Canto X

(I must say it was very difficult to decide whether or not I should explain myself. I have tried to keep my actions a secret, but maybe I have for far too long.)

Father Laguardia?

L: Yes, Riccardo?

These tombs... who do they hold inside them?

L: Those held in these tombs are the Heretics. These include those who believed the soul died with the body, those who outright shunned or loathed the creator, as well as many others.

D-do they include...

Farinata: Abandonato, I never expected to see you here so soon.

(There was a clear, hostile sneer in the man's voice. His tone was also familiar- far too familiar for my liking. My dreaded suspicion was confirmed as I gazed upon the bony, chained figure of Father Farinata, one of those who trained me at the Vatican and possibly one of the banes of my existence.)

Farinata: What brings you here, boy?

L: He's going through a series of trials.

Farinata: Trials? Some test to make it up to the big man? Hah. You're spineless, and after what you've done, the violence and the treachery you've done, you miserable excuse for a priest, you think you can just walk away without penalty!?

L: Quiet, foolish sinner.

Farinata: Who are you to talk, shadow man?

L: His mentor.

Farinata: Liar! I was his mentor!

(At this point Laguardia had coldly shrouded his shadowy form around the form of my evil superior. Farinata's entire form began to shrivel and his mouth began gaping open in horror.)

L: Listen, you foolish, cowardly, evil abomination who dares call itself a human being. I am his mentor. All you are is a betrayer. 

Farinata: I... I am not the b-bet-tra-

Let him go, Father Laguardia. He may be right. After all, I did kill you, Farinata.

Farinata: Yes. Don't think I haven't forgiven or forgotten that. It's not like I could even if I tried.

L: You were committing crimes against the Church. You were engaging in heresy!

Farinata: It wasn't I or my brethren who were engaging in heresy, it was the Church itself!

What do you mean?

Farinata: I gave you a chance, Riccardo Abandonato. I gave you a glimpse onto the true form of the Lord. The sacrifices- the rituals- they were much holier than the abominations you and your so-called religious figures could ever dream of. We told you the truth. God was a lie. There were no angels, either, save one angel and one Angel alone. 

I was nicer to you before, but I'm going to say it to your face now: your doctrine is a load of shit.

Farinata: Hmph. Have it your way, boy. 

Then why did you end up in the Circle of Heresy?

Farinata: Fool! I was not here for any religious "crimes against God!" I was here because I failed my duty to my master, and this was his fitting punishment!

L: ...silence...

(At this point, black, shadowy hands grasped Farinata's ankles. He was dragged in, screaming and pleading for his life. His soul. At this point, I was far beyond any measure of pity for these souls, but his scream somehow still leaves a brutal scar in my mind. We walked in silence the rest of the way across the entombed circle. At the exit gate leading to the seventh circle, Farinata's limbs and organs were found neatly cleaned and expertly, symmetrically hoisted on great hooks, his eyeless, still-screaming head spitted upon a pike atop the gate itself. We passed through, no doubt into even more arcane tortures...)

Canto IX

Father Laguardia, awaken!

L: I cannot sleep, child.

Look upon the shore! See that the souls are arriving.

L: ... no, my son, tis not simply that.

(As I looked upon the shore, I saw one woman, with green scales and bright yellow eyes, but with brilliant scarlet hair. Her human tongue flicked outwards multiple times. Behind her, she dragged at least fifty souls. Many had bite marks. Others were missing entire limbs. They were all being dragged by the neck. Those closest to her were brutally whipped by the green tail she sported.)

L: Tis the demon Alecto, one of the three Erinyes. I shall try to converse with her... Alecto!

Alecto: *Grins* Hm... new blood.

L: Where are your other foul, wicked sisters?

Alecto: Foul? Wicked? You still use those words? It's a new era, Laguardia. 

(She dropped the lines of harnesses that kept the souls and they slid back into the water. I saw other souls coming up to feast on their unfortunate brethren.)

L: I don't see why not.

Alecto: You have the gall to talk semantics with me? Look at them.

*Souls screaming, other souls attacking them with hands and teeth, ripping off limbs*

Alecto: Ah, such a beautiful sight.

L: Alecto-

Alecto: But who is this? A mortal? In Hell? Are you a fool? From what I remember, YOU should be smart enough not to be here, either.

I-

L: Leave the talking to me, Riccardo.

Alecto: Pushy man. Pushy Purgatorial scum. Maybe I should sick my mistress on the lot of you.

L: You wouldn't.

Alecto: Wouldn't I? Here she comes now.

