A low ringing filled the space within the vast whiteness around a small floating translucent orb, and as the ringing continued for minutes, the small orb began to float around aimlessly, almost like it was in confusion. The orb then attempted to look down at its feet before realizing it did not have a body at all. Instant confusion and worry spread through the orb's mind as it came to a realization—It was a soul.
"Where am I?" The orb spoke aloud in a feminine voice, almost too daintily to be instantly lost to the sound of the ringing in this empty void. "What's—" The orb went to say as a surge of pain shot through it. Instantly, memories of being stabbed, feeling cold, and looking upon the face of a crying elven boy flooded the orb's mind as a somber and mournful attitude set over it. If the orb could begin to cry, it would have done so now.
"Oh." The orb said inwardly with a tone of regret, "I died before I could say goodbye. All I could do is hug him before I--" The orb deeply sighed as it began to float slowly forward, "I wonder if he made it out?"
Brenda's soul suddenly perked up as it began searching the area fervently, "If I am here, I wonder if anyone else made it here." The orb began to propel itself forward as it began to wander through this space, and moments became minutes before becoming hours.
"Seran?!" Brenda's soul cried outward.
"Mother?!" Brenda's soul cried out desperately.
"Father?!" Brenda's soul called out with worry in its tone.
"Meriah?!" Brenda's soul shouted out in a wanting tone.
"Reau?!" Brenda's soul's voice cracked as the loneliness finally set in.
"Is anyone there?!" The orb shouted outward in ultimate desperation, and as the orb said this, it felt a giant pulling force act upon it. The ringing around the void began to grow louder and louder, and Brenda's soul zoomed across this space at blinding speeds before stopping in an instant halt. Before the floating soul stood a young slender girl with long flowing blonde hair, and her peach-toned face wore a smile of gentleness and composure.
"Why, hello." The young girl said as she raised her hand to her chest, "Sorry to pull you towards me like that. I heard you shouting. I am sorry to see your sorrow, my poor lost soul."
"Who are you?" Brenda's soul said in confusion, "Are you—"
The young girl giggled softly as she waved her hand, and a translucent chair appeared underneath her as she sat down. The young girl's glowing green eyes illuminated her rounded face and drew away from the pure white and golden dress that she was wearing, and her aura gave off a tone of overwhelming power in a gentle way. In a brilliant smile, the young girl focused her eyes on Brenda's soul as she spoke clearly, "I am Avais, the goddess of Alkan, and I am happy to finally meet you, Brenda."
"A—Avais!?" Brenda's soul shouted out in shock. "I am meeting with the goddess right now."
"Yes, you are," Avais said with a giggle before waving her hand again, and this time a crystal ball on a small pedestal appeared in front of her. "And I am sorry that we have to meet while you are in such a state. Unfortunately, there isn't another way for us to meet otherwise; after all, this is the heavens, and I am the only one living here."
"There aren't any others?" Brenda's soul said somberly, and if it could wear a face of disappointment, it would have. "I was hoping to see my family in the afterlife, but if they are—"
"Oh! No, no." Avais said with urgency and held up her hand in reassurance, "Your loved ones are certainly here but in another part of the heavens. Where you and I are is a place of meeting, while they are in a place of resting and are beyond this place." Avais then sighed, "It's going to be okay. You will see them again, but not as you remember them—they will be in soul form too."
"That's a relief." Brenda's soul said with a sigh, "I take it that I am meeting with you before I rest too?"
"Exactly." Avais said still smiling as her focus shifted to the crystal ball, "After all, if you die before your destiny was read to you, you are entitled to know it, and that's what I am about to show you."
"Oh?" Brenda's soul questioned as it floated closer to Avais, "I was curious how my life was—" Brenda's soul became somber again as she continued to speak, "I mean, would have turned out."
Avais frowned as she turned back to Brenda's soul, "It's okay, Brenda. All beings must live and die, so it's only natural to feel regret. It pains me always to show souls like yourself their 'could-have-been- 's, but it's my job as a deity." Avais then waved her hand in front of the crystal ball, and it began to shine off radiant beams of light.
These radiant beams illuminated the crystal ball before turning inward on itself, and as the beams of light converged, images began to form. The images inside the crystal ball began flashing faster and faster for multiple moments as like flipping through a picture book. As the images began to connect, the vision inside the crystal ball became full, and Brenda's soul could not believe what it was seeing.
Inside the vision, it showed an illuminated figure surrounded by green auras of mana as the figure was revealed to be a young woman in long white and red robes that was assisting small children laying on sick beds. These children had various conditions, but the illuminated figure was presenting herself calmly towards worrying parents and other sick children that surrounded her. As the images began flashing, more instances of healing and being a caring individual filled the crystal ball before coming to a halt.
The beams of light stopped shining within the crystal ball, and Avais then looked towards Brenda's soul with a large smile. Brenda's soul, if it could show expression, was internally doing the same. Avais then stood up as she turned towards Brenda's soul, "Well, it seems you were going to be a wonderful healer."
"That's—" Brenda's soul said in a happy tone but then became somber yet again, "It would have been a great future. I hope that those children can get better for their future sakes."
"Most assuredly, they will get the help they need." Avais said with a giggle as she crossed her hands behind her back playfully, "I have seen it, after all. So, there is no need to worry about them."
Brenda's soul bounced up and down softly in the mid-air to show excitement, "That makes me happy. It would have been nice to help them myself, but as long as they will be able to recover, that's all that matters."
"I like that about you, Brenda," Avais said as she walked over to the soul and placed her hand on the top of it, and a warm feeling came over Brenda's soul with the touch—it was as if a small comforting flame sat on her head. "You are very selfless to both humans and elves, and that would have shown greatly throughout your life."
