Her eyes shone as she tried to open her mouth, but it was quickly shut as the light in her eyes dimmed like the other people in the room. She looked at the person floating above them with reverence and awe.
The robed man with the authoritative stature called the other robed man who he previously called Horu to the front of people standing in chains with a gesture of his eyes. As if they had already decided the sequence of events to follow, the man slowly came to the ground, his robe still fluttering and face still not visible. He raised his head and waved his hand again looking at the group of people in front of him.
Thud thud thud
Slowly, people who were still in awe and reverence without removing their gaze from the floating figure and same dimmed eyes, moved like zombies as they formed a neat line. The legs of some people twisted while they tried to sync with everyone around them. But with an expression that never let anyone know if they were in any kind of pain, quickly took their positions.
Horu turned and nodded at the floating figure. The floating figure took a small glance at the dazed crowd in front of him before he slowly vanished from his position. The pristine hall was as pristine as ever and the crowd was still as crazed as they were.
Horu slowly took a step forward and so did the crowd. The Sound of metal bonds reverberated in the pristine golden hall, the hall of God.
Thup thup thup
In just a few moments they were in front of a gate at the edge of the room. The gate was similarly made out of white marble and golden patterns that excluded an aura of divinity. The gate, unlike the huge hall, was small and was closer to modern doors than the majestic doors one would expect in such a place. Horu looked at the gate and his lips quivered, with which the gates slowly opened.
For sorken and others who were still in a daze, what they saw outside didn't matter. For they were in the kingdom of God and everything here was a blessing from it. But, in reality, what lay in front of them was a long and narrow passage with no end in sight. Unlike the pristine hall behind them, this passage had no ancient engravings or white marble. Neither any gold covering it? The walls were coarse and bumpy, and the ground was covered with something wet that made walking difficult. The entire passage was strangely lit by light coming from small holes spread all over the walls. Horrendous shrieks could be heard coming from the same holes. In complete contrast to the heavenly hall, this passage looked like an imitation of hell, albeit better.
As the entourage walked ahead, some would lose their balance on the ground leading to small chaotic moments. But Horu didn't give a single glance to them and kept walking ahead. If viewed properly, it was evident that, unlike the others, he was actually floating, making sure that his robes or feet didn't touch the ground in any manner. There was no measure of time as they kept walking towards their unknown destination without a single word shared between them.
There was no way to know if it was day or night, they passed through many passages but not a single window or courtyard appeared. Everything seemed like a prop from a horror movie if the movie was really shot in hell.
Sounds of footsteps and chains reverberated in the silent hall. The frenzied eyes of chained people and the calm face of Horu created an uncomfortable environment that would have scared anyone watching from the sidelines.
Taarara uhmm uhmm uhmmn
Taarara uhm uhmm uhmmn
The sound of wind gnawed at the ears as the subtle shrieks stopped. The sound of wind carried an uncomfortable tune with it. As if calling the lover long gone. The passage was still far from the end.
The long-distance seemed unnatural yet natural to Sorken.
'This is a pilgrimage. My entire life was spent doing things that had no meaning. But today, unlike what people said, I was given an ordeal after watching the kingdom of God! Priests lie! People lie! You can watch God and then prove your resilience through ordeals! You don't need to pass one to meet them!'
Sorken, who was more worried about Tamara than his life, would not even take a glance at her lover who was in a similar position and going through similarly complex thoughts.
The ground covered with the wet substance kept getting thicker and the sound of footsteps dimmed, yet the chains still clanked. But the speed at which they walked kept getting faster as if this ground was talking away their burden and storing it in its grotesque yet hidden nature.
The sound of golden chains changed over time, unlike the clanking of sounds as people fell or crashed into each other, the more penetrating 'dub' sound of chains falling in the thick substance started to fill the ears and mix with the sound of wind threatening to take away the peace that had been maintained since they started to pass through the passage. The shrieks were a melody in comparison to the unsettling sound now echoing in the passage.
Suddenly, Horu stopped and waved his hands covered in the robe. Another gate, similar to the one they passed to open this passage manifested in front of them and it slowly started to open. A sudden flash of light came through it penetrating the tranquil darkness that was still illuminated by the strange light coming through the holes on the top. A hall similar to the one they came from stood there with the same pristine design. But unlike the hall that was centered around an altar, thrones of different sizes formed an arch at the far end. The throne was majestic like one would expect from the palace of God.
The eyes of chained sorken and others shone as they saw a figure seated on one of the thrones at the far end. His figure was blurred and only a silver outline could be seen.
"Come"
The hall thundered. Sorken and others shivered with mortal fear as the voice kept echoing in their heads threatening to rip them up but the frenzy in their eyes kept getting stronger and stronger.