Canto III
As we crossed, L explained to me why Charon was so angry, saying that the river guide led only the souls filled with Divine Justice to the other side, excluding Dante himself. Dante's voyage had been a surprise for Charon, but he had perversely taken hope in the fact that he wouldn't have to pole someone else like that across his river again. That was the reason why he was all the more furious when I showed up. However, something about Charon's remark smacked of something else, but since I couldn't figure it out at the moment, I filed it away for future thought.
We reached the other side within minutes, and L departed the boat as gracefully as he had entered, though I had more trouble, seeing as I was feeling a little nauseous from the voyage's rough passage.
After some brief recovery time, I took a look around to see where we were now. Dante had described Hell as funnel-like cave that dropped to the center of the earth. From my vantage point, I could see terraces like the ones I stood on outside of Machu Picchu, some lit up by fire and others not. I could see more of Acheron below, threading its way to a ledge where it dropped off. I could see nothing more after that particular terrace.
The slope we were on was covered in grass, rather like a great field. Clusters of men, women and children all roamed freely, all dressed, unlike the rest of the souls I'd seen. Children raced around chasing each other, while the adults watched on with expressions of sadness.
"We're in the first circle, aren't we?" I asked L, who had apparently forgotten my disinclination to give him my soda.
"We are," L replied, biting his thumb yet again. "This is my eternal damnation, some might say. No hope of redemption is the only punishment here, though my only annoyance is that they have nothing sweet."
"Oh," I said, but I had another question ready and waiting. "Isn't this circle only for the virtuous pagans, though? Those born without being baptized?"
"I wasn't baptized," L pointed out, digging his toes into the grass.
"That's not what I meant," I said, realizing that he would nitpick my questions until I had them stating the correct parameters of my interest. "I meant the ones born without hope of baptism, before the birth of Christ."
"God's standards have gone down now that there are so many other religions in the world," L replied, beginning to walk towards the inner border of this circle. "Since He thinks that it's now too easy for the masses to be led astray, He has ordained that all pagans—regardless of birth date—are to be placed here."
"So because you never believed in anything—" I began.
"It means that I will stay here," my guide finished for me. "Others from my world are here, too, like Matt. Watari's in Heaven, though."
"What about Mello?"
"You'll meet him later on," L said. "He was too disreputable to get his slate cleared like Matt."
We crossed through the grassy swards, and came across Matt himself near the edge of the inner border. He was sitting on the grass, watching the line of souls heading to the second circle of hell with a lack of interest. He looked around when we neared him, and he stood up, looking much more interested.
"This is Elizabeth Bushman," L said to Matt by way of introduction. "She's going through Hell."
"Like Dante?" the redhead asked, curious.
L gave him a look, which was obviously the genius's equivalent of a "duh."
"Nice to meet you," Matt said, nodding to me.
"Nice to meet you as well," I replied. "Please call me Liz."
The redhead turned to my guide and addressed him more cheerfully. "How long are you staying in this circle?" he asked. "It's really boring without you around, especially since it was already pretty dull here before you left."
"You don't talk to all the poetic geniuses Dante talks about in the Inferno?" I asked, startled.
"No," Matt said with a sigh. "They didn't like it when L showed them that everything they knew from their time was pretty much wrong, especially scientifically and mathematically. They've retreated into their Citadel of Human Reason. Technically, we can enter that as well, but they don't do anything interesting, so we hang around out here most of the time."
"It's not my fault they were all born before the Age of Enlightenment and the Technological Revolution," L said uninterestedly, scratching his head.
"Your apathy made it worse," Matt retorted. "It destroyed all their egos."
"Before we leave here," I told L, making up my mind in that instant, "I would like to see the Citadel."
"Why?" Matt asked, looking surprised.
"If Dante saw it, then I see it too," I said firmly to both.
L and Matt traded looks. "If you want to," Matt said at last. "It'll relieve the boredom for a while, at any rate."
We turned and walked to the right for a while across the grass, until I saw a large stone castle on a small hillock. We entered this through an immense door set in the surrounding wall—no moat or drawbridge was in sight. We crossed what looked like a parade ground and entered the keep through large door that was obviously the main entrance.
Inside was a vast hall, lit from above, and filled with many men and women. Those nearest to us turned to see Matt, L, and I walk through the doors, and began to whisper excitedly. I ignored them, used to this from my extensive traveling in foreign countries, and promptly looked around. The ceiling was vaulted like a cathedral, as large as a two- or three-story building. A railing ran around the walls, separating a loft-like area from the ground, upon which more people were clustered. Doors from both the main and second floors led off to other places.
Silence had descended upon the crowds of people. A pathway was made as five men, whom I took to be the Master Souls of Pagan Antiquity Dante claimed had recognized him as one of their own. None looked favorably upon my guide or his friend, but all looked curiously upon me.
"Who are you?" the one in the lead demanded of me.
I stood up straighter, stung slightly by his seeming assumption that I was insignificant. "It is polite to give your own name first, sir," I replied as haughtily as I could manage. (I'm never good at controlling myself when provoked.)
He scowled at me, but the one next to him stopped him from saying anything with a raised hand, and addressed me instead. "He is Horace," the man said more kindly. "I myself am Virgil. These are Lucan, Homer, and Ovid."
I bowed slightly to him, and offered my name. "I am Elizabeth Bushman." I used my full name, as it was far more elegant than my friends-family-and-teachers-used Liz. Sadly, there was nothing I could do about my last name.
"And what is your purpose here, Miss Bushman?" Virgil asked.
"She is traveling through Hell," Matt said for me. "L is her guide."
Virgil momentarily looked miffed, but he accepted Matt's words as truth. "Very well," the poet said, and, turning back in the direction he'd come, disappeared into the crowd. It was clearly a dismissal. The other poets followed him, a few more reluctant than others.
"Are you satisfied?" L asked in undertone, meaning to be heard by only me (and Matt, who was blatantly eavesdropping).
"Yes," I replied, just as quiet. "We can leave now."
My curiosity satisfied, the three of us left the building and returned to the border between the first and second circles. There, L and I left Matt, and the black-haired detective and I continued on to face Minos.
Character Guide:
Matt:
Name: Mail Jeevas [pronunciation: Mile Jeeves
Aliases: M the second, Matt
Occupation: Detective, accomplice to Mello
Age: 19 (practically 20)
Manga: Death Note (Shounen)
Matt is Mello's cohort, basically, and the third in line of L's successors. Mello's only friend, he assisted Mello in Mello's attempts to capture Kira after L died.
Since he only appears in ten panels of the canon manga, all the readers know about him comes from the Death Note: How to Read vol. 13. He is a chain-smoker who likes to play video games, and doesn't like to go out. He's also the only person who can stand up to Mello and not get murdered for it.
He is an orphan from Waltari's orphanage.
Description: 5'6", reddish-brown hair, wears goggles a lot, dresses in normal clothing, and is usually depicted playing video games on something resembling a PSP or Nintendo DS while smoking.
