Dagnabbit. Lost my train of thought.
How I lost it, with literally nothing else to think about, is beyond me. I’ll just blame the tormented souls around me.
Let’s backtrack a bit. What was I thinking?
Ah, right. I was thinking about how this place reminded me of something.
Tormented souls….Frozen landscape.
Three heads….Giant pillars.
Distinguishable rings? No, that doesn’t feel like the correct term. They're more like… rounds.
Rounds? Huh. Definitely feels more right. But rounds?
Wait, I got it. This place totally reminds me of one of those layers of Hell in Dante’s Inferno.
Wait. This place reminds me of a literal layer of Hell. Hell as in like the place of eternal suffering and damnation. All that jazz, right?
That should be absolutely freaking me out right now. But for some reason, I’m not freaking out at all. Oh right, the supposed emotion suppression. I can’t say I’m a fan of something being taken from me without my consent, but I have to admit it’s pretty handy.
Freak-outs or lack thereof aside, this Inferno idea is pretty interesting. It’s the best explanation of sorts I’ve come up with as of yet. Albeit it's the only idea I’ve had so far, but that’s neither here nor there.
Keep digging. You’ll figure it out soon, I’m sure of it.
A small voice that definitely isn’t mine in the back of my head is compelling me to look further into it. While that on its own it is more than a bit concerning, I don’t see any reason not to listen to that voice right now. I've got nothing else and scouring my memories doesn’t seem like the worst thing to do. On the contrary, it actually feels right?
That and the voice sounded really, really cute. I kind of feel like I’ve heard it before. Half of me wanted to listen to it, and the other half wanted to ignore the advice so the voice would keep talking. Which is also concerning, why do I keep thinking things are cute and having such unmanly thoughts?
Regardless, I’ll still add the absolutely adorable voice to my ever-increasing list of things that require further investigation.
That will have to wait though. First, I need to peruse these memories of mine. Which feels a bit fuzzy and there’s certainly some missing. Not very sure how I know there’s some of them missing, but I can feel it in my gut…stem?
Not that I can or will complain, seeing as I still have memories after death. Even if it’s not all of them.
So, let’s see. I read the entirety of Dante’s Divine Comedy as a part of my world literature class in my most recent semester in college. I remember actually kind of enjoying it. Aha. Memory acquired. And it doesn’t seem to be that fuzzy.
Hmm. It seems like the circle of his version of Hell that shares the most similarities with my surroundings is the ninth and final one. It’s called…Co..co…Cocytus? I’m going to go ahead and rename that Coco. Anyways, from what I can recall… the similarities are downright ridiculous.
Frozen landscape? An affirmative for both.
Tormented souls? Yep and yep.
Giant pillars? Yep. However, in the story, the pillars were actually giants…I’m not sure if that's the case here.
Four different rounds? Once again, a yes for both. If I recall correctly, they were named after the famous traitors of history.
The first is Caina, after Cain who murdered his brother out of jealousy.
The second was Antenora. Its namesake is Antenor of Troy, who sold his country out to the Greeks during the Trojan War.
The third was called Ptolomaea after Ptolemy who killed his in-laws at a banquet he invited them to.
The last but certainly not least was Judecca. Named after Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus.
Based on my positioning, I should be in the Judecca round.
It was said the deeper someone was submerged, the greater the sin they committed.
Also within the Judecca circle, if I recall correctly, there is supposed to be something else…
Or rather someone else. Someone who I have the feeling can be very useful right now, as taboo as it may seem.
That being that I’m referring to would be Satan. Yep, Satan, like the biblical devil. Lucifer, the fallen angel, the snake. All that jazz.
Oddly enough, even though mostly everything else is present, he’s nowhere to be found.
And it's not like I’d be able to miss him, if he matches the description given in Divine Comedy.
According to the text he is supposed to be a massive being that is perpetually sobbing. He is supposed to have three sets of wings that create a cold wind, freezing his tears, transforming his surroundings into a frozen body of water.
Which…tadah… is presumably the lake I find myself in. Not really all that helpful to me at this point in time. I guess I should keep digging.
So I know he was a crybaby, but my gut is telling me there’s more to it.
Let’s see…I think he chewed on three people in his mouth? Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Longinus? Wait, rather it was he had three separate heads, and had one in each mouth.
Three heads? Heh. Three heads, that's interesting…wait. There’s no way. Just a coincidence right?
Anyways, stray thoughts and crazy ideas aside, I remember why he was so important now. In the story, to escape Hell, Dante climbed Satan.
So with him being MIA, that option is completely unavailable to me. And that’s ignoring that I’m some sort of mutant eye plant creature with seemingly no mobility. I guess there’s no point in sweating those details.
