Prologue 4: The Blessing of the Mist

Hades snapped his fingers and a sudden gust surrounded Mikael.

With his hair and clothes flapping in the wind, Mikael planted his feet on the ground in an attempt to stay and voice his protests, but the gust continued to intensify until he was swept off his feet.

Creak!

The wooden doors opened by themselves, allowing light to spill into the dark courtroom.

Mikael felt as if he was being sucked by a vacuum and the moment he was out, the doors slammed shut and the strong wind disappeared like a lie.

'I'm done for.' Mikael thought as he stood dazedly by the exit.

He lifted his arm and saw that there was still one more glyph left on his wrist. It was shaped like an old English font of capital letter T.

Most likely, it stood for Tartarus.

Mikael stared at it, his other hand slowly reaching for the tattoo.

Scritch.

Scritch! Scriiitch!

He scratched his wrist hard, his expression similar to a madman's.

He wanted to erase that tattoo – the brand of a sinner, but no matter how hard he clawed his skin, the mark did not disappear.

Then a skeleton attendant saw him loitering around the courtroom and led him to the elevator, where a queue was forming.

Mikael peered at the other ghosts.

He was surprised to see their ghastly faces clearly.

Then he eyed their wrists.

Most had 'A's. a few beaming ones had 'E's while others, obviously depressed, had a similar 'T'

The attendant followed his gaze and smirked.

"Ah… Now, do you regret how you lived? See those with 'E's? they're going to Elysium, the upper floor reserved for VIPs who lived their lives doing good things for the world… they might have sacrificed a lot of themselves for several decades, but now they will live the afterlife in pure bliss… playing in the game room, relaxing in spas, eating luxurious meals served by Hotel staff… Aren't you jealous?" it jeered before pointing to the expressionless ghosts stamped with 'A', "Or you should've at least lived normally like those people did. Then, you could have spent an eternity in Asphodel, drifting lazily in the field with no memories – But NO! you dirty lowlife committed terrible sins! And now, you'll have to work forever in Tartarus! HAHAHA!'

The attendant taunted Mikael, its expression through the mist was clearly one of enjoyment.

"Do you know what's in there?" it leaned toward Mikael and whispered with eyes full of mischief "the second level is the boiler room – used to keep the spas warm and cozy for the VIPs. There you will feed the furnace with lava. Oh! How hot it must be! Not only that, if you're sentenced to go to the third level where we keep the monster livestock for delicious steak, you will have to feed them--"

Aware that other ghosts were eavesdropping on their conversation, the attendant dramatically pauses.

Just as the third level sinners almost sighed in relief while thinking 'the third level seems more bearable than the second', the attendant exclaimed,

"With your own flesh! HAHAHAHA!

Every day, your body will regenerate and every day you will be devoured until only a small part of you remains… Ahh… the painful screams… such music to the ears…" its dreamy tone sent shivers down the sinners' spines.

The attendant relished the pale, horror-struck faces of the ghosts.

Even the beaming 'soon-to-be-VIPs' almost retched at the thought of eating monster meat.

"Oh! My bad… don't you worry, sirs and ma'ams. We at Hades Hotel ensure that your food is always fresh and clean! You see, before cooking the meat, we smoke them on Lady Hestia's hearth to rid of bad germs." The attendant assured them with the most pleasant smile that he could muster, but he failed to hide the sinister glint in his eyes.

Most of the workers in the underworld are now bored of their millennia of monotonous schedules.

Every day, they had to escort thousands of spirits to the Hades Hotel, send them to the courtroom, judge them, and lead them to their afterlives.

Now, their only entertainment was harassing the souls of the damned.

Usually, the ghosts sent to Tartarus are the most prideful and impudent ones that attack recklessly when agitated.

Unbeknownst to them, all the workers are given some divinity by the lord of the underworld.

This means that mere spirits are no match for them as even their touch can burn the soul which causes immense pain.

The attendant waited for Mikael's reaction.

"Tsk! You're no fun" it clicked its tongue when he showed no response.

