I have arrived in Hell and was immediately chased by demons.
Only the sound of my feet crunching on the ground could be heard. No one spoke, tense and exhausted. I myself walked, looking only forward, to conserve my stamina.
The landscape spread out before me was a distorted forest and a single path. As I advanced, the trees gradually grew taller, their branches beginning to cover the sky overhead. It was a tunnel made of plants, but it didn’t look like a stylish sunshade; instead, it appeared as a dreadful shadow that would attack those who passed through.
I started to fear that branches would reach down from above and snatch me away.
As I ventured further down the path through this eerie forest, a fork in the road appeared.
“Should we go right or left? What do you think?”
Even if I asked, no one could provide an answer. Everyone seemed to be waiting for someone else to make a decision.
“Well, what should we do…”
Getting lost in Hell, could there be anything more dangerous? If this continues, I’ll die of starvation before I even reach Auroa. Fortunately, or perhaps by chance, there were no enemies in sight.
Or so I thought, but I felt a gaze upon me. The sensation of being intently watched by something. Where? I placed my hand on my dagger, scanning my surroundings.
Suddenly, as I returned my gaze forward, I met two large eyes. They were staring at me from the darkness.
“Is someone there?”
As I slowly approached, I saw a monster with the face of a child and the body of a crow sitting on a rock. Could this be a human-faced bird? Even though it was small, I couldn’t let my guard down; I had no idea what it might do.
“H-hello. Hey there.”
I waved my hand gently in front of it. The child-faced human-faced bird remained still, not even blinking.
“Hey, do you think it’s okay to ignore this thing?”
Sharin placed a hand on his chin, contemplating.
“Hmm, I wonder. It’s not attacking, so perhaps it doesn’t have hostile intentions.”
Can I really think that? Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like we can communicate. If it could speak, I could have asked it about the path.
“Um, have any living Dark Elves passed through here? If you’ve seen any, please tell me. Also, which way is the path to Heaven?”
“…”
Well, that’s what I expected. The last question was prompted by my thought that Auroa might be heading towards Heaven. The path to Heaven is also the path to Hell, and the path to Hell is the path to Heaven. If they are connected, perhaps Auroa intends to pass through Hell.
It remains unclear what he intends to obtain in Heaven, should he reach it.
“You don’t understand me, I’m sorry.”
Then, the child-faced human-faced bird slowly opened its mouth. It moved. I wonder if it would shoot a beam from its mouth or something. In Hell, common sense from the surface doesn’t apply. You never know what might happen, or when.
It stopped with its mouth open. I could see pointed teeth, but it didn’t seem like an attack. Perhaps it was hungry?
I took out a piece of dried meat from my emergency rations. The best way to befriend an animal is to give it food. It might be too wary to eat it, though.
The moment I placed the dried meat down, it lunged at it with incredible speed. I involuntarily pulled my hand back. If I had been a second slower, my fingers would have been eaten along with it. It was eating with such ferocity that I could almost hear the chomping.
“I haven’t seen any living Dark Elves. Continue walking along the path to the right to reach Heaven. Beyond this lies the Forest of Suicides.”
“Whoa, you spoke! Huh? You can talk?”
The child-faced human-faced bird frowned as if offended. It suddenly started talking again.
“What kind of place is the Forest of Suicides ahead?”
“It’s a place where suicides go. Their leaves are pecked at.”
“If possible, I’d like you to guide us.”
There are few people I can have a proper conversation with. It looks strange, but at this point, that doesn’t matter. The child-faced human-faced bird slowly opened its mouth wide again.
It definitely demands a price, doesn’t it? What a guy. I gave it another piece of dried meat, and it devoured that immediately.
The child flew towards me and landed on my shoulder. It’s quite large when it’s this close.
As we followed the path it indicated, we saw the Forest of Suicides, just as the child had said. Sinners were embedded in the trees, seemingly assimilated into them. They were conscious but unable to move, a true punishment in Hell.
Human-faced birds, just like the child, perched on the branches, cawing and making a racket. I wondered if they would also demand a price to let us pass.
Philiana’s anxious voice came from behind me.
“Um, do we really have to go through there? Is there another way?”
“There is, but it’s not the normal route. There are powerful monsters there. Are you willing to be eaten?”
“Ugh…”
Philiana fell silent at this. So, deviating from the path means entering a lawless zone.
“Alright, let’s go. I’ll try to persuade them to let us pass. If that doesn’t work, we’ll just run through.”
