𝓚𝓲𝓼𝓼 𝓸𝓻 𝓚𝓲𝓵𝓵

The Rings of Hell

Erix held back a laugh at the sight of the statue of Joseph Crackstone being burned to the ground. Bianca looked over at him.

"You didn't." She accused.

"I don't know what you mean." Erix grinned, the fire dancing in his eyes. "I haven't done a thing."

"Yeah. Just like you didn't help Wednesday win the Poe Cup." Bianca rolled her eyes. "You made me break my streak."

"Aww you're breaking my heart with all these accusations Bia." She pushed him aside. "And now you're pushing me around. What happened to us?"

"Don't flatter yourself, I would never date you."

"You're just upset that fire beat water."

"All Nevermore students to the buses now!"

As Erix and Bianca followed with the crowd she said, "This isn't over."

"Of course not."

❤︎❤︎❤︎

Erix was lying on his stomach cocooned in his comforter with his demonic features showing when he heard a knock on his door.

"It's open!"

Wednesday walked in and immediately had to take her baggy jacket off, the stifling heat in the room too much for her.

She looked at Erix and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Me and Ajax keep it hot 'cause- y'know snakes and hell is well, hot."

"I'm just surprised you're so comfortable around me especially after what you told me."

"Worst comes to worst I'll just have to kill ya." He took off his blanket and unfolded his wings, flying from his bed to in front of her. "So we can either start this whole study thing or both go to hell together."

She nodded and pulled a book from her shoulder bag. "I found this in the Nightshade library. It names quite a few demons."

Erix flipped through the pages. "Strangely accurate... aside from this." He pointed to a drawing of a demon king. "There are rings of hell. There's more than one king and none of them look like this."

He went into his closet and came back pulling a blackboard behind him. Wednesday briefly wondered why he had it.

"Ever read Dante's Inferno?" He asked, picking up a piece of chalk.

"I haven't."

"Well there's nine rings of hell, seven corresponding with the seven deadly sins, and two others." He began drawing a pillar. "The first ring is Limbo for pagans and restless souls. There are however different afterlife options for those of different religions."

"The monsters."

"I'm getting to that." Erix waved a hand dismissively. "The second is Lust. That's where my mother was born. It's mostly full of succubi and incubi. Run by Asmodeous, the embodiment of lust."

"I'm guessing if you do something lustful in life you go there."

"Not always. Depending on the sin. Third is Gluttony. Not really much to say there but it's run by Beelzebub. Gluttony demons are more focused on food than murder though."

Wednesday nodded jotting it down in a small notebook. "Because Gluttony is the act of insatiable hunger."

"Exactly! Fourth is Sloth but we can definitely cross that off the list." He drew a line through Gluttony and Sloth. "Those jackasses rarely do anything but sleep and sit on their asses. Run by Belphegor. Fifth is Greed, a personal favorite of mine."