THE human mind is the most terrifying thing to exist, be it abstract or physical, nothing is as unnerving as the horrors it creates.
Trei waited with his teammates, to board the plane which would take them to the global round of the world scholars cup. He sat on one of the stiff black plastic chairs next to their gate, fingers tapping absentmindedly against the armrest as he watched the other students shuffle about the airport terminal. A dull murmur of voices filled the air—some excited, some groggy from waking up too early for the flight.
Trei was small for his age, a small 5'9. His messy dark hair fell and covered his brown eyes.He wore an ill fitting dress shirt over his trousers. A black bag slung on his shoulder from which peeked out a few paperbacks and sketchbooks.
The airport was too bright for Trei's liking, too-bright lights shone on the polished marble floor. The air was filled with the smell of metal, spearmint and that damned perfume which every woman and her deceased great aunt used to wear because all the perfumes are the same and they keep lying to themselves it's different.
This time the school had sent more children to participate, maybe due to the fact that's last year some of them started feeling more jealous of the fact that the paltry 9 kids last yeaHis teammates were gathered nearby, a few of them scrolling through their phones, others chattering about their strategies for the upcoming World Scholar's Cup Global Round. None of them seemed particularly nervous.
Trei wasn't nervous either, not about the competition anyway. His mind was elsewhere, drifting into thoughts that had become increasingly frequent these past few weeks.
What happens when you die?
The question had been following him around, latching onto his idle moments like a shadow. It wasn't fear—he didn't particularly fear death, at least not in the way most people did. He just didn't like not knowing.
The idea of an afterlife had always been strange to him. It felt too rigid, too final, to have just one answer. The way he saw it, if something as vast and incomprehensible as death existed, then the afterlife shouldn't be a single universal experience—it should be something subjective, shaped by the person dying.
Some people believed in heaven and hell. Others thought they'd dissolve into the universe, become energy, become nothing. Some believed in reincarnation, an endless cycle of lives lived and lost. What if it was all true at once?
Maybe, he thought, the afterlife is different for everyone. Maybe what a person expects is what they get.
If that was the case… What would his be?
Trei let his gaze flicker over the departure screens, absently reading flight numbers and destinations. His school was sending a fairly large group to the competition, but he doubted anyone would really notice if he was lost in his own head. His thoughts had a habit of unraveling like this, a tangled mess of logic and speculation that he could barely stop once it started.
Would his afterlife be an empty void, a dreamless sleep? That seemed the most scientific outcome, but also the most boring. If there was something more, what would it be?
He thought about the novel. Black Sun.
He and his online associate had spent two years on that book, weaving a story of gods and empires, of power struggles and destruction. In a strange way, that world felt more real to him than his own life sometimes.
Would I wake up there if I died?
It wasn't an unpleasant idea. If the afterlife really did shape itself based on belief, then maybe he'd get to walk through the streets of Esempi or stand at the gates of the Rev'ianarric Institute. Maybe he'd meet the characters he had written into existence. Would they recognize him as their creator? Would they even care?
He exhaled through his nose, amused by the absurdity of it all.
And if not that… if not his world… Then what?
Trei's fingers drummed against his knee as he considered the other options. Christianity promised heaven and hell, but he was fairly certain neither would suit him. The idea of sitting on a cloud for eternity, singing praises, felt like a waste of time. Hell? Also unlikely. He wasn't that bad of a person.
Hinduism, Buddhism—reincarnation was interesting. Coming back as something or someone else. A second chance. Would he remember? Probably not. That made it less appealing.
And then there was Valhalla.
He tapped his fingers again, this time against the side of his jaw. Now that was interesting.
If he had to pick, dying in combat and drinking with warriors in Odin's hall didn't sound too bad. No eternal suffering, no endless peace, just an afterlife of warriors and battles, drinking and feasting. A perpetual cycle of fighting and celebrating. He didn't even need to believe in the Norse gods for that to sound appealing. But then again the fact that he would be there to fight in the battle which would end the universe rather depressing.
It did make him wonder though.
If he wanted to qualify for Valhalla, didn't he need to die in battle?
Not necessarily war, but combat. Some kind of fight.
He rolled his head slightly, looking over at his teammates. Would anyone here fight me if I asked?
He nearly laughed at the thought. A sudden challenge at the airport? Ridiculous. Though… he could see the headlines now. Teen Banned from International Airport for Attempting to Start a Duel for Theological Reasons.
Maybe not today.
Still, the thought lingered. Wouldn't it be funny, though? If he died right now, what would happen? What would he see?
Trei sighed and looked out the large terminal windows. The sky was still blue, but something about it felt… off. Distant. As if it was waiting for something.
He went back to his thoughts. Trei shifted in his seat, adjusting his backpack as he stared at the departures board. The hum of the airport was distant, muffled by the weight of his thoughts.
It was a concept that had occupied his mind for weeks now, ever since the strange news broadcast. Even before that, since he was a young boy. Death wasn't something he feared, exactly, but he had always been curious. Not about dying, but about what happened after.
If there even was an after.
Religions across the world had spent centuries trying to answer that question. If he had to bet on one of them being correct, which one would it be?
Considering He'd read all the books he brought with him, several online novels and none of his schoolmates paid heed to his presence he might as well rank all the different afterlifes.
