Heaven, Hell, and Everything in Between

Chapter 1: The Vision

CH.1 The vision

I was completely surrounded by demons of all shapes and sizes, from the 20-foot Archinma down to the poodle-size Rishtic.

I was slashing and stabbing for my life with my Holy-sword Harica which means "Heaven's Light."

In the midst of this huge battle, I still had time to think of how in hell I ended up in this mess.

I think it all started last March, around the end of Spring Break.

I was going to bed early to make sure I was rested for school the next day.

I was tossing and turning, but could not seem to get to sleep.

Suddenly, even though my eyes were closed, my vision went tunnel, and when I looked down, I saw myself still in the bed!

I could still feel the bed under me, but I was above myself as well.

I was debating on what could be happening, when my floating half started to rise.

I thought, "Well, if I'm along for the ride, I might as well enjoy it."

As I rose, I twisted and turned in all kinds of acrobatics, but when I looked down again, the Earth itself was shrinking in my view.

Soon it was as if I were looking at a model of the solar system, but in real life. I thought to myself, "Will I just keep going, never to stop?"

The thought terrified me, but some outside force worked its way into my mind, and calmed me down almost instantaneously.

I floated in space for what I thought was hours, but was more like a few minutes at the speeds I was going.

Then, out in the distance, a bright band started to grow, and grew at an accelerated rate.

In seconds I could make out every color in the rainbow, and bright points within the swirling gas.

I thought, "This must be a nebula I'm approaching."

But a quick glance backward showed the solar system still in view.

"That pretty well shatters my theory," I thought, "but if that isn't a nebula what is it?"

The gas band grew until it filled my vision, until I could see nothing else unless I looked straight behind me.

I did not know when I had entered the gas, but at one point I looked back and realized I couldn't see stars anymore.

"I'm really in the thick of it now." I said to myself, only half joking.

Out of the gas, came a beam of light, then another, until there were over a dozen shafts streaking into view.

The gas peeled away from the light, as if repelled by a magnet.

As the last tendrils faded away, the light lessened, until a golden gate came into view, standing as tall as the Eifel Tower and inlaid with designs that would have taken decades to design, much less create.

The metal swirled and twisted, so much that you could get lost in its folds for all eternity if you wished.

The gates opened without a sound, and I found I could walk, instead of being carried along by whatever force had brought me here.

I was walking along a single cobblestone road, but the stones were not stones at all, but gold and jewel bricks, some as big as a tire.

Passing by me were houses of all sizes, some were mansions, and others were one-room huts made of grass.