A flash of lightning struck, from the heavens and a man was thrown from the sky through the clouds and mists. His body spiraled uncontrollably, flying outside the Heavenly realm; he used to be one of them, and now he is being punished and cast to the Netherworld.
The descent was brutal. This made his body fall to the ground, which caused him to lose his breath. It was barely bearable as pain spread throughout his body, especially in the back, where his wings that had once been as glorious as the lights in the night had turned into mere shredded rags. He stopped moving for a minute and remained on the ground, disabled. With confusion and fear clouding up his mind. He felt the pavement below him hard, and the only thing that warmed him was the sweat on his body. His eyes opened, and he was faced with a creature that gave him evil thoughts.
The Netherworld was as dark as the core and was filled with shadows and despair; its sky was a foggy mass of swirling clouds that blocked out any light. The air was thick, almost suffocating, with a heavy gloom that pressed down on the celestial, making it difficult to breathe. Their lands were barren, and jugged rocks were like the spines of a giant skeleton of a creature long extinct. It was a complete emptiness; the only sound was the distant, eerie wail of the wind as it swept through the desolate terrain.
The former celestial attempted to get back to his feet, but his strength was drained after falling. Each movement seemed to shoot a new pain through him. He sighed and fell on the ground again. His heart pounded not just from the pain he felt inside his chest, but also from the sheer terror of his situation. He was no longer in that heaven, where light and warmth seemed to be waiting for him all the time. Instead, he found himself in the Nether world, which is a realm of suffering and misery.
A feeling of utter terror washed over him, and before he knew it, his scream filled the air. The sound echoed through the emptiness, bouncing off the rocks and trees, carrying his anguish into the void. For a moment there was nothing more than silence as his scream echoed and was then cut off in the coldness of the Netherworld.
But then an unfamiliar person appeared from nowhere.
She was graceful in her movements and she glided without making any noise; however, one could tell that she was not like other beings that lived in this world she belonged to, but had some authority over it. There was an aura, and this woman surely gave it off; she had donned a long flowing robe that merged with the darkness of the night and her face was concealed by a black smooth mask that gave her the look of an angel or a demon.
Despite her concealed face, something was calming about her. She looked comfortable in this realm, as if the gloom and darkness were a natural part of her. As she was about to reach the celestial, she tilted her head, looking at him with curiosity.
"Welcome to the Netherworld," she said quietly and with great authority.
The celestial looked up at her, he was trembling and shocked. "Who are you?" he barely said through his shaking voice. "Where am I?"
"I am Thana," she replied, her tone soothing. "This is the Netherworld, where those who have sinned yet were given a second chance by the Heavenly Lord need to cross the River of Forgetfulness before entering the material world."
Thana's words brought little comfort to the celestial. The River of Oblivion erases every single memory that it came across and will be reborn in the mortal world. The thought of losing everything—his identity, his memories—frightened him.
"Do I have to?" he asked in a very low tone, almost like a whisper.
Thana kneeled beside him, her presence was surprisingly comforting, despite the fact that half of her face was covered by the black mask. "I know that you are afraid," she said and reassured the celestial. "Still, the river is not a curse; it is a blessing. It allows you to start anew, free from the burdens of your past. The Heavenly Lord has granted you this mercy. It is a second chance."
The celestial shook his head. "I don't want to forget," he mumbled softly.
Thana grabbed his hand and the warmth of her touch, which should have been stripped of them in the Netherworld, shocked him. "You will be reborn; try to live, to start a new life and to experience something new. The nature of who you are will remain, even if your memories do not. Trust the mercy of the Heavenly Lord. This is the path you must take."
The celestial look into her face, although he couldn't really see her eyes behind the mask. There was something about the way she was standing, the tone she was using that caused him to believe her. He breathed deeply and tried to relax himself. "What do I have to do?" he asked with a despondent tone.
Thana helped the celestial to his feet, her touch gentle but firm. "The river is not far," she explained as they began to walk. "However, the journey can be difficult. The shadows of this world will try to manipulate you, to play on your fears and regrets. You must stay strong and keep your focus on the river."
The celestial nodded, though his heart was still heavy with fear. The environment was so gloomy and ominous: gray, gnarled trees and sharp stone formations dominated the place. The shadows moved on their own, shifting, and its snarling tendrils around his body; the celestial could hear the faint whispering voices.
He did not know where they were headed, and the road turned was as small and narrow as it could and was completely surrounded by a fog that seemed to cover them like a mist. It was quite throughout the desert—as if the world hated to intrude on the darkness; the only sounds were the footsteps on the gravel road. While they were walking, the shadows became thicker, and the voices were starting to get louder.
"They will attempt to distract you," Thana said, her tone composed. "They will remind you of your sins. But you must not listen to them. Focus on the path ahead, on the river. That is the only way to cross into the mortal realm."
The shadows did not stop coming towards the celestial as they were relentless. They spoke ill of him, spoke of the things he had done, the crimes he had pulled off. The voices continued to speak louder, and this filled his mind with negative thoughts and regrets. He could feel the oppression, which almost pulled him back to the state of the wretchedness.
The celestial stopped, with a pale expression on his face, he shake his head slightly and said: "I can't do this. I don't deserve this mercy. I should be condemned."
Thana stopped looking at him with some sort of sympathy. "You have already been judged," she relieved me obediently. "The Heavenly Lord has given you mercy, and it is up to you whether you take it or not. The shadow's only goal is to make you feel trapped in the past. You must let go."
The celestial stared at her while his heart was pounding. What she told him was reasonable, and yet he could not shake the guilt and fear that threatened to make him unable to do what he wanted. Thana, who became a source of light during the dark moments and thus, he had to put his trust in her.
He gave in a long, harsh breath, and tried to step forward. Shadows were drawing closer to him, and they spoke louder and sounded more anxious, but he just followed the silent path to the river.
Finally, they arrived at the river bank. It was a vast and empty ocean, and it was blacker than the darkest night, with a surface that seemed to go on and on into infinity. The ground was devoid of any vegetation; moreover, its colour was gray and matched the colour of the sky. He felt a strange feeling crossing it. It was nothing but a river of death.
"This is the River of Oblivion," Thana said. "When you enter it, you will be cleansed, you will forget your sins and even your name, but in the mortal world you will be granted new life. "
He looked at the river and felt like fear had gripped him from within. It was very scary thinking of losing everything he was and all he had ever experienced.
"What will happen to me," he murmurs.
"You will be reborn," Thana repeated. "You will live as a human, free from the burdens of your past. It is a second chance. A chance to find redemption."
He took a deep breath, making his chest ache. He glanced at Thana, for the last time.
He took a step at the water and it was cold. Every part of him shake, but he continued on nonetheless. He plunged into the river and the water reached up to his ankle then knee and finally reached his waist. And, the deeper he went they were pursuing him like the shades, and the voices were getting softer and softer. He found comfort in the emptiness, with no pain or regret remaining, which prevented him from completely forgetting those terrible events.
He shut his eyes and let the water carry him, and for the first time he was relieved since the fall. The water level increased up to his head, the man cast off his past and surrendered himself.