‘If you need anything just flag down one us, OK?’ said one of the guards.

‘Yeah, OK’ he was then placed inside the cell, where he spent roughly half an hour just sitting there idle. In that half an hour time period, a woman wearing a belted black dress came over to see him, escorted by two guards.

‘Mattias! Thank goodness you’re alive!’ she shrieked.

‘Oh, hello Mum’ he got out of the chair he was sitting on ‘Well, I’m not really alive, per se’

‘That’s OK, honestly. You’re alive and that’s all that matters’ Matthias then sighed.

‘But at what cost, Mum? I’m basically answering to demons now’

‘It’s OK, do whatever they say! All that matters to me is that you’re alive’

‘What if one of their orders was for me to kill you?’ his mother’s smile disappeared.

‘I don’t know. I’ll be scared, honestly’

‘And if I got an order like that, if I refused it, I’ll die’ his mother was sent speechless.

‘Well, you can kill me. Honestly. Your life’s more important than mine. I brought you into the world so you live the life I failed to’ Mattias walked away.

‘Whatever you say, I guess’ his mother simply gazed at him, in silence. ‘Mum, if you don’t mind, I would like to be left alone’

‘OK, Mattias, I’ll see you soon, OK?’

‘OK’ his mother was escorted out of the dungeon. Later on, a portal appeared beneath his feet, dragging him inside. He had landed in an area which was likely to be a very large, lit cave. The rocks appeared to a light purple colour. A robed skeleton came over to meet him.

‘Oh god…’ said Mattias, as soon as he noticed him.

‘Hello there, young man! How are you doing?’ Mattias didn’t answer, he tried to walk away. ‘There is no escape here, not when you have the curse!’ Mattias suddenly looked angry, as if he were about to attack him. The skeleton then brandished a sword ‘You have no weapons, young man! You’ll be foolish to attack me! Now come with me!’ The skeleton lead him over to the end of the cave which had a very large, not quite human looking man sitting on a very large throne. There were two women to his side, one had short black hair was wearing a tight leather leotard and the other had long black hair and  was wearing a large black dress, it almost looked like a robe.

‘Ah, you must be Mattias’ said the large man ‘Welcome to the underworld’ Mattias was gazing at the woman wearing the leotard. She was snickering as he was doing so. ‘Don’t worry, young man. This place is rather pleasant once you get used to it. Especially with these two ladies beside me’ Mattias then smiled.

‘Well, maybe being cursed isn’t so bad after all’ the large man chuckled upon hearing that.

‘Don’t get your hopes up just yet, young man. You’ll have to complete tasks for me, some which you might not be to willing to undertake’ him and Mattias were now looking at each other. ‘My name is Kryos. I am one of the taskmasters in the underworld. You can call me “Taskmaster Kryos, if so wish’

‘OK, hello, “Taskmaster Kryos”.’

‘Splendid. Now, I’m going to pull any punches with the task I’m going to assign you with. The first task I have for you is to kill someone’ Mattias gasped. ‘An innocent person, no less’

‘What? Seriously?’

‘Yes, Mattias. Have you not anyone before?’

‘No, I haven’t. Well, I’ve killed flies and rats before’

‘They do not count. They are pests, after all. Mind you the person I wish for you to kill is a bit of a pest himself, if I must say so’ he chuckled again ‘You might have been told that your fate for insubordination is death, is that right?’

‘Yes, something like that’ Kryos chuckled again. Mattias groaned, and he was holding his stomach area. The woman to the right of Kryos looked worried.

‘What actually happens is that your body and soul will be reanimated to become a monster of the underworld. That said monster will be devoid of all feelings of you mere mortals: compassion, mercy, fear and replaced with attributes such as violence, malevolence, hatred, and an endless urge of destruction. And you’ll watch on helplessly for eternity as this monster goes on it’s path. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?’

‘It sounds horrible’ Kryos laughed again.

‘Good. Now you better do what you’re told. And without questions either’ Kryos got out of his throne, handing Mattias three items: a picture of a man’s face, a map and a knife. ‘This is the man you must kill, and this map shows you where he lives’

‘That’s… outside of the castle’

‘Indeed. And you must kill him with the knife provided. You cannot kill him any other way’

‘OK. I understand’

‘Good. One last thing: you most not inform any mortal being of your task ahead, If  you do, you will face your worst punishment’ he returned to his throne ‘Now go. You shall return to your cell in the castle dungeon’

‘But wait!’

‘Yes?’

‘You’re leaving me in the dungeon?’

‘I am. You must make your own way out’ a portal with hands appeared underneath Mattias, dragging him inside