Personal Diary,
T H E J O U R N E Y
9th December 2031.
The last thing I remembered was falling
Then a loud resounding thud through my head
Sickly red pooled around me.
Its warmth comforted me
as the darkness I wished for finally came.
The next time I opened my eyes, I found myself sprawled on red.
But this time, it wasn’t warm- it was cool and damp. What the fuck happened, where the hell am I? I wondered to myself as I lay motionless, waiting for pulsations in my head to stop. The ringing in my ears wouldn’t go away.
I stared blankly towards the sky, willing for the chaos in my head to end. Stop stop stop stop STOP. And it did, as if I had pressed pause. With a clearer mind, my memories and emotions came flooding back to me. I suddenly understood the gravity of my actions, and they weighed heavily on my chest. Regret squeezed my lungs, and had me gasping for air. I was now desperately praying for the ringing in my ears to come back, to numb me of everything, but it never did…
As I slowly sat up, I realized that I was surrounded by rolling hills of crimson. A dark sea of mis-colored grass, as if mocking me. Even the sky was a a deep shade of red. Red was my favourite color, but now I’m sick of it. Everything was red.
Having sat at the same spot for three hours straight, battling with the demons in my head, I couldn’t take it anymore- The deafening silence, the realization of eternal loneliness, the self torment of the mind. Tears welled up in my eyes till they overflowed. Why did I do that? Why was I so damn stupid? Why did I naively assume that things would be better? This is hell. The tears kept raining down my cheeks as if a tap had broken. I had broken. The sounds of my wailing echoed through the valleys of the hills. A desperate broken soul. I always was. Someone help me please.
Amidst my vision blurred by tears, I thought I saw a dark shape appear before me. It had a distinct silhouette- a tall and slender form, with curled horns on its head. I thought I saw lips curl into a malicious grin. Hastily, I rubbed my eyes, but the figure disappeared. Was that just a figment of my imagination? Have I gone delirious? However, at the ground where the figure once stood, was a white card that read:
Welcome.
I hope you’ll find yourself at home here.
If you’re feeling hungry, walk around a bit and you”ll notice an abundance of food all over. My recommendation is that you take whats inside, at the core. I assure you, it is the most succulent. As for drinks, I’m sorry to say that there isn’t a wide spread. But beggars cant be choosers eh? Nonetheless, I’m sure you will find it refreshing. Hope you enjoy them!
A surge of relief coursed through me. The note sounded inviting and comforting. Maybe things were changing for the better.
Perhaps I should listen to the note and look around more. I trudged forward through the tall mahogany grass. Trees started appearing in the horizon. From afar, I could see long bulbous forms hanging on the branches, peeking out from among the dense canopy of the trees. What on earth, those fruits are huge!
However, as I walked nearer, the forms started to take on more clarity. No….. They cant be….. I stared in horror as bodies hung abundantly from the tree. The blue and purple bodies drained of air and blood were a striking contrast to the overwhelmingly red landscape. I stared agape at the convulsive scene of hanging bodies, swinging ever so slightly… left… right…. left…ri…
My stomach dropped, and I felt nauseous. I looked down at the fallen body, only to stare at my own face, with a snapped noose around it. I retched at the revolting scene. With much difficulty, I forced myself to look up at the hanging bodies again. They were all in different stages of rot, blood trickling down the fingers, onto the grass. I wondered if this was what gave the grass its mahogany color. Wait. What the fuck am I even thinking?
Disgust washed over me once again, and I began sprinting. Get away from those trees! I ran as fast as my legs would take me. I trembled and shook uncontrollably as I ran, an image of the scene I just saw imprinted in my mind.
Soon, I succumbed to exhaustion and my legs buckled. I was hungry, thirsty and tired. As my head hit the ground, my vision darkened. I swore, just before I knocked out, I saw two slender legs infront of me and looked up to a wicked grin…
I awoke the next day. The next few days, I walked for days on end, trying to find something, anything. But all there was were trees with my hanging body, and fallen ones that littered the ground. What sick twisted world was I trapped in? With each passing day, I got weaker and weaker. Why dont I just die already. But how can I when I already am?
I’m not sure how many days have passed. I couldn’t keep track anymore. I barely moved. I grew desensitized, it felt like I had no emotions left- I lay calmly against a tree of hanging bodies, staring out blankly. Hunger ate at my stomach and thirst brought a drought to my mouth. Once again, I found myself wishing for darkness, and then I didnt. What if this same thing repeats itself? What if it only gets worse in the end? No no no, no more. I’m already at the bottom of a black hole, I dont want to go even deeper than that. Not again.
