wonder if Pythia had seen this as it was now, for if she had, then it was little wonder why the girl had run from him. It was almost something you could have classed as being cliché when belonging to the ruler of all of Hell. Because the enormous space looked like a hollowed out section of a mountain and, unlike my own castle, this time its platforms weren't filled with modern day luxuries… or Star Wars figures, I thought with a hidden grin.
Its entrance was a colossal set of double doors made of stone and opened by none other than Cacus, a giant that once lived in a cave in Italy, on the future site of Rome. Cacus lived on human flesh, breathed fire and would nail the heads of victims to the doors of his cave. He was eventually overcome by Hercules and cast down here to do Lucifer’s bidding, which right now included being the giant figure of a man that was half naked, covered with lashes from a whip, and strong enough to open the throne room doors.
Then, once it was done, he snarled at being chained to the mechanism that aided this opening, before a bellow of flames came from the back of his throat, setting fire to an oil filled pool. These flames then travelled throughout the throne room, lighting sections of the cavernous space with an echoing thunder from the giant’s rage.
We followed our father through the decorated archways that were each carved with images duplicating his rule over the underworld. This pathway led to a bridge wide enough that you could fit a freeway down its centre and still have room. Of course, either side of this bridge was the ominous pits of Hell as they had been described since literature had begun. A time where the written word of the Devil had been spread throughout the mortal world, with most religions having their own version.
In truth, it was like being in the centre of a volcano, as lava flowed into the river of Phlegethon below. Though this was the centre of Lucifer’s castle, which was indeed part of the mountain its towers, walls and turrets had been raised upon. The very foundations had been carved into its rock face and built up around the centre of its highest peak.
Around the cavern were massive columns, topped with the skulls of the many demonic creatures that roamed his lands. Their empty eye sockets only useful to the waterfall of fiery liquid that poured below in a never-ending stream of molten tears. Directly in front, the bridge led to two more levels, one higher than the other. The first of these was a hexagon shape that held a flaming symbol of the Devil’s own sigil upon its floor, one Cacus had set alight upon his master’s arrival. From this point, steps led up to the last and highest platform, where the Devil’s throne sat waiting for its master.
Unsurprisingly, his throne was like most belonging to the rulers of Hell. Just another demonic statement to all who were in the presence of such a king. Although, even I had to admit it was an impressive sight, for there weren’t many who could claim killing such a legend. The Ninki Nanka translated into Dragon Devil, and was dragged back down to Hell by Lucifer himself after he found it broken free and hiding in the swamps of Gambia. Now nothing more than a folktale and a way for parents to scare children into behaving, threatening to take them to the swamps should they continue acting out their wicked ways.
However, as for the Dragon’s Devil, it was actually named such when a mortal witnessed Lucifer take down the massive beast and drag its dead carcass back to Hell to use its remains as the ultimate trophy. The bones of which were currently still staring us in the face as a reminder of that mighty feat of power.
The enormous, winged creature was now displayed creatively into a throne, with its spine curled fifteen feet in the air ready for the back of its master to lean upon. Its ribcage was still open and spread wide from where Lucifer had done so with his bare hands, before embedding his sword within its black heart. But its bones hadn’t been the only part kept as a trophy, as its skin remained, now being used as decoration hung over its own remains.