Chakra Wizard
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This one should probably be the shortest chapter so far, just cause there’s really only one thing going on in it and I’d prefer that what goes in the next chapter has its own…chapter, I guessxd Alright, so this is the last chapter with Adolf Hitler in it, if any of you are saddened by that (*cough* …sarcasm…*cough* xd). Aside from that, the chapter’s pretty much all in the title. Enjoy
“Ugh, …these steps go on forever. …One would think we were coming out of the Earth’s core.”
“Hehehe, well Justin, why do you suppose it’s so hot down there?”
“…Hmhmhm, touché, Louis, …touché. …Hey, Leonard! You holding up alright!?”
“Oh, yeah, my boy! …Mmmmph, …huhhhh, I could do this all day.”
“You’re in your eighties, old man! Hell, you’re practically sitting on Adolf’s shoulders right now!”
“Ehhh, shut your trap, Sean. …I didn’t fight in two wars just to be beaten by the tallest ladder known to mankind.”
It was true. …The only way out of the dungeons that we knew as Hell…was through a single exit, an old ladder extending up a narrow tunnel that must’ve been at least five hundred feet in length. Normally, it was said to be lined with numerous hazards that made escape virtually impossible, …but with our request granted by Lucifer, they were completely disabled to allow us access to the surface. We arranged the order of our ascent by our individual strength, in order to lessen the possibility of someone higher up losing their grip…and killing everybody below them. …To my surprise, though, not one person had done so by the time the surface was in sight. Climbing out one by one, those of us who came out first stood by to help those that followed. …The terrain was just as Adolf had described. Surrounding us on all sides were tall buildings with large amounts of decay, most of which seemed fully capable of crumbling to the ground at any moment. Gaping holes were scattered across their façades, peeking out of which were numerous demons, …all of them keeping a watchful eye on us from overhead as we made our way to the main gate. As the group’s effective leader, I walked out in front, frequently turning my head to reassure myself that I hadn’t miscounted any of our members. …Just as always, my head count was spot-on, …though for some reason, I continued to feel the urge to look again.
“Huhhh, …I’m probably just nervous about this whole ordeal. …Just need to relax, that’s all.”
As the thought crossed through my mind, I felt a hand rest itself upon my shoulder. …It must have given me quite the jump, because when I turned around, Ivan had a startled expression on his face.
“…Uh, sorry, Justin. …I, uh, didn’t mean to fright-”
“Oh no, that’s fine. …Just lost in thought is all.”
“Nervous?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“…Afraid?”
…In truth, I was hoping that he would neglect to ask me that, …because he was right. Louis, who was walking closely behind him, moved up a little further to listen in.
“…I, uh, …I don’t know.”
“Hmhm, it’s nothing to be ashamed of, Justin. …It’s one of the many things that makes us human, isn’t it?”
“Hmmm, that is true, Ivan. …My friend, I’ve made this attempt more times than most others can account for. …Not once have I gone through it without fear, no matter how familiar the situation had become. …Men aren’t bred to be fearless, Justin. Believe me.”
“…Yeah, …I know.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that I’m not, though.”
We must have walked a few miles before we arrived at our destination. …In truth, when I first imagined the gate leading out of the Core, …I partially expected it to be crafted from human remains…and I was right. An enormous structure, lined with femurs, vertabrae, and skulls, among other assorted bones, many of which were covered with strips of flesh and spots of blood, …as if they were simply yanked from their owner’s body. …I didn’t have to turn around to know that many of my companions had stepped back in fear.
“Hmhm, I suppose that was its original purpose, …to frighten us away. …It seems Shaitan doesn’t want us trying to escape, after all.”
Standing around this single entrance to the Smoke Cloud, most likely to…see us off, …were all Seven Princes of Hell. …At the time, though, I wasn’t sure why.
“Uggghhhhh, this is sooooo laaaammmee! Why’d I have to get dragged into this?”
“Belphegor, shut the hell up!! Damn, what’s your problem!?”
“Cool it, Satan. …It’s practically his job to be lazy, so there’s no point complaining about it. …Huhhh, these little bastards, getting the chance to leave this dump. …Makes me so…jeal-”
“Leviathan, don’t say it.”
“Huh? And why not!?”
“Because you’re jealous of the dumbest things, sometimes! You know how irritating that is!?”
“You’re one to talk, Mammon! Always talking about money, when there ain’t a damn thing you can do with it here in this ****hole!”
“Holy Shaitan, …you’re all out of your damn minds!”
“You horny little son-of-a-”
“Alright, that’s ENOUGH!!”
And with that, their pathetic squabbling came to an immediate end. …It seems Lucifer truly was second only to Shaitan. Walking in their shadows, I doubt anyone behind me could’ve kept themselves from looking up, at least, once. I myself knew much better than to do that, …particularly because I had my own personal vendetta with one of these enormous demons.
