Birth of Envy Part 2

9. The Gate

“Wake up. We’re almost there.” Gabe heard a voice calling out to him from the dark. Opening his eyes, he saw the dark sky above him. Looking up, he saw Will and the Ferrier in front of him; they were still on the boat.

“Wait, what?” said Gabe, still a little groggy.

“We’ll be arriving soon.” Will responded. Gabe could see that Will seemed a little distant.

“You know, I was kind of afraid I wouldn’t wake up. I guess I really can trust you,” Gabe said, a hollow smile on his face.

“If I had wanted to kill you I’d have ended your life a long time ago,” was the response.

Gabe thought about that for a moment. Will seemed very trustworthy, but Gabe knew almost nothing about the man. He had come out of nowhere, knowing that he needed help, and helped him without asking for anything in return. Gabe wanted to know why it was this man chose to help him

“I have a question for you,” he said.

“Shoot,” Will replied.

“Why did you choose to help me? You’re not getting anything out of this. I don’t have anything I can give to repay you for what you’ve done for me. So, why?” Will looked deep in thought at this question. Gabe started to wonder what it was that he was thinking about. He began to wonder if he was hiding something.

“A long time ago. The girl I loved was taken to Hell. I fought tooth and nail with everything I had to go and save her. I fought on par with the Devil himself, and rescued her from the darkness.” Will looked towards the wave’s brushing up against the boat.

“Really?” asked Gabe. ‘He’s just like me’ he thought.

“Nope, just kidding,” chuckled Will, a large smile adorning his face. “But I do hope that you’re able to tell that to someone someday. Unfortunately you won’t be coming back from this trip. You’re going to die down there. That’s how it’s going to happen.” Will seemed very serious at this point, almost sad.

“I’m going to rescue her. I’ll get her out even if I die. But I don’t plan on dying down there.” Gabe didn’t know why this man seemed to think it was certain that he was going to die down there. “This is my choice, and I’d make it again a thousand times over.”

“Choice, huh? Let me tell you something about choice. It is the most important thing you can have as a human,” he said.

“Of course it is. What’s more important than a person’s right to choose?”

“What about happiness? Love? What do you think? I believe choice to be more important than all those feelings that people can have. It’s our choices that determine who we are.” He still seemed deep in thought.

“You’re right you know. It’s my choice to do what I’m doing…” Gabe started, but was interrupted before he could finish.

“But do you understand the consequences of your actions? You’re going to die down there. It’s going to happen.” Will was convinced that Gabe wouldn’t make it back alive.

“If I die, than I die. What business is it of yours?” he said quite agitated. It seemed Will didn’t want to give up on trying to convince him not to go.

“I just hope you don’t come to regret your choice here later,” he said. Looking up behind him, he seemed to notice something. “There it is; the entrance to Hell.” Gabe saw it as well, wondering how he wasn’t able to notice it before. They hit the beach, landing with a sudden stop. Lurching forward, he used the momentum he gained to run off the boat and jump onto the beach. “Aren’t we anxious?” Will asked.

“She’s waiting for me in there,” he said. “I don’t have time to waste.” Looking at the gate itself, he saw what appeared to be sculptures of humans in anguish. They all seemed to be mourning something they had lost. This gate against the side of this mountain seemed, dangerous, to Gabe. Across the top of the gate, Gabe saw some word’s carved into the top of it. He couldn’t read the words though; they seemed to be in a different language.

“It’s Latin,” said Will. “‘Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.’ It means ‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.’” Will seemed to know a lot about this gate.

“How do we open it?” asked Gabe.

“It’s unlocked on the outside,” he replied. “All you need to do is push it open and the doors will open. However, they can not be opened from the other side,” he finished.

“Than how am I supposed to get out once I save her?” Gabe yelled.

“You’ll think of something,” was his only response. “Are you ready for this? Entering Hell isn’t something you should do without having thought this through. Once you enter here. There is no going back. This is the point of no return.” Will was still trying to convince him against his mission.

“My mind’s made up. I have nothing more to say,” was his reply.

“Than I guess this is where we part ways,” Will said. “I wish you the best of luck on this endeavor.”

Gabe looked back at his companion; he knew that they would eventually part ways. This was his task, not Will’s. But he had hoped that this man would come along, even for just a little bit longer. “Thank you for all the help you’ve given me,” he started, “I owe you big time.”

