The Rick Chronicles. Part1: Armageddon

The land of Ka

"You heard me correctly, Rick... You have to die for this ritual to take place..."

"The magicians are in the land of Ka, which means 'the land of the souls'. Only the Ka or the soul can go there. That's why you have to die in order to go there. It's just temporary."

I didn't like the idea one bit, I wasn't so dumb to willing go to death's door, or in his land... But I wanted to know how I got these powers, so my curiosity killed me (not the cat).

"But remember, you have to get out of there before three or else you shall become one of them," Madam Pruice warned us.

I shuddered at the thought of becoming one of the 'undead'. No, I was too adorable to die.

"Also beware the psychopomps, they will not be prevented from doing their duty."

"Psychopomps? Psycho ghosts?" I asked

"Psychopomps, literally meaning guide of souls, are the entities who take the souls to the underworld. Different religions have different psychopomps. The Greeks have the god Hermes and the ferryman Charon, the Egyptians have the god Anubis and so on and so forth." Lucy explained like teaching a child.

"So let's begin!" Madam Pruice said excitedly. I wasn't even 1% excited or even cited about (I don't know if that's a word, but in panic everything is correct}

She left the book in air[yes, it floated in mid air] and she and Lucy started chanting :

" Ut in nobis formam spirituum

Ut in nobis formam spirituum "

And runes appeared in the air which looked like this:

The air sparkled and wavered and black sparks cut a hole through the air into which everything was burning and screaming.

Madam Pruice signalled us inside. Her eyes were now white (erasing the image from my mind now). We went inside.

The portal closed behind us. Our bodies were left on the other side of the portal. That was another level of creepy. I looked at everyone, everyone was a bit afraid except Adam who was as neutral faced as ever and Lucy who looked so tired that she would faint.

It was like walking on top of a volcano upon which narrow steps had been made. In my case, it was a volcano of souls. Souls were screaming from beneath. Looking into the fire revealed stories in my head of suffering, pain, torture, miseries.... I could see no more. The souls burning, trying to get out of the fire but in vain.

The land ahead was filled with such volcanoes.

"It's horrible," Lucy remarked.

Far ahead there was a cave, a huge one, with spikes jutting out in the air, the air making terrific noise going around them.

Suddenly the environment grew from cold to colder. All the noises stopped giving rise to a melancholy silence. And we saw the one who we did not wish to meet.

"A phycopomp , "Adam said.

A tall dark figure, with dark robes and a hood covering its face came towards us. He held a dark scythe with a long handle, the blades of which had the same runes Madam Pruice used to send us here.

"He will consider us to be ghosts who have been sentenced to punishment and take us to .......well punishment. " Lucy said.

The psychopomp stopped a few feet behind, pointed his scythe at us and said something in a voice so piercing that my eardrums must have burst.

He then came towards us. We naturally attacked but no good luck.

Lucy's ruins just burned and extinguished in the air. Adam went supersonic at him but he hit him with his Scythe's handle, his head just inches away from his blade.

Edwards' blade did as much as waft the air and the new kid ..... Wait, the new kid just ran to the cave. Wow.

As for me... Well nobody finds a good fight everyday.

I put only my flame balls and blasted him with it but they just passed through them.

He caught me. Oh no. Bony hands emerged from his coat and grabbed my head. His hood then lifted up. And I saw his face....no his eyes. His eyes were burning with the same fire with which the volcano was burning. This time I not only saw but felt the sufferings. I felt the cry, misery of thousands of people. The pain was an added advantage. I screamed. I screamed at the top of my lungs but he held on.

I started having visions. I saw myself just a bit younger with a woman.

"Mom," I called to her. She was my mother. Then she screamed. I saw her eyes crying tears of blood. She burned. While I could do nothing. It was horrible.

Then I came back. I saw Adam snatching me away from his grasp. I could see them but my mind still was in that nightmare. I couldn't move. I saw my hands and legs turning black, a dark black. I was becoming one of them.

"What's happening to him?," Edward shrieked.

"The psychopomp is claiming him." Adam said in his ever monotonous voice.

"Maybe the magicians of Ka can help," Lucy said in her ever optimistic voice.

"He won't let us go and he will die on the way. Edward replied

"I can freeze his mind." Lucy said," that should give us some time."

Then she put her hand on my forehead and started chanting while Adam kept the psychopomp busy but it was apparent neither he or I had time.

Lucy chanted and blue swirls appeared. Her voice was getting fainter. My vision was getting blacker. Suddenly the psychopomp stopped, he put down his Scythe and moved on like we didn't even exist. Then the world turned black and I fainted.