(I saw the woman emerging from the waters. Her hair was made of serpent and her entire lower half from midriff down was a large tail on which she slithered. Her eyes gazed downward, but I saw her begin to lift her head-)

L: Don't look, Riccardo!

Alecto: What are you afraid of? That he'll see what he is? What he will be? You afraid that she will do the job that Cerberus had failed at?

L: You know of Cerberus's plot?

Alecto: And Minos', and Charon's, and Plutus', and the plots of most of the ones below. It was all set up for you.

L: By who?

Alecto: You know who.

L: -Malacoda himself.

Alecto: Yes! Now let my mistress gaze into his soul and show him the light.

L: Look behind you.

Alecto: What- *screech*

(When Laguardia's shadowy hand had uncovered my eyes, both the demons were gone. However, a man who donned two steely wings directly climbed off a polished, grey ship and headed directly for the City of Dis. At one word, the gate opened. Then the angel looked at us. He motioned for us to follow. He then pulled out a stopwatch and said to us...)

Angel: Right on time. Now, if you two wish to enter this woeful place, be my guest. But time is running out, gentlemen.

(With that, he motioned for us to enter, and then he himself turned around and left on his ship.)

Father, who was that?

L: Someone who has more power than the vast majority of these cretins. But here we are. The City of Dis. The City of Heretics.

Canto VIII

(We made it to the border between the fourth and fifth circles of hell. In the distance, there was a large tower in the background. At the pinnacle of it a large fire burst forth.)

L: Persephone, wife of Hades, is at the top of that tower. She is separated from her demonic husband and so she shoots fires in anger and rage. She creates the volcanoes and the earthquakes. She spreads destruction and pays no heed for the toll accumulated from it.

Her husband? Hades? The Dark Lord?

L: No. That is Greek Mythology. The true Hades takes the form of another Greek beast. We shall see it later in this infernal prison.

(Later on we found the banks of the River Styx the Ferryman Phlegyas. He was as blind as Charon, however this time he had a blindfold, the place where the eyes were stained with deep crimson. He carried with him a staff. He motioned for us to enter the ferry of the River Styx. This one was slightly shorter than the other River, and only took four hours to cross it from end to end. We saw souls swimming through the muck-and-blood-filled river. I recognized one of them as Fillipo Argenti.)

Fillipo: Father! Father Abandonato! Help me! Have mercy!

(He attempted to clamber on board. However, I was out of mercy. I took Phlegyas's staff and shoved it deep into one of Fillipo's eye sockets  His remaining eye showed an expression of surprise and betrayal as the other souls- the savage souls- caught up with him. They ripped him apart, tearing off his limbs and feasting on them madly. Then one shoved two fingers deep into Fillipo's eyes. He screamed, and his screams became higher and higher as his head was lifted from his body, vocal cords straining and finally snapping. It was almost exactly like that scene from Day of the Dead. I looked on without feeling. I regret my action now, but then, I was too angry. I was still too angry. I still have too much anger in my heart. I must remember peace, but it's becoming increasingly difficult. Finally we had made it to the opposite side of the shore and saw the gate of the City of Dis. We tried passing through the gate, but two men who had red eyes accosted us. They looked like damned souls, but they radiated a feeling of power.)

Soul: Halt! What mortal dares enter The City of Dis?

L: This soul has been chosen to go through the trials.

Soul: Trials? Explain, Purgatorial Soul!

L: Riccardo, wait on the shore. I shall be back when it is done.

(I did so. I waited for fifteen minutes. Or at least I thought it was fifteen minutes. I do not understand how time passes in this realm. I heard the resounding slam of the city gates before I saw Laguardia return, a saddened expression on my face. He didn't need to say anything; from my face, he already knew that I knew. He failed me. He failed his duty. For the first time, my guide has failed. We have camped on the opposite shore now. I am about ready to log off.... I hear moaning... from outside. Could it be? The souls have reached the opposite shore? Hang on, I must log off!)

Canto VII

(We entered the Fourth Circle of Hell. I've been thinking about what Laguardia said. Would I save those people? Would I take pity on them? Could I trust myself not to spit in their face? I am, first and foremost, a man of the Lord. The Lord's word says to forgive all... but I don't think I can bring myself to forgive these people. Not after what they've done.)

L: We are here. 

