'They're at it again, I can feel it.
All they do is take, take, take, till there's nothing left.
A coldness in my belly...
It springs up inside of me, filling me up. It feels like a river, it flows, maybe it'll wash him away, maybe.'
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William's Pov
Ever since that night...I've felt a coldness. Ever since that night at the mansion, where she'd touched me, things haven't been the same.
A burst of energy from her had engulfed me. At the time, all I could feel was light.
It calmed my demons.
I was conscious of everything.
I knew I killed my family, just like how I killed my father.
I could do nothing about it.
My sister had been begging me, to stop, to help her; tears running, but I couldn't stop my body, I couldn't do anything, I could only watch.
~End pov~
"All they do is take." He whispered.
Will was back in prison. Though a lot of people got free in the past as a result of the battle between the cherished and Fil—a lot from the realm he was currently held as a prisoner—a significant amount of people have found themselves back in the devil's dungeon.
Some days were quieter than some. And some days all you would hear for hours were the screams of people being tortured.
They weren't dead, yet but they were captives down here. Some lawful and some unlawful.
All he had were his thoughts.
The air reeked of sulfur and poison. The only colours he could see was black and red and orange—the colours of flame.
There was no wind down there only heat and pain.
An image of warm brown eyes and amber hair flashed across his mind.
The thought of her was his only comfort.
She was the only one he had left.
He would be surprised if she was still trying to find him, with everything he's done.
He was alone and secluded in his cell. The chains were back and this time much bigger.
He remembered the fleeting moment when Hope had been able to reach out to him then, he remembered the kiss, he remembered her words.
"...You believed in God again even after everything, but you didn't confess that one sin, your salvation isn't complete."
"That is the hold Fil has over you. Break it and you'll be free. Remember William, there isn't a place that the light can't get to."
Was that really true?
Could he still reach out to the light?
The dungeon was dark as it always was but occasionally there would be a burst of light that would rattle the realm and suddenly a few of the prisoners would be let loose and set free.
Fil Reuc would then make an appearance and mutilate the demons in charge of the prisoners raging and screaming profanities to those that remain.
Will had no consciousness of time. The time spent down there seemed unending.
Could he maybe still contact Hope like he had that one time in her room?
Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake that began shaking the realm and he could hear the demons screeching in agony.
Another set of prisoners were about to be set free.
William quickly scrambled to his knees and clung to the bars of his cell to catch a better view.
The realm was total desolation but they were in a gulf in the Earth, almost like they were inside a chasm.
Looking up, he could make out a crack in the surface of the Earth above. It was hundreds of kilometers above where they were.
The prison bars were dry and chaffing; but they barely gave way as his grip tightened on them.
It was about to happen again.
Prisoners around him started making noises, hoping this time they would be saved. None of them were dead yet physically but their souls were trapped because of one contract-associated reason or the other.
The ground rumbled and the demons screeched some more. They were always at a loss of what to do because there was no visible enemy they could apprehend.
It was just light.
The whole floor became illuminated and people began disappearing from their cells.
"No!" William yelled.
"Pick me, pick me!"
Although William was secluded from most of the prisoners, he had the most demons guarding him. He was a precious vessel after all.
"Get back." One demon sneered to his left. About ten of them had gathered around the front of his cell.
Will watched in awe as bars were broken and prisoners ascended into the bright light. The light was pouring into the chasm like larva, sparkling like the morning stream. It was beautiful to behold.
It's might was like the powerful raging of a waterfall. It was awe-inspiring.
The demons made sure not to get too close. The consequences of getting sucked in were too great for them.
One time a demon had fallen victim and had been consumed wholly.
The fear of it happening to them was enough to make them scamper back.
And as suddenly as the light had come, it disappeared and darkness reigned again.
"How many did we lose?"
A burly demon that was as light as air shrilled in front of him.
"About one thousand." Another answered bowing to him. In the spirit realm, there was a hierarchy of power just like in the physical.
There were major demons and there were lesser demons.
Major demons were more powerful and had legions of lesser demons under them.
The misty one that had just spoken was one of the princes of the air.
They ruled over regions and nations.
He didn't know their exact number but he was sure there were principalities in charge of every nation.
Upon hearing the number of casualties sustained, the prince held the lesser demon by the neck and strangled him.
"Master will be here any moment and it'll be your heads."
Often, Will would hear them talking, often in languages he could not understand but somehow he was able to understand them.
He heard them saying that their tactics to draw souls in were no longer effective and that people no longer fell for their tricks.
That had made Will happy. He wouldn't wish this hell on anybody.
The ascension was occurring more frequently than usual—that was what he called the phenomenon of being taken up into the light.
William knew it had everything to do with the cherished and the Christian soldiers. They were fighting alright and weren't relenting in the slightest.
William was...happy.
He couldn't count it, how many times the light had come and gone.
The darkness now was numbing. The demons still argued among themselves because they were well aware that Fil Reuc could appear at any time.
Will receded into the farthest corner of his cell. Again he hadn't been chosen.
He hated the darkness.
