Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

T/o/d/a/y/ /h/a/s/ b/e/e/n/

T/o/d/a/y/ I/ w/a/s/ t/a/ke/n/ t/o/ s/e/e/

/T/o/d/a/y/ w/a/s/ t/h/e/ /g/r/e/a/t/e/s/t/ /d/a/y/ /o/f/

None of my words fit the sights I've seen today. There is nothing like this place in the living, and I can honestly understand why. There are not words to explain the sights I've seen, the scale, the wonder, but I will. I can hardly hold my hand straight much less write.

The first step on my tour with Oligar, was a grim reminder of where I could have gone, and where many people even here go. It is a door standing at least 300ft high, its frame is carved in rich embony and laced with crimson trimming. The wood is aged and worn, and even as I approach the door I could hear the sounds of muffled screams, and bangs against the ancient wood. In the door itself is engraved countless scenes of horror, souls being dragged off into pain, into suffering. As I neared the door it seemed to spring to life! Faces reached from within it and cried out for relief, for forgiveness. It was the Gate of Hell. And infront of it was 7 six archons, each dressed in full golden armor. Their shields glistened with the visage of some faceless person on a throne. Between and beneath their armor could be see white, white robes which trailed down in a most glamorous manor. These angels unlike all others were dressed in older garb. I was informed by Oligar that these are the 7 Trumpeters of the Apocalypse, they have guarded this gate for all eternity, and they will continue to guard it for an eternity more.

Sadly in front of the gates was a line, people each with saddened looks on their faces, those that had been give the gift of Heaven but defied its rules and had to be cast down. I am still shocked to learn that Final Judgement, is not final at all.

Periodically Reaper Drones can be seen passing through the gates into Hell, and back from Hell. I questioned Oligar as to why they were allowed such passage and his face seemed to grow grim. It seems Heaven is not the only recruiter for the Reaper Corps. When a soul, innocent or guilty, decided to join the corps their personality, their emotions, all that makes them nothing more than a drone....Is stripped from them. It is all put aside in a seperate receptical for when the Drones time is served and they are allowed to either resume their punishment, or their paradise. The space in their soul is then filled with the cloak, and the scythe, and the empty gap is used to hold reaped soul. Oligar seemed displeased that some of the people who carry the holiest of souls to Heaven are in fact awaiting eternal torture.

I could see a the gates were opened to let the Reapers in that Demons faught to break free but without fail were constantly cut down. I asked how the Reapers are able to remain safe in such a place, and the answer truly shocked me. Reapers Drones are given a power which exist soley with them, its not only the power to reap souls, but the power to destroy souls entirely. This is the highest of punishments, for those so despicable that hell would be a pleasure, and that Heaven would be torn apart by their existance...they are destroyed. Not a trace is left behind.

In a moment of hubris I had to object, I had to question a system in which such great power is given to any one group of individuals, no matter how old they are. There is always room for abuse...ALWAYS...correct? I expected my objection would be an insult, for a moment I feared that I would join the line of people awaiting their sentence in hell. But Oligar only laughed, he said that he expected such a reaction for a "Hero Class", but he informed me that Heaven has been dealing with souls for much longer than I could comprehend. He gave me a slight analogy and I was shocked at how blind I was.

What threat is a sword, without a wielder? None. Reaper Drones do not have ambition, they do not have personality, they do not have desire, they do not feel. They are drones. They are people that have made the ultimate sacrifice, not only of their lives, but their afterlives in order to help others be freed. These people have no desire to abuse their power...they have no desire. They do not want to have power, they do not want. They simply exist, and follow their function, their programming. They serve until they fall in service, usually by the hand of a demon wanting death, and immediately another drone reaps the Reapers soul and destroys the attacker. Yes, the punishment for killing a reaper is absolute death. To this effect there are only a handful of known cases of Reaper Drone death, and they are all but forgotten over the eternitys.