Will had already started to walk back to the boat. He raised his arm into the air and waved his hand back and forward to signify their goodbye. Their paths were different and so, they had to walk upon them separately from now on. Gabe turned back towards the gate. Walking towards it, he pushed open the doors of Hell. Darkness waited on the other side. Placing his hand upon the sheathed sword, he slowly made his way into the darkness.

“You think he will make it?” asked the raspy voice of the ferryman.

“I already know what’s going to happen,” said Will. “He’ll save her. There’s no doubt about that. But he won’t survive this.”

“What makes you so sure?” the ferryman asked him. “You don’t have any powers of precognition.”

“Do you doubt me, Charon?” Will asked.

“Perhaps, but who am I to doubt the only one on par with God and Lucifer?” he said.



10. Limbo



Gabe continued his journey through the dark. The cave he was in was dark, damp, and smelled horrible. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, so he was able to see shapes, using them to feel his way through. Stalactites hung from the ceiling threatening to pierce him if they were to fall. Gabe felt afraid. He was alone, at the entrance of Hell, trying to feel around and reach his lost love. It was than that he saw it. A doorway. The doorway had stairs that went down, deeper into the cave.

Making his way to the stairs, he started the trek down them. He continued to walk down them, noticing that he couldn’t see the bottom. The walls of the cave were gone now. He looked over the edge of the stairs he was on. Darkness was the only thing that was below him. If he fell, it was over. He tried to keep count of how many stairs there were, but quickly grew bored. After walking for what felt like an hour, he finally saw some light at the end of the tunnel. Quickly, but carefully he made his way to the bottom. Reading his sword, he walked into the light.

It was beautiful. He had walked into an open field, grass growing upon the hills in front of him, while the sun shined in the sky, illuminating this entire area. There wasn’t a cloud in the deep blue sky.

“What’s…going on?” he asked himself, unsure why Hell seemed so, nice. Walking around for a bit he noticed small animals in the area. Rabbits ran around eating their fill of grass, butterflies flew across the meadow, and even bird’s nested in some of the trees. Looking into the distance, he saw a figure appear over the top of the hill. A small girl had just emerged, chasing some butterflies. Walking towards her he called out to here, “Where am I?”

Looking into the distance, she saw Gabe standing there. Suddenly, with a look of terror on her face, she ran back over the hill. Gabe quickly took off after her. He needed to know what was going on. He needed to know if this was actually Hell.

Standing atop of the hill, he looked down to see a village. People walking through the streets showed him signs of life he didn’t expect. The little girl had reached the village and was running towards the building furthest from him. He guessed it to be a town meeting place, based on the position and size compared to the rest of the village. The rest of the villagers began to look up at him. Suddenly, one by one they followed the little girl, running to the same building she ran to.

Gabe decided it would be best to approach cautiously. Slowly making his way down the hill, he entered the village. Noticing the buildings up closely, they had a dark ages feel, as though these people had never built up decent technology. As he continued to make his way through the central street, he approached the building they all had entered. He knocked. No one answered the door. Knocking again, he began to get impatient. He tried to open the door, but couldn’t because of the locks. His patience had grown thin, and he kicked the door open, knocking it clean off the hinges.

Inside, groups of people were huddled around each other, each one looking terrified. Small children had clung to older adults and had buried their heads into their chest, crying their eyes out. It was than that he noticed a man charging him, a long broadsword in his hand. Unsheathing his katana, he knocked away the man’s sword with his own. The force of the blow caught the man off balance, and he fell towards Gabe’s left, tumbling into the wall. Quickly getting up, the man brought the sword in front of him, blade pointing towards the ceiling.

It was than that Gabe noticed what kind of condition this man was in. He was missing his left arm; his left eye was grey, hinting blindness; his black hair looked as if it had been on fire, and never fully healed; scars riddled his face; and his left ear was missing. “Leave us alone,” he yelled at Gabe. As this was happening, Gabe noticed a bunch of men had surrounded him, most of them were holding makeshift weapons, a hammer, a sickle; some even had pieces of wood. Gabe could tell these people weren’t fighters. Caught off guard, the man with the sword, struck from above with his sword, almost landing a clean blow into Gabe’s skull. Gabe’s reaction was just quick enough to avoid a killing blow, but not completely avoid the sword. The tip of the blade dug lightly into his bicep, causing a small cut. A small amount of blood slowly spewed from the wound. It wasn’t anything serious, but Gabe wouldn’t be off guard again.