“Heh he he he he he he!! Hey, emo-kid! How’d you enjoy that little gift of mine!?”
…It took every ounce of strength I had not to tackle him to the ground…again. But, with the gate out of Hell just within reach, I wouldn’t dare attempt anything that would send me back into those dungeons. …Based on what he said to Lucifer, though, I’d wager that this was his intention in doing so.
“Hey, Lou, why the hell are you letting him through!? I got **** planned for-”
“Asmodeus, …do me a favor and stop right there, cause I really don’t give a rat’s ass what your plans are.”
His irritation obviously spiked, he still appeared unwilling to go toe-to-toe with Lucifer, so he merely remained quiet, …though he continued sending a nasty look in my direction, …one that I repaid in kind. …This never got a chance to escalate further, though, cause before I knew it, Lucifer was in front of me blocking our path.
“Alright, worms. …I dunno why I’m required to…read you your rights, if you will, but the big guy makes me do it, so…whatever. I’ll just get it over with.”
From his look on his face, I guessed that this was probably information that he would’ve preferred we didn’t know ahead of time…and that it was something Adolf and Louis had neglected to tell me earlier.
“…Mister Antisemite over there told you about the realms, right? Thirteen between here and the doghouse?”
Again, he was poking fun at Adolf for his mistakes made in life…and, looking behind me, it seemed that Satan and Leviathan took part in this, as well, because they wouldn’t stop looking at him with those menacing expressions. …I’m still astonished that he manages to put up with them so easily.
“Yeah, he told us.”
“Good. Now, along with the big cloud behind us, you’re gonna have to go through two more realms before you get to the checkpoint.”
“…Two more realms, …so that’s the Ruins and another one that I don’t know about yet. …What does he mean by checkpoint?”
“And what’s the checkpoint?”
“Huhhhh, …jeez, guess I gotta explain this, too. It’s just a big…strip of rocky terrain, like a soccerfield with rocks instead of grass, but it’s a thousand times longer and about ten times as wide. You get the picture?”
“…Yeah.”
“Shaitan, you’re slow, aren’t you? Yeah, well, it’s the smallest of the realms, basically just a long line between the fourth realm and the sixth, with only the Gatekeeper and a bunch of flaming towers marking the line where it ends and the next realm begins. …We generally call it the Border.”
“The Border, huh? …But, why’s this so important?”
“What’s so special about the Border?”
“…Heh heh heh he, well, …you know that little resurrection trick you’ve been going through since you got here?”
…It didn’t take much more than that for the answer to sprout in my mind. …It seems Leonard was right when he said there was risk involved.
“So, …that’s where he draws the line, is it?”
“Heh he, you’re smarter than I took you for. …Damn right, now in that googol-to-one chance that you get to the Border and decide to chicken out, …well, just be creative. Heh heh heh heh he!”
And with that, he stepped back out of our way and, with a single snap of his fingers, …the first of fifteen gates that stood between us and our freedom flew open. …I could tell that everyone behind me was ready to begin sprinting past me and into the Smoke Cloud, so I held my hand up to keep them steady before turning around to speak with Adolf, …hopefully, for the last time.
“It seems strange to say that, …in the end, I’m rather glad to have met you.”
“Hmhmhmhm, and I the same to you. …I suppose I should not have to remind that there is a chance you may return.”
“…There is, …but it’s a slim one, Adolf, …at least, for me.”
“I certainly hope so, lad. …I intend to hear tales of how your journey was successful. Maybe then, I would find the strength needed to continue rotting here for the rest of time.”
“…I’ll be sure to make them greater tales than anything you ever heard in life. …Thank you for your help, Adolf, …and your friendship.”
“Hmhm, not at all. …Good-bye, Justin.”
Against all odds, …what was meant to be a simple handshake turned into a friendly embrace. …I’m almost ashamed to talk about it, to be honest. He said additional farewells to Louis and Leonard before turning to the entire group and wishing them the best of luck, …at which point Satan ran over and snapped his neck, sending his body to the ground while his soul returned to the dungeons below. …I was almost in a rage at the sight of this, …but I knew better than to tangle with the demon of wrath.
“Hey, emo!”
…It was Lucifer calling for my attention. …This farewell must have taken longer than he could handle.
“I’m not keeping that gate open forever, so get your ass over on the other side now!”
I took no offense to this, …but rather, I formed a smile on my face before turning to my companions and waving them on. …They took off into the Smoke Cloud without hesitation. As I set off to join them, though, I caught sight of a small demon tugging at Lucifer’s sleeve. Kneeling down to hear what he had to say, …it appeared to concern me, …because that’s where he set his eyes next. …The time that our gazes were locked onto each other seemed like days, finally ending when the demon prince vanished in a pillar of flames, just as Asmodeus had done before him. …I could only imagine what was to come next, …but for now, I took off after my new friends as the gate closed behind me, …eager, but ready, to face whatever demon lurked inside this enormous cloud of red smoke.
