Scene II
“I knew him as the Morning Star as he was said to
be the son of morning.” Virgil replied. “I stand quoted; ’How art thou fallen from
heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground,
which didst weaken the nations.’ It was the book of Isaiah.”
“He was mentioned before but he was also known by
other name besides not mentioned or it may invoke his anger.” The cherub was
careful with the names there. “However, he resides here soon after his
banishment. What you see here is a huge lake but the lake consists of four
layering or circle if I have to be corrected. Each layer formed a ring around
the lake, and each layer held great sinners that their penance will be lengthy
and solitary until the Devil himself consumed them in the soul.”
“The first layer was named Caina after the foul
deed of Cain who slew his own brother, Abel. That was layer for those who
murdered their own bloodline.”
“The second Antenora after the Trojan who had
betrayed his city”
“The third Tolomea, after Ptolemy who murdered
his father-in-law, and brothers whom he invited to his home as his guest.
“The final layer is Judecca, the one who was
named Judas who betrayed his Master. And after the last ring was where the one
named Lucifer is imprisoned up to his waist in the frozen waters.”
“The fallen Angel was banished here upon his
defeat, but his will to battle on remained firm. He wants to take on vengeance
on his loss; his wings flapped daily to escape the pit and the flapping so
intense that it created a cold environment here. The flapping of the wings
froze the air around it and from the droplets of water seized by the cold air,
thus become solid and it freeze over the lake.”
“Hell freezes over? This is ---- a lie. Hell was
never cold---” Virgil denied it. “We have descended to the core.”
“Descent? Did you, Virgil? How could you tell if
you were descending when all you did was walked?” The cherub challenged Virgil.
“I--- I shall show you proof.” Virgil called on
the orb of his. The orb hovered before Virgil and was posed the question.
“Orb, did we ---” Virgil was cut off.
“I did my analysis and held no conclusion. I have
applied all forms of calculation methods including stellar parallax or
astronomical unit (AU) with the adjustments of arcseconds (https://www.space.com/30417-parallax.html) but it inconclusive as there are no real beginning point. It’s
not like we are in the ancient age, when Hipparchus was working out the
distance of the Moon.”
“Never mind. I will do my own.” Virgil motioned
to the orb to return when the cherub voiced out.
“The elusive one had appeared. Virgil 3.0 was its
designation if I recalled. Your fame was observed.” The cherub complimented on
the orb. “We would have ---”
“Wait there first. The orb is mine and it
mechanical or rather programs are mine. Therefore, the fame of the orb belongs
to me.” Virgil defended his creation’s works.
“Noted. You had done more to it without the
restraints, making it intelligent to make decision not constraint to the rules
of logic. It may not be sanctioned by your peers.” The cherub stated on the make
of the orb. “However, it does not belong here. Its entry may not be welcomed.”
“The orb came with me.” Dante cut in. “I will
---”
“Responsible, we are aware. Dante, you are an
exception for which was why you had journeyed so deep.” The cherub turned to look
at Virgil. “Deep as in relative term of the time Dante is here and not by the
steps he took. Distance is inconclusive here but the period of stay may be
although it’s not measured by time. You may note that you saw no sun up or down
or day to night, but a constant of scene, besides the stench and wailing.”
“Except here.” Virgil reminded the others. He saw then Dante had approached the pit and
was looking at the sinners there. He started with the outermost ring; Caina.
Scene III
In Caina, the sinners were close to the surface
of the frozen lake but only the top half of their heads was seen. The rest of
the frame from below the mouth to the feet were submerged into the frozen
waters. Dante had walked past the seen head piece before curiosity hit him. The
eyes of the sinner were shut with the ice forming around it, like hanging
icicles off the ceiling and its ears were deformed ravaged by the cold air,
that only the stump and part of it flap remained. Dante bent down to touch one
on the head. It was cold and slimy to the touch.
“Don’t you dare step on my head?” A sinner called
out in anger.
“You can speak?” Dante was surprised that the
sinner was able to speak beneath the depth of the pit. “You are beneath the
ice.”
“Yes, I am for my mouth is above the ice. It’s
obvious for you had heard me but my hearing is out of sync.”
“You’re hearing out may be for your ears ---”
Dante hesitated to tell the sinner of the major loss in the ear design. He lied
then. “It’s shut there. It may be to protect itself from the ice.”
“Aye, my hearing impaired by it and my sight
blurred by the ice. Tell me. Who are you and why are you above me?”
“I am Dante and I am passing here. Tell me your
name please, so that I can remember you after I am back to home.”
‘What is there to remember? Who will choose to
remember a sinner like me? My name thus mentioned will have others to curse me
for eternity. I had taken another life, and knowingly declared now, I held regrets
that I will not to know where the one I killed lay reside.”
“Who is him whom you did the foul deed? And to
whom is your name so that I can locate whom you killed? It may assist in your
repentance.”
“Repentance? How naïve can you be, one who is
passing by. Do you see the others here? Do you think they want to be forgiven
when they hold no regret to their sin?” The sinner called out. “I killed the
one who was to commit treachery on the city we swore to protect. He whom I
killed should be somewhere here, his sins outweigh mine. He may be punished in
Hell as I am here. My sin is not murdering but killing one of my own line of
blood. I held no regret for that for what he was to do, weighed more than mine
in sins.”
“Your name, Sire. I will see your name given the
credit it deserved. Do you not see the deed of yours may be unjustly set even
here in Hell?” Dante spoke out in frustration.
“Does Mordred of King Arthur tales regret his
action in challenging Arthur then? He does not for he wanted the realm to know
him as the new King and he failed. He is in Hell for his sin but remained
unknown. In turn, Mordred was killed not by the King then but by the one who was
the King’s champion, and companion. I was alike to that knight who name you may
have heard; Sir Lancelot. You knew him as a champion of the realm, and yet he had
betrayed Arthur of the love of his Queen.”
“Sir Lancelot was with the Queen while she was
wedded to King Arthur. Do you think he want his name called out here? He does
not for he does not want the others to know he is here. He who was the hero now
lies with villains. Let us not be known and least be seen.”
“You will be forgotten, Sire.” Dante tried to
reason with the sinner.
“There are many of them here. Like me, we would
not like to be remembered. I will suggest that you take proceed on but do take
care not to step on the heads here. We hold that as our last portion as our
last bit of dignity here.” The sinner told Dante. The poet and his companion
took leave with a heavy heart.
“I don’t understand them. Most of them are
heroes; as we have stated that history belonged to the victor. There was many
heroes wrongly placed as villains in the annals.” Dante reinstated his stand on
them who deserved more than what was served there.
“It may be true but what we had read or heard
could be bias. As the victor may write their own history, the truth will be
revealed here on judgement day. Maybe, they had their sins which you may not
know.” Virgil corrected the other. “We are after all, also the victim here.”
Dante did not reply and walked on followed by
Virgil and Cherub. They approached the second ring named Antenora.
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