The human soul is a real, tangible thing. Our initial hypothesis of natural energy manipulation being a function of the brain has proven to be completely false. Testings suggest that the existence of natural energy is not only related to the body, but also to something else outside of our physical existence. An individual with an inactive brain still has the ability to manipulate natural energy to a certain extent, as long as their metaphysical soul is still intact. However, the only proof that we are able to find regarding a soul is that natural energy is able to be regulated. Further testing will be needed to fully understand what differentiates the function of the physical brain and the metaphysical soul.

Lukas Volk, Hans Kristoff. 1895. Identification of The Human Soul and Its Role in Energy Manipulation.

Alma saw a forest in front of her. The moon and stars shone brightly, lighting up the night sky. Was this a vision? She looked down, seeing her body. While her uniform was still in tatters, it was clean, along with her body. She checked her weapons, and she found that it was missing, along with her equipment. She moved her hands and looked at her left foot, strangely healed. In fact, her body felt refreshed and rejuvenated, as if she didn’t go through any of those fighting in the first place.

She looked around. Around her was the same thick, dark forest. The trees stood up straight towards the sky, their trunks unnaturally wide, about four meters in diameter. It created dark, menacing shadows under them. She could barely see anything inside if it wasn’t for the torches inside the forest. They were placed neatly in a clear path, clearly leading to something.

Not knowing what to do nor where to go, she cautiously followed the path it led. While the forest was very dark, she found herself being able to navigate the trees very easily, with the short grass and lack of bushes telling her the best place to step. She walked slowly, watching everything around her even if she could barely see into the dark. The shadows of the trees are more pronounced now that she was inside of the forest.

Then, through the thick foliage and trees, she could see tall wisps of smoke rising up into the night sky from afar. It was too thick to be just another torch, too thin to be a product of an engine of some sorts. Not knowing what to expect, she continued on, following the trail of torches. The path goes through a very winding road, passing a few hills and shallow rivers. Yet, she couldn’t hear any signs of animals, dead or alive, dangerous or harmless.

As she walked down the path, she realized that she’s only getting closer to the source of the smoke. She saw the source of the smoke through the trees, a campfire in the middle of a clearing. A sound of guitar could be heard, playing beautiful music she had never heard before. It was clear that the person who was playing was not a musician of some sorts, but knew enough to play it well. She got closer to the campfire, seeing a greying old man sitting on top of a log while enjoying his own harmonious melody. He had his eyes closed, but his hands moved smoothly and gently, treating the guitar as if it was his lover.

He had nothing beside his guitar and a waterskin. There was no tent, no food, no bags, wearing nothing but plain clothing. Despite that, the man looked content and happy to live in the moment. She stood on the outskirts of the clearing, hesitating to come up to him. He definitely looked harmless, but she couldn’t be too sure.

A voice came out of the man’s mouth, seemingly talking to the night sky. “Come out, girly! Don’t be afraid. I won’t bite, promise.”

Alma took a step back in surprise. Was he talking to…?

“Yeah, I’m talking to you, Alma. Look, just come out, I’m not going to do anything unless you’re gonna do something stupid.”

His words made her hesitate even more. Who was he? How did he know her name? How did he know she was there? Cautiously, she walked outside of the darkness, revealing herself to him. He finally opened his eyes and looked at her, not stopping his guitar. He smiled at her, as if asking her to enjoy the music. Instead, she simply stood there, carefully examining him. His grey hair and wrinkled face showed his old age, but his muscular form told her that he wasn’t just a weak old man. There are various scars on his body, ranging from cuts to deep flesh wounds.

His fingers slowed down as his music came to an end. He put his guitar beside him, resting it on the log he’s sitting on. “Enjoyed the show? It was the first song I learned, my dad taught it to me. Well, not really. He just played it from time to time and I picked it up somehow.”

“Aren’t you tired? You should sit, you just standing there in the dark makes the conversation a little bit awkward y’know?” He gestured at the log in across the campfire.