(Then I saw a great golden throne. I saw statues lined up in a circle around the throne itself. Their mouths were contorted into screams. I thought I could hear muffled moans from inside. I saw some try to move or wobble as we passed along. Then my eyes drifted back to the throne. On it sat a man who was partially made of gold, from the feet to his waist. The rest of his body seemed to be covered in sand, and he held a golden scepter. He had two buttons made of ruby and emerald on either armrest of his throne.)

L: This is Plutus. He is the master of the Circle of Greed. Around him, you see some of the greediest men who have ever lived, forced to live forever as his ornaments.

Plutus: Pepe Satan, Pepe Satan! Aleppe! Ah! Ah! Welcome, welcome! You've finally arrived!

L: Plutus.

Plutus: Ah, you remember me? Yes. Good. I'm afraid that people told me to block your path.

L: Block our path? Who had commanded you to do such?

Plutus: Ah, people. People like me. People above in the upper circles, people below. Malacoda, Cerberus, all are against you. Made many enemies, hm? Hm?

L: ...I see.

Plutus: How about this? I will give you a choice! Yes! A choice! There are three options: yes, the first is that you turn back on your merry way, and I may spare these souls and release them from their golden bonds! Then you may turn back and enter the corporeal world, free of blemish!

(I looked at the statues. There must have been fifty in total. Fifty tormented souls. They could all be saved.)

Plutus: Option number two. You pass on, and I shall destroy these souls and cast them into the pit of nothingness below the ninth circle!

(No. I couldn't let him.)

Plutus: The third and final option is this. You simply say "Pepe Satan." Only once. I will get the message. I will press this button. *Points to the emerald* And I will release myself from the golden cast around my legs. I am only allowed to if you say it. If you do, I will let you pass and release the souls. But I will be set free. I had to tell you that last detail, for it is important to your decision.

(None of those options... I couldn't do any of those options. If I went back now, I would never learn to overcome what faced me. I'd be showing cowardice. But the souls would be released. If I moved on without saying the words, then those souls would be obliterated. I didn't want them to cease. I didn't want that at all. But if I said the words, then he would be free. He might go back on his promise, he might destroy the souls, he might come after us. No... none of the options could work.)

No.

Plutus: What?

I choose none of your options.

Plutus: That's impossible! You must surely choose-

(Then I punched him in the face. He groaned inwardly and fell into his golden lap, dazed. Quickly, I pressed the ruby button. I heard a rumbling. And then Plutus giggled. I saw the platform fall away from the statues. I heard their screams fade away... but they only faded away so much. I could hear them echoing but then suddenly... I couldn't.)

Plutus: Nice try. Nice try! But I always have another-

(I punched him. Again and again I walloped my left and right knuckles into his face. I never did such a thing in my life. It felt gratifying to punish this demonic bastard, but it, at the same time, made me take a big look at myself. I stared long and hard into my psyche after that moment.)

Plutus: *Hack* You're going to go to Violence, aren't you? Good, it's where you *spit* fucking belong-

*Punches*

L: Let him go, Riccardo.

*Pants* ...no... I need to...

L: Let. Him. Go.

Plutus: Better do what he says....

*Punch*

You're nothing.

(We walked on that day. I was silent for the rest of the journey. When we reached the inner sectors of this circle, we saw people in rows upon rows moving heavy weights on chains in one direction, towards each other. They crashed, and I heard their screams of agony, then they went in the reverse direction only to do the same thing again.)

L: These are the Greedy. The one row is the Prodigal, those who have hoarded their money and had done absolutely nothing for it. And then there are the Avaricious, those who have squandered it all on meaningless things, mainly clergymen and corrupt politicians who used it selfishly and worked not for the will of the Lord- ... Riccardo?

...

L: I see...

...

L: Is there something you wish to talk about?

...no. Go on.

L: See that they have faces, but you can recognize none of them. This is because of the fact that they had made little impact on the world save to themselves. But the one characteristic all down there share is this- they did not follow The Wealth's law...

(I walked on. I didn't care.)

L: Riccardo. Return.

(I kept walking. But suddenly my feet held in place. I looked down to see two elongated shadows like claws had gripped them. They pulled me back to the cliff's edge.)

L: The Wealth, the being that oversees all worldly goods. Is told from God where they go, is told to oversee that they play by the rules, is the being that controls all monetary worth. For God passes this on to a lower form, as human wealth is nothing.

Are you done yet?

L: Excuse me?

Are you done yet?

L: ...yes, but that is not the point. You are supposed to be learning a lesson. Look at me. Look at me!

...yes?

L: You couldn't have known. You could never have known. You may think it's your fault and that you've shamed yourself, but arrogance and impudence will get you nowhere.

