Roderick opened his eyes and saw he was in the middle of two majestic mountains, with barren lands and hollow trees. On the crests of which, there was an avalanche, red as a brick. It flowed along with its rounded right angles. Rocks rolled down the slope, turning into a huge wave of destruction, flying without looking back. It reached the cliff and fell into the gorge, blocking the way back. The old man's feet sank into the black silt. It was hard for him to breathe. Black ash flew through the scorching air. The heat was unbearable. At the end of the passageway, he could see a lot of broken boulders, maimed and mutilated by nature. They looked like so many stone peaks that could not be passed, and between them burned gray bushes.

Roderick started forward, but in less than a minute, another wave of gray rocks rolled down the slope, making his path much more difficult. He gathered his courage and walked around a small blockage standing in the way, and then squeezed between the stone peaks that left cuts on the decrepit skin of a newly minted lost soul. Then he saw a sandy, lifeless arena, in the very center of which stood Roderick's young father.

"You were a talentless boy all your childhood, and you died a talentless boy. Get out of here, don't fucking bother me!"

"Fuck off," Roderick snapped, and started forward.

He came to a steep slope of regolith, clung to it with his hands, and began to climb up to the mountain plateau. His hands burned on the hot ground, and the numerous cuts on his body bled, but he fought the pain and moved on. For the first time, he didn't want to give up. He was small and weak, moving through the vast, dark expanse of the realm of death. Not exactly aware of what lay ahead, whether his final journey would be easy or difficult, but he was ready.

When Roderick reached the top, he saw an endless, scorching desert spread out before his eyes, strewn with cacti, sand, and dunes. Sand swirled in the hot wind, getting under the clothes, into the eyes and mouth of the wanderer. In less than a few minutes, about fifty soldiers appeared next to Roderick, asking him not to kill them, asking him to let them go. Their hands and feet are chained, their skin black and bruised.

"You have a family, too, you must understand us!" A boy of about twenty said, and fell to his knees, blocking the old man's path.

However, he did not stop and walked forward through the crowd, paying no attention to anyone. The remaining soldiers behind him crumbled to dust. The cries, the screams, the pleading, all rang in his ears like church bells.

"You chose your life," he shouted at them, "you should have stayed at home, not gone to war."

The soldiers disappeared, scattered, becoming one with the hot, orange sand. The wind increased and a storm arose. The sky was filled with black thunderclouds. But he kept going no matter what. The scorching sun was hidden behind thick clouds. Everything turned gray, lifeless. Visibility deteriorated. He lowered his head. His eyes were almost closed. He could see no more than a meter under his feet. The hum drowned out all extraneous sounds, and seemed to be something very heavy, comparable only to the sound of the collapsed heavens or an artillery barrage. He went forward: a duty to himself, a duty to the one for whom he was responsible, and a duty to the Almighty. At this moment, nothing could make him stop.

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A day later, the desert ended. The sand was replaced by black volcanic ash. Dead, groundless Blackland. The air immediately turned icy, as did the wind. Thick steam began to come out of his mouth with each exhalation. His body was shaking, but his legs were moving forward as if at the general's command, even though he could no longer feel them. From the sky, a huge boulder fell right in front of him and shattered into pieces. And out of the ground, at the site of the fall, was an old friend of Roderick, he stretched out his hand and urged him to stay in this dark world.

"We're going to do a lot of new stuff, buddy!" he said.

"I won't make that mistake again," Roderick said, and pushed him out of the way.

An old friend has disappeared. The icy wind increased to 30 meters per second. Dead ashes flew into the air. Like a pack of hungry, obsessed ravens. Obsidian blades began to fly through the air, biting into the old man's body and slashing at him from all sides. With the force of a meteor shower, boulders fell from the sky through a thick layer of gray clouds. The ground shook, and the wind increased to 100 meters per second and lifted Roderick into the air. He felt his brittle bones give way under the pressure.

"This is the kingdom of the dead..." he said, and trusting to the wind, he flew to the heavens until he collided with a fiery meteorite.

Only it wasn't the end. He opened his eyes again, this time finding himself in a huge cave, a couple of dozen meters high. The walls were covered with massive rock formations. At the top, stalactites grew like the spires of Gothic buildings in the bright golden light. Hundreds of stalagmites rose from the ground, some quite small, others reaching ten meters in height. The lake shone ahead, an opaque blue that looked like yogurt with blueberries filling. Stalagnates formed around it, like ancient columns of forgotten, dilapidated temples.

Roderick walked forward, skirting the obstacles, and after walking a few meters, he saw an elderly woman sitting on a wooden bench opposite him. Her hair was like snow, her eyes were like microscopic black holes, and her wrinkled skin made her look light and elegant. She lifted her head and smiled.

"I was the first, though," she said. "Maybe this is my destiny, waiting?"

Her voice was high-pitched, sounding like a violin. He smiled back, straightened his back, and lifted his chin:

"I'm not a blunderer, am I?" he said proudly.

"If you weren't like that, I wouldn't have married you," she laughed back, and lowered her head to look at the lake.

On the surface of the water, small stars glowed like diamonds, flying from one edge to the other. And in the center, a small galaxy would form and then disappear.

"It's beautiful in here, isn't it?" she said faintly.

He walked around to the left side of the lake and sat down on the bench next to her.

"It reminds me of our younger days, when you called me to the lake and I wanted to stay at home."

"It's true. Brings back memories."

"For the first time, I didn't avoid difficulties and met you. I knew I'd meet you sooner or later. You should see what I've been through here..."

"You had a hard time when you were alive."

"Yes. I have a lot to tell you."

"So, you're not going any further? They're waiting for you there."

He moved closer to her and touched her and felt the warmth and smiled and put his head on her shoulder.

"No. I'm not going anywhere else," he said. "I've had enough of this adventure. My place is with you starting now and ending forever."