Pain or Damnation: Chapter 1 – Blessed are Those Who Suffer

Chapter 1 – Blessed are Those Who Suffer

“Blessed are those who suffer for love for they are closest to God,” a deformed preacher says outside of a church to a crowd of both normal and deformed people some of whom know they deserve their deformities while others don’t.

These deformities range from simple cuts and parts of diseased skin to having extra limbs, missing limbs and skin, and mutations that make them look like monsters rather than men with some having split heads, the appendages of bugs, and the bodies of vermin just to name a few.

“As you can see,” the preacher continues, “I suffer along with you all. My face, body, arms, and legs are burned and feel as if they are constantly on fire. This is not a curse from God, but a blessing. Much like stigmata, this suffering allows me to join my suffering to the Lord’s and so do penance for not only my sins but the sins of the world. This pain that we share is proof of God’s favor, and unlike our so-called leaders in the City of the Seven Hills, we know how to appreciate and use it. Do not lose faith even as their armies lay siege to our city and our pain worsens because, in this darkness, we will become the light of the world.”

As the preacher speaks, the five hundred soldiers that he is talking about are now starting their charge to bring down its gates. The general of the army rallies his wavering soldiers together.

“Stand strong, faithful men of the Church! Today is a grand offering to God whether in victory or defeat, life or death. Give thanks to God if you win Heaven today through your deeds and give thanks to God for the suffering you’ll endure for they’ll make you stronger in body and soul. Follow me into the glorious furnace of war and obtain your just rewards!” the general says before leading his troops from the front and charging towards the city.

Behind the general, his troops filled with renewed vigor follow their leader even as they are pelted by arrows from the walls. They make it to the walls and join their fellow soldiers who are battering down the gates and using ladders to scale the walls. The general continues to lead his troops as he goes up the ladder and confronts his enemies on top of it. Despite his skill in battle, he is overwhelmed by numbers and arrows and then tossed over the walls as a warning to his troops. This works for a few moments until the general suddenly springs to life as a large skeleton larger than the walls.

The general’s armor and sword have enlarged with his skeletal body and even bits of his skin still remain. With his newfound strength and a second chance at life, the general resumes his attack by smashing through the walls with his new tree-sized sword and continuing to lead his men who now praise God for this miracle. On the other side, they pray for a miracle from God to aid them as they perceive the general’s transformation as an act of the devil. Their prayers are soon answered as the ones who pray are combined into a single towering warrior with multiple heads and limbs, and who is just as tall and strong as the general. Both warriors clash along with the soldiers they are leading. It’s then that both sides start praying more and begging God for help so that their side can win this stalemate as many more people become monstrous.

During all this chaos, a small unit of Church’s army sneaks into the main castle. They fight their way in and get to where King General Otello is waiting for them. He doesn’t turn to look at the intruders even as his guards ready themselves for a last stand. Instead, he looks out at the battle of monsters that is happening in his city.

“It’s a wondrous sight to see, isn’t it? The will of God in action before our mortal eyes. This is a battle that would be told in legend,” Otello says. “The question remains as to who victory will be given to. Let us find out. My soldiers will surrender if you can defeat me. Who will be the first challenger?”

The Church’s soldiers look at each other until one of them steps up.

“I will,” the young man says with his sword and shield at the ready.

“What is your name, boy?”

“Dante.”

“I applaud your bravery and will honor it by facing you, Dante. In death, I hope you find Heaven despite your heresy.”

“You’ll be the one who’ll have to answer for your heresy in death.”

Otello and Dante face off and it’s immediately obvious who will win as Otello beats down Dante with little effort while Dante can hardly land a hit on the King General and even when he does, the king’s armor is too strong to easily pierce. As the fight continues, Dante’s arms are cut off. He screams and then falls to his knees. Even in his defeated state, he tries to stand in vain and just ends up with his face on the floor. His fellow soldiers behind him are frightened by his defeat with them backing off and whispering to each other as to what to do and if they should try fighting Otello.

“You fought well enough, but you are still a child. Even so, your will to continue is admirable and I will pray for your salvation,” Otello says before picking Dante up and finishing him off by shoving his sword through his chest.

