Adventures of Supergirl 7x16
7th Circle
Nel continued to lead Kara, Mon, Jeremiah, and John around the blood river to the dark forest. "Are we almost there yet? This river of blood is getting real old," Kara said annoyed.
"I once thought it would be cool to have a river of blood around my castle moat but now I'm having second thoughts," Mon admitted.
"Sorry to disappoint you. We're almost there," Nel assured them.
"How are you holding up?" Kara asked him.
"No different than weighted clothing," Mon shrugged.
"I mean seeing your mother, father, and the rest of your race in that sorry state?" Kara asked sympathetically.
"It's kind of changed my whole perspective on life. At first, it had been my dream to get to hell and kick ass. Now that I know it's this, I don't think I want to any longer," Mon said reflectively.
"You going to go all pacifist on me now?" Kara asked stunned.
"Fuck no. I'm going to just kill bad guys now under proper government sanction," Mon clarified.
"I'm sorry, it looks like we're sinking. If you ride me, I can bring you ashore," Nel said as the platform began to dissolve in the river.
"I know that wasn't supposed to sound sexual, but...," Kara began, and then the platform sank into the river with them on it. The four were immediately up to their shoulders in the river. Residents of the river started moving towards them.
"Nel, take John to the shore first. He has to live," Kara said to her.
John reluctantly got onto the back of the centaur and then made their way to shore while the remaining three trudged along. After putting John onshore, Nel went for Mon and then Jeremiah. The shades of the river then revealed themselves to Kara once she was alone. "I was under a family curse and didn't know how to use my powers. You killed me before I had a chance to redeem myself," Siobhan said to Kara.
"I had my body taken from me. My mind and soul were inside a machine poisoned by radiation and hate. With all your power and technology at your disposal, couldn't you have saved me?" John Corben asked her.
Kara then turned to see Parasite. "I merely wanted to make the world better by ending Climate Change. You knew the danger but you resisted me and misled the people," he accused her.
"I wanted to protect aliens from discrimination and oppression by the humans. Instead of taking me under your wing, you simply killed me. And now I am here," Scorcher said to her.
"Is this the 'Hate on Kara' show?" Kara mocked. "You all ended up here because of your own damn faults."
"Must we suffer in agony for all eternity separated from our loved ones without hope?" Scorcher asked.
"Can you sleep at night knowing how many people you sent to hell?" John Corben asked.
"Like a baby," Kara said dismissively.
"I can see the future. The world will be on fire soon enough," Parasite said.
"You killed your own people and made an ass of yourself. You did more damage to Climate Change than I ever could," Kara told him off.
"If I had known you were Supergirl, I would never have crossed you. If I knew your power, I would never have dared to attack you," Siobhan said weepingly.
"You're telling me you would have all been angels if I had revealed how powerful I was from the beginning?" Kara asked.
"Yes," they all said.
"Yeah, bullshit," Kara doubted.
The centaurs fired arrows at the shades to take them down. Despite their wounds, the shades stayed above the river to speak with Kara. "Have mercy on your opponents when you come back to the living," Scorcher beseeched her.
The centaurs continued to rain down arrows on the shades. "Hey, stop!" Kara ordered them. The centaurs ignored her and continued to fire until all four of them were pin cushions. The shades cried out in pain and were about to fall into the boiling blood. "I'm sorry," Kara said to them all. "I absolve you," she said zapping all four of them with her cross. Nel then came out to get her.
"The forest is on the other side," Nel assured her. Once they were on shore, Kara took out her sword and sliced Nel in half at the midsection sending both halves into the river.
"That's for fucking with me," Kara said angrily. "You think you can lure out my foes from my past to make me feel bad. Think again, bitch."
Nel gave a screech of pain to her other comrades. "Damn it. We're fucked now," John said annoyed. The other centaurs charged them with bows ready. Kara, Mon, Jeremiah, and John readied their weapons as a swarm of centaurs rode towards them.
"Brilliant, Kara, just brilliant," Mon shook his head.
