Suddenly the world turned quiet.
The voices were muted before reappearing as a rumbling noise.
The noise quickly expanded to fill every oxygen atom, leaving Luca gasping for air.
It wasn't just around him anymore—it was him.
His heartbeat turned from a pounding drum to a crackling tin can, giving a warning for the bolt of electricity yet to strike.
As it hit, the last of the air in his lungs was expelled.
Sound vanished again.
For a moment, he thought the world had ended.
The silence began to move, crawling beneath his skin, humming where veins ought to be.
He tried to scream, but the air that had left refused to come back.
His eyes trembled before the scenery, as if trying to induce some empathy from the skies.
Then a sudden gush of fresh air hit his face as he took a deep breath, filling him with a cold sensation spreading from his lungs to the tip of his fingers.
He started breathing heavily, believing this was his last opportunity to do so.
A dizziness filled his head as his vision started to unblur.
As his eyes began to focus, a busy street came into view.
The street bore a resemblance to a place from Luca's hometown; however, it was only a resemblance, nothing more.
He knew this was not a place anywhere close to what he was familiar with.
As he looked down, he could gauge the state of the town.
The ground wasn't soil or stone—it was something between them.
The dust clung to his boots, stubbornly refusing to let go.
A layer reminiscent of ash, fragile enough to shatter yet refusing to transform into sand.
With every step, a parched crunch echoed beneath him.
"What the fuck just happened? Where am I… ?!"
As he yelled out, Luca looked around at the different buildings surrounding him.
The walls were half clay, half rotted timber, and were patched with either straw or cloth.
The roofs were not tiled but layered with tar-stained planks, slate fragments, or flattened scraps.
There were a few very small windows rattled with cracks and self-repairs.
The only light sources around were some smoky lamps and candles in bottles.
Most buildings had a chimney; however, the smoke that came out from those chimneys was both dark and heavy.
"It looks like an 1800s village…"
This cannot compare to any village you claim to know.
Luca instinctively grabbed a piece of wood lying by his feet and thrust it towards the sky.
His legs were shoulder-width apart.
Knees slightly bent, leaning most of his weight on the front of his feet.
All preparations were made unconsciously
However, they were made nonetheless.
The voice was calm and feminine but carried an unease like he had never experienced before.
"Who are you? Are you in my head? Why are you there? I have private stuff in here!" Luca yelled as the people around turned to look at him.
I am not interested in your fetishes; I am here only to pass your sentence.
"I don't have any weird fetishes or anything like that so-". Luca stopped mid-sentence, realization dawning on him.
"What do you mean sentence?"
The surroundings seemed darker and more oppressive, as if God himself had dimmed the world just to ensure that Luca would listen.
What you have done in your world is an unforgivable crime, but a soul cannot be destroyed. As such, yours has been wiped clean, your past removed with most of your memories. While the past is locked away, the present stands in judgement and punishment for past crimes.
The voice of this higher being vibrated in Luca's head and seemed increasingly familiar.
So, the noise I heard when I first got here was the trail, and the following deafness was judgement---Wait, she said that my past was wiped clean but also that it was locked away.
You are focusing on details; that is not the prerogative of a prisoner. Know this, Luca: while you are a talented individual, you have only ever used it to the hurt of others. You are one of many wasted potentials that we have chosen to cleanse. The quicker you learn of your position, the easier it will be.
Luca's body was slammed against the ground. Gravity's pull was increasing at an exponential rate.
The other villagers seemed unaffected.
They did not notice the cracking noise of his bones.
Nor did they see the blood on the ground merging with the sand into a thick paste.
Luca did not make a sound, for he could not.
His jaw was crushed closed.
Every nerve was screaming for help, but the world around him remained eerily indifferent.
His heart was pounding harder as to quicken his suffering.
The warm blood enclosing his head was weirdly pleasant.
He closed his eyes for the last time, but they were forced open.
He was now standing like he did in the beginning.
Luca quickly patted down his arms, stomach, and legs, checking for injuries.
Nothing.
"Wait, no, what? What is going on? I was just..."
He whispered to himself as his voice was shaking while forcing out a laugh.
Do you now understand the consequences of not accepting the role you have been assigned? The one you assigned yourself.
I need to get away from here. What is going on? She is clearly insane. I am fucking insane. I need help or something… someone….
Suddenly, Luca's fingers began to wither, the skin peeling off, exposing raw, bloodied muscle beneath.
His arms and legs followed.
This time he could scream— A raw and screeching sound echoed through the desolate village.
Yet no one moved to help. The villagers merely glanced at him with hollow eyes before turning away, as if his suffering was a mundane occurrence.
"Help… please… fuck, it hurts."
Luca gasped as he forced the words out between choked breaths.
The adrenaline made his body shake.
He trembled as he clutched his decaying limbs, trying in vain to hold himself together.
His body was unraveling piece by piece, only held together by his nerves.
Only for them to be torn slowly.
The voice returned, cold and indifferent.
A disease similar to your world's leprosy exists here; they will not help you—not in the way you want. They might offer you something, but only to ensure you don't spread your corruption to others. You cannot escape this. If you don't want this to be permanent next time, remember, I can hear your thoughts.
The black smoke… fuck. Luca barely had any time to comprehend the warning before his body was healed.
His limbs were still trembling and aching as though they remembered the torment.
"What exactly am I supposed to do here?"
He muttered weakly.
We are not allowed to interact with the living of this world, other than the ones whose crimes exceed mortal boundaries. As such, we need you to complete our tasks. You will be set up with a team—four other sinners. All are like you, scum of other worlds. Each has its own role.
"I'm not really a team player," Luca stated somewhat reflexively before realizing his error.
Did you say something?
"No ma'am, I did not."
I will send out a yellow light; follow it to find the meeting spot.
A small yellow light suddenly appeared in the sky.
It was daytime, but the light was clear and easy to spot, shining strongly without pollution.
Luca started walking in the direction of the light, passing by a small shopping district.
The shops on each side were either closed or barely had any customers.
"Why is everything here empty? It looks almost abandoned".
"You can view this world as your prison. Did you expect it to be beautiful?
Luca went quiet, staring only at the light as he walked.
Here he was completely at the mercy of this being.
A being that clearly did not favor him.
In a world that seemed as if it was designed to punish him