Chapter 3: Reflections of Hell

Alex and Celeste slowly climbed the stairs, ascending floor by floor toward the first portal that would lead them into Hell as the distant sound of the battle raged in the distance. When they finally reached the top, a red glow lit up the room as the portal twisted and turned like liquid fire.

Alex approached the portal cautiously, studying the swirling light. He hesitated, uncertain if he should step through. Extending his hand as he pushed it through the portal, then quickly pulled it back, unsure if it was safe. As he circled around it, lost in thought, Celeste let out a sigh of frustration. Without another word, she shoved him straight through.

Alex tumbled out the other side, crashing back inside the temple where he had first begun. The portal hovered behind him, its glow dimming as Celeste calmly stepped through after him.

Alex looked at her with irritation and climbed to his feet, brushing the dust from his camouflage cargo pants. When he glanced around, the castle no longer looked the same as when they had entered. Everything had taken on a darker, more demonic appearance. Corruption clung to the walls, and blood seeped through cracks in the floor.

Then he asked, “So this is Hell? It only looks a little different from Earth. What’s up with that?”

Celeste looked at him and replied, “Just like the neutral layer, Hell mirrors the world above. Each Hell is a reflection of where you entered from. Since you came from Japan, this Hell resembles Japan. If you were in the United States, Hell would look like the United States. Every Hell is tied to the Earth it reflects, growing more corrupted and twisted the deeper we descend.”

Alex nodded slowly. “Alright, I understand. So then, shall we get going?”

Celeste gave a small nod. Alex turned toward where the stairwell should have been, but it was gone. Then it hit him. As he looked around, he realized they were standing on the ceiling, no longer on the floor. Looking up, he saw the stairwell spiraling into the sky, twisting and warping as if gravity itself had turned against them.

“What the heck?” he muttered, frowning.

“I told you,” Celeste said calmly. “Each layer is more corrupted and twisted. It may be the same Japan, but it won’t look exactly alike. The last layer was a perfect replica. This one will not be.”

Alex stepped toward what should have been the balcony and climbed partway up the wall to look out, but there was nothing beyond. The balcony was gone, sealed shut by a thick layer of corruption that pulsed faintly as if alive.

He sighed and reached into Santa’s sack, now looking just like his backpack, and pulled out the Masamune. Taking the katana in hand, he thrust it into the corruption. The katana sank deeper and deeper, disappearing into the wall as though it had no end.

Alex frowned, pulling the weapon free. “Okay, never mind. Looks like we’re taking the stairs.”

He glanced at Celeste, then at her wings, and back again. “Can you fly us up there?”

She looked at him and answered plainly, “No. My wingspan is too large for this space. We’ll have to climb.”

Alex thought back to the demon they had seen earlier, the one that had flown straight up the stairwell. Its wings had been smaller, compact enough to move freely through the narrow shaft.

Then Alex sighed, knowing what would come next. Then Alex looked at Celeste and said, “Here, I’ll give you a boost, you go first.” He held out his hand to give her a boost up.

She looked at him, her expression twisting with mild disgust. “I’m wearing a skirt. You go first.”

Alex blinked, glancing down. “Oh, crap. Yeah, I guess I’m going first then, huh?”

Alex jumped up, grabbing onto the railing that hung from the ceiling of the stairwell. He slowly pulled himself upward, climbing hand over hand. After he made it about a floor up, he noticed the metal bars growing slick beneath his fingers. Something wet dripped onto him.

Looking up, his eyes widened. A massive head loomed above, lined with jagged, glistening teeth and glowing red eyes that stared straight at him from the upside-down ledge.

Panic hit him instantly. Alex’s grip slipped, and he fell backward, but luckily Celeste was there to catch him before he hit the ground.

The demon crawled downward along the railing, its claws scraping against the metal as it emerged from the darkness. Its head was enormous, its mouth filled with shark-like teeth, and its eyes burned red. Small, bat-like wings jutted from its back, and its body was long, lanky, and twisted.

Alex panicked. “Oh crap! What do we do?”

Then he remembered the bag. He yanked it off his back and dug through it desperately, reaching for a weapon. His hand wrapped around Excalibur, and he pulled it free, the blade gleaming faintly even in this corrupted place.

But before he could take a swing, Celeste was already there. She charged straight at the demon with her cracked and battered spear, the shaft splintered and the tip barely holding together. With a sharp cry, she drove it deep into the creature’s left eye socket.

The demon shrieked, its body thrashing violently. It shook its head, slamming against the walls until Celeste lost her grip and was thrown across the room, crashing hard against the wall.

Growling, the demon grabbed the spear and ripped it from its eye socket, glaring at her with burning hatred. Then, with a roar, it hurled the weapon toward her with tremendous force. Celeste tilted her head just in time; the spear struck the wall beside her and exploded, shaking the entire chamber.

As shards of metal and wood scattered through the air, some of the shards sliced across Celeste’s face, causing golden blood to flow. Celeste pushed herself to her feet, but the demon was already upon her. It swung its massive claw toward her, its sharp claws glinting in the red light.

Alex rushed forward to stop the demon, lunging forward with Excalibur in hand. As he slashed down with all his strength, the blade tore across the demon’s back. One of its small wings was severed, and thick black, tar-like blood spilled out.

The demon roared in fury and lashed its tail, striking Alex with crushing force. The impact sent him crashing into the wall, Excalibur clattering to the ground.

With a roar, the demon turned its focus toward him. It lunged, thrusting its claw straight for Alex’s chest, but he managed to twist aside just in time. The claw grazed his arm and slammed into the floor behind him, cracking the wooden floor.

Alex quickly rolled and got to his feet and ran, but there wasn’t much space to move; the room was too small. He darted in circles, barely dodging the creature’s wild swipes, but one strike finally caught him. The claw slashed across his back, sending him rolling across the ground and tearing holes in his jacket.

He froze for a second, surprised. There was no pain, only a heavy thump. Then he realized, Achilles’ armor just saved me.

His relief didn’t last long. The demon reached down, grabbing him with both massive hands and pinning his arms. Blood red drool dripped from its mouth as it stared at him with hungry eyes. Its jaw opened wide, rows of teeth ready to bite down on his head.

And just as its neck lunged forward, Celeste appeared just in time.

From above, she dove with Excalibur in her grasp and swung the blade in a downward slash as the sword sliced clean through the demon’s neck. Its head flew free, thudding into the ground with a wet crack as black, tar-like blood poured from the stump of its neck.

The creature’s massive body collapsed in a heap, twitching as the black blood continued to gush. It spilled so much that the entire floor of the chamber was soon covered in it, thick and bubbling. It kept flowing until finally, after several moments, it began to slow.

Alex let out a shaky breath. “Thanks. That thing almost got me.”

Celeste glanced at him, flicking the tar-like blood from Excalibur before turning the sword around and handing it back. “Here. Hold onto it for now. I will use this as my weapon once we escape this place, as my spear is in bits and pieces.”

Alex looked up with a grin. “Alright then. Shall we ascend?”

Both of them began climbing the railings through the twisted remains of the castle until they finally reached the top. When they looked upward, they realized the stone foundation that once rested at the base of the castle was gone. Only three massive, broken support beams remained, and high above, the shattered foundation floated in the air, dripping a black, tar-like substance from its edges.

Alex stared at the eerie sight. “Well, looks like we made it past the first hurdle. That wasn’t so bad.”

Celeste walked to the edge, her expression grim. “No. That was just the beginning. Look out ahead.”

Alex stepped beside her, glanced down, and groaned. “Aw, crap.”