He started with the one he'd already entertained—Norse mythology.
Valhalla was simple. Die in battle, be chosen by the Valkyries, and get sent to Odin's great hall, where warriors feasted and fought until the end of the world. But there was also Fólkvangr, ruled by Freyja. Half the battle-dead went there instead, and they were more… peaceful and laidback. Was it better? Worse? The idea that you might not get to Valhalla even if you died in combat was… frustrating.
And then there were Helheim and Niflheim, where those who died dishonorably or of sickness went. Cold, dreary places, ones no warrior would ever want to end up in.
Verdict? If he had to pick, he'd want Valhalla, but there were too many conditions. Not reliable. And he had a feeling that it still might not suit his tastes, he was more academic in nature, hiding in the bathroom stalls in school pretending to be unwell when really he was either reading his text books or some fantasy novel or the other.
Next was Christianity.
Heaven and Hell. The most well-known version of the afterlife. Heaven was paradise, eternal peace and joy, free of suffering. Hell was eternal torment, fire and brimstone. The problem? The rules were too inconsistent. Every sect had different conditions for getting into Heaven. Some said belief alone was enough. Others required a good, moral life. Some claimed even good people could go to Hell if they didn't accept their god. Plus he found the concept of sitting on clouds singing praises of The Lord rather boring, that is if he even went to Heaven
And eternity? Eternal anything sounded exhausting. Whether good or bad.
Verdict? Too restrictive. Too uncertain. And eternity was a long time to be stuck anywhere.
Islamic afterlife? Similar structure to Christianity—Jannah, paradise and Jahannam, hell—but with more specifics. Seven levels of heaven, seven levels of hell, with different degrees of reward or punishment depending on your deeds. It made sense in a way. A graded system seemed fairer than an all-or-nothing eternity. But it still required strict adherence to rules he didn't follow.
Verdict? Better system, but still unconfirmed entry requirements. Unreliable.
Hinduism and Buddhism.
Reincarnation. Samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth. Your karma in life determines what you'd come back as. Good life? Higher existence. Bad life? Lower existence. The ultimate goal was moksha, liberation from the cycle, becoming one with the universe.
This one was interesting. It meant no true ending, just different lives stacking on top of each other. But that also meant he'd lose himself every time. Would he even be human in the next life? Or just a collection of leftover fragments? Considering when he read some of their stories, it took many lives to get a human life the chances were slim.
He was jolted out of his thoughts when a small boy nearby started screaming about food as he swiped through his ipad. Trei sighed. If reincarnation was real that kid must have been some tyrant. He wet back to his previous thoughts.
Verdict? Good for avoiding eternal suffering, bad for maintaining a sense of identity. isky.
Ancient Egyptian afterlife:The Duat, the Egyptian underworld. Judgment by Anubis, the weighing of the heart. If your heart was lighter than the Feather of Ma'at, you got to live in the paradise of the Field of Reeds. If it was heavier? Devoured by Ammit. Cease to exist.
The stakes were high, but at least there was no eternal suffering—just a final death.
Verdict? Fair system, but still a gamble.
Greek and Roman afterlife.
The Underworld wasn't just one place. There was the Elysian Fields for heroes and the virtuous, Asphodel Meadows for the ordinary dead, and Tartarus for the wicked. Better than just "heaven or hell."
But… eternity in Asphodel sounded boring. Wandering aimlessly, no pleasure, no suffering, just… existing. He might not even go to Elysian Fields unless-again he had amazingly heroic deeds which people would remember for ages to come.
Verdict? Better variety, but not particularly appealing.
Zoroastrianism.
This one was strange. When you died, your soul had to cross the Chinvat Bridge. If you were good, the bridge widened, and you reached paradise. If you were evil, the bridge narrowed, and you fell into hell.
But here's the catch—hell wasn't eternal. It was a place of purification, not punishment. One day, even the worst souls would be redeemed. The universe would end, and all would be saved.
Verdict? Hopeful. But still had the issue of judgment. He didn't want it so that if he was redeemed from hell, the ones who had come to paradise solely from their deeds to look down at him.
Trei sighed, rubbing his temple.
The afterlife was a mess of contradictions. Some promised paradise, others warned of suffering, and some just threw you back into the cycle to try again. None of them were guaranteed.
But if the afterlife was shaped by expectation—if belief decided where you went—what did that mean for him?
Would he have a choice?What is he wanted to enter a world which had lived in his mind rent-free since gods know when. Even more now considering all the strange events taking place sll over the world. 3 mass cult suicides resulting in the deat of 6 million people, animals killing themselves. He involuntarily shuddered when he remembered the images of the mangled animals broadcasted on the news, blurred out bodies surrounded by a pool blood and gore. Bystanders screaming as the watched several dogs smash through the windows of a skyscraper and jump, people running for cover. Some people just watching… The number of meteor showers which could even be seen in broad daylight,
He tapped his fingers against his leg, staring at the sky through the terminal windows. An announcement sounded over the intercom. "All passengers on the Plane to New York please make your way to gate 47 immediately." It said with its flat emotionless voice.
His school mates stood up and followed the teacher to the gate. He went last.
Shame for my line of thought to be interrupted, atleast I'll have all the time I could want on the flight