Adventures of Supergirl 7x13
2nd Circle
James found himself in the middle of a giant hurricane. All around him were dark clouds, streaks of lightning, deafening thunder, and the screams of the damned. Inside the storm, James could see countless shades being tossed about by the wind. They typically were in pairs of two, a male and female, but there were occasionally same-sex couples as well. James got his bearings within the storm floating high above the bottom of the pit below him. As he would fall, the wind would pick him back up, and spin him about.
Focusing on the shades, James saw that the pairs would often be in the middle of some epic love-making. They would caress each other and engage in all sorts of sexual acts so long as they were tightly bound to each other. Couples that failed to do so would get ripped away from each other by the intense wind. James watched the couples intrigued and even smiled in amusement as it became the greatest porn show he had ever experienced in all of his existence. Literally, thousands of couples got it on all around him, above him, below him, and to the sides.
"Doesn't seem too bad," James considered.
As if to say he spoke too soon, James soon realized the couples were never able to achieve orgasm or sexual satisfaction no matter how hard they tried. They would clutch at each other, grind into each other, and tear into one another at such a furious pace that they ended up wounding themselves rather than getting off. Other shades furiously touched themselves alone unable to get release while others orgasmed unceasingly without stopping eventually creating intense pain for themselves. These shades would moan and shriek unable to give themselves satisfaction. After a time, they would separate and find a new partner with the same result.
It was here that James understood this was the circle of lust and not love. There was no love to be found here as the shades simply used each other of either sex to get off. There was no real affection, commitment, or connection between any of them. All were short-lived. Upon this, James reflected on his own life and how futile his man-whore behavior had been. Yes, he had Lena now, but he now felt deep shame for his past. As if to mock him, images of all of his girlfriends over the last twenty years haunted him. James sighed receiving the message loud and clear.
The wind then picked up sending the shades into tornadoes inside the hurricane. Spinning faster and faster, the shades screamed in terror. James remained unaffected but saw thousands of shades going so fast that their limbs detached and split in half. Limbs of these shades then hit other shades blasting heads and torsos apart until the entire tornado became a collection of body parts.
"Holy shit," James said stunned.
Occasionally, the hurricane would rip off rock from the cliffside and spin it around. These projectiles often blasted couples apart on impact. After each horrific death, the shade was quickly made whole and tossed about some more. Looking around, James saw women sobbing as they were violated by sexually-hungry men. Women, likewise, showed their dissatisfaction with their partners by castrating the men with razor-sharp nails. A flurry of women then all came together to get at James.
"Yeah, back off," James said to them as they formed a swarm just below his legs. With his shield, James had to beat them off. The women screamed at James while appearing as all of James' previous girlfriends. "Free us from this hell, James!" they shrieked at him. "You sent us down here!"
"Nah, you're not Monica, Jennifer, Paula, Cathleen, Brittney, and Hillary," James doubted some of them.
The women were suddenly thrown off of James and scattered around the storm. In their place, a lone woman appeared. She was relatively tall, had brown skin, short blond hair, blond eyebrows, green eyes, and despite having a slender physique, D-cup breasts. She wore a long white dress, a sleeved shirt with a mid-drift that emphasized her breasts, and a collar that went up to her nose covering her mouth. On her back was a thick sword with a slit in the middle.
"I was once Queen of the Nile. Caesar begged for my body like a baby," she bragged.
"I take it you're a demon," James assumed.
"Clever man," Harribel mocked. "You'll never reach her in time before hell consumes her."
James placed his shield in front of him ready for a fight. "We'll see about that. Where are my friends?"
"In other circles of hell. This is the second circle. You were always the underachiever, James," she taunted. "The weakest of them all."
"You underestimate me," James shot back.
"Couldn't resist that Kryptonian bitch, could you?" Harribel mocked referring to Kara. "She was too good for you."
"Begone, thot," James said as he fired his silver cross at her. After a brief flash of light, Harribel remained.
"Fool, that isn't going to work on me," Harribel said obviously.
"Let me through this storm," James ordered.
"No," Harribel denied.
"Then, I'll have to beat your ass," James said resolved.
"Don't threaten me with a good time," Harribel said amused.
