made a bet with God that he could claim the soul of Ariel, God's favorite man. If Mephisto wins his bet, he can re-enter Heaven, but if he loses, he will be condemned to Hell for eternity. Mephisto manipulated Ariel into a contract whereby Mephisto would provide Ariel with worldly power and knowledge, and in exchange, if Ariel ever experiences a moment of such deep contentment that he wishes to linger there forever, his soul would belong to Mephisto. Mephisto is the only character whose name was left as it was in the original Faust story. Marguerite (Simone Simons) – A young woman living in the Town (in which Epica ends and The Black Halo begins), Marguerite's voice and appearance are similar to Helena's. Her character was inspired by the appearance of Helen of Troy in Goethe's Faust, but she is named after Gretchen from Goethe's Faust, "Gretchen" being a nickname for Margaret or Marguerite. Plot Continuing from Epica, Ariel is still stricken with grief and sorrow over Helena's death. (March of Mephisto) With Ariel's will nearly under Mephisto's total control, the fallen angel brings Ariel a beautiful young woman named Marguerite, who looks and speaks like Helena. Ariel seduces Marguerite and the two sleep together, which completes Mephisto's manipulation of Ariel. (When the Lights are Down) The morning after, Ariel regains his memory, breaking Mephisto's control over him, and comes to his senses. He apologizes to Marguerite and explains his story, begging her to leave, but saying that they might meet again someday. (The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)) Ariel leaves Mephisto, and wonders how all the pain he has caused could come about as a result of his good intentions in searching for the answers to the meaning of life. (Soul Society) He concludes that it is impossible to find these answers on Earth and that they must lie in heaven alone. (Interlude I: Dei Gratia) Realizing that his sins have prevented him from entering heaven, he begs God for forgiveness but hears no sign from Him. (Abandoned) Heartbroken, he realizes that he will never be able to reunite with Helena, nor find the answers he seeks. He looks back on the suffering that he has caused to everyone he knows and concludes that it can never be undone. (This Pain) With this, Ariel prompts himself into action and decides to confront Mephisto. He crosses the river and approaches