In the blink of an eye, Dante sees himself in a strange, enclosed building following someone. He sees this person look at two different doors with blurry writing on them before deciding to go through one of them. By these doors are two windows with a blinding white light emanating from them, and more importantly, Dante sees the Lord God sitting on a bench by the doors with a familiar child in His arms. Dante remembers seeing this child during the battle, the arrow in his head, and his crying mother. He wishes he didn’t remember how he died and tried to forget seeing it while he was living. It wasn’t his fault that the child died. The child’s death was an accident of an arrow barrage during the battle.

Looking up, the Lord says, “Pick a door. Where do you want your life to go next?”

At this moment, Dante experiences the legends of God’s voice and face for himself. God’s voice and face are said to be calming and reassuring to the repentant and terrifying and condemnatory to the wicked. As for Dante, he sees and hears the calming side and feels as if he could fall into a deep, peaceful sleep while listening to the voice of God and looking at Him. Nevertheless, he does as he is told and looks at both of the doors and the blurry descriptions are now legible to him. One door’s description reads “continue living” and the other says “die and be judged”. Dante instinctively puts his hand on the “living” door, but then a realization about the situation enters his mind. This is a test.

“Which one do You think I should pick?” Dante asks.

The Lord doesn’t say anything so Dante stands by Him and waits for a response. He then does say something, but Dante is too distracted by the child. It’s as if he’s jealous that the child is peacefully resting in His arms while he isn’t.

“You can rest in my arms as well,” the Lord says.

Dante sits on the Lord’s lap, rests his head on His shoulder, and immediately closes his eyes because of the feeling of peace that is greater than being happy. The feeling is like being in adoration, a taste of Heaven on Earth, an otherworldly, but somehow familiar peace.

“What do you want to know?” the Lord asks.

“Whatever you want me to know,” Dante answers.

It’s then that Dante sees a new, singular option before him with God holding out His hand.

“Will you accept the path I have for you?”

“I do.”

“You will experience pain for the remainder of your days that you will offer as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. My Church has forgotten what it means to suffer for the sake of others. You will teach them the truth and value of love through pain. Do you accept this?”

“I do.”

“Will you forgive Otello who has killed you? You will not have the opportunity to prove your family wrong as you wish nor marry your fiancé, Anselma. Instead, you will serve your purpose and die soon after. Do you accept this?”

A flash of memories and plans for his life stops Dante from immediately saying anything at first until he thinks for a second about what denying God would mean.

“I do.”

“Then, I bless you with your cross.”

The black void around Dante becomes red, black, and gold in an instant. God approaches Dante and touches him with His gold and black hands. A sharp pain like small blades running through his body strikes his mind like a poisoned arrow from an assassin and continuously hurts him. He sees streams of blood coming out and forming pseudo arms in their place and looks at his chest to see his heart bursting with sparks of flame. His head feels heavy as he begins to sweat blood that comes out of his head and forms a red crown that is suspended over his head. In addition, part of his face is covered in gold. With the blessing given, the Lord lets go of Dante who falls to the ground as he tries to deal with the pain.

“You now have the blessing of pain and share in My suffering for the sake of the world. Go now. Bring My flock back home,” the Lord says.

A tide of red blood comes out from the ground and overwhelms Dante. He then wakes up back where he was and the flood of blood bursts from him. Everyone in the room and in the city is caught up in the tide. During it all, some of the people who became monsters and those afflicted by similarly blessed deformities turn back into normal humans while others suffer the opposite fate. Seeing this all from the top of the castle, Dante considers what to do next and prays for an answer. A solitary black hand that only Dante can see appears in front of him from the light.

“Find Otello. He will be your key for getting into the City of the Seven Hills where the leads of the Church reside,” the familiar voice of God says.

“Yes, lord,” Dante says while scanning his eyes through the city.

Once he sees Otello carried on the waves of blood, he jumps into the river, which is now beginning to subside. Not wanting to lose him, Dante prays for guidance and is soon given it as his arms of blood turn into wings and allow him to fly into the sky. Dante searches where he thinks Otello is and eventually finds him, however, he sees that Otello has transformed into a large bull that is three times the size of a normal man, wearing armor, and has horns in the shape of a halo. Otello uses his newfound strength to burst through the walls of the city and escape into the forest.

“You won’t escape me,” Dante says as he pursues his target and starts his journey of blessed suffering.