Kara had a crazed expression on her face with red eyes as she faced down the centaur army. "They say TV makes you violent. But I'd say not having my TV is making me pretty fucking violent right now!"
"Alright, time to go," Mon said pulling Kara back.
"Don't touch me, Mon," she told him off as he forced her into the forest.
"We don't have much time," Jeremiah judged.
"Yeah, I think you're right," John agreed. The four ended up retreating into the forest where the centaurs couldn't get to them. A rain of arrows came upon them in the forest. All four of them took cover behind trees as the arrows came down.
6th Circle
Winn, Lena, Nia, and James came upon the other side of Styx River injured and tired. "I think my back is a little better now," Lena said and then proceeded to throw up. In front of them was a large wall and gate for the City of Dis. Winn came forth and called out to the demons manning the wall. "Hello," he shouted out to them.
"Who the fuck are you?" the demon guard asked.
"I am Winn Schott," Winn introduced himself. "And these are my comrades."
"You're supposed to be in the River Styx. Get back," the demon said crossly.
"No, that was my father. I am the son," Winn clarified. "Whose wall is this?"
"This is the Wall of my master, Dis," he replied.
"Go and tell your master, we have been charged by God with a sacred quest. Please open your gate for us," Winn said politely.
"I'll tell him but I don't think he will be very keen," the demon-guard replied.
"Why is that?" Winn asked.
"You're mortal types. We're demons so fuck off," the demon-guard said finally.
"If you won't let us in, we'll have to take this wall by force," Winn threatened.
"You don't frighten us. I spit at you now," the demon-guard refused.
"Now...look here, demon," Winn began.
"I don't care to talk to you anymore. I fart in your general direction," the demon-guard said rudely.
"Is there someone else we can talk to? Like a manager?" Lena asked going into business mode.
"No, now go away or I will taunt you a second time," the demon-guard told her.
"Now, we have been more than reasonable. If you do not agree to our demands...," Winn said shakily. A minotaur was then launched from the other side towards them. The four scattered before the minotaur hit the ground and splattered.
"Enough of this bullshit," Lena said impatiently and then powered up an arrow. In a powerful burst, she hit the gate hard. When the smoke cleared, there was no result. "Shit," she shook her head.
"I got this," Winn said confidently and then hit the gate with his lance several times without result.
"I think there's a hole over there," Nia pointed out, the hole Ulquiorra had made in his fight with Kelly.
"I see it, too. Good eye," Lena said impressed.
Winn continued to slice at the gate door as the demons mocked him."Winn, come over here," James called out to him.
7th Circle
Now in the dark forest, Kara, Mon, Jeremiah, and John walked down a path through the trees. "How are we supposed to find her in this large-ass forest?" Kara asked John.
"Hell has a way of fucking with us. We'll find her," John said confidently.
As they went through the forest, Mon obnoxiously snapped every possible twig and low tree branch he could, causing the trees to moan and cry out in pain. "Can you stop doing that?" Kara asked annoyed.
"This reminds me of that time I went on an enthusiastic walk in Japan's forests," Mon recalled.
"Mon, no," Kara shut him down.
"Why? I have a great affinity for Japan," Mon excused.
"Mon, shut the fuck up, God damn," Kara shook her head dismayed.
On the trees were hanging bodies of those who had committed suicide. Many of the bodies were in a state of decomposition. The trees themselves were dark, diseased, dead, but occasionally held human characteristics like faces or limbs. The shades of this forest were all trees unable to move or even have their own body. Even at the final resurrection, they would still not get their own body. Mon continued to trip on roots and tear through the brush like a total asshole.
"So, how can Alex be in a cabin and not a tree?" Kara asked confused.
"It's the mixing of two works of literature on hell together in a hybrid fashion," John explained.
"Gotcha," Kara understood.
Over their heads, vultures flew over the forest and used their talons to rip at the tree branches. As they did, the forest cried out in agony while blood oozed from their broken limbs. "Shoot them down," Kara requested of John.
"I'd rather not give away our position," John refused.
