A lean young man was sitting perched on a rusted metallic sheet, picking at his nails. The acrid smell of soot and decay tinged his nostrils as he breathed in deep. On his face was a tightly fixed mask of jet black colour, three white goat like horns curled backwards holding it in place. The jaw of the mask only had a black veil that tussled with each deep breath he took. His black hair ruffled to the rare breeze. Riven stood up and broke into a stretch, his hands intertwined reaching the sky as he yawned, he took one step and plummeted down off the roof, about 8 feet high. When he landed a cloud of red and black dust rose in a bleeding haze. He turned to the building. A ramshackle hut, supported by crooked beams of rotted wood and cracked pipes. The fragile hut seemed that it could be blown away from a gust of wind yet endured. Riven entered, sweeping the black cloth that acted as the entrance.
Inside was illuminated briefly before the black cloth fell back, encapsulating the room in darkness. Only the dim red glow that leaked through the cracks of the walls and the entrance acted as light. A croaky voice cut through the tension.
"R-riven is that you?"
After a brief pause Riven nodded curtly, the voice broke into a splutter of coughs. He somehow sensed Riven's answer, a dying candle flickered revealing the frog-like creature slumped beside it. A hunchbacked murky green creature. Thick veins bulged beneath his flesh like coiled hoses. He wore a tattered cloak to cover himself, his webbed feet still jutting out beneath, his slimy face seemed disheveled and pale, weaker than Riven remembered but his eyes alive at the sight of Riven. A thin smile painted the frog's lips before he burst into a fit of wet, rasping coughs.
"Ill get more medicine today Zehar"
Riven said as he rubbed his back to try to alleviate the pain. His stop at home was brief. Riven walked through the streets of hell, or more specifically where he grew up, the ashen ward. It sprawled like a disgusting wound on this area of hell vast as a city. Narrow streets and twisted corridors and snaked between soot covered buildings. Black and red smoke breathed out of every building, the disgusting stench of ash and rot never leaves your nose. Small ghostly lights from strung up lanterns flickered, trying to fight through the crimson haze that covered all. Trembling shadows from all sorts of creatures painted the walls as they hurriedly went about their days, the cacophony of shouts, snarls and screams never seemed to fade away. A place where every one of the damned kept their head down.
He strode with long steps, his head low. The filthy black trench coat trailed the ground, and his steel boots etched marks on the dark red gravel. He had made his way to an alleyway, both walls filled with a line of doors and barricaded windows. He knocked on one, and the door instantly opened. He was greeted by a towering figure, the head of a snake that stood on four hairy sticks like legs. It screeched at him.
"Not buying"
Then the door slammed shut in his face. Riven walked a couple more steps, the putrid scent of venom lingering on his nose before arriving at another door. Inwardly he prayed to the demons that it was the right door.
Why'd they all have to look the same he thought to himself before knocking. There was a small pause before the sound of rattling of chains and unbolting locks. The dark wood door swung open.
Her skin glistened like wet silver like stone, three dark cuts rested below each of her narrow eyes. Ruby pupils shaped as diamond slits gleamed in the black and red fog. Silver, messy hair with crimson tips cascaded down her shoulders. She rubbed her sleepy eyes before breaking into a loud yawn.
"It's noon, where's my payment Reina"
The tall young lady slightly taken aback but broke into a carefree smile. She started patting her garments as if searching for something, emptying out the pockets of her tight black jacket. Riven could see her lean steely muscles protruding out of the jacket causing him to hesitantly look away. She hummed, a buttery smooth gentle tone.
Her carefree smile wavered. Before the door could slam shut, Riven steel boot planted into the frame driving it open. She yelped as she flew to the ground he stormed in. Inside was a small corridor. A mess of tangled clothes littered the floors and a dingy light illuminated it. He towered over before grabbing the scruff of her jacket. The dark pools of black from his mask's eye seemed to shoot daggers at her. She waved her hands in a surrender position before stammering
"Wait wait wait, its here somewhere"
His grip tightened, he raised his fist whilst saying with cold fury.