“We didn’t do anything to you. Leave us alone,” the man yelled at Gabe again. He was breathing very heavily.

“And what have I done to you?” Gabe yelled back. “All I wanted to know is where I am. I’m supposed to be in Hell, saving someone I love. Instead I enter a world in the Dark Ages where people attack strangers on sight.” It was than that Gabe noticed a look of deep thought on this man’s face.

“Why should we trust you?” the man finally asked.

Gabe figured the only way to gain these people’s trust was to do some thing slightly dangerous. He tossed his sword onto the ground by the man’s feet. The man’s face changed to one of shock.

Sighing to himself, the man said, “Fine, dress his wound. He wouldn’t want that getting infected.” It was than that the man fell over, face first. He lay on the ground, not moving.

“Dimitri!” cried out a woman from behind him. She ran over to the man known as Dimitri and flipped him over. She ripped open his shirt. On his chest was a large black area, slowly growing over his body.

“Get some water!” she screamed. Quickly, a bucket of water was brought to her. She took the bucket and threw it on the stomach, spreading it across the growing black area. The black stopped growing and slowly receded into a small spot, close to his heart.

“So, where am I?” Gabe asked no one in particular.

11. Judgment

“So what is it you want to know?” asked Dimitri. They had taken him to a bed, letting him rest. He was conscious very soon however, and as no one else was brave enough to speak to Gabe, he had to wait until Dimitri had awoken.

“Where am I? Is this really Hell?” Gabe asked.

“Yes, this is hell. However, you are in the first ring. That’s why it isn’t so bad,” was the response.

“First ring?” he asked.

“How long have you been dead?” asked Dimitri. “You’d have to have known about the rings of hell, or else you’d have shown up here much earlier.”

“Oh, I’m not dead. I came here to save someone. When I find her I’m leaving.” Gabe replied.

“What are you talking about?” the man asked. “You willingly entered Hell to save a dead woman? How is that even possible?”

“She isn’t dead,” said Gabe firmly. “Demon’s came to Earth and kidnapped her. I’m going to save her.”

“I think you might have hit your head on your way here,” said Dimitri quite condescendingly. “However, since you don’t know anything about Hell, I guess I’ll have to teach you about it.”

“Hell is divided into nine different regions called rings. To get to each of these rings you have to descend deeper and deeper. The closer you get to the bottom, the worse Hell gets. This ring, Limbo, is the first ring of Hell. However, it really isn’t a bad place to live. The bad one’s start at the Second Ring. However, demons will sometimes come up here and attack our little village, bringing some of us to the lower levels. That’s why we attacked you when you first came here.”

As Gabe listened to the explanation he began to wonder which level Molly had been taken to. “Are there other villages like this one out there?” he asked

“There’s a few that we know of, but I can’t say for sure how many there are out there. The rings are very large, at least this one is. So…” but he was cut off before he could finish.

“Dimitri! Minos is here!” yelled a person who had just run in.

“Damn, get everyone to safety, I’ll stall for time.” Dimitri got out of the bed, limping towards his weapon.

“You can’t!” yelled his wife, the same woman who used the water to save him.

“What choice do I have?” he asked her, laughing a cynical laugh. With that, he grabbed his sword, and ran outside.

“Please,” pleaded his wife, suddenly turning towards Gabe. “You have to help him. On a good day he can’t beat Minos. If he goes up against him now, he’ll die.”

Gabe thought on it. Dimitri had helped him, but to go up against someone might jeopardize his mission. Saving Molly was his top priority, he didn’t have the time. “I’m sorry. But this isn’t my problem,” said Gabe. Walking out of the room he heard the woman scream at him.

“My husband was right not to trust you!” He knew that this wasn’t the right thing to do. But to keep his promise, he’d have to do it. Looking towards his left, he saw Dimitri had unsheathed his sword, and was facing off against a giant of a man.

The man was at least double Dimitri’s size. Gabe was never very tall, but he wasn’t short either. Dimitri wasn’t much taller, maybe an inch or two, but this man towered over Dimitri. He was holding a club, almost the same size as Dimitri. Gabe didn’t know if Dimitri stood a chance.

However, it wasn’t his problem. Taking a right, he walked away from the battle, leaving behind the town and its problems. He felt his sword reacting. Looking down at the sheath, he saw the snow white blade dimmed the tiniest bit.

