Somewhere, in a memory, a place between one thought and the next, two boys talked on a hill, the perfect spot to see the city twinkling in the twilight.

Liam was the first to turn away, “What would you do?”

“Conquer the world. How hard could that be?” Elijah answered confidently. Liam looked on with a small smile at his friend, staring out at the world below. He knew Elijah would go on to great things, his eyes always far in the distance. He just hoped he could be there with him.

But Liam couldn’t help but tease, “Wow, such lofty ambitions.” Sarcasm thick in his words, he then stood. “Are you going to have them call you my Lord, and all that?” Liam turned in a mock bow towards Elijah, “My Lord.”

Without a shred of mockery, Elijah gracefully excepted the supplication as a rightful ruler should before, and both boys fell into a fit of giggles. “Nah. I think I'll just be called Emperor God-King. That will be enough.”

“I see you would remain completely humble.”

A short fantasy, but one all the more significant to Liam, after all, it was the last time he ever spoke with Elijah. Now he stood among a crowd of mourners, staring in shock as the casket containing his best friend Elijah, was lowered bit by bit down into the Earth. Even now he still expected, Elijah to open the top and say it was a prank, or that it was someone else that day, but as the coffin sunk deeper, the reality tried to set in.

His mind kept going back, That was a good day. If I knew what would happen later, I wonder if I would have done anything differently? It was a passing thought, but he knew the truth. “Nah. It was a perfect day.” Tears dripped down Liam’s face, as all at once he broke, as everything finally became real. “A fucking truck!? How could you die from a truck!?” Wailing at the injustice of it all, at the idiocy of walking in the way of a semi of all things. All around the people watched him, scream and shout, their hearts breaking all over again.

Falling to his knees, all energy drained from Liam’s body, as his eyes lifelessly looked down into the hole. It wasn’t until his mother pulled him into a hug, that he could finally look away, as he hid in his mother's arms, sobbing. He didn't understand. How could he be gone?

——

Standing just out of sight, in a place just out the corner of your eye, Del stood, listening as a child screamed at the heavens for a boy that was lost to him. Despite the heart-wrenching cries Del never once took his eyes off the box that contained a body too mangled to truly be recognized, in fact, he was only able to be identified due to the fact that his friend was standing right next to him when it happened. That, and the security tapes from the bistro across from the accident.

Ge on the other hand felt tears welling up, as she looked back and forth from the boy to the one in the coffin. She had joined Del on so many deliveries she had lost count, but this was the first time they had come back. She had never truly seen the devastation left behind when they took the children. Sure she knew it academically but to see it in person was an entirely different experience, “Is it a cruel thing we do?” She asked almost too soft to be heard. A question she didn’t know if she wanted to be answered.

Del continued to stare down into the Earth, he didn’t have a good answer but he did have one, “It's something that needs to be done.”

Ge heard his answer, she was in disbelief that it could be that cut and dry. So emotionless, not with being surrounded by the grief and anguish of those here. She hated it, “But what happens with those left behind?”

“They move on.” His words were cold and simple. Yet his eyes were soft and filled with compassion for Ge as he silently begged for her understanding.

“That’s a little cruel.”

Once upon a time he was forced to face the realities of this job and had gone through his own crisis of faith in what he was doing. Was it cruel to take them? Yes. Was it necessary? Yes. Would it be much worse if they didn’t do this? Yes. He once faced all these questions and learned all the answers; the hard way. So it was with understanding, as he told her a hard truth he learned over his years on the job. “It is. Everyone has someone who mourns. There is no such thing as someone who is truly alone, only those who forget or are lost. Even then ripples are always there, sometimes in ways you could never imagine.”

Ge hated, this. She hated that it had to be like this. She wanted it to be different but didn’t know if it would be possible. “That was deep.” She said t

“Wasn't meant to be.” He said seriously.

Surrounded by grief and sadness, Ge could no longer stand not doing anything. “Why are we here?”

Gesturing out towards the people he answered, “To show you what happens after.”