“Wow, such resolve. Good for you. If you’re so weak, why not have something to eat and drink? Its all there for your taking you know…” A faint voice whispered through the trees
Perhaps it was my overly fatigued mind, or my sudden desperation to live, or that damn inveigling voice, but something in me clicked. I knew what I had to do. Detached of any emotions, my limbs moved themselves, and I found myself crawling to the nearest fallen body. I stared at its face- no, my face– as I plunged my hand right into my chest, and pulled out the core. Surprisingly, it felt warm and heavy in my hands. Blood dripping down my arms, I thought I could feel it beating again. But I didn’t care. I chewed and tore deeper into the juicy chunk, cranberry spraying everywhere. I drank all the red liquid it could give me. Slowly, the pain in my stomach faded and the dryness in my mouth was soothed. Relief flooded over me once again.
After consuming the heart, I moved on to the rest of my body. I ravenously tore into the flesh. At the corner of my eyes, the figure appeared again. But I was too busy devouring my meal. It causally flicked another card towards me. I stopped to pick the card up with my bloody hands. I turned to face the figure, mouth agape, prepared to talk but it disappeared.
The card read:
It’s funny how I did all of this just to escape, yet I’m stuck here, forced to listen to this guy’s commands. And alive? I thought I was dead the moment I got here… Is there any way I could leave this place without any pain or torture?
Not wanting to remind myself of what I just did, I hurriedly dumped all of the bones and remains of that ‘meal’ into a hole that I just dug. But, I know that this would just be another cycle that I can’t escape from.
What I did not know was that these bones would eventually sprout into something else, something that might help me get out of this horrible place.
Now that my stomach was filled, I regained the strength needed to continue my journey. As I shook off the remaining juices on my hands and stood up, a flashing white light in a distance caught my attention. It was so dim, I had to squint my eyes real hard. It flickered once, then twice, then another time. What was that? A malfunctioning torchlight? A distress signal? But that didn’t seem like any code I knew. Maybe I should find out. Since there were no clear signs of pathways or any form of directory that could lead me to anywhere else, I thought I would just walk straight in the direction of the light.
As I walked towards the light source, the surroundings started changing. The gooey red mush on the ground gradually evolved into adorable little red toadstools. Crimson roses and strawberries emerged from the ground, forming beautiful heart shape patterns. Fluffy red cotton candy floated down from the sky. It was a magnificent sight. I stuck out my tongue just in time to catch a falling cotton candy. It melted in my mouth. And the sweetness melted my heart. Everything looked so nice and heartwarming. This was the best feeling ever, a feeling I have ever felt in a long time. Perhaps the colour red wasn’t that bad after all.
In this new surroundings, I felt my tense body relaxing. Maybe this was the better place I had hoped for, and I had to pass a period of trials before I got here. Yes yes, like a heroes journey. I felt my insides bubbling with happiness and pride. What a turn of events! Tears started welling up in my eyes. The warmth radiated from this place was so comforting, I felt it heal and soothe my broken soul little by little.
As I continued walking towards the light, I occasionally brushed my hands against the soft velvety rose petals, and plucked some luscious strawberries to eat. This was the perfect place! I could stay here forever. I continued my journey forward for some time, till the dim white light got brighter. In the horizon, I could see the source of the white light, and… trees…. One in particular, seemed very familiar. No….
From afar, I could see long bulbous forms hanging on the branches with abundance. Not again… please. Wearily advancing towards the trees, I braced myself for the putrid sight I thought I had gotten used to. To my pleasant surprise, I witnessed no dead bodies. Instead, bundles of assorted red fruits were hanging together. I plucked a low-hanging pomegranate-looking fruit and split it open. Wine red oozed out, trickling down my arms. It reminded me of the cor… traumatized, I immediately released the fruit. It dropped to the ground and rolled towards the one tree I thought had seemed familiar. I was just a gut feeling, but I knew this was the tree, where I resorted to such a heinous act. Maybe I”ll just take a peek, nothing here seems remotely bad, its the perfect place. Its the perfect place. I silently cursed myself for being overly curious. I traipsed around the tree to the place I buried the bones. What a peculiar sight I found.
A single bone white plant had sprouted from the tiny burial mound. It grew to be about as tall as me. The stem of the plant looked like a spine. Big arrow-head shaped leaves grew from the stem, ivory with deep pink veins.
