"Hey, you alright?"The warden's voice echoed beside me, his hand holding a rusted black lantern shoved right up into my face.
"Hey— put that thing away! Damn it!"I shoved his arm aside with all the strength I had left— only to realize the "arm" was nothing more than a bundle of rags. No weight. No flesh. Just air.
"Huh… nothing at all? Strange."The ghostly warden tilted his head— or at least, the place where a head should've been.
Ever since I ended up in this place they called the Abyssal Prison, he'd been jamming that lantern into my face, mumbling "weird" and "strange" like some broken record. Whenever I asked what he meant, he just ignored me.
"What do you mean by that?" I pressed again, not expecting an answer.
"…This tool should've allowed you to go back up there," he muttered, pointing a cloth finger at the lantern. "Can't imagine why it isn't working."
"…So, who trained you, huh? Do they require a license for this job?"I squinted at him like an old man mocking a rookie cop.
The warden stiffened, then turned his head skyward— thinking, or pretending to. I smirked.'He's seriously thinking about it?'
While he fumbled with his lantern, I stared upward in silence.'It seems my body's rotting faster here than outside. Just a few moments, and my skin's already peeling off.'
I rolled up my sleeve— and sure enough, my arm looked like a horror exhibit. Skin flaking, black-red boils, blood seeping from the cracks.I'd long since stopped feeling pain. I'd injected myself with a paralytic— the kind that numbs everything but doesn't put you to sleep.Now all I could do was wait for my body to "shut down" at any given moment. Luckily, according to this walking bedsheet, I wouldn't need to fight or move much.
"Ah! Got it!"His voice cracked through the silence— too loud, too cheerful. He pointed at me, waving like I was an old friend.
I trudged forward, took two steps— and promptly collapsed.
"Alright, sorry about this. It'll be quick," the warden said softly, almost lullaby-like.
…
Darkness swallowed me whole."Son of a— not again! Damn you, you ghostly bastard!" I cursed into the void, flailing like a lunatic, grasping at nothing as my body floated midair.
Another core of truth, huh? Great. What am I supposed to do now—
Before I could finish the thought, a familiar voice drifted from behind.
"Well, that's rude. You're hurting my feelings, you know. I thought we had something special."The warden's mocking tone slithered through the dark.
"…You even have feelings?"
"Wanna see where they are?" he asked coyly, tugging at his robe like some shy maiden about to undress.
"NO— NO— just— don't! Don't you dare!"
"Sigh… fine. Goodbye then…"
"Wait! At least get me out of—"
Something pulled me. Hard.
"Wha—"
WHOOSH.
A violent force yanked me downward. The warden trailed after me lazily, like a fish following another into the depths.
"OH COME ONNNNNNNNN!"
For someone who feared heights, this was hell— pure, unending hell. I was falling into an abyss with no bottom. Or maybe there was one— a light appeared below. Then another. Then thousands.
"NOOOOOOO—"
"Pft—hahaha!"The warden's laughter echoed as I screamed like a dying goat.
…
A city unfolded beneath us— built of black marble, glowing faintly with the light of torches, lanterns, and the people themselves.
It didn't take a genius to figure out: this was the City of the Dead.Its citizens wore hooded black cloaks. From under the fabric, blood and flame leaked freely, while maggots, flies, and vultures feasted on whatever remained of flesh.
The stench was unbearable. The horror— indescribable.But no one seemed to care. The dead rarely do.Some wore skulls as hats, others carried their own rotting heads like accessories.
Normal. Entirely normal— for here.
Beyond that, it almost looked… lively.People chatted. Laughed. Worked. Ate… death itself.Until someone— me, obviously— ruined their peaceful little afterlife.
BOOM!
A thunderous crash split the city center. Dust and smoke erupted everywhere.
A few ghostly onlookers hovered near the scene, watching calmly.
"How many points you think that guy gets?""Seven. Nice fall, but too noisy. Loses grace on the landing.""Eh, make it eight. He's new, probably. Every newcomer costs us a repair bill anyway.""We should at least give him some coins. Only an idiot from the living world would drop in like that.""I bet you ten gold he runs away in shame.""Twenty says he just stands there awkwardly until someone stares him down.""So… still runs away in shame?""…"
…
At the center of the smoke, I lay flat on the ground— hugging it like an old friend.
Oh, how I'd missed it.After three straight hours of falling, this dirt felt like heaven itself.
"Hey, what's taking him so long? Did he die?""Die again? Now that would be funny.""He'd better. I've got ten gold riding on it."
'Shut up, you damn ghosts! I screamed silently, face buried in the ground.'
Standing up shakily, I glanced around as the dust cleared. My body— surprisingly intact.
"Since you've been separated from your mortal shell, you're now a spirit," came the familiar voice from above. "Your true body will stop decaying for now. You should thank me."
The warden puffed out his chest proudly.
I, meanwhile, had a dozen emotions warring inside— fear, exhaustion, and a deep, bitter loathing of the last few hours.
I flexed my new hands, tested my footing, then broke into a jog.
"…Are all you wardens this annoyingly cheerful? Or is sarcasm part of the job description?" I asked, climbing onto a nearby building for a better view.
The sight was— horrifying, yes— but also majestic, like an ancient myth carved in shadow.
"Why shouldn't we be?" he said with a laugh. "It's not like the king's gonna behead us for being disrespectful. We're already dead."
"Huh. So this is your precious Abyssal Prison?"
"Indeed."He lifted the lantern, its black flame flickering ominously."Welcome, honored guest, to the Abyssal Prison— the highest peak of the underworld."