Chapter 2: Afterlife [2]

He slowly turned his body to face whoever was behind him, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to see. Maybe it was the angel of death who had come to recruit him and tell him where his soul should go.

However, when Ardyn came face-to-face with the person, he was instantly struck with awe.

In front of him was a man sitting on a large rock, wearing dark brown boots and a long, elegant white cloak that reached down to his ankles. The man had a worried expression on his face as he slowly rose from his seat. His short black hair was slightly disheveled, giving him an almost windswept look.

'He looks like a cute little kid,' was Ardyn's immediate thought as the guy jumped down and stepped closer towards him. The man had a fairly small face and a square jaw, with fine, delicate features. He was a bit on the short side and looked young, but the way he carried himself with ease and grace made Ardyn doubt his age for a moment.

Though to be honest, if this man was indeed an angel who came to take him away, then he was probably ageless.

The sunlight shone upon the stranger as he moved closer, highlighting the color of his eyes that seemed to resemble the bright blue sky.

So this is what an angel of death looks like, Ardyn thought, swallowing visibly. Am I ready, though?

"I'm sorry," the man apologized softly. "I meant to wake you up earlier, but you looked so peaceful, so I let you sleep for a bit…"

Ah, so angels can be considerate even though they're heavenly beings. Ardyn started choking up dramatically. This is it… This is really it, isn't it? Am I prepared? God, my death was so sudden, but…

"If you don't mind me asking," the man was saying, apparently oblivious to Ardyn's conflicting thoughts, "are you from here?"

His words processed slowly inside Ardyn's mind. "…What?" he said, confused.

The man looked at him oddly, but the gentle concern on his expression was still there. "Your clothes," he clarified. "They don't seem to be from this land."

Ardyn was still staring at him, blinking rapidly.

Did angels normally ask weird questions like this to human souls? Was this some kind of test?

"You are a weary traveler, perhaps?" the man supplied helpfully, mistaking Ardyn's confused expression for exhaustion. "You were just lying here on the shore, unprotected by the sun, when I stumbled upon you by accident. I waited for you to wake up to see if I could help you with anything…"

"Pardon?" Ardyn finally blurted out. "You mean… you mean I'm…? Wait, what?!" Suddenly his mind began spinning with tons of crazy possibilities. "What are you talking about? Wh—Where am I?!"

The man looked startled at his sudden outburst. "Um…" he said uncertainly, eyes wide in surprise.

Ardyn strode over towards him in a flash, grabbing the stranger's shoulders in panic. "Oh my god! So… So you mean… I—I'm not in some kind of purgatory?! Wh—Wh—Where am I?! Why did I come here? I mean, how?"

"Purgatory?" The man's face displayed utter confusion. "Mister, are you a soul?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out here!" Ardyn shrieked in dismay, shaking the man's shoulders so hard that the latter's head began to loll back and forth like jelly. "Where am I? And who are you if you're not actually the angel of death?!"

The man was responding with incoherent sentences that drove Ardyn mad even more — to be fair though, it was probably because he didn't realize that he was shaking the poor man to death.

When his arms finally lost their strength, Ardyn let them hang limply against the sides of his body, still staring at the stranger with large, wildly expectant eyes. He waited for the latter to catch his breath, coughing slightly as he waited for the dizziness in his head to subside.

"A—As I was saying," the man stammered, still looking dazed. "My name… is Evan… and no, I'm not the angel of death…"

"Then who — no, what are you?" Ardyn asked, his nerves beginning to fray.

All of a sudden, he felt like he didn't belong here. There didn't seem to be anything malicious or out of place, but the atmosphere of the surroundings was completely foreign and made him feel oddly vulnerable. It was as though a sense of foreboding made its way into his gut, inching up to his throat and giving him nausea.

"What am I?" Evan repeated, bemused. "I'm human, just like you, I guess?" He looked at Ardyn closely, as though searching his face for any sign of recognition.

There was none.

"You're not a soul, as far as I can tell. I would know it for sure," Evan added thoughtfully. "Then are you from the Sapphire Kingdom? Did you come here by boat and eventually got lost in this area?"

"The Sapphire Kingdom?" Ardyn repeated, confused. That was a weird name. Was that a new place he hadn't heard of or something?

Was he still in his country? What kind of area was this?

Did he get stranded on an island? This was so confusing.

Like, how did he end up here from that horrifying car accident just minutes earlier?

"Judging by the look on your face, you don't seem to be from there, either," Evan said hesitantly. "I don't think you're a soul, but even then, it's nearly impossible for you to arrive here from the Eternal Meadow."

"Eternal Meadow?" Ardyn questioned.

"The Eternal Meadow is a separate plane from this world where all departed souls reside," Evan explained. "There is no purgatory here. At least, as far as I know. The dead go straight to the afterlife. There are some exceptions, but it's rare. You really don't know anything about the Meadow?"

"Wait, so you mean… I'm still alive?" Ardyn muttered in disbelief. "So I'm not a soul? I thought… Okay, I'm so confused here. But you said that this is the world of the living, right? This is Earth, right?"

Evan stared at him, puzzled. "Yes, this is the world of the living where we are right now, but—"

"Then why am I not in the hospital?" Ardyn wondered, his mind spinning in utter confusion. He was getting agitated now. "Where's my family? Where are my friends? Where's my university? I'm supposed to be attending my graduation ceremony right now... What the hell is happening?!"

He uttered all this in one breath, panic filling his chest.

This was too strange for him to process. This must be just a dream...

Evan was now placing his hands on Ardyn's shoulders, trying to calm the latter down. "Please relax for a moment. Let's take this one step at a time," he said reassuringly. "And… Mister, I apologize for my ignorance, but…" His eyes were wide and unblinking. "What is this Earth you speak of?"