"Is that all there was to know about my life?" Brenda's soul asked with utmost curiosity.
"All that I can show you. After all, the world below only allows me to—" Avais stopped as she turned away from Brenda and back to the crystal ball, "I mean, those questions are best left unanswered. Your life ended so knowing about everything would harm your soul as it begins its rest, allowing disturbances and ultimately could lead to disappearing entirely!"
Brenda's soul floated slowly backward in shock, "Negative feelings could cause me to disappear entirely?! I don't like that. I want to be with my family and loved ones."
"And you will be." Avais said with another soft smile as she moved away from Brenda to sit back in her chair, "None of that will happen to you, Brenda. With my word as a goddess, you are indeed safe here in my care. Rest your doubts somewhere else because your resting place will be very peaceful."
"That's a relief, goddess Avais." Brenda's soul sighed happily, "I believe I am ready to be sent to my mother and father, and my elf friends."
Avais frowned as she starred back at Brenda, and she began shaking her head slowly. "I am sorry, Brenda, but elves aren't going to be in the heavens. You see, when they die, their souls go to form the mana of the world. You won't find any of your elven friends here."
Brenda's soul was stunned. Thoughts rushed in its head as she realized that it will never see Meriah, Reau, or Seran ever again, and its sorrow returned strongly, enough that Avais could feel the emotions from a distance.
"Don't be sad, Brenda," Avais said in a calming tone as she stood up and waved her over the crystal ball again. As she did this, an image of the world of Alkan appeared with a golden aura around it, and Brenda's soul looked upon the image as it showed the aura pulsating around the planet. "It's the mana that the elves make that will bring those sick children the help they need, and everyone will be living in peace due to their sacrifices."
"So, they are just slaves to their destiny here as they are on the planet too?" Brenda's soul said outwardly in a depressed tone, which caused Avais to drop her smile as she looked down on the image of Alkan. "Unfortunately, that's how this world was made, and I can do nothing about it now."
"I don't understand?" Brenda's soul questioned as it floated next to Avais again, "You are the goddess! Surely, you could help the lives of the elves down on the planet!"
"Brenda, you know that the inner minds of the elves personally love the fact they are helping out individuals everywhere. After all, the crest that each of them wears binds them to this fate, and they are more than happy to live out their lives doing what they can." Avais said with a serious, but an aggravated tone, "I would know since I created them."
"I apologize, goddess." Brenda's soul said with a saddened tone, "I remember the scriptures, but I am just thinking about what Seran told me that nigh—"
"His words matter not now, Brenda." Avais said abruptly before turning back to Brenda's soul with a twitching smile before she corrected it to a calm smile, "After all, those negative thoughts will be what becomes your undoing while you are here. I'd be in your best interest to leave those words in your past and focus on resting here. Trust your goddess, will you?"
"A—" Brenda's soul exclaimed before it fell back to a serious tone, "I apologize, goddess. I will lay those feelings aside."
"Good," Avais said as she clapped her hands together, and a bluish portal opened from behind her. "Now, through here is where your resting will begin. Please move into it when you are ready."
Brenda's soul released a deep and heavy sigh as it regained composure. It began to float slowly towards the portal before turning back towards the goddess. "Thank you for allowing me to exist, even though my time was brief. I was happy for a while, and I am happy to be in your care now."
"Of course, my child," Avais said as her face lit up with delight. She waved her hand towards Brenda's soul in a farewell fashion, "Please do your best to rest. Goodbye, Brenda."
Brenda's soul drifted into the portal with a final look at Avais, and instantly, Brenda's soul was met with a realm of darkness before it. As it looked back towards the portal, it had disappeared, leaving Brenda's soul to look around, but after hours and hours of looking around, Brenda's soul found nothing at all.
Much time had passed, and Brenda's soul never stopped searching inside the endless darkness, and for Brenda's soul, it grew more and more restless with each passing day. It continued to call out to Brenda's loved ones, hoping and searching for even a glimmer of something, but Brenda's soul found nothing. When Brenda's soul had almost given up hope, a shining light showered from above and overwhelmed Brenda's soul, while a single voice said softly as if whispering gently:
"I'm sorry. This is the best I could do."
----Shortly after Brenda's soul went through the portal----
As the portal disappeared, Avais began to laugh slowly as it grew more and more into a cackle. She rushed over to the chair she made and threw herself into it, as she began to focus on the crystal ball once more. She snapped her fingers as the crystal ball shattered into pieces, and as each piece hit the ground, beams of radiant light began to flow up from the white floor and into the air.
As the beams of light began to converge, they formed a large pane in front of Avais's eyes, and images began flashing through the light. As the images got faster, they began to form a moving vision as Avais looked on in utmost happiness. Avais then stood up to look intently into the vision that was forming.
Inside the vision, it now showed an illuminated figure, the same figure from before, surrounded by green and golden auras of mana, while the figure itself was wearing shining pure-white armor with an elegant blade raised skyward. In the next instant, the vision flashed to show multiple figures that wearing crowns and capes bowing before this figure, and they seemed to be pledging their allegiance to this figure. The vision ended with the individual being raised into the sky and ascending through the clouds above before ultimately disappearing, and a giant pulse of mana overflowed the sky as golden sparkles rained down from the atmosphere, where multiple individuals began cheering and praising the skyward warrior.
As the image ended, Avais began grinning from ear to ear. She raised her hand to her forehead as she threw herself back into the chair like an overexcited child. She began cackling loudly as she thrust herself forward again to the crystal ball, and her eyes began glowing brighter as she stared obsessively at the images. She then released a heavy sigh of relief as she said, "Oh, how long I've waited. Finally! Finally!" Her voice then turned into a mocking tone before laughing continuously, "Long live the hero!"