“So you’re really just gonna just leave ‘em, huh?” said a voice. Lifting up his head, he saw a woman standing there, with pink hair. “I didn’t think you were that cruel,” she said.

Gripping on to the sword, he screamed at the woman, “Who are you?” And, after thinking about it for a moment, “What’s with the hair?”

Her eye twitched. “It’s natural!” she screamed and smacked him on the head faster than he could react. His face slammed into the ground. He was in pain, a lot of pain. “Anyways,” she continued. “Are you really going to leave these people like this?”

“This has nothing to do with me!” Gabe shouted at her.

“Is this what she would want?” she asked him.

“Who are you?” he asked, wondering how she knew who he was looking for. It was than that he noticed that she looked familiar.

“Just a super sexy girl passing on by,” she said, bending over to exaggerate certain parts of herself. Looking past him, she nodded, in a gesture meant to make him turn around.

What Gabe saw when he turned was Dimitri getting pummeled. He was barely even moving. Quickly turning back towards the woman, he noticed she was gone. He had to save Molly. But he knew that she’d hate him forever if he didn’t help them here. Sighing, he unsheathed Viscus from the sheath, and he was off, running towards the monster known as Minos.

“Pathetic. Why don’t you just give up Dimitri? You won’t be able to beat me, you never will,” said Minos.

“I still have things to protect,” was his response. “So long as I continue to breathe, I won’t let you take anyone!” Glaring his eyes up at his much taller opponent, Dimitri could barely stand. He wanted to make his words true, but he wouldn’t if this was his limit. Falling onto his knees, he used his arms to keep his head from hitting the ground.

“So this is your limit? Pathetic. You used to be so much stronger. Your compassion has made you weak. I can’t believe this.” Raising his club high into the air, Minos intended to end his life with the next blow.

“Is this it?” Dimitri asked himself. “If I lose, than everyone will be taken below.” He was crying now. His weakness would cost everyone everything. His selfish pursuit of happiness had damned them all. The club was being brought down in what seemed slow motion. Reflecting on his life, Dimitri didn’t know where he had gone wrong. “Was it so wrong to be happy?” he asked. He knew the answer to that. The club slammed down right next to him, missing him by mere inches. Looking up, he saw what had saved him.

Gabe ran as fast as he could. The club was about to slam into Dimitri, bringing about the end for him. Jumping, he propelled himself forward as fast as he could, slamming his left knee into Minos’ face. Spinning in midair, he used his right leg to kick the club off target, saving Dimitri. Gabe landed on his feet, swinging his sword up until it was parallel to his eyes.

Minos stumbled backwards a few steps, but did not fall. “What was that?” he asked himself. Looking forward he saw the cause to his distress. “Who are you runt?”

“Leave these people alone,” Gabe threatened. “If not, I’ll take you apart piece by piece.”

“I don’t care who you are. I’m going to send you so far down you’ll wish your very existence would end.” Charging towards Gabe, he once again raised his club and brought it down as hard as he possibly could.

Gabe raised the sword into the air, and blocked the enormous club with his katana. Surprised Minos pushed down on it with both of his arms, trying to crush Gabe. Gabe leapt forward, rolling between Minos’ legs. The club came slamming down, creating a small shockwave, causing Dimitri to be blown backwards a few feet, luckily landing outside the combat zone for the two.

Quickly turning around, Gabe slashed at Minos’ back. Hitting deep, the wound he had just caused was a very dangerous one for Minos. Screaming out in pain, he grabbed his back, and went down on one knee.

“So I see you know how to fight.” Gabe noticed he didn’t sound scared at all. “Most simply give up once they know my name.”

“Why should I be afraid of someone so weak?” Gabe asked. He saw his opponent smirk. It was than that he felt puncture wounds on the right side of his lower back. Something had taken a bite out of him. Looking down at the pain, he saw a snake with a head the size of his fist, attached to his body. It released its grip, and tried to curl around his body. Jumping out of the circle the snake was in; he made it out just before the snake had encased his body. Untangling itself, he noticed the tail was leading back to Minos.

“You managed to dodge that? Pretty good, for a human.” Gabe wondered where the snake had come from. The head of the snake lunged at him again. Dodging it, he ran towards Minos, sword in hand. The pain at his side was piercing his body with every step, but he would not back down. Minos swung his club sideways, trying to smack into the opposite side that Gabe’s wound was on. Jumping straight up, Gabe managed to avoid the blow. While still in the air, he hacked at his opponent straight in his face. The blade pierced a part of Minos’ skull, slicing apart his left eye, before exiting towards the top of his forehead.

