If nothingness could be felt, that was what his dream felt like. Nothingness could not be defined appropriately. With no beginning, and yet long, endless.

But it did end. His eyes opened. Even though the only thing they saw was darkness, he knew he was awake. Pitch black surrounded him… but not for long. Small glimmers softly lighted up around him when he attempted to sit up. Faint at first, stronger with each second. For a moment, they became blinding. What had seemed a small room to him, turned into a  titanic chamber.

His hands flinched away as soon as he noticed how cold the floor was, its strange glimmering metal hue. If he wasn’t slightly dizzy, he would swear that it might have been pulsing under him. Other things concerned him more than the alien-like surface where he sat. Slowly, but surely, above the circular barrier that surrounded him, five beams of light struck into presence. One by one they revealed uncanny seats, in which no human would fit. They were far too uneven in their proportions. Any person would die if forced into such cavities, organs crushed and deformed into mush…

However, even if not adequate for a human, they were perfect for the figures. Like if they always had been there, shadows leaned slightly outward from their seats, as if leaning to peek over the circular railing that loomed over him. They were in the light, peeking right from within it, but they still were dressed in darkness. Such movement made him feel oppressed, scared and… judged.

 

“Indeed”.

 

He jolted onto his feet, his breath was taken away. All were still leaning and inspecting him from the dark, silent. But one of those shadowy things had spoken, with a raspy echo that was slightly off. It moved its limbs enough for him to catch a glimpse of its skin. Its hands gleamed, thin and scaly, transparent.

He finally dared react coherently enough.

 

“Where-” No, knowing where he was could wait. “Who the hell-”

 

Before he could say anything else, the figure spoke over him, literally. It seemed to expand and extend, increasing its size, in order to loom over the circular area where he stood. All the while remaining shadowed.

 

“Nathan Miles; your words carry no authority. You shall speak when told so.” Nathan swallowed, unable to open his mouth, for it shut on its own accord. The movements of the creature did not only intimidate him, but gripped his neck without touch. “You may only reflect on the fact that you are here to face trial. And soon sentence.”

 

Even though he could speak after it finished, he did not dare do so again. The things were looking at each other in the dark, exchanging what seemed to be tablets of some sort. They glinted in the dark, easy to read for them.

 

“Murder at the age of 21. Arson… What you call rape.” If a faceless expression could hold disgust, it showed it now. “We have had many cruel humans in this court, only a percentage as deserving as you.”

 

“Humans?” Nathan had his confirmation right there. These things were not like him. He took a step back, which took him nowhere, considering he was in a circular pit below them. “Leave me at peace you demons! The devil will not take me! The lord-”

 

“Your beliefs have no influence over this, Nathan.” One of the beings decided to explain, as it had done for many other confused lives. “This is not hell, nor heaven. However, you were no doubt deceased. We brought you back.”

 

Back. With a sharp pain that made him bend, he seemed to recall a red glint, a burning feeling that had overwhelmed his final senses. And it seemed as if it was only a memory, even when the thought now pierced his brain like a spear. Gasping for air, panting, he processed what he recalled to be his last moments. For he died, caught by one of the same fires he lighted in his late years.

He died. The flames, he could swear they were on him seconds ago before he awoke. He remembered denying he was trapped in the building, reassured by the success of his many previous actions. Then, anger, when he found out the back door was not as unlocked as he thought when he broke in from a window. Bargaining, he was sure he could make it out even when cornered into the second floor. Sorrow, the sounds of neighbors taking his target to safety below… He never felt acceptance as the flames consumed him alive. He was not done.

 

“You only experienced four of five stages, according to psychiatric theory. For you only feel grief for yourself.” Nathan stopped thinking of the flames, an angry snarl growing as he looked up at his speaking captor. “Never a hint of remorse, not even now, we see. No one ever got to judge you. That fire had no mind, no true capability to value your actions. We are here to resolve such injustice.”

 

“Justice…?” Nathan had always been an arrogant man. Gripped to every justification he could find, proud of his beliefs. “Only god can bring it. And your not Him. I do not know what kind of devil you are, but only He can judge me!”

 

The creatures exchanged looks. He waited patiently for them to speak again, but they remained silent. That, or they were exchanging words he could not hear… they never had seemed to talk with a mouth.

He tried to yell at them. Soon, he discovered his mouth was shut, once more. When he got tired of being stared on place, he tried to take a step forward, perhaps to climb to them. And soon he found it a mistake.

Sharply, as soon as he thought of doing it, one of the creatures glanced and rose a claw, which was not part of the arms and hands he had seen them move before. An intense coldness flowed through him, like if all his body had been encased in ice.

But there was nothing, only air around him. He could not move, and their attention was once more fixated on each other. Whatever they were discussing… it seemed to take them a day. While he was trapped in his thoughts, forced to stand immobile.

Most of verbal exchanges reach an end. And luckily, they reached one before he could starve.

 

“We have heard of Gods before. Their names have been invoked much.” The being had once more leaned very close. It seemed intrigued. “Your mind holds only a few of those names, but one is superior in your regard. You seem to think of it as morally superior. It is a protocol to use our own laws over the subjects we foresee… but we are always open to improving our ways. All for justice, for true balance. We believe the world must be fair.”

 

“You may speak. Tell us, what is your god’s stance on justice?”

 

Nathan felt how his fingers twitched. He stood frozen so long, that when he was able to move, he was unsure he could. He finally moved his eyes, looking at each of the beings, which awaited an answer.

He was a proud man, and would always justify himself. With a scowl, he stepped ahead, closer to the circular railing. He opened his mouth, ready to vanish the demons with faith, claim his way into heaven. For this was only a test, a trial, like the ones he had always read.

 

“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy! For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. He who believes in Him is not judged! If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment!”

 

His voice echoed back to him until the room became silent once more.

The judges stopped leaning; it was as if they had stopped debating. As if they had reached an understatement. Or maybe, they were just listening to more than what he had voiced…

He expected to be taken away from the chamber. He was sure these were only the gates between hell and heaven. All he wanted was His righteousness.

And they gave it.

 

“God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness, to be kept until His judgment.”

 

Those were the last words they spoke to him. And all he would be able to hear.

A warm feeling crept over his skin when the beings nodded in unison. He took a few steps back, glancing in increasing panic. Because the warm feeling was only increasing, yet there were no flames he could see. None of the creatures seemed bothered when he began to scream. His yells never stopped, echoes constant, and they never hinted to be bothered. They kept their gazes on their tablets… now full of archaic words written in ages long forgotten.

Words which they found inspiring.