Kara sighed frustrated. "What is our true path? How are we ever going to find her?"
"Listen, child," a tree said to her.
"Holy shit," Kara said startled as a tree with a face spoke to her.
"All around you are spirits, child. They live in the forest. If you listen, they will guide you. Listen with your heart, you'll understand. Let it break upon you like the waves upon the sand. Listen with your heart, you'll understand," the tree sang.
Kara listened to the wind going through the forest, the thoughts and feelings of all those trapped in the forest. "The spirit of the forest tells me she's this way," Kara pointed out.
"It's actually this way," John said taking out his compass. "Don't talk to the trees," he scolded.
6th Circle
Winn, Lena, Nia, and James entered the 6th circle easy enough through the hole in the wall and found open graves everywhere. "How do we find her?" James wondered anxiously.
Ulquiorra then appeared before them. "It's useless. Your meager powers will not be enough to save her from her fate."
"Fuck yourself," James said to him.
"Perhaps I wasn't clear," Ulquiorra glared at him.
Lena suddenly fired a rain of arrows from above. Ulquiorra batted them away with his wing. Lena fired even more arrows at thousands of them per second. The ground burst open from her firepower. Lena then dropped down and waited for the dust to clear. Ulquiorra emerged from the smoke and cratered ground unaffected. "I'm surprised. I thought of all of Kelly's friends, you were the most level-headed," he mocked.
"I am keeping my cool. That's how I know I'll handle you," Lena said defensively.
"You'll handle me? Your predecessor showed me much greater respect," Ulquiorra said annoyed.
Lena sped around Ulquiorra firing off concentrated bursts from different angles. Ulquiorra easily deflected each arrow away. Lena changed up tactics and fired on the ground forming a dust cloud to block Ulquiorra's visibility. She then fired again into the cloud only for Ulquiorra to deflect the arrow back at her. Lena barely dodged her own arrow and took to the air. Ulquiorra suddenly swatted her into a mausoleum creating a large hole.
"Finished already?" Ulquiorra asked condescendingly. "Your speed is impressive but you're still just a human. You're at your limit. You are guilty of one of the greatest heresies of all that faith and magic can be intertwined. Witchcraft will always be a sin. Your own mother can testify to that," Ulquiorra said pointing out her grave.
"I'm not done yet," Lena told him off.
Ulquiorra suddenly sped towards her and took hold of her left arm. In a sudden movement, Ulquiorra sliced her arm off and then threw her out of the mausoleum.
7th Circle
With John's compass, they found the cabin in the woods. "It could be a trap," John warned the others as they came closer.
"Scout it out," Jeremiah ordered.
The four did recon on all sides of the cabin to see if there was anything odd going on. They then came back together in front of the door. "You two are emotionally compromised and you're an ass," John said to the three. "I'll check it out."
"Be back in five," Jeremiah said seriously.
John cautiously went towards the cabin. As he approached the door, it opened for him. "Creepy as fuck," he muttered and then went inside. The cabin was in a state of disrepair as if years had gone by without proper maintenance. "Anyone home?"
John finally found Alex in a sitting position hunched over. She was bald with a clear headshot wound to both sides of her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," John said apologetically.
"Who the fuck are you?" Alex asked apprehensively.
"I'm your neighbor," John said dryly. "I just moved in."
Alex gave him a look of disbelief. "That sounds like bullshit."
"You're Alex Danvers, right?" John asked taking a knee next to her. "I was told a lot about you."
"Like what? What the fuck did they say about me?" Alex asked defensively.
"That you're a very talented doctor. You work for a hospital, right?" John said gently. "Nice place you got here."
Alex gave him an odd look. "There's no water pressure, electricity, or gas. No clean clothes or books to read either," she said miserably.
"Like camping," John said brightly.
A spider attempted to interrupt their conversation. John smashed the spider with the butt of his shotgun. "Thanks," Alex said appreciatively. "They're everywhere now." A vulture screeched over the cabin. "That's why I never leave."