But once again, a tugging in my gut is telling me it’s totally possible for me to leave without him being present. It’s just up to me to figure it out, and I can feel that it's going to be significantly more difficult than climbing the literal incarnation of evil as a flower.
Unfortunately, that leaves me back at almost square one with even more questions. I wish that cute voice would come back, preferably with some insight. But I can’t just sit around waiting for something that might never happen. So back to the drawing board.
So far, I’ve gathered where I am, as well as somewhat answering what I am. So next would be why, I guess.
Easy answer. I'm pretty sure I died. That’s fair. But why did I end up in the literal deepest depths of Hell? Did I betray someone before?
Building on that, if I did in fact commit that sin, why am I not in pain?
Sure, it feels pretty freaking cold down here to me, but I definitely am not having my essence ripped out just to have it shoved right back in over and over, like the poor souls around me. Why is that though?
Could it be that I committed a similar sin, but to a lesser degree? Like betraying someone's trust or breaking a promise?
Yes.
The adorable voice confirmed my inquiries, breaking its silence, only to disappear again right afterwards.
But when did I ever betray someone’s trust or break a promise? I had no friends, and I don't recall not fulfilling a request from one of the people I cared about.
Hmm. So, what could it be?
Wait. I remember something.
As my mother collapsed on the street, her life being sapped away by her abrupt heart attack, she made me make her a promise. With her last breaths, she made me promise to her that I’d live a long happy life.
In which case, I did break that promise, dying so early, and certainly not happy in the slightest.
Yes.
The voice said again, singing its apparent agreement with my statement.
But wait, technically, I’m still alive, so isn’t it the promise still pending?
Lame.
The voice responded, seemingly unamused at my attempt to loophole my way out of the situation.
I expected that. Well, what should I do then? Ask my mom for forgiveness?
As kind and benevolent as she was, I’m pretty sure she would forgive me. However, as far as I’m aware…she’s dead. Can’t really forgive someone if you’re dead.
Might as well try anyway.
Projecting my thoughts outwards, I sincerely apologized to my mother for breaking our promise. And in its place, I formed a new one, declaring that I would live life to the fullest in this second life that I had been bestowed.
And while that felt right…nothing happened.
Hah, it was worth a sho-AH!
Dagnabbit. Lost my train of thought.
How I lost it, with literally nothing else to think about, is beyond me. I’ll just blame the tormented souls around me.
Let’s backtrack a bit. What was I thinking?
Ah, right. I was thinking about how this place reminded me of something.
Tormented souls….Frozen landscape.
Three heads….Giant pillars.
Distinguishable rings? No, that doesn’t feel like the correct term. They're more like… rounds.
Rounds? Huh. Definitely feels more right. But rounds?
Wait, I got it. This place totally reminds me of one of those layers of Hell in Dante’s Inferno.
Wait. This place reminds me of a literal layer of Hell. Hell as in like the place of eternal suffering and damnation. All that jazz, right?
That should be absolutely freaking me out right now. But for some reason, I’m not freaking out at all. Oh right, the supposed emotion suppression. I can’t say I’m a fan of something being taken from me without my consent, but I have to admit it’s pretty handy.
Freak-outs or lack thereof aside, this Inferno idea is pretty interesting. It’s the best explanation of sorts I’ve come up with as of yet. Albeit it's the only idea I’ve had so far, but that’s neither here nor there.
Keep digging. You’ll figure it out soon, I’m sure of it.
A small voice that definitely isn’t mine in the back of my head is compelling me to look further into it. While that on its own it is more than a bit concerning, I don’t see any reason not to listen to that voice right now. I've got nothing else and scouring my memories doesn’t seem like the worst thing to do. On the contrary, it actually feels right?
That and the voice sounded really, really cute. I kind of feel like I’ve heard it before. Half of me wanted to listen to it, and the other half wanted to ignore the advice so the voice would keep talking. Which is also concerning, why do I keep thinking things are cute and having such unmanly thoughts?
Regardless, I’ll still add the absolutely adorable voice to my ever-increasing list of things that require further investigation.
That will have to wait though. First, I need to peruse these memories of mine. Which feels a bit fuzzy and there’s certainly some missing. Not very sure how I know there’s some of them missing, but I can feel it in my gut…stem?
Not that I can or will complain, seeing as I still have memories after death. Even if it’s not all of them.
So, let’s see. I read the entirety of Dante’s Divine Comedy as a part of my world literature class in my most recent semester in college. I remember actually kind of enjoying it. Aha. Memory acquired. And it doesn’t seem to be that fuzzy.
