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I grinned. “Perhaps I should come here more often.” Moving beside him, all kinds of mystical creatures pranced away when they saw us. I saw ghosts, humanoid figures, beasts, and all kinds of animals. It was very exciting. Would I find undiscovered animals here? I should have brought my notebook for documenting.
“Why haven't I come here before?” I asked.
“You weren’t ready,” he said, “but after you took down the Bulgae, there’s not much that can threaten you.” He spoke with the unmistakable sound of pride.
His mirth was comforting. It made me feel so relaxed, so comfortable, so at home. Like this was where I was meant to be. That must be a component of dark energy from surrounding demons—to make the receiver feel more at ease. Gaksi used it more in this form to keep me calm as unknown creatures passed beside us.
Tricky demon, even though I trusted him.
“Do you miss Reaper now that he has departed?” Gaksi questioned.
Yes. Although I would never admit that out loud. Lately, I’d been reaching for my neck, searching for the pulse point of the mark, only to remind myself I had bigger problems.
“He misses you,” Gaksi said. “He spends too much time with the dying when they’re frightened and alone. Your spark and company keep him rejuvenated.”
His admission shocked me. He saw me as a spark? Compared to the mortals dying alone, I was at least fighting to stay alive.
“Do not worry about him, though. He would never miss it for anything. Some souls are even ready to greet him and the comfort and certainty of the end.” Gaksi’s favorable opinion of him was showing. “Shall we tour my home?”
“Yes!” I wanted to capture everything.
Gaksi threw me a camera and I snapped photos of everything as we traveled.
Poison trees. Scaly animals. A dodo! Weren’t those extinct? How did Reaper get one here?
I put my camera down when we reached a village. Gaksi slowed his pace.
Music played from a harp, stationed alone with no musician. Little houses were built from the grey earth, with translucent people drifting between them.
“What is this place?” I asked cautiously. I thought we were in an unknown piece of the earth, where demons roamed alone, not in the company of people. A sinking feeling compressed my chest. Something wasn’t right. Dodos? Translucency?
“You’ll learn soon enough,” Gaksi said, remaining cryptic as ever. I debated, brushing my hands against the dagger, but decided against it. Why would Gaksi put me in a position of danger? Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me.
“Why are so many holding hands?” Some apparitions floated alone, but others were locked onto others. Some held only one hand out, fingers splayed like they were waiting for something. It felt like I was intruding on something private, something sacred.
“They’re starborn souls,” Gaksi explained. “They were made for each other, so they spend an eternity together, too.”
“An eternity?”
We’d drawn close enough that I could determine the apparitions were not human. They were luminous, floating above the ground, wandering without purpose. Souls.
Souls lived here, not humans.
Gaksi loved it here. Sam was here.
Extinct animals existed here.
Nausea crawled up my throat. I knew where we were. Why Gaksi’s true form came out here. I forced myself to ask another question instead of collapsing. “And the ones with only one hand out?”
“Their true love is in the realm of the living,” Gaksi continued. “They hold their hand out so that the moment their loved one passes, they’ll be welcomed by their lover’s waiting grip.”
That was…so precious. My heart hurt as I looked at all the lonely souls. Then the ones that were bonded together forever. So sadly romantic. When would it be my turn to be happy? Would I ever be like one of them, content and loved by my chosen one forever?
Perhaps never, if I only got here because Reaper killed me, and I fell into the Beyond willingly.
Unbothered. Confident. I couldn’t be dead, was I? Gaksi wouldn’t have sent Reaper to kill me without me noticing. He knew I was too young to die.
“A certain prince of ours walks much like the waiting ones.” Gaksi wiggled his eyes at me.
