Abyss Riser

Chapter 1: Awakening and Defeat

Waking up I found myself naked and in a pitch-black world... No matter how many times I rub my eyes, all I could see is nothing but complete and utter darkness...

"Am I... Blind? And why am I naked?"

I asked, hoping the feminine voice would enlighten me of my current situation.

"You aren't blind. It's just that, the world... Or rather, the realm you are currently in, is this world's Hell."

She ignored my question about why I am naked and proceeded to state her sudden bombshell of a claim that we are currently in Hell. And like any normal calm individual thrown into such a peculiar predicament, I replied.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

I asked back, and to my imagination, I probably looked like a native citizen being called by a foreigner who doesn't the native language. 'This is one of those lucid dreams, isn't it? If it isn't, she could even be lying. I mean, let's look at it rationally. She said a whole lot of stuff that doesn't make sense. This world. This world's Hell. Either I wasn't able to completely comprehend her English, or she is bluffing, right? Yup, that is the case. I couldn't even remember anything, let alone anything that would send me straight to get me into Hell. And I am pretty sure I would remember doing something like that. And wouldn't you have like a spiritual body in Hell? Wouldn't people have like photographic memory because they have spiritual bodies? How could anyone have amnesia in the afterlife? Wait, is amnesia limited to only physical bodies?' I asked myself, trying to rationalize what the voice had said.

"I'll tell you later. Look to your left. See that light on the horizon? That's a lesser demon. You can't make out its form since it is so far out. But it is there, and the lesser demon is drawn to the crater you are standing on. Why? Because that crater is emitting heat. Hell is a pocket universe made only to keep the souls of the damned. Hence there is no light nor warmth. Only darkness and blood ice await the damned souls who live here, and because of that, every single resident here, have night vision and are capable of finding any form of heat. So they will find you if don't move now."

She began talking a whole lot, and her voice felt alarmed to me despite her sounding so... Calm... By now I am utterly confused by it, so I instinctively, or dumbly, asked back.

"You can't be seriou-"

"Dead serious. Now move. Don't run to the opposite direction of the lesser demon. Instead, turn around, leave the crater and dive into the snow. Don't forget to cover yourself well. Don't worry you will feel cold but you won't freeze nor suffocate. You can ask all the questions you want after you hid. You would be able to talk to me just by thinking about it. I can read your mind and don't worry, I have no physical body so it cannot find me."

Normally, any normal person would talk back and defy them by saying 'Why on Earth should I trust you?' but what she says makes sense. Hiding, for now, seems to be the most logical course of action, plus I would also know what I am up against. Deciding to trust her for now, I've turned around and began to walk to the direction of the pile of snow. As I walked, the ground gradually got steeper and the air getting colder. 'Maybe trusting an unknown voice, in a pitch-black environment was crazy?', I thought as I began regretting my decision.

'Yes, it is crazy and I apologize for not giving you more reasons to trust me, but there was just not enough time to establish a proper greeting.'

I paused from being slightly surprised by her voice suddenly echoing in my mind. But I've decided to accept the strange fact and just focus on getting to the snow. The path has gotten even steeper and so I began to crawl out on all fours. By the time I was out, the light was halfway here. I stationed myself nearby the supposed crater and lied down on the ground. I felt the snow around my fingertips and tiredly clawed at the snow, gathering them to form a blanket to me. It was insanely cold, and I was shivering to my spine, but oddly enough my hands weren't going numb nor were they hardening from the cold. It took a bit of time but I was able to properly conceal myself in the cold. Now it's time for some answers.