With the growling devils beneath, the man, while walking, encountered the great pit. The voices of feasting devils echoed up from the depths. Seeking a bridge to cross, he realized the pit seemed endless. The light within him spoke, "There is no bridge here, but the way is to climb down the pit."
The man peered into the abyss. The light continued, "Only the steadfast and fearless can descend and pass to the other side of the earth." With no fear in his heart, the man began his descent. As he climbed deeper into the pit, the temperature rose, the air growing hotter and hotter. The pit seemed to stretch on infinitely, the ground a distant and uncertain goal. As he descended further, he saw a massive flaming fire, consuming the ground below.
Above the inferno, devils with wings flew in erratic patterns, while giant demons strode through the flames. Their growls and the sounds of feasting on human flesh echoed through the pit. At an enormous round table, he saw the devils tearing apart human bodies, the scene grotesque and terrifying. The man, naked and feeling the intense heat, asked the light within him, "This is terrifying and grotesque. I am naked and feel the burning pit. Where should we go?"
The light answered, "The bridge to the west. Climb to the right side to reach it."
He began moving and climbing to the west. Small rocks fell around him, and the rumbling of the pit threatened to crush him, but he ignored the danger, trusting in himself to cross. Finally, he reached the bridge and descended. Below, he saw humans suffering various punishments, their cries of pain and prayers mingling with the devils' laughter from above.
The humans were chained and subjected to endless torment. Some were being flayed alive, their skin peeled from their bodies by devilish implements. Others were forced to walk on burning coals, their flesh searing and blistering. Some were impaled on spikes, their bodies twitching in agony. The devils took perverse pleasure in their suffering, jeering and mocking their victims.
The man saw these humans, their eyes hollow, their minds broken by pain. The light within him warned, "Beware of these men; they are no longer themselves. They are controlled."
"How do I cross? What's the solution?" the man asked.
"Fight," the light answered.
Steeling himself, the man approached the suffering humans. As he drew near, their eyes, filled with madness and rage, turned towards him. They lunged, attacking with a ferocity born of endless torment. The man, despite his pain and the weight of the nails, fought back.
He moved with a grace and power that belied his suffering. His iron mask glinted in the firelight as he parried blows and struck with precision. He tore through his attackers with a brutal efficiency, each movement fueled by a determination to survive and reach the other side.
One by one, the damned fell before him. The battle was fierce, blood spraying and flesh tearing. He fought on, the light within him guiding his actions. His hands, now covered in the blood of the damned, did not waver. He knew he had to press on.
Among the damned, there were those who wielded crude weapons—broken bones, rusted metal, anything that could be used to inflict pain. They fought with a desperate strength, their faces twisted in agony and hatred. The man met their attacks head-on, his iron mask expressionless, a symbol of his resolve.
He smashed a club from a crazed man's hands and drove his fist into his face, the iron mask connecting with a sickening crunch. Another attacker lunged with a jagged bone, but the man twisted and drove the bone into the attacker's own throat. Blood sprayed, adding to the already slick ground.
The devils above cackled with glee, enjoying the spectacle of violence. The man ignored their taunts, focusing on the immediate threats. He fought like a demon himself, his movements a blur of speed and precision. He could feel the light within him pulsating, giving him strength.
As he fought, he noticed the patterns in the attacks, the ebb and flow of the battle. He began to use their own madness against them, dodging and redirecting their frenzied assaults into each other. The ground became littered with the bodies of the damned, their blood pooling and mixing with the already scorched earth.
Despite his success, the man could feel his strength waning. The heat, the pain, the relentless attacks—it all took its toll. But he pushed on, driven by the light within and the need to reach the other side of the pit.
Eventually, he saw the edge of the bridge looming ahead, a narrow path leading up to the other side of the pit. With a final burst of energy, he broke through the last of the damned, their screams fading behind him as he climbed onto the bridge.
