Chapter 2: Welcome To The World Of The Dead

The villager explained with a knowing smile, "You died. Welcome to the world of the Dead."

Upon hearing this, Benji felt a rush of emotions, primarily confusion, overwhelming him.

Benji: "D-d-d-dead?! What do you mean by that?!!!!"

Villager: "Yeah, you died."

Benji: "How do you know? Are you some sort of angel?"

Villager: "Oh no, I'm just another soul like you. I've been here for a while."

Benji: "Oh."

Villager: "My name is Isshiki Kageyasu. I am, or at least i was seventeen when I died. You don't look much older yourself."

Benji: "I'm also seventeen, or at least I was."

Isshiki: "Hahaha, you'll adjust in time."

Isshiki: "Let's head to the village. You can eat and rest there until your memories return, if you wish."

The village was quaint, with a few dozen wooden houses, a general store stocked with various foods, a church, and a central path dividing it in two. At the far end stood a small house near the village's crops. Isshiki led Benji there, barging in and exclaiming:

Isshiki: "Rikka, we have a new friend. Benji, meet my twin sister, Rikka."

A slender, pale girl with long black hair and clad in tight black attire emerged from a room into the modest wooden living area, which housed a sofa, a rug, and a kitchen. There was a small table behind the sofa leading to a couple of other rooms and a bathroom.

Benji: "Hi, I'm Benji."

Rikka: "Hello, Benji. Let me guess, you just arrived? You seem confused."

Benji: "Yeah, I'm still trying to make sense of everything."

Rikka: "It's okay, that's typical. It takes a few days here to recall how you passed away."

Isshiki: "Prepare yourself. You never know what could have happened."

Benji: "Man, this is surreal. I never expected any of this. Is this possibly a dream?"

Isshiki: "Hahaha, asking me if this were a dream is as perplexing as this situation itself."

Rikka: "We've seen stranger things. This place can feel dreamlike at times."

Isshiki: "Indeed."

Benji: "So, is this heaven then?"

An awkward silence followed his question.

Isshiki: "Hahahahahahahahaha."

Rikka: "Hahaha, no. Not quite."

Benji: "WHAT?! Are you telling me I'm in hell?!"

Benji shouted, dropping to his knees.

Benji: "Good lord, what did I do to deserve this?"

Rikka: "No, this isn't hell either."

Isshiki: "We're in a village near the Kishizuno Kingdom, one of the Seven Great Kingdoms of the afterlife."

Benji: "Seven Great Kingdoms? Sounds like something out of a tale."

Rikka: "In a way, it is. Here, we have the freedom to shape our own history, akin to storytelling."

Isshiki: "But despite that, we're still human. The conflicts and losses are still here."

Benji: "What about the other six Great Kingdoms?"

Isshiki: "Heaven is one of them, along with Fujiroma, Mochiragi, Alabashi, Ichiroma, and Kirahara."

Rikka: "There are countless others too. These are just the most renowned."

Benji: "So heaven is merely another kingdom?"

Rikka: "There's likely more to it once you're there, but essentially, yes."

Benji: "Hm. That's quite unexpected."

Rikka: "Well, it's getting dark outside."

She glanced out the window.

Rikka: "We need to find you somewhere to sleep. Rest will help you recover your memories."

Isshiki: "You can sleep on the couch if you'd like. We don't have another bed, unfortunately. We're not used to guests."

Benji: "That's fine. Thanks for letting me stay here. I know I'm just a stranger, so I appreciate your trust."

Rikka: "It's okay. We've been in similar situations before, and having a place to rest meant a lot to us."

Isshiki: "Plus, we could use a new friend."

Benji went to sleep while Isshiki and Rikka sat at the table.

Rikka: "Do you think he'll manage to find us here?"

Isshiki: "Definitely. He can sense that thing from miles away."

Rikka: "We just need a bit more time until we can join the special forces. That's the first step."

Isshiki: "We'll make it happen. We'll find our place."

To Be Continued...