...I know I couldn't have known that button would release the souls down into the...

L: I'm not talking about the souls.

(I stared at him. I knew what he meant. I didn't want to know what he meant, but it was there. Right in my face. He finished. He looked upon me with that disappointed expression of his. I no longer cared. All I cared for was to finish this. I'd face any trial that came to me if only to finally be free of this place. Not even halfway done... and I was already fucking sick of this place.)

L: Now... here we are.

(It was as to a giant beach of mud and blood. People everywhere for miles upon miles, clawing each other, tearing off limbs, gouging out eyes, ripping each other to pieces. Then I saw them reform completely, only to brutally mangle each other again.)

L: These are the Wrathful. They have so consumed themselves with anger, hate, and prejudice, that they wear their burden by fighting each other in bloody combat for the rest of eternity. However, some of the Wrathful take their sport not fighting the other Wrathful. If you look into the bank, you would see The Sullen, those who had squandered away the light of day in huts, as hermits, hating other forms of humanity. They are The Wrathful's prey.

...

L: Any questions?

Who holds dominion here?

L: No one. It is anarchy. *Sigh* I see you are tired. You may rest upon this narrow path, safe from the Wrathful.

Yes, Laguardia.

Canto VI

(We descended into the third circle a mere few hours after finishing the previous post. It seemed to be a large valley-like area filled with waters, rivers, and ponds. However, as we descended further into the valley the rain began to fall. It was a putrid rain, almost brown, smelled like feces. Fell in puddles and mingled in the ponds. Then we heard the moaning. There were humans trapped in the putrid puddles of waste. The rain grew heavier, and the stench of human excrement grew. Soon we entered the deepest point in the valley, and in its colossal center was a grand river made completely of bile and excrement. Humans wallowed in it. Half-eaten corpses floated among the muck and mire.)

*Moaning corpses, rain of excrement, the muck sounds of the grand river*

Father Laguardia, who are these unfortunates who lie in the ruin?

L: These, my child, are the Gluttonous, those who partook in drink and food to the point of ruin. These souls are forced to wallow in this putrid lake of excrement for the rest of time.

Will there ever be any sanctity for them?

L: Only when Gabriel blows his horn and they are sent to their final judgement. Not at the hands of a demonic beast. In that day demon and angel and all shall be judged under the lord.

*Spraying of water*

Father Laguardia, behold to our right! A patch of clear water!

*Running of feet over muck*

L: Tread lightly, for the great-

*Roaring*

(I then saw the beast with my own eyes. A great mass of water tendrils spiked into the air, splashing to and fro like a mad child. Then three great behemoths of heads rose from the water. The watery neck cascaded like an infinite waterfall, but the heads... the heads...)

Laguardia! Those heads look like the Hellhound from before!

L: This is the mighty Cerberus who devours and punishes the Gluttonous!

Cerberus: Where are my victims? I must show them the err of their ways! How they spent their lives by day frivolously wasting their work on food and drink, to satisfy their emotional needs. Pathetic mortal scum- ah! If it isn't you! You again to wallow amongst the others after getting rescued? So you decided not to face your fate...

L: No, Cerberus! We have come to pass!

Cerberus: Ahh... well, the problem is that you are harboring a sinful, rebellious piece of scum. I will not harm either of you, but I shall not proceed. *One head splashes into the water and eats screaming man*

L: Cerberus, you are out of order.

Cerberus: Hmph. Then tell me, sentinel, why must I bow so low to such a common night-thing of Purgatory?

L: Will a food entice you, beast?

Cerberus: ...mayhap it shall, mayhap it shan't.

(Laguardia proceeded to pick up one of the nearby rotting corpses and toss it towards the Cerberus. It snapped the corpse in its central maw. Then it looked at us again.)

Cerberus: You still shall not pass.

(Laguardia then threw another corpse  to Cerberus, then held up two shadowy fingers and dipped them into the island of clear water. The ice began to form almost instantly. Cerberus' look was one of surprise, then one of pain as the watery sections of its body froze completely and utterly. We passed while the Cerberus was still howling screams of pain and profanity. We almost reached the end of the Third Circle when I came upon a familiar face.)

Could it be? Ciacco?

Ciacco: Eh? Riccardo? Riccardo- could it be? Oh, forgive me, Father Abandonato, for I was too unworthy for the light of the Lord. I had partaken, in my final hours, to my old ways. I hope you may find it in your heart to forgive me.

L: Riccardo...

