Two thousand years.
That was how long I had drifted through the Void, according to what I heard from who carries me.
Two thousand years of darkness.
Two thousand years of loneliness.
Two thousand years with nothing but my own thoughts.
Every betrayal.
Every lie.
Every memory.
I had relived them so many times that I could recite every word spoken in that library from memory.
Meanwhile, in Eldoria, only two years had passed.
Two years.
The realization filled me with bitterness.
For me, an eternity had passed.
For Leon, Dante, Elvnia, and Tina...
It had likely been little more than yesterday.
Yet despite those two thousand years, I still remembered everything.
The poison entering my body.
Leon's smile.
Dante's laughter.
Tina's tears.
The question that shattered my soul.
Why?
The memory alone sent a tremor through me.
A fresh crack spread across my fractured soul.
CRACK.
The sound echoed softly.
Immediately, warm silver light flowed through the fracture.
The pain faded.
I looked upward.
Or at least, I thought it was upward.
My gaze settled upon the beautiful goddess carrying me through the Underworld.
Hecate.
The Guide of Souls.
The first being in two thousand years to show me kindness.
All I knew was the warmth surrounding me.
The comfort.
The peace.
For the first time since my death, I wasn't alone.
I rested within the embrace of the goddess Hecate.
I remembered reading about her once in an old temple library. She was known as the Guide of Souls, the goddess who led the dead to the River Styx so they could find their final destination.
Back then she had been little more than a name in a book.
Now she held the shattered remains of my soul in her arms.
The warmth flowing from her body dulled the pain of my countless fractures. The cracks still existed, but they no longer felt as though they were tearing me apart.
Instead, something else filled them.
A gentle silver light.
A power that felt ancient.
Comforting.
Motherly.
My thoughts became sluggish.
The endless hatred and grief that had consumed me for so long seemed distant.
Not gone.
Just quieter.
"Alright, little one."
Hecate's voice was soft enough to soothe even the most restless soul.
"I'm going to take you to my sanctuary."
She smiled down at me.
"Just hold on a little longer."
The goddess glided effortlessly through the endless expanse of the Underworld. I had no idea where we were going.
Nor did I care.
For once, I simply wanted to remain where I was.
Safe.
As we traveled, I became aware of the strange energy flowing into me.
The cracks in my soul remained visible, but they were being filled with shimmering silver mist.
Hecate suddenly giggled.
"Oh my."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You certainly are hungry."
I would have blushed if I still possessed a body.
"You're consuming my Divine Essence faster than I expected."
She gently poked one of the fractures in my soul.
"Honestly, little one, you're lucky I found you when I did."
Her expression softened.
"A few more centuries in the Void and there wouldn't have been enough of you left to save."
The thought frightened me.
For the first time, I realized how close I had come to disappearing completely.
"Don't worry."
Hecate smiled.
"My sanctuary will provide you with more than enough essence to stabilize your soul."
A few moments later, the darkness around us vanished.
I stared in awe.
We had arrived.
The sanctuary stretched endlessly before me.
It was beautiful.
Massive stained-glass windows towered over the chamber, each depicting countless souls being guided toward their final rest. Moonlight poured through the colored glass, painting the floor with shifting shades of silver, blue, and emerald.
A cold mist drifted across the ground, rolling gently like clouds beneath our feet.
The ceiling appeared to be made entirely of stars.
Not painted stars.
Real stars.
Entire constellations shimmered overhead, stretching infinitely into the distance as though the night sky itself had been captured inside the sanctuary.
Ancient books filled countless shelves lining the walls.
Spellbooks.
Tomes older than kingdoms.
Some floated freely through the air, turning their own pages as if guided by unseen hands.
Near the center of the sanctuary stood an enormous silver cauldron.
It was large enough to swallow a castle whole.
A giant spoon stirred its contents on its own.
The glowing liquid inside shifted between silver, green, and blue, releasing streams of sparkling essence into the air.
The entire sanctuary felt alive.
Ancient.
Peaceful.
Like a place that had existed long before the first mortal took their breath.
For reasons I couldn't explain, it felt familiar.
Like I had finally arrived somewhere I was meant to be.
Hecate smiled as she noticed my fascination.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
I could only stare.
She carried me toward the center of the chamber.
"There we are."
At the heart of the sanctuary stood a massive crystal structure resembling a diamond.
It rose from the floor like a monument of pure light.
Beneath it flowed a river of luminous green essence.
The energy coursed through intricate channels before flowing into the crystal itself.
The moment we approached, every fragment of my soul reacted.
The hunger returned.
Stronger than ever.
I wanted it.
Needed it.
The feeling was difficult to describe.
It wasn't hunger.
It wasn't thirst.
It felt like breathing after drowning.
Hecate gently lowered me into the center of the crystal.
Immediately, streams of green essence surged upward.
The energy flowed through every fracture in my soul.
Warmth spread throughout my existence.
The pain eased.
The cracks stopped widening.
For the first time since my death, I felt whole.
Not completely healed.
But whole enough to exist.
"Aww."
Hecate smiled.
"Much better."
She carefully examined my soul.
"Such a poor little thing."
The goddess gently brushed a finger across one of the larger fractures.
"Don't worry."
Her smile grew warmer.
"Once you've had your fill, we'll create a proper vessel for you."
I blinked.
A vessel?
"You can't spend eternity floating around as a soul."
Hecate laughed softly.
"That would be terribly inconvenient."
For the first time in two thousand years...
I found myself laughing as well.