At the top of the plant, I found the flickering source of light. An elaborately decorated handheld mirror, carefully nestled and held by the leaves such that it looked like a flower bud. The leaves holding the mirror handle were white while the other leaves wrapped around the mirror were transparent, revealing the exquisite mirror. The pale white mirror was reflecting light from the sun, causing the flickering white light! I gingerly unpeeled the leaves and extracted the mirror. It looked so fragile, but I as held it in my hands, it had a sturdy weight to it.
As I looked into the mirror, I was expecting to see myself, but I saw nothing. Instead, it got dark and a faint silhouette of the horned figure appeared. It spoke in a deep ancient voice, but laced with a tinge of playfulness: “Hello again. I see you are starting to look much more lively! Perhaps you enjoy the scenery here more huh. Anyways, take this chance to rest up a bit more. You still look a little ghoulish. Travel further into this Garden of Delight you think is so perfect and start noticing the ugliness in it. And then, you will help me change it. One last thing, beware the Gem Eyes for they see in rose tinted glasses…” With a cheshire grin, it faded away. The horned figure was shrouded in so much mystery, even my curious self gave up questioning who or what it was. Its words has helped me come so far, I guess the only thing I can do is continue to trust it… but such cryptic messages.
Over the next two days, I took it slow. I rested a lot and journeyed further into the forest, eating and drinking till my hearts content. Honestly, this place was the paradise I dreamt of. Everything looked beautiful in my favourite colour, everything tasted so sweet, just what I liked. No more horrible things, no more nightmares. However, the more I traveled and the more days passed, I realised that no one stays sane in paradise for long…
By day five, I felt numb again. Things were so perfect, to the point it was starting to make me sick. Too sweet. Anything I put in my mouth was too sweet. Too peaceful. What do I do here? I feel so aimless… Too sweet. Too overwhelming. Everything got bland. What do I do here? Too red. I was dying to see some other colors, to stimulate my eyes. Too sweet… Do I just live like this? Happily ever after? Forever? Am I happy? Too sweet. No, too bland. Sweet? Bland? Am I happy? What is happiness when I cant feel anything else? Too happy.
I stumbled around aimlessly like a zombie, my mind replaying the same questions again and again. Why am I questioning myself ?? I’m finally in a perfect place. Why? As I flooded my mind with conundrums, I heard singing. I stopped dead in my tracks. Turning towards the direction of the singing, I saw them- The Gem Eyes.
I looked straight into a pair of Morganite eyes.
Those eyes… they look familiar. I tried very hard to recall where I’ve seen them before, but to no avail. It’s like I have dementia or something.
The Gem Eyes were huddled around something and the one staring at me seemed to be inviting me over to join them. I walked over to them hesitantly, afraid that they might attack me. That was when I saw those things in the middle of the circle—those long bulbous forms… I can’t be mistaken this time, they are definitely the dead bodies. I looked as one of the gem eyed creatures sank its teeth into the flesh of the body. I felt like vomiting. I ran as fast as I could and hid behind the nearest tree before they could offer me any of that meat or try to kill me.
I thought I had seen enough of those… Why are they back to haunt me? I tried to see if those creatures had caught up with me using the mirror I had. I noticed that one of them was coming towards me with the pomegranate-looking fruit I’ve seen around these few days. That’s weird, I swear I saw them holding on to the cor—NO NO NO! I look at it again using the mirror to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. That’s right, they were holding on to actual fruits. Maybe that’s just a peace offering? I turned around, ready to accept the fruits but instead, I saw the bloody flesh…
I screeched in horror as I swivelled around, all ready to escape from this place. But instead I tripped and fell over, face plummeting straight onto the cold hard ground. My legs were held up by the creatures, preventing me from moving anywhere. They formed a circle and surrounded me, making soft squeaky sounds as they did so. How do I escape these scary creatures. Someone save me please. I flailed my arms around and tried to kick the creatures away with all my might, but it was all futile. They just would not budge. Just as I was squirming around trying to flea from the scene, one of the creatures squeezed through the crowd and helped me sit up. That particular creature, it was slightly different from the others. It was darker in colour, more wrinkly, and was slightly bigger in size as compared to the rest. It seemed older? Or special? I don’t know.
