The Final Inferno

Chapter 9: the First Circle

I had been wandering for days, following the moon. The gates were close, I could feel it. I could feel the power radiating off of it. I had delved deep into the mountains. My jeans were torn and my shirt was covered in mud. I tripped over a fallen branch and landed on my elbows. I ignored the pain and stood.

There it was. The gates of Hell. Black as Night, and hot as lava. As I approached, I could hear the screams of the dead, calling me, taunting me. I placed my hands on the burning metal. "By the Power granted to me by your King," I said, the words pouring out of me, "I bid you open, and grant me entrance to your darkness." The doors opened.

Fires opened for me, creating a tunnel of flame and ash. I followed. The fire circled me, grazing my skin, but not burning me. It burned through my clothing, leaving me in tight armor that was formed just for me. I closed my eyes as the fires carried me through into the first circle.

~~*~~

A castle lay before me, its seven gates radiating purity. The seven gates, one for each heavenly virtue. 'The first circle is Limbo. Non-virtuous Christians and those who are unbaptized remain here.' The voice echoed through my head. 'Here you must find your way to the second circle, the one of Lust. Only after you complete your challenge will the Gates open and you will continue.'

I wandered through the golden castle, its chambers made of diamonds. Many were seated in a great chamber hall, a feast laid out before them. I counted 17 in all. 'Who is guilty?' i asked myself. 'Who shall i kill?' It was as if they could not see me as I wandered around them. They feasted merrily, their laughter bouncing off of the crystal walls. A movement caught my eye. The hand of an old man, worn by battle, but yet with the complexion of a king, rested on the leg of a beautiful woman. I noticed a ring on her finger, yet no ring on his. I smirk ghosted across my face. 'Not one, but two, will accompany me to the second circle.' I thought stepping forward. All together, the 17 looked up at me.

Their eyes were black as night, without a single hint of remorse. A man at the head of the table rose. He nodded toward the feast. It disappeared. All that remained of the feast that I had seen was a dark, barren, covered with a layer of cobwebs. The old man and the woman were frozen in place, his hand still on her thigh, and a smile still upon her demonic face. The man rose, seeming to be the only other beside me that was able to move. "You have approached the table of feasts." He said, approaching me, stalking me as if I were his prey. "Though you are not living, you are not dead." I could hear the emptiness in his chest, like a black hole.

"You have come to claim the lives of the lustful, to open your passage to the second circle. However I am not going to let that happen, lest you best me in battle. Once I am on the ground, dead or alive, you may plunge your sword into their empty hearts and the gates will open."

A smile spread across my face, an evil grin. A scythe appeared in my hands, light as a feather, but heavy with the souls of the damned. "Come and get me."

We dueled, man versus girl, demon versus demon. The silver blade sliced through the air, nearly piercing the man's pale white skin. No matter what I did, the demon avoided being knocked down. But he had a weakness. A weakness that the untrained eye could not see. Every third step he took, he turned his left side away from me, making it vulnerable.

'One.' I counted in my head, taking a step forward and swinging my cursed weapon. 'Two.' The man took a step back, dodging my attack with ease. 'Three.' I swung the blade with all of my might. The silver was stained in crimson as the blade pierced his side. He fell to the ground, laughter playing on his lips. "Bested by a girl in battle." He wheezed, doubling over as he coughed up blood.

"Take them. Take the lustful. Use the scythe. The gates will open."

I approached the empty table, where the demonic eyes followed me. My scythe tingled with power in my hands as I sliced it through the air. A blinding flash of darkness filled my vision as the gates to the second circle opened. I gripped each demon by their cloaks and dragged them with me further into hell.