he who can open the gateways — academy edition. (art commissioned from Aster/ZefirArt)

Oh, I fear her. But cowering here won’t accomplish a thing. Come to think of it, when I was a child, I was terrified of monsters. Run all you want, but they’ll find you. You can’t hurt them, either. Horrifying, wouldn’t you say? But Hel is not a ghoul from a child’s imagination. She’s real, and I have to face her.

—Alfonse, during Book III Chapter 5-1