The Sandman

The doors of Hell are legion.

There are entrances which are less well-guarded than this one.

Gates more poorly defended.

But I am here as Dream of the Endless.

I have no choice but to use the palace gate.

The last time I was here,

I lacked my power.

My symbols of office.

This time, I have power enough to storm the gateway if necessary.

But...

the gateway is open.

There is something deeply wrong.

Even for Hell.

Hello, Dream.

We were told you might be visiting.

Where is Nada?

What have you done with her?

Where have you hidden her?

Dream,

take off that silly helmet, and we'll talk.

I will not be tricked by you.

Why, sweet Morpheus?

Are you scared of me?

Yes.

Very well.

Then I will give you my word.

While we are within the bounds of Hell,

I will do nothing to harm you.

There.

Much better.

Where is she?

The queen of the First People?

No longer here. I've sent them all away.

The demons, the damned, the never-born.

Why?

Isn't it obvious?

We've...

I've quit.

You?

You refer to yourself in the singular, Morningstar.

Exactly.

I am no monarch.

Not anymore.

I've spent ten billion years in this place.

That's a long time.

We've all changed.

Even you.

You were very different back then.

I doubt that.

I'm tired, Dream.

So it's over.

I'm leaving.

And I owe it all to you.

To me?

When I heard you were coming, I thought, "Well,

if the King of Dreams can take leave of his realm whenever he pleases,

why can't I?"

Because you are Hell's ruler.

This is your responsibility.

You do love your responsibilities, don't you?

We used to be so alike, you and I,

when I was an angel.

Do you remember?

I used to care so much...

about so many things.

What was I like back then?

You were very proud, Samael.

And foolish.

I thought I was rebelling.

I thought I was defying His rule.

-You were. -No.

I was merely fulfilling another tiny segment

of His great and powerful plan.

There was always going to be a Hell.

If I hadn't have rebelled, another angel would have in my stead.

That was so long ago.

How long was I supposed to pay for that one action?

So...

now it's over.

You are still my sovereign.

Mazikeen, I am no longer your sovereign.

Even so, where you go, I follow.

I do not know where I am going,

but wherever it is,

I will be traveling alone.

You may not go with me.

I am sorry.

Come close to me.

Give me your knife.

Now go.

Where will she go?

Where have they all gone?

Heaven?

Earth?

Limbo?

I don't care.

I didn't ask them to come here.

They chose Hell.

That is what Hell is.

A place for dead mortals to torture themselves.

And like all masochists, they give the orders.

"Burn me, freeze me, eat me, hurt me,"

and what do I get out of it?

Their souls.

Dream.

What need have I for souls?

You can't own someone else's soul.

They belong to themselves.

They just hate to have to face up to it.

They blame me for their little failings.

"The devil made me do it."

I have never made one of them do anything. Never.

They live their own tiny lives.

And then they die.

And they come here.

And they expect me to fulfill their desires of pain and retribution.

But I'm done with all that.

Hell is closed.

I have sealed or razed all the gateways.

There is just one left to secure.

There.

But... what will you do now?

To be honest, I haven't given it much thought.

I could lie on a beach somewhere, perhaps.

Listen to music.

Build myself a house.

But not yet.

There is one final thing that needs doing.

You must cut off my wings.

I thought...

I thought we would fight.

I'm tired of fighting, aren't you?

Do this for me.

Please.

Thank you, Dream.

I came here to free the queen of the First People.

Where is she, Morningstar?

She is out there.

Somewhere.

You will find her.

I once swore I would destroy you. Do you remember?

You also swore that you would do me no harm.

Within the bounds of Hell.

But now that we're outside,

I can give you this.

The key to Hell?

Hell is yours now.

Surely you will agree it is too valuable,

too dangerous for me to entrust to anyone else.

Why dangerous?

This realm is Heaven's shadow.

Or more precisely, Heaven's dark reflection.

Its ruler wields more power than any entity in any other realm.

With perhaps one exception.

This is your revenge on me.

Perhaps it will destroy you.

Perhaps it won't.

But I doubt it will make your life any easier.

Farewell, my dear Morpheus.

You're back.

Should we go with her?

I'm not.

You're right. She's got this.

My lord?

Forgive me for intruding, but...

are we at war?

With Hell, with Lucifer?

Lucifer has abdicated.

Lucifer quit Hell?

All the demons and the damned are freed.

Nada's gone.

I looked everywhere for her.

Surely someone must know where she is.

Someone must be in charge of Hell.

Someone is .

Lucifer cursed me with it.

Soon every deity and demiurge will be armed at our door.

They will fight and kill for this.

But I will not let it come to that.

My sister,

I stand in my gallery before your sigil.

Will you speak with me?

Is this about Hell?

You know.

Yeah, of course I know. Everyone knows.

What do you think I should do?

What do you want to do?

I want to find Nada.

Well...

Nada will have to wait.

Because Hell is empty.

And everyone who used to live in Hell is back in the waking world

and planning on turning that into Hell.

You have two choices.

Either you take the key Lucifer gave you and you rule Hell.

Or give it to someone else.

Hell needs a leader who is responsible.

Principled.

Wise.

Someone who gives excellent advice...