"Welcome to the Afterlife! Please wait in this line."
A small, dark smoke in the form of a human child told another ghost-like being, before leading it to a short line.
A very short line heading for the GODS.
The plaque that said so hung above the tall gates at the front, probably standing more than ten meters tall. It was most noticeable because it was pitch black, but the tenth level of the afterlife was pure white.
There were other countless transparent beings, they crowded in other lines that extended farther than the eye could see. Meanwhile, what was in front of the ghost-like being were a small group of people countable with just two hands.
'I really died.'
But from what? The ghost-like being did not know. All he could remember... Were sins.
That's right. As if the rest of memories unrelated to sins and wrongdoings have been wiped out. Clearly, he can still see himself, his own physical body moving within those short scenes.
They were not fabricated, that much he can tell.
One will be able to see various scenarios of major crimes committed; especially of the Seven Sins.
However, as far as anyone, or anything, can use the brain, they cannot remember anything more than that.
'My name was Nheil Biev.' Now he is only nameless.
He prefers to have a nickname derived from his previous name.
How About... "Heil?"
Never mind the preference. The ghost-like being stopped, annoyed. But he could see himself naming things that won't be acceptable in the future.
He was required to give a nickname for himself, so that the Gate guard would finally give him a pass to come inside.
"I'm sorry, that nickname is already taken."
He asked while still stupefied, "Why would I need a nickname?"
"For the GODS to recognize you. This is the tenth level of the afterlife. All who are now ghosts, must have an identity before they could pass, for they belong to one of the most violent cases. Their cases are to be put under supervision in the duration of many trials, and a respective 'nickname' will be used to address them."
'Giving myself an identity?'
There were some name-calling and offensive titles that had been mentioned from its short memories, he picked a few and tested them out.
"How about... Die you scum?"
"I'm sorry, that nickname is already taken."
"********?"
"I'm sorry, that nickname is already taken."
"Bastard?"
"I'm sorry, that nickname is already taken."
'You're the bastard who took that nickname.'
"Overlord?"
"I'm sorry, that Nickname is already taken."
"Bug...?"
"You have selected your nickname. This is permanent."
Slightly pissed, he tried 5 times and none worked, but the final one made its way through.
'It was all throwing random bull, I couldn't care less what my nickname is.' He was sarcastic privately in his mind.
"Please enter." The gate guard said. The huge gate was finally open for him to enter.
Another cloud of smoke, a shallow form of a small girl floated high, It's eyes were blank and stared down at Bug.
It immediately led the way after a few moments of uneasy tension.
Inside the Gates of GODS, everything was also pure white and not a single soul could be seen. There was everlasting darkness above. Akin to a void that cannot be filled, but could also be referred as the infinite space that contains other worlds and galaxies.
It was dull to look at.
"This way, please." The smoke with the silhouette of a small girl gestured for Bug to enter a large door. It was smaller than the gate he entered previously, it was as vibrant as flowing blood.
She stood in a corner looking at Bug, seeming to wait for him to open the door, before she went away to find another soul.
The large door wasn't really anything special visually, but a strong aura could be felt from the inside. The handle was within his hands, but he couldn't pull it without being cowardly.
'I will go in for a moment and then escape.'
Bug went in, wariness was evident from his expression. He entered despite being unwilling to do so.
A few steps from the door, it quickly closed after Bug turned his head to look back.
"Do not waste time, come forward."
A voice came from the center of the room, abruptly grabbing attention.
It was a man with a long white beard and had an undescribable aura. He was wearing a tunic, embroidered and decorated in patterns bug couldn't recognize.
And beside him, sat a bird with such fearsome size. The feathers were all white, almost transparent. It was taking all attention for its own --standing still with its pair of bony claws. Its black eyes akin to darkness made one unable to get used to it's existence.
"You are 'Bug', right?"
The man spoke again. To which bug replied, "Yes, I am 'Bug'."
"Ah... Good, it's bad if we mistook you for someone else. Now, let's begin."
Suddenly, a sharp scream of a bird resounded from above, as if it was shouting something. Bug used his hands to cover their ears. The scream was capable of badly influencing the psyche.
Then, the humongous bird flew in front of bug, the ten meters in size was no joke, it was more than twenty heads taller compared to him as it posed proudly after it landed in the ground.
Bending its neck forward, it rendered Bug to a kneeling position, his hands were hidden behind his back trying to support himself from falling on the floor. Barely stopping himself from laying down, scared and pathetic.
The cawing stopped long ago, but it's dark orbs looked at bug with so much concentration. His image reflected in its eyes, however, those were moving images.
A series of explosions, people screaming. Blood sprayed from any direction and dripped down. Fleeting calmness. Dreadful aftermath. The large bird saw massacres created by one human.
'It's reading me.' Bug felt cold once again. Not like when he was alive, he felt the coldness seeping into his soul.
Emotionless eyes stared down at him. Bug had never felt so weak.
Like a isolated little ant facing the might of a human.
A few moments passed, the big bird flew back with its wide wings back to its previous position, and looked back at the man sitting on a throne.
"The Sin of Wrath: Overcame by exaggerated, baseless impulses and illogical short-lived ideologies, you have sinned with Wrath. The consequences of your actions and the chaos you made harmed the lives of many."
"The Sin of Gluttony: Persuaded by presumptuous thoughts and driven by the flights of fancy, you have sinned for all the terrible consequences you've brought to anyone involved."
"The Sin of Greed: Due to how extreme you have wanted something, and even perhaps someone, you have been driven to critical points of madness and cannot be reasoned with to the extreme. You have violated the normal and recreated destruction countless times."
'This... No, I don't deserve this.'
Clearly feeling that things would get worse from now, Bug panicked as more words were spewed out. He was afraid of what he will hear next after that man on the throne read him so clearly.
'Why am I going through this? What did I do so wrong? I don't understand...'
'No, I don't want to understand. Shit! Everything's clearly wrong! This is not how it's supposed to be!'
"Change this... How dare you! I'll kill you too!" Bug suddenly became rabid, as if he was foaming at the mouth from madness. His eyes enlarged a bit and flashed an alarming red.
At this point, he could be considered danger to himself and others, but the voice continued unfazed.
"Under the Seven Sins, you are to be punished by perishing of the spirit and fragmenting the mind into the oblivion..."