Khogah

[Hell, the second circle of Sloth, Khogah]

The world was so vast and so expansive, and the light of the sun and the moon was so blinding and so bright, and the sky was so blue and so wide, and the waters were so vast and so wide and so clear, and the mountains were so tall and so large and the trees were so wide and so tall and so full and the rivers were so clear and so fast and the deserts were so vast and the land was so barren and the earth was so dry and the clouds were so gray and the winds were so strong and the birds were so high and the fish were so small and the insects were so many and the plants were so few and the people were so happy and the animals were so free, yet there was one who hated this.

Hating it so much that, in order to make the world less pleasant for others, he decided to make a sea of fire, and he decided to turn the land into a desert.

The sea of fire, though, did not do its job. Rather, it caused all the slothful ones to submerge themselves into the fire, and all the animals to hide in fear and shame.

Thus, the man who had wished to destroy the world, died in the flames.

In the world that was left behind, all was quiet. The animals, though, were afraid, and so they hid.

They hid from the man who had wished to destroy the world, and they hid from the sea of fire, and they hid from the flames.

Sloth. Such an insignificant sin you wouldn't even think twice about committing. 

But it was a sin nonetheless.

You wouldn't even think twice about committing sloth, but that was your downfall. You never thought twice. You always did it once; but when it came to it truly, you never thought, and that is what killed you.

It's almost as if the fire of Hell was consuming you.

The sea of fire manifested itself within these hells, but not as its own punishment, rather as a way to tell all the damned, "you're a fool. You're a lazy, good-for-nothing, worthless piece of shit who will never change. You're a monster, pathetic excuse of a man."

The man who had wished to destroy the world was named Jchamon. He was a man of Sloth. As a matter-of-fact, he was the first being of Sloth. He was born to an age of prosperity, and he grew up to be a happy and contented man. With all that talent and power, he chose to waste it all, and he chose to live his life of sloth.

But despite his death, despite the executioners of hell grasping at his soul, there was no repentance.

He was a monster, and he was a fool. He was a fool who wasted the talents that he had. 

As he lived within hell, be it for a day, or a century, or an eon, he had been punished, yet, he never changed. He never repented. He was still a monster. It was almost as if he ruled this place.

No amount of torture had left scars on his body. No amount of isolation had made him crave to see the outside world. No amount of darkness had made him wish for the light. No amount of cold had made him yearn for the warmth. No amount of silence had made him scream for the sound. 

But in all this time, he had never thought of anyone other than himself. He had never thought of his family, his friends, his wife, his children, his brother, his sister, his son, his daughter, he just wanted to lay there, doing nothing as the world destroys itself beneath his feet.

He had no desire for his family, he had no desire for his friends, he had no desire for his wife, he had no desire for his children, he had no desire for his brother or sister. He regret ever making connections, but even then, thinking was a hazard, and thus, he refused to do that.

Yet, he was the one to shape Khogah, he was the one who lead a sense of order within this chaos.

He was the one who created the sea of fire.

He was the one who created the desert where all these sinners roam.

So why was I here? I'm sure many of the sinners themselves had asked this same question.

So, what am I? I'm sure many of the sinners themselves had asked this same question.

I'm here, as a witness.

A witness to what you'd call a 'Revolution', per se.

I'm sure you've heard of it, at least, once or twice.

'The rebellion of the damned.', well, yes, you could call it that.

I watch over the damned, who thought they had a chance against the forces of the good, the damned who were willing to fight, the damned who were willing to sacrifice, the damned who were willing to kill and to die, the damned who were willing to fight the battle to the very end. All because of Jchamon. 

It was quite ironic; those who were condemned due to sloth, were found to be fighting for a cause in the end.

I can't remember if it was a hundred years, or a thousand, or even a million years ago, but I know for a fact that Jchamon had been the first. As for the few exchanges I've had with other sinners, they always called him the Epitome of Sloth. And yet, all his actions seemed to be the opposite of sloth.

It was all a ruse.

In all his actions, he was doing it out of spite. Was that really sloth?

But regardless, the fact that he had been the first, is something that we all should remember.

All the slothful ones were supposed to be dead, their souls were supposed to have been burnt, their bodies were supposed to have been burned, their hearts were supposed to have been torn, their minds were supposed to have been destroyed. 