“…sudnatsrednulliwudnasihttae…”
It murmured in a language I could not comprehend. I grimaced as it tried to hand me the “fruit”. Yellowish green pus-like liquid was dripping down from the disgusting blob of seemingly red flesh. A horrendously rotten smell wafted into my nose, causing me to retch. No way I’m going to eat this. It too gross. But before I could react, the creature shoved the flesh into my mouth.
“OMG NO N…”
No…Not too bad? It was oddly savoury. There was no metallic smell of blood. No gooey liquid. No weird texture of raw meat. It was just…sweet? The light scent of my favourite lemon grass, the subtle sourness of lime, the slight tinge of raw honey. It tasted wonderful, it was like a mixture of all the best things one can ever find in the entire universe. I was bewildered. I slapped myself hard. Ouch okay this hurts why did I even slap myself. So I was not hallucinating? Blinking hard, I surveyed my surroundings. The creatures were still there, nothing has changed.
“Hello little one, welcome here” The creature spoke.
Wait what is it speaking in English? I can understand them now??
“Yes it English. You can understand us…”
Oh fml this is giving me goosebumps.
“…hey hey watch your words young one. I can read your mind.”
WTF IT CAN READ MY MIND? Omg shucks not wtf umm eh umm sorry sorry I’ll watch my words.
“Now that u have consumed the fruit, you will be able to hear us. I am sure you have encountered many things on your way here. The horned figure, you should have met him several times. You may be very confused right now, especially about what you have seen with your eyes and what was displayed through the mirror. All the horrible things, the hanging bodies and bloody flesh, those are not real. It is just a trick played by that devil, to fool you and manipulate you.”
At this moment, I was really very lost. Who am I supposed to believe? This odd English speaking creatures? Or the mysterious horned figure that I have seemingly trusted up till now? And the information that the creature just revealed made me dumbfounded. Manipulate me? For what?
“The horned figure was not a spiritual creature or whatever you think it is. It was like just like you, a normal human who landed into this place. He tried to get out, multiple times, but failed. And this would be his last chance. He would need to use you, or else…”
“But what does he want me for? He said that I should beware of you…”
The darker Gem Eye snorted. “Us? My tribe is harmless. We will protect you. It is the devil you should beware of, and his twisted lies. He wants you to get rid of our tribe. Look under that hood he wears, and you will see that he is –no, was- one of us. But he was jealous of me, so he turned on us, and I exiled him. Now, he has a penchant for vengeance. But he is weak and lonely. Our gem eyes, they are powerful artefacts but they need to be fed by the users. They feed upon happiness and love, what we have here.” Looking around, the rest of the gem eyes had crowded around and sat down, listening obediently to their leader and nodding profusely. Hmm they do seem like the perfect family… Perfect? Paradise…? Happy? Too happy…? No…
“Oh you poor child. I heard all those nasty thoughts in your head. Why are you doubting yourself? And us, this place? It is what it is – paradise. That devil must have broken you pretty good.” I scowled at the Gem Eye Chief. No matter how nice you are to me, I do not appreciate you probing into my mind and invading my privacy. My thoughts are mine alone to figure out, would you please stop now.
“Ah, very well. Lucky for you, my abilities are selective, so I can choose to read your mind or not. And I will stop. I respect your wishes. But let me assure you, you can trust us. We are peaceful people, and if you are willing to join us, we would like to get rid of that pesky devil once and for all. His negative energy has been spreading, tainting more of our paradise and turning it into that hell hole you were at. ” But didn’t you just say that he was weak? Can’t you use your powers as a group to stop him? Just for a split second, the smiling chief looked taken aback, but he quickly covered it up with an even wider grin.
“Ah dear child, things are not that simple here. I will explain them more in due time. My army is big, but they are… not very well trained you see. There is still much work to do, before we can take him on.”
Looking around again, I did notice that no other gem eyes had spoken to me. Rarely did they speak to each other. But when they did, it was in harsh whispers, to carry out commands given by the chief. Does this tribe work like a hive mind? Where is this whole place anyways, and what about this mirror? It wasn’t given to me by the horned figure, so how could it be one of his tricks…
I saw the Chiefs gaze moving down to the ivory mirror I held in my hands.
“Okay… so what now?” I asked
“It’s getting late. We should eat and rest. We can continue our talk tomorrow.” We sat in multiple long wooden tables, lit from glowing crystals of different heights arranged together on the table. A campfire crackled nearby, providing additional light and warmth in the chilly night. They fed me with an assortment of fruits and sweets. I ate in utter silence, attempting to will my mind into a blank. But the occasional thought that the food was sickly sweet would cross my mind. The chief would frown slightly the first few times I thought so, but throughout the rest of the meal, he plastered a big warm smile on his face. They all showered me with the same kindness and niceties. .
