Sam pushed open the second gate that led to [Hell], and much like the first one, it slowly creaked open, the heavy tal dragging against the ground as a deep crimson light leaked through the gap.
The sound echoed through the empty space behind him until the gate stood fully open, revealing what lay ahead.
And just like that, Sam found himself standing before a massive pit, an endless hole that glowed with a crimson hue from far below.
He stepped closer to the edge and peered down, but no matter how sharp his eyes were, he couldn’t see the bottom.
Only heat, darkness, and a red glow that seed to pulse like a heartbeat.
"Hm..."
The oppressive heat radiating from below washed against his face, and he took a slow breath.
He had already been rejected from [Heaven], so there was no other choice left but to jump.
No hesitation.
He took a small breath and leapt forward, his body falling instantly into the endless pit, swallowed by the crimson light.
The wind roared past his ears, rushing violently as the darkness and red glow rged around him.
He fell fast, accelerating toward the light below, but his mind stayed calm.
Sam wasn’t stupid.
He extended his hand, and black tendrils burst out of his sword, latching onto the walls of the pit to slow his descent.
Sparks and fragnts of burning rock scattered each ti the tendrils dragged against the stone, cutting deep grooves as they held his fall under control.
And after almost an entire minute of falling, the pressure against him eased, and his feet finally touched the bottom.
The air here was thick and scorching.
It hit him imdiately, burning through his clothes with heat alone, and the mont he stepped forward, the soles of his boots hissed against the ground.
The stone beneath him glowed faintly red, and rivers of molten fire ran through cracks along the walls.
The crimson light that had drawn him here was everywhere now.
And at the far end stood what looked like a massive cave entrance, sealed by a crimson gate that pulsed with heat and light.
Sam squinted through the haze and smirked faintly.
"All right. I guess I really was supposed to do the [Hell] route first," he said quietly, his tone calm despite the heat.
"Fine by ."
He stepped forward, his aura faintly rising around him as he approached the gate.
Each step echoed through the pit.
When he reached the front of the gate, he pressed his hand against it and began to push.
But the mont he did, a sound filled the air—sharp and tallic.
Ding! BEEP!
The alarm resounded just like before, and instantly, a massive wall of fire erupted before him.
The flas burst outward, forcing Sam to jump back.
"Huh."
He looked at the new ssage that appeared before his eyes.
[The "Primordials" are not allowed in "Hell".]
Sam blinked, his brows furrowing.
"Are you serious?"
He stared at the blazing wall again, the fire roaring like it was alive.
Not even [Hell] wanted him.
That ant he couldn’t complete either of the two zones.
"Unbelievable."
He sighed and reached out toward the fire, but the mont his fingers brushed against it, the flas burned through his skin like molten glass.
He pulled his hand back imdiately.
There was no passing through.
"Am I... stuck?" he mumbled, his tone calm but uncertain, "That doesn’t make any sense."
[Proceed.]
The familiar system ssage appeared again, as if mocking him.
"...?"
Sam looked up toward the light coming from above.
It was faint, almost invisible from this depth, but it was there, the entrance he’d jumped from.
The only thing he could do was climb back up and figure out what to do next.
He had no other choice.
Neither Heaven nor Hell wanted him.
So what ca next?
He sighed again and raised his sword, summoning the primordial tendrils once more.
They burst out of the blade and embedded themselves into the walls of the pit.
He had realized by now how absurdly useful these tendrils were.
Swish!
They extended like living ropes, anchoring themselves deep into the stone before pulling his body upward.
One after another, the tendrils shifted higher, dragging Sam up with steady strength.
The climb took ti, fifteen minutes of silent movent, the red glow below fading slowly as he ascended.
Eventually, the upper light grew closer, and the edge of the pit appeared above him.
He pulled himself up, stepping onto solid ground again, and the crimson gate behind him still stood open.
He walked past it before it shut down.
And just like that, Sam was stuck between two locked paths.
He turned toward the [Heaven] gate again, the one that led to the golden stairs, and approached.
It remained sealed, radiant but unmoving.
He reached out, pressing his hand against it, just in case.
Ding!
[You have already tried to enter "Heaven".]
He sighed and turned toward the other gate.
Beep!
[You aren’t allowed in "Hell".]
aning both were permanently sealed to him.
No going forward. No going back.
And as he turned, he noticed that the transparent erald wall behind him; the sa one that had blocked him from returning through the [Sixth Barrier]; was still there.
It shimred faintly in the air like a glass do.
He pressed his hand against it, but it didn’t even move.
"Is this... really it?"
The words escaped softly.
Would he actually be stuck here forever?
The thought lingered.
Was this the reason the [Colossals] had warned him not to continue?
Did they already know this would happen, that this place would trap him forever, without escape?
That he would die slowly here, starving in a place neither divine nor infernal?
[Proceed.]
The sa word appeared again.
He glared at it, his eyes hardening.
"God damn it..."
He sat down, the heat still pressing against him, and lowered his head in thought.
There had to be a way forward.
He refused to believe that the mission would end like this.
He stayed like that for a few minutes, silent.
Then, slowly, words appeared again.
[If both "Heaven" and "Hell" reject us, what is the place located between the two?]
Sam stared at it for a few seconds, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Huh... I don’t really know," he murmured.
He thought for a mont, and then an idea ca to him.
"But if I had to guess... it’s [Limbo] or... [Purgatory], right?"
Fwish—
RUMBLE!
The ground shook violently, cutting him off.
He imdiately stood up, tightening his grip on the sword.
The air shifted.
Sothing massive was moving beneath his feet.
The two gates; the one that led to the golden stairs and the one that led to the pit, began to tremble.
At first, Sam thought it was just the ground quaking, but then he realized it wasn’t just the gates.
The entire zone was moving.
The two gates were sliding apart, each one shifting in opposite directions, making space for sothing else.
And right before Sam’s eyes, the land between them split open, a deep crack running through the stone.
Then, the earth itself began to rise.
"What the hell..."
Sam took a few steps back, watching in awe as the land elevated slowly, and from the depths of the ground, a third gate erged.
This one was gray; not golden like [Heaven] nor crimson like [Hell].
It was dull, lifeless, yet radiated a pressure that neither of the others had.
Behind it wasn’t fire or light but a dense, shifting mist that stretched endlessly forward.
He couldn’t see beyond it. Only the mist.
Then, a ssage appeared once again.
[Proceed =)]
Sam let out a short laugh, shaking his head slightly.
"Haha... I see."
He stepped forward, his boots cracking the scorched stone beneath him.
The closer he got, the colder the air beca, the heat of [Hell] fading completely.
The gray gate lood ahead, silent and unmoving.
Beside it, engraved into the stone, were the words:
[Purgatory: Only for those that don’t belong in neither Hell nor Heaven.]
Sam’s expression hardened.
So this was it. The third and final path.
The only route for soone like him, soone that didn’t belong to either side.
He looked at the mist beyond the gate, his reflection faintly visible on the cold tal surface.
Then he smiled slightly, the determination in his eyes unshaken.
"Fine."
Without another word, he stepped forward toward the gray gate.
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