Gallows led him outside the facility and into a courtyard where flowers bloomed and trees with the lushest of leaves stood in their grandiose, the full moon shone its brightest, casting a blueish hue to the surroundings, the cool breeze a welcoming feeling to Quentin's face.
They walked to the centre of the open grounds and stopped in front of a gigantic tree, and bar the obvious difference in size to the other trees that adorned the courtyard, it looked pretty normal to Quentin.
"Uhhm, it sure is magnificent, Gallows," Quentin said, his eyes still fixated on the tree, "but did you bring me out here to look at a tree?"
He turned to look at Gallows, and in the place of the hairy Nagual Quentin was used to seeing, a wiry-looking boy stood. He couldn't have been much older than his little sister back at home.
His glasses that would normally fit his non-human face now hung lopsided on his face, giving him a funny look.
Quentin, as usual, couldn't stifle his laughter before it popped out of his mouth.
"We use our human form anytime we step outside; it's a habit at this point," the boy said.
"But... that's not what I brought you out to talk about. Look carefully at the bark of this tree."
Just then the light of the moon hit the tree at the right angle, and Quentin could see what he needed to see.
Some kind of diagram had been carved into the tree. It had been worn down by the test of time, evident by some of the engraving almost chipping off, but nevertheless it was still visible to the eye.
Observing the carvings closely, Quentin saw that it was an upside-down cone with layers etched into it, and when he counted the layers, he realised they were nine in number. From base to tip.
It had images carved into the layers, each depicting some of the most gruelling acts of punishment and hardship he had ever seen.
Quentin cringed as he scanned through the carvings. The torture was growing in severity as the layers went lower.
"What am I looking at here, Gallows?" Quentin asked.
"The Inferno."
"I've heard that before. Eagon! He mentioned it to me once during that torturous march. By the way, where is he? The Viking-looking man and the lady with the black balls floating behind her. I owe them many thanks."
Gallows continued with what he was saying: "Our realm, as you can see, is divided into 9 distinct layers, and in this little diagram you get to see how evil rules over the entirety of the realm."
Quentin rolled his eye at Gallows for ignoring his question but decided there was a more pressing matter at hand.
"And where exactly are we? Whatever this place is, he asked.
"We're an organisation that makes use of half-myths like you, with the sole aim of trying to restore a sense of sanity to the realm."
"Makes use? I don't know how I feel about being used as a puppet; I really care about my free will."
Gallows sighed; he kind of expected this.
"If it's any consolation, we're the good guys."
Gallows pointed at the tree once more.
"You, see for yourself how much evil rules the realm! From the beginning of the inferno to the very end. Our goal as half-myths is not to restore but to establish peace in the inferno."
Gallows stepped away from the tree and brought out the tablet he held earlier.
"I'll show you one last thing before I leave."
"What's that thing you hold in your hand?"
Gallows tapped some buttons on the device, and a holographic image popped out.
Quentin couldn't hide his surprise; this technology was like nothing he was used to. His eyes widened as he read the words. It was the exact same way he had seen it in his head after he slayed the centaur.
"This right here is your profile, and as of this very instant it says everything about you, and to a very large extent, it's all that would ever matter in this realm."
Quentin's eye almost popped out of its sockets as he stared at the hologram.
He reached out with his hands to grab it, but as expected, his hands only went right through it.
"This right here is the greatest thing I've ever seen," he said, assessing the graphic with immense attention.
"So, do I get one of this?"
"As you already know, all this information is in you. You just need to will them to come up, and you'll see them as clearly as you see it now. Go on, try it... if you want."
Quentin tried it. He shut his eye, and before he could concentrate hard on his profile, it flickered up in his mental image.
"Woah! Can you see them too?"
Gallows shrugged as he turned off his device.
"You're the only one that can see your profile, and I suggest you get some rest. Tomorrow you'll be tossed into the inferno. It's going to get real for you fast."
With that, Gallows turned and headed back into the main building, transforming back into his original form as he crossed the threshold.
Quentin still had his profile propped up. He glossed through every word, and the more time he spent looking at it, the more he understood.
'So, I'm meant to have some kind of ability? I can't wait to see what I'm going to get. And my battle skill is 35; is that low or high?'
Quentin turned off his mind profile and faced the tree once more.
A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered the words Gallows spoke: 'Evil rules over the realm.'
Quentin knew sooner rather than later the veil of relaxation that covered his eye would be ripped off.
He walked up to the tree, closing up the space between them.
Tracing his hands through the markings, he could make out some words.
The first level, the topmost, had a word carved into the centre: LIMBO.
'Where I'm meant to go tomorrow.'
It had the carvings of people in this layer, and they all seemed to be in some kind of mournful mood, all of them poised stoic in their ways.
Quentin could somehow feel their grief through the woods, but he continued tracing his finger down to the next layer, LUST.
For some reason, a vivid image appeared in his mind, Rose.
'She's here. There's a very high chance she's in this world!'
Quentin snapped out of the brief trance and withdrew his hand from the tree. He hurried back into the building, his mind churning with the excitement of getting to meet the beautiful Rose once more.