Chester's eyes slowly opens, now noticing the looming land approaching. He couldn't believe he had spent all his time on the boat replaying that simple memory in his head. It had played over and over, he thought about the different outcomes, but they all lead to the same ending, his death.
The guide docked the boat on a wooden deck, and patiently waited for Chester to get off. It was strange because Chester felt like the guide moved like he had all the time in the world, but then again, did time in the underworld really matter?
Chester stood up slowly before planting both his feet on the hard ground. Unlike the one before, this one didn't seem run-down or rotten to him. He glanced back at the being who stood on the boat before giving him a light bow.
"Thank you." Chester said, refusing to forget his manners, even in the underworld. He turned around and moved forward, ready to face the whatever the afterlife threw at him.
He walked for a while before eventually coming across a large black wall that looked over him. It looked scary, yet gave a comforting feeling in his heart, making him not afraid to walk up and raise his hand to knock on the door.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Chester paused for a moment, turning to look for the source of the voice, only to be met with mist. He started to wonder if he imagined it before turning back at the doors. His body fully shook at the suddenly presence of a man in all black blocking the door.
"You… you don't belong here." The man said before removing his black cloak to reveal a young man's face. Long dark blue hair loosely fell on his shoulders, but all Chester could focuse on was the bandages covering his eyes. He couldn't shake of the feeling that his whole body was being scanned, even if the man's eyes were covered.
'He… looks like a Seer.' Chester thought, before blinking his eyes slowly. "Wait- what do you mean I don't belong here?" His head tilled, making the bells ring silently. 'Don't all the dead belong in the underworld?'
"Mhm." The young man, who Chester believed to be a Seer nodded his head before continuing the scan the court jesters body intently. Chester could feel it, and he took slow steps away from the man who was blocking the door to the underworld.
"You don't belong here, and I know a way to get you out." The young man said, causing Chester to pause for a moment.
"… Even if that was true, why would you help me? And why should I believe you?" Chester asked, his eyes now scanning him to try and figure if he was lying or not.
'Ugh, if he didn't have his eyes covered I would have been able to tell if he was lying or telling the truth.' Chester scanned the man's body more intently this time, taking in the fact that one of the man's pale hand was on a staff with a clear jewel on top. 'No sign of shaking or fidgeting, and his breathing is steady…'
"Don't you want to get back to were you came from?" The young man asked, but before Chester could respond he continued. " They say only 7 people have made it out of the underworld." His pale face formed a smile, "I'm sure your familiar with the story, correct?"
Chester's eyes narrowed before he slowly nodded, "The embodiment of Greed, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, Wrath, and Pride." Chester looked at the young man, seemingly expecting him to continue the story, he hesitated at first, before continuing, "These are the 7 sins, and they are responsible for what make humans, human. It is said that the embodiment of the sins live within us all, and the devil, incharge of the underworld, drags down those who are belived to have the most of that sin, trying to reclaim the sins and order to the world."
"… Is that what they tell you over there?" The young man asked, before chuckling. "Oh you little humans really do enjoy spinning tall tales, you even add your own flare to story's long ago."
'Judging by how you speak, I suppose your not human, I shall call you a Seer then.' Chester narrowed his eyes at the Seer, who was hunched over laughing. "Then enlighten me, oh Seer of All, what's the real story?" He asked with a hint of sarcasm, before noticing the small flinch of the Seer.
"Fine, but since I don't think you can handle the whole truth, I'll tell you a snippet." The Seer picked himself back up before straightening out his cloak and swishing his staff. The large jewel on his staff let out a gray glow before appearing to shift reality itself.
Now they stood in a large church hall, but Chester could tell it was just a illusion, he was very familiar with them. He turned to see the Seer still holding his staff, but this time the large jewel on top was no longer glowing.
"There was once a devil, a devil so feared he made the heavens tremble. Many couldn't even utter his name, so it was lost to history."
The Seer guided Chester forward, but all Chester could focuse on was the stain glass lining the halls. He could tell they told stories, tall tales of times long ago, before he was born, maybe even before the empire was formed.
"In fact, the heavens feared him so much they sentenced him to the underworld. Many believe he was filled with so much rage he intentionally left his duty of keeping balance, thus leading to the existence of demons and devils. Leading the 7 sin's to escape."
Chester paused for a moment, focusing on a single piece of stained glass. This one was different, it didn't have the usual red, orange, and black tint that lined the stained glass of the halls, it was blue.
It depicted a man with perfectly white wings, crying, mourning something, surrounded by beautiful shades of blue, white, and gold.
His hair seemed made of gold, and even though you couldn't see his eyes, you could tell they where gold as well, it implied it with the fact his tears were gold. It was strange to Chester, because this man, seemed so familiar to him. Like they had run into eachother, and a sense of Déjà by hit him like a crashing wave.
The Seer had stopped with him, glancing at his reaction. Noticing the small hint of recognition in Chester's eyes before continuing, "They were wrong."
Chester turned to the Seer.
"The devil was not filled with anger and rage, but sorrow and grief. He felt betrayed, hurt, and the tears blinded him so much, he could not see the world falling out of balance."
The Seer took one more look at the stain glass piece before slamming his staff down onto the marble floor. He glanced at Chester, "Devils and Demons are not formed from anger, rage, or bitterness, at least not the strong ones. They are formed by regret, misery, grief, and despair."
Chester took in the shift in the area, they were now back infront of the gates of the underworld. His small bells rang with the hash winds pushing onto the doors of the underworld.
"That's how the 7 sins were born, and how they escaped the underworld." The Seer said smiling, clearly proud of his performance.
Chester could only slowly clap, still trying to process the story. He had many questions, but he knew better then to ask."That was great," he said before nodding and making sure to keep a mental record in his mind of the story. A record of the man he saw.
'Then… was that the devil? He looks like…'