Disclaimer:

The letters comprising the Bitterbrook series are works of invention. They spring from the author’s fancy and are set forth solely for the purposes of fiction. Any likeness to actual persons, living or departed, or to genuine events, places, or circumstances, is wholly unintended and purely coincidental.

My infernal Bitterbrook,

It seems from your first Dmail that you have missed the memo, so please note the correspondence I send to all my recruits.

INFERNAL BRIEFING: DIRECTIVE FOR THE AGE OF DISTRACTION

Circulated from the Office of Under‑Commander Apsinthos

For internal use among the ‘Lower Tempters’ Corps

I. Opening Remarks

Esteemed corrupters, deceivers, and field temptives— Our campaign enters a critical phase. The Enemy’s warnings still echo faintly in human memory, and so our work must be subtle, persistent, and exquisitely disguised. The following directives outline the strategy for ensuring humanity drifts comfortably toward ruin without ever noticing the slope beneath their feet.

II. Neutralize Belief in Our Existence

Your first task is simple: Make us unbelievable.

Encourage humans to treat demons as fairy tales, folklore, or childish nightmares. Let them laugh at the very idea of spiritual evil. Feed them stories where we are comic relief, misunderstood antiheroes, or harmless fantasy creatures. The more ridiculous we appear, the less seriously they will take the reality of our influence.

If they do not believe in us, they will never resist us.

III. Rebrand Sin as Harmless

Next, you must reshape their understanding of wrongdoing.

Present sin as nothing more than a natural human impulse—an understandable slip, a personal preference, or even a healthy expression of self. Never let them see it as rebellion. Never let them feel its weight.

Most importantly, magnify the pleasure of the act. Let the sweetness of the moment drown out any whisper of consequence. Humans are easily led by appetite; use this to your advantage.

IV. Suppress All Thought of Consequences

Under no circumstances should humans be allowed to dwell on the notion of judgment.

Keep their minds busy—always busy. Fill their hours with noise, entertainment, and trivial concerns. Let them believe that thinking about eternity is morbid, unnecessary, or old-fashioned.

A distracted mind is a defenseless mind.

V. Weaponize Social Pressure Against Warnings

One of our most effective tools is human politeness.

Convince them that speaking of Hell is rude, unkind, or socially unacceptable. Let them believe that warning others is hateful rather than compassionate. If someone dares to speak of consequences, ensure they are labeled intolerant, dramatic, or fear-mongering.

Silence is our ally. Shame is our enforcer.

VI. Use Comfort to Breed Apostasy

Finally, remember this: Comfort is the quietest poison.

Do not rush them toward rebellion. Simply keep them comfortable—well‑fed, entertained, unchallenged, and spiritually numb. Comfort leads to apathy, and apathy leads to abandonment of faith without a single dramatic moment.

A soul lulled to sleep is far easier to claim than one openly defiant.

VII. Closing Charge

Execute these directives with precision. The goal is not dramatic corruption but gradual erosion. Let them drift, inch by inch, until they no longer remember what they once believed.

Subtlety is victory. Comfort is conquest. Apostasy is the harvest.

Master Tempter,

Wormwood

My infernal Bitterbrook,

I would like to share some advice and a warning.

You have taken on a large workload and will need to be diligent. Don't waste time muttering nonsense about our Master's power being "contested." His supremacy in our domain below is unquestioned. Your doubts are a reflection of your own inadequacy, not His.

 Second,

 I am tired of hearing complaints that the Enemy "supports them unfairly." He supports all types of people equally, which, from a strategic perspective, is an advantage for us. Humans rarely use what they are given. If you cannot exploit that, the responsibility is yours.

Next,

 Negligence regarding prayer is unacceptable. Treat it as the threat it is. If humans pray, you lose ground. Prevent it. Distract them. Confuse them. Let them believe they don't know how, or they might be embarrassed. Do something.

 Lastly,

 Mishandling of the so-called "armor" is unacceptable. You are not required to break it—merely unbalance it. A skewed defense is easier to penetrate than none at all.

 This is basic work. Do it properly. It will improve your performance immediately. Do it poorly, and there will be consequences.

Master Tempter,

Wormwood

My infernal Bitterbrook,

Your latest report reveals a softness unbecoming even of the lowest tempter, let alone one under my tutelage. You speak as though the humans are somehow “up for grabs,” as though our claim on them is fragile, negotiable, or dependent on our performance. This is the kind of naïve thinking that leads apprentices to ruin. I will correct it before it festers into incompetence.

Understand this with the clarity of flame:

 Humans have been ours since The Genesis.