When dinner ended, the chief stood up and offered to bring me to my accommodation. We took a rather scenic route, walking along a heart-shaped lake. The lake was gleaming, reflecting the shimmering light from the two moons that hung in the sky. Beside me, the chief was humming quietly. The cool winds kissed my cheeks, and I couldn’t help but think that this was a peaceful and rather nice night. The chief turned to me and flashed a charismatic smile. I beamed back in return.
Finally, we reached a row of neatly lined up small brick cottages. The brick-red cottages were really cute, some double story while others were single. Upon closer inspection, I realized that there were even more rows behind. Right at the heart of the plot of cottages, towered a three tier one. Pointing to it, the chief explained that it was his humble abode. The house I would be staying in was a quaint two story one along the edge of the lake.
Turning to face me, the chief looked into my eyes and said, “Here we are! I hope you’ll find yourself at home. Ah, before you leave, would you mind lending me that mirror for a while? I believe it has ties to the devil somehow, and I think it would be safer for you if you left it in my care. In the meantime, I can help you examine it, and return it back to you.”
“I’m sorry but I think I’d like to hold on to it myself. It is the only thing I have in this whole place, it means a lot to me. Also, it’s really beautiful, and I like being able to see my face again.” I clutched the mirror with both my hands and held it to my chest. The chief nodded in response, wished me good night and turned around to walk away. Looking at the reflection in the water, I could see the chief snarling and mumbling under his breath as he walked off along the river. I looked up to stare at his back. When he was far enough, I entered the house and thought to myself how powerful reflections could be. Is that why he wanted my mirror? What truth was it showing? So the fruits the gem eyes chased me with were real and not flesh? No. But the flesh was real to me- If it was a hallucination from my trauma, I would have seen the fruit with my own eyes too. Unless… is the mirror simply showing someone else’s truth? Someone else’s reality… that they see through rose tinted glasses!! Isn’t that what the horned figure had warned me? But can I trust his words? I was stuck in a quandary.
Getting increasingly frustrated and confused, I took a deep breath and emptied my mind. Slowly but surely, I was getting better at it- Protecting myself, my mind. I just had to build a wall around it, and be strong enough to keep it there. Or… I could think the opposite to throw any mind invaders off. Would the horned figure be able to read my mind too?
Exhausted, I went in search for the bedroom. Upstairs, I found a large room with a giant (but short) mushroom in it. Like a Panther Cap mushroom, it had a very wide mushroom cap that looked soft and bouncy. Was this the bed? Intrigued by the large mushroom, I extended a hand to touch it. Upon adding pressure to the mushroom cap, my hand sank. Grinning, I proceeded to throw myself onto the bed. The bed was so soft, I may as well have been on a cloud. It felt really good, being able to relax on a nice bed for once, instead of sleeping among the prickly red grass. So comfortable and cozy, I was practically falling asleep…
Through heavy lidded eyes, I brought the mirror up to my face and stared at it. I saw the horned figure appear in a smoky haze, much like the state I was in. “I think you have seen enough of this world, it is time to tell you the real truth. Meet me tomorrow night by the ocean, when the moon eats the other. Then, you will have to choose.” The horned figure disappears just as my heavy eyelids seal shut.
I awoke to light filtering through the windows, shining on my face. Ah… what was that last night? Just a dream…? Should I go meet him? Or should I tell the Gem Eye Chief about this? I debated with my options, and curiosity got the better of me. I decided to meet the horned figure to see what he had to say. I wanted to hear both sides of this “story” they’ve both been spinning. Who to trust? No one? I was also determined to not let the Chief know. No thinking about that when I see him later.
For the rest of the day, everything went rather smoothly. The Chief sent his minions to fetch me and show me around. During his time of absence, I took the chance to use the mirror discreetly. I discovered that the roles of what I saw in the mirror, and what I see without it were now swapped. Every time I looked in the mirror, all the nice things would be warped into dreadful objects. Beautiful flowering roses into a thick bush of thorns. Succulent fruits into gory guts. Effulgent crystals into haunting will-o’-wisps. Enchanting cottages into darkly dilapidated structures. The world through the mirror was frightening and reminded me of when I first awoke in this new land. But what puzzled me was the reversal of images in the mirror. Weren’t they supposed to look better?