“Who are you?” She asked, tightening her hands into fists, “How do you know me? Where are we?”

“If I answer that, will you sit down?”

She gave him a reluctant nod, her eyes still trained towards him.

He sighed, “You could call me Jan, the man who’s buried inside the tomb you just entered. As for your second question… Well, you died.”

“What?”

“Yeah, you heard me right. Also, your death didn’t have anything to do with being deaf, so-”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m not repeating this thrice. You died back at the tomb.”

She stood still, eyes wide. Her memories came flooding back to her. She dropped to her knees as the realization set in.

“Hey, hey! Calm down! Cheer up a bit, you’re not in hell! I know it doesn’t look like heaven to you, but there’s no way this is hell with a guy as handsome as me!” He opened his waterskin, taking a chug, “Where you are right now? you’re in limbo, girly. My limbo. There’s a lot like it, but this one is mine.”

She stared at him blankly, her face contorting into an expression of despair.

Jan furrowed his eyebrows, “You okay?”

“...I died.”

“Yeah, it’s natural. I’ve been dead for like… I don’t know, thousands of years, perhaps? Maybe even more. Never bothered me.”

She looked down at her knees. Drops of tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.

“Man, you took it hard. Kinda expected, really. Well, it’s fine, the only ones I meet are old men who die of old age anyway. Take your time, not everyone has an easy time coping with their death.”

She screamed on top of her lungs in anguish. Jan simply sat there and stared at her, taking another gulp of his waterskin which smelled of hard liquor. Then, Alma lifted her head, looking back at him. She had her jaw clenched, veins throbbed. All she saw was red. She charged at him with all her might, tackling him down.

She put his body on top of him, pulling him by his collar. “Don’t fuck with me!” her face contorted as her swirl emotions turned into rage, “get me out of here right fucking now!”

Jan stayed still, his face unreadable. “Calm down, girl. You attacking me like this won’t help you with anything.”

His words were left unheard by Alma as she pulled his collars even harder, trying to choke him. Realizing she wouldn’t listen to anything that came out of his mouth in this position, he sighed, relaxing himself. Effortlessly, he pushed her down and reversed their positions, laying her down on the stomach while locking her right arm. Even then, she still struggled, wriggling around to no avail.

“Look. You can calm down, sit over there and talk, or,” He caught her other hand as she tried swinging a backhand, “you stay like this until you eventually fade away. Your choice.”

She was now laid down on dirt, facing down. Her body was being held down by a man who possibly weighs 20 kilograms more than her. Not to mention, the man understood what he was doing, not allowing her to make even the smallest of movements. Even if she tried to muster every strength in her body, the only thing that would happen next is him taking her to the ground again.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She turned his head towards him, “What do you mean by fading away?”

“You die for real. Your soul flies away, never to return. Either go to hell or heaven. A seasoned, dedicated warrior like you would probably go to heaven, so it’s not like it’ll be bad for you.”

Despite his nonchalance, she could see his seriousness. If what he said was true, then there was nothing to do. She was shot in the head by the first human combatant ever seen from the alien faction. It was a risk she took, and an action she paid for dearly. She made a mistake and died, simple as that.

“Girly, I can already sense your hopelessness. There’s a reason I invited you to talk. Anyone who died and passed my limbo either just passed on without me knowing, tried to have a small chat, or tried to attack me as you did. Either way, I have something you would probably want. So unless you play nice and sit down right over there, then you won’t get to hear anything about it.”

“...one question.”

“Sure.”

“How do you know?”

“I know all about everyone who passes these lands,” he stood up, releasing Alma from the hold, “soul and shit, you know all of that. Don’t ask me, I’m not a damn wizard. Sit.”

Alma stood up, rubbing her wrists in pain. She walked towards the other side of the campfire, sitting on the log he had pointed before. They were now facing each other. Between them, the flames, its firewood strangely didn’t crumble or turn to ashes, simply standing there, keeping the fire burning.

“So-”

“What do you want from me?”