"I don't blame you," John nodded. "How do you think you ended up here?"
"I committed suicide after my girlfriend killed herself. She was the loveliest person. It makes me sad thinking about it," Alex said reflectively.
"I also killed myself. I saw demons wherever I went and couldn't take it anymore. I overdosed and drugs and ended up here," John said.
"We're dead, aren't we?" Alex asked him.
"We can see and talk to each other. You can feel me," John said placing her hand on hers. "Seems pretty alive to me."
"I think you should leave," Alex told him off.
"Sure," John said getting up. He then strolled out the door. Outside, John met up with the others. "She's in rough shape. I doubt she'll be cooperative."
"If we absolve her, she goes to heaven without the possibility of reviving her," Kara pointed
"Try your best shot," John invited. "But eventually hell is going to try to stop us."
Kara went inside the cabin and found Alex. Resisting the urge to embrace her, Kara knelt down next to Alex. "I'm here to take you home."
"I am home," Alex replied.
"Your home is your apartment in Metropolis with Kelly," Kara told her.
"Kelly is dead," Alex replied.
"No, she came with me to get you. Come with me and she can see her," Kara enticed.
"You think I don't know what's happened to me?" Alex asked rhetorically as she showed her fingers become dark and wooden. "I'll soon be like the trees outside. They screamed and cursed me as I tore at them to make this cabin. It took so long to complete. It felt like months."
"It's a great cabin," Kara allowed.
"I killed myself. I let Kelly die. I failed to take down John Milton. I deserve to be here," Alex said to her.
"You sacrificed yourself to save the world. Kelly is alive and we sent John Milton back to hell," Kara corrected.
"Lies!" Alex accused as she stood up. "This is my fate for my sins. I don't belong anywhere else."
"If you stay here, you'll be a fucking tree," Kara told her.
"Why shouldn't I be? I've committed violence against myself. I've poisoned myself with alcohol. I profaned my body with women. My body was a temple and I destroyed it," Alex said.
"Alex, your body is a fortress and no enemy shall prevail against it," Kara rebuked.
"I was prevailed upon," Alex reminded her.
"No, you saved the world. You were in a no-win scenario. God has let me come to you now to bring you home," Kara told her.
"God sent me here," Alex objected.
"It was a mistake," Kara said stubbornly.
"God doesn't make mistakes. I deserve to be here," Alex said to her.
"It's not a matter of what you deserve, Alex," Kara said.
"I ruined my life. I'm a failure and I belong here," Alex insisted.
Kara got in her face. "That's right. You're a fuck up. You're shit. But we're all shit, shit covered in snow. Now, come back with me now."
"You should be here just as I am," Alex said angrily. "You should be even further in the pit. You're a traitor to your kin, to guests, to your country, to God."
Kara clutched her hair in anger and frustration. "If you don't come with me, I'll stay here with you."
"I don't give a shit what you do," Alex turned away from her.
Kara walked out of the cabin in a huff. "Your turn," she said to Jeremiah.
6th Circle
Winn, James, and Nia found Kelly in a stone sarcophagus and took off the lid. Kelly looked lifeless without her heart. "Is she dead?" James asked horrified.
"You can't kill the soul. We just need to take her back to heal her," Nia said.
"Let's take her out," Winn said. Winn and Nia took Kelly's body out of the sarcophagus and into the graveyard. Meanwhile, Lena tried to get closer to Ulquiorra for a decent shot. Before she could get too close, Ulquiorra kicked her away. With his tail, he whipped Lena to the face stunning her.
"Lena!" James called out.
Ulquiorra put his foot on Lena as the others converged. "I am not unreasonable. Give up your quest and I'll return you all to limbo. If you stay and fight, you will lose. I'll place you in these graves where you can neither die nor live. I'll take your weapons and crosses from you. All those you have saved will be returned to their rightful place."
"Why would you make that kind of deal? You're afraid," Nia sensed.
"Please, it's only a matter of practicality. With you out of the way, I can focus on the rest," Ulquiorra replied.