Just then, I saw something strange in the mirror. A human?? I looked back to see him in real time, but what stood in its place was an ordinary Gem Eye. I kept looking back and forth, unable to believe or understand what was happening. I rubbed my eyes. I was about to reaffirm if I was hallucinating this or truly seeing it, when a shout interrupted me.
“Brethren, gather around!! Tonight is the start of the Lunar Eclipse! Please carry out your annual preparations. I would like to see my right hand man, and ahh… you’re here too.” The Chief said as he laid his sparkling morganite eyes on me. He proceeded to dismiss the crowd and walked towards my entourage and me. After exchanging some friendly banter, he asked if I would like to have dinner now. I politely declined, explaining that I was exhausted from a whole day of exploring, and would like to retire early. Besides, I ate a late lunch so I’m still so full. My feet are killing me, I can’t wait to go back and take a rest (, I thought to myself). Sorry! I apologized just for good measure. The Chief told me to rest well, and we parted ways.
I spent the rest of the night in my temporary house, looking towards the sky. The sky was set ablaze as the sun gave in to the moons. I saw the two looming moons gradually inching closer to each other. As they made first contact, a growing uneasiness fell across the land, and the ripples in the lake disappeared, leaving still calm waters. The landscape grew darker and darker. Right before total obscurity, faint but peculiar wavering lines of light danced upon the houses and landscape. It was time. https://youtu.be/-NBoOxzumfs?t=43
I exited the house and made my way towards the beach. Lucky for me, I had already scouted the path to the beach during the day. I chose an obscure path, whose natural vegetation would cover me from plain sight. But to be extra careful, I would occasionally use the mirror to look behind me. Above me, the lunar eclipse was advancing forth as well. It had reached total obscurity- one moon swallowing the other moon whole. The sky now a burgundy red. I heard that this eclipse was unlike those I used to see. This eclipse, would last for three days. A vast, palpable presence enveloped this world, foreshadowing a possibly ominous future.
When I got to the beach, the horned figure was already there. Standing among the shadows, his face was veiled by the hood of his robe. He took a step forward into the light and lifted his hand to pull back the hood. Two deep red ruby gem eyes glistened at me. They were scintillating under the radiance of the eclipse. The Chief was right, the hooded figure was a Gem Eye too.
“My name is Michael.”
He said in an all serious tone, and then motioned for us to sit.
“This will be a long story. You might want to listen to it all before asking any questions. At the end of it all, you will be forced to pick a side. “ This was the first time the horned figure sounded so grave. Doesn’t he usually sound playful and sarcastic? I gulped and nodded my head.
“This is purgatory.
Your story begins now, but ours began a long time ago. Purgatory didn’t always look like this. Back then, Purgatory was a simple place for those who left the mortal realm to go and cleanse their sins. Purgatory was the in-between, the place you had to pass before you could go to Ascension, to join the realm of Celestial Beings. Purgatory wasn’t a place of pain and torment, but a place of expectant hope and joy though suffering did occur for you to be purged.
Me and Luci-Lucifer were like you once. We died together and found ourselves awoken in Purgatory. We followed the system, trying to purge our souls of our sins to get to ascension. We were remorseful of our sins, but deep down, we still had pleasant memories attached to those sins. So we came up with a plan to trick the system. I was slightly hesitant at first, and waivered, but Lucifer… ever so charismatic, he persuaded me. In the end, we passed ascension and entered the promise land. It was magnificent, and we were going to raise hell. The Celestial Beings were naïve and unprepared. An uprising had never happened before, for they thought surely everyone who passed Purgatory would be pure and rid of sin. So we stole one of the most powerful artefacts they had, the Gem Stone Eyes. However, throughout our whole escapade, an uneasy guilt had begun growing in me. And by the time we were prepared to fall back down to Purgatory, regret- true regret- weighed heavily on me. You must know how that feels like right, it constricting you inside. Anyways, Lucifer fell back down to Purgatory because it’s the only bridge back to the mortal realm. Lucifer wanted to escape the afterlife. But the Celestial Beings were one step ahead of him, and they trapped him in Purgatory. Lucky for him, there was a silver lining in being trapped there, I mean here, forever- it’s like a sanctuary here. The Celestial Beings would never follow us back down here. To them, Purgatory was impure. Meanwhile, I succumbed to my guilt and I surrendered myself, begging for the Celestial Beings to forgive me. I was always the weaker one, compared to Luci. The Celestial Beings were benevolent and gave me a mission- If I could catch Lucifer and return both the Gem Stone Eyes, then we would both be forgiven. So they let me keep the other eye and sent me back down to Purgatory to catch him. However, they warned me that if I still harbored nostalgia and sentiment towards Lucifer, then I would always be weaker than him. But they prophesized that one day, someone will come along and make their bones, I just had to persuade him to join my cause, before Lucifer brainwashed him.
