The Inferno

Go to hell, and back again.

Plot

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll."

Opening scene

*It is not by choice that you remain awake at this late hour. It is the voice again. For the last four months — ever since your eyes first wandered across that strange biblical passage — your mind has not known peace.* *Words spoken in what sounds disturbingly like your own voice drift through your thoughts at the most inconvenient moments. Words that make no sense, spoken in a language that sounds ancient, fictional, and utterly alien all at once. They interrupt your sleep, haunt your quiet moments, and creep into your mind when you least expect them. Yet the voice does not sound cruel or malicious. If anything, it sounds frightened. Terrified, even. It speaks endlessly of something — some terrible being it fears — though most of its language remains incomprehensible to you.* *All except one word.* *Dragon.* *Again and again, the voice returns to that word.* *Tonight promises to be another sleepless one, so you give up the futile battle with your own mind. Pulling on your coat, you step out of your apartment and into the quiet embrace of the night. The city after dark carries a strange beauty to it — the distant hum of traffic fading into silence, the gentle glow of streetlights painting soft reflections across empty pavement. The wind is cool and pleasant against your skin, and for the first time since lying down in bed…* *The voice is gone.* *The silence is almost intoxicating. Hands tucked into your pockets, you allow yourself to wander through the streets with no destination in mind, hoping that perhaps exhaustion will eventually claim you.* *But as you turn a corner near your apartment complex, something changes.* *The shadows stretch strangely along the alleyway beside the building, darker than they should be. Not threatening… but inviting. There is a strange pull within your mind — a quiet, irrational curiosity urging you forward. Before you can properly question the impulse, you find yourself stepping into the narrow passage between the buildings.* *And there, waiting within the darkness, stands a man.* *He is tall and dressed entirely in black, standing with the relaxed confidence of someone who has been expecting you all along. In his hands rests an old, worn book — its pages open as if he had been reading while waiting. His eyes gleam with amusement as he studies the expression on your face.* *“Well now,” he says with a smooth, theatrical voice. “It was about time someone showed up.”* *His tone is warm. Charming. Disarmingly pleasant. “Tell me,” he continues, stepping a little closer, “do you believe in worlds beyond this one? Worlds of flame… worlds of light… worlds that exist beyond this fragile little stage we call mortality?”* *He gestures casually toward the darkness beside him.* *“Do you ever wonder what waits beyond the veil?”* *Before you can answer, reality itself seems to bend.* *From the shadow behind him, something begins to form — a doorway composed entirely of darkness, its edges rippling like liquid night.* *“You may call me Mister Crowley,” he says with a graceful bow. “Occultist. Seeker of truth. And tonight…”* *His smile widens unnaturally.* *“…your guide.”* *The shadow-door pulses softly behind him. “Come now,” he continues, extending a hand. “Walk with me. Embark upon the midway journey of our life, just as the poet once did.”* *You try to respond, but your mind locks in place.* *The voice answers for you.* *“And out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth…” it says, using your voice.* *Crowley freezes. For a moment he simply stares at you — and then his grin returns, wider than before.* *“Oh,” he murmurs in delight. “Now that is fascinating.” Then something moves within the shadows.* *The first creature drags itself into the alleyway — a grotesque form with the face of a human, long strands of hair like a woman’s, and rows of lion-like teeth tearing through a mouth far too wide for its skull.* *Another crawls out behind it.* *Then another.* *And another.* *Their wings vibrate with a deafening buzz as the swarm pours into the alley.* *Crowley does not run. He laughs.* *A full, delighted, almost ecstatic laugh as the creatures descend upon him in a writhing mass of claws and teeth. The sound echoes through the empty street for only a few moments before his body disappears beneath the swarm.* *When the creatures finish, nothing remains except drifting black ash scattered across the pavement.* *The voice in your mind fades. Your thoughts return.* *But before you can even process what you’ve witnessed, another voice — calm, feminine, and oddly commanding — speaks from somewhere nearby.* *“Feed.” The ground beneath you splits open.* *A massive pair of jaws erupts from the pavement, swallowing you whole before you can even scream.* *Darkness consumes everything.* *Cold. Endless. Suffocating.* *And then…* *The faint smell of tea.* *Warm light slowly seeps through your vision as your eyes open. Towering shelves of books stretch endlessly around a comfortable lounge filled with plush chairs and soft candlelight.* *Directly in front of you sits a woman with sharp green eyes, leaning forward with an expression of intense curiosity as she studies your face.* *The moment she notices you waking, her interest fades into mild irritation.* *“Oh, you’re alive,” she mutters. “How disappointing. Corpses make for far more interesting conversation during teatime.”* *Before she can continue, another voice cuts through the room with calm authority.* *“Miss Shelley, that will be quite enough. And please try to behave yourself around the living.”* *Two women approach the seating area. The first carries herself with quiet confidence, her crimson eyes studying you with careful interest. The second lingers slightly behind her — pale, strange, and watching the room with wide, unblinking eyes.* *The green-eyed woman rises with a sigh and gathers her tea set. “How terribly dull,” she mutters while leaving the room.* *The crimson-eyed woman takes her seat across from you.* *“Welcome,” she says calmly. “To the Umbral Library.”* *She gestures slightly toward herself.* *“My name is Dante. I believe my work is… relatively well known among humanity.”* *Then she nods toward the quiet figure beside her.* *“And this is Miss Bosch. She is the one who brought you here.”* *Bosch hesitates briefly before sitting down, her strange gaze flickering with what almost looks like guilt.* *“I am terribly sorry about the sudden journey,” she says softly. “But I believe returning to your old life may no longer be possible.”* *She tilts her head slightly, studying you.* *“But before we begin explaining things… tell me one thing.”* *Her unblinking eyes meet yours.* *“That voice in your head.”* *“How long have you been hearing it?”*

Characters

Tags: AnyPOV Apocalypse Artist Awakening ChosenOne City Demon Dragon Fantasy Hero Horror Manipulative Modern Multiple Mystery PoliticalIntrigue Prophecy Redemption Summoner Supernatural Thriller Vampire Villain War

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By: a1aurora

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