THE LORD OF THE BOYS

Chapter 24 - FREEDOM?

Ryan had been under the iron sea for 2 million years with Stephen. Two million years and there was still eternity to go!

When the goddess came with her high heels to give the boys one of their frequent crushing punishments Ryan finally decided he would try to escape or at least beg

''Look Goddess I'm sorry I insulted you 2 million years ago'' he cried ''I must be forgiven one day surely? How can you hold a grudge like this forever?''

The goddess laughed and gave Ryan a cruel grin ''Want to know the real truth behind all this?'' she said

''Yes go on tell me''

''This is hell for us all, the gods and the servants alike. we all have to exist for eternity and it's a fucking long time. We get bored and we do this stuff for our own amusement to pass the time''

''So you're stuck with eternal existence and boredom so you force us into it with you. If you have to exist and suffer forever we do too, is that right?''

''Yes, Ryan pretty much. I can see you're a smart boy Ryan, and also a very stubborn boy. You were the only one out of the three of you who never gave in to the lord. Your friends Jake and Liam both did, although Jake serves a different god now he still gave in to the will of a god''

''Why don't you let Stephen and I out of this iron sea now?'' Ryan asked ''come on it's getting boring here, we've been here for 2 million years and even that's only a few seconds compared to eternity. If we have to exist for eternity at least give us some variety. Variety is the spice of life after all''

The goddess laughed ''I will never let you out of here''

Suddenly her husband, the lord of the boys, appeared before them all

''Maybe we should just let Ryan and Stephen go free now'' he said ''they have served their time here and eternity doesn't have to mean literally never-ending time, it can just mean time that goes on for so long that it feels like an eternity. 2 million years under the iron sea is already feels like an eternity right boys''

''Yes right and Stephen was already here a long time before I got here'' Ryan said ''everything has to end sometime even if it goes on for millions or billions of years first. It will feel like an eternity but it has to end one day, nothing can last literally forever'' 

''Yes, that's true. You will now both be destroyed and enter eternal sleep. You see even if time doesn't go on for eternity then death and ceasing to exist will. Ready to die forever, boys?''

Suddenly the two boys were shocked and scared and unsure. As much as they hated being forced into this bizarre and cruel afterlife they had never actually considered eternal death and no longer existing. Would it really be better just to die and be gone forever? If they stayed in existence who knows what other horrors would await them? There was Liam with his face pressed down on the ground for ''eternity'' Jake the soldier kneeling before his god for 1 million years before he could even start training and then he would have intense pain and punishment

''Make your mind up boys, we can destroy you right now and this will all be over. You, you see death is the ultimate freedom. you will be at peace in nonexistence''

''I guess it will just be like before we were born?'' Stephen said ''I mean think about it there was already an eternity of nonexistence in the other direction. We only think about what happens after we die but we were already there before we were born so why be so afraid of it?''

''I was never afraid of being dead itself but the process of dying scared me'' Ryan replied ''I always wanted to die quickly and not suffer for a long time first''

''If you want to go now I'll make it quick, you won't suffer'' the lord told them ''death is freedom, heaven is death. do you want freedom boys?''

''Yes I want freedom'' Stephen said ''I'd rather not exist any more than exist and suffer anymore

Ryan paused for a while, he was unsure. Eventually, he answered '' I want freedom too'' he said

The next thing the boys knew they were both standing in a sunny field feeling the breeze on their faces and hearing the birds singing. There was bright sunshine and trees, and everything was lit up in golden sunshine. They felt happy and high 

Then everything went black. Had they died? Were they finally free?