Time did not matter for the damned.

The fire on her feet no longer bothered her. In fact, she hadn’t felt them for decades, centuries, even. The demons who guarded the damned no longer carefully watched over them. They relaxed, not caring whether their disobedience would earn them harsh punishment, for no one gave punishment anymore.

Instead, the damned and the unrighteous came to the underworld, crowded and filthy as it was, to serve some twisted, divine justice. The Divine himself only looked for one quality now, and that was belief in Himself. No matter how charred a soul was, no matter how ripped, mangled, blackened - anyone who professed belief in Him would ‘earn’ their place in the Kingdom, slaving at the Divine’s feet for eternity.

The girl, who had since long forgotten her name, glanced around the fiery plain. The other damned walked slowly around the plains, not bothered by the fires or the sharp cacti that grew along the plain’s floor. There was someone in particular that the girl was looking for, one of many aged men, whose wisdom was said to be unmatched and whose wit was said to be greater than the Divine’s.

The plains comprised the first areas of Hell, where the liars and Seekers were sent. Most of the damned here were harmless, stuck in torture simply for denying the existence of the Divine. The girl craned her neck once more, now starting to shuffle through the many that were making their rounds.

After a few moments of searching, the girl decided to ask the first soul she recognized.

“Excuse me,” she said, approaching a soul she had conversed with many years past.

The soul stopped and addressed her with a curt nod.

“Have you seen the Legion of the Wise?” She used the term that referred to the plain’s many wise souls, all of whom roamed and took retribution together.

The soul nodded and extended his arm, gesturing for her to take it. “Aye, they were said to be among the newcomers, giving comfort and wisdom.”

The girl took the soul’s arm, and they slowly walked to where the Legion was said to be. Together they made their way to the very edges of the plain, right to the bridges and the Fallings. Neither of them talked to each other along the way, for an eternity had helped them realize that words were best spoken through silence.

They took an extraordinarily long time in approaching the Bridges and the Fall, an extraordinary long time to a living soul. However, to them, time passed as it normally did to the dead souls; like a steady, drawn-out beat, slowly, but surely beating as if it were the heart of the universe. More importantly, time did not matter for the damned; they were there for eternity.

At last, when the great darkness beyond the golden-red floor of the plain appeared on the horizon, the girl and the soul released arms. She gave him a polite curtsy, and he gave her a bow before they went their different ways, to meet again in some other eon.

She now continued on her own towards the encampment of the Wise, where they greeted the newcomers, and helped them on to their proper place. She remembered seeing this place when she first arrived in Hell, where the Wise had explained to her the ways of seeking peace within the flames.

As she approached the encampment, she noticed that the raised seats of the Wise Elders, the ones who led the Legion, were crude structures of bone and cacti, draped with mail of demon scales. It was a strange sight for someone who had seen nothing but flames, souls, and flatness for many eons; to see something that resembled anything in the realm of the Living was a presumptuous reminder of the Living, a true reminder that she was dead.

The girl now noticed a fence of cacti, and two souls guarding the opening into the encampment. She shuffled toward them, eyes on the flames licking her feet, looking modest and meek.

“State your business,” said the guard on her right as both crossed their spears (made of bone), blocking the entrance into the Legion.

The girl, her head bowed, touched her fingers to her forehead, a sign of deference and respect. “I wish to speak to the Elder they call Anselm Adad.” 

One of the guards snorted and heckled, impressed by her boldness. “You wish to speak to the greatest of the Elders, and yet you do not come with anything to present to him? He will throw you into the Fall, girl.”

“I do not understand,” she said, head still bowed. “I am neither newly damned, nor am I a threat to the peace of the plains. He is of the Wise, and the Wise know against acting impulsively towards the Fall and I only wish to speak to the highest Elder, nothing more.”

The guard who had first spoken to her approached her and touched his fingers to his forehead. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes, a spark of recognition passing between them. “The Sirens breathe again,” he whispered, barely moving his lips.

She nodded, understanding his true meaning. He let go of her and offered his arm to her, to the astonishment of the second guard.

“The girl is worthy?” inquired the second guard as the two passed.

The guard on the girl’s arm spared his comrade only the minutest of glances. “Aye.”

Author's Note

I realize that this is highly controversial subject matter. So if I've offended you, I'm sorry, but hey, if we cannot satire ourselves, why live?

Reviews

[marisa starkilicious]

I put this on my reading list a long time again, but it took a long time for me to read this. And now I regret that. Everything about this is amazing. Your writing style is perfect and steady, which makes for easy reading. You don't try to strangle your readers with excessive vocabulary words, but write it so it is brilliant with simplicity.

As for the plot, it is unique and intriguing. I knew from the first sentence, I'd be hooked. The feeling of this is just simply hypnotic and melancholic, with your descriptions of Hell and how its 'government' works. Your dialogue is impressive, and that is one of my favorite things about this piece. And now, I am wishing to read more.

I could go on forever, and it feels like I should, but I'll leave you with those words. Thank you so much for posting this chapter, and I sincerely hope that you write more.