Welcome to Gaia! ::

Faust stiffened as they came within view of a giant stone tower at the edge of a great river, and it proceeded to shoot a plume of flames when they crossed the thresh hold. It was answered by a second plume from an identical tower on the other side of the river.

A surly old man in a boat rowed towards them. "Name's Phlegyas," he said in a bitter voice. "This here is the river Styx. Any of you poets? The last living bloke I ferried was Dante."

"Well, seeing as Big Man's little boy is with you, I can do that," Phlegyas said, moving aside so that they could hop in the boat. He blinked when he saw Faust. "Say, you..."

"Have no soul, I know," Faust said. "I've heard it enough times today."

"No... I ferried your soul earlier. It almost ended up in this circle, that of the Wrathful."

"Really?" Mephisto asked.

"Yes. Look down," Phlegyas invited as they started to row over the glassy surface of the marsh-like water. "You'll see souls fighting each other, tearing each other apart, really, until the end of time."

"How would I have ended up here?" Faust asked, gazing down at the souls fighting.

"Not there," the ferryman said, rolling his eyes. "Beneath them, in the darker waters, are the ones who shut out the light in life. So they are forever in the dark. But the Prince decided that you would be better suited to the forest, since you abandoned yourself."

"You know, you have to be careful what you pretend to be," the ferryman said thoughtfully as he rowed. "After a while, you become what you pretend to be."

"I mean that, a man who behaves a certain way... even if that goes against his nature, he falls into the habit. It's difficult to put into words... it's simply a great truth, like love or death."

"Here we are," the old ferryman said as the boat bumped against the opposite shore. "That's the end of the journey... welcome to the City of Dis. Eternal home of the heretics."

" 'Tis the capital of Hell," the Ferryman said. "So far, you've been in upper Hell. From Circle Six onwards, you're in Lower Hell. The Heretics are the ones in Circle Six."

They approached, and were faced with monstrous, cloaked figures. Yuki stared. "What... what are you?"

"Rebellious angels," said one in a sepulchral tone. "You shall not pass."

"But I'm here!" Mephisto said, drawing himself to his full height. "You cannot deny a lord of Hell, your superior, the master will to which you bend!" his typically boyish demeanor melting away and becoming horrific.

The rebellious angels quailed and moved aside, allowing the group to pass.

The angels hissed when Faust passed. They sensed the void that was his spirit, and laughed at the misery of another, since it was the only thing that could give them pleasure.

"Here," Mephisto explained, "are the people who denied the existence of God." They passed rows and rows of coffins, with fire in and around them. "Since they didn't believe in eternal life, they're sentenced to eternal death. Those lids you see scattered on the ground will seal the coffins on Judgement Day."