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...