James and Harribel flew towards each other and clashed with their weapons several times. "Worried about your friends? I would concentrate on me," Harribel lectured. The two repeatedly clashed in the air with shades being whirled around them. "Something's happened," she sensed. "So, your sister is here. She has already succumbed to hell."
"You lie!" James shouted as he attacked her with furious energy.
Harribel kept James at bay with relative ease blocking and evading him. "Your concentration has increased considerably," she noted. James kicked Harribel's blade sending her off-balance and went for a headshot. Harribel blocked him just in time. Harribel's blade then glowed energetically. James quickly retreated before Harribel could fire an energy discharge at him.
"You have fought well," Harribel said amused. She then unzipped her shirt revealing a bra and skull mouthguard made of bone. Harribel dramatically increased her speed and slammed James with her sword sending him further down into the storm.
"Damn," James hissed as he felt the intensity of the hit. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel aroused for this woman that was kicking his ass. Harribel fired accurate energy blasts at him which he barely dodged. Harribel then swiped hard at him with her sword using her energy blasts as a distraction. James barely blocked her. Harribel quickly overpowered him and cast him further into the storm.
"This man is a Guardian?" Harribel shook her head dismayed. "I will end this." Holding up her sword, she let loose a tidal wave of water that circled around the hurricane like an ocean suspended off the ground. James was cast about by the intense waves along with the rest of the shades. As he found himself trapped in the water, James saw his mother, Sarah Olsen, weeping.
"Mother?" James choked out.
"I cheated on your father while he was deployed," she admitted to him.
"No, it's not true," James doubted.
She merely looked away ashamed. James went for his cross only to lose it in the water. Horrified, James swam after the cross as it floated away. Above the whirlpool of water suspended in the air, Harribel aimed her sword at James to get at him. She would playfully fire into the water hitting James every so often to hurt and frustrate him. All the while, James was forced to reflect on his many many affairs and how undeserving he was of Lena. As his cross was about to get away from him, James cried out in the water with a burst of effort.
3rd Circle
Nia landed with a thud beneath the hurricane of the 2nd circle. Looking up, she saw the fierce storm high above her. Thankful she was on the actual ground, she surveyed her surroundings. Behind her was the cliff wall. The lower steeps were covered in a slippery red muscular mucus making it nearly impossible to climb. Above that was the actual cliff wall with giant worms bulging from the rock breathing fire. Nia frowned as she realized the climb back to Limbo would be tough to impossible. Looking towards the pit, the ground was pure mud and it started to rain. The rain then turned to hail.
Annoyed but undeterred, Nia made her way across a large plain that gradually descended to the next level beyond the horizon. On her way, Nia found shades stuck in the mud barely able to move. As they were stuck, they were constantly rained and hailed upon. Nia gave them a sympathetic look and kept going. A giant worm with three heads then erupted from the surface. The worms had large mouths with sharp teeth. They searched the ground blind but eventually found shades to feed upon. To Nia's horror and dismay, the three-headed worm devoured the shades where they would then go through the worm's long digestive tract and eventually out the other end. The shades screamed in terror as they were picked up, torn apart, and then swallowed.
"I have to do something," Nia said taking out her whip.
The worm then screeched at Nia upon noticing her. Nia snapped her whip and then wrapped it around one of the heads of the worm. She then pulled back, slicing the head off of the worm. The worm's head fell into the mud and began to immediately rot. The worm quickly regenerated two heads to replace the one.
"Well...shit," Nia realized.
The worm heads proceeded to vomit all over Nia. "That's really gross," Nia said disgustedly. Realizing she couldn't maim the worm, Nia proceeded to use her whip sword blades to slice deep into each of their bodies. The blades extended and retracted quickly creating deep gashes in each of the worms. The whole worm screeched at Nia and then went back into the ground.
"I did it," Nia said impressed with herself. She then realized the entire plains ahead of her were filled with countless worms eating shades. Continuing on her journey, Nia was hit with constant hail. Suddenly, a worm from the ground attacked her. Nia slashed the worm's mouth in half with her whip sword and quickly escaped. Around her on both sides were occasional pits filled with stuck shades that were then devoured by worms.
