The ten-minute drive brings them to the museum parking lot. Up above, Wyn notices a helicopter. Anish explains that there are helicopters for rent, just like the smart vehicles. Although the rate of ten catnips for thirty minutes is rather expensive, it’s a much faster way to get around. There should be a couple of helicopters at the museum, but it seems all are in use right now.
“The museum has an odd name. It’s called the ‘Everything Jingle Bell Museum’ or ‘EJB Museum’ for short.”
Wyn quickly realizes the origin of the name, though he doesn’t voice it aloud.
The museum is a long building with connecting rooms that separate each part. There’s no entrance fee, but there’s only one entrance at the leftmost part of the museum. To access a different section, visitors simply use the specified portal in a connecting room. After passing through the grand entrance, the four find themselves in the first section of the museum, aptly named “Hell,” which features intriguing information about Hell. This is the only creature-free part of the entire museum.
In the center of the main room stands a large metal globe that spins slowly above a pedestal. A holographic screen to the right of the globe displays the message: “The world was created by two divine entities, one of whom is our very own Lord.”
On the walls are pictures of the Lord in various postures. The seemingly lean figure looks friendly despite his entirely red attire, including his eyes and hair. The so-called “Lord” is referred to by many names according to the descriptions below the pictures: “The Devil,” “The Dark Lord,” “Hell Lord,” “Lucifer,” “Satan,” and “Stan,” but his true name is “The Dark Force.” Intrigued, Wyn walks around but struggles to find more information on this name. He learns only that the demons call him “Lord” due to the limitations of speech back then, a tradition that has carried over.
Two nearby exhibition rooms explain Hell’s connection with the orange tabbies and how the CATOTO family became the staple for guiding souls. The tabbies, specifically the orange ones, were among the first breeds introduced to Hell. The Dark Lord, or The Dark Force, aimed to create demons to help manage Hell as more souls arrived. After numerous attempts, he succeeded in creating the prototype for all present-day cats: the black mau. However, this cat couldn’t withstand the heat, which was then the only torturing method employed in Hell. Various breeds were created as a result until an orange tabby emerged, showing signs of resistance to extreme heat. With that, The Dark Lord began mass production of the orange tabbies. Due to their unusual mischievous behavior – especially in comparison to other breeds – he dubbed them “the most evil of cats I could ever ask for.”
The CATOTO family was once a lineage of stray cats living on an unclaimed island long ago. Before CATOTO was born, his family engaged in interbreeding, resulting in abnormalities in the physical appearances of their bloodline. CATOTO was the eldest brother among fourteen siblings, who can now be found throughout the first floor of the seventh level of Hell. The cats perished in a flash flood and were sent to Cat Hell, a special section dedicated to training cats to become demons. Driven by his ambition to become the most evil of all cats, The Dark Lord promoted CATOTO to head of torturing, the highest position a demon could achieve. CATOTO was in charge of millions of cats, including his own siblings.
One day, a group of souls staged a rebellion against Hell, leading to a battle between the demons and souls that resulted in heavy losses on both sides. With The Dark Lord’s intervention, the war came to an end. It was then that CATOTO asked his master to grant the demons powers, as their small physiques were no match against the human souls. They managed to hold their ground only due to sheer numbers, having a vast quantity of demons on their side. As a reward for CATOTO's leadership, The Dark Lord enlarged the demons to their current size and granted CATOTO the ability to do so at will. His siblings received the same ability, as they had been instrumental to CATOTO during the war.
Over time, The Dark Lord acquired the nerd army, which became the backbone of Hell’s development. Utilizing technology and introducing level moderators diminished the need for a demon leader. Volunteering for a new role, CATOTO and his siblings transitioned into guide demons. The nerds later provided them with an advanced speech upgrade, allowing them to converse more fluidly with souls. CATOTO has always believed himself to be the brightest of them all – a sentiment shared by his siblings. They began to distance themselves from one another by referring to each other as relatives.
In a dedicated exhibition hall, there stands a statue of the nerd army leader, Pete. Wyn recognizes him as the same man who appeared on the booting screen when the band was activated for the first time. Surrounding the statue are details of how the nerd army was formed. Pete was once a successful businessman who climbed the corporate ladder of a tire company, becoming CEO at the age of thirty-nine. He successfully rebranded the company, establishing its presence worldwide. The logo of himself holding a tire became iconic. However, at only forty-three, he succumbed to type two diabetes.