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Leaving the Core
“Ugh, …these steps go on forever. …One would think we were coming out of the Earth’s core.”
“Hehehe, well Justin, why do you suppose it’s so hot down there?”
“…Hmhmhm, touché, Louis, …touché. …Hey, Leonard! You holding up alright!?”
“Oh, yeah, my boy! …Mmmmph, …huhhhh, I could do this all day.”
“You’re in your eighties, old man! Hell, you’re practically sitting on Adolf’s shoulders right now!”
“Ehhh, shut your trap, Sean. …I didn’t fight in two wars just to be beaten by the tallest ladder known to mankind.”
It was true. …The only way out of the dungeons that we knew as Hell…was through a single exit, an old ladder extending up a narrow tunnel that must’ve been at least five hundred feet in length. Normally, it was said to be lined with numerous hazards that made escape virtually impossible, …but with our request granted by Lucifer, they were completely disabled to allow us access to the surface. We arranged the order of our ascent by our individual strength, in order to lessen the possibility of someone higher up losing their grip…and killing everybody below them. …To my surprise, though, not one person had done so by the time the surface was in sight. Climbing out one by one, those of us who came out first stood by to help those that followed. …The terrain was just as Adolf had described. Surrounding us on all sides were tall buildings with large amounts of decay, most of which seemed fully capable of crumbling to the ground at any moment. Gaping holes were scattered across their façades, peeking out of which were numerous demons, …all of them keeping a watchful eye on us from overhead as we made our way to the main gate. As the group’s effective leader, I walked out in front, frequently turning my head to reassure myself that I hadn’t miscounted any of our members. …Just as always, my head count was spot-on, …though for some reason, I continued to feel the urge to look again.
“Huhhh, …I’m probably just nervous about this whole ordeal. …Just need to relax, that’s all.”
As the thought crossed through my mind, I felt a hand rest itself upon my shoulder. …It must have given me quite the jump, because when I turned around, Ivan had a startled expression on his face.
“…Uh, sorry, Justin. …I, uh, didn’t mean to fright-”
“Oh no, that’s fine. …Just lost in thought is all.”
“Nervous?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“…Afraid?”
…In truth, I was hoping that he would neglect to ask me that, …because he was right. Louis, who was walking closely behind him, moved up a little further to listen in.
“…I, uh, …I don’t know.”
“Hmhm, it’s nothing to be ashamed of, Justin. …It’s one of the many things that makes us human, isn’t it?”
“Hmmm, that is true, Ivan. …My friend, I’ve made this attempt more times than most others can account for. …Not once have I gone through it without fear, no matter how familiar the situation had become. …Men aren’t bred to be fearless, Justin. Believe me.”
“…Yeah, …I know.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that I’m not, though.”
We must have walked a few miles before we arrived at our destination. …In truth, when I first imagined the gate leading out of the Core, …I partially expected it to be crafted from human remains…and I was right. An enormous structure, lined with femurs, vertabrae, and skulls, among other assorted bones, many of which were covered with strips of flesh and spots of blood, …as if they were simply yanked from their owner’s body. …I didn’t have to turn around to know that many of my companions had stepped back in fear.
“Hmhm, I suppose that was its original purpose, …to frighten us away. …It seems Shaitan doesn’t want us trying to escape, after all.”
Standing around this single entrance to the Smoke Cloud, most likely to…see us off, …were all Seven Princes of Hell. …At the time, though, I wasn’t sure why.
“Uggghhhhh, this is sooooo laaaammmee! Why’d I have to get dragged into this?”
“Belphegor, shut the hell up!! Damn, what’s your problem!?”
“Cool it, Satan. …It’s practically his job to be lazy, so there’s no point complaining about it. …Huhhh, these little bastards, getting the chance to leave this dump. …Makes me so…jeal-”
“Leviathan, don’t say it.”
“Huh? And why not!?”
“Because you’re jealous of the dumbest things, sometimes! You know how irritating that is!?”
“You’re one to talk, Mammon! Always talking about money, when there ain’t a damn thing you can do with it here in this ****hole!”
“Holy Shaitan, …you’re all out of your damn minds!”
“You horny little son-of-a-”
“Alright, that’s ENOUGH!!”
And with that, their pathetic squabbling came to an immediate end. …It seems Lucifer truly was second only to Shaitan. Walking in their shadows, I doubt anyone behind me could’ve kept themselves from looking up, at least, once. I myself knew much better than to do that, …particularly because I had my own personal vendetta with one of these enormous demons.
“Heh he he he he he he!! Hey, emo-kid! How’d you enjoy that little gift of mine!?”