"What could they have done to deserve this?" she wondered.
"Shall I enlighten you?" a figure asked approaching her. The figure wore a mask with several holes lined up in two rows, a white suit, and a tall collar. "Follow me," the figure said with a distorted voice.
Curious, Nia followed the figure on the path towards the lower levels. "Who are you?" Nia asked apprehensively.
The figure took off her mask to reveal herself as Nia's mother, Isabel Nal. "Do you still recognize me?" she asked.
Nia stared at her mother's face, the same face she remembered from the day she died. "Is it really you?" she asked doubtfully.
"It's been a while, daughter. You're looking good," Isabel complimented. "What's with that look? Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Yes, mother," Nia said tearfully.
"Have a seat, dear. No one will bother us," Isabel said referring to a rock bench. Nia reluctantly sat next to her. "Why are you here in hell?" Nia asked.
"The same reason you're here. We're gluttons. All the sinners here are known for being gluttons of food, drink, and worldly pleasures," Isabel explained. "I drink too much wine, I end up in hell, cause, and effect, action-reaction."
"I don't drink. Why am I here?" Nia wondered.
"You enjoy all the food Barney cooks you, all the pizzas and sushi he brings you," Isabel pointed out.
"Wait...I'm a male-to-female transsexual in a sexually forbidden relationship with a robot...and I end up here?" Nia asked incredulously. "Shouldn't I be a few levels further down?"
"Do you wish to be?" Isabel asked confused.
"Well...sort of. You see, I'm trying to save my boss' adopted sister who happens to be an...acquaintance of mine," Nia winced.
"That's why you're here body and soul?" Isabel asked confused.
"Well, she's also LGBT so I felt honor-bound to save her. Hopefully, I can save her and maybe some more too," Nia said showing her the silver cross. "How have you survived in this place? It's horrible."
"I have nerves of steel, dear," Isabel reminded her. "My will is beyond the scope of hell's calculations."
Nia gave her a horrified look not understanding or accepting her mother's fate. "Why the long face?" Isabel asked.
"I just can't believe you're here forever," Nia said tearfully.
"Now, child, it's not all bad. I actually prefer to be here. Soon, I'll go down to where Lucifer is and free every Naltorian in hell. You'll see," she said confidently. "I'm glad you were the one that came down here at this level. Now, we can talk strategy."
Isabel got back to her feet. Nia suddenly saw a premonition alerting her and darted out of the way as Isabel nearly sliced through her face with her sword. Nia backed away stunned, her cheek bleeding from the slice. "I'm so sorry happy, dear. If it was the old you, you would have died from that thrust just now. A mother's love comes from seeing her child's growth," Isabel said delightedly.
"What the fuck?" Nia whispered.
"Is there something strange...about me wanting to kill you?" Isabel asked. "You're the one that predicted my death and didn't tell anyone. You're the reason why I'm here. Do you understand why I wanted to kill you? Are you prepared to be killed by me, Nia? Are you prepared to offer your life as atonement for your incompetence?"
"I am...but not now," Nia said sincerely. "I did fail you, mother. I think that failure will haunt me no matter how many years have passed. If my suffering lifts your spirits even a little bit, then so be it. But I have to save my friend first. Then, you can kill me."
Isabel gave her a long stare and then chuckled amused. "Just kidding. It's a joke. Sure, I want you to atone for your failure. But to kill you and send you to hell? I wouldn't think to do something like that."
"Oh, thank God," Nia said relived. "I'm feeling a roller coaster of emotion right now, mother."
"If you really want to atone for your failure, bring me the heads of your friends," Isabel said super-seriously.
"Wait...what?" Nia thought she misheard.
"None of your friends have their powers with them, it's an even playing field. If you catch them off-guard, it won't be hard at all," Isabel said. "If you do that, your failure will be all under the bridge."
"You're not joking...right?" Nia asked stunned.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" she asked super-serious.
"You're not my mother," Nia said backing away.
"And you're not my son so let's call it even," Isabel smirked.
"What the fuck are you?" Nia asked spooked.
