9 grades of hell

Chapter 88: The second Ring


They were led down a spiraling path into the earth, the air growing colder and heavier with each step. The laughter and music from the circus above faded, replaced by the guttural roars and scraping claws of unseen creatures. The deeper they went, the more it felt like a prison carved straight into the bones of the underworld, an endless cavern lined with iron cages stacked across multiple tiers. Within them, twisted beasts stirred, growling and slamming against their confines, the sound echoing through the hollow dark.

Renny and Myla exchanged glances as they descended another flight of stone steps. The faint, flickering torches along the walls only made the shadows worse, revealing shapes they wished they hadn't seen. Myla's voice trembled. "Are you sure we shouldn't turn back? This place… It's giving... It's giving me the creeps."

Renny kept his eyes forward. "Don't worry," he said calmly. "You still want the Soul Key, don't you?"

She hesitated, swallowing. "I do."

"Then we have to see this through," he replied, his tone firm but steady. "Okay?"

Myla nodded reluctantly, clutching her sleeve tighter as they followed the Collector deeper into the cavern.

The Collector finally stopped before a massive iron cell, the bars carved with shifting runes that pulsed like slow heartbeats. The air around it felt heavier, almost suffocating.

"We have arrived," the Collector announced with a grin, his voice echoing faintly through the cavern. "The cell of Muralen."

Renny and Myla stepped forward cautiously. Inside the cell, a hulking creature stirred, its muscles rippling beneath dark, coarse fur. It looked like a gorilla, but larger, its eyes burning with an unnatural, molten fury. The creature slammed its fists against the bars, the clang reverberating through the chamber.

"Careful," Myla whispered, instinctively stepping back.

Renny didn't move. His gaze locked on the faint glow around the beast's neck, a necklace with a key pendant. His eyes narrowed. "There it is."

"What?" Myla asked, squinting through the gloom.

He pointed. "Around his neck. The Soul Key."

"Oh… It's a necklace?" she said, blinking.

Renny nodded slowly. "Soul Keys given to beasts are usually bound as necklaces. Placing one means subduing them. Removing it… means setting them free."

Muralen's deep, guttural laugh rolled through the chamber. "Demons," he growled. "You want the key, don't you?"

Myla hesitated, then spoke up. "Yes. Please... we need it. It's urgent."

The beast grinned, its jagged teeth bared. "Then free me from this cage."

Renny turned toward the Collector. "And how exactly are we supposed to do that?"

The Collector chuckled, crossing his arms. "Ah, Muralen, still trying to weasel your way out of my collection, are we?" He looked back at Renny, amused. "To release any creature from my rings, one must offer something valuable, a remnant."

Myla frowned. "A remnant?"

He nodded. "Soul remains," he explained smoothly. "Fragments left behind by dead souls. ya find them buried deep in the Soul Graves."

"Graves?" Renny repeated, brow furrowing. "There are graves in Hell?"

The Collector threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing through the cavern like a broken melody. "Of course there are, ya fool! Why wouldn't there be? Souls that die on Earth must transition somewhere. And where else would they end up but here?" He swept a gloved hand grandly through the air. "There are burial grounds scattered across Hell. I just happen to be the proud keeper of one of many."

Renny's eyes narrowed. "And what's the catch with getting these remnants?" His tone was calm, but edged with suspicion. "I can't imagine something you call valuable would be an easy fetch."

The Collector's grin widened, showing too many teeth. "I like the way ya think, demon. ya, right, it's not easy." He leaned closer, voice dropping to a mock whisper. "To acquire a remnant, one must open a grave, dig up a soul, and then…" he mimed a scraping motion with his fingers, "scrape off a bit of what's left."

Myla recoiled instantly. "Scrape? Ugh, that's disgusting."

The Collector chuckled darkly. "If that already turns ya stomach, dear demon, will be adorable when ya see what happens next."

Renny's eyes flicked up. "What happens next?"

The Collector's grin sharpened. "Ahan," he said, tilting his head, "that's when the soul zombies wake up."

Myla's eyes went wide. "Soul zombies?" she repeated, clutching her glasses like they might fall off. She edged closer to Renny, instinctively gripping his hand. "You can't be serious."

The Collector chuckled, clearly enjoying her unease. "Oh, but I am," he said smoothly. "When a soul finishes its transition, it sinks below the grave and reappears at the outer gates, where it crawls off to its designated zone of torment." He paused, his grin widening. "However… when someone forces a grave open, interrupting that process..."

"They wake up," Renny finished quietly.

"Precisely," the Collector purred. "They wake as soul zombies, half-conscious, half-mad."

Myla's grip on Renny's hand tightened. "And what do they do when they wake?"

"They come for the ones who disturbed them," the Collector said, tone playful but eyes sharp. "The only way to end their pursuit is to force them back into the grave and seal it shut."

He leaned back with a satisfied smirk. "Simple enough, isn't it?"

Myla's face twisted with unease. "That's… disgusting," she murmured, hugging herself.

Renny ignored her reaction for the moment and turned to the Collector. "How much of this remnant do we need to free Muralen?"

The Collector grinned, snapping his fingers. From one of the nearby tables, a dull bronze cup floated toward him. "Enough to fill this," he said, handing it over. "Once it's filled with remnant scrap, bring it back. I'll make the trade, the beast for the cup."

Renny examined the cup, then nodded once. "Understood." Turning to Myla, he asked evenly, "You're good with this? You still want to go through with it?"

Myla exhaled, the sound shaky. "Are you… coming with me?"

Renny gave her a look. "Would you go without me?"

She hesitated, then shook her head.

"Then yes," he said simply. "I'm coming."

Myla nodded, trying to steady herself. "Alright then. Let's… proceed."

Renny turned back to the Collector and gave a small signal.

"Beautiful," the Collector said with a delighted grin. He snapped his fingers again, and one of his Hands stepped forward from the shadows, a tall, silent figure with those same glowing white eyes.

"Take them," the Collector said. "To the Third Ring."

The Hand gave a silent bow, then gestured for Renny and Myla to follow as the path behind him opened into a dimly lit corridor leading downward.

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