Yes, Ciacco. I forgive you, but it is not my forgiveness that is truly necessary in the grand scheme of things.

Ciacco: Forgive me... I tried warning you about them, remember?

...

L: Riccardo?

... aye, Ciacco. I remember it as if it were yesterday.

Ciacco: Yes, my Father.

Some of the... people... do you know if they are here?

Ciacco: Yes. Some of them engage in heresy or violence or even betrayal, and end up in circles far below mine. Circles that make me glad I am in this lowly mud hole. 

...Ciacco...

Ciacco: It's fine, Father. I just ask one thing.

Yes, my child?

Ciacco: When you reach Heaven, may you mention my name?

...I will try, my child.

L: ... Riccardo?

Yes?

L: You intend to keep your promise.

I do.

L: You will intend to save some of these souls?

Perhaps some. Maybe Paolo and Francesca. And Ciacco.

L: What about the men in the lower circles? Will you try to save them?

...

L: Let us continue. Forget I said anything. We shall rest on the precipice of the Fourth Circle.

Canto V

(There is no more time for rest. Laguardia had awakened me and told me we must once again set foot deeper into the dark bowels of the infernal abyss. We had soon reached the edge of the forest and came upon a large Colosseum. Multiple naked souls trembled and hid. Many shielded their eyes. In the center of the Colosseum was a great eye, a single ocular orb rotating to view upon all the souls in the stands. Then, an optic nerve sprouted like a tentacle and grasped one of the souls.)

*Man screaming*

Father, who is this great beast?

L: That is the Judge Minos, once a foul demon and powerful in his own right, but then the Dark One took control of all demons.

Minos: I see within your soul, mortal.

*Man continues to scream*

Minos: Violence, greed, oh so much to choose from... your punishment shall be severe, won't it?

(I noticed the severe hatred Minos had, and the pure enjoyment Minos had from then lashing its optic six times around the soul and then throwing him onto a large.)

L: Six times... six circles down. He is entering Violence. The number of times he lashes his tail around the soul is the number of circles the soul shall tumble into.

(The great orb tilted itself toward us.)

Minos: What have we here? If it isn't two wanderers. Well, I shall put both of you back where you belong!

*Whipping of optic nerve, my screams*

L: Minos, you are out of your jurisdiction! This mortal is still alive!

Minos: It is of no matter. He is already in Hell, of course. 

(I gaped, both in agony and in shock. This giant eye was intentionally crushing me. Not because it was its job, it was because the great eye took pleasure in it. Then, I remember looking towards the souls and seeing their eyes... only it was not their eyes. It was another pair of eyes for each of them, all judging and angry. Then I looked towards Lagaurdia. His eyes were also a pair of judging eyes. No... no... I remembered those eyes. I remembered the man who had them in life and I shall probably never forget those eyes. The eyes that looked at me with such hate that they had chased me to the ends of Italy.)

*Me screaming*

L: Minos, drop the wanderer.

Minos: Why must I? You can smell the heresy on him.

L: Minos! This breaks the code!

Minos: What code? There is only you... and I... and the heretic.

L: Minos, I warn you, if you do not let the boy go than the consequences shall be severe.

Minos: Bah. You are nothing but a Purgatorial Shadow, less than nothing! What could you possibly do?

L: Perhaps I should call one of the Demons.

Minos: ...no...

L: Yes. Perhaps some of the Malacoda may be greatly interested in your endeavors, breaking the codes set up by your treacherous Dark One.

Minos: ...you wouldn't dare.

L: You attack one of my greatest comrades and a chosen wanderer, and you think I wouldn't dare?

Minos: ... I concede to your terms.

(Suddenly, as if they had never been, the judging eyes of the one who had pursued me vanished into the nothingness it came from. The great eye looked contemptuously at me, then dropped me gently to the ground. One nerve motioned to the stairs, and then got back to its work of giddily torturing the souls that lay beyond. Past Minos we descended a ways and came unto a great whirlwind. We saw people yelling and moaning hysterically as they sped around the great circular wind. But the strangest part was it didn't seem to be air. It seemed to be a storm of blood. There was only one entry way; a narrow gap in the whirlwind. We were forced to pass through, but we noticed that as we continued our journey through, the tortured souls floated through the viscous fluid to sneer at us.)

"Look, if it ain't the priest."

"Pathetic and useless."

"The virgin. All his life and nothing to show for it. Bah."

Father Laguardia, these souls that taunt us. Why are they not suffering?

