Spirit Hotel

Feisha clapped his hands suddenly and said, I finally understand why Lucifer fell.

Isefel played along and asked, Why?

Because he can only perform at his most brilliant here in h.e.l.l. Even the most radiant star will shine brightest in the dark. So what better place than h.e.l.l itself? Feisha felt rather proud of himself for this discovery.

Asmodeus suddenly spoke. When Lord Lucifer fell, most of the angels were crying as they went to war.

Crying as they went to war?

Feisha found himself imaging the scene. A whole legion of angels that should have been shouting violently, waving their swords and filling the skies with shouts for warand instead they were gently waving their handkerchiefs, all while calling out:

Dont leave, we cant lose you

Come back, I cant live alone like this, please come back

Ill do anything if you only stay. Even if the one you demandedwas me

Pfff! Feisha coughed as he tried his best to hold back his laughter, his entire face going red with the effort.

Whats wrong? Asmodeus glanced over at him in concern, then remembering Isefel, quickly looked down in case he had overstepped.

On the other hand, Isefel seemed to understand perfectly, and simply patted Feisha a couple times on the back. Whatever he was thinking, it was sure to be something completely ridiculous.

Feisha rubbed at his nose a bit before saying. Ahem, I was just, I was just thinking, where did Abaddon go off to?

If Abaddon were here, he would definitely be moved to tears. Because after all their useless blabbering back and forth, they finally realized they lost someone.

Isefel replied, I sent him to rest.

Humans had a saying of restingin peacecould it be (1)

Feisha was shocked. Hes gone?

Asmodeuss gaze instantly shot up and his eyes widened.

Isefel replied. Sent home to recover.

If his wounds could still recover that meant there was still breath left in him. Feisha breathed a sigh of relief and asked, What exactly happened just now?

So Feishas take away from Isefels rather succinct wording was

The two angels got into a battle high as they kept fighting and accidentally lost control of their powers, using way too much force in that game of theirs. Abaddon was unfortunate enough to be thrown by the impact, causing him to fly off, unconscious. When Isefel finally caught him, he realized that they were already at Abaddons house, so he took him home before coming back.

But there was still one problem here.

Feisha asked. How did you know where Abaddon lived?

Didnt he say hed never been to h.e.l.l before?

Asmodeus answered quietly. Because its written on the roof.

Huh?

Isefel saw Feishas confusion and decided to just take him along, flying towards Abaddons house. It was so sudden that Feisha barely had time to wave to Asmodeus. It seemed as if Asmodeus was smiling as he stood watching them, but because they were already so far away, Feisha couldnt be sure whether he was just imagining it.

Not long after they flew out, Feisha realized what Asmodeus meant. Because among the rows of pitch black lacquered rooftops, a row of thick, twisting neon lights lit up.

Is that the word Abaddon spelled out over there?

No. Isefel replied. Its Abaddons Resting Place.' (2)

I guess this captures the taste people down here in h.e.l.l. Feisha laughed a bit, then suddenly felt a wave of sleepiness overcome him. Perhaps it was all this talk of rest, but he couldnt help but miss his bed back in Noahs Ark.

Isefels grip on on his wrist tightened a bit as he asked. Want to head back?

It was his long awaited chance to come down to h.e.l.l- there was no way he was going to turn back halfway. Arent there still four circles to go? Lets hurry and take a look before heading back.

The eighth and ninth circles are below the Blood Falls. Humans wont be able to pa.s.s through.

What are the Blood Falls? Feishas heard this name more than once now.

A waterfall formed by the blood of countless demons and spirits of h.e.l.l.

Feisha felt a chill run down his spine, the wind blowing past him suddenly seeming rather cold.

The architecture on the sixth circle was rather varied, some buildings tall and others short, some blocky and others round. Feisha even saw some Chinese style paG.o.das and pyramids crammed next to each other. Whats the main purpose here?

Living s.p.a.ce. This is where most ethnic groups settle down.

Feisha and Isefel walked slowly down the street.

This is the circle of h.e.l.l that seems most similar to the human world so far. There were snack shops and grocery stores. If you looked carefully, you could even see a couple small newstands squeezed in between buildings.

There are newspapers in h.e.l.l? Feisha asked in wonder.

Isefel replied. Those arent really newspapers, theyre more like flyers in the human world. Except you need to buy them.

n.o.body would pay for a flyer in the human world.

These flyers can display any news you want to read.

What about Internet connection? Wasnt there supposed to be Internet here? Feisha was excited.

Its not actually widely used. Its only popular among fallen angels.

If only there was Internet connection on Noahs Ark. Feisha said.

Signals cant pa.s.s through the s.p.a.ce between worlds. Isefel watched as his face fell. But you can use it internally.

Use it internally? Feishas eyes lit up. Although Noahs Ark had a rather small number of residents, there were quite a lot of people coming and going. If they developed it all properly, they could create a good community of netizens.

Lets go to the seventh circle now. Isefel lifted him back into the air.

It was probably because everyone was used to seeing fallen angels in the skies because even after Isefel had been flying around so long, no one had stared at them. At most, they drifted pa.s.s a few other fallen angels flying about, but everyone always flew their own way without greeting each other.