He took a moment to catch his breath, his body trembling from exertion and pain. Looking back, he saw the carnage he had wrought, the devils still laughing and jeering. The light within him spoke again, "You have done well. Now, climb to the other side. Your journey is not yet over."
With renewed determination, the man began the arduous climb up the other side of the pit. The walls were slick and treacherous, but he moved with purpose, each step taking him closer to his goal. The heat and the darkness seemed to close in on him, but he kept moving, the light within guiding his way.
As he climbed, the devils' laughter faded, replaced by a profound silence. The air grew cooler, the oppressive heat dissipating as he ascended. He reached the top of the pit, pulling himself over the edge and collapsing onto the ground.
The landscape before him was still dark and foreboding, but there was a sense of openness, a space free from the immediate horrors of the pit. He stood, the light within him flickering but strong. He had crossed the bridge, endured the torments of the damned, and emerged on the other side.
The journey ahead was still fraught with danger, but he was no longer the same man who had descended into the pit. He was marked by his ordeal, both physically and spiritually. The iron mask and the nails were a part of him now, symbols of his suffering and his strength.
He began to walk, the light within him a beacon in the darkness. The path was uncertain, but he knew he had the resolve to continue. With each step, he moved further from the horrors of the pit, towards a future still shrouded in shadow, but now lit by the flame he carried inside.
And so, the man continued his journey through the endless darkness and horror, knowing that though the path was fraught with peril, he possessed the strength and the light to face whatever lay ahead.
– – –
The man trembled more as the pain became excruciating. He fell to the ground, feeling the cold seeping into his body. His teeth chattered in cold and agony, and while lying on the ground of flesh and blood, his eyes slowly closed from extreme exhaustion. As his eyes closed bit by bit, he saw an approaching horseman. The horse and rider were both armored. Finally, his eyes shut completely, and he fell into a cold slumber amidst the endless darkness and horror.
After many hours in deep slumber, he opened his eyes, still feeling the excruciating pain throughout his body. He found himself in a forest and heard the crackling of burning firewood. Swiftly, he sat up and saw a knight in chain armor. The knight's face was a skull with hollow, flaming eyes in the eye sockets. The man asked, "Who art thou? Why am I here?"
The skull knight answered, "I am Edmund. I too suffer in the face of death. Thou seest me as a skeleton, but I still have power and live in mystery." It was indeed a mystery that a skeleton could live.
"Thy name is Edmund?" said the man. The knight asked for his name, and the man replied, "I am a nameless slave since the world has life. I grew up in an orphanage." The man then asked why he was in this dead forest. The knight answered, "Fainting amidst the ground of flesh out there is dangerous. Many giants lurk, and they might see thee and devour thee." The man thanked him for bringing him here, and Edmund then asked, "What dost thou seek amidst this darkness?"
"I seek the way… to ascend and see the kingdom of heaven," said the man.
"Such an ambitious pilgrimage! The stairway, the answer, lies in the great burning temple," answered Edmund.
"Where? Where is it? Show me!"
Edmund stood and approached his horse. He brought out some extra armor and clothes, then gave them to the man. The man thanked him, and besides those armors, Edmund gave him a sword. The sword's handle was covered in thorns—human bones in thorns, as well as the blade. The man asked Edmund why this was so, and Edmund answered, "It was held by the damned. I stole it, as I am damned too, and so art thou." The man was silent, and Edmund continued, "The longer we live in this world, the more our punishment grows. Thy ambition to reach the heavenly castle is grand and seemingly impossible." Edmund mounted his horse and ordered the man to don the clothes and armor.
After the man wore the clothes and armor, the light within him spoke, "Do not heed his words that thy mission is impossible. As long as thou dost try, nothing is impossible. Everything is possible for the man who seeks God." Encouraged by the light, the man sheathed his sword in the scabbard on his back. He then mounted Edmund's horse, and they left the camp, now on their way to the Burning Temple.