The Raven

The Evil Lair

After resting for some time, I decided that I had recovered enough energy to try out my new theory. 

I was thinking that if energy was all around us and in us there must be a way to channel that energy in anything I wanted to. I started thinking about what would be the best way to reach my goal. 

Flying crossed my mind since I had done it while I was alive, but then I thought better of it. If there were demons everywhere there were probably some flying demons as well and I didn't think I could go on blindly fighting everything that stood on my way. 

First of all, it was exhausting, and secondly, if I kept going at the slow pace I had, I would miss the Blood Feast altogether. There had to be a way to go there quickly and efficiently by using the energy that was all-present even in Hell. You would think that the energy in Hell would be dark and gloomy and it mostly was but only because it was usually used by monsters and demons. 

I realized that what made the energy dark or light was actually the person using it, so I had all that energy at my disposal, I just had to think of a good way to use it. Then it finally came to me. An idea that was so crazy that it could work. 

I thought of the doors and gates and wondered what if I could make a door that would lead me to the Dark Lord. If the energy was as all-powerful as I thought, then that was not only possible but probable. 

Focusing all my attention and power to the place I wanted to go to, I tried to shape a kind of rectangle passage similar to a doorway. I closed my eyes in concentration, and when I reopened them I was shocked by what I saw. 

There wasn't a door as I expected it to be, there was just this huge swirling hole. It was as black as the darkest night, and the amount of energy emanating from it was like nothing I had ever felt before. The light didn't seem to be able to enter the never-ending darkness. 

That was when I started rethinking my idea, for the first time, since it wasn't the nice little door I expected. Having in mind that I was in Hell, that was not surprising, but still, I hesitated to cross into the bleak darkness in front of me.

Suddenly, I was pulled down by strong energy that I couldn't define. It seemed like gravity pulling me down. I was in perpetual fall surrounded by impenetrable darkness. It was debatable if the hole was that dark or if I went completely blind at the point of entry. 

When I finally reached the bottom, it felt as if I had reached the farthest and darkest place that ever existed, a place where even if I screamed out for help there would be no one to hear, no demons, no humans just emptiness. 

I felt miserable like there was no hope just torture and misery. Maybe the emotions were amplified by my sudden entry but, they were more than I could handle, so I just crouched down and focused on my breathing. I couldn't help it, I needed time to adjust. 

Once I got a grip of myself, I realized that the feeling was as real as it could be. I could see that I was out of the black hole and in some place that seemed even worse than my ride from hell. There was light now, and I wished for the darkness that I despised just moments before.

I could see a fire burning but it seemed that it was sustained by adding human limbs to consume. The smell of burned flesh was enough for me to realize what kind of horrible fire that was. There were also few body parts near the fire to confirm my doubts.

I had a feeling, because of the overwhelming smell of death, decay, and fear, that I had reached my destination. 

Looking around I could see that I had landed in a more isolated part of the gruesome place. It was some kind of smaller cave that probably led to the lair. 

Without thinking, I followed the path thinking I would improvise the way I did until that moment. Not the smartest plan, but my head was still spinning from the atrocious ride. 

It wasn't my power's fault. I realized that it used the only transportation system that was available in Hell and that wasn't a nice and comfortable carriage ride. 

Still feeling sick to my stomach, I went out of the cave of horrors I was in and encountered more than I was ready for. I had to use all my strength, not to faint, then and there because I didn't expect what I saw. 

The funny thing was that the feeling kept repeating, I would always get horribly surprised by the things I saw in Hell even while knowing that there would be some things that a human mind should never know or see. 

Only one look at all those sick and dreadful things would make them lose their minds and after everything I had seen, only then was I one step away from losing my mind because that was too much even for me to bear.