'The pain is gone… I survived?'
All Sol could remember was being overwhelmed by the pain and collapsing to the ground. His legs felt too weak and couldn't support his weight anymore, so he had no choice but to fall.
The moment he hit the ground, the world became peaceful and quiet. The drums, chants, and whispers vanished, bringing back the peace he longed for. However, when Sol opened his eyes, he realized something was wrong.
He looked below only to realize he was on a mountain of bodies, they groaned and cried out for mercy, but strangely these sounds were appealing to him. Their painful screeches brought him an amount of peace he had never experienced before, leaving him confused.
"Where the hell is this?" Sol rose to his feet as he surveyed the surroundings.
Just like where he stood, a mountain of bodies littered everywhere, and at the bottom was a bubbling pool of lava. These bodies pulled each other down, each trying to climb to the top, where it was safe from the scorching pool of lava. It was like an endless struggle that gave everyone a turn to bathe in the boiling pool of lava.
"..." Sol covered his lips in an attempt to prevent himself from laughing.
For some reason he couldn't explain, this display was hilarious and entertaining. If left alone, he didn't mind watching it for a bit longer, and for a moment he felt like he wouldn't get bored if left here for a thousand years.
"You must question why you find this amusing?" a cold and deep voice boomed from all corners of this place. "It is because you are my son, and you are destined to succeed me."
Startled by the voice, Sol looked around frantically, but he saw nothing and because the voice came from all corners of the room, it was impossible to track the voice.
'I am his son? If that's the case, this must be the nether realm! Does that mean I am dead?' Sol was taken aback.
This was a part of the Nether realm, and this explained why he felt so comfortable in such a terrifying place.
This means he failed to survive the rites of awakening!
"You are quick-witted, I'll give you that" The voice boomed again. "I expected you to hurl questions at me, but it seems you were able to grasp your situation in mere seconds. As expected of my son!"
"You can read minds?" Sol asked with a raised eyebrow.
Not once but twice now, this man has succeeded in reading his thoughts. He found this annoying, but now he knew his thoughts were being read, he found it harder to guide his thoughts.
"If I can't do that much, I wouldn't be qualified to be called the Nether lord." The voice sounded proud of its power.
"Now I am dead, what happens?' Sol decided to go straight to the questions bothering him.
"I still have great use for you in the world of the living, so I paid a great price to convince the angel of death to give you a second chance at life." The nether lord responded in a leveled tone. "I am sure you know the task I speak of."
"The seventh finger general." Sol responded with a nod.
"Good!" The nether lord sounded pleased, but there was something about his voice that made him sound always angry.
"Since you are aware of your purpose, I will send you back to the world of the living." He said, and the entire realm began trembling violently.
"Take me with you!"
Suddenly, one of the bodes grabbed onto Sol's leg while pleading to be saved.
Bang!
Sol kicked in his face with as much strength as he could muster, causing him to let go of Sol's leg.
Bam!
Sol stomped on the head of the dead, and a cruel smile bloomed on his face.
"Get your filthy hands off me!" He sneered as he applied more pressure.
At that moment, columns of lava rose from below, reaching the peak of the nether realm. In all this chaos, Sol remained calm, and for some reason, these things seemed normal.
"You don't intend to show yourself or answer some questions." Sol said with knitted eyebrows.
For some reason, he knew if he asked questions or made more requests, he would be denied.
"I will show myself and answer all your questions once you have proven to be worthy of my attention. Until then, you will just rely on the guide I have made available. As long as you follow it, you have no reason to fear." The Nether Lord responded indifferently.
Strangely, Sol wasn't pissed or offended by this. He was a man who didn't believe in free things and wished to earn everything he got. The system that the Nether Lord was referring to was already enough for now, at least till he kills the seventh-finger general.
"Very well. I will kill the fifth finger general and when that happens be prepared to answer all my questions!" Sol declared in a loud voice.
The Nether Lord suddenly broke into a resounding laughter that lasted for about a minute before speaking.
"Good, good! I really like you." The Nether Lord was amused." I look forward to seeing what you can achieve with the gift I have given you. Do not disappoint me!"
Buzz!
Sol felt his body getting lighter, slowly fading as if it never existed. Slowly the horrifying image of the Nether realm faded from his gaze and their cries for help vanished into the distance
The eternal darkness Sol was used to, but this time it wasn't exactly what he expected. Loud drum sounds resurfaced, overshadowed by the fervent chanting of the masked man and the whispers and cries of the crowd.
It sounded like a commotion was taking place, and Sol suspected that whatever was happening was a result of his death.
"What a drag!" Sol cursed as he prepared for his revival.
He was going to perform the greatest live performance ever seen in the Ark family has ever seen.