Unlike the Elysian fields, however, the Meadows of Asphodel is not a pretty sight.
It's almost like a 'purgatory' of sorts.
This is where beings who don't quite make the cut end up.
It's not quite like the hell that most humans think of, but it's definitely not a happy place.
It truly is, as the rumors say; this place is BLEAK.
It's so dreary, that it makes me feel so uncomfortable being here.
Not only that, quite like the last time I was here, this place STILL has a strange effect on anything or anyone that sets foot inside this space.
Every single thought I have, if it's NOT gloomy, cynical, defeatist nor destructive—they all end up vanishing without a trace.
Even if I try to steer it towards a different direction, it's almost as if a strange force would pull my mind towards the opposite way. So, basically, if a thought or memory that's remotely 'positive' enters your mind, it'll get sucked into some kind of vortex.
Whatever is responsible for that, must be an incredibly ancient, and powerful spell. Yes, despite being a goddess, even I can't seem to escape from it.
I begin to feel nervous as this does not bode well for me.
Unfortunately, I am one of those types that don't do well when it comes to things that are completely out of my control.
It makes me want to focus on doing only one thing, and one thing only: to run and get the hell away from here.
For as long as I could remember though, things like willpower and strength of the mind, they've always been somewhat of a foreign concept to me.
I wonder if it's because I'm a nomad? Is this the type of power that I've been missing out on all this time?! I've had no dedicated religious sects, worshipers, or even believers?
Or, perhaps it's... because... I'm 'alone', in every sense of the word?
...
... Oof. Oh no. It's...
No! It's happening again.
I can't let it get to me and take hold of my mind like this.
What I find irritating is that, it warps my thoughts into statements that don't even have to be rational or even necessarily be true.
Being 'alone' has nothing to do with how I'm getting affected by whatever 'magic' this place has been put under.
As I've stated earlier, everyone, gets affected by this. Even Hades himself detests this place.
Indeed, this is exactly why no gods or goddesses in their right mind would like to stay here any longer than usual.
I quickly shake my head, then slap my cheeks as hard as possible, so I can keep myself together. Going all negative Nancy right now will only throw a wrench in my plans.
Standing my ground to keep myself focused, I straighten up and put both of my hands on my hips.
It's a 'power' pose that I've been taught to do to encourage confidence within myself. I'm told it's something that will work for everyone, even humans.
I say out loud, to no one but myself, "War goddess Khirelle, take heart and stay strong!"
"Running away from here is the last thing a goddess, such as I, should ever do."
"You will do everything you can to re-channel your mind to the right direction."
After a brief nod, I start to psych myself up and close my eyes to refocus.
There is a quest that I must fulfill.
It's something I must complete, at ALL costs as it's what I've set out to do.
I still need to gather every single bit of Asphodel essence that I can get from here.
To do that, I need to check this region out a bit more and concoct a plan. First, though, I need to find where they are.
I fly down in search of them.
Though, I'm clearly in luck since all I have to do is descend straight down. I find some without much difficulty at all.
Looking at it point-blank, I discover a most curious flower.
The way it is shaped is almost as if each floret was made to be one part of a small waterfall. Starting from the uppermost part all the way down to the bottom. A myriad of narrowly tufted petals of each blossom spread outward like a delicate evening gown.
A small and steady stream of continuous essence springs forth from a section that's located deep within each Asphodel flower.
Every layer allows some light to cascade down its silky surface in the most elegant manner possible.
After admiring them, I look around me once again. These flowers are the main source of all the amethyst-colored lights that are scattered and being emitted all over the grasslands.
What's giving them its glow, is most likely due to a certain kind of excess that's being produced from deep within the plant. From what I can tell, it appears to be some kind of spiritual energy.
It's the exact thing I'm meant to harvest from this place.
Feeling satisfied with the information I've gathered, I decided to go around some more to explore the surrounding land.
My eyes scout the area in order to see if there's anything else I need to take note of.
Everywhere I look, regardless of what it is aside from the flowers, everything's dyed in a palette of what I'd call, 'an ocean of lifeless ash'.
Living or not, they're all colored grey, neutral slate, brown, or muted mauve.
One oddity I must mention is that, the plant-life here is robust and thriving.
The land is just so incredibly fertile that it's almost unnerving. It's not barren at all like how it was around some parts of the upper 'underworld'.
If this was in the human world, and if based solely due to its merit of abundance, it'd normally be hailed as a place of 'healing'.
However—
Reality is far-off. The scene that's unfolded before me still looks depressing as ever.
To put it simply: everyone is used to seeing livelier, or more vibrant colors for things that are growing. Blooming. Flourishing.
If the only colors you see, is the reverse of that—day in and day out—whether it used to bother you or not at first; the combination of all these will start to drive you down the path of numbness, indifference, and eventually—madness.
Going mad because of dull colors? Please.
Of course that's not everything.
Right now, my senses are being assaulted by memories and words that are currently being chanted over and over like a broken record. Real ones. Fakes ones.
