Chapter 9 : The Gates of Jigoku
The air in the upper spheres was crisp, carrying the faint hum of celestial energy as though the very atmosphere was waiting for something to happen. Somewhere far above the training grounds, in the blinding gold corridors of the Tenkai's sanctum, Sakiel the lord of the jigoku region... stood alone before a massive oval portal of light. Its edges shimmered like molten sunfire, and its heart glowed with a soft, swirling brilliance that concealed the presence within.
He knelt, head low.
"My beloved Tenkai… everything is prepared," his voice carried a tone of reverence, though there was an undercurrent of anticipation. "The testing grounds in the Jigoku realm have been sealed. The Jashin roam freely there, hungry… and the trials will begin at dawn."
From within the light, the voice of the Tenkai resounded... not with one tone, but with many, layered like harmonies of the cosmos.
"See that the rules are upheld, Sakiel. The Ascension Trials are sacred. No interference. No mercy."
Sakiel's lips curled in the faintest smile. "Of course Tenkai."
The light began to dim, and as the oval closed, he stepped backward out into the cool air. The moment the golden shimmer disappeared, his face shifted... reverence bleeding away into something colder, something more calculating. He took one step and froze.
Someone was leaving the training grounds below.
And they carried… a Familiar smell.
It was faint, but impossible to mistake... an eerie, metallic sweetness, threaded with a pressure in the air that made his skin crawl. It was a scent from another time, one he hadn't encountered since.... No. It couldn't be.
His eyes narrowed.
He descended silently, his robes whispering against the wind, and trailed the figure through the dim paths between heart-island's terraces. The moonlight caught the young man's face... Kevin.
The boy was muttering to himself, voice low and urgent, unaware of the shadow behind him.
"ahhh this is frustrating," Kevin whispered, fists clenching. "i need a way to use my Reikiatsu better an fast… the trial is tomorrow an i don't know what dangers await for me..." he rumbled going back to his quarters
"Dammit I need to go back home. I feel like im wasting time regardless." His steps quickened, like he was trying to outwalk the weight on his own shoulders. "nonetheless i need to get to Top 4 so maybe i can gain a clue on maintaining this ocean amount of Reikiatsu."
Sakiel's smile deepened in the dark.
"Hmm so its you."
As he watched the boy in the darkness.
...
By morning, the sky was washed in silver light, clouds drifting lazily over the towering gates of Jigoku. But the ground before the gates was alive tens of trainees from every sphere of Tengoku gathered, their varied robes of painting the area in a spectrum of white, gold, deep blue, and crimson with most in their bare chest. The hum of whispered conversations buzzed beneath the low growl of the gates themselves... massive obsidian doors bound with runes, their edges pulsing faintly as though the realm beyond was pressing against them.
And they were not alone.
The Six Pillars stood in full ceremonial armor, their presence like living monuments. Each one radiated an aura so distinct that even standing still, they altered the very air around them... gravity felt heavier near Tenshi Shin'en, while warmth rolled from the Second Pillar like the first touch of sunrise. Their eyes were fixed on the trainees, but they said nothing yet.
At the center, Raphiel stepped forward, his voice cutting clean through the noise.
"Today," he began, "you step into Jigoku. This is no mere contest. No staged battle. You will be thrown into a realm where Jashin roam untethered, where the air itself tests your will. You will fight... not only to prove your worth, but to survive. If you fall there, you may not return. Understand this well."
A ripple of unease passed through the crowd. Kevin's jaw tightened, his eyes locked on the gates. He could almost hear the air on the other side hot, dry, and heavy with malice.
Then Raphiel's voice rose again.
"Mikaeru. A few words, if you will."
From the edge of the formation, Mikaeru strolled forward, hands loosely in his sleeves, a faint smirk already on his face.
"'A few words,' he says," Mikaeru mused, glancing at the crowd. "I'll try to make it interesting. Let's see…" He looked them over with the lazy sharpness of someone who had already sized them up the moment they arrived.
"You all want to 'ascend.' You think that means glory, light, divine approval." He shrugged. "But here's a truth you won't find in the scrolls: The Trials aren't about what you can do. They're about what you can become when you've lost everything you thought you needed."
Several trainees frowned, confused. Mikaeru grinned.
"Or, in simpler terms: if you can't stand the smell of your own fear, you'll never survive the stink of Jigoku."
A few chuckles escaped the crowd, but his gaze had gone sharper now, locking with Kevin's for the briefest moment before sweeping away.
"But... Here's the real trick," he continued, his tone shifting, each word deliberate now. "You want to be like me most of your all? Stop thinking about yourself for once."
"You are a tenshi aren't you."
"You are the tenshi of Tengoku."
"Warriors that are the hands and legs of the Tenkai... For once become warriors. Think of yourself as water. Strong enough to carve stone, soft enough to fill any shape, clear enough to see through, deep enough to drown your enemies. That's what it takes to walk out of those gates alive for most of you. And for some of you..."
He stepped forward even more.
"You can destroy that dam that has been built for you.... Let loose , go crazy in the Jigoku realm as thats the only time you can harness what you have... destroy those limitations. As the difference between mortals and us is that we have no limits... Aren't I right Raphiel?" As he looked back at Raphiel.
Raphiel chuckled and then answered, "Haha Mikaeru, do such boundaries exist for us tenshi."
"There you have it boys and girls... is there an excuse to not push past yourself now."
All the tenshi trainees could feel it.
Words that struck like thunder. Said by Mikaeru, the former Guardian of tengoku.
Kevin blinked. The words struck something in him, though he couldn't say why. He muttered under his breath, "Destroy the dam, huh…?"
Mikaeru stepped back with a satisfied hum. "That's all. If you don't get it now, you'll get it when it's too late."
...
When the crowd began to disperse to their holding positions, Mikaeru's smirk faded. He caught sight of Sakiel lingering near the gates, eyes scanning the trainees like a hunter selecting prey.
Mikaeru strode over. "Don't make foolish decisions today brother," he said quietly, his voice losing all trace of humor. "This is a sacred tradition. You know what happens if the trials are tainted."
Sakiel's smile was calm. "And you know I follow the Tenkai's will now."
"That's not what I'm talking about." Mikaeru's eyes were hard now. "I hate people who touch what i love you know right?"
For a moment, neither spoke, the tension between them palpable. Then Sakiel's gaze slid away toward Kevin, and the smile returned.
"I have no need to," he said softly. "He's already walking the path on his own."
...
The gates opened...
All the trainee tenshi roared in courage at the face and smell of the trial.
TENSHI... I bid you onward...
They all ran straight ahead... ahead where Sakiel in the back smirked
Letting out a sigh of not relief but excitement of whats to come.