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Bruno felt a pain hitting him in the head, as if the world had decided to throw him to the ground like a rag doll.
Was something wrong? Did he feel... heavy?
No, heavy wasn't the right word, maybe...
Wait, it wasn't him who was heavy, it was... Everything was lighter.
Something soft was holding him, like a sweet, white cloud.
It wasn't right.
Slowly he opened his eyes, trying to understand why, instead of the cold floor of Casita, he felt like he was floating on a cloud.
A barking light greeted him silently, then ended with angelic choirs ringing in his head.
Was everything... too bright, too white, too... beautiful?
Where the hell had he gone?
He tried to get up, only to realize that he was indeed on a cloud, one that seemed to stretch for miles and miles.
Was he... Oh no...
He jumped up, and immediately fell, tripping over... a rat's tail?
A giant rat's tail that seemed to be attached to his body, which, along with those legs and ears, made him realize he was no longer human.
Bruno screamed, then tried to get up, only to fall again and decide that perhaps it was best to calm down.
Okay, he wasn't in Encanto anymore, that could be seen from the golden gates in front of him.
There was only one option that could explain everything... an option he didn't like.
"Good morning, Mr. Madrigal." a female voice called from behind him.
Bruno turned toward the direction of the angelic voice, only to find himself faced with an... angel.
The angel had feminine features, dark skin and silver hair, and a blue dress that accentuated her angelic figure.
She seemed to be in the company of another angel, with blond hair and a very old-fashioned blue tunic.
The two stared at the man with an expression that seemed A mixture of uncertainty and happiness
The girl immediately helped him up, while the older man seemed to be reading something in a book.
"Who are you?" Bruno asked correctly, noticing that his hands had turned into mouse paws.
"My name is Emily, I am the angel of joy.
He is Saint Peter, guardian of the gates of heaven." The girl replied, trying to contain her joy.
"Welcome to heaven."
Bruno stared at her for a few seconds before breaking away and staggering.
It couldn't be, he couldn't be—
A horrible thought crossed his mind. If he really was a lot, then...
"Oh no, oh no no NO NO!
Please, tell me the others are okay!" the rodent exclaimed with an air of desperation.
"Tell me they're not dead!"
"Please, Bruno, calm down. We'll explain everything when you get in." Emily tried to reassure Bruno.
"I know this is a difficult time for you, but—"
"No, you don't understand!
I need to know if my family is okay. Please tell me they're okay!" he exclaimed again.
"Mr. Madrigal, we still haven't heard from your family." Peter replied, trying to sound professional.
"At least, the ones in heaven." He continued, leafing through the book.
What do you mean, "The ones in heaven?"
"Wait, what do you mean?
If they're not here, then..." Another horrible thought crossed his mind.
"Please don't tell me that..."
Emily approached and placed a hand on his shoulder, her expression sad.
"Bruno, please calm down. We'll explain everything to you.
But we need you to be calm." the girl added.
Bruno was silent for a moment, then sighed.
"Okay, so I'm dead, right?" He asked first.
"Why am I in heaven?"
"Because you're a good soul, Bruno. You put the good of others before your own and tried to protect your family," Emily replied.
"A good soul?" The word was a little bitter in his mouth.
"And what about the others?"
The two angels exchanged another look, more regretful, foretelling terrible news.
"Your mother and sister Julieta died when your house fell, and they, along with your niece Isabella and your brother-in-law, are in hell." Peter replied.
"We're truly sorry."
Bruno felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach; it couldn't be true.
They've always contributed to the community in every way, always helping others. How could they possibly end up in hell?
"What?
It's not fair, why did you send them to hell!" He exclaimed with an anger he didn't know he had.
"It's not our decision—" Emily tried to say.
"Then why are they in hell?
They haven't done anything wrong to anyone; they don't deserve eternal damnation!"
"We don't know how—"
Bruno was ready to retort, to demand an explanation, but suddenly a white light appeared out of nowhere, and when it disappeared, an angelic figure appeared.
She looked similar to Emily, only she seemed older and more mature, with her three pairs of wings that made her seem like a powerful creature.
"Emily, I'll take care of it from here," the angel exclaimed, then turned to Bruno, who stared at her with a surprised expression.