With everything that's already going in there, my head is just constantly being jammed with unnecessary noise. It plagues me.
It's pulling me down in every single way - mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.
The most frustrating thing about it, though, really, is that I know some of these memories aren't even real, but they sure know how to rub the coarsest of salts onto my wounds. It's so rough that it's even reopening some already healed emotional and mental scars.
I start laughing bitterly, as I thought, that the first challenge was already so difficult. But, I certainly had no idea how much harder this errand was going to be in comparison.
...
I can see it now, though.
I completely understand why everyone here feels so much desperation and emptiness.
Tears start to well up in my eyes. It distorts my vision as I begin to realize the reality of what it means to be residing in the Meadows of Asphodel.
Even then, I've never stayed here long enough to truly understand just how horrible it is to be confined here.
Perhaps, despite knowing the truth of their memories at first, and even seeing things for what they truly are; it's just not possible to maintain a healthy mental state this way.
Every minute, every second, eventually, their heads just can't fathom, nor keep up with what is real or what isn't any longer. After a while, it's no longer important, whether or not something is true.
You just slowly lose your dignity and ability to keep a hold of yourself. The spell that lords over this place will eventually crush your will and inner strength.
...
So, with everything already stacked against them mentally; they're also being surrounded by such an indifferent environment.
It makes it impossible to appreciate, or feel any type of calming or healing effect to have peace for oneself.
It's why the inhabitants here are extremely miserable, aimless, and wallowing in eternal regrets.
They are not given any way to cope, nor any rest from such thoughts.
...
That is... except for one thing.
There's one small exception here.
I look to the side, my eyes glance over something that's so fleeting, yet still ever so beautiful.
A short respite for the soul: a small and innocuous-looking flower.
Small spheres of saturated violet-colored lights are unevenly dispersed across the entire meadow.
It doesn't last for too long, but it's there. A few seconds of happiness before my mind gets taken over again for what feels like infinity.
I reach out, desperately for it. I want to take it for myself. To have it inside of me and wish it would last forever.
Out of instinct, my mouth begins to open wide as if I'm about to take a bite out of something that may bring me joy again an...
Wait.
Something that may bring me 'joy' again? W-What now?!
The all-consuming, oddly obsessive thought, scares me so much that it breaks me out of the trance I'm in.
I end up stumbling backwards out of shock—landing right smack on the grass.
...
Oh no. If I already feel this way just by being here for a few minutes...
Then doesn't that mean...
I see. This is a problem, then. A very, very big problem.
...
Taking a quick look around, I see figures, all keeping to their own and they look like they're in fairly rough shape.
Like aimless shadows and remnants of broken dreams, they roam endlessly about.
Their faces are so frighteningly gloomy, that for a moment, it almost made me forget that, unlike them, I'm not stuck in the same hell hole as they are.
I sigh out of relief, even though that may make me seem callous.
Still, what a nightmare it could have been, indeed.
...
My body stiffens as I cower from a sudden onslaught of ominous wailing. It came out of nowhere as it pierces through the chilly air.
What was once a momentarily peaceful atmosphere, is now being invaded by unsettling cries and gnashing of teeth.
I fly away further, to try and drown out the disquieting sounds, even for just a notch.
Finding a good enough spot, I set myself down again, where I'm able to escape the dissonant weeping. But as I'm about to breathe a sigh of relief, however, I now have to deal with something else.
The same problem I've been having apprehensions of earlier is happening right before my very eyes. Something I definitely have no need to be reminded of.
Countless beings voraciously feasting on every flower they can get their hands on.
My heart sinks as the reality of what I'm about to do fully hits me square in the jaw.
If I start collecting all, or whatever's left of these flowers, I can't imagine the horror of not having any source of solace whatsoever.
Feeling 'devastated' is not even a word I feel can do justice, to describe how it would be like to wait for a long time for them to grow again.
Not only that, but there are also so many of them here, that they'd only end up fighting over what flower happens to grow first.
...
What should I do?
My eyes dart from one thing to another, remarking that there's truly not much in the way of entertainment around here. Scratching the side of my head, this issue is making me feel a little torn for siphoning off all the flowers.
I can feel my heart sink as I realize quite quickly that it's going to be a lot worse than I thought.
I'm in deep shit and I need to figure out how I can overcome this obstacle.
...
-
[Author's note:]
-
If you're an avid reader of Greek mythology, you'll know that there's actually not much written for the Meadows of Asphodel. The 'scholars' were full of contradictions as to what kind of place this truly was.
It was extremely difficult for me to think of a way to fix the contradiction the meaning of the Asphodel flowers had, while still maintaining their vision of how the dead's being punished for their 'inaction' during their lifetime.
The Asphodel flower's meaning: untouched, lovely, soft, and holy. Which is quite different from what the meadow was intended for: a mirthless place of punishment filled with darkness and gloom.
So, there we have it. I hope this provided a bit of explanation to you all.