4th Circle
Lena landed inside a tunnel system deeper and closer to the center of the pit than the 3rd circle. The walls were a mixture of flesh and stone as if alive. The tunnels were lit by glowing rivers of boiling gold. Lene eyed the gold curiously wondering how pure it was, what kind of market value this cave would be worth. At this rate, she would be richer than Mansa Musa.
Turning away from the gold, Lena continued down the tunnel hoping there would be an eventual end to it. Creeping anxiety filled her that the tunnel would go on forever, that it would be impossible to escape. The tunnel was wide but uneven requiring a significant hike. Occasionally, Lena would see waterfalls of liquid gold. Upon entering a large cavern, Lena saw large vats of boiling liquid gold. Bats then descended down towards her. Lena took out her bow, charged an arrow made of pure spiritual energy, and fired on the bats destroying them.
"Sweet," Lena said pleased and then fired on the rest of the bats with good aim. "I knew archery at prep school would come in handy. I can thank my father for that."
Lena avoided the vats of gold and jumped onto mechanical gears as she made her way further. It was as if the tunnel system was an elaborate factory to boil gold. She then came upon a locked door. Lena fired on the door blasting it off. Inside this cavern was a spinning generator responsible for keeping the gold liquid. Ignoring the Medieval-looking machinery, Lena continued through the tunnels finding occasional gold statues of tormented souls as if to mock the current residents.
Lena then saw shades mining away in the tunnels looking for gold. Their clothes were dark and dirty from time spent in the mines. They carried on their shoulders outrageously large sacks of gold and then made their way out while others with empty sacks came in. All of this made Lena wonder about the economy of hell. Were these shades using the gold to buy products and services? How did they control inflation? Was gold the only currency? Did they outsource the minting production to someone else? All of these questions went through her head as she saw them work. Suddenly, she noticed someone familiar.
"Father?" she asked recognizing Lionel Luthor.
He was in ragged clothes, his face appeared dirty and tired, his hair and beard were unkempt but it was undeniably him. "Lena?" he wondered. "Have you followed in my footsteps?" he asked horrified.
"No, father. I'm here to save a friend," Lena assured him.
"You're still living. There's still hope for you," Lionel said pleased.
"Why are you here?" Lena asked stunned.
"I hoarded money in excess. I was greedy beyond all measure. I made it my life's work to acquire more and more capital. Honestly, I've done a great many sins I'm not proud of. I feel fortunate I was sent here to this circle," Lionel said.
"But you had charities, foundations," Lena brought up.
"It's not just consequences but also intentions, Lena. I did what I did to receive tax write-offs and to promote the Luthor brand so as to make even more money. Everything I did from the time of my youth was in the business of making money. And now...I have an infinite amount of money and no way to spend it," he said tearfully.
"Then why mine it?" Lena asked confused.
"We all feel compelled by our greed to mine it, to hoard it, to protect it. But every time I manage to save even a little, the thrifters take it from me and send it back into the mines. You see, they feel the same compulsion to waste money as we do to acquire it. I recognize some of those bastards," Lionel said bitterly.
"So, what's the point?" Lena asked.
"It's beyond reason, Lena. I feel an ache in my heart to take the gold from these mines. I suffer without it. Just talking to you like this is nearly unbearable," Lionel shuttered.
"Let me help so we can still talk," Lena offered.
The two went to work to increase Lionel's sack. During their bonding, Lionel would inform Lena of what was and what wasn't quality gold. "The fuckers put fake gold down here. I know it. But I can tell," Lionel said as he eyed a nugget.
"You said you deserved worse than this," Lena brought up.
"Well, of course. I worked with the CIA to bring my parents down. I didn't know my parents would be killed in the bombing but I felt responsible my whole life," Lionel said.
"Anything else?" Lena asked curiously.
"I tried to murder my own son, Lex," Lionel admitted.
"What happened?" Lena asked shocked.
"Lex...found a way to split himself in two in one of his Kryptonite experiments. One was good, the other was evil. The evil Lex killed the good one and then told me what he had done. In my rage, I tried to kill him, but he killed me instead," Lionel said. "Murdered by my own son. I suppose it's poetic justice."
"I see," Lena said as everything became clearer to her now.
