Freedom Realm

"Alecx! No!"

The water brimming in my eyes became like sharp needles of a cactus, poking painfully and wrapping around my heart, crushing it with its spines. As the water spilled out and rolled down my cheeks, they wiped down the remnants of the kiss my once alive girlfriend had placed.

My girlfriend, the love of my life, who had tragically burst into tiny pieces in front of me.

Her broken remains weren't even visible; as if she never existed. There was no blood staining the ground, there were no pieces of flesh decorating the walls surrounding us, there was no sign of death, devastation or destruction. There was no sign of any change; everything was unhinged, undisturbed and unchanged.

No emptiness in the room, no sign of her absence and no cries of loss except the dried trails of tears on my cheeks.

The same cheeks which now held up my triumphant smile.

"So, she's really gone huh? I did it, didn't I?" I screamed, my eyes fillled with a sudden, euphoric madness at Juso. Juso smiled and my laugh only got louder.

That was it! I had escaped. I had reached the finishing line of this race by finishing the Daughter of Heaven, the heiress to the throne of virtue, innocence, goodness and especially, mankind: my favorite toys.

I had gotten a pass to enter Freedom Realm by fooling her, by playing with her feelings and by alluring her with my mischief, malice and madness. And, unsurprisingly, an innocent, naïve soul like her fell for all of it.

Juso smirked at me. "How did you even do it? Not just escape the prisons of Hell but also bound her in your evil love? How are you a mere bad spirit with a genius mind like that?" He tilted his head, a glint of amusement strolling in his eyes. "Not only get away from the chains of Lucifer but also get a chance to enter Freedom Realm and create havoc everywhere. How?"

"Well, it was easy. When I heard that the key to escaping Hell's treacherous prisons was making someone from Heaven do something wrong, as in....lie, hurt or trust an evil soul etc. I knew what my job was." A broad grin crawled up my face. "Make someone fall for me. I tried hard and I finally escaped. I barely had time because I could be caught any minute so when I found her first, I bonded with her. Got her to divulge her weakness and took advantage of it."

Juso nodded. "What was her weak point?"

My grin twitched. "Losing someone she loves."

"And that was you?"

"Yes."

I paced around the small room of the hospital, my mind filling with old memories. "She was so sad when I told her about my 'sudden deadly disease' which will 'kill me anytime'. She was kind of cute.

Called her one day, my voice all raspy and breathless, just choking on call repeatedly saying 'I can't breathe'. By the way, do you know how hard it is? I don't even remember how breathing feels like. Anyways, she came running to this hospital, saw me all wired up with these stupid mortal devices and started bawling on my chest."

Juso listened carefully, his eyes following my movements. "You really wrecked her, didn't you? What a sneaky lil' fellow. They better promote you after this."

"Well they have to! Otherwise after entering Freedom Realm, I would make those humans do the most abominable things and awaken another war between heaven and hell." I huffed, brushing my hair. "So, then, as I had paid the doctor, this strange looking machine started beeping loudly and I started coughing like a creaking door. She cried and begged for me to stay, even gave a kiss on my cheek. When it finally looked like I was about to roll my eyes and high five death, she screamed my name 'Alecx!' and boom. BLAST!" I boisterously started laughing, almost falling down. "Supernatural beings are not supposed to take other supernatural entities' names when they are that emotionally charged and at their peak weak point but she did! My job was done."

Juso started clapping. "Well, that was certainly amazing for you. Even if I feel bad for her, I am just a neutral Coordinator who has to appreciate your efforts!"

I gave him a bow. "Well, well, thanks Juso! Now like the good lil' Coordinator you are, do your job, follow those rules and open the realm of freedom for me. You have seen it all. You have seen me finishing her? Now aren't I worthy of some freedom and independence after assassinating someone of that superior position?

Juso nodded. "Of course, you are, my dear friend! You have earned it all! Here comes your pass to freedom."

Juso turned towards a mere, powerless white wall and closed his eyes. Fury of power blasted under his hands as they swung the ball of purplish, crystal hue towards the wall. The wall exploded into tiny fragments which conjugated together rapidly to form an oval shaped entrance that further elongated to a rectangular structure. Blue- and purple-coloured flames of fire ignited from all corners of the room, encircling around us and before I could blink, the ground beneath me had separated from the ground of the earth and the disconnected piece soared thought the sky and stood amongst other similar dismantled pieces. The entire scene in front of me was bathed in a beautiful aura of peculiar serenity. Green, luscious grass tickled my bare feet; cladding the ground like a blanket. The giant portal stood menacing, commanding and glorious, tempting me and teasing me to enter right now.

I started my way up the stairs, my mind spell bound by everything around me.

As a bright, flock of white birds flew above us, I looked at Juso wide eyed. "This mesmerizing gate in front of me looks like a stairway to another world, other universe."

Juso smiled. "Take a step inside now."

I ran towards the ginormous gate, my eyes stripping its glory. I jumped inside those gates, closing my eyes in exhilaration.

A strong gust of wind caressed my face and a smile began forming on my lips.

But something was terribly wrong.

The familiar sensation of an overpoweringly threatening situation gripped me; dark, distressing and deleterious. A strong feeling of demise encased me like bear trap catching an unaware foot and I gasped. I opened my eyes and watched with horror-struck eyes, the same walls of prison that I had been trying to escape.

A series of chains wrapped with spines sprung mid-air and slammed themselves into me, annihilating my mortal body. My soul vaulted outside only to be immobile, immovable and paralyzed as I had always had been, prior to my escape.

A little laugh came from behind me. Soft, taunting and feminine. This was not Juso. This was...

"They say the right thing. Demons are terribly stupid indeed. I can't believe that I didn't even have to work hard to catch this one besides putting on two genuine eyes and an innocent smile. He really believed that he had got me. Stupid little pretentious soul. Far from brains and sensibilities." said the Daughter of Heaven.

I helplessly stared ahead. I couldn't even move to look at her "I can't believe they gossip about me like that in hell. Poor little innocent soul with no powers. Like, do they really believe all I could do was wait to be captured and eaten by ambitious demons? I am the core of innocence, not stupidity." She laughed. "Any of us are not like that. Especially me. I am far more capable, Alecx."

Tears were my only response. I could not believe what I was hearing. "It was fancy catching you. The moment I led my eyes on you I could see your malicious intentions beneath that poorly constructed façade." She sighed. "So, then I thought, that if you had dared to play with me, I might as well show you how awfully wrong you are."

The gate was disappearing behind me. I could feel the magic, the color and the shine disappearing. I couldn't even scream if I wanted to or move if I desired to. I was trapped, bounded and shackled in the worst ways possible.

A strange memory came into my mind. It was of the Daughter of Heaven saying, "Do you think there is a difference between being innocent and being stupid?"

"No." I had replied.

She had smiled, a strange look in her eyes. I was a little puzzled at that time but I didn't really care.

Now, I knew what she had meant as the gates behind me completely disappeared, bathing me in complete darkness and imprisoning me for next millions of years in my worst fears.

The stairway had indeed led me to another world than the one I had expected.

The world of Hell.