A lot of things went in down here. Some too horrible to speak of.
There was also news, scary news. It was of some people that had appeared; that were making the demons anxious even Fil and they weren't the cherished.
He would sometimes see Fil go in a fit of rage when he heard the news of them.
They were something else. More powerful and unfathomable than their predecessors.
They made all of hell shake.
Will often wondered who they were. At times, the demons mention them being two sometimes, three.
It shocked Will greatly. Only three people were causing so much trouble down here.
William felt it again. He closed his eyes and exhaled.
It was cold.
He's been feel something inside of him. It felt...like a river, flowing.
Every time he felt it, he would always be at peace, no matter what was happening around him.
It felt strange.
It started that night at Bennett's mansion.
Hope had attacked him with a strange ball of white light. He still felt that piece of light in his cell.
It felt cold and warm at the same time. It was comforting. It reminded him of her.
William wanted so desperately to see her, to hold her, but he couldn't.
There was something else—with the presence came a coldness
The presence talked to him, comforted him. But no one knew about it, not even Fil.
Will still felt it, ever watching, ever-present.
Thankfully, he's been able to keep its presence a secret.
'It's gone again.' the voice whispered.
Will felt the coldness again.
He couldn't describe the feeling. His whole being grew calm as it always did when the presence was near, but he didn't know exactly what it was.
William knew it was talking about the light that had just left. William nodded.
"It's gone."
'Why didn't you go to it?' The voice asked.
"I can't, I'm bound here." William lifted the chains for emphasis. The voice was silent for a while before it spoke again. Although dark the cell didn't seem as claustrophobic as it had a few minutes ago or was it hours? He didn't know.
'Do you want to leave?'
Simultaneously, Will looked up above, at the slit in the earth which sloped downwards into the chasm, where the light had come from.
It would take a bird at least five minutes to fly down to the depths of the chasm where he was. It was that deep.
"I can't, you know that," William answered the voice after a while. He had to keep his voice down because of the guards. They patrolled his section of the dungeon the most.
The cells collectively formed a hive at the base of the chasm on either side; on the left and right, such that each prisoner could make out the prisoner in the opposite cell since they were built facing each other.
There was solid ground a few meters away from the cells, but at the very middle larva flood like a river further dividing the two sides of the hive.
The demons walked through it carelessly to get across the cells but even he knew how harmful it could be to a soul like him.
His own cell was not a part of the hive, it was about twenty meters away from the nearest cell.
He was a special case, he was Fil's vessel. Tunnels carved out from the walls led out of the chasm into more unknown places.
That was where Fil always came from.
"I can't." Will gritted. There was no use. He was trapped down here. Unfortunately, he wasn't good enough to ascend.
'You can...you know that.' The voice said quietly.
"You don't want to leave."
William's eyes widened like he'd been caught in a lie.
"What are you saying, of course, I do. Who wouldn't want to leave this hell hole?"
'You.'
'You think you deserve this, because of what happened to your family. You want to protect her, so you don't fight.'
'You're doing everything Fil asks of you because you want to keep her safe.'
William balled his hands into fists. How did he know so much?
Though he couldn't see his companion, he felt his presence five times more intently.
"We...made a bargain. He promised not to hurt her...if I didn't fight."
William stared at his shackled hands. He rubbed his palm against the back of his hand. He could feel everything even if he was just a soul.
He could still breathe air, taste, touch but he knew Fil still had his body and he was doing whatever he wanted with it.
'You know he is a liar.' The voice started again.
William didn't say anything. He knew exactly what Fil was.
"If it isn't me, it'll be someone else."
'You want to forfeit your soul because you're trying to protect someone?'
'Everyone has their choices to make. If Fil Reuc got another vessel it's simply because they conceded."
"You don't understand..." William sighed holding his head tiredly in his hands.
"I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to her. I'd rather be stuck here forever than let her get hurt."
The voice became silent, longer than he'd like.
"Are you still there?"
He called out after a while.
'I'm still here.' The voice was quieter now, less present.
"Did I say something wrong?"
William was fearful. He didn't want his only companion here to leave him.
He would be devastated if he left. He'd surely lose his mind.
'The love you have for her is a dangerous kind of love. The kind that puts even more people around you in danger.'
William's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
'You're willing to do all this for her but you're so unwilling to save yourself.'
'Your fear of losing her has led you here, what would she say if she found out the truth? Let her go, only then can you be free.'
William shook his head.
"I can't." He whispered.
'The devil makes you think you have no choice but you do.'
'You have to love God first before you can love anyone else, truly.'
'Seek God out, he's your only ticket out of here.'
'Confess your sins and be a captive no more.'
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A/N: Finally!! The 30th chappie!!
Thank you so much guys for sticking with me all the way. There were times when I didn't know how to write this book but the Holy Spirit kept pushing me and helping me. I don't know what I would have done without him. So this chapter is dedicated to Him;
The small still voice,
The cold touch,
The warmth,
My friend,
My comforter,
My love, this is for you.❤❤❤
Taiwolilly, out👌