"Its been a whole week since I done that commission"
She gave a nervous chuckle and started fumbling hurriedly around her pockets leaving Riven even more exasperated, at last she triumphantly raised a green jeweled necklace.
"Aha here!"
Riven groaned inwardly
"Why isn't it coin you who-"
He never finished his sentence. A grinding roar rolled throughout every ward of hell, gears churned and chewed creating through flesh and bone causing a nauseating sound of wet tearing flesh to reverberate. The bones of hell seemed to shake and quiver, the sound of metal scraping the ground screeched through their ears.
Reina shoved Riven backwards with ease, a serious look painted on her face. He had never seen her look serious. Before he could react; she grabbed his hand pulling him towards the noise. After a few minutes of running, darting through alleyways and short cuts they made it to the centre of attention. Every denizen of hell gathered around out of curiosity. They all circled around a monumental structure, the hellspine. The gargantuan structure spanned all the way to the skies knowing no limits, its width rivalling sky scrapers, black veins and flesh writhed along the sides of it, pulsating as if the structure was alive. Another round of the terrifying noise flooded the crowd's ears as the gate opened like the maw of a hungry creature. Inside the vast undulating darkness was a platform of bone, flesh and stone. Riven was captivated, he whispered.
"What the hell is that?"
Reina spoke while they both pushed through the crowds, weaving and sifting between claws and tails to get a closer look.
"Its the hellspine, it hasn't opened in a couple hundred years"
She paused, shoving a bipedal horse-like creature out of her way and stared up the towering gates.
"I always thought it was a myth," she muttered. "just one of the ancient structures rotting down here, there used to be stories on it"
Only one of the two gates were opened, she pointed at the open one "it's said that one is used to descend the seven layers of hell the other is used to ascend the layers of hell. Some say it even ascends to heaven"
On the platform, six figures emerged. Each one exuded an imposing presence — the air itself seemed to thin, and a heavy dread fell upon the denizens of Hell. They were clad in onyx militaristic clerical uniforms, their long black coats sweeping the floor and fluttering amidst the crimson haze. Gilded insignias — crosses crowned with circles at each end adorned their chests, and golden chains draped from their belts, swaying softly with each measured step. One of them fiddled with a lighter, black and purple flames flicked from the sparks. The creatures of hell all cowered at the sight of the men, all except Riven, encapsulated and in awe at what he saw. They were human.
Then the last figure stepped out of the undulating darkness. The man was different from the rest of them. As soon as his foot planted into the ground, existence shuddered. The air wavered, sound died, and motion ended. Everything was silent, time felt dilated, even the crimson haze froze mid swirl. Nothing dared to move or make a sound, the world itself seemed afraid to encroach on the being. The realms seemed to recoil as if aware something far beyond the power of mortals had entered its reach. Time and creation bent the knee to its sole master, freezing at his might.
He wore the same uniform, though unlike the rest, he donned a black filter mask that covered only his lower face. White hair slicked back neatly, his eyes were a striking light gold hue.
The man descended, the others trailing in his shadow. He raised a single hand, and time reluctantly crawled back into motion. Yet, the crushing presence that pressed upon every soul in Hell did not ease.
As the group walked forward, the denizens created a path for them, moving away hurriedly to avoid encroaching on the force. However, one was too late. The creature had a beetle-like husk that encased its abdomen, multiple spindly small arms, and stood on short claws. Too frightened to move, it was like a deer in headlights. The man with white hair glanced at the cowering fool, lifting his hand ever so slightly. The denizen was blown apart, left in a puddle of bone and flesh, its intestines trailing across the floor. A silent gasp wavered through the crowd — no one dared to move or speak. The man with the lighter stepped forward and flicked the spark. After a surging roar, black and purple flames scorched the remains until nothing was left.
Riven's awe and captivation quickly turned to sheer terror as he realised that the white haired man stared at him from afar with a hint of curiosity. It had been a long time since he'd felt that pure, primal fright — the kind that left you paralyzed.