L: Look closer, Riccardo, and see that the lustful in life are forced to forever maintain a twisted version of their passionate image for the rest of time. They do not truly mean the things they say; if you look closely, you can see the gritting of their teeth, the tears welling beyond the blood. The Lust has overtaken all of them, and the Lustful are fully aware and completely regretful.

(Then, all but two of the souls left. The two seemed to be hideously formed into one, a male and a female, the part that had been welded together glowing a bright scarlet.)

L: These are the tortured souls of Paolo and Francesca. I believe you had heard their story before. An arranged marriage was set up for both of them. However, the arranger of the marriage, the groom's brother Paolo, became the center of her sinful lust. They had committed adultery and, in the end, took their own lives. However, their lust outweighs their suicide, and so they goad all the souls and wanderers for the rest of eternity.

Paolo: W-why, priest, do y-you shun the greater urges? Why do you not join us? (At this point, I could hear the cracking of age and regret in his voice.)

Francesca: Y-yes... I-I... (She remained strong for a long time, and was unable to speak.)

Paolo: Why do you not wish to join us? Why must you not be as to us?

Francesca: Why...?

Father Laguardia, can we not save these poor souls?

L: No. I'm afraid you ask too much of me.

You two. I refuse your offer. I cannot help you, and all I can say is that I look upon you in pity.

(Then the two began weeping, and suddenly the red bond glowed. They struggled against it, pulled their heads back away from each others', but then the crimson bond was too strong, and the two were forced to obsculate in front of us. Then the bond consumed them both, and drifted off, out of the center of the storm and into the wild outer winds.)

Father Laguardia, I have nothing more than the utmost pity for them.

L: Aye. And pity is all we can give these souls. Do not forget that they have chosen this of their own accord.

Father Lagaurdia... that may have been one of the tougher decisions I've ever had to make.

L: ...if you say that here, while we are so far from the epicenter of the realm, while we barely lie beyond the outskirts, still two circles away from the City of Dis, then you must learn to be stronger. Or else the challenges later will overtake you.

(We left The Lust Storm behind us, and rested on a cliffside facing the unholy precipice of the Gluttonous circle.)

Canto IV

*Sounds of moaning souls, the river pushing us foward*

L: "Riccardo, we have arrived on the opposite shore."

How long has it been?

L: "Only three days."

Three days? It feels like we had spent only a meager night.

L: We were in Charon's study for the majority of the ride. Time moves slower for those agonized souls.

...of course, Father.

(Around me we saw many souls wandering around. They all were doing one action over and over, one emotion, one mindset. They looked almost oblivious to us.)

Father Laguardia, who are these tormented souls?

L: These are the neutral souls. They have done too much to be in the Vestibule, but they have not done enough to earn entryway into the later circles. These are those who took a neutral-yet-devout stance in life. The ones you see typing over there, typing on nothing but the empty air for all eternity, are neutral bloggers who were neither runner nor proxy, only someone who was worried for their friend. However, these are only those that have not sinned enough to gain entry to the other circles. Another group you may see here are the proxies who did not serve The Dark One, but neither did they act against him. 

*Man running up*

L: Riccardo, I suggest we run.

(He was a strange looking man. He dressed in a black hooded coat and wore a strange mask that seemed to have both a theatrical happy face and a theatrical sad face on either half. I'm calling this man P.)

P: *Silent*

L:  Listen, young man. I know that you feel compelled to do what you are about to do. But understand the consequences will be very severe...

P: *Roars, charges Laguardia with an upturned knife*

(Laguardia then did something terrifying and fascinating at the same time. With the ease that one would breathe, Laguardia lifted his shadowy finger and the blade in the man's hand suddenly levitated on its own accord, sliced itself somehow into seven consecutive pieces, and clattered to the ground in an inward pointing circle. Then Laguardia tackled the poor man and whispered something in his ear. The man suddenly screamed. It was a long, torturous howl, and then somehow he dissipated into an inky smoke that cleared only seconds after, his echoed scream slowly fading from my ears. I can never forget that scream.)

What did you say to him, Father?

L: I told him the truth. I told him his Master's fate.

(I did not argue with him. We found a clearing in the woods. I have found little to say over these past few days. Things have seemed unnaturally tame. But I knew that the greater challenges, the greater tests of my faith and mayhap some reminders of my past may be lurking as near as the next circle. For now... I just want to rest. Under this tree. I want to have just one last moment before I go into the suffering. Laguardia is standing diligently, keeping an smoky, yellow eye out for any wandering intruders. I can finally sleep. If only for the time being.)