SPLASH-!
Opening his eyes up to a familiarly unfamiliar crimson sky, Ivan, who was laying down on a puddle of black water, sat up straight and looked around, gazing up at the crimson sky, and noticed two bright, blood-dyed moons glimmering ominously at a far greater distance, like large stars.
Almost 70% of the world was filled with lava, or not. There wasn't a lot of lava covering the world that was named Hell, like many stories displayed. But instead, similar to Earth, the world, or the [First World Of Hell], was filled with 70% water—black-coloured water, to be precise.
Hills, cliffs, and mountains occupied the world. After getting a subtle understanding of the terrain that surrounded him, Ivan began to "understand" his own current state.
Gazing down at his ankles and wrists, he noticed that he was still shackled by the chains that materialised out of nowhere, with nearly a metre distance between the materialisation and Ivan. He circulated his free magic power, and it circulated exactly the same as before in his body, as he willed it. Subtle bemusement clouded Ivan's consciousness as things were still slightly harder, with his soul not really resting like it should have.
He was under such excruciating pain that Ivan had no other option but to endure it. He knew that the pain was due to a problem with his soul, but because he felt the pain physically, he couldn't quite understand what was going on with him.
It was then,
ZING-!
A familiar kind of pain assaulted his mind, but it was pain he was used to, so he wouldn't show any change in his expression with only this much.
Or so he thought, but
"ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!" He screamed like never before; it felt like his mind, body, and soul were literally being deep fried in a highly heated—heated would be an understatement—boiling oil. Soon, an extreme cold sensation engulfed him, and he writhed in the black-coloured water like he was a fish tossed outside the water, which was quite ironic.
SPLATTER-!!!!
He soon felt his existence melting away.
How? He didn't know.
Why? He didn't understand.
What? He couldn't comprehend.
Though he didn't really know what was happening, he abruptly remembered the "recipes" written in Hindu Scriptures about "Naraka" or "Yamaloka," since his situation was something similar. Naraka, or Yamaloka, was the Hindu equivalent of Hell, where sinners were tormented after death. It was also the abode of Lord Yama, the god of death.
Unbeknownst to Ivan, his scream attracted the "Creatures Of Hell," which could be seen being birthed by the black-coloured water, similar to the puddle in which Ivan himself has laid unknowingly.
KKKEEEEEIIIII-!
With a loud screech, a new-born, naked creature zoomed towards Ivan, its intention to kill literally visible on its disgusting, disfigured face. The lower jaw of the "creature" was twisted vertically as its tongue dangled and drool dripped as it rushed towards Ivan.
It had hair only on the sides of his head, as the remains were shoulder length, and it had tentacle holes covering its back, armpits, and inner thighs as it frantically swung a wooden cub in its hand, which who knows where it picked up from.
Unluckily for the creature rushing towards Ivan, the forcible imprinting of information in his mind was completed, and his natural regenerative ability killed the pain that assaulted his mind soon enough, and
BAM-!
Ivan abruptly stood back up on the murky, gooey black water and punched at the creature's face as it shot back out like a wet rag. Clenching and unclenching his fists, Ivan "understood" that except for his magical strength, everything about him stayed the same.
'It seems like that eye sent me here without really "shackling" me entirely, in panic. I don't know what it is scared of, but there is no way I will die here....' Ivan mused inwardly.
"Make preparations for our next meeting; it won't be long...." Ivan mumbled and glared at the eye, which glared back at him in hatred from a few celestials away.
KKKEEEII....IIII...EEE!!
The screech that had sounded previously sounded again, albeit dully, as the creature that had been punched by Ivan strode back towards him, still with its intention to kill him seen in its eyes.
SPLASH-!!!
Walking out of the water body, Ivan's gaze subtly wandered to the ground, and his consciousness briefly froze when he learned that he didn't have his shadow.
"A worst kind of fate...." Ivan mumbled before the information in his mind cleared up—not entirely, but enough for him to begin to unfold the new bundle of information.
Ivan's body relaxed dangerously as his head hung down. The subtle amount of magic power in him frantically flitted. The creature, after arriving at an appropriate distance, pounced on Ivan. In extremely slow moments, Ivan's hands moved like snakes, and before the creature's instincts screamed at it to run,
Ivan enveloped his hands around its neck, and
Killed it.
Uncaring of the death he just caused, Ivan stood dazed as the new bundle of information unfolded entirely and modified Ivan inside out. His demeanour changed, and a certain hint of something divine merged with his demeanour as he became aware of what he would be known as....
KEEEIIII....III....E-!
Dying yet, a voice full of life trickled into Ivan's ears, and since it seemed to be calling for him, he gaited towards a certain creature and gazed at it being bit on its neck and left ear, as another creature seemed to be eating the creature while it was still alive.
Ivan gaited towards the creatures, and with a gentle push with his feet, he kicked off the creature that was eating another alive, and before it, the kicked off creature, growled at him, Ivan tensed his right arm as his feet perfectly planted into the ground, and without a single trace of hesitation or wasted moments, Ivan punched at the creature's head.
SPLATTER-!
And killed it with one shot.
Before his gaze landed on the creature lying on the ground, which was dyed in its own reddish-purple blood, Similar to the first creature that attacked Ivan, the creature with its neck and ear bit off had overgrown, waist-length dark crimson hair, blood-red-coloured irises with vertical black slits, and a black sclera, as its bony, naked petite, dark-skinned figure was exposed for Ivan to see.
'It's a female...' Ivan thought inwardly, since the sensitive parts were revealed entirely. Compared to the creatures from before, the one gazing at Ivan was rather "human"-like.
A few minutes later.
The creature gradually healed, of course, the bit off parts were still bit off, just a new layer of healthy skin covered the bleeding areas as the creature began to follow Ivan around as he wandered around, killing the creatures he met on his way to find a safe spot.
Since he felt no hostility towards him, he left it alone for a few minutes before turning to face the naked, petite creature. Though it was the "most" human among the creatures he had seen, "she" still had a pair of tentacles protruding out from its shoulder blades and had three pairs of limbs except for its head.
"Haaa..." Since he knew the reason why it was following him, he still couldn't help but sigh deeply.
'Scent of Death...'
(AN: From ch Drayce)