《Ashes of Hell》Chapter 3 - Arrival at the chained city - Part 2
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It had been a few minutes since Mr. Domino had asked Nestor to make silence, as sewing his head back on his shoulders required concentration.
Nestor had indeed a lot of questions to make him, however, they could wait for a little bit. He simply thanked Mr. Domino from the bottom of his heart and shut up, waiting for the process to finish.
Finally, Nestor felt a tingling sensation around his neck area, his headache completely disappeared as he opened his eyes wide open.
What greeted his sight was hunched figure sitting with his legs crossed over what seemed to be a well-polished wooden chair. The gentleman was wearing a linen black suit, a pair of elegant white brogue shoes, and a large black hat that covered a good part of his face, only leaving out a long white beard.
"I-I can see now!"
Nestor spoke words of bewilderment as not only did his sight come back, but now he also got back his sense of balance. Thus he stood up to take a look at his surroundings.
The bed he had been laying until now was just one of the many he could now see. As far as Nestor could see there were countless neatly arranged wooden beds, they were rectangular and very simple, with a single medium-sized pillow and a white silky blanket.
As he kept inspecting he noticed how surreal this was, the space between the beds was apparently the exact same, for every single one of them, and Nestor had counted them already in the hundreds.
For a monk that had not witnessed the age of machinery, Nestor could only see this either as the work of a madman or that of a higher being.
Furthermore, the beds were almost all empty, the ones that had a humanoid figure lying upon them could be counted on one hand.
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'Well I already died once, my hypothesis about this being hell still stands'.
Soon after he noticed the splendid marble floor, it was white with black and red random streaks.
The room was rectangularly shaped, even if it was absurdly long, Nestor could see the two walls of the shorted sides. Rows of polished stone lamps were fixated on the walls, inside they held a small green flame, and they together managed to dimly light the room.
Every so often he also noticed marble statues of armed angels, giving their backsides to the wall. These winged knights had long feathered wings sprouting from their backs and they reached three meters of heigh. They wore a tiara that gave them an aura of holiness and a unique long vest that reminded Nestor of the clothes used by the patricians of the great Roman Empire.
Finally, a long blade was hanging on their belt, while they were holding a thick volume with their right hand.
" Now that your body is whole again there isn't much I can do for you. I have two items that rightfully belong to... Mr. Nestor's soul right?"
After murmuring some strange words, Mr. Domino materialized two small items. One that Nestor remembered very well, it was his precious medallion, the other was a square-like white tablet that had some strange symbols written on it.
Nestor looked at the hunched figure with a weird look on his face, as a man that had recently been betrayed to his death, he couldn't easily trust a stranger.
"Mr. Domino, sir, not to doubt your generosity but before receiving anything from you, I would like to receive an explanation."
Nestor tried to sound as polite as possible, to make the other party the genuineness of his intentions, by any means, he didn't want his speech to sound accusatory.
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Mr. Domino responded with a light sigh, as if he had both expected and already experienced such a moment. Yet he had seen far worse.
"This silver medallion isn't just an esthetic accessory, but a key. It permitted your soul to be extracted upon death and it redirected it here at the chained city.
Once I got my hands on your soul I put it inside a new vessel, a new body that I stitched together just for you.
This, instead, is a soul tablet. Before being able to use it you'll have to enroll in the academy, still, its most basic functions are no secret and I can explain them to you.
This little object is often used as a matter of identification, it will list most of the basic information regarding your soul. So that by showing it others will be sure about your identity. It can also store a decent amount of materials inside. Your I think should be the equivalent of a big-sized backpack...
Alright, I can't say more than this or the sacred order will make me pay for it... They are always that petty.
Yes, I think I've said enough. Keep on walking straight behind me, as soon as you exit the gate there will be someone to pick you up."
Nestor still had many questions, yet he knew Mr. Domino had already his lips sealed.
'Maybe he has many other souls and bodies to mend together. Who knows what other mystical tasks such a strange individual could perform.
Yet there is something that is still bothering me for quite a while. Why am I so indifferent about it. I just died and got reborn? And into a place so strange that it doesn't seem to be either heaven or hell. Since an elder called Mr. Domino isn't in the bible.
Also, I have just died, but I am not horrified by the thought of it. On the contrary, I am feeling quite happy to have been given a second chance.
I-I also feel a lot less reverence towards our lord?!'
The lost look on Nestor's face was making it hard for Mr.Domino not to understand what was going on in his head.
" It's the key. It has multiple functions, one of them is to stabilize your mind after the crossing. Doing so will help your soul synchronize faster with your new body, to keep the madness at bay.
Now go child, let this old soul be."
As he said so, the hunched figure made a quick motion as if to grab something into tin hair. Then as Mr. Domino retracted his hand, he was now holding onto a bright green crystal, that seemed to intensively pulsate with energy.
That he immediately threw it at the nearest statue on the left wall. This one, in fact, unbeknownst to Nester had now a moving pair of clear blue eyes.
Suddenly the statue moved its right hand and caught the crystal with a swift movement. Immediately after the shiny object was no more and the statue appeared no different than the others.
Nestor quietly observed the strange phenomenon, feeling more intrigued than anything else. Even if he lived his entire life as a humble monk, he was still a human being deep inside.
'Will I ever be able to wield such abilities? What kind of future awaits me?'
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