“Bastard,” he yelled out at Gabe, “I’ll end you!” It was than that Gabe noticed the snake’s tail leading towards Minos’ back.

‘That couldn’t be a…could it?’ he thought to himself.

“Turn around!” he heard someone yell. Spinning on his heel, he saw the snake’s head, about to sink its teeth into Gabe’s back one more time. Evading towards the snake’s left; once again it missed as it went through Minos’ legs. Twirling around again, he saw Minos about to smash his head in with his club once more. Jumping back, he escaped the blow, sliding backwards on his feet until he stopped.

“That snake,” Gabe started, “it’s actually your tail isn’t it?”

“Most die before they figure that out. Doesn’t matter, it doesn’t make any difference,” Minos responded.

“It makes all the difference in the world,” Gabe said.

“Than show me!” Minos yelled, thrusting his tail at Gabe once more. The snake opened its jaws, coming at Gabe with incredible speed. Swinging his sword at the snake’s head, the snake managed to catch the blade in its jaws. “That won’t work!” Minos yelled. Suddenly, the snake’s force grew much more powerful. Gabe was sliding backwards, using all of his effort to maintain his balance and keep the snake at bay against the sword. Finally, his back smacked into a wall, causing his wound to spark in pain. The force was growing; the wall behind him was beginning to give out. “Once that wall gives out, you’ll be crushed underneath the rubble,” he said.

Laughing to himself, Gabe knew better. “Jackpot,” he said. Letting go of the sword with his left hand, the blade flew back, the reverse side colliding with his body. Holding back the snake with his body, he pulled his gun from its holster. Raising it underneath the head of the snake, he pulled the trigger.

The force the snake had enacted upon the sword had been completely lost. Slowly, the jaws unclamped from the blade, the head falling to his side limp. Minos screamed out in pain from the wound. “Bastard!” he yelled. “What did you do?”

“Having that tail was like having an extra arm,” Gabe said. “It makes you more powerful in a fight, but its weakness lies in the fact that you can take pain from it. Judging by the fact that it ain’t moving anymore, it can only be controlled while ‘alive,’” Gabe finished. Walking towards Minos, he stuck his sword into the dead body of the snake. He pulled the blade across the flesh, dissecting the dead snake and causing Minos to howl in pain. Closer and closer he got to Minos, until finally, they were at arms length.

“Bastard,” he said very quietly. “Bastard!” he screamed. “I am Minos, the Judge of all humans! I determine where in Hell you belong! You are nothing to me, Runt!”

Jumping upwards, Gabe swung his sword sideways, “The names Gabe,” he said, before completely beheading Minos. “Game Over.”

Landing on his feet, Gabe walked over towards the fallen body of Dimitri. He was still conscious.

“Thanks,” he coughed out.

“No problem,” Gabe said, feeling ashamed he hadn’t helped sooner. Looking down at the sword in his hand, he began to wonder how much power this sword had given him, and how much was his own. “Thanks, by the way. If you hadn’t warned me, I might have died back there.”

“I never warned you about anything. What are you talking about?” came the reply. There was no one else around.

“Perhaps it was that pink haired girl. Do you know her? I really need to thank her.” Looking around, he noticed that people had started to flood back into the village.

“Pink hair? That’s impossible,” Dimitri said. “I think you might have hit your head a bit too hard while fighting him.”

“Perhaps,” said Gabe. Looking off into the distance, he began to wonder who could have helped him during his fight. But, he had spent too much time here already. He needed to move on.

As he was turning to leave the city, Dimitri called out to him. “Where are you going?” he asked.

“Where else? I can’t stay here any longer. I have to find her,” he said.

“I still think you’re crazy. However, if you’ll let me, I’ll help you,” Dimitri said. Two villagers came forth, and picked him up, slinging his arms over their shoulders in order to carry him. Following them as he was brought inside back to his bed, Gabe wondered how he could help. After being laid down in his bed, he told everyone else to leave the room.