The buildings of the seventh circle were completely different from all the six circles preceding it. In fact, they werent even in the same ballpark. When he finally managed to get a good look at it, Feisha had to stop and stare for a long while. If he wasnt mistaken, other than the ma.s.sive white palace floating in midair, all the other buildings looked rather like churches.

If it was just a little brighter, I wouldve thought I was in heaven. He whispered.

When Lucifer is here, it is. Isefel replied.

Feisha went silent. On the other circles, he witnessed various objects of desire and excess. Although the sixth circle was a bit less exorbitant, it still captured all the little temptations of everyday life. But here, not only did he not feel any sense of desire or temptation, but his heart also settled into a state of tranquility. All thoughts were cleared from his mind, leaving behind only a deep sense of peace.

Is it similar to Heaven? Feisha thought he probably wouldnt ever have the chance to see heaven. Because of everything with Isefel, he felt like even if G.o.d didnt do anything to him, He would probably refuse to see him.

Mhmm.

Feisha smiled. In just one trip, I got to see both Heaven and h.e.l.l. It was worth it.

A figure flew up towards them from below. Although his wings were black, the aura that Feisha felt around him was a truly holy one. Welcome to the Seventh Circle. He smiled slightly, and his delicate features seemed to emit the same soft light as Metatron. I am Belial. (3)

Isefel introduced him in a single word. Sloth.

Belial seemed to be a bit embarra.s.sed by this. Ive changed a lot.

Oh?

I will at least wash my face and brush my teeth in the morning.

Once a day?

Belial whispered. Once a week.

Feisha was speechless. He must have been mistaken. That halo around his face wasnt light, it was dirt! Dirt!

Lord Lucifer isnt here at the moment, so Im afraid Ill be entertaining you. As he spoke, Belial led them towards one of the churches. When Lord Lucifer is gone, the Palace of the Morning Star is covered by a blanket of pitch black darkness. Its completely impossible to stay in, so Im afraid youll have to make do with my place.

Your place? Feisha was imagining a rundown house full of dust and cobwebs.

He has people cleaning his place. Isefel said.

Belial replied. Yeah, Ive hired ten. I would have liked to get someone to brush my teeth too, but Lord Lucifer wouldnt allow it.

Why? Feisha asked. It wouldnt happened to be that Lucifer enjoyed seeing him so dirty, his mouth reeking with every breath?

Belial replied. Because he said that hes afraid Id end up hiring someone to open my mouth for me too.

He made a point. At least he was getting some exercise once a week.

Belials house was an ivory church with a row of orange street lamps in front. But after entering the place, he realized it wasnt a church at all. Instead, it was all decked out in a very stylish and imposing entry hall.

Feisha and Isefel were both shown to a guest room. As he was settling them down, Belial had asked specifically. Youre sure you want only one room?

Isefel stared coldly back at him in reply. Thus Belial tactfully decided not to speak any further. After arriving in the guest room, Feisha decided that this was actually a luxurious villa in the guise of a church.

Want some salad? Isefel asked.

Salad? Feisha stared blankly for a moment before he realized he was a bit hungry. He nodded. Sure.

Isefel left to go call for some salad, and when he got back, Feisha had already gone to the bathroom to take a shower. Just as he was finishing his shower, the waiter brought the salad in. Looking at the brightly colored seafood salad, Feisha couldnt help but reach out with his fingers. Without waiting for the chef to set down the fork and knife, he went ahead and pluck some out and tossed it into his mouth.

Is it good? Isefel watched him, his gaze deep and unreadable.

Feisha licked his fingers and nodded earnestly. No wonder this was the chef of a demon lord, hes really got some skills!

Wait for me and well eat together. Isefel said.

Feisha looked at the portions and realized it really wasnt quite enough. Okay. It was rare for Isefel to show any interest in food. It seem like he was really starving. Feisha decided hed just eat a little bit here and there and give the bigger portion to Isefel. After all, he had to be burning quite a bit of energy flying around all day.

Isefels wasnt slow to wash, but by the time he came out, the man who was supposed to be waiting for him to dine together was already planted on the bed, snoring loudly and sleeping like a log. He stood over the bed and watched for a while until he was certain he wasnt going to be waking up. Then he turned and walked over to the coffee table where he sat down slowly and ate the seafood salad one bite at a time.

As he placed each piece into this mouth, the flavor quickly melted on his tongue. He watched as Feisha sleep innocently, his lips pursed slightly.

It was alright. There would be plenty of time later.

Translators Notes

1. What Isefel actually says is I sent him back and Feisha thinks of a Chinese expression, , literally returning to your old home. It can be used as an expression for visiting an old family home/hometown in general, but its also a euphemism for dying since it can be interpreted as returning/rejoining with your ancestors.

I changed that exchange completely so that it makes a little more sense in English.

2. This carries on from the joke in the note above. A more literal translation for the words would be Abaddons Old Home in reference to the note above. I translated it to go with the English rest with the implication of death.

3. His name in Chinese is (bei li ya), which can be Beria too but is likely referring to the biblical demon Belial so Ive translated it as such.

However, considering hes the demon of sloth, it could also be a shortened form of Belphegor, as Peter Binsfelds cla.s.sification has Belphegor as the Prince of Sloth (this is also where Mammon as the Prince of Greed comes from). This doesnt sound at all like the Chinese characters used though, so Ive gone with Belial.