He explained to me that in the old days death was run by a single entity, Death. The who delivered me here, he would do his best to be at as many places as once as possible but it was impossible. Death as we know it today, is like a machine. Things are born, life, processed, and die. Its a cycle, when things die the Reaper Drones gather them, they are nothing more than part of the machine. Death himself has no need for corruption, he does not want power, after thousands of years of frantic reaping he only wants peace. He makes his home inside this great machine, and relaxes, periodically responding to the occasional error in the machine. Things such as immortals, those that cheat death, that cheat the machine. Or those that hold and bind souls so that they may not pass on, Necromancers and the like, these are flaws in the machine, and their systems set up to try and remove them so that the machine can flow freely. And it has, for millenia.

My mind to this very moment cannot fathom the very scale of what I have just wrote.

But I digres, such realization will take ages more than I am willing to spend at this table, to fill in.

The second visit on our journey, was a more interesting place. It was a building reaching up, high into the clouds, I could see several Angels launch from the pavement and take flight up into the clouds and out of my view. The building itself seemed to be made of marble, pure marble and gold. As I entered, a familiar sound struck my ears, the sound of grunts and pain. I gripped the Nameless Kage-shin in fear that perhaps all that I've seen is perhaps too good to be true. But it wasnt.

I saw mural, after mural down a hall that seemed to extend forever. Each Mural marked a grand battle, a triumph of good over evil. Some I recognized, Hercules, Zeus, many famous dieties and beings of mythology, others I did not. Near the end of the hall was one I most definately recognized, the artistic depiction brought back memories which forced my eyes to tears. It was a mural of me, and my closest of friends as we defeated the Dark Lord. Oligar could only smile.

"You too have a place here Maximos, in the Hall of Champions. Your great deeds are never forgotten in this place, neither are your names. Or your skills."

He said, and I'll never forget it. As we walked the sound grew louder and more familiar to my ears. It was the sound of combat. And as we emerged I beheld a stadium the likes of which my eyes would not believe. Champions of a myriad of different species and races battle here across an arena that extended for miles. They trained and I was told that daily there is a tournament of the best, not for special gain, but just for sport. This is a place thats open for combat any time, all the time. I was informed that when two or more fighters agree to clash swords, for a moment they are given back their bodies. Their powers are allowed to flow through though once more, just for the thrill of battle, and when its over all wounds are gone and they may return to bliss.

Dare I say it, but for a moment I wished the tour would end right here and now. But it did not. I was taken an introduced to some of the greatest fighters of all time. Zecutar, of the Great Axiom, Slayer of Meniphicles. Hercules, Demi-God of Greece. Diana Queen of the Amazons. I was told that at any time I wished I could lock swords with them....I was not worthy, but the prospect nearly made me cry. And we were off, to the Cafeteria.

We hadnt visited many places but it had been several hours. You see in this place, everything has been made so large by simply by time. Imagine, how many heroes do you think have died, across infinite plains of being? How long must a hall be to honor each of them equally? Let me tell you ...very long. And I was feeling a bit hungry.

As we entered the cafeteria...I did cry. I was struck by the aroma of countless foods swirling together and it was all for free! You could eat there for all eternity and never gain a pound! Infact, some monks did just that. The facility never closed. Oligar simply smiled as the next 4 hours went by and I devoured enough to fill the 3 million souls that were once in me. Maybe Archons dont eat...I dont know but I sure did eat!

Finally, we came to our last stop of the day, dark was coming and during the twilight we were marching to yet a nother door. This door was far back, back, back as far we could travel. If not for a Lumous Trams, which were capable of near instantanous travel, we would have taken days to get there. And here we were...at a door.

This door was not grand, but comparitively small. Only 100ft to Hells 300ft. And it bore not special marks, it was simply black. I could just simply feel myself slipping away as I stepped near it. And I was immediately warned not to touch it. This was. The Door to Nothing. This door stepped outside of existance into nothingess, for some villians absolute death is simply not enough for those...is this. Nothing. As Oligar said.

"All memory of those who pass through here is lost, simply wiped from reailty, they die, and no one will mourn."

Even their own parents do not remember every fathering a child. That prospect seemed more evil than even hell itself. Its memory still racks my mind, I see it. I feel like I should know it...but I dont know why. I'll have to talk to Oligar tomorow, he told me that his duties as my guide are done. But if I have any questions or need to talk, I was given his room number and address. Tomorrow, I would like to quest to find my family. I miss Maxine every bit of me does, I cant wait to see her. But for now, I must sleep.