"So, the others are even deeper into the pit," James realized.
"You say so," Ulquiorra said coyly.
The group came together. "We're in no shape to continue. We should get out with what we have been able to gain," James reasoned.
"I don't know. Maybe I could fight him," Winn said.
"Before you take one step, he'll tear Lena apart," Nia reminded him.
"I love Alex just as you all do, but I can't lose my own sister. We have to have faith that the others will succeed," James said.
"A faith misplaced...I fear," Ulquiorra mocked.
"If we make a deal with a demon...does that make us bad people?" Nia wondered.
"Damn, I didn't even think about that," James said dismayed.
Ulquiorra put more pressure on Lena's body as he waited for their answer. Winn finally came forth with his lance towards Ulquiorra. "We accept," he said finally.
"A prudent decision. I was about to take her head off," Ulquiorra said as he whipped his tail around her neck. Ulquiorra pinched the air and opened a portal to limbo. "Until we see each other next time," he said ominously and then stepped off Lena.
James and Winn brought Kelly's prone body through. Nia assisted Lena to her feet and through the portal. Ulquiorra waited patiently for them to drag themselves through the portal and then closed it behind them. He then took his left eye out of his head and rose it high in the air so he could see where the others were deeper into the pit.
7th Circle
Jeremiah entered the cabin. "And who are you?" Alex asked annoyed by her constant visitors.
"I'm your father," Jeremiah replied.
"You were right to condemn me. I deserve this," Alex said filled with self-pity.
"I never condemned you to hell," Jeremiah denied.
"Then why did you give me such scorn?" Alex asked.
"I gave the same amount to Kara. I wanted you to have a better life on Earth and in the next," Jeremiah said.
"Well, you fucking failed," Alex said bitterly.
"If that were true, I wouldn't be allowed to be here," Jeremiah said.
"You murdering self-righteous bastard. You belong here, too," Alex spat.
"Your mother is dead," Jeremiah informed her. "You remain here, you'll never see her again."
"You're lying," Alex doubted.
"Am I?" Jeremiah challenged. "You going to punish her like that?"
"I don't give a shit. Just leave me alone," Alex said turning away.
"You're coming with me. That's an order," Jeremiah ordered her.
"Fuck your orders," Alex refused.
Jeremiah sighed and then went back outside. "She's been stripped of all grace. It's fruitless to gain her cooperation."
"Absolve her so we can get the fuck out of here," John advised.
"We didn't just come here to absolve her. We came here to take her soul back and put it back in her body," Kara insisted.
"I didn't sign up for that. That's fucking preposterous," John objected. "Even if you do what you're proposing, Alex's body is still brain dead."
"We can fix that," Kara said stubbornly.
"She'll have none of her memories or her personality," John pointed out.
"But at least I'll know her soul is the same, that she's not just meat and bone," Kara said. "Mon?"
"It's up to the father's decision," Mon said traditionally.
"If this were Mara, what would you do?" Kara beseeched him.
"Absolve her immediately," Mon said quickly. "I wouldn't take any risk. Ask yourself what is in Alex's best interests, not yours. You have to let her go."
Kara began to cry and walked back into the cabin. Upon approaching Alex, she embraced her. "I love you, Alex. You welcomed me to your world, you protected me in your own way, and you've always been my conscience. I'm so sorry I failed you. I gave you the medicine that killed you. Please forgive me," she said sobbingly.
Alex merely gave her a blank look. "If you're sorry, then join me here for all eternity."
Kara disengaged from Alex realizing the truth that only a shell of Alex remained. All grace, compassion, and goodness had been stripped from her. She then nodded to Jeremiah to absolve her. Jeremiah brought out his cross and pointed it at her. "You keep that thing away from me!" Alex spat.
"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I absolve you," Jeremiah said as he pointed the cross at her. There was a long moment when nothing happened. "I absolve you," Jeremiah said simply. Still, nothing happened.
"What the fuck is wrong?" Kara hissed. "Let me do it. I absolve you," she said to Alex without result. "You do it," she said to John.
