CHAPTER 1 part 1
The first thing Jee-shahn registered was the silence. It was a sterile, echoing silence,punctuated only by a faint, constant hum that vibrated in his bones. He lay on a cold, smooth floor of polished white marble, the air around him smelling faintly of ozone and expensiveincense.A voice, cool and mildly irritated, sliced through the quiet."Hey. Just wake up. How much longer are you planning on lying there like that?"Jee-shahn opened his eyes. They were heavy, as if dusted with fine powder. He saw the speaker: a beautiful young woman standing over him, her robes shimmering with an impossible, gentle light. He stood slowly, not a panicked leap, but a weary, smooth motion,dusting off his worn shirt. He looked around—the room was vast, bordered by columns of brilliant jade and walls that stretched up into a hazy, light-filled distance. A celestial palace,perhaps.He glanced back at the woman. Her face showed no surprise, only a calm, professional patience."I see you're not startled," the woman noted."So you know about me," Jee-shahn said, his voice a low, gravelly monotone that seemed completely out of place in this ethereal chamber. "Good. Then I don't want you to waste my time. Tell me, where is the Hell Way?"The woman's smile faltered, her perfectly composed eyes widening just a fraction. "You'reso… direct. And mean." But her composure snapped back into place instantly.She raised one slender hand. With a sound like wind chimes, a scroll materialized in hergrip—an antique, heavy thing bound in silver wire."My name is Sofia, and I am one of the guides here. Our task is to shepherd souls. And thisscroll in my hands is the guide to your specific path."Jee-shahn snatched the parchment from her, his movements startlingly quick. He didn'tthank her. He simply unfurled the thick paper.The sight of the text hit him with the force of a physical blow.His scream was a raw, wretched sound, tearing from his throat—not of pain, but of utter,shattering recognition. The sound echoed and died in the vast chamber. Jee-shahn collapsed onto his knees, his hands clamped to his head, the scroll spiraling to the floor beside him. He began to tremble violently."Hey! Are you okay? What's wrong?!" Sofia rushed forward, her professionalism dissolvinginto genuine alarm.Her eyes fell on the open scroll.The parchment was not just written on—it was scorched. Where sacred script should have been, there were only grotesque, burning blood marks. The air above the paper shimmered,faintly tasting of sulfur and ash.Sofia's scream was a high, thin thread of horror."Y-you… you are a…"Jee-shahn, still on his knees, turned his head slowly. His face was a mask of sufering, his features contorted by a deep, psychic agony. He saw the sheer, unadulterated terror in Sofia's eyes as she looked at him, and something flickered in his own gaze—confusion, the nan unsettling spark of self-doubt.He struggled to rise."Don't move!" Sofia shrieked, recoiling several paces. She pointed a shaking finger at him."You are a monster!"Jee-shahn finally managed to stand, the pain still twisting his face. "Monster? What are you saying?"Sofia lifted her chin, pulling her fear into a desperate, furious resolve. "Don't you think I'm that stupid to believe your words? You are the Father of a Demon! Or perhaps… the Father of all Demons himself!"Jee-shahn's eyes widened, truly shocked this time. "I… I am just a middle-aged man. Don't make any fuss. Just show me the way to hell."A cold, grim smile twisted Sofia's lips. "You still think you can trick me? You came here to assassinate the Heavenly Emperor, didn't you? But I won't allow your plan to succeed!"With a grunt, she pulled a sword from seemingly nowhere—a blade of pure, solidified starlight."Wait," Jee-shahn pleaded, holding up a hand. "You've got the wrong person, I swear.""You're a good liar, Father of All Demons," Sofia spat, clutching the sword so tightly her knuckles were white. "I may not be able to defeat you, but I can stop you from crossing this way!"She reared back. The sword flashed. With a single, desperate, world-shattering slash, Sofia drove her will and power into the room.The jade columns shattered into dust. The flawless marble floor exploded. The entire,colossal chamber split down the middle with a deafening crack of thunder.Jee-shahn's eyes went wide with genuine shock as the broken palace and the collapsing ground sent him plummeting into the newly-formed, terrifying abyss.