Prologue

"What happens after death?"

A slight chill filled the air, with the sound of leaves crunching only interrupted by the voice of a young child.

A staggeringly tall, cloaked figure looked down at them. "You go across a river to the beyond."

The child was only eight and wasn't meant to die yet, this the reaper knew for certain.

"Really? That's kind of boring…"

The reaper chuckled. The two stood on a bank where a rowboat was tied to a small dock. Death climbed into the boat and had the child sit on the other end. "Do you want to return to your parents?"

The child shook their head. "They're mean."

A life of suffering, only for it to end before they could experience the tenderness it had to offer. Every time Death saw an innocent soul go to waste, a creeping emptiness filled their black heart. Death was portrayed as a benevolent deity or an evil demon, but they ever so slightly felt a sort of empathy toward these unfortunate souls. Death knew everything there was to know on the blue Earth but failed to understand the human soul. Emotions. Even Death did not know what that emptiness that filled them was.

Pushing the paddles against the water, the two drifted as the child looked ahead. A thick fog settled on the gargantuan river as Death kept rowing. The boat came to a stop on the other end of it and Death tied a rope on the boat to the dock. Death walked out and instructed the child to do the same.

"Come now."

The child followed, walking with Death.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see soon enough." The reaper avoided this question with all of his previous ferry riders. Not even Death knew what was on the other side of the wall. The rules set in place forbade the reaper from going past the wall. Death didn't question it. Universal laws were set in the stars of twilight by someone Death had never met, or at least, couldn't remember.

The crunching of leaves and twigs on the forest ground ceased as the two approached a massive stone wall. It spanned for as long as the eye could see, with no indications of a turn or stop.

The eight-year-old looked at the reaper and asked, "Is this it?"

"Yes."

A large wooden gate opened at the wall and Death nudged the child, "Go on."

They walked through the gate and turned around. "Thanks!"

That was the last thing Death heard from the child.

This child was different than most they had met. For one, most of Death's passengers at the child's age were crying for their parents. Death's curiosity took over their mind. How can life be so cruel as to make someone so young, so content with death? The question raced through Death's mind more than enough times to create a desire to gain broader knowledge… more knowledge than Death now held. Nonetheless, they knew their job was too important to pursue their selfish desires.

However, every night since that child came, Death kept wondering and questioning. Can life be so cruel? And if it is, can one experience both cruelty and happiness? Every waking moment, a curiosity that could not be quenched was a parasite in the reaper's mind. Some nights, they walked to the wall and stood there, gazing at its megalithic structure. But their attention was not on the wall itself, but on what lay beyond it. They knew all things, save a few. One of these few was the other side of the wall.

Only a short period after the child passed the gates Death's mind was enveloped in curiosity. Every night, they visited the wall. Every day, Death was envious of the ferry riders that passed its gates. They defied their knowledge of the universal laws and walked closer to the wooden gate on the monumental stone wall. Death's memories of every man, woman, and child that passed through rushed towards them. The thoughts in their mind became insufferable. Death paused for only a moment before walking through the door.