Upon the earth, the year is 1814. Here, there are no years. The newcomer walks amidst the fiery clouds and tortured souls; even in death retaining his noble bearing. Comte Donatien Alphonse Francois de Sade, although quite aghast to discover that Hell did, indeed, exist (to say nothing of Heaven, a place whose existence he so contemptuously denied), smiled in pleasure at the portraits of agony spread out before him. Looking down at his hand, flexing his fingers, he marveled at the fact that he continued to experience physical sensation. He knew not how, or why, this was; his only thought (and this one coming in an instant) being that he could continue to revel in the pleasure and pain of the flesh for eternity. A momentary sadness overcame him; his mind fixing upon the fate of his beloved Renee; wondering if he would one day be reunited with his earthly wife. In spite of his penchant for the extreme, and bizarre; the one constant in his life had been his Renee. Although these thoughts did bring a cloud upon his face for a brief instance; the Marquis de Sade knew his own soul. He knew the dark desires and perverse tastes of the flesh would win out to drown the images of his wife from his mind in eternity, as they had in life.
He wandered among the vast reaches of this domain; for how long he could not say. Time meant nothing here, a century could pass as quickly as a day. The Marquis amused himself by watching the souls of the damned punished in every way imaginable. With great delight, he surveyed beings torn flesh from bone by beasts with every description of torture implement. Astonishment kissed upon the delight as, watching these scenes, he became conscious of the fact that he was still capable of arousal. For Donatien, this may have been his Heaven…..to eternally roam the chambers of hell, in constant sexual arousal, a witness to feats so heinous that even he had not conceived of them. As he approached the next site of this extreme cruelty, he ventured closer upon the scene, eager to inspect the deeds more closely. The beast who's job it was to inflict the torment stopped momentarily in his task and reverently took a step backward at his approach. The Marquis slipped nearer to the source of the agonized cries which he had heard, lifting the creature's head to gaze upon its face. Hair of the darkest shade cascaded down the torn back, the flesh criss-crossed with the marks of the beast's whip. The cadaverous face was totally unremarkable, save for the dark, frightened eyes set deeply into the pale skin. The utter terror in those eyes fueled the Marquis' desire as nothing had done in his time upon the earth. He instantly tore the shreds of cloth from her frame, exposing her scarred body to his gaze. He tore madly at the buttons of his trousers, freeing his stiff organ. He plunged deep into her from behind with one stroke, his hands trailing down the weeping wounds of her back. Closing his eyes, The Marquis savored the sweet sound of her screams as they reached his ears; causing him to probe deeper, harder into the tormented woman. In a matter of a few minutes, he was sated; never having experienced anything quite so dear to his extreme tastes. As he loosened his grip on her and she slid to the ground, the Marquis smiled as he observed two scarlet handprints on her hips; his marks in her own blood. As he turned and resumed his roamings, the Marquis heard the unmistakable rich sound of the leather whip once more finding its target on the flesh of his recent conquest.
In time, the Marquis began to wonder at his freedom here; why he was allowed to wander free from the torture that was inflicted upon the beings he watched and occasionally released his lust upon. For this had become a habit of his; a need; to rape and sodomize the vestiges of humanity he happened upon here, both male and female. And always, as with the first time, the demons would pause in there tasks and allow him free reign to do whatever thing appealed to his mind at the moment. He did sometimes yearn for the pain inflicted upon these damned souls. But alas, he too much appreciated his ability to quench his every perverse desire far too much to question the arraingment.
On a particular venture into the chambers of torment, the Marquis did happen upon another being walking amid these horrors. This struck him peculiar, as he had never before encountered another who was not engaged in activity of some kind, excepting himself. The Marquis watched as the being approached him, this clearly an entity of some power and prestige in this place. The being walked with a purposeful stride, almost swaggering, as if daring another of the occupants of this landscape to challenge his authority. Stopping in front of the Marquis, the being studied him with an intense gaze. De Sade returned the look; taking in the details. Unlike the demons that he had previously encountered, this being exuded the confidence of one totally within their element; completely and utterly sure of themselves and their purpose. Standing head and shoulders over the Marquis, he guessed the being to be at least seven feet in height, powerfully built; and unspeakably handsome; the first sign of beauty that he had happened upon in this desolate place. The entity was richly dressed, his tailored appearance and long black cape so extraordinary in this desolate place.
"Hello Donatien" the being spoke, it's voice as deep and resonate as the notes of a finely-tuned piano. "Are you enjoying yourself?" it asked, a hint of humor in the voice; a small twinkle in the eye.
"Oh, immensely." The Marquis answered.
"Do you know who I am?" it asked.
Being an intelligent and sharp-witted man, the Marquis answered, "If one were to gauge by the bearing of your stance and the idleness of your demeanor, One would most likely conclude that you are Satan".
Throwing back its head and unleashing an ear-numbing roar of laughter, the being answered, "If you were to say such a thing, you would be correct. Tell me Marquis, what is it that you would ask of me? As Master of this world, I sense that you have many questions for me. Come and walk with me, and I shall answer them for you."
As they walked, the Marquis did indeed find the answers to his questions. He told Donatien that his time on earth and his penchant for dark desires had unknowingly brought many souls to this place. He told him that, for this reason, he would be allowed to roam freely, most of the time. He asked the Marquis if there was anything from his earthly life that he missed. When he did not answer immediately, Satan provided the answer for him.
"I have sensed your yearnings, Donatien; to feel the pain that you so freely inflicted upon others. Is that your wish? Do you wish to be one of the uncountable number of tortured souls here?" Satan asked.
"No." the Marquis answered quickly. The thought of being reduced to the level of the souls he passed each day on his wanderings repulsed the Marquis. But whether it was the pain that he feared, or the loss of his privileged position, he knew not.
"What is it you fear, Donatien? Tell me this thing….tell me why you no longer wish to engage in the receiving of pain as you did on earth? Do you fear my legion of servants? Do you wish only to be whipped by a fragile female who can no more inflict true pain upon you than I could walk thru the gates of Heaven? " Satan asked, goading the Marquis into speaking.
"I do not fear them. Is that what you know of me? That I am a coward who only wishes to play false torture games with inferiors? Pick the one; I ask this of you. Pick the demon amongst all that you have that will feed the pain of the lash to me." The Marquis responded madly.