…It took every ounce of strength I had not to tackle him to the ground…again. But, with the gate out of Hell just within reach, I wouldn’t dare attempt anything that would send me back into those dungeons. …Based on what he said to Lucifer, though, I’d wager that this was his intention in doing so.
“Hey, Lou, why the hell are you letting him through!? I got **** planned for-”
“Asmodeus, …do me a favor and stop right there, cause I really don’t give a rat’s ass what your plans are.”
His irritation obviously spiked, he still appeared unwilling to go toe-to-toe with Lucifer, so he merely remained quiet, …though he continued sending a nasty look in my direction, …one that I repaid in kind. …This never got a chance to escalate further, though, cause before I knew it, Lucifer was in front of me blocking our path.
“Alright, worms. …I dunno why I’m required to…read you your rights, if you will, but the big guy makes me do it, so…whatever. I’ll just get it over with.”
From his look on his face, I guessed that this was probably information that he would’ve preferred we didn’t know ahead of time…and that it was something Adolf and Louis had neglected to tell me earlier.
“…Mister Antisemite over there told you about the realms, right? Thirteen between here and the doghouse?”
Again, he was poking fun at Adolf for his mistakes made in life…and, looking behind me, it seemed that Satan and Leviathan took part in this, as well, because they wouldn’t stop looking at him with those menacing expressions. …I’m still astonished that he manages to put up with them so easily.
“Yeah, he told us.”
“Good. Now, along with the big cloud behind us, you’re gonna have to go through two more realms before you get to the checkpoint.”
“…Two more realms, …so that’s the Ruins and another one that I don’t know about yet. …What does he mean by checkpoint?”
“And what’s the checkpoint?”
“Huhhhh, …jeez, guess I gotta explain this, too. It’s just a big…strip of rocky terrain, like a soccerfield with rocks instead of grass, but it’s a thousand times longer and about ten times as wide. You get the picture?”
“…Yeah.”
“Shaitan, you’re slow, aren’t you? Yeah, well, it’s the smallest of the realms, basically just a long line between the fourth realm and the sixth, with only the Gatekeeper and a bunch of flaming towers marking the line where it ends and the next realm begins. …We generally call it the Border.”
“The Border, huh? …But, why’s this so important?”
“What’s so special about the Border?”
“…Heh heh heh he, well, …you know that little resurrection trick you’ve been going through since you got here?”
…It didn’t take much more than that for the answer to sprout in my mind. …It seems Leonard was right when he said there was risk involved.
“So, …that’s where he draws the line, is it?”
“Heh he, you’re smarter than I took you for. …Damn right, now in that googol-to-one chance that you get to the Border and decide to chicken out, …well, just be creative. Heh heh heh heh he!”
And with that, he stepped back out of our way and, with a single snap of his fingers, …the first of fifteen gates that stood between us and our freedom flew open. …I could tell that everyone behind me was ready to begin sprinting past me and into the Smoke Cloud, so I held my hand up to keep them steady before turning around to speak with Adolf, …hopefully, for the last time.
“It seems strange to say that, …in the end, I’m rather glad to have met you.”
“Hmhmhmhm, and I the same to you. …I suppose I should not have to remind that there is a chance you may return.”
“…There is, …but it’s a slim one, Adolf, …at least, for me.”
“I certainly hope so, lad. …I intend to hear tales of how your journey was successful. Maybe then, I would find the strength needed to continue rotting here for the rest of time.”
“…I’ll be sure to make them greater tales than anything you ever heard in life. …Thank you for your help, Adolf, …and your friendship.”
“Hmhm, not at all. …Good-bye, Justin.”
Against all odds, …what was meant to be a simple handshake turned into a friendly embrace. …I’m almost ashamed to talk about it, to be honest. He said additional farewells to Louis and Leonard before turning to the entire group and wishing them the best of luck, …at which point Satan ran over and snapped his neck, sending his body to the ground while his soul returned to the dungeons below. …I was almost in a rage at the sight of this, …but I knew better than to tangle with the demon of wrath.
“Hey, emo!”
…It was Lucifer calling for my attention. …This farewell must have taken longer than he could handle.
“I’m not keeping that gate open forever, so get your ass over on the other side now!”
I took no offense to this, …but rather, I formed a smile on my face before turning to my companions and waving them on. …They took off into the Smoke Cloud without hesitation. As I set off to join them, though, I caught sight of a small demon tugging at Lucifer’s sleeve. Kneeling down to hear what he had to say, …it appeared to concern me, …because that’s where he set his eyes next. …The time that our gazes were locked onto each other seemed like days, finally ending when the demon prince vanished in a pillar of flames, just as Asmodeus had done before him. …I could only imagine what was to come next, …but for now, I took off after my new friends as the gate closed behind me, …eager, but ready, to face whatever demon lurked inside this enormous cloud of red smoke.
- The End -
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