Inside the Golden Palace was a vast, spacious field of green, filled with fresh Scent of nature. They surrounded by towering golden walls from all side.
Every soul present was neatly arranged in long lines. Kian found himself just behind Ben, and both of them were confused.
"Where are we?"
"Who brought us here?"
"I can't believe I died at the hands of my best friend."
"I sacrificed myself for saving my world!"
The area was buzzing with discussion as everyone looked around in confusion. A few shrewd, intelligent individuals remained silent, observing everything cautiously, hoping to make the best of any opportunity that might come their way.
Kian also stayed silent, while Ben attempted to converse with a beautiful elf who seemed as cold as ice.
"Hello, beautiful! What's your name? Are you single? Ready to mingle?" Ben tried to flirt but was met with a hard slap in response.
Paah!
"Ouch!"
Ben fell on his butt, looking at the elf girl as if he'd been hurt. The elf, dressed in a beautiful green dress, was enraged by his gaze, which had drifted to her chest.
Kian learned something new witnessing this: The Souls can hurt each others here.
Standing up casually, Ben sighed. "You're a heartbreaker, miss, just like the girls from my world. No worries—we can at least be friends, right?" he asked with hope.
The elf girl's expression became pondering as she thought hard about something.
"Whoa! No need to think too hard, beauty. I think it's better to stick together. Look, everyone else is forming groups. We should make one, too," Ben said, pointing at the others.
Kian and the elf looked around and realized that Ben was right.
"Alright. My name is Silverlina, and don't you dare make that disgusting face at me again. I hate disgusting men. I'm only joining you two humans because the only others around are these ugly orcs and crocodile people," she replied, still looking away.
"Ah, you've quite the racist mindset, Silvy. See how I appreciate your beauty.. You all should be like me," He said shamelessly.
Silverlina casually replied, "Why not? Tell me, do you want to copulate with an orc? No, right. So, just shut up!" She scoffed with disdain.
Ben glanced at the ugly monstrous Orc and became speechless at her reply, finding her logic make sense.
"Hehe...Anyway, This is Kian, our team's other member," Ben said, shrugging off the previous topic.
Kian was momentarily lost, wondering when he had agreed to join a group. But he said nothing, noticing everyone else doing the same for some reason.
"Hello! Nice to meet you," he said, looking at the beautiful elf with a pure gaze. There wasn't a hint of lust, greed, or fascination in his eyes—just caution toward strangers.
This made Silverlina feel satisfied, forgiving Ben for giving her a nickname on a whim.
"Kian, you're good… You have the purest presence I've seen," Silverlina said instinctively, perhaps influenced by her past experiences.
"Thanks!" Kian nodded, saying nothing more as he gazed ahead, where he saw a platform suddenly rise magically.
"Silence!"
Just as the atmosphere grew chaotic, a powerful shout came from the platform ahead—the same voice that had brought them here. It was filled with authority and overbearing strength.
The voice belonged to a seemingly ordinary old man who seemed alive in a real body, radiated an undeniable strong aura.
Kian and the others felt a buzzing, vibrating sensation throughout their beings from the sheer intensity of his voice. It reminded them of how insignificant they were before him.
Even though the old man's face wasn't clearly visible from such a distance, his mystical power was unmistakable. It felt as though he could destroy them with a single gesture.
Everyone fell silent with fear as the old man continued,
"Now that you're all quiet, let me explain a few things about why you've been brought here—or perhaps I should say, chosen."
Kian listened intently, eager to hear what the old man would say next.
"First of all, I, the 99th Seer of the Twilight, welcome you all to the Twilight Zone, a place between life and death. You have all been brought here to be given a second chance at life."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, the souls began whispering in hushed voices, understanding the true meaning. They were likely to get a second chance, something many of them had longed for, as their past lives were filled with regrets and mistakes.
Kian's eyes regained their spirit, but he waited for the full explanation. He knew that nothing came for free. At least, that was one lesson life had taught him well.
Ben and Silvy had a similar reaction. They, too, seemed to have a tragic past, something Kian only understood now.
Ben's eyes were already filled with exaggerated tears, though they looked fake, like a fleeting illusion.
"Silence!"
With another thunderous command, tens of thousands of souls went quiet once again.
The Seer calmly began once more,
"I know you have many questions, but let me finish first."
"Firstly, you will be divided in two factions."
"In the Faction of Virtue: Some of you died unnaturally, suffered injustice, endured cruel fates, and gathered positive karma by saving innocents, becoming sacrificed heroes of your worlds.
And in the opposite Faction of Sin: Some of you became villains out of grief, some committed extreme sins, and slaughtered your own kind, gathering negative karma as a result."
After absorbing these words, Kian felt a little frightened at the possibility that he might be near an extreme sinner. He glanced at Ben and Silvy warily.
"They aren't from the Sin Faction... or are they?" Kian pondered inwardly.
For the moment, he stayed silent and continued to listen.
The old man's tone turned sharp. "Twilight doesn't care which faction you belong to; it only wants results.
We will give you tasks to complete in different worlds, and in return, you will gain merit points.
With enough merit points, you can exchange them for a one-time reincarnation in a random world, with a random background. As repayment for this opportunity, you will be asked to complete one mission in the future. It could be good or bad. But, declining the repayment would lead to your demise.
You have the choice to quit, and if you do, we will send you back immediately to the Void." His tone turned cold in the end.