“I guess I’ll start from the beginning,” said Dimitri. “Seventeen years ago, I was a demon from the Fourth Ring of Hell.” Gabe was surprised to hear that, but thought it made sense when he looked back at how Minos seemed to know Dimitri. “Minos was my partner. We were the ‘judges’ of humans. We sent humans to lower levels if we felt like it, simply to torture their existence. We felt no remorse, we spared no one. Than, seventeen years ago. I met her, the woman I love. I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t care either. But, I fought tooth and nail to save this woman I had just met. Using everything at my disposal, I was able to defeat Minos and made it up here with her. We started a life together. The villagers were afraid of me at first, but I did everything I could to give up my demon heritage. What you saw before with the water, it helps to seal my demonic abilities. Without it, my demonic heritage would overtake my body and I’d slaughter this village,” he said looking quite sad.

“About three years ago, Minos came up here looking for victims. Eventually he found us here, and I fought to repel him. Each time he’s come, I was able to prevent him from taking anyone, but I was never able to beat him. I’ve become too weak…”

“This is great and all,” started Gabe, “but it doesn’t help me at all.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just like telling others that story, it makes me feel ‘lighter.’ What I wanted to say is, if your friend truly was taken, than she’ll be lower down than this level. Demons don’t live here. They don’t really like it up here.”

“Than I’ll just have to go lower. Where’s the entrance?” Gabe asked.

“I was getting to that,” he said quite moodily. “Just head east. You can’t miss it.”

“Thanks for the info,” Gabe said. “I’m off.”

With that, Gabe ran out of the room, in a hurry to get to the next level. Quickly he came back into the room. “Which ways east?” he asked.

Raising an eyebrow, Dimitri pointed him east, and before another word could be spoke, he was off.

After heading east for what felt like an eternity, but was really only twenty minutes. Gabe stumbled what looked to be a large tomb, with stone stairs leading downwards. He knew this was it. Walking down the stairs, he wondered what awaited him.

“You think he was telling the truth?” his wife asked him. Dimitri looked out the window.

“I don’t think he was lying. Either way, I wish him the best of luck.” Smiling, he knew one thing, Gabe would save his love. He believed in it.



12. Lust



After having descended the stairs, Gabe walked through the archway into the new world. Seeing this new ring of Hell, he figured that it was night. He was in a dark meadow similar to the one of the first ring of Hell. It didn’t seem so bad.

Walking through the field, he saw a tree atop of one of the hills. Figuring he might be able to see into the distance if he climbed it, he ran towards it. Reaching it quickly, he grabbed onto its sides and started his ascent. Climbing towards the top, he stopped at one of the higher branches. Sitting down he looked into the distance. It was nothing but meadows for all his eyes could see. Turning to look from all sides, the only thing he could see was the mountain through which he had entered this ring.

“Hi!” came a voice to his side, startling him and almost causing him to fall off the branch. Looking to his side, he saw a beautiful girl sitting on the branch next to his. “How’s it going?” she asked him. This girl was stunningly beautiful; Gabe had never seen someone like her before. She seemed to be around the same age as he was. She winked at him. This simple action was enough to make his heart skip a beat. Falling backwards, he fell out of the tree. Landing on his head, he started to black out.

“Hey, are you okay?” it was a girl’s voice. Looking upwards, he saw a girl about his age standing there holding an umbrella. The rain came pouring down, soaking him and the tattered remains he called clothes. Hiding in his little cardboard box, he tried to ignore this girl. He was afraid. He closed his eyes and covered his ears in an attempt to get the girl to leave him alone. All of a sudden he felt warmth that he had never felt before. Opening his eyes, he saw the girl was holding him in her arms. The umbrella lay forgotten on the ground.

Waking with a start, Gabe noticed that he lay in a bed. He also noticed he wasn’t wearing any clothes. Covering himself up with the blanket as best he could, he sat up looking for his clothes.

“Ah, you’re up,” came a voice. Turning his head towards its source, he saw the same girl he saw in the tree before he fell out of it. Her golden blond hair reached down to her hips. Her blue eyes sparkled with a light Gabe had never seen. Gabe only wondered who this woman was. It was than that he remembered that he was naked. Whipping the covers over top of him, he hid himself underneath the sheets.

“Come now, who do you think removed your clothes in the first place?” she asked him. Blushing a deep crimson red, he let the cover’s fall around his waist to keep himself decent, while still showing off his chest and stomach. It was at this time that he became aware of the bandages that were wrapped around his side where the snake had bitten him. Touching his side, he looked at her. “If you’re wondering, I’m also the one who bandaged you.”

“Why are you being so helpful to me?” he asked her, not understanding where this kindness came from. She simply smiled at this. Walking over to him, he noticed she was carrying a tray of food.

