The Realm of Death isn't the same as Hela's Netherworld. It isn't a barren landscape, but more akin to the Kingdom of Dreams, composed of all sorts of cosmic law fragments creating fantastical dreams. One moment you could be in a bizarre black forest, the next in a dark city akin to Gotham. To Order Creatures, everything here is in chaos.
When human souls enter the Realm of Death, they aren't completely unconscious. They fall into a bizarre dream, usually their own memory from their lives. They experience again some moments in the dream that left a strong impression, known as the 'life flashing before one's eyes'.
But this process is designed to authenticate all codes of the soul to facilitate their deletion from the database.
For reasons known only to him, Shiller, who had died many times, was experiencing this process for the first time. He fell into darkness, then felt a dim light. He chased the light and continued to fall, feeling a warmth enveloping him much as amniotic fluid would.
The sensation of weightlessness was fading; Shiller could feel he had hit bottom.
He struggled to gather his wits, then forced his eyes open. Suddenly, he discovered he was in a familiar church.
Like a scene shot with a lens with a special halo, a hazy dream-like glow was everywhere. Everything lacked detail, but anything could trigger memories.
Instinctively, Shiller turned around and saw the huge cross and the statue of Jesus with outstretched arms and cast-down eyes behind him.
Suddenly, there was the sound of hasty footsteps at the church entrance. A figure rushed this way, shattering the illusion. When Shiller regained his senses, he saw Natasha waving her hand in front of his eyes asking, "Shiller, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Shiller looked around. The scene was still blurry, and even Natasha's figure directly in front of him wasn't clear. From her eyes' reflection, he seemed to her as a blurry silhouette too; if her voice hadn't been clear, he wouldn't have been able to identify her.
"We're like we're inside a video game." Natasha shrugged, scanning her surroundings and herself, then said, "This must be Hell, then? Much better than I expected."
"This isn't Hell, at least not Mephisto's Hell. If all goes according to plan, this should be the border of the Realm of Death. Soon we'll penetrate the barrier into the true Realm of Death and become echoes forever lingering."
"So, what's the deal with this church?"
"This should be a memory from my lifetime." Shiller didn't seem anxious at all. He walked to the church's first row, closest to the window, sat down and patted the seat next to him, indicating Natasha to join him.
"Alright, this is my first death, I clearly haven't got as much experience as you, so now can you tell me about your plan?"
Natasha sat down next to Shiller, both staring at the huge cross in front of them, and the first thing Shiller said took Natasha by surprise.
"I'm sorry, I lied to you from the start. Even though I'm not a doctor, I was entrusted by one to communicate with everybody as best I could to improve their mental health."
"Was it Doctor Shiller who entrusted you?"
"Yes, ma'am. But first, could you answer a few questions? How are you feeling right now?"
"Hard to say." Natasha sighed, rested her elbow on her knee, leaned forward, and said as she stared at the dreamy shimmer of the tiled floor, "I feel exhausted, like I've outspent myself, also accompanied by an inexplicable relief and relaxation."
"Can you elaborate?"
"More like I've used all my strength and know that nothing can be done, so I just stay put and wait for death to come. That kind of relaxation."
"So, how were you feeling when we were fighting earlier?"
"I was drunk. Didn't think much."
Shiller turned his head to look at Natasha and said, "Madam, we aren't in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s office now, we are in God's Domain, a place mortals can't set foot in. There are no listening devices, no recording books. I am not an agent interrogating you. I know you have the right to say anything, but personally, I hope you can be honest enough. Considering the current situation, it's taken a lot of my hard work to get us here."
"You sure know how to talk." Natasha ran her hands through her hair, pushing it back. She didn't sneer at Shiller again but genuinely praised him. She found that Shiller was indeed good at persuading people.
"It was a bit too intense." Natasha ultimately answered.
"Why did you feel that way?"
Natasha sighed deeply, remained silent for a while, and finally shook her head and said, "No need to talk about it. It won't do any good."
"So, let's talk about my experience." Instead of criticizing, Shiller changed the subject. He leaned back against the church pew and said, "You should have heard something about my experience from Professor Charles. As a child, I was taken to the lab of a mysterious organization where I was trained for a long time."