"I absolve you," John said with his own cross.
"Maybe we have to switch up the crosses," Mon suggested.
"It worked on everyone before. Why isn't it working now?" Kara raged at John.
"I don't know. Maybe someone downstairs is blocking us," John suggested.
Alex gave them odd looks as they began to argue over her fate. "If the crosses don't work, we drag her back the way we came," Kara insisted. "As I have said from the beginning."
"We didn't know the crosses wouldn't work so you can shove that condescending look of yours straight up your ass," John told her off.
"Maybe we have reached a limit," Mon said helpfully.
"I haven't even used mine once," John pointed out. "If we try to drag her out of hell, she'll be fighting us the whole way and every demon in hell will be on our ass."
"So, we give up?" Kara asked.
"No, we go deeper and talk to the big man, himself," Jeremiah said simply.
"You mean Lucifer? You fucking serious?" John asked incredulously.
"I'll go alone. If I'm not back by tomorrow, start dragging Alex back up. If it becomes too hard, leave Alex behind," Jeremiah ordered John.
"Fuck that, we don't leave her behind," Kara objected.
"I won't lose two daughters to hell," Jeremiah said simply.
"You want to face off with Lucifer alone? No, we stick together," Kara said.
"I'm not going to pass up on that opportunity," Mon smirked.
"You have your orders," Jeremiah shut them down.
"You're putting your own pride ahead of the mission. You'll never survive alone," Kara told him.
Jeremiah eyed Alex and then back to the group realizing he didn't have absolute authority and needed consensus. "John: Give me your compass, stay here with Alex, and keep this position. Don't let her out of your sight. Continue trying to use that cross to absolve her. If we don't return by tomorrow, use your best judgment," he ordered.
"Fair enough," John sighed.
"Mon: Switch crosses with John. I want you at full strength going forward," Jeremiah ordered.
"Sure," Mon allowed and then switched crosses with John. Immediately, chains wrapped around John's body weighing him down.
"Holy shit," John tensed up.
"Let's move out," Jeremiah ordered Kara and Mon.
"God be with you. You're going to need it," John said dryly as they departed.
1st Circle
Winn, James, Lena, Nia, and Kelly ended up in a city in limbo. Immediately, the locals noticed them and took pity on their sorry shape. Medics, having nothing to do for the longest time, eagerly got to the scene. They took all five of them away to a hospital to be treated. "I'm actually good. You should see the other guy," Winn said to a nurse.
The doctors and nurses placed orange shields over them. Gradually, their wounds reverted back to their previous state. James' arms and his side started to return to what they were before. "Regeneration?" Winn asked curiously.
"No, we merely turn back the clock to what he once was," the nurse explained.
Nia's back and stomach wounds healed and color returned to her body. "Make sure you stop before you revert her back too far. You'll take away her womb," Winn warned. The nurse immediately backed off.
"Is this not a woman?" she asked confused.
"Yeah...it's complicated," Winn said awkwardly.
Lena's left arm returned to before. She flexed her fingers amazed having been traumatized that she had lost a limb. "This is beyond anything I have ever witnessed," she said amazed.
Kelly was the worst case. Her chest filled up and then a heart reappeared. Her sternum then came back and then the flesh covered it up. Kelly suddenly took a breath as she came back to consciousness. "Welcome back," James said to her.
"Where are we?" Kelly asked apprehensively.
"Back in limbo," James informed her.
"But what about Alex?" she asked horrified.
7th Circle
In the cabin, John got his shotgun and pistol ready for the battle ahead. Vultures swarmed around the cabin and then morphed into Harpies. The Harpies appeared as men and women with bird wings and talons. With the exception of their heads, they were covered in dark feathers. They raked the upper branches of trees intentionally causing the shades to cry out in pain. Now, they had a new target.
As they came closer to the cabin, they screeched at the occupants. John aimed at them with his holy shotgun and fired blasting one of them to pieces. The Harpies immediately started to attack. John went back and forth to all the windows of the cabin and fired on the Harpies. After destroying several of them, the rest retreated away.
