It was raining fire.
The sand was thick and hot as we hurried across it. We stepped by naked bodies of people crawling in the sand, too weak to stand up; they were condemned to remain here and be scorched by the flames raining from the sky.
The clouds overhead bringing forth the rain were like smoke. They weren't fluffy and white as clouds normally were; instead, they were wispy and ominous, blocking out the crimson sky and shrouding it in veiling darkness.
Here, people didn't scream. They moaned and groaned. It was a slow and torturous punishment. Essentially, they were being constantly burned while being stuck on sand that was as hot as coals.
I frowned and grasped tighter onto Harry's hand when I thought about the horrifying idea of these people having to endure this punishment forever. Surely Harry was right. Surely it was all a deception.
I hoped it was.
It was something like a miracle. You had to believe to see it. Faith was all we had left. We had no proof of this conclusion, all we had was hope.
Off in the distance, we saw the forest of suicides, and I felt like shuddering from the thought of going there. Though the fire burned against my skin, I would rather be going this way through the city of Dis than the forest.
I was careful not to step on anyone as we rushed across the sand. People noticed us and reached for us, asking for help, but Harry told me to not make eye contact. He told me that they would be saved in their own time. He said we had to hurry.
His arm wrapped protectively around my shoulders, trying to prevent the fire from scorching my skin as much as he could. But he wasn't able to conjure the umbrella of shadows as he was before.
Harry broke away from Lucifer's deception. Because he fell for it, Lucifer granted him the powers of the darkness, to carry out his will.
But now that Harry's faith in Lucifer was gone, his powers were gone as well.
"We're going to come across the eighth circle," Harry told me. "And I just want to warn you, the tortures you will find as we travel closer will only intensify."
"Okay."
I wished we wore cloaks or something that hid our identity. There weren't many demons here, thankfully, but I knew that the closer we grew to the inner circles, the more demons we would encounter. I wondered if they would attack us, since we were useless now, and the thought alone terrified me. But Harry only smiled and said not to worry. I didn't know why he wouldn't be worried, but I decided to trust him.
I sighed in relief when I stepped onto much cooler, firm sand, and the fire rained no longer. When I raised my gaze, I saw ten ditches stretched far out, and I began hearing screaming and laughter that sounded like a hyena.
This was the eighth circle.
The eighth circle was divided into ten ditches. Harry and I quietly walked past them, and he muttered to me not to draw attention to myself and stare. I couldn't help but look over when we came to the first ditch.
There was a woman, stark naked, tied to a pole with a blindfold strapped around her eyes. She screamed as a demon whipped her from behind. The whip was sharp, and I noticed it was on fire, so it blazed mercilessly across her back.
There were other naked people tied to poles or tied to beds, and they were all being whipped. The demons varied in looks, some having strange, animal-resembling heads, while others were as normal-looking as Asmodeus.
"Pimps and seductresses," Harry said.
I nodded, having to tear my gaze away from the horrific scene of so many people in a ditch being tortured endlessly. I heard the hum of the whips as they soared through the air and the sharp sound of them meeting the victim's skin. I could only imagine the pain they felt. How were they able to endure it?
The second ditch had a wretched smell. I quickly winced and covered my nose, unable to bear it for long.
People sat in the ditch, strapped to chairs, and they were covered in a dark, oozing liquid.
"Flatterers," Harry murmured gravelly.
"What are they covered in?"
"Excrement."
I looked away, forcing myself to stare at my feet as we continued to walk. The smell was so powerful, and I heard more demons laughing as something was dumped over someone else.
The third ditch held people strapped upside down. Demons stood over them and held torches to their feet, setting them ablaze. They tortured the people constantly, drawing the wicked flames away to grant the person temporary relief before bringing it close.
The demons enjoyed the people's misery, their smirks evident in this notion. The people were crying and begged the demons to stop, but they didn't.
"What did they do?" I asked quietly.