"Does the fake Lex still live?" Lionel asked.
"He was split again and the evil version was killed. Now, only the third version remains," Lena said.
"That explains why I have been so confused. You see, we can see the past and the future but never the present. I want to believe Lex's soul is still alive in this third version you speak of," Lionel said.
"I hope so, too," Lena agreed.
"Then, I can suffer my penance knowing there is hope for you and Lex," Lionel smiled. "How is Lillian?"
"She died...recently," Lena said. "I was told she redeemed herself in the end."
"That's good," Lionel nodded.
"I can't bear the thought of our family being separated for all eternity," Lena said sadly.
"Well, you'll have to bear it. Just forget about me," Lionel said miserably.
Lena followed Lionel out the tunnels. After a long journey, they finally reached the surface. There, Lionel felt compelled to take his sack up a jagged mound. Lena assisted him as he struggled to get to the top. "Up here, it's harder for the thrifters to get to my gold," Lionel told her.
"Right," Lena said still unsure what the point was.
At the top of the mound, Lionel and Lena could see countless mounds and mine-shafts on the surface for as far as the horizon. Lionel took a satisfied breath that his treasure was now secure for the moment. The two then saw the thrifters go up each of the mounds in mass, overwhelm the greedy, and then pour the gold back down into the shaft. The thrifters then wept as there was no more for them to waste.
"Can't you sign a treaty with them to stop wasting your gold?" Lena asked naively.
"They won't answer to reason. They feel the same urge to waste as I do to acquire. Even now, I don't think this is enough," he said referring to his sack.
"It's like an addiction," Lena noted.
"Money is the greatest addiction of all," Lionel agreed.
Thrifters then climbed up the mound to get at Lionel's gold. "Back off," Lena told them as she charged her bow. The thrifters were undeterred. Lena fired a warning shot. When that didn't work, she began firing on the thrifters injuring them and forcing them off the mound. Lionel watched in amazement as Lena increased her rate of fire to dozens of arrows a second to bring all the thrifters down. Still, like drones, they kept coming back up. Lena continued to fire on them blasting off heads and limbs. Finally, the thrifters moaned at the base of the mound slowly regenerating their lost heads and limbs.
Lena and Lionel then heard a mock clap down below. Looking down, there was a slender man with pink hair, eyeglasses made of bone, and wearing a white suit. He held a long katana blade on his belt. "Are you a demon?" Lena asked him.
"Such insight. I am Szayel," he said.
"You don't look particularly impressive," Lena insulted.
"Yes, be at ease. However, I'm still more powerful than you," Szayel mocked. "By the way, who are you?"
"Lena Luthor," Lena replied.
"A Luthor? I'll add another one of you to my collection. What good fortune I have that you should find your way to my circle," Szayel smiled.
"You might think otherwise after I kick your ass," Lena said and then suddenly flashed off the mound to behind Szayel's body. She then fired a single arrow that sliced through Szayel's back and out his chest.
5th Circle
Winn found himself on the shore of the River Styx. The river was quite wide with the other side several miles away. The river was particularly muddy and turbulent with harsh currents. Inside the river were perpetually pissed-off shades that would have no hesitation to punk Winn should he attempt to cross. Winn eyed the wrathful as they punched, bit, and pulled each other's hair for no particular reason. Aside from the physical violence and drowning each other, they were forever filled with rage. On the other side of the river was a large gate, his destination if he wanted to go deeper into hell.
"Well...shit," Winn sighed.
6th Circle
Kelly was fortunate enough to have landed beyond the Walls of Dis in the sixth circle and was now in the inner circles of hell. There, she found countless tombstones, mausoleums, and tombs. The graves of each tombstone were open with shades inside confined to the small area. While there, they suffocated on smoke and were occasionally burned alive with fire. Some of the shades stood up as they were roasted while others sat beyond view. In either case, they screamed in pain and shouted in lamentations. These were the heretics.
Kelly stared, blinked, and then stared some more as she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. She had gone from limbo all the way to the sixth circle and was not prepared for the sudden adjustment in savagery. The shades were compelled to speak proper theology and to mock their own as foolish as Kelly passed them. On the tombstones were their names as it was sometimes difficult to decipher them from their burnt-ass appearance. It was then that Kelly recognized some of her psychology professors.
