Verdict

The howling wind's symphony reverberated across the barren landscape. Its haunting melody carried both despair and grief. The world had frozen still. The guardians, tall as a mountain, gazed at the kneeling Orion's insignificant figure. His body grew weak under their scrutinizing eyes. Feeling like they were digging holes through his body, Orion scoured for an escape.

Shackled to the ground with mighty metal chains. Any hope for it was futile. It was hopeless. Collecting any residual energy he still had, he bellowed, "You said you wouldn't take it to heart!" Orion's complaint fell on deaf ears, and the guardians resumed their terrorizing onslaught.

The clouds high above the temple thundered with furious intensity. Their shrieks invoked chills in the already frightened Orion. If he weren't kneeling already, it would have been now that his legs gave in. The roaring crackling of lightning resounded close to him, followed by an explosive strike. The shockwave threatened to burst his eardrums. As the dust cloud vanished, it revealed a small crater.

'If this hits me...' Several scenarios, each worse than the last, played out in his head. Another clash ripped him out of his thoughts. One by one, lightning rained from the high-above tempest. The frozen stone floor had turned into the aftermath of a minefield. Gaping holes as far as the eye could see, carved by violent energies. Only the space around Orion wasn't ravaged by the storm clouds. 'Well, at least I know they're not deaf.'

Deep below the city grounds, a massive hall existed. Its size rivaled cathedrals. Shelves stretched the colossal space between the walls, filled to the brim with books. An amount that would take several thousand lifetimes to read. Rapid turning of pages echoed within the darkness.

A light, dim as the flame of a candle, illuminated one desk along the center path. Many piles of already discarded historic sources surrounded it. With a light thud, one more Zyrax threw another on top. "Nothing!" He slammed his fist on the wooden desk, toppling over the lantern he had brought. After hitting the ground and shattering, the hall returned to a void-like darkness.

Fuming flames emerged from Zyrax's translucent figure, flooding the lavish space with cyan luster. Although his rage wasn't contained, he didn't burn the place down. "This stinking place is worthless." He grumbled. He had come in search of answers but only found frustration. Every book seemed to contain the same knowledge, only in a different order.

'Hmm?' Something caught his attention. A tome covered in dust and webbing hid itself in the bottom of a bookshelf. Its inky-black cover sent shivers down his spine. 'What is that?' As he got closer, sinister whispers grazed his ears. Though quiet, their presence was deafening. He couldn't understand a word they said, neither could he infer their meaning.

He thought about stepping away, but his body refused to listen. As if pulled by an invisible rope, his legs moved on their own. "Who are you?" He inquired, guessing that a strange entity was playing a trick on him. "I am a high elder of the Netherworld. You don't dare do anything to me." No amount of intimidation threatened the enemy. Soon, only a few steps were between him and the mysterious tome.

His mind had left his body. He was no longer in control. Zyrax reached for it, burning the webbing and dust with his touch. 'Move! Move!' With only a hair's width left, he regained control and withdrew his outstretched arm. The whispers vanished, returning the room to its usual silence. "Did you actually think a book could subdue me?" Talking to a tome was new to him, but he didn't care. "Did it not work?" A sheepish voice appeared in his head.

Zyrax's eyes grew in shock. "What? How? Who are you?" He thought he had made it. He didn't touch it even for an instant. "Don't bother with it. How about you get a good night's rest?" Before he could wonder about the meaning of its words, the world around him blurred. He fell to the ground soon after. Before his eyes shut, he noticed the tome had vanished.

The guardian's rage still confined Orion. The thunderous bursts of energy even drowned out his thoughts. "Will you stop if I apologize?" He screamed as loud as he could. But the fierce collisions around him resounded with overbearing ferocity. His voice was unheard by the guardians.

'Is there no other way?' There was an option he knew would succeed, but hoped not to resort to. The risk was far too severe for his liking. As he scanned his surroundings, he noticed that the crowd had left long ago. 'I would do the same if I could.' The lightning must've been too intense for them.

"What gods do you think you are? I died to get here, and this is my welcome?" Aware that they weren't able to hear any of his grievances, Orion poured his heart out. "Who gave you the right for any of this? Why do you get to decide what I deserve? Answer me, pretentious deities!" With every sorrow-filled cry, the boulder-like weight on his heart reduced a little.

"You want me to confess, don't you? You want to condone me for the things I did, right?" His tone was cynical. The more he thought about what they were doing, the less he could follow. Their doings had no rhyme or reason. After taking a deep breath, Orion howled as loud as possible, "Well, I confess! I don't know what, but I confess! Happy? Isn't this what you want, huh?"

Breathless, Orion faced the turbulent skies with determination etched in his eyes. Peace ensued, and the thunderstorm vanished. Around him, holes and crevices deep enough to stand in and disappear. 'It's over. Now I can only pray.' If there was a way to avoid confessing, he would have done so any day. Seeing as he was powerless against their suppressing might, it was his only chance.

"Orion, child of sin," the living statues addressed, "you have confessed your sins." The ground shook as if a meteor had struck. Like a flower, gloomy feelings grew within Orion. Their words carried a terrifying premonition, leeching his attention. "As the bearer of a deadly sin, you have proven yourself unworthy of any grace."

Their claim, stoic as ever, proved Orion right. 'Would be nice to know what I did.' But he wasn't worthy of that pleasure either. For a good minute or two, nobody said anything. Orion squinted his eyes, darting a keen look around the temple. 'Nothing is happen-'

Cut short by a sudden tremble, he turned to the heads, gazing down upon him. They stayed unmoving as before. Nothing had changed. About to write it off as his imagination, another tremble happened. "During ancient times, the advent of desolation," spoke the guardian ahead of him. The world shock at their words, seeming to respond to their every demand. "The gates burst, their secrets unveiled," continued the one to their right.

One after the other, mysteries left their gaping crystal lips. "Gestation of the void, shaped at will." Together, they told a story known only to few. A piece of history long forgotten.

"Grasps of greed, no one won."

"Lost to time, never found."

"Forgotten past, locked away."

"Whispers of fate, burned at stake."

"Needles of gods, twist and turn."

"Woven net, protected at last."

"Hatched egg, lost and found."

"Complement given, knots tied."

"Darkness struck, abyss revealed," the last one finished. Their words captivated Orion as if he heard them before. "What are you trying to tell me?" he inquired. On their own, the words made some sense. Together, they were a mess. "Your verdict, Orion." Their voice once again resounded in unison, causing the ground to rumble.

"If possible, could you explain it in simpler terms?" An amused chuckle met his foolish request. "You will be banished into the abyss for eternities to come." Their matter-of-fact statement left Orion staring at them with gears in his eyes. "What?" He couldn't contain his confusion, but received no answer.

The lettering etched into the pillars radiated a crimson-red gleam. At their blinding shine, Orion needed to shut his eyes. Not wanting to leave things up to chance, he opened them only a little. Enough to see the glyphs slither along the sky-piercing pillars like snakes. Altogether, they approached him and settled to form many rings around him.

In position, they revolved at a snail's pace, just enough to notice. With every rotation, their brilliance faded into the slate floor, covering it in a scarlet tint. The rattling of heavy chains echoed in the temple as Orion shook his body. But no amount of resistance was enough to escape their clutches. The guardians's voices reached his ears. "You won't take it to heart, right?"