Some time passed, the shadow finally clarified a few things:
[This place has no name, nor does it follow the concept of time. But you cannot call it a final destination. Quite frankly, that place does not acknowledge this one at all.]
"I see. So that would be what you call the World Below."
[Yes. That is what you humans insist on calling Hell. The more accurate term is the Netherrealm. It is where corrupted souls are carried upon their demise.]
"Then what about the Up Above? And the River of Destiny? And… where does Earth fit into all of this?"
The shadow tilted its head slightly, as if the question itself amused it.
[You ask as though existence is a straight road. It is not.]
It extended one shadowy hand outward, and for the first time, the white expanse seemed to ripple like a reflection disturbed by a falling drop of water.
[Earth exists within the Flow.]
"The… Flow?"
[The River of Destiny.]
Its hand traced an invisible path through the air.
[All worlds that experience birth, growth, decay, and death are anchored to it. Earth is one such world. A minor tributary, if you must know, but dense with lives.]
"So when people are born… they come from that river?"
[Not from it. Through it.]
The shadow's tone remained calm, almost instructional.
[Souls emerge into reality through the River, take form within a world, and when that form ends, they are carried back into the current.]
"And then they're judged."
[Sorted.]
The shadow corrected him gently.
[Those who remain intact, uncorrupted, and complete drift upward, toward the Up Above. Those who erode, fracture, or rot are pulled downward into the Netherrealm.]
"And this place?"
The shadow's hand slowly lowered.
[Now that... It's a bit complicated.]
It paused, as though choosing its next words carefully.
[This is a place that is meant to be unreachable by both the Up Above and the World Below. Those within cannot reach the outside, and those above cannot descend here because of their higher power. That is why I call it the Death Canopy.]
So it's basically heaven and hell. Am I getting this right?
Gyeong listened intently.
[It exists directly above the Netherrealm, yet it cannot ascend toward the Up Above. It is caught in between. A stalled layer, you could say.]
He frowned.
"Then how did I get here? That's the part I don't understand."
The shadow turned to him.
[The flow of the River of Destiny is vast, but it is not flawless.]
Its voice grew faint, almost solemn.
[Sometimes… it bends.]
"Bends? How so?"
[The River is not a rigid channel. It is a current shaped by countless forces such as choice, coincidence, interference, and failure.]
"Failure?"
[Yes.]
The word carried weight.
[Most souls pass cleanly through the Flow. Birth, life, death, sorting. A closed cycle. But on rare occasions, something disrupts that passage. In that rare occurrence, when the current twists and too many forces act upon a single soul at once, the River sheds excess.]
"Excess…?"
[Souls that cannot be sorted immediately.]
"You're saying I'm an error?"
The shadow did not answer at once.
[You were… misaligned.]
It turned to face him fully.
[Your death did not conclude cleanly. Your soul neither ascended nor descended. Instead, it slipped into a fold created by the River's bend.]
[But you are unmistakably dead. You would never have fallen here if you were among the living. Of that, I am certain.]
Gyeong swallowed.
He had already accepted that he was no longer alive.
…At least, that was what he kept telling himself.
Who would want to die?
Still, there was nothing he could do. He couldn't leave this place, and making a fuss about it would change nothing.
Hours had passed since the realization dawned on him, enough time to dull the initial shock and force a reluctant acceptance.
It didn't make it hurt any less.
And worse still, he couldn't remember how he died.
No matter how hard he tried, the memory refused to surface. His final moments—whatever they were—had been cleanly erased. That absence gnawed at him far more than he expected.
More than that, the situation itself felt off and wrong. There was something he needed to address.
"What happens to me now?"
The shadow hesitated.
[That… I don't know.]
"What?"
[Nobody should be able to enter this place. Even lost souls do not come here. They fall directly into the World Below. It is unfortunate, but not rare. Such cases have occurred many times before. You can blame the River of Destiny for that.]
It paused.
[Yet none of those souls ever entered this space. Which is why your presence here is… surprising.]
"But it should be possible to leave, right? If I managed to enter, then I should be able to leave too."
[Ugh. I wish it were that simple.]
The sound it made was oddly human, something like a weary sigh. Its posture sagged a little.
[Do you remember when I said this place is unreachable by both the Up Above and the World Below?]
"Yes?"
[To be specific, this space is not as old as either of them. Compared to the Up Above and the Netherrealm… this place is rather young.]
Gyeong stiffened.
"Young?"
[Artificial.]
His breath caught.
"Artificial? You mean… it was created? By someone?"
The shadow hesitated, then slowly nodded. For reasons Corvin couldn't explain, it felt as though it was smiling.
[It has been a very long time. My memory is no longer as clear as it once was, so I cannot recall every detail. But there is one thing I remember without doubt.]
Its voice lowered.
[This place was created for a single purpose.]
The white expanse around them felt suddenly oppressive.
[To ensure that whatever was placed inside… would never come out.]
"…"
Gyeong didn't need to be a genius to understand what the shadow was implying.
The answer was painfully obvious.
He hadn't been here long.
This place had existed far longer than his arrival.
And this place had never been meant to hold the dead in general.
It had been built to contain something specific.
Something that was still inside.
Looking at him.
Currently having a normal conversation with him.
"Hah..."
All at once, it felt as though something heavy pressed down on his chest. His breath turned scorching, each inhale burning like fire in his lungs.
"Damnit… damnit, damnit…"
Gyeong raked his fingers through his hair, anguish twisting his features.
Nothing made sense anymore.
He was supposed to be dead. And yet he hadn't gone to hell, nor to heaven. Instead, he'd awakened in an isolated expanse of endless white, trapped alongside a single, eldritch entity that seemed less like a jailer and more like a fellow prisoner.
Why had it been sealed away? And by whom?
…No. That wasn't the important part.
Things were sealed for one reason only.
Because they were dangerous.
Just looking at the mass of living darkness was enough to make his instincts scream warnings at him.
And as if that weren't bad enough, there was no escape. No matter how far he ran or how long he wandered, this place had no exit.
His chest tightened.
"Fuck… goddamn it. Isn't there some way to leave this damn place? I don't want to be stuck here forever."
[…]
Silence lingered briefly between them before.
[Actually, there is a way.]
"Huh?"
Gyeong froze.
He stared at the shadow, confusion plain on his face.
"What do you mean?"
The shadow felt… different. If it had possessed facial features, Corvin was certain it would have been wearing a grave expression.
[There is a way to escape. Before, there was none. But now that you are here… it has become possible.]
It paused.
[No. I am certain of it. There is a way to leave this white box.]
"Really? There's actually a way? Please, Mr. Shadow, enlighten this lowly soul."
[It is extremely dangerous. And very risky. Are you certain you wish to proceed?]
Gyeong didn't hesitate.
"Yes. Yes! I'll do anything if it means leaving this place!"
[Any thing?]
"Yes!"
The shadow was silent for a moment.
[In that case… it should be possible. Pardon me.]
Before Gyeong could react, the entity extended one shadowy finger and lightly tapped his solar plexus.
"Eh?"
[Please endure it. It will hurt... cough, a great deal, so prepare yourself.]
…Eh? Eh? Eh?
He was as at a complete loss for words.
What kind of—
"Ahh…" He tried to speak, but the words jammed in his throat.
Then,
"AAARRRGHHHHHH!!"
A scream tore out of his throat as unimaginable pain detonated inside his body chaotically, as though something deep within had been forcibly grasped and twisted apart.