- Welcome to Hell (Part 5)

Ring Three:

The heat of the flames burned fiercer now, licking at the air with an intensity that made the surroundings shimmer. Hyunji cast a glance at her companion. The massive man beside her strode forward, seemingly indifferent to the sweltering heat.

Jagged, rock-like formations loomed around them, their uneven surfaces grotesquely adorned with the limbs of men and women—frozen in twisted agony.

The firelight flickered, casting eerie shadows as they wove through the catacomb-like structures.

Then, a whisper—soft yet unmistakable—slithered through the walls.

"Come."

With no other plan, the two followed the voice, which grew louder with every step. 

Then, the voices came to an abrupt silence. The bridge stood in front of them now, stretching out over the abyss.

"Don't look down," Capaneus mumbled, trying to keep his balance on the bridge.

Above, a murmuration of demons took to the sky, their wings unfurling. Eyes burning with fury, they circled above for a moment before diving straight down toward them.

"RUN!" Capaneus bellowed as they dashed across the bridge.

The stone almost seemed to be pulsing beneath their feet, each step reverberating through the unstable ground. 

Hyunji stole a glance downward, despite her companion's warning. 

She froze. 

Below them, a sea of damned souls moved in unnatural unison, their bodies twisted and broken. But it wasn't the agony in their faces that halted her. It was the way they moved. 

They were walking backward.

Their heads were twisted unnaturally over their backs, vacant eyes staring as tears streamed down their contorted faces. 

The sight sent a chill through Hyunji despite the suffocating heat. 

Capaneus screamed again, this time louder and with raw agony. 

She spun around just in time to see the dark shape of a demon recoiling, its claws dripping with fresh blood. 

Capaneus staggered, his massive frame shuddering, and then she saw it. His left arm was gone. Severed completely at the shoulder. 

Backed against a wall, they found themselves encircled by demons, their voices shrill and ravenous as they howled for blood. With no choice but to press forward, they stumbled along the bridge, each step more uncertain than the last.

Then, a crack sounded through the cavern. 

The stone beneath their feet gave way, crumbling into the abyss.

Before they could react, the ground vanished beneath them.

They slipped, tumbling over the right side—into the waiting darkness below.

Ring Four:  

Hyunji twisted midair, flipping with precision before landing firmly on her feet. 

"Are you okay?" she called out, scanning the darkness.

A short distance away, Capaneus had crashed hard, his massive frame crumpling as his neck struck a jagged rock. He groaned, pushing himself upright with his remaining arm.

"I'm fucking fantastic!" he growled, gripping his bloodied shoulder.

Hyunji barely had time to process his pain before noticing something strange—the demons had stopped their pursuit. Their shrieks faded as they veered away, retreating in the opposite direction.

The air was thick with the cries of the damned, their wailing echoing through the blackness. Yet, even as their voices reached her ears, sight had abandoned her—everything was swallowed by the oppressive dark.

"Capaneus?" Hyunji called again, her voice strained with growing concern. But this time, there was no response.

Instead, the weeping around her twisted, warped, and shifted into mocking laughter—a hollow, cruel sound that seemed to seep from the very walls.

The damned were no longer moving.

Hyunji could feel their presence, a suffocating stillness that hung heavy in the air. They were waiting.

She began moving through the darkness, silent on her feet. But there were other steps following her now.

Hyunji picked up speed until she was running. 

The wails of the damned grew louder and louder, swelling like a storm, until it felt as though the very air would shatter under the weight of their cries.

Suddenly, Hyunji stopped, heart pounding in her chest.

Her eyes began adjusting to the darkness. They were staring at her. 

Their twisted, contorted forms closed in, backwards heads fixated on her. 

Tears continued to stream from their faces, though their faces all smiled at her now. 

And at the front of the group was Capaneus.

His head spun around in circles, dead eyes unblinking. Blood continued to drip from his arm as he stepped forward. 

With a terrified gasp, Hyunji took off.