I alighted on a small patch of land that was never touched, even in this squirming depth of darkness and dry heat. I had received my holy order, and was keen to follow it. The gap that I had cut for myself to enter Ignis closed as I came to a halt, leaving me stranded from any of the world that I previously tore myself from the Kingdom to see. And tore myself again, just to perhaps never see it again. I named myself a curio, but perhaps I was something else entirely.

Nonetheless, here I am now.

When I alighted, as I told you where already, my first sight was the ##### himself. He stood tall, with wrappings over his eyes and his fangs bared in a scowl toward anyone that stood in front as he swept across the small space. These demons, their backs were a tangle of speckled light and darkness covered by matted feathers and overgrown, if not cancerous skin. Malformed by the transition, they all as a group donned veils on their faces as they walked alongside their lords. But unlike #####, they were not blinded.

I watched them move along to the next chamber until the last one of them disappeared into another darkness. I was not meant to follow, nor was I meant for curiosity. This perch was invented for me, and here I was invisible to the eye of these Fallen. It was man who I was bound to, and for man’s sake I remained as a ultima.

Yet, could I tell you? He returned alone perhaps not short after. I counted the hours through flames on tail ends of what seemed to be corridors. The tail flickered in the ive ever so reliably in this stagnant heat, and with perhaps mille ex eis, he swept back inside.

I wondered at the creature. His skin was blackened at the hands and feet, more akin to stone than to skin. He moved so slowly, yet covered much ground with the length of his legs. Trailing behind him were not decor or wings, but wrappings that trailed from around his eyes and shoulders. The ends were smoldering from the dry heat and fire, yet they never seemed to extinguish on the dry ground.

As he stopped, I could sense other individuals in the room. Malicious, overwhelming, enduring auras of conflicting emotions entered with them. Sadness, regret, malice, jealousy, deep envy and rage, ennui… They were expressed in hushed whispers, through the air, and simply radiating off of the peculiar energy of my platform. There were humans here, as well, though for what purpose I could not say from here. They were nude, only their chests and neck adorned in some wicker restraint of home sort. I had wondered why for years, but only could now say that it was, perhaps, a vessel for the heart. If this was true, then these were the peccatores listening to their orator.

I turned from them at once that day. This was #####’s words, and to listen would be to listen to the song of your own virgin heart turned inverse.