Chapter 3: Chapter 2 Birthing Pools

Am I dead? Ha, it looks like I’m descending to Hell. I can’t say that I’m entirely surprised. I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of. It looks like it’s finally caught up with me.

 

Helios felt himself moving through a dark void. He knew with certainty he was being pulled downward despite having no sense of direction. He quickly approached something incomprehensible. 

 

With no eyes to look upon it, he knew there was a vast swirling entity residing in the darkness. The closer he got, the more he was filled with an overwhelming sense of overpowering terror. Moments before his soul was to collide with the unknown object, he reacted in panic by flailing out with his consciousness. It had absolutely no effect on the outcome.

 

I always thought death would be more… absolute. I didn’t expect there to actually be an afterlife. If I can call this that. Will this hurt?

 

Calm replaced the panic after he recognised his helplessness in the face of absolute power. He collided with a swirling vortex. His mind went blank as it tore his consciousness into countless strands. Dragged toward the centre, an awe-inspiring entity reshaped his soul before pulling him inside. He felt an alien mind connect with him for the briefest moment.

 

“With this Soul Brand, I mark you as mine,” The alien presence spoke directly to Helios’ soul, causing it to tremble and break apart before beginning to rearrange the fragments.

 

Unimaginable agony overwhelmed Helios as the entity seared away portions of his soul, replacing them with burning embers. He could feel foreign instincts form in his mind as it took on the shape of a strange sigil. 

 

Passing through the vortex into an alien place, he plummeted from the sky toward an oily-black pool. He was able to catch glimpses of the Hellish landscape. From this height, the ground looked like black glass glittering under a swirling vortex of fire in the sky. 

 

He was unable to make out any details before his soul fell into the thick water without a splash. The strange sigil was alive. It writhed as tendrils stretched out to gather the oily-black substance. Instinctively pulling it toward himself to encompass his soul like a cocoon. Flesh rapidly knit together, forming a new body as he lost consciousness while sinking to the bottom of the Birthing Pool.

 

***

 

Helios felt a wave of energy as his consciousness gradually returned. He struggled free of something trapping his arms and legs like a blanket. It felt like being submerged in thick mud, pervading him from all sides and causing him to panic. Suppressing the feeling of drowning, he struggled to swim upward. Breaking through the surface, he inhaled a deep breath. 

 

What, I can’t breathe? No, that’s not right. I don’t need air. Where am I… What am I?

 

He twisted around to investigate his surroundings. He was floating in an oily-black lake. The surrounding landmass was chaotic. It appeared like the landscape was formed from melted glass. Sharp black stalagmites pointed toward the sky as far as he could see of the shoreline. Some were large enough to rival mountains in size. 

 

Far off in the distance, he could see what looked like a giant ant-hill. Creatures similar to the ones he encountered earlier crawled over its exterior. Looking up, the sky above him was a swirling mass of orange clouds. Illuminated by flashes of red lightning. The heat was unbearable, causing distortions in the air.

 

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So this is Hell? It’s not so bad. I need to get out of this lake and find somewhere to hide. I get the impression that those things won’t hesitate when it comes to eating me.

 

Helios started to swim toward the shore. Strange glowing objects regularly dropped out of the swirling clouds to fall nearby, sinking into the oily depths. Ignoring them, he quickly arrived at a beach. Weakly crawling from the water onto the black sand, he gasped while retracting his hand in surprise. The sand felt like shards of glass under his hands. He suppressed his discomfort and pulled himself out of the lake, rolling over to lay panting on the sharp sand.

 

“If I’m not already dead, I’m probably going to wish I was if everywhere is as unpleasant as it’s been so far. I can’t see any vegetation or fresh water anywhere. I’ve got a funny feeling that means I’m dinner. I won’t be able to survive on my own for long,” Helios said aloud, staring wistfully at the vortex above.

 

The sound of his voice surprised him, it sounded alien and unrecognisable. His words had become guttural, no longer recognisable as human. He pushed himself over to his knees and used the black water to look at his reflection. 

 

His appearance was still vaguely human. His skin had become a pale grey colour with thick black ooze running down his body. There wasn’t a hint of hair anywhere on his emaciated body. He was starved to a skeletal degree. His facial features were a recognisable parody of what he was used to. But they looked like they were sculpted from soft clay without any definition. He reached up to tentatively touch his gaunt cheek. The sclera of his eyes was now black, giving him the appearance of a predator.

 

“Am I one of them now, a demon?” Helios rhetorically asked.

 

“Yes you are,” a voice unexpectedly answered him. Helios spun sharply. The voice was similar to his own but more feminine. He would never have been able to understand the words. The sigil inside of him resonated with them and conveyed their meaning directly into his mind. “Relax. Your survival here depends on your ability to adapt. We’re currently at the Birthing Pools. Nothing will waste their time eating a Newborn. Unless, of course, it’s hungry enough.” 

 

At first, he couldn’t see her. He leaned forward to peer closer, his eyes searching a huge stalagmite taller than a small building. The creature was effortlessly clinging to the side. She resembled him but was different. Her skin was perfectly camouflaged with her surroundings, even mimicking the texture of the rock under her. Helios gulped and stepped backwards. He realised that he never detected her presence before she spoke.

 

“What do you mean, Newborn?” Helios hesitantly asked.

 

“You’ve seen yourself. You’re a Newborn. If you’re really curious, you can go to where one of those souls falls and then swim to the depths of the Birthing Pool. You can watch it form into Demonic Larvae. They’re the equivalent of a demonic womb. They mindlessly hunt each other on instinct alone along the lake bed until they hatch,” the demon replied, gesturing at the oily water.

 

“What does that have to do with being a Newborn?” Helios asked, warily edging away.

 

“That’s what you were until you recently hatched into a Newborn. I noticed you surfacing in the lake and decided to come for a closer look,” the demon replied. Her tone was friendly if you could call demonic grunting that.

 

“To eat me, you mean. Why are you telling me this?” Helios asked, observing the demon suspiciously.

 

“I’m feeling generous. It’s true. I would normally ambush you for an easy meal but what you said resonated with me. We can’t survive on our own forever. It’ll be better if we team up and escape the Birthing Pools. Working together, I won’t have to remain at the bottom of the food chain. I’ve been here far too long as it is,” the demon bitterly replied, dropping down from the stalagmite to stand in front of him. 

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