"Give me a gun," Alex said to him.
"You think I'm fucking stupid?" he asked rhetorically.
"You won't survive what's to come next," she said.
In the distance, a tall man with an Asian appearance, long black hair, and wearing a white suit casually went on an enthusiastic walk through the forest. For no real reason at all, he aimed two pistols at the forest and fired randomly, blasting holes in trees and maiming their branches. The trees cried out in pain and terror as the demon fired into the forest trees with perfect aim. Once he was satisfied, he fired on the ground creating two dozen wolves made of pure energy. They appeared as blue flames taking on the form of wolves.
"Go," Stark ordered them.
The wolves then went on a tear through the forest biting and tearing up all the trees around them. Stark then lazily made his way towards the cabin.
Moving in another direction, Jeremiah, Kara, and Mon exited the forest and found themselves facing an endless desert resembling the Sahara. The sands were burning hot and the sky was filled with raining fireballs. On the sands were shades forced on their stomach where they experienced endless burning sand while unable to move. Some were also on their back giving defiant looks to the sky as they were also hit with fireballs occasionally. In the distance were people running around unceasingly as flakes of fire hit them.
Jeremiah avoided the shades as he looked at his compass. As they passed, the shades blasphemed against God using all sorts of interesting curse words. Kara took note, positively amused by their colorful language. They then came upon a shade that Kara identified. He was silent with a look of defiance on his face as he lay on his back in the hot sand.
"Coville? You died?" Kara asked surprised.
"It's me," he confirmed.
Kara looked over Thomas Coville, her fellow conspirator in creating a Rao cult on Earth for a brief period in time. Kara took a knee over him shocked and appalled by his state. "Why are you here?"
"Together, we committed blasphemy against Rao. We led people astray," Thomas said.
"But Rao isn't real," Kara insisted.
"Nonetheless, it was the intent," Thomas explained. "If you do not repent, you will be here as well," he warned.
"I already asked for forgiveness for that stunt," Kara assured him.
"Well...I did not," he said weepingly.
"Let's move," Jeremiah said impatiently.
Kara took out her cross. "I absolve you," she said. Thomas gave her a grateful smile and then disappeared into her cross. Kara then stood up. "So, now we know."
"What do we know?" Mon asked confused.
"Someone is fucking with us," Kara concluded.
"Let's continue," Jeremiah said not surprised.
Continuing onward, they ran into a group of shades running across the hot sand without stopping. "What are you guys here for?" Kara asked curiously.
"For sodomy!" they shouted.
"Is that all? Is that really a big deal? I mean...," Kara said surprised.
"...with boys!" they clarified.
"Well...fuck," Kara winced and then let them run past her. One decided he had enough of being on the sex offenders registries' list and stopped running. Immediately, his body was slammed into the hot sand where he wouldn't be allowed to move for a century.
"Well, let me guess. He was seventeen?" Kara mocked the shade.
"Twelve...," he gasped painfully.
"Twelve years old? That's fucked up," Kara chided.
"No...twelve...nine-year-olds," he clarified.
"Well, okay then. Let's get the fuck out of this circle," Kara said eagerly.
A demon in a white suit with a large-ass scythe blade got in their way. He was tall, slender, Asian in appearance, had long black hair, and wearing an eyepatch. "My name is Nnoitra and you're going no farther," he said to them.
Author's Notes: The forest of the suicide and the cabin are a mixing of Dante's Divine Comedy and the novel What Dreams May Come. With this season, I felt ready to let loose on the evilest villains imaginable and taking the heroes to their limits. A significant difference to What Dreams May Come is whether a shade can redeem themselves while in hell. Here, Alex is incapable of doing so requiring an intervention that furthers the plot from this point forward. In CW, villains perished because they became over-confident due to Kara's incompetence and then Kara got inexplicably lucky. Here, AOS Kara intentionally lured them into fighting her so she could dispatch them. So that approach is being scrutinized a bit here.