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While enduring torture, he grew frustrated with the inefficient management of Hell and envisioned a different version of it. Under a picture of Pete pointing at a group of demons, a description reads, “You could have tortured more effectively.” As a visionary, he made it his mission to ascend the non-existent corporate ladder in Hell. Whenever he had the chance, whether being tortured or not, he would strike up conversations with anyone he deemed nerdy enough. Over time, he amassed a following – from a small clique to a large group of nerds.
On his command, every nerd grabbed a demon as a hostage and demanded that CATOTO lead him to The Dark Lord, assuring CATOTO that he only wanted to have a peaceful discussion. Since two of the hostages were his siblings, CATOTO reluctantly led Pete – only Pete – to The Dark Lord’s private chamber. The Dark Lord was initially surprised but willing to listen to what Pete had to say, provided he released the demons. Not trusting, Pete insisted on talking first, promising to command the nerds to release the demons afterward.
The conversation went exceedingly well for Pete, as The Dark Lord took a genuine interest in his ideas. As a starting point, Pete and his nerds initiated a recruitment program. At that time, Pete, being a geek himself, couldn’t distinguish between geeks and nerds. He accepted both, but faced protests from the ferocious nerds, who demanded the exclusion of all geeks but Pete. With the nerds working tirelessly to recruit members, their numbers quickly reached army status.
As a special privilege, the nerds were granted their own office in a separate portal space, away from others. They work in shifts and often roam around Hell during their free time to identify areas for improvement. The decision to transform Hell into what it is today stemmed from the nerds' desire to make Hell their home while still retaining the concepts of torture and punishment.
In another hall, gold statues of all the current level moderators stand proudly, including Cerberus. These statues are one-tenth the size of the actual beings. Gluttony is the largest, while Lust is the smallest. Taking this opportunity, Wyn checks out Torture and Anxiety, the newest moderators. Torture is a buff, muscular executioner, towering over Yu and Mira combined. He wears a blood-red executioner hood that lacks openings for eyes, nose, or mouth. Anxiety, on the other hand, is a shape-shifter with no fixed form, represented here as a cube about the same size as Maya.
Behind these statues are metal figures of the previous moderators who lost their lives defending Hell, including Envy, who was killed in the first Heaven invasion; Sloth and Pride, who perished during the second invasion; and Wrath, who met his end in the third invasion. After the last invasion, Cerberus was recruited as Hell’s first gate guardian on level zero. As an added bonus of its presence, the number of souls escaping Hell has greatly diminished. Unless they come bearing food as an offering, no one can sneak past the doggo.
“They say The Dark Lord reshuffles the levels strategically every now and then,” Anish shares.
“Interesting stuff. Usually, I hate museums, but this one is the most interesting I’ve visited in my entire short life,” Wyn replies.
“Still boringgg,” Yu complains, yawning.
“What does it mean by ‘The world was created by two divine entities’? I always thought restrain was the only creator and that The Dark Force, or whatever he’s called, was a fallen angel,” Wyn wonders aloud.
“I don’t know,” Anish shrugs.
“Guess we need to get the answer from the man himself.”
“Let’s go somewhere else, pleaseee,” Yu begs.
Above the portals, signs display the names of different museum sections Wyn and team can visit: “Jurassic World,” “Faces of Demons,” “Planetarium,” “The Human Race,” “Weapons,” and “Animal Kingdom.” Notably absent is the “Lord Damien and The Army of One Hundred” section, which is right next to the current connecting room.
“Jurassic World sounds fun,” Yu remarks.
“You know, it’s still a museum. I vote for Faces of Demons or Hell Through Time. Lord Damien also sounds interesting. I bet he’s the hero Catito told us about,” Wyn suggests.
“If it’s going to be boring, I might as well learn more about the cats,” Mira adds.
“Actually...,” Anish interrupts.
The other sections of the museum are crawling with creatures. While there are plenty of interesting facts to discover, Anish has never been able to read peacefully during his visits. He urges the others to choose wisely, as there’s one particularly dangerous creature that can mimic a statue or a replica.
“Then Jurassic World it is!” Wyn declares.
“YESSS!” Yu exclaims.
“I would’ve voted for Planetarium. I wonder what it’s like to fight a planet,” Mira muses.
“We can do that next,” Yu responds enthusiastically.
“You guys are completely insane…,” Anish says.
They line up to enter the respective portal, and as they arrive in the designated section, they are greeted by a scene of chaos.