Last day on Earth
7 minute video of story below
https://youtu.be/hN0CJdlXo0w
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The Earth lay in ruins. Skyscrapers leaned against each other like drunken giants, their glass facades shattered and smoking. The air tasted of ash and regret. Not a single human voice could be heard across the desolate landscape—only the crackling of fires and the groaning of collapsing infrastructure.
On a hill overlooking this apocalyptic vista sat a figure in an expensive suit that had seen better days. His tie hung loose, his hair was disheveled, and he wore the expression of someone who had just realized they'd been playing checkers while everyone else was playing chess. This was the Devil, though he looked more like a middle manager having an existential crisis than the Prince of Darkness.
"You did it. Congratulations."
The Devil nearly jumped out of his skin as Michael materialized beside him, crisp and radiant in his angelic perfection.
"Ah! Michael, didn't notice you there." The Devil clutched his chest dramatically. "A little warning next time?"
Michael settled onto the grass with supernatural grace. "Humanity destroyed itself. Not one soul remaining."
The Devil stared at the smoking ruins below. "You know, I thought it would make me feel better, but I'm kind of... sad?"
"Your duty is over."
"Alright, let's get back and see the results. I've been waiting for this for millions of years!" The Devil rubbed his hands together eagerly.
Michael raised an eyebrow. "Well, the results will show after the end."
"Come on, no one's left! We don't have to wait for the universe to explode."
"We need the other sentient species to end first."
The Devil's face went blank. "WHAT OTHER SPECIES?"
Michael blinked slowly. "You don't know, do you? After you stormed off to Earth to mess with humans, our Creator made other beings on other planets. Each has a challenger working against their souls, I'm afraid."
The Devil stared at him, mouth agape. "Are you kidding me? How many planets are there? Why didn't anybody tell me?"
"Your rebellion may have been the first, but you shouldn't assume it would be the last." Michael stood and dusted off his robes. "Now let's get back to the other side. You'll be bored alone here."
Michael snapped his fingers.
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They materialized in what could only be described as the universe's most impressive control room—if control rooms were made of pure white light and staffed by beings with wings. Angels bustled about like cosmic air traffic controllers, monitoring scattered hologram planets that floated throughout the space. Each angel provided reports to supervisors behind them, their voices creating a symphony of otherworldly efficiency.
Two angels rushed to Michael immediately.
"Sir, there's an emergency on Talaer—they're about to create a black hole!"
The other added urgently, "And trouble on Godia! They killed and ate their prophet before he could deliver God's message!"
The Devil stood in awe, watching the situation unfold. This was like NASA mission control, but for souls. Michael immediately began barking orders with military precision.
After a moment, Michael turned back to the Devil. "Wait a couple billion years, and then we can start the final tally."
"Hell no! I need my hell immediately!" The Devil looked around, increasingly agitated.
That's when Gabriel rushed over, his golden hair somehow managing to look perfectly tousled even in the cosmic wind.
"Dude, you've been to Earth many times—why didn't you tell me about other planets?" the Devil demanded.
Gabriel grinned. "Oh man, you finished humanity! Sweet! But even though you started early, finishing so soon puts you at a disadvantage in the competition."
"What competition?"
"Duh. The 'Who Can Corrupt More Souls' competition, which decides the King of Hell after the END."
The Devil's eye twitched. "Dude, no one told me there was a competition! I dabbled a little, then rushed to end it after they discovered nuclear bombs!"
"Yeah, you're leading now, but your number is set. Look at Fia over there." Gabriel pointed to a particularly focused angel monitoring three planets simultaneously. "Her species expanded to three planets. As soon as she starts taking it seriously, that's thirty billion souls to corrupt."
The Devil watched Fia work. She was actually helping her species build, grow, and cultivate their civilization. The realization hit him like a cosmic freight train.
"She was helping them so she'd have more souls to work with later... Dude, that's genius!"
The Devil turned away, his mind racing. *I need to stop the others from winning. I need a strategy.*
Just then, someone came running toward them hysterically, wings flapping in panic.
Gabriel pointed and called out, "Hey, Razeil! Hey, Raziel!, come here!"
"Raziel rebelled after you, but he was quick and so aggressive with his actions!" Gabriel was laughing his ass off, hitting his knee and gesturing frantically.
"What happened?" the Devil asked Raziel.
"They killed—" Raziel began, but Gabriel cut him off, still laughing uncontrollably.
"Everyone killed each other before week one!" Gabriel wheezed between fits of laughter.
Raziel and the Devil stepped away from Gabriel's hysterics.
"Sir, I am a huge fan of yours," Raziel said earnestly. "That last war you orchestrated was a masterpiece. Better than World War II."
The Devil shrugged. "Yeah, if I'd known there was a competition, I would have continued with the crappy sequels."
"But it was such a poetic ending. It can't be topped!"
"What do you know about this competition? Can Fia beat me?" the Devil cut him off impatiently.
"She has thirty billion lives. If she can manipulate them as well as you did... she could farm for a very long time."
The Devil's expression darkened. "You've been here for ages, right? If you finished your work after day six, I want you to send a message to my head demons."
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**Several cosmic hours later...**
The Devil arrived on Kepler-442b with all the grace of a tourist who'd gotten off at the wrong subway stop, but this time he wasn't alone. Raziel floated beside him, and three of his most incompetent demons materialized with theatrical puffs of smoke.
The planet was beautiful—purple skies, crystalline cities, and inhabitants who looked like a cross between elves and very intelligent dolphins. They had achieved perfect harmony with their environment and were on the verge of unlocking the secrets of interdimensional travel.
The Devil found some discarded ceremonial robes near what appeared to be a temple, fashioned one into a cape, and struck a heroic pose. His demon minions awkwardly attempted similar poses with varying degrees of failure.
"From now on," he announced to his ragtag crew, "we will be their heroes. Their saviors! Their beacon of hope!"
Raziel raised his hand tentatively. "Sir, shouldn't we be corrupting them?"
"That's exactly what Fia expects! We're going to save them from her corrupting influence by becoming their beloved protectors. If we keep them pure and innocent, she'll have nothing to corrupt, and I win by default!"
One of the demons, clearly confused, whispered to another, "Are we the good guys now?"
The Devil straightened his makeshift cape and strode toward the nearest city, his unlikely heroic squad stumbling behind him.
"Time to be the good guys," he muttered. "How hard could it be?"
Behind him, in the cosmic control room, Fia glanced at her monitoring screen and smiled knowingly. She'd been wondering when he'd figure out the real game.
*END*