The land around was a mix of magma and sand, surrounded by the sea of fire. I was surprised by how small the land was. On the northern side of the desert however, there lays a void, a void where there lies what's so called 'The Sea of Sorrows'. But no one I have ever seen has touched it, let alone looked within it. Was it that terrifying?

The sinners, those who had fought, and those who had won, were all lined up, waiting for their deaths.

They were all gathered around one single man.

And as for me, I was standing there, and I was watching them.

The sinners who fought.

The sinners who won.

The sinners who lost.

The sinners who survived.

The sinners who didn't.

The sinners who were scared.

The sinners who were in denial.

The sinners who were proud.

The sinners who were angry.

The sinners who were sad.

Sinners of all kinds, and in all varieties.

And, as I watched, I realized that I wasn't really a part of the group. Maybe it was because I stood there, doing nothing. Committing the sin of Sloth once again.

"Hahahahahahaha."

I began laughing, a fit of giggles escaped my lips, and a chuckle escaped my mouth. But I stopped myself before I could be heard.

I was laughing, but I wasn't amused, nor was I joyful. I was laughing at myself, my own pathetic, worthless self.

I was laughing, and it felt good, I couldn't stop.

"Hahahahahahahahaha."

It was a laugh of frustration, and a laugh of despair, a laugh of regret and a laugh of hate.

Soon, it was as if the light red, cloudy sky cracked open, and the light had poured itself into my eyes.

"It's time."

A voice called out.

The light was blinding, and I couldn't see anything. I only heard a voice that I could call a roar, and it seemed like the sky was laughing.

"It's time."

The voice came again. Soon, a sound was heard, and it was as if the heavens were weeping.

"It's time."

The sound grew louder, and the laughter was growing louder. It was so bizarre, as if the skies were crying, and the heavens were laughing.

"It's time."

Soon, I could hear a sound that I could only describe as a scream, as if the heavens were angry.

"It's time."

A scream.

"It's time."

A wail.

"It's time."

A cry.

"It's time."

A moan.

"It's time."

A shriek.

"It's time."

A shout.

"It's time."

A yell.

"It's time."

As if to restart everything, the light disappeared. And I mean completely.

There was nothing but darkness ahead, but that lasted for but a moment; as if to show the sinners the world that could've been. The people that they could've been. The people they are. The people they will become. The people they never were.

It was almost a way of telling them, "If only you weren't like this." But that, too, was only for a moment. Soon, a single line of dark began to appear, and the world began to shake.

A shriek akin to that of a thousand voices rang out, a cacophony of wails and cries, perhaps it was only one, or it was a multitude, I couldn't tell.

The Supposed Sea of Sorrows began to seep in; mixing with the sea of fire.

The world was consumed by a mixture of flame and gore. The gore of the sinners and Jchamon's Flame.

It was a beautiful sight, yet a hideous one, a terrifying one, a sickening one, a nauseating one.

But I didn't have the time to admire the sight.

Soon, a creature with a swirling mass of blood red for a body, and blotchy blue scattered around it's face with dark red streaks. The creature looked at the sinners, and the sinners looked at the creature.

And in that moment, everything seemed to freeze.

The creatures' face had a smile that was so wide, that it almost looked like a grin.

And the sinners began to cower.

I was shocked, for that moment, they seemed so weak, so frail, so tiny, and so weak. They were the same that fought against Hell itself, and prevailed. But just an interference from the god above and a simple glance from the monster before them and they were afraid.

And in that moment, the creature smiled.

The smile was not that of a malicious smile, nor a happy one, nor a satisfied one, but the smile of a child.

"It's time."

Its voice rang throughout like a dissonant choir. It was a deep, booming voice that was full of rage.

Its eyes were expressionless, open wide like two egg yolks.

I looked to my right and saw Jchamon standing there, facing his end. 

No amount of finality had made him change. He still was the monster he was.

I looked to my left, and saw the sinners huddled together. 

The chaos around me was too much for my mind to bear; I was thinking too much. Can this end already?

Oh, it has.

I was merely being consumed by the creature that came from the Sea of Sorrows, and it had brought about the final curtain.

The sea had swallowed the land, and the land had consumed the sea.

And I could feel all the damned, the sinners within it beg for mercy. I did too, I did.

But eventually, My mind was caught by the beast that was about to devour me.

I had no will, no control. I couldn't move. I couldn't think, nor could I even see. I was a part of this thing. I was its meat, its bone, its blood, its brain, its heart, its lungs, its skin, its nerves, its everything.

This was my end.