"Bruno Madrigal, welcome in heaven. My name is Sera and I am the High Seraph.
I know you're confused right now, but please follow me. We have some things to discuss here." the angel announced in a solemn voice.
"Wait, I want to know why half my family is in hell." he replied, trying to find answers.
"I'll tell you shortly, but right now we need to discuss your position and your Family.
You Madrigals have powers that shouldn't belong to you, which Pedro Madrigal passed down to you after his sacrifice."
"Yes, I know that, but I don't—"
"Therefore, we need your help. I'll explain everything to you shortly, but for now, you have to follow me." She continued, ignoring his requests.
Bruno stared at her, honestly feeling in no position to argue with her, and above all, he was puzzled as to why she thought they didn't deserve their powers.
"Of course, High...Serafino?" He finally answered, then disappeared in a ray of light along with Sera.
Emily and Peter exchanged a knowing look, knowing that if Sera needed to talk to a newly arrived victor, it meant things were serious.
"You should go to your sister." Peter said.
"Yes, maybe you're right," Emily replied, then flew away.
"Let me know if any more Madrigals arrive."
Meanwhile, in hell~
Julieta didn't know how long she'd slept; she only knew it was incredibly hot and the ground was rough and hard.
When she finally opened her eyes, the stench of sulfur and blood hit her like a train, making her cough several times.
But when she put her hand over her mouth, she saw that it was skeletal, which made her scream quite a bit.
What the hell had happened to her?
Why was everything red and hot? Why was her skin cold in comparison?
And why was half her face that of a skeleton?!?!
She tried to get up, only to fall back to the ground due to the pain in her legs.
Lifting her skirt, she saw that they had become those of a goat, but skeletal (except for the bits of flesh and fur stuck to them).
Where the hell had she gone?
She tried to look around, noticing that she wasn't the only demon there.
There were all kinds of them, including animalistic and human-like, but they all shared one thing in common:
They had no good intentions; their faces looked like the profiles of assassins ready to cause trouble.
But just as she was about to walk away, a familiar voice called her.
When she turned around, she saw an anthropomorphic bee with features too similar to her husband calling her.
"Agustine?!" Julieta exclaimed as she realized he was indeed her husband.
"Julieta!" He ran toward her and hugged her tightly.
"Good heavens, what happened to us?!"
"I don't know, I just remember Casita collapsing and us running away.
Oh my God, I think we're dead..."
"If we really are dead, then..." Agustine approached a nearby demon who was minding his own business.
"Hello, good sir, is this the afterlife by any chance?"
The demon, an imp with big horns, stared at him for a few seconds, then burst out laughing with a sick laugh.
"Dude, haven't you noticed?
Welcome to hell!" he exclaimed, smiling mischievously.
"Hell?" The word was bitter.
"What do you mean, we're in hell?!?"
"I mean, you're dead, you screwed up in life, and now you're damned forever, simple."
"But that's not possible!
We've contributed to our community in every way, why are we in hell?!?" Julieta asked incredulously.
"What are you asking me? I don't know how you assholes ended up here.
Maybe your husband went to whorehouses behind your back." the demon replied, chuckling.
Agustine's face went red. How dare this demon say something like that?!?
As the imp walked away, the two brothers sat down on a nearby bench, still in disbelief at what was happening.
They were truly in hell, but why?
They've always been good in life, it's not fair!
Then another thought crossed their mind: where are the other members?
"What do we do now?
We don't know if the others are still alive or..." The thought was too much to bear.
"I don't know, Julieta, there must be a way to find out if any of our people are...
I really hope not." he replied, running his hands (paws?) through his hair.
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, the voice of an old woman.
When the two turned around, they saw an old woman made of wax with a candle on her head that burned with a purple fire.
"Mom!" Julieta exclaimed, going to hug her.
"Oh my God, are you here too?"
"Oh, Julieta, I know, I can't believe it!
How is it possible that we're dead and in hell!" the old woman replied incredulously.
"We have to find out why this unjust punishment!"
"But how?
The demons here don't seem very friendly." Agustine pointed correctly.
"I don't know, but let's go to the center for now; we'd be safer there." the old woman replied, not knowing how wrong she was.
"Don't worry, the Madrigal family will be able to handle it..."
Spoiler alert: they won't be able to handle it, but that's another story.