"This is some bullshit," Kelly muttered as many of her respected colleagues in the field were in this circle. Kelly then came upon the grave of the sergeant she was engaged to before she was killed in Iraq on patrol. As it happened, this US Army sergeant was a chaplain assistant and was apparently spouting all sorts of heresy before she was killed.
"Emily? No," Kelly shook her head dismayed.
Emily then emerged from the grave horribly burned and coughing on the smoke from her grave. She eyed Kelly with shock. "You're alive," she said hoarsely. "There's still hope for you."
"I'm going to get you out of there," Kelly said and then attempted to assist Emily out of the grave. In response, the flames roared around them both forcing Kelly to disengage. Emily screamed in pain from the flames.
"Don't touch me!" she shrieked.
The flames then went down as Kelly kept her distance. "How?" Kelly asked dismayed.
"I'm here for heresy," she said vaguely. "I said some shit that I knew was false because I wanted it to be true."
"Like what?" Kelly asked. "Did it have something to do with being gay?"
Smoke filled the grave interrupting Emily's explanation. When the smoke faded away, Kelly pressed the issue. "Well?"
"Does it matter now?" Emily asked exhaustedly.
"Does anything matter?" a cold voice asked. Kelly turned her attention to a slender young man with pale skin, black hair, and green eyes. He wore a white suit like all the others and a sword blade at his waist. He appeared exactly the same as Brainiac 5.
"Barney?" Kelly asked confused and shocked at the same time.
"You remember my name? I don't recall telling it to you," he mocked with Brainiac 5's voice.
"Who are you, really?" Kelly asked.
"You may call me Ulquiorra and this is my circle," he replied.
"You're a demon," Kelly identified.
"You say so," he confirmed. "Why are you here?"
"To save Alex," Kelly said resolved.
"But she's dead," Ulquiorra pointed out.
"I'm going to save her," Kelly said adamantly.
"Stubborn, aren't we? Delivering the damned from hell to heaven is the ultimate heresy. No...never," Ulquiorra told her.
"I don't believe you," Kelly told him off. "Look, I have no reason to fight you."
"What do you mean?" Ulquiorra asked confused.
"You haven't harmed me or any of my friends. So, let's just keep things civil," Kelly said.
"I see," Ulquiorra realized. "What if I told you I was the one that prepared Emily's grave," he said pointing it out.
"You're just trying to get a rise out of me," Kelly sensed.
"It's curious. I sense no heresy in you, Kelly Olsen. You see, for one to be a heretic, they must know the truth and still speak falsely of God and morality. You, on the other hand, are simply ignorant of the truth," Ulquiorra taunted. "The damned in this circle are deserving of higher punishment because their sin comes from thoughtful deliberation rather than impulsiveness. The other circles of lust, gluttony, greed, and wrath are more instinctive sins that come from your fallen animal nature. In the other circles, the damned find themselves punishing themselves based on their life choices. Here, I invented the punishments. Do you approve?"
"Why are you doing this?" Kelly asked.
"One particular heresy I found amusing is the notion that the body and soul die upon death. So, in an ironic twist, these heretics were placed in open graves where they exist for eternity in suffering," Ulquiorra said. "Then, I simply decided to put all heretics in all manners of graves to remain consistent including your dear, sergeant."
"Tell me...were you born fucked up or did you have to work on it?" Kelly asked tearfully.
"I had to work on it," he assured her. "At one point, we were all angels. We were pure, sinless, and always obedient to the All-Mighty. But occasionally we make mistakes from time to time. As much as I have corrupted mankind, mankind has corrupted me. For that, I cannot forgive," Ulquiorra said calmly.
"You take the appearance of my friend to fuck with me?" Kelly asked.
"Yes," Ulquiorra said bluntly. "Your cybernetic friend is the pope of the future leading humanity to a heresy-free world. I have to admire him for that."
"So, whatever Barney says is the truth?" Kelly asked.
"Not necessarily. As I have said, heresy is only committed when you know the truth and believe otherwise. For those purely mistaken, they may be saved in the end," Ulquiorra explained.
