Chapter 02: Do You Plead Guilty

'Am I dead?' 

Erik's eyes fluttered open, revealing an abyss of darkness. He couldn't make out anything in front of him, not even the color of his attire. He was certain he wasn't donning the red suit he had died in. His current outfit felt more akin to pajamas than formal wear. 

"Could this be death?" 

Erik attempted to navigate the darkness, his hands brushing the ground before he dared to move. 

Despite his efforts, his surroundings remained shrouded in obscurity. Gradually, he gained confidence and began to stride through the darkness, deciding he was done cowering in fear of the unseen. 

An hour later, 

Erik's sanity began to crumble. He let out a scream and ran wildly, his desperation mounting. Having exhausted all his options, he surrendered to the darkness, collapsing onto the ground. 

Suddenly, a light flickered into existence above Erik. He rose to his feet, squinting to discern a ceiling or any other structure, but the darkness remained impenetrable, even under the glow of the blue light. It was as if a black veil was draped around him, swallowing the light. 

As hours slipped by, Erik found himself entranced by the lights. Gradually, his eyes grew heavy and fatigue washed over him. He surrendered to the exhaustion, closing his eyes in an attempt to sleep. 

"Let's commence your judgment, shall we?" 

A deep, ominous voice resonated in the darkness. 

The voice startled Erik awake. He noticed the blue light that had been illuminating the area had vanished. He scanned his surroundings for the source of the voice, but was met with nothing but darkness. 

Erik felt depleted, as if he had been drained of all energy. He could barely keep his eyes open. He allowed his eyelids to droop once more, yearning for sleep. 

"Sleep is not an option." 

The same ominous voice echoed around him again, but Erik was too weary and succumbed to a deep slumber. The voice didn't seem to disturb him, instead, it felt like a lullaby humming in the air. 

"AHHHHH…" 

Erik let out a scream as the pain from his gunshot wound intensified, far surpassing the pain he had felt when he was shot. 

Despite the excruciating pain, Erik found he could stand upright. 

"Is this pain a tactic to keep me awake?" Erik grumbled.

"You've hit the nail on the head, Erik," 

A sinister voice echoed in response. Erik steadied himself, gritting his teeth against the pain. He rose to his feet, trying to locate the source of the voice. 

Erik gasped in surprise. He spotted two glowing eyes, resembling red embers, suspended in the darkness.

"Who are you?" Erik demanded, his voice echoing off the unseen walls. 

The red eyes gradually advanced towards Erik. Fear gripped him and he began to retreat.

Erik's retreat was abruptly halted; he felt as if an enormous invisible barrier was blocking his path. 

Erik swallowed hard, his gaze locked on the red eyes, the pain from his gunshot wound still throbbing. Erik felt as if he was on the brink of another death from sheer shock.

Suddenly, a blue light materialized above him. Erik looked up and noticed another light cascading down. He saw a shadowy figure, cloaked in a black liquid that dripped onto the ground, or perhaps the figure had emerged from the ground. Erik couldn't tell. His attention was riveted on the red eyes glowing ominously above. 

"Erik Hardin, you have died. Welcome to your judgment." 

The figure's voice was laced with menace, his words punctuated by the flickering of his eyes.

'I figured as much. I already know I'm destined for hell. Maybe this pain and this figure are just a preview.' 

Erik remained calm. He had already accepted his death, and after spending an eternity in the darkness, he concluded this must be his punishment.

"Erik, you stand accused of a grave crime. Plagiarizing another man's work." 

The figure raised his hand-shaped appendages from his sides and his voice amplifying with each word. 

"No, I didn't steal it. I used his novel as inspiration. My novel's plot, characters, and genre are all unique." Erik defended himself.

'I accept hell, but I'm not going to make it easy for you, bastard. I will deny until the end.' 

Erik smirked, thinking he could stand against this figure, or if he lost, he wanted to infuriate the figure. 

"SHINE!"

A small light glowed before Erik. He felt an inexplicable urge to touch it. Without hesitation, he reached out and made contact. 

"AHHHH…" Erik screamed, as he felt his body melting, his eyes being impaled, his skin being flayed, and his nails being plucked like petals. 

After a few moments, Erik regained his senses. He was on his knees, coughing up blood. Nothing had physically happened to him. Everything had occurred in his mind, but it felt terrifyingly real. 

"The more you lie, the more the light expands, Erik." The figure advised Erik to tell the truth. 

Erik remained on his knees. He still felt the residual effects of his ordeal. While Erik was still reeling from his traumatizing experience, he failed to notice that the pain in his back had subsided. 

"Erik, you stand accused of a grave crime. Plagiarizing another man's work. Do you plead guilty?" 

The figure posed the question again, his red eyes flickering erratically as if he was rapidly losing patience. 

"No, I didn't steal it. This is my original work." 

As soon as Erik responded, the light expanded, its color shifting to grey, and morphed into the shape of a rat. The rat darted towards Erik with swift motion. 

"AHHHH…" 

When it touched Erik, he felt a pain far greater than before, as if everything was magnified hundreds of times. The pain caused Erik to lose consciousness, and he collapsed face-first onto the ground. 

"AHHHH…" 

Erik screamed again. This time, the ground beneath him liquefied and transformed into sharp spears that pierced his body all over. The pain jolted him awake. Erik quickly leapt away from the ground. 

"Erik, you stand accused of a grave crime. Plagiarizing another man's work. Do you plead guilty?" 

The figure repeated the question. 

Erik hesitated before answering, wondering what was going to happen next because of his answer,

"I didn't steal it from anyone." 

The blue light slowly morphed into another shape and entered Erik's body. This torture continued for another hour. 

Erik's screams echoed through the darkness, his pain intensifying with each passing moment. Erik couldn't contain his pain or anger. The pain was unbearable. He let out a scream. He even punched himself to mask the other pain, but it didn't work. 

Erik finally decided to bite his own tongue the next time the light entered him. The pain might feel real, but it was his mind that was suffering the most. That's why he constantly fainted. Erik tried to punch himself, choke himself, but nothing worked. So, he decided the only way to escape the pain was to bite his own tongue. 

The figure had already lost patience as it had been nearing another hour. The figure asked again, his red eyes gradually glowing fiercely. 

 "Erik, you stand accused of a grave crime. Plagiarizing another man's work. Do you plead guilty?" 

"Absolutely not," Erik yelled, already positioning his tongue near his teeth. 

But Erik was stunned and left his mouth agape when he saw the light take the shape of a colossal elephant, no, larger than that. It took the shape of the largest mammoth, nearly as big as a cruise ship.

The mammoth shook its head, ready to charge towards Erik. Erik forgot about biting his tongue. He thought he wouldn't survive to breathe another moment when the mammoth entered him. 

The red lights glowing in the figure shone brightly like the sun. It showed that the figure was eagerly anticipating his next question. 

"Erik, you stand accused of a grave crime. Plagiarizing another man's work. Do you plead guilty?" 

Erik remained silent for a few seconds before responding with a defiant grin,

"Bastard, of course, I won't plead guilty. I clawed my way to the top with everything I had. I deserve everything I had in my life. I don't regret anything I've done, because this is my life. I will live the way I want, even if I have to kill you, bastard, standing before me." 

"CLAP!" "CLAP! " 

Without warning, applause echoed around them. 

"Erik, we still despise you, but you showed us something we've never seen before." 

The figure commended with a grin appearing below his eyes that added another layer of menace to it. 

However, Erik's mind focused on the word he said. He uttered in puzzlement,

" We!" 

[End of Chapter]