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Chapter 4

  Outside of Charlie's hell, in a realm far above all others, a man sat elegantly upon a throne of diamond and crystal. His white hair and chiseled features were relaxed as he observed thousands of floating screens of light, each projecting a different scene and person. To his side, another person who was not as handsome or profound. He looked like an average, ordinary man, and while standing next to this opulent kingly figure, it only made him look that much more rugged. This man was also looking at the light screens. But unlike the other man, his face was distorted in disgust and pity. He turned his head to see one person being boiled alive, while in another screen someone was being pulled apart by a rack. Seeing blood burst and screams echo, he couldn't help but close his eyes.

  "Robert," a voice stated blankly. However, when Robert heard it, he stood up straight and immediately all of the color flushed back into his face. He quickly looked over and met eyes with the man on the throne. "Yes, Father," he said respectfully, meeting his eyes then politely lowering them. "I told you, you don't have to watch this with me. Your mortal psyche can't handle sights such as this for too long without damage." The man said tenderly with a gentle voice that was as smooth as silk and flowed like water. "No, Father, I am okay! We must select candidates for the Ascension Trial. This is of utmost importance!" He said dutifully as he began to skim the screens once more. But once he saw the sight of a man being forced to watch as his child was butchered by his wife, he couldn't help but turn over and retch.

  Wiping his face, he turned once again to the screens to see a familiar sight. It was his old high school, however it was eerily empty and the sight sent a shiver down his spine. Looking over at the man on the throne, the man named Robert spoke once again. "Father, whose hell is this? I recognize this place from my time in the mortal world! Wait—but I thought that it was impossible for hells to manifest buildings from the mortal world!" Looking over at the man with a curious gaze, he couldn't help but ask, "What is that place?" he said in a curious tone. The man looked over at the eager Robert and signaled with his hands to calm and quiet down. Robert immediately stopped and had to resist the urge to sit down on his knees like a child. "As you know, hell is split into three realms. And each realm is varied by the amount and brutality of crimes and sins one committed. Level one is for those who were good people in life, and yet were sinners and didn't follow the path I set for them. Level two is for those who committed crimes but not those that dilute a man's soul, such as robbery. And level three is the level where the absolute worst of the worst go. Such as murder or rape. They will be tortured for all eternity with no respite. And once the end of days comes, they will be destroyed in the most excruciating way possible." Robert shivered, as he had never seen the gleam in his Father's eyes like this before. Normally he was very kind, gentle, and benevolent. However, that gleam could only be matched by the deepest of hellfire's.

  Taking a deep breath and calming down, the man continued, "There is another realm, deep under the third. The ones taken there aren't particularly bad or evil—they just caught the eye of Lucy. And he took them down there to 'play' with them, as he says." Robert stood dazed. "Another layer of hell? How did I not know about this?" he asked. "Because normally, all access to that realm is cut off. Not even I can see what goes on in there one hundred percent of the time. I have to focus on it specifically if I want to see something." The man said, however he didn't seem annoyed. It was as if it was only natural for the one called "Lucy" to have their privacy. "Anyway, inside that fourth level, Lucy can do as he wants. He can create any environment he wants to torment those poor souls. In a way, it's the worst layer of all. Even worse than the third, because anything can be used to break them. It's not bound to the rules I set. Undoubtedly, the people in there suffer worse torment than simple physical torture." At this, Robert shivered and a chill ran down his spine. "W-worse than the third level? T-then who is in that hell?" Robert pointed to the one he saw before. Now that he was looking at the screen itself, it seemed to be a different color than the rest. It had an ominous glow that seemed to attract the eye. When the man saw what screen he was pointing at, a small smile crept onto his lips. "So you saw him. He is in consideration for the Trial, however his reward isn't so easily given." Robert, who was looking at a mainly empty screen, gasped as the scene on the screen changed. A large, grotesque minotaur-like creature stood tall and wide in the empty hallway. In his large hand was a person's head, still attached to the body. He began to slam the head into the wall, causing the concrete to crack and crumble. Blood and grey matter splattered on the wall with each bash, and when it finally crumbled, chunks of concrete fell all over his broken head. The large creature began to walk down the hallway, still holding the person—a trail of blood streaked across the clean white floor. Robert trembled and shook at that haunting sight. "W-who is it?" he asked the man heavily. The man didn't answer. When the large creature was halfway down the hallway, he tossed the limp body through the doors and into the street, where he landed heavily and a large pool of blood quickly appeared all around him. Robert took a good look at the man's face and blanched. "C-Charlie… M-my brother…" he squeaked, his legs trembling until they gave out. He fell to the ground as tears began to fall down his face. "W-why is he there? H-he should be in mom's heaven…" Two words popped into his head. Heaven Construct. "So it was a construct the whole time." He said as he sat heavily on his butt. "Yes," the man quietly responded. "Does Mother know?" he asked heavily. "Yes, I imagine so. She created the construct after all. Unless she thinks he's locked in his own heaven which aligns with his previous personality." He explained. "So it is her creation. No wonder he was so… perfect. Almost eerily so." Robert exhaled, unable to look back at the screen. "Yes, while people can create constructs of people in their own heaven, it isn't perfect—it can only create the image of what that person believes they are. So the brother in your mother's heaven is the picture of him in your mother's mind. Not his real self." Robert sat quietly and held his head in his hands, unable to process that his brother was in hell. How long had it been since he died, two thousand to three thousand years? And this whole time he didn't know? Unable to hold it in, he got on his knees and begged the man on the throne, "Please, my Lord and Father, my holy Creator. Please let your son ascend to heaven with his family. Please let him take the tri—" "STOP," the man known as Father and Lord, the creator of all—the one and true God—bellowed. "He is not my child. And just as I said before, he is in consideration. I won't be pressured into it because of a begging brat!" Robert's face turned pale and he bowed deeply. "I'm sorry, Father, forgive me. I lost my reason and over stepped." God settled back into his seat and relaxed. "It is fine. I understand your feelings." He looked up at Charlie's screen and seemed to be peering through it, into a wider view. "You really wish for your brother to take the trial? With how he behaved in the mortal realm, you think he will do any better?" he asked harshly. "I-I don't know, Lord. B-but I wish for him to have the chance." Robert said shakily, not backing down from his brother's side. Seeing his resolve, God smirked and chuckled a bit. "Fine, he can take the trial. But as I said before, his reward isn't so easily given." With that, Robert bowed and put his head on the floor. "Thank you, Father!"

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

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