Hmm. It seems like the circle of his version of Hell that shares the most similarities with my surroundings is the ninth and final one. It’s called…Co..co…Cocytus? I’m going to go ahead and rename that Coco. Anyways, from what I can recall… the similarities are downright ridiculous.
Frozen landscape? An affirmative for both.
Tormented souls? Yep and yep.
Giant pillars? Yep. However, in the story, the pillars were actually giants…I’m not sure if that's the case here.
Four different rounds? Once again, a yes for both. If I recall correctly, they were named after the famous traitors of history.
The first is Caina, after Cain who murdered his brother out of jealousy.
The second was Antenora. Its namesake is Antenor of Troy, who sold his country out to the Greeks during the Trojan War.
The third was called Ptolomaea after Ptolemy who killed his in-laws at a banquet he invited them to.
The last but certainly not least was Judecca. Named after Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus.
Based on my positioning, I should be in the Judecca round.
It was said the deeper someone was submerged, the greater the sin they committed.
Also within the Judecca circle, if I recall correctly, there is supposed to be something else…
Or rather someone else. Someone who I have the feeling can be very useful right now, as taboo as it may seem.
That being that I’m referring to would be Satan. Yep, Satan, like the biblical devil. Lucifer, the fallen angel, the snake. All that jazz.
Oddly enough, even though mostly everything else is present, he’s nowhere to be found.
And it's not like I’d be able to miss him, if he matches the description given in Divine Comedy.
According to the text he is supposed to be a massive being that is perpetually sobbing. He is supposed to have three sets of wings that create a cold wind, freezing his tears, transforming his surroundings into a frozen body of water.
Which…tadah… is presumably the lake I find myself in. Not really all that helpful to me at this point in time. I guess I should keep digging.
So I know he was a crybaby, but my gut is telling me there’s more to it.
Let’s see…I think he chewed on three people in his mouth? Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Longinus? Wait, rather it was he had three separate heads, and had one in each mouth.
Three heads? Heh. Three heads, that's interesting…wait. There’s no way. Just a coincidence right?
Anyways, stray thoughts and crazy ideas aside, I remember why he was so important now. In the story, to escape Hell, Dante climbed Satan.
So with him being MIA, that option is completely unavailable to me. And that’s ignoring that I’m some sort of mutant eye plant creature with seemingly no mobility. I guess there’s no point in sweating those details.
But once again, a tugging in my gut is telling me it’s totally possible for me to leave without him being present. It’s just up to me to figure it out, and I can feel that it's going to be significantly more difficult than climbing the literal incarnation of evil as a flower.
Unfortunately, that leaves me back at almost square one with even more questions. I wish that cute voice would come back, preferably with some insight. But I can’t just sit around waiting for something that might never happen. So back to the drawing board.
So far, I’ve gathered where I am, as well as somewhat answering what I am. So next would be why, I guess.
Easy answer. I'm pretty sure I died. That’s fair. But why did I end up in the literal deepest depths of Hell? Did I betray someone before?
Building on that, if I did in fact commit that sin, why am I not in pain?
Sure, it feels pretty freaking cold down here to me, but I definitely am not having my essence ripped out just to have it shoved right back in over and over, like the poor souls around me. Why is that though?
Could it be that I committed a similar sin, but to a lesser degree? Like betraying someone's trust or breaking a promise?
Yes.
The adorable voice confirmed my inquiries, breaking its silence, only to disappear again right afterwards.
But when did I ever betray someone’s trust or break a promise? I had no friends, and I don't recall not fulfilling a request from one of the people I cared about.
Hmm. So, what could it be?
Wait. I remember something.
As my mother collapsed on the street, her life being sapped away by her abrupt heart attack, she made me make her a promise. With her last breaths, she made me promise to her that I’d live a long happy life.
In which case, I did break that promise, dying so early, and certainly not happy in the slightest.
Yes.
The voice said again, singing its apparent agreement with my statement.
But wait, technically, I’m still alive, so isn’t it the promise still pending?
Lame.
The voice responded, seemingly unamused at my attempt to loophole my way out of the situation.
I expected that. Well, what should I do then? Ask my mom for forgiveness?
As kind and benevolent as she was, I’m pretty sure she would forgive me. However, as far as I’m aware…she’s dead. Can’t really forgive someone if you’re dead.
Might as well try anyway.
Projecting my thoughts outwards, I sincerely apologized to my mother for breaking our promise. And in its place, I formed a new one, declaring that I would live life to the fullest in this second life that I had been bestowed.
And while that felt right…nothing happened.
Hah, it was worth a sho-AH!
