The ancient cleansing ritual had begun, and Amadeus was terrified. His best friend, Corneleus, was dying and the ancient priests were preparing to burn his head. Although He was extremely ill, he was also scared about his pending ceremony. Corneleus knew it had to happen in order for him to be ready for the passage to the underworld. Hades, the God of the Underworld, had decreed it. The ceremonial fire was lit and through the smoke, Amadeus could see his friend writhing in pain. Although this process was short, it was quite disturbing for Amadeus. Corneleus died shortly after the ceremony. After seeing his friend suffer, he decided he never wanted to go through that himself and if he had to be cleansed, then he would do it himself.

Amadeus