Isaac's Memoirs- Escape from the Black Flame

Chapter 2: The Next Layer

Now I suppose I could've been upset at the loss of my home, but I really wasn't. I had baptized World Breaker in the blood of my enemy, now it would be a true blade. I raced out into the wastelands with my mother, there was no second thought.  I would've been lucky not to end up lower, down another level into Hell. I was not so lucky, but perhaps fate had decided to gift me a second chance.

I came upon a particularly soft patch of sulfur, warily sticking my foot about it.  The sulfur sifted around my foot, then fell off back onto the surface. ''Careful,'' I thought to myself, ''This could fall through at any mo-" My mother jumped. The crazy woman jumped off my back and into the sulfur. It was a moment before I understood why, but as soon as I saw the beast, I dove headfirst into the sulfur. 

It only took seeing the tusks of the giant boar to dive, then I was made aware of light. As I fell from the sky down to the seventh layer, it was light. My eyes took a moment to adjust, right as they did, I saw the ground first. I remember thinking this was it, but my body was caught and gracefully placed on the ground. 

It was a beautiful city, even sporting a fake sky that was blue and turned from day to night. The buildings were made from marble. It was a woman who had caught me (she would later become Lust and then my wife). She was slender with longer brown hair and the same eyes as mine. "Here in the seventh layer, we try to be as close to earth as possible, but don't leave the cities, the wastelands here are much more terrible." She took us to an inn, "Until we can assign you a dwelling, you can stay here. "I have no money." The statement was dumb and quickly remarked by, "You can pay back your debts by participating in the gladiatorial battles. They are held round the clock, each participant has one day a week." 

I was overwhelmed, what should I do? I had no prowess, I couldn't even control my fire yet. I would just roll with it, whatever worked worked and if it didn't, well, it would have to. I spent the first week training. It yielded only a small explosion in front of me, but I would have to get close. The second week was spent on my swordplay, I did not lack as much there, cutting the ballista arrows in half before they could touch the ground. World Breaker would be a grand companion. 

Finally it came to the day I was to battle. My first, I was a nameless character, everyone had gathered to watch my gory demise. My opponent had assured me, it would not be a swift death. I was however, confident I could catch him off guard if I were to get him close enough. I grasped World Breaker tight and stepped forwards into the light. 

I was made aware first of the smell of blood. It drove me up the wall, making me lust to see it shed and spilled, poured upon the ground. I shook my head, the second thing I was made aware of was the overwhelming amount of demons and damned souls sitting around in the audience. It must have numbered in the tens of thousands. 

The crowd began chanting a name, "Emanuel, Emanuel, Emanuel!" The gate opened widely, and out stepped the damned soul he was to battle against.