"They were simonists."
"What're those?"
"Church officials who were involved with any kind of bribery."
The fourth ditch was a sight to see. There was a large pool of boiling water with steam rising from it, and people were trapped inside. Demons stood around with pitch forks and probed playfully at the people. The people aimlessly tried to escape the pool, but the edges were high and slippery. It was impossible.
Still, like scrambling ants, they swarmed around the boiling water, their desperation of escape evident. I couldn't even imagine being trapped in boiling water while having demons play with you like cat and mouse.
"These are government officials, lawyers, or judges, who accepted bribes." Harry said.
The City of Dis was frightening, I concluded as we passed by the rest of the people being tortured. There were false prophets, astrologers, soothsayers, and fortune tellers with their heads twisted around so they could only see behind them. Hypocrites had to wear lead mantles. Thieves and robbers were trapped in a pit of snakes, and half of them became snakes. They hissed viciously and swarmed at one another, trying to regain their human form by forcing it from others. Evil counselors were completely concealed in fiery flames, and troublemakers were given constant wounds and mutilations. Last were the falsifiers. They were inflicted with the result of their treatments-leprosy, madness, fevers, disease. There was one man crouched in a corner, rocking himself back and forth, as he wrote something on the stone in front of him. I couldn't see what he wrote, but part of me didn't want to know.
As we exist the City of Dis, the temperature drastically dropped.
There there was a thick layer of snow on the ground, and the sky was a bleak, colorless color. The wind was icy, and it was quieter here than anywhere else. I moved closer to Harry, not knowing what to expect. I shivered from the sudden change of atmosphere, squinting my eyes as I see large, rolling mountains off in the great distance.
"We're entering the center," Harry told me. "It's different, huh?"
"Very different." I muttered. I found myself preferring the heat. The cold made you weaker and more vulnerable. It was difficult to even walk.
Things seemed calmer here, and I figured it was simply the calm before the storm. We didn't pass by any demons or any other beings, but as we continued walking.
"This is reserved for traitors," Harry told me. "It's divided into four regions. The first region, Caina, is reserved for people who murder their families. The second region, Antenora, is for people who betray their political party or country. The third region, Ptolomea, is for murderers of guests and dependents. And Guidecca is for the traitors of lords and benefactors. Most of the people are submerged in icy for their transgressions."
Initially, I would've thought that ice sounded better than being burned, but now that I was discovering how cold it got in this region, I knew it could only be worse.
"And past that," Harry murmured, "is the center."
"What's in the center?"
Harry glanced at me. "Lucifer."
"You're taking me to see Lucifer?" I stopped, eyes wide in terror. Lucifer was the last person I'd ever want to meet. I'd rather meet Asmodeus anyday.
"Yes. We must meet him, Avery. We need to get you out of here." Harry said gently.
"How is meeting with Lucifer going to do that? He's the most evil being in the entire world-he is evil, he created it. What do you expect him to do? Take a look at me and decide I don't belong here and send me on my merry way up to heaven?" I laughed bitterly and shake my head. "It's pointless to even try."
"It's never pointless to try." Harry insisted. "I have a plan."
"A plan?"
"Yes."
"You think you can convince Lucifer?"
"Yes."
I wanted to laugh again because Harry seemed so sure of himself. But convincing Lucifer of something was like convincing a brick wall, except worse. I knew perfectly well that meeting Lucifer won't do anything-it might make matters worse.
Still. Harry seemed so confident in himself that his plan would work. With a sigh, I decided that since we were here, and there was nothing else we could do, then I'd give my trust into him again. Harry grabbed my hand and kissed my cheek.
"It'll be fine," He whispered. "I'll get you out of here, I promise. Just trust me."
It was ironic how he asked that of me. He was the last person I should trust; he was the one who tempted me here, and now, he was my only hope of escape. I walked him across the cold terrain, hoping that he was right in whatever plan he had.
