The calm you see is but an illusion. Peace is a lie woven by Heaven themselves. Soon, the entire realm will be painted with blood. The only question is whose?
-Erebus to Nemesis
***
In a realm where nothing was as it seemed, a solitary figure reclined. His form was enshrouded by a semblance of serenity. His alluring eyes remained sealed in quietude. A blanket of darkness embraced him with a silken touch, seemingly protective. His consciousness, however, was distant.
He had been whisked away by the enigmatic Hypnos and guided toward another place where the sun never shone. He had traversed through multiple dimensional barriers.
Each time he descended into slumber, he found himself in this peculiar realm. It had been a long time since his first arrival.
At that time, it lay in ruins, scars of desolation etched in the very landscape. The boundaries were nonexistent. As such the various biomes merged together into an eerie and discordant panorama.
Echoes of tormented souls rang akin to whispers carried by the wind. A ceaseless clash between magma and ice ravaged the realm, morphing it anew, yet worse. Pure spirits had been dislodged from their well-deserved abode. Monstrous entities, devoid of intelligence, lurked near the souls of mortals and made a feast out of them.
Without knowing why, Hades felt anger at seeing the state of the realm. As such he began a journey for order in which he witnessed countless anomalies. He first raised the barriers separating the surroundings from the rest of the realm. For he felt multiple powerful entities dwelling in this dimension.
Time quickly flew by, and this territory gained the resemblance of a kingdom. He was the law.
Yet, a mystery haunted his mind, for no matter what he did, he could not understand it. An eerie hole lay at the far end of his territory. Hades had tried many things to understand that hole, however, it was in vain. A thick, dark mist fluttered in the air. It was something he could not even affect with his authority over that realm.
Hades' boundless curiosity seemed rekindled. He now stood at the precipice, eyes gleaming with an otherworldly luminescent engulfed with greed.
What would he find on the other side?
To find that out, he nonchalantly leaped into the abyss, surrendering to his desires.
The descent was swift, offering no solace. No gusts of wind grazed his body.
His very consciousness was being contorted, while a dissonant sound rang. It was akin to shattering mirrors. The dimensions themselves were battling against each other, until a fin layer merged together and a portal unfurled.
And then, he landed.
As he could finally see what lay in the beyond, his eyes widened. Awe was etched on his face. This realm was beyond what he ever saw before, it stretched beyond his knowledge.
The atmosphere was tinged with a searing heat that tormented even his divine form. The horizon remained absent, veiled by a tempest of drifting ashes, carried by fiery gusts of wind. The ceiling above was dystopia worthy. It was a blend of apocalyptic brown and blazing orange hues.
Under his feet, the ground fissured as if it were on the precipice of shattering into countless pieces. The land was volcanic. The rocks he was walking on were scorched black. From the very ground, followed by magma, ebony pillars erupted, akin to skeletal monoliths capable of devouring light itself. To finish those pillars that defined the common geometry, jagged spikes were birthed.
The scent of blood hung in the air like a reminder of the horrors that lay beyond.
Yet Hades ignored it.
"Marvelous" he murmured, his lips curled into a wistful smile. His sapphire regard was transfixed by the dreadful scene that unfurled before him. It was a sight no normal being would wish to gaze upon, but he liked it.
Driven by his unquenchable hunger for understanding, he wandered the land. His footsteps were silenced by the magma coursing beneath, while crisp crackles punctuated the background.
As he roamed, time became ephemeral. There were no distinct differences no matter where he went, yet the shades of colors subtly shifted. For Hades, every nuance was a masterpiece.
However, as he took another step toward mysteries–
a blaring sound rang.
Hades' gaze suddenly shifted from the unseeable horizon toward the source of the sound.
A terrifying entity stood enchained on one of the dark pillars.
His eyes widened in surprise, this entity was yet again unlike anything he encountered before. It was very tall. He had to raise his head to see its head.
No, heads!
Hundreds of serpentine heads grew from its shoulders Their flickering tongues akin to a storm spoke of inexplicable words which even Hades could only partly understand. It possessed two snake tails that served as its legs. Those legs twisted themselves around the pillar, showing its immense flexibility. Behind its surprisingly normal back, two gigantic wings, purely made from flesh, flapped against the wind. Every time the being breathed, columns of fire escaped its nostrils.
"Welcome to the pit," it said. Its voice was voracious with the hint of a sardonic tone.
"Thank you." Responded Hades with gratitude bordering on indifference. His smile remained, while his eyes glistened with a strange allure that seemed to blend with the infernal realm.
"...I guess only the mad ones fall into the pit." It whispered with a chuckle. Its legs trailed on the pillar, shaking the ground. The hundred heads that grew from its shoulder also laughed, however unlike the mystery the main head provoked, it seemed to be a discordant cacophony.
"So, are you mad too then?" Inquired Hades bluntly. A small mocking tone rang in his voice.
"No. I was just born here and thrown back soon after escaping." It responded with an eerie laughter. The being's eyes shone with a dim light that seemed all-devouring.
Hades' eyes slightly narrowed.
'It is crazy'
***
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