whimpered as the demon walked away. Amon actually started feeling sorry for her.

"Look—" he said. But he didn't get the chance to finish.

"I only came here because I thought it was for a good cause." Michelle said. She sounded numb. "And it was all a trick? Some weird plot of yours? How selfish could you be?"

Amon stiffened. He might have been a lot of things, but selfish wasn't one of them. Why else would he have volunteered to go to the Realm of Possibilities? It certainly hadn't been to take a vacation.

"Now look here—"

Michelle held up her hand, not even slowing down.

"I'm going to make you regret this. I don't know how, but trust me, I will. I'm going to get you if it's the last thing I do."

"Stop it." Amon growled, stepping menacingly towards her with fangs bared.

Michelle finally shut her mouth. She shrank back, eyes wide.

"Wonderful." It was all well and good for her to be scared; she wouldn't be sane if she wasn't. But he still needed her to keep her wits about her.

"Now," he said. "I didn't bring you here to terrify you. And regardless of what I told that gremlin, I have absolutely no intention of taking you to Registration."

"Then...where are you taking me?" Michelle asked meekly.

"To the Gallery of Insight."

"Yeah, I remember you talking about that..." Michelle nodded slowly.

"I said nothing about it." Amon said sharply. He'd been smart enough to not volunteer such extraneous information.

"But I swear I heard..." Michelle said.

"Sophie mentioned something." Amon told her once it was clear she wouldn't let it go.

"Oh! The Hall of Knowledge!" Michelle said, brightening somewhat.

"Something like that."

"So like...she knows about a Hall of Knowledge, and you have a Gallery of Insight?" She grinned, looking more at ease than she had since she'd first gotten a look at his horns. "Are you saying that's a coincidence?"

"Clearly." Amon said.

"Neither of you consulted a thesaurus or anything?"

"Well, clearly, they did." Amon scoffed. Everybody knew Rage was well below Terror.

"Oh. Well, naturally." Michelle grinned.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better about all of this." Amon said. "Because the sooner we get out of here the better. That means we're going to have to go through the city. And you're going to have to do a little acting."

"What did you have in mind?" Michelle asked sceptically.

"You'll need to act like a forlorn, lost soul."

"Like a ghost? Like a spirit trapped in Hell?"

"Well...I wouldn't have phrased it quite like that..." Amon trailed off. "But if you can't sprout wings or grow convincing horns, then yes. A lost spirit trapped in Hell seems to be our best bet."

Michelle eyed him warily before sighing. "Do I have a choice?"

"Not really." Amon said. He couldn't send her back to her own realm, not when she had his roommate's talisman. It'd be too hard to track her down later. And he really was going to have to return that as soon as possible.

Amon marched towards the towering city, Michelle in tow. It would have been an almost pleasant journey— at least, as pleasant as a walk through the sweltering Realm of Terror could ever be. And Michelle had even stopped looking quite so downtrodden. As they reached the outskirts, Amon turned to face her. She wasn't going to like this.

"Now, you're going to feel a little lightheaded." he warned her.

He didn't wait for whatever snappy comment she was going to make. Instead, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his stylus— the special one he used to sign contracts with the damned. With a flourish, he drew his sigil onto her forehead. It glowed brightly for a moment before fading into inky black.

She closed her eyes and swayed for a moment. He reached out to steady her.

"What did you do?" she asked.

He'd marked her, bound her life-force to his. It was the only way he could be sure she wouldn't be carted off by some other demon when he wasn't looking. As an unbound soul— and a living one at that— she'd be a prime target for any demon close enough to sense her. This would put a stop to that. And the fact that it would increase his own dark powers while they were down here was just a bonus. He'd undo it before they left. Probably. Almost definitely. Maybe.

"This'll help hide you in plain sight." he said. "Now, don't talk to anyone. And keep the eye contact to a minimum."

"...Ok." Michelle said, still looking somewhat dazed.

Amon nodded to himself. She'd remain mildly stunned for at least another hour or two while the spell continued to work its magic. It meant that not only would he not have to worry about any other demons trying to claim her, but she'd do what he asked for once. Really, he should have done this the moment they'd landed in Terror. The only problem was that the longer it lasted, the more entwined their essences would become. And hers would slowly start to drain. Still, they'd have about three days before that became a problem, and he planned on being out of here long before then.