Taking his first breath was agony.

Isaac curled in on himself, clutching his bare arms and shoulders. Lying in his own filth and that of untold others, such sqwalour was the least of his concerns.

"God? Why won't you spare me?" A pointless question, but he begged anyways.

His throat and eyes burned, hot tears welling up and streaming down his face. He wanted to lay there and waste away, hold his breath until he couldn't even move or think or-

The distant sounds of his mother's voice reminded him that it would never be. So, he opened his eyes and sat upright, the child trying to put his panicked mind to use.

Grasping his body and the space around him, to his dismay he found nothing. Not his eyepatch, fez, or even his dice. Isaac choked out a sob when he remembered his task.

The voice of God had spoken of the many challenges he needed to complete on his road to redemption. In the light of a cathedral, and angel told him that it would be difficult, relying only on his faith and wits. But then he would be free!

That's assuming it wasn't all a hallucination from eating too many pills. Or that he wasn't crazy.

He remembered reading a Batman comic where he'd been forced to hallucinate a whole different life, but it was all fake. The hero was strong enough to resist it though, but Isaac didn't hope the same for a sniveling crybaby.

"Not like I have a choice..."

Pulling himself to his feet, Isaac headed to the first door infront of him and steeled himself for the usual onslaught of flies and dead children.

The first room was empty, save for a set of four square rows of spikes arranged in a cross. In the center was a key that gleamed a fake silver.

Reaching at it from an angle, it's safely picked up and he proceeds to the next room. From there, it was rocks, pots, and even the occasional chest stowed behind a mountain of poop.

No enemies in sight.

An unusual relief, the boy considered himself lucky but still kept on his toes while he headed for the shop. Isaac was also keeping an eye out for a treasure room.

Faintly he remembered the angel, Uriel was it? Telling him that this one would be one of his hardest challenges. Maybe that meant it would get more difficult later, or that the point of it wasn't to fight?

Either way, he steeled his nerves when he went to open the door. With his odds he'd probably be facing Greed inside, his rotting sockets gleaming with his namesake-

CRASH

The menacing snarl that accompanied it was enough to send all other thoughts to the wayside, while Isaac rushed to try and pick himself off of the floor.

It was big, louder and deeper than any other noise he'd heard before, and that was comparing it to the voice of Lucifer himself. Maybe it was mom? He hoped that he wouldn't get the chance to know what.

Sprinting for all he was worth he was close to getting to the exit, but froze when he realized that if he tried to fight the boss he'd be trapped. Turning on his heels he darted out to find another hiding place, but was sent falling face first into the floor. His feet were stained brown from the shit he slipped in.

A splitting pain left him sobbing on the ground, it felt like someone had driven The Nail right in the middle of his face. Even with his fear he couldn't help but wail in his pain, covering his head while he had a torrential nosebleed.

What sounded like someone dropping a metal barrel down the stairs sounded on the left as it drew closer and closer, and through his tears he could make out the enormous shadow standing over him.

The next thing he knew he was picked up by enormous hands that could only belong to his mother, which only made Isaac cry harder, screaming hysterically while he struggled to free himself. Being brought closer he was trapped in the iron grip, his limbs useless.

There was a flash of light, but the boy didn't see because he was shutting out the face of death. Isaac then felt warm, soft and soothing but the only heat he could imagine was the fires of hell. Why couldn't it be over already?

'Shhhhh, shhhhh...It's alright, it's going to be alright.'