“...” Ge knew that she did, and yet she didn’t truly know until Del had spoken so plainly, she could only accept it for the truth.

Seeing her discomfort, he asked softly, “Are you lost?”

The words shook her to her very core, ever since she could remember she had been lost, wandering from one place to another, never truly knowing where she was going. Even now, she was just going with the flow, looking for something, anything. She felt she was right on the cusp of finding it with every job they did, but something was keeping her back.

She shook herself before turning towards Del, that's when she caught the guilty look on his face. “What?”

A long exhale, flew from his lips, for he knew he needed to tell her, “I may have also screwed up the delivery.”

“You got the wrong kid?” She asked in complete disbelief.

“No.”

“Then how'd you screw it up?”

——

Time passed and the world continued to turn, and Liam found himself wandering in a haze, feeling more alone than he had ever felt. He didn’t know what to do with his best friend gone. They had always been together, since before either could remember and now, the world was lacking, for him missing.

Since the funeral, Liam would find himself wandering to spots they would always meet, hoping to find something, only to find heartbreak waiting for him.

At one such spot, a place they used to just sit and watch the world go by, "I wonder. I wonder what he's doing in heaven?" Speaking his question to the world, when a silly thought came unbidden, forcing a laugh, “Bet he's trying to conquer it.”

“Why would he conquer heaven?”

Liam jumped at the strange woman’s voice. He felt his heart beating out of his chest as he turned to see an adult woman in jeans and a t-shirt look down at him, curiously. Who is this person and why is she talking to me?

He stared tung tied. Seeing his silence the woman asked again.“Why would someone want to conquer heaven? It’s already paradise.” The woman tilted her head thinking. “I mean, that’s the definition of heaven, isn’t it?”

While she was right, Liam knew his best friend the best, and he just wanted to talk about him. “My friend would. If God, with all his power, couldn't stop evil, then he must be evil himself.” Liam found himself repeating something he half-remembered his friend saying, though it never made much sense to him.

The woman raised an eyebrow. “That’s not good logic.”

“No, it was not.” He agreed knowing it made no sense, but it was something his friend would say. He found himself laughing, for the first time since Elijah died. It felt good.

“Maybe he's just getting the place ready.” She said offhandedly drawing a confused stare from the boy.

“For what?”

The woman shrugged, with a knowing smile, “Who knows?”

“Lady, you make no sense.”

“Oh? I’m a lady, am I?” She asked, doing a little curtsy.

Seeing the strange woman playing along he couldn’t help but wonder. Is this lady flirting with me? At that thought, Liam stuttered as he responded. “This...This...I can't do this right now. I need to go.” Hurrying off, rushing towards his school, to get away from the strange woman.

Ge watched the boy with a bitter smile waving a farewell, shouting, “Goodbye. And good luck.”

Liam on the other hand only hurried away even faster, feeling both better and worse for the interaction. There was a confusing mixture of emotions twisting and turning through his mind. He was so lost that he forgot to look both ways before crossing the street.

——

Somewhere, far from the blue marble, a boy is being awoken by another boy.

“About damn time you got here.”

“Huh?”

“Were you going to make me conquer this whole world on my own?”

Drowsy and confused, Liam looked up in disbelief at the face of his best friend Elijah, not understanding how this was possible. After a second he decided he didn’t care. This was his friend and he was here, and more importantly, alive. Tears came unbidden down his face, and try as he might they wouldn’t stop.

Elijah held out his hand and picked up the sobbing Liam, “Come on, you cry, baby.”

“Hey, I’m just dealing with your dead ass.” His voice only cracked a little in response.

“Oh, I died? That explains a few things.”

Finally realizing what it meant for himself he asked, “Is this Heaven?” Liam asked as he slowly looked around, noticing he had been laying on a hill and his Elijah was standing looking out into the world, wearing what he could only describe as an adventurer’s outfit, leather armor, pauldron, and completing the look a shiny steel sword.

“If it is, Heaven is an isekai,” Elijah answered smiling and pulling his friend along behind him, off to their own adventure.