~~
Trinity
~~
There was something that caught my attention while we flew through the hall. I was looking into the cells that we were passing. While doing that, I was taking note of the people, and creatures, that we passed.
Well, for one thing, all of the people didn't look humanoid and that led me to think that the way they looked here reflected the soul. Or there were some really evil shifters that weren't normal looking.
Anyway, that wasn't the thing that was making me so curious. The souls inside their cells all had something in common. They were all glowing just a little bit. None of the other souls that I had passed on my way here had done that. Or at least I hadn't noticed it until this point.
"Hey, Alexio, do you or Rudy know why the souls are glowing like that? And why are they glowing with such a dark light? I turned to look back at Alexio as I spoke. Rudy was nicer and more friendly, but I chose to ask Alexio instead of Rudy because I felt like Alexio might be more knowledgeable. The next words I heard told me I was right to guess that.
"I do not know, Queen Trinity. I am sorry, but I spent all my time at the gate until you came along." Yeah, that was just what I expected from Rudy. Sorry buddy, but that was why I asked our other friend here.
"Hmm. Well, I have been told about this in the past. The souls start to glow when they get to their punishment. So, the souls in Purgatory and here in Damnation would glow."
"OK, but what does it mean? Why are they glowing? What is the purpose of it?" I felt like a curious little kid at that moment. What does this mean, Mommy? Ooh, ooh, ooh, what does that do? OK, I didn't sound just like that, but it was a funny thought.
"The light indicated their redemption level. It is not something that they can change on their own. It is something that happens in the deepest recesses at the core of their soul. The darker that they glow, the more anger and evil that still fills them. The brighter and clearer that they are, the more they repent and regret what they have done."
"Huh?"
I tried to think about that for a moment. I hadn't actually looked at the people in Purgatory all that closely. I had seen them and the punishments that they were getting, that was true. But I hadn't actually looked at them long enough to see if they were glowing like this or not. And since I had not seen that, I had nothing to compare this to.
I was starting to wonder something though. Was this the reason that the souls hadn't left Purgatory all that frequently? Were they stuck there until all of the darkness left their souls? Were they made to wait there until there was absolutely no trace of that blackness inside of them? To me, that didn't seem like it would take that long at all.
"Do the souls in Purgatory leave when their lights turn white?" I had to ask Alexio if that was the case. But for some reason, I wasn't all that hopeful for his answer.
"No. The souls in Purgatory stay there until they have reached the end of their sentence."
That wasn't fair. It just wasn't right at all. The people should only have to stay until the darkness was out of their soul. If they were rehabilitated, then they should get to leave. They should get happiness and peace after paying for their sins.
I wanted to help the underworld even more now. I wanted to do something that I knew was going to make Reece and everyone else around me not very happy at all. I was going to upset them when they figured it all out later. I just knew it. Sorry in advance you guys.
Playing Alexio's words in my mind over and over again, I looked at the cells that we were passing. The souls that we were passing hadn't been here for very long, so they were still glowing almost black. But I wondered if there were any here that ever turned white.
"Hey, Alexio?" I called out to him again. Once again, I reminded myself of the fact that I sounded like a child.
"Yes, Queen Trinity?" He addressed me the same way that Rudy had been.
"If a soul in Damnation turns all white and has fully repented their sins, are they ever moved out of here? Do they get paradise or reincarnation or anything like that?" I had to know. I just had to.
"No, Queen Trinity. No souls ever leave the Halls of Damnation. It is not allowed. They are fated to spend all of eternity in their torture, whatever it may be."
As hard as that might be for me to process at the moment. I knew that it was the way that things needed to be. These were the purely evil souls. They were the ones that you could never trust to leave here. They might destroy all of humanity or something if they were let out of here. Just like Hekate wanted to do.
~~
Reece
~~
I saw that look on my Little Bunny's face. I could see it in her eyes. I knew what she was thinking, but I wasn't going to say anything out loud. I didn't want to have the others hear what it was that I thought my wife was thinking at the moment.
How could I let them know that I thought my Little Bunny wanted to take over Hell? I mean, if they knew that, they would think she was crazy. They would abandon her. They would do so many things that I didn't even know what they were. They would…
"Yup. Trinity just decided to take over, didn't she?" Carter laughed.
"You know it." Noah joined in with him.
"She is so predictable." Mom almost doubled over in laughter.
"We all knew it was going to happen the moment she asked that question. Did any of us ever have any doubt?" Juniper asked the others before eyeing me. "Come on, Reece, you know I'm right. You thought about it too, didn't you?" She was glaring at me, but she already knew my answer.
"Yes, Juniper. I knew it too. But what can I say? That is my Little Bunny. That is what she is like. We all know it."
"Yeah, I know. I've known her longer than you, candy pants. She's my best friend. At least we know what she is planning though." She laughed and I had to wonder about her line calling me 'candy pants'. And apparently my face showed that too since she started to laugh at me hysterically.
"What the hell did you just say?" I asked her with my arms crossed.
"What? You're Reece's Pieces, for crying out loud. They're a candy. And they're in your pants. How is that not self explanatory? Come one Reecey, keep up here." She rolled her eyes at me and I was trying desperately not to blush as the others looked at me.. And I was failing miserably at it too.