'Am I really going to hell? Enduring the heat of the boiler room for eternity? Is there really no other choice?'

Contrary to his passive expression, Mikael's mind raced to find a way out of his predicament.

Then, sirens blared all over the Hotel.

WEEWOOOO!

"Attention! To all the staff of the Hades Hotel, a rogue spirit stole Amethyst Lilacs from the Garden of Lady Persephone. Everyone is requested to put off their duties and help apprehend this sinner."

Then, all the TV screens showed the photo of the spirit.

It was the governor of the city where Mt. Gula stood.

In Mikael's hazy memory, this governor was supposed to be a great person who was loved by everyone.

He was known for his charity work and good governance that boosted his city's economy.

If not for the terrible disease that left him bedridden, he was supposed to run for the presidency in the next election.

"Ohoh? This seems interesting!" the attendant rubbed his hands together in anticipation and hurriedly left, but before he could go far, he turned his head toward Mikael to issue a warning.

"Stay right where you are, Scum! If I ever catch you wandering, I'll personally escort you straight to Tartarus!"

Moments after it left, several others followed suit. Their expressions reminiscent of a pack of hungry hyenas.

Suddenly, Mikael felt pity for the governor.

Even though he now knew the politician's true color, he still felt bad for the fact that the old man's greed will lead him to become a prey hunted for the amusement of bored hotel staff.

Stillness engulfed the area around the Mikael as the last passenger boarded the elevator.

Ting!

Minutes passed and the elevator doors slid open.

He entered the compartment and moved to press the button.

THUMP! THUMP!!

Mikael's phantom heart thundered against his rib as an insanely dangerous idea formed in his mind.

'Why should I willingly go down there? No one's here to watch me anyway…' he rationalized as he furtively looked around, 'Is it possible to escape from here?'

The image of a quiet corridor, armed skeletons, and huge double doors popped into his head.

"Right, they might send me to the third level if they catch me, but I'd rather take the chance to escape from here than to resign my fate to endless torment."

He stealthily retraced his steps back to the Middle Worlds' Hall.

Surprisingly, he did not bump into anyone until the last corridor where he heard the two armed skeletons conversing.

"Are you sure that we can leave?" asked one with a heavy Japanese accent.

"Didn't you hear the announcement? They said to prioritize apprehension of the spirit! Come on! It has been so long since we've hunted down criminals. My shooting skill's getting rusty."

When the Japanese fell into silent contemplation, the American insisted, "Don't worry! Cerby is guarding inside so even if we go, no one can possibly pass through the gates."

"**Aah! Naruhodo! Ja iku yo!"

It didn't take much to persuade the Japanese – proof that either the one they call Cerby is extremely strong, or they're just really bored out of their wits.

Mikael desperately hoped that it was the latter.

"Hey, man! Your old habit of speaking in Japanese when excited is recurring." Teased the American as they turned the corner and passed by Mikael, who hid behind a potted white poplar tree.

Only when their voices died down did Mikael move out of his hiding spot.

He glanced around to make sure that no one was in the vicinity before swiftly drifting toward the doors.

He turned the doorknob.

Luckily, the doors were unlocked.

UGHH!

Mikael grunted as he used all his strength to pull the heavy doors open.

Ngeeee…

The doors cracked open and he was able to slip inside.

Inside was a dark hallway where warm air periodically blew, followed by a cold current.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Mikael began to see a silhouette of a building up ahead.

'Uhmm… is that the way out?'

He inched closer.

Mikael tilted his head in confusion when he noticed that the warm air seemed to come out of the building like it was breathing.

'Something is definitely in there… Should I enter or run?' he deliberated.

Then, 6 windows lit up.

No, they were not windows!

Three pairs of luminous eyes turned toward Mikael's direction and a blood-curdling growl shook the entire hall.

GRRRR!!!

Crash!!

Something large fell off the creature as it stood, easily reaching the height of a two-story infrastructure.

'Is – is that a person?!' Mikael's eyes widened in terror.

--Chapter end.

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** English translation: I see! Then, let's go!