While we were both in purgatory, we took a long time to learn how to harness the powers of the Gem Stone Eyes. During that time, people continued to come and go out of Purgatory. Lucifer became spiteful and decided to use his powers on them. He wanted people who entered Purgatory to be like him, trapped there forever, and he wanted to grow an army to start a new rebellion. He didn’t even bother about me. To him, I was just a thorn on his sides that he could overlook.
With his new powers, he began to transform Purgatory. He turned Purgatory into this twisted landscape designed to fool people into thinking that he is good. Purgatory became what you experienced today- First, you start in hell. Then you go to Paradise, and meet the ever friendly Lucifer. You believe him and all his lies. So taken in by all these niceties, your vision becomes tainted. Rose tinted glasses. Sounds familiar?
Lucifer is the leader of the Gem Eyes. He is trying to turn you into one of his brainless minions. The effects have already started to seep into you, don’t you see? Tell me what you saw in the mirror.”
Taken aback by all this new information, I stumbled to respond. Eventually, I told Michael how I saw the harrowing things without the mirror in the beginning, but now, I only see them through the mirror.
Grimly, Michael began to enlighten me and make meaning of what I saw. “The first time you looked through the mirror, you saw what the Gem Eyes were seeing. Their reality. You had not encountered them prior to that, so you were not tainted yet. But now, having spent so many days with them, you have become infected. What you see with your own eyes now, is through rose tinted glasses. Stay with Lucifer more, and it will only get worse. Eventually, you will become one of them. Now, the mirror shows you the true reality. That human you saw in the mirror? It was the previous human “collected” by Lucifer. Your theory on the hive mind is right. The other Gem Eyes are are brainless followers, life is all great to them, and they will believe anything Lucifer says.
I’ve tried approaching the people when they first enter Purgatory many times before, but it never worked. I would reveal right from the beginning my Gem Stone Eyes, and I would accompany them through the hell scape, but when we finally reach Lucifer’s fake paradise, I loose. Lucifer would tell the same story, the one he told you. And they would believe him. Who would believe a single me, versus friendly Lucifer and his happy tribe and inviting homes? Furthermore, Luci would force people to eat the fruit in pretense that it would help them understand the Gem Eye language. But that’s just another lie. His gibberish language is fake, he only wants to read minds, making it easier to manipulate people and get them to join him.
So I learnt my lesson, and decided to let you meet the Gem Eyes first before I revealed myself. I believe that you are the one the Celestial Beings prophesized about. You made your bones. You have your mirror. I’ve never seen anyone else in Purgatory have it, and it complements my abilities. Lucifer’s abilities lies in transformation, warping things into illusions that will benefit his cause; his powers strengthened by the number of people he collects. My abilities, and that mirrors abilities, lies in reflection. The Celestial Beings also told me that if we were to somehow fuse the mirror and my Gem Eye, perhaps, we would stand a chance against Lucifer and his army.
I wish I could give you all the time in the world to think, but time is something we do not have. I’m sorry to throw this to you but, you have to answer the ultimatum: Do you choose to go with Lucifer or me?”
I was utterly stupefied. I’ve yet to digest all this information, and now I’m being forced to think on my feet and pick a side??? This is madness!
Just then, a war cry erupted from behind us, causing us to hastily stand up. “I told you not to trust the Devil’s lies!!!” Snarling menacingly, Lucifer emerged from behind a sea of his minions. “Maybe I should’ve killed you long ago Michael! If only you hadn’t gone through Purgatory with me. Are you so stupid as to think that the Celestial Beings will simply forgive us and let us back after what we did? WAKE UP!” Michael winced at his words, and opened to his mouth to say something back, but I didn’t hear…
Staring at the rufous ocean, I zoned out. This ocean is so red, it puts even the red sea to shame. Who do I trust? That was the ultimate question.
Who is telling the truth?
WHO DO I TRUST?
Clutching the mirror tightly in my hands, I ran over to join him.