“Here, eat this,” she said to him. “You’re probably very hungry.”

Looking down at the food, she had made him some scrambled eggs, with bacon and toast. The glass seemed to be filled with orange juice. Grabbing for the drink first, he took a large gulp. “Thank you for this. But I need to leave soon. I need to find someone,” he said. She looked at him with her deep blue eyes.

“That can wait,” she started. “If you don’t have any strength, you’ll never be able to find that person.” Turning around she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Gabe decided it would be best if he finished his meal.

After finishing his meal, he found his clothes on a chair close to the bed. Getting dressed, he put his gun in its holster at its side once again. Grabbing his sword, he decided to place the sheath at his side instead of on his back. He figured it might be easier on his back. The collision with the building caused the sheath to press against his back, causing him quite a bit of pain. Walking over towards the door, he opened it and stepped into another room.

In this room was the girl who had saved him, as well as another woman who seemed much older than she was, though still quite gorgeous. Another younger girl was in the room as well, Gabe guessed that she was probably around ten years of age.

“So you must be the boy my daughter rescued,” said the older woman. “My name’s Elizabeth, what is yours?” she asked.

“Gabriel,” he responded. Looking at the girl who saved him, he realized he didn’t know her name.

“Oh my, we never even introduced ourselves to each other did we?” she said. “Well, Sir Gabriel, my name is Anne; it is a pleasure to meet you.” She seemed to want to address him as though he were a knight in shining armor.

Kind of embarrassed at the title, “You don’t need to refer to me as sir. Just Gabe is fine.” He didn’t want any special titles to go alone with his name.

“Hey don’t forget about me,” said the little girl very loudly. She seemed angry at all the attention she wasn’t getting. “My name’s Courtney.” She was very loud.

“Calm down Courtney,” said the mother of the two. It was than that she noticed that Gabe had put his weapons back on. “You’re not leaving already are you? You just got here.”

“I have someone I need to save,” he replied. “I can’t stay.” With this two of the girls looked disappointed. Courtney simply looked indifferent.

“Please, you have to stay for at least a little while. We just met,” said Anne. She seemed to really want him to stay. He needed to get going; he didn’t want to keep Molly waiting. But he couldn’t say no to this girl.

“Alright, I’ll stay for a little while at least,” he said. She jumped out of the chair and ran over to him, squealing with delight. She gripped his right arm with both of her own, causing her chest to press against it. Gulping, he felt uncomfortable, but he noticed that he liked it. She led him out the door, gripping him tightly.

As they walked outside, he noticed for the first time that he was in another town like the one in the ring above. The same medieval structure was used in the creation of this town. The townspeople seemed to notice him with Anne. They all seemed to smile at her as she walked by. Something seemed off about the town to Gabe.

“Do you think I’m pretty?” Anne said suddenly. Panicking, Gabe didn’t know how to react. The situation he was in seemed really odd. He was wondering what was off, but couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Of course you are,” he said, smiling at her. He finally noticed what was so odd about this village. There were no men in it. The only people he had seen had been women. ‘But,’ he thought to himself, ‘what was so wrong with that?’

Turning to Anne, he noticed how she moved, so gracefully, so beautifully. She looked up at him, piercing his eyes with her beautiful blue ones. “Why don’t you stay here with us? Forget about your little rescue mission, and stay with me,” she said.

Gabe couldn’t believe what he had heard. How could he possibly choose to abandon his mission? It was than that he realized something. Something horrible. He wanted to stay here. Not believing it, he remembered all the times he had with Molly, and still wanted to stay. Taking a deep breathe, he spoke “Alright, I’ll stay here.” He didn’t know what made him say it. Only that it was what he truly wanted.

Darkness started to encase him as he said that. He found himself once again alone in a world of black, not able to see anything else. It was than that he noticed a figure in front of him. Slowly taking shape, he noticed it to be the same woman with pink hair who had spoken to him above. She looked angry.

“Idiot,” she spoke. “Are you seriously going to abandon that girl just ‘cause a different girl waved her chest at you?” she asked.

“Who are you?” Gabe asked. Thinking about it for a moment, he said his next thought. “Actually, that doesn’t matter. It’s my choice. It’s a little selfish, but so what?” Not caring what this woman had to say, he turned away from her.

“You’re no different than anyone else. I thought you were special, someone who might be able to do the impossible. But your just like everyone else,” she said.

