In the search of her goddess mother who abandoned her on birth, Jevelene leaves behind a cold Italy to the magical kingdom of Alkinshime in the icebergs of North Sweden. But what she ends up finding was completely beyond her fantasies. A demon and a...
It had been a month since Nataniel was gone, but the journey must continue. Bronze Gate was waiting for them and they walked towards it. Annelece picked Adelaida on his back since her feet were sore from walking. Jevelene walked ahead, and following her were Ariel and Happiness. The woods were wet and cold. It rained for an hour almost every day.
The Bronze gate, which is the only channel to other dimensions from Earth, was located in the City of the Dead, protected by fire dragons. Right behind the bronze gate lay a huge staircase extending to another city underwater. But sometimes, this staircase changes its destination to heaven. It was a magical stairway made by goddess Morana which was used by angels to direct human souls to heaven or hell. It is known as the last spot where the goddess was ever seen. Many Alkinshimians claims she died in the war between demons and gods. The folktales say she drowned within the huge portal under the influence of ambrosia, the life nectar of gods.
The underwater city beneath the Bronze gate is cursed with her blood. Once you enter it, you cannot leave. So one must be careful while using the Bronze Gate. Every human must pass through this gate before reaching the purgatory to leave their sense of self behind and prepare for their journey to the purgatory.
Jevelene slipped while climbing rock and almost fell when Ariel grabbed her hand, "Oh my demigod, thanks!" She got up. He looked at her and then continued walking forward. Ariel had been quieter ever since that conversation with Happiness. Jevelene held his hand and walked with him. He pulled his hand away and walked ahead of her. She looked at her hand and followed him quietly.
"Mister Ariel, it's getting dark. We should rest," Adelaida suggested and Ariel stopped at once. Annelece made a bed of leaves for Adelaida while Ariel prepared the fire. They all lay beside the fire to keep themselves. Jevelene crawled towards Ariel's back and hugged him from behind. He looked behind, "What are you doing?"
"I'm cold," She pressed her lips on his back. He looked ahead, "Suit yourself," "Are you upset with me?" She asked. "It's not always about you, Jevelene," "Then, that is it about? You seem out of it,"
"Jevelene, could you refrain yourself from being so terribly confounding? You fall on me like a curse. Begone!" He pushed her away and wrapped his cape around him, "I need some sleep," She got up "I love you," She whispered, only to receive silence. Tired and weak, she quietly went back to her bed of leaves, lying beside Happiness. She closed her eyes and prayed that sleep would come.
. . .
Nataniel walked across the dried, black riverine plains of hell. His hair was stiff from the dried blood upon them. His limbs were weak and tired. His face looked paler, his eyes seemed to have their colour. He was not hungry, or thirsty. Just very tired. But he knew if he slept, he would die. And then he would never be able to return to the mortal world. "I must walk," He told himself, "Because if I stop, I know I'll fall asleep," Suddenly, he felt the temperature rise sharply and saw an entire clan of goblins flying toward him. He leaned down to make an ice spear and they all took out their swords. He ran towards as he screamed.
Beelzebub and Leviathan stood in the room of vision, looking down into a round and converse magical mirror that was submerged inside a spring. It reflected Nataniel. Belzebub drank blood from his goblet and smiled, "Poor child, he won't live long," Leviathan looked at Nataniel and Belzebub looked at him, "You should go eat him. He's weak and you'll need that strength to fight the Gatekeeper." Leviathan looked at him, "You haven't forgotten about your contract, right?"
"Of course not," Leviathan's eyes glowed red and he turned back, disappearing in the shadows.
One of the goblins struck Nataniel in his chest with an iron fist, breaking his entire ribcage. He fell on the rough rocks and scraped his back, tearing his chiton and exposing his naked back. His skin began losing its white colour and turned to a peachy pink. The ice around him melted away, and so did his spear. He turned back as he felt his cold body become warm for the first time ever. He looked at the goblin men with their long, yellow teeth, pointy ears and noses and green, shrivelled skin. They were all on a huge rock, a few metres away from a huge cliff that lead to a river of molten magma.
Nataniel's blue eyes looked at their face, "Please..." He joined both his hands together, "Please don't kill me...I have someone waiting for me..." "Well, too bad they'll be waiting forever" One of them yelled and ran towards him clumsily with a sword in his hands. But of the blue, an arrow stuck him on his neck and took him down the cliff. He fell into the boiling magma and disappeared with heartwrenching screams as he boiled to death.
"Who was that?!" Another of the goblins shouted and got struck by an arrow next. Soon, one after the other, all of them were taken down. The others simply ran away to save their lives. Nataniel moved his eyes around to see who it was. He could hear footsteps and it felt colder, soothing and "Are you okay?" Homely.
How strange. How could hell feel like home?
He looked at the red sky, which was soon covered by a familiar face. Cold, white skin, black hair and lightning blue eyes, cold as ice and quick as white lightening on ocean blue night skies. Nataniel couldn't believe his eyes, he moved his hands toward his face, and touched him so softly as if he would disperse like a cloud,
"...Beth," He recognised that scent and that low set voice, "Nataniel?"
Leviathan looked at them while standing at the mouth of a cave on those rocky mountains, his black cloak was wrapped around him. His red eyes glowed as he looked at them from the darkness. He looked up at the red moon of hell and jumped towards it. His black wings covered the sky and enveloped the moon, creating a shadow. But when Nataniel looked up at the sky, he was gone.
. . .
Sleep won't come.
Jevelene got up and looked at Ariel. He was deep in sleep and so was everyone else. She decided to take a short walk while the moon was still up and lighting her path. She walked down the black stones beside the straight-lined trees. They looked so alike in shape and size, it was almost like every tree was a copy of the other. She looked across the forest, everywhere, the same trees with the moon highlighting their abruptly regular shapes. Everything was either black or white in shades of blue when suddenly she came across a pair of red eyes.
She gasped and would've yelled if he hadn't covered her mouth with his palms. The moonlight lit his face for a second and she recognised him immediately, "Leviathan?" He moved away from her, "What are you doing here?" She asked. He looked down at her, she looked smaller than he last met her,
"Your friend...He's in danger,"
-To be continued
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