Thorns

Prologue Lasciate ogni speranza, o voi che entrate

The last sunrays brushed over the ruins, hiding behind the tardy blossom of an apple tree not far away from the place where once there used to be a fancy mansion. Thousands of pinkish petals danced in the air among the tiny particles of dust and ash, the image of life and death immersed in an eternal waltz. A waltz the gentle wind of May conducted so skillfully.

A huge green snake emerged from the debris. It waved and crawled over dead bodies and blood pools, desperately searching for a way out of that morbid place. But death was everywhere. The cold forgotten carcasses. The smell of blood and warm ash burst into its nostrils. A sense of danger loomed in the air. And it got worse as the last sunrays got weaker and weaker and the blood in its veins started to flow slower and slower. Without the warmth of the sun, the snake started to feel cold and lonely.

"You, arrogant creature." An imposing voice thundered. "How you dare to think you can be above Death!" There was no mercy and no kindness in that voice. The snake felt fear tightening around its lungs, squeezing them like a lemon.

The voice was imposing without being loud. It was mystical. Something that couldn't be put into words about it. Familiar and yet foreign. There was also something unexplainable that prevented the creature to taste fury no matter how harsh the words were.

"You, arrogant creature," the voice echoed again, "these are all the lives you cut today. Day by day you are going to learn each of them. Every small detail. And you will learn about her. That is the life for which you will find the hardest to get forgiveness"

The snake's eyes fall over a body that was so much damaged by the fire that it couldn't figure out who that person was....until it saw the little silver ring around her finger. A tiny silver ring with three dainty roses on it.

"Do you remember her?" The voice asked. The snake's eyes sparkled like two dying stars before it lowered its emerald-like head.

"Why can't I turn back to my human form?" There were thousands of things it could have asked in that instant, but it seemed to be the thing the creature found most disturbing. "I want to face Death as myself."

"Do you? I searched for your soul, but it kept hiding from me. Too ashamed of its decrepitude. Your beauty was reduced to nothing but an ordinary bunch of bones and bleeding flash. You, who used to be so proud of your allure and your elegance. And yet, I chose to be mercy and give you a face you will dare to present in front of me. After all, you have chosen this form many times in your life. Why don't you embrace it now?" The snake lowered its gracious neck as behind its eyes ran flashes of the things it had clung to in her life.

The snake sensed the rough bark of an apple tree on its skin while pinkish petals rained over its hair. It heard the trills of a nightingale as two strong arms covered its little body, protecting it from cold and danger. The air smelt of cinnamon and baked apples. Then the taste of warm apple pie it had never thought it would ever experience again brought back memories she'd never forgotten, but which had never been more vivid than in the solemn moment. A huge piano and an elegant figure whose ivory hands dance on it with ease only a divine creature was able to. The air smelt of lilies. It saw them blooming, enchanting the nights with their perfume.

It saw wild scented roses growing on forgotten graves. It sensed their velvet-like red petals. Then a huge castle emerged from nowhere and the sun disappeared being a huge mountain. Dashing rooms and elegant figures gracefully dancing around. Long tables full of exquisite dishes. And a secret library with thousands of books and a dark-haired boy who watched from behind a bookshelf.

A train that took a scared child away and a charming young demon with a mind as sharp as a razor...

"Am I dead?" A strange fear swept over its body. It yearned to feel its beating heart, but its heart was motionless and indifferent.

An army of shadows raised from the ground as the first trill of the nightingale foretold the beginning of the night. At their foot, the corps lay cold and motionless under the enormous sky, unaware of the fact they would never see the light of the sun again.

The snake saw them in the mirror of a small rain poll and it lifted its head, to face them. They looked like real people, but they were pale and cold. The snake recognized some of the faces, even if they were too wounded and full of blood that it couldn't say for sure she knew them.

"They are the spirits of the deaths. Those you sent to the other world, but they can't go there. They will roam around until they will find peace and will be able to go on."

"What does peace mean?"

"Peace is leaving everything behind. Ephemeral attachments. Remorse. Hatred. Guilt."

"But I don't feel guilt." It admitted. "I don't regret anything I did."

"Do you really?"

"I've done what I could with the life I've been given." It declared, firmly. Then, it asked in a hesitant tone "Can a monster ever achieve peace?"

"Unless their only chance to ask and receive forgiveness for the sins committed during their lives wouldn't be lost forever." The voice explained.

"What is going to happen then?"

"Their souls will be destroyed, leaving just a feeble carcass condemned to eternal damnation."

"How could they ask for forgiveness if they aren't able to communicate with the livings?"

"They should have known this day will come. They should have been prepared." The words were followed by a deep silence before the voice spoke again. The darkness seemed much darker than before during that pause. "But that's not why they can't get forgiveness."

"Why then?" The snake asked hesitantly.

"Do you really think they would ever ask for it?"

"I guess not...I...What about me? Am I to be destroyed?"

There was no answer. Slowly, the darkness disappeared and the snake saw a great bridge in front of it. The river looked terrifying and amazing at the same time. It had never seen such uncanny scenery. In the scarlet sunlight, the river looked like a huge volatile mirror. A sky beyond the real sky where the clouds were waves that looked like charming translucent horses, galloping around.

"That's Styx. The river which separates the living world from the other world." The voice spoke again. "And that's the bridge. Only those who left behind all hatred and remorse could cross it. Now, that you've seen it, you'll know it was real. And so are Heaven and Hell....You alone chose that path. So, you are to pay for that decision. Your punishment has already been decided. You will learn that I can be cruel sometimes, but I'm always fair."

Fear was soon replaced by unbearable pain. Then darkness settled again. Deep darkness.

Not many changes, but I felt the details are important for understanding the character. It's going to take a while until you'll meet the Snake.