“A little patience goes a long way, girl,” Jan gave her a small laugh. “You’re pretty strong. Good looking, smart too. Been on a crusade against those… puppets, I presume? Family related reasons, not something I would touch on. Not to mention, a defect. Can’t even use magic even if your life depended on it. Yet, you trained for all of your life, surpassing even the best warriors in the world.”

“I don’t recall being here to reminisce about my life story.”

“Stronger, more gifted men crumbled when faced with less. Your grit is one of a kind, girl. I need that.” He took a sip of his waterskin, “What do you know of the undead?”

“They don’t exist.”

Jan let out a hearty laugh, “Ah, the age of man. What a time to be alive. Be glad you’re living today, girl. Back in the day you had to deal with them every once in a while. Bunch of buggers, all of them.”

“Get to your point.”

“Fine. You really are no fun. I can get you back up there, fighting, kicking. Alive? Not so much. Hence, undead. You’re still vengeful enough to get out there and revive yourself. I’ll come, help you retain your sanity and all that. When we’re done, we’ll just die as usual. Quite a good chance we’ll go to hell though, since it’s necromancy and stuff.”

The sound of Jan’s gulps permeated around the campfire. Alma sat there in silence, deep in thought. She stared into the flames, embers dancing in front of her eyes.

She took a deep sigh, “You… What’s in it for you?”

“I’m dead and I’m happy. That should answer your question. That medallion he took? It’s mine, but I’m down under and we don’t take those things to our grave. The world has gone to shit? Too bad, don’t care. As I said, I’m dead. Justice here doesn't work like those with their soul and body connected. Death is not as bad as people say.” He leaned forward, a smirk showing on his face, “That being said, my thousand year old soul is still young at heart. When you died at that tomb, I saw your memories, your goals, your journey. You still have a long, rocky road ahead of you with adventures that would rival even the ones I had in my lifespan. Something I am more than interested to find out.”

The fire felt hotter, the moon together with the stars shone brighter. There was a glimmer in Jan's blue eyes, an ember begging to be stoked. It was something that Alma only ever saw them inside young warriors, untainted by the horrors of war and death. It was a strange sight, seeing it inside a withering old man like him.

Alma frowned, “So what, you want me to be your pastime before afterlife?”

“Not exactly the way I put it, but it’s your opinion.” He shrugged, his expression still litting up. “Your choice. Your body is fading right now by the way, start making your choice.”

She looked at her hands, becoming more and more translucent. She could see a white light shining from the trees, calling her. She looked back at him, still smiling. His face still held the bright, hopeful expression, but there was also a sense of reality to it.

“Don’t feel guilty if you reject it. Whatever place you will reach in death, you earned it.”

He looked at the light. A white, pure light. There was no making of what she saw, but there was an ethereal sense to it. An infinity that reached out to her.

“How much time do I have?”

“5 minutes, give or take,” He took a sip of his waterskin, a few drops of his drink spilled out of his mouth.

She took a deep breath. Was it truly worth it? If what he said was correct, then there will be nothing wrong with heaven. A place of perpetual happiness, without sorrow and pain. She can leave the world and leave her struggles and goals behind. No one will grieve a soldier that is only particularly exceptional at following orders.

Maybe she would finally meet her mother in the afterlife.

She deserved it.

There was nothing left for her.

“Can you answer something for me?”

Right?

“Shoot.”

“What do I deserve?”

“You? Joy and happiness. A lot of it. We both know the answer to that one. But we also know that’s not the real question, isn’t it? Happiness, as good as it is, is not something that you need.”

She can’t refuse him.

“After all, you do realize why I’m stuck in this place, right?”

She stood up, looking straight at him. Her eyes were steel and her will was ironclad. Jan grinned at her.

“Good choice, girl.”

The trees, moon, and the stars faded to black, their light dimming out. The man in front of him faded out. Her body was now solid, reverting back from her translucent form. The white light drifted away and away from her, now unable to be seen. Everything was a void, but his voice lingered on.

“See you on the other side.”