"Emily didn't lie to me," Kelly said forcefully.
"Her presence here, in this place, suggests otherwise," Ulquiorra said coldly.
"Well, I believe I can absolve her with this," Kelly said taking out her cross.
"Is that what you think? Were you intending to use that on Alexandra?" he asked mockingly. "No, it will only annihilate the soul. Is that what you want?"
"You're full of shit," Kelly said shakily.
"You're right. Go ahead," Ulquiorra encouraged.
Kelly hesitated even with Emily on fire and coughing of smoke. "I was told to bring this cross back to the living. How does it make any sense for souls to be annihilated then?" she asked him.
"Perhaps, the souls are annihilated once you come back to the living," Ulquiorra shrugged. "Think, how could you absolve the damned? They've already been judged. Where's the theological evidence in scripture for it? Isn't this all the imagination of a demented mind?"
"I have to have faith," Kelly said softly.
"To absolve her, you must believe she's guilty of heresy. You must truly believe it in your heart. Can you do that?" Ulquiorra challenged.
"I don't even know what her heresy was," Kelly said confused.
"Oh, I think you know, don't you?" Ulquiorra mocked.
Kelly imagined it had to be the controversy over homosexuality. It had to be. But if she accepted that as truth and absolved Emily what would that mean for her? She couldn't accept it. What if she tried anyway and simply failed? But what if it was something else unrelated. Kelly tried to push her prejudice and preconceived notions aside for this moment. "I'm not going to judge. Whatever it is, I will absolve it without explanation, without reservation," Kelly said finally.
Ulquiorra waited patiently for her to make a move. Kelly looked back to Ulquiorra wondering if he would strike her as he remained behind her at all times. Finally mustering up the courage, she pointed the cross at Emily. "I absolve you," she said.
Emily's soul then disappeared inside the cross. Ulquiorra merely gave her a blank look. "Now, there's someone here you might want to meet," he said coyly.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Kelly said putting her foot down.
"Suit yourself. I'll pay your father a visit alone then," Ulquiorra replied and then walked off.
Seventh Circle
Kara, Mon, Jeremiah, and John came together near a river of boiling blood, the Phlegethon River. On the shores were centaurs firing arrows at shades attempting to find relief above the surface of the river. When shades were hit with arrows, they went back down to the bottom of the river. The centaurs patrolled the entire length of the river. At the same time, demons in white suits also patrolled the river with scythe blades in their hands. These were the violent who shed blood.
Kara turned to the other three. "Let's begin."
Author's Notes: All AOS characters are guilty of...everything but I decided to place them in different circles for comedic and dramatic reasons. A lot of characters and concepts from the anime, Bleach, are being used here. Ulquiorra was always what I imagined B5 to be in AOS, cold, calculating, nihilist. As with all things, various characters appear in hell that may or may not be real. The twist is that you have to sincerely believe that person is in hell and accept that fact in order to absolve them which is tough to deal with it when it comes to family.
*James: I decided early on that James would be a man-whore. His role in Season 1 was essentially to create romantic drama for Kara and Lucy while also cock-blocking poor Winn. I simply exaggerated his lustful attitude for AOS.
*Nia: There's still controversy over Nia's identity and her actions towards that identity that I decided to totally cop out on. Nia's gluttony is a reference to an early episode of Season 5. And while it is true Nia had rage issues in 5x15, the context was a little different in AOS. Also, I needed something that Nia and Isabel could both share. For some, Nia not informing anyone of her mother's demise despite the dream being super-duper-obvious makes her DAF. I may or may not be part of that "some."
*Lena: Lionel's appearance in hell heavily references the prequel fic, Midvale. Lena's relationship with Lionel is explored more in the Midvale chapter: Lena. For those who have read Midvale, Lionel's fate makes perfect sense.
*Kelly: The ex-fiance of Kelly is an unnamed sergeant in the US Army. I decided to give her a random name because that irritates me when characters like that are not given names. As to "Emily's" heresy, I'm doing another cop-out as to what it may have been. It's important to distinguish heresy from being an infidel that ends up in limbo.