Hellboy: Back to the Beginning

Chapter 4: Back in the Tunnels

Kat sat in a leather bound chair and scribbled over a piece of paper, furiously drawing with a charcoal pencil. Travis sat patiently near her as Abe removes his breather and goggles, getting ready to get back into his tank. After her vision of her parents, Kat rushed to find Travis. Carefully with not waking Hellboy up.

With a soft sigh, she stops drawing and hands Travis the drawings. He frowns as he scans over the detail. Throughout Kat's life, she took up art classes as her visions became more vivid over the years. Her drawings were exactly how she dreamed of them. Travis' frown grew when he exams the drawings of her parents. Kat nervously taps her black stained fingers as she waits for him to say something.

"So, what do you think?" She asks.

Abe moves towards Travis to see the drawings. Travis hands him one and moves away to think.

"The throne of Agony. Royals who have ruled Hell has sat upon this grotesque seat beyond time itself." Abe says as he remembers from his studies. He scans over another drawing and says a language that Kat wasn't familiar with.

"What does that mean?" She asks.

"Roughly translated as 'Hell's Paradise' or 'Playground'. My Hiberno-Latin is a tad rusty. But this specific place lies at the top of the Infernal Mountain where...um..." Abe hums as he moves towards a bookshelf. He scans through a row and picks out a book. Flipping through pages, he walks over to them and sets the book down as he opens it to one page of a picture that looked like Kat's drawing. "'A sea of the hopeless damned who drown at the feet of royals'." He says as he points at the Latin that was written under the picture of people screaming under the Throne of Agony that was in the book. He pushes her drawing next to the picture so they could see the similarities.

"So, why am I dreaming about this place?" She asks.

Abe sighs, "Well...your father was one of the royals who sat on that throne."

Kat frowns and looks at the picture again, unconsciously touching the drawing of her parents.

"When someone dreams of the dead, it can mean various things." Abe adds.

"Like?" She asks as she looks up at him.

"Well, these dreams may indicate that you are still processing grief related to your parents.  But it also might suggest a hidden desire for guidance." Abe says gently.  "The dream of your father's throne, a place you never seen...maybe you came across a book when you were a child that carried a picture of the throne. The dream could also symbolize unresolved issues or conflicts."

Kat frowns at this information, what was her vision telling her?

Travis sighs and sits next to her, "As long as I can remember, my dear, from what Trevor has taught me and what this world has shown me, it's possible that your father's spirit is reaching out to you. Through here," He points at her head, "...and here." He points at her heart. "Telling you that he is with you...always. And a child...always need her father. The mind is a powerful source as much as our desires. I know you miss them both. Just know that they're always with you, watching over you."

Kat sniffles as tears form in her eyes.

"I may not be your father, nor am I your true uncle...but I love you as if you were my daughter." Travis says, giving her a soft smile.

Kat smiles sadly and moves to hug him tightly. Travis sighs and holds her, wishing for more time but he'll watch over her and Hellboy.

"You'll always be my uncle, no matter what." Kat says and rubs her nose as she lets go of him.

"Now, you should get back to bed, my dear. We'll figure something out. But I want you to have plenty of rest. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day." Travis chuckles softly.