“So what?” Gabe screamed. It was than that he noticed something. His feelings for that girl had started to fade. His mission to save Molly was becoming clearer again. He knew what had been happening. “Succubus,” he said.

The girl with pink hair smiled, “Yes, that girl is a succubus. But just knowing that isn’t going to save you once you go back,” she said. “You have to keep your love strong if you wish to stay true to your objective.”

“Where am I?” Gabe asked.

“You haven’t gone anywhere. You’re still in the same spot you were when you left from that girl. I’m simply closing off your mind to everyone else but me,” she replied.

“Who are you?” Gabe asked. “How do I know I can trust you?”

“Well,” she started, “we’re partner’s, aren’t we?” Gabe finally knew who this girl was.

Opening his eyes, he looked at the girl to his side. Jumping back from her, he yelled at her, “I won’t be stalled from my mission no more. I thank you for your kindness, but I know what you truly are now. I won’t let you stop me from saving Molly.”

The girl was taken aback. It seemed rejection was not something she took lightly.

“Idiot,” she said, tears brimming at her eyes. A tail and wings quickly sprouted from her back, and she lunged at him.

Deciding against unsheathing his sword, he brought the sword up, still inside of its sheath. This woman had helped him, and he did not want to hurt her. He dodged to the side as she flew past him. Looking around, he noticed that the other townspeople had shed their disguises as well. Every succubus in town was trying to take him down. He wasn’t going to have fun with this one.

“Stop,” came a voice. Looking into the direction of the sound, Gabe saw the most beautiful woman ever. Her most peculiar features, however, were her silver hair, and her glowing yellow eyes. “I wish to speak with him,” she said.

“I don’t want any trouble,” yelled Gabe. “I just want to find someone and leave. That’s all.”

“What are you talking about?” the woman with silver hair asked. She started to approach him.

“Someone I care for, someone I love, was taken by demons. She isn’t dead, she never died. I don’t know why but they took her here, and I’ve come to save her. And if you’re going to stand in my way,” he yelled drawing his sword, “than I’ll fight every single one of you here! I’ll find her, I’ll save her, and we’ll leave together!” he finished.

The girl with silver hair was mere feet away from him now. She stared at him as though he was crazy. Smiling, she started to laugh. “I see. You do realize what you are doing is impossible right? Once a soul has entered this place, there is no escape. Not without ‘his’ permission of course,” she said.

Gabe thought about it for a moment, than said, “I already have his permission.” The shocked look on this woman’s face told him she hadn’t expected that.

“Liar, how would you get his permission?” she asked.

“What does it matter?” Gabe asked, “What matters is if I can save her or not. So, are you going to let me through? Or do I have to fight every one of you?”

Staring at him once more, the woman with silver hair pondered her choices. Finally coming to a decision, she said, “I’ve heard that, recently, some demons went to Earth in order to kidnap a human girl. Now, I thought they were just rumors. Why would demons want a human girl? But the rumor goes on to say that she was taken much lower, to the Sixth or Seventh Ring,” she said. “I don’t know how much of this is true, but that’s where I’d go if I were you.”

“Where’s the stairs?” Gabe asked. The woman pointed towards a large building towards the end of the village. Nodding, Gabe started to walk to the gate, “Thank you,” he said to the silver haired woman.

As he continued to walk, he stopped as he approached Anne. Smiling at her, he said, “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Stupid,” she said, tears brimming in her eyes. “I hate you,” she screamed, and flew off, not wanting him to see her cry. Sighing, he continued to walk towards the building.

“She doesn’t hate you, you know,” said the silver haired woman. “She grew far too attached to you in the time that you were here. You were her ‘chosen’ one. It isn’t your fault, but you should leave now before she does something drastic.”

Nodding once more, Gabe took off running to the building. Not knowing what would happen on the level below him.

Elizabeth walked towards the silver haired woman, her arms folded as she stared in deep thought. “Do you really think he was telling the truth?” she asked.

Smiling, the silver haired woman responded, “Yes. He’s the kind of idiot that would go to the deepest pits of Hell for the woman he loves.”

“Oh, is the demon goddess Lilith jealous?” Elizabeth asked.

“Maybe,” said Lilith with a small smile.

Coming to the building, Gabe opened the doors. On the other side of the doors, he saw the stone steps. Coming to them he continued his journey downwards into the darkness.