Floating in that inky abyss,
I found myself drifting through memories, bound to my past as if it was haunting me.
That hollow, pseudo-feeling of loss and regret echoed through me—a pain that wasn't real but still seared.
「I didn't want to accept the truth that I was dead. I couldn't bear knowing I'd lost everything, that I would never again see those I loved, never again walk the familiar streets where I'd spent my life. I regret it—that there was so much more I could have done, so much more I could have made...」
Caught up in these thoughts, I lost all sense of time.... Then again, there was no time here—
「No day, no night.」
I couldn't tell how long I'd been drifting, but finally, I reached a place that felt solid, like land. It was the only part of this void that appeared vivid, perfectly illuminated, as though it was my final destination. As I floated closer, I sensed a sense of attraction, so I braced myself, using what was left of my form, and landed on my feet.
The moment my feet touched the ground, the vast blackness around me contracted, shrinking to the size of a cave's entrance, while a new world unfolded before me—a world both beautiful and terrifying.
I stood on the shore of a sea—a sea of blood and bones. Its surface rippled with a red, warm glow, disturbingly beautiful, like any sea I'd seen in life. The sky overhead was turbulent, with clouds that looked like flames, casting a ghostly light on everything below. The sand underfoot was pale as chalk, and the stones scattered along the shore were unmistakably bones.
The air was thick with the stench of decay and rotting flesh, yet, in this unsettling place, everything felt strangely captivating.
After taking in the dark beauty of this landscape, I felt my awareness sharpening, my thoughts coming back into focus. My senses, dulled before, returned in full force, and my form, once sluggish and distant, felt under my control again. It was as though my soul had finally reconnected with my body.
At that very moment, a horrific chorus filled the air—a symphony of crying and pleading so fierce it was like thousands of thunderclaps or the sky itself tearing apart.
But in the midst of my confusion and curiosity, I found a flicker of hope.
Maybe there are others like me here, others who can answer my questions, maybe even help me. Maybe...
Without hesitation, I began to run, following the direction of the cries. I sprinted toward the shore, where the sea loomed ominously, its ghastly waves lapping close. As I neared the edge, a form appeared on the shore, faintly resembling my own.
「There are people here... dozens of them? But no—hundreds… thousands… no, billions?!」
The closer I got, the higher the count rose. The sight unfolding before me drained every ounce of strength from my legs, bringing my sprint to an abrupt halt.
I was frozen, paralyzed by the indescribable horror in front of me, witnessing a scene that no words could ever capture—a vision of hell, displayed before my very eyes.
I the fearless soldier, the seasoned warrior who had stood unbroken through decades of war, who had cut down enemies without hesitation, who had once been called the very embodiment of death on the battlefield—this was who I was. I had survived where countless others had fallen, faced horrors that would have shattered lesser men. I was the one they feared, the one they called upon to end battles, the relentless, unyielding force that knew no weakness.
「I am... scared...」
The only sound that escaped me was the hollow whisper of a broken soul.
Before me stretched a horrific procession: billions of souls plunging into the crimson sea, moving forward as if compelled, striving toward a distant shore, barely visible through a thick veil of fog.
The sight stirred something deep within me, bringing to mind stories from my childhood.
A desolate land, bordered by a river filled with torments, leading to a realm that seemed like heaven itself.
「This... this is just like the Vaitarni River」, I murmured.
The river of legend—a place where souls waded through suffering, shedding their sins, to emerge cleansed and prepared to enter the endless cycle of reincarnation.
Note:
"In Hindu mythology, the Vaitarani River is the river of blood and pus that souls cross after death on their way to Yama's court or the River of stix in greek mythology "
...
「I should get going too」, I whispered to myself.
For a long moment, I stood frozen at the shore, watching as endless souls disappeared into the blood-red river. Fear clawed at me, urging me to turn back, to avoid the unknown beyond.
But a quiet certainty pulled me forward. This was where I belonged.
With a deep breath, I took a hesitant step, then another, feeling the river's cold, biting touch as it drew me in. The cries of the souls echoed all around, but I moved forward, surrendering to the pull of the current.
With each step, my memories, my regrets, even my fear began to drift away, dissolving into the river. Stripped of everything, I was left with a quiet, empty stillness.
At the far shore, the fog parted, and I came face to face with a presence that drew every part of my being toward it. It was as if I had found the source of all creation, the origin and the end of everything. From this presence, everything seemed to flow into existence, only to return there in the end.
A radiant light filled the space, a peace vast and all-encompassing, beyond words, beyond form, yet achingly familiar—as though I had always known it. In silent understanding, our gazes met, and every question, every longing, dissolved in that single, timeless moment. I reached out, and as my essence touched him, I felt myself unravel, merging into the boundless whole. I was no longer just Deva Ram Dharma; I was part of something infinite, woven into the eternal cycle, embraced at last by the sacred unity of all things.
「Goodbye , me 」,
he whispered, a final farewell to himself.
And in that instant, Deva was gone. No sound, no trace—just a sudden, profound stillness where he had stood. His essence dissolved into the light, as if he'd never existed, leaving only the faintest ripple in the boundless expanse, absorbed into the source and end of all things.
Ending of prologues, Real story begins from next chapters.