Chapter 2 (The Forest)

Max stood still, looking at the gate before him, baffling what lay behind it. His clothes were fixed, and his pains were healed by the power of Ksitigarbha. His emotions were a mixture of sadness, pain, and confusion. The gate was twelve feet tall, adorned with skulls, ribs, and spines. It emitted an eerie red glow. The door, probably made of red mahogany, laid shut. 
“Are you ready, boy?” Ksitigarbha said to him. 
“Sir Ksit..ti, I don’t know what am I even supposed to do,” Max replied in a low voice.“You can call me Jizo if you can’t pronounce my Sanskrit name. That’s how Japanese people call me,”“Yes, Master Jizo,”“What lies behind the gate is a realm called Bardo (བར་དོ་ ), a liminal state beyond death and rebirth. In this realm, you’ll have to encounter different enemies and friends of your soul,”“Enemies and friends of my soul? What does it mean, sir?”

“Enemies are your envy, pride, lust, anger and ignorance. Sympathy, modesty, indifference, compassion, and wisdom are your friends. You will encounter various situations and beings representing your inner soul in Bardo. Some will help you, while others try to fear you, catch you, and kill you. The whole realm depends on your deeds while you’re alive. Your goal is to pass the realm without getting caught by enemies and evil deities. But fear not, little Dante, For I be your Virgil throughout the journey to help you,”
 Max felt relieved by Jizo's words but was still unsure how the task would be. He felt insecure about his half-demonic soul. He had some anger issues back then.
 “Be careful, boy. Everything in Bardo reflects your soul. If you fail, you will be sent to the hells of Naraka, not Tartarus,”
“What is Naraka, master?” He asked in curiosity.
“Naraka is the hellish realm of King Yama. You know, the old guy with horns. There are eight states in Naraka, all of which are filled with unspeakable methods of torture. Burning and crucifying are the least,”
His words shook Max’s heart, thinking about the undesirable torture.
“What will happen if I pass?”
“Then, you will arrive at the blessed land of children again. And, if you know the emptiness of win and lose, you’ll become a well-gone one,”
 Jizo's words confused Max.“What does it mean, sir?”
“Nothing. Just nothing. Be prepared now. And one more thing, don’t always run away when you see a monster. Some may be helpful too,”
 Slowly, the gate of Bardo opened, and the duo walked inside. Behind the doorway was a vast forest with strange-shaped trees and spiky thorns. The forest smelled earthly and gave eerie feelings. No birds were present, nor any sunshine. The leaves on top were so dense that sunlight could not reach the earth. The scenario remembered Max of the forest where he got sacrificed by a cult and also got his powers.
 Jizo observed the realm and said, “This is the realm of Jealousy and vigor. In this realm, you’ll have to deal with your jealousy of mind and sins caused by jealousy,” 
 “How? Master,” Max asked confusingly. “How will I have to deal?”
 “We’ll see,”
 Suddenly, an earthquake occurred, and the forest shook. Trees were waving by the wind. “There they come,” Jizo said.
 A boy appeared before them, red-skinned, chubby, and vigorous. Max immediately noticed who the boy was. It was Chuck, whom he was always jealous of at school.
“Do you know that boy? Did you have envy of him during your lifetime?” Jizo asked.
 Max replied, “Master, In my past life, that brat constantly bullied me and tried to flirt with Anna, my crush,”
While they were speaking, the red-skinned boy lifted his arms and controlled the trees of the forest. Branches by branches, vines by vines, the trees started their assault on the duo. 
 Max changed into his demon form but was frail. His seven-foot-tall demon form was useless. Every flap of his wings exhausted him. He could not roar nor attack. With his feeble strength, he burned down the upcoming trees. Jizo (Ksitigarbha) used his staff to attack the foes. The staff emits beams of light and waves, causing the trees to break. 
“What have you done to him?” Jizo asked while making a defensive attack on the trees. “I… I burnt his hair down with my powers, humiliating him. He became a joke after that. No one respected or cared for him afterward. And I… I was delighted about that. I guess I had gone too far,” 
 Meanwhile, the red-skinned boy summoned more trees and minions. His minions were dark-skinned humanoid beings. They stood six feet tall with sharp claws. Their tongues protruded outwards their mouth. Upon seeing them, Jizo was distressed, suspecting who they were.
 “What had he done to him before burning down your hair?” He asked Max.
“He… He mocked me in front of other students,” 
 While answering, the humanoid ones attacked Max. They jumped on him, restraining him and attacking him with sharp claws. Max used his powers and threw fireballs at them. He shot rays of flames and set fire to them. 
 “Did you feel any pity on him?” Jizo asked while fighting the trees back.
“I…,” Before Max could say anything, the red-skinned boy jumped onto him, charging him with a lance-like branch. Max quickly summoned his Chakram and fought the boy back. But the boy’s minions controlled him with roots and restrained him on the ground. The boy charged his lance toward Max.
 “Yes, I did feel pity on him!” he said while thinking back on his memories. Max had felt that he had gone too far after that action. 
“Have you felt empathy for other beings too?” Jizo asked.
“Yes!!” Max yelled as Chuck’s lance was too close to his chest. Within a second, it could have struck him.
“Shree”
 Suddenly, A green boy appeared from behind and began fighting Chuck. He wore a greenish robe and had greenish skin. Beneath the robe, he wore a leather singlet and held a crossbow. His ears were pointy like elves from myths. The green boy shot arrows at Chuck, causing him to be weak. Max found the boy’s appearance as a fusion between Link from the Legend of Zelda and Peter Pan. The green boy continues to shoot more arrows. The red-skinned Chucked finally stopped his attack as the arrows had worn him out.

“I’m sorry for you too, Max. It was because of my constant bullying that your envy grew stronger,” he said and hugged him. Max felt a bit weird as Chuck had almost killed him, but then hugged him. The forest became calm again. 
“I was a bad school bully, too. I just wanted to be someone that others fear,” he said. Chuck, the red boy, turned into red leaves in Max’s hand. A wind blew him. 
 Afterward, the mysterious green boy gestured for them to follow him. Max was flabbergasted. “Who is this boy too?” he asked Jizo. 
“He represents your infallible sympathy. He’s just a mere reflection of a part of you. You will meet a lot like him during this journey. It’s better to follow him,” Jizo replied. And so they did. They followed the boy through mashes and chasms. Finally, they arrived at a gate-like structure to another state.
“You have passed the envy test. It was your pity and sympathy that saved you. Your envy wasn’t your sin, tho. It was the bullying that caused jealousy. Now, let us head to the next level. But be careful, as we have some unwanted foes now,” Jizo said.
 The Green boy smiled at the duo, and without any word, he left them at the gate to another realm. Max showed his gratitude toward him, but the boy made no response.