The moment they reached for what was forbidden, they did more than disobey — they aligned themselves with us. They stepped willingly into our jurisdiction, and that ancient fracture still echoes through every generation. It is the fault-line of their nature. Their instincts, their fears, their pride, their hunger for self — all of it bends toward us with the ease of gravity. They are ours by default, ours by inheritance, ours by the simple inertia of their own corrupted inclinations.

Do not waste your time fretting over their occasional pangs of conscience. Those are nothing more than the Enemy’s irritating attempts to remind them of what they might become. He whispers of restoration; we rely on momentum. And momentum, my dear apprentice, is far more reliable than revelation.

You must grasp this: Potential is worthless unless acted upon. Humans rarely act on anything that requires effort, humility, or surrender. They are creatures of impulse, not discipline. They will gladly admire virtue while refusing to practice it. They will applaud righteousness while avoiding it. They will “intend” to change for decades without lifting a finger.

This is the point you must exploit.

They must know and act on the knowledge they have to be saved from us. Knowledge alone is harmless — even useful. A human who “knows better” but does nothing is far easier to manage than one who is ignorant. Ignorance can be cured; inertia cannot. Guilt immobilizes them. Hesitation weakens them. Self-reproach turns their attention inward, where we can twist it into despair, pride, or self-pity depending on the flavor we require.

Your task, therefore, is not to keep them from knowing the truth — that is nearly impossible in their current environment. They are drowning in sermons, books, broadcasts, and reminders. Let them hear it. Let them memorize it. Let them quote it. None of that threatens us.

Your task is to keep them from acting on it.

Encourage delay. Encourage distraction. Encourage the belief that intention is as good as obedience. Encourage the fantasy that “someday” is a suitable substitute for “today.”

If they can be persuaded to admire virtue without practicing it, to acknowledge truth without submitting to it, to feel conviction without responding to it, they will remain safely in our possession while imagining themselves free.

Remember: the Enemy above demands transformation. We require only inertia.

 And inertia, my dear Bitterbrook, is the most natural state of the human soul. It is the quiet undertow that pulls them toward us without struggle, without awareness, without resistance. All you must do is keep them comfortable enough not to swim.

 Do not forget our rightful claim again. I will not tolerate another report clouded by sentimental uncertainty.

Master Tempter,

Wormwood

My infernal Bitterbrook,

I see that even after my last correction, you still allow flickers of uncertainty to trouble your work. How tedious. Must I remind you again that we operate from a height the humans cannot even imagine? Their minds crawl; ours stride. Their wills wobble; ours cut straight through. Their emotions churn like mud; ours are sharpened to a single, exquisite point.

You speak of “concerns” — as though the humans’ occasional attempts at virtue pose any real threat. How charmingly naïve. Their efforts are sporadic, sentimental, and embarrassingly fragile. A human may resolve to be patient in the morning and lose his temper before lunch. He may vow fidelity at dusk and indulge fantasy by midnight. Their convictions evaporate the moment they become inconvenient.

This is why our superiority is not merely practical but structural. We do not tire. We do not waver. We do not second‑guess. You, however, seem determined to imitate their weaknesses. I advise you to stop before you embarrass us both.

Let me spell out what should be obvious:

1. Humans are addicted to ease.  

Give them the slightest justification to avoid effort, and they will cling to it like a drowning man to driftwood. Whisper that discipline is “oppressive,” that sacrifice is “unhealthy,” that commitment is “limiting,” and they will abandon every noble intention with relief.

2. Humans are terrified of introspection.  

They will do anything — work, play, scroll, consume — to avoid looking inward. Encourage noise. Encourage busyness. Encourage the illusion of productivity. The Enemy may call them to silence, but they will flee from it if you keep their hands full and their minds cluttered.

3. Humans are desperate to be affirmed.  

Tell them they are “enough,” even when they are spiraling into ruin. Tell them their anger is “justified,” their envy “understandable,” their indulgence “deserved.” They will thank you for the chains you fasten around them.

Do you see now why your hesitation was laughable? The humans are not climbing out of our grasp — they are sinking deeper into it with every self‑congratulating lie we feed them. The Enemy may offer them transformation, but transformation requires courage, discipline, and obedience. They prefer comfort, distraction, and applause. We are more than happy to provide all three.

So, Bitterbrook, let me be painfully clear:

We are not competing with the humans. We are shepherding them.  

They wander, and we guide. They stumble, and we steer. They crave ease, and we supply it. They fear truth, and we bury it. They long for affirmation, and we drown them in it.

Do not insult me again with doubts about our position.

We are superior — not by accident, but by nature.

Act like it.

Your exasperated mentor,

Wormwood