"Hey, don't you feel anything strange?"
The guard looked at me, holding up an old black lantern, rusted all over, and shoved it right into my face.
"Hey, get that thing away! Damn it—"I shoved his arm aside with all my strength, only to realize that the thing called an "arm" was nothing more than a bundle of tattered cloth with no weight at all.
"Nothing? That's strange."The wraith guard stared at me with a peculiar look—well, if he even had eyes.
Ever since we arrived at the place called the Abyssal Prison, he kept thrusting that lantern into my face and muttering about how strange this and strange that was. Whenever I asked, he would just brush it off.
"What do you mean by that?" I pressed again, though I expected nothing.
"...This is a tool that's supposed to help you go up there. I don't understand why it's not working."He pointed his cloth arm at the lantern, clearly puzzled.
"...Who exactly trained you? Is there no professional license required to work here?"I eyed him suspiciously, mumbling like a toothless old man.
The guard flinched. He looked oddly guilty, turning his head up toward the sky as if thinking hard. Seeing that, I let out a cold snort.
Is he actually serious?
He fiddled with the lantern for a while longer while I calmly gazed at the scenery above.
I don't feel anything anymore.
I rolled up my sleeve. My arm looked horrifying—skin peeling off, dark red and black pustules bulging, with blood oozing out.
I had long since lost the sensation of pain. I had resorted to my last option a while ago: an extremely potent anesthetic that numbed pain without causing loss of consciousness.
However, now I would have to wait for the moment my body suddenly "shut down" at any time. Thankfully, according to him, I wouldn't need to fight or exert myself.
"No need to worry about your human body."
The guard said it casually. I turned to him with suspicion, and he continued.
"I didn't make you search for the Core of Truth for no reason. Once you find it, you'll exist as a soul. You won't be in your original body anymore—you'll become a spirit like me."
"…You didn't even ask my opi—"
"AH, THAT'S ENOUGH!"A sudden shout rang out, strangely eye-catching. The wraith guard pointed at me and waved impatiently.
I trudged toward him, but after just two steps, I collapsed.
"Alright, sorry about that. It'll be quick."His voice was gentle, like he was lulling someone to sleep.
…
I quickly sank into endless darkness, cursing that bastard nonstop in my mind.
"Damn it, again? You dog—damn you!"I ranted wildly while floating in midair, my arms flailing as I searched for something to grab onto, my eyes darting madly in every direction.
The Core of Truth again… if that's the case, what am I supposed to do now…As I was thinking of a way out, I suddenly heard a familiar voice behind me.
"Well then, why are you cursing me like that? I have feelings too, you know. You're really hurting me."
The wraith guard spoke as if mocking me, as though I were the one at fault.
"…You have a heart that can hurt?"
"Want to see it?"He grabbed his cloak as if preparing to take it off, striking the pose of a shy young woman.
"No no NO—get lost!"
"…Haah, if you say so. Farewell then…"
"Hey, wait—get me out of here first, you bastard!"I reached out to grab his shoulder, but suddenly felt a tremendous force yank me downward.
"Huh—"
WHOOSH
An overwhelming pull dragged me even deeper. The guard followed behind lazily, the two of us looking like one fish trailing another.
"OH MY GOOOOOD—!"
For someone afraid of heights, this was pure torture—plunging into a bottomless abyss. No, it had a bottom. There was light. Two lights. Tens of thousands of lights began to appear.
"NOOOOOOO—!"
"Pff—hahaha."While I screamed my lungs out, the guard just laughed mockingly. Damn him.
…
A city built of black marble in the style of ancient Greece, radiant with light from torches, lanterns, and even the residents themselves.
It wasn't hard to tell—this was a city of the dead. A place where every inhabitant wore a black cloak that completely covered their body. On some of them, blood and flames would occasionally seep out, while everywhere swarmed with maggots, flies, mosquitoes, and vultures feeding on corpses.
The place was foul and horrific, yet no one cared. They were all dead and no longer possessed senses to feel such things. Sometimes, people even carried a skull—or a decaying head—and wore it atop their own for a sense of familiarity.
No one cared. That was normal here.
Aside from that, everything seemed strangely ordinary. People chatted loudly, joked around, worked, or "fed" on deathly energy…Until that calm, mundane life was briefly shattered by one individual.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted at the city center, smoke and dust billowing out and obscuring the area.
A few black-and-white spirits nearby witnessed the scene and began discussing it. No one seemed worried.
"How many points do you think he gets?"
"Seven. The fall was nice, but way too much unnecessary noise."
"Hmm, make it eight. He's probably new. Tsk, every newcomer costs us repair money."
"Better give him some coins. Only an idiot would climb up here like that."
"Haah, I bet ten gold he runs away in shame."
"Twenty gold. He'll stand there dazed, look around, then run once people start staring."
"So… still running away in shame?"
"…"
…
At the center of the smoke, I lay motionless, hugging the ground.
God, I missed it so much.
After more than three hours of continuous free fall, it was terrifying—utter madness. My body loved this ground. I would never leave it again.
"Hey, why's he taking so long? Is he dead?"
"Dying right after dying? Nice."
"He should die of shame. For my ten gold."
SHUT UP, YOU BASTARDS!I cursed them furiously in my head while sprawled on the ground.
I stood up, glanced around as the smoke slowly cleared, and stroked my chin—only to find my body completely intact.
"Because I, a wraith guard, helped you shed your body, you're now a soul. Your current form is in its most perfect state."That familiar voice echoed from above. I didn't even need to look.
"Shedding your body was the only way to stop the decay of your real one and allow you to come here. You should at least thank me."The guard puffed out his chest proudly.
As for me, my emotions were tangled—partly from the fear just now, partly from the lingering horror piling up from hours ago and even before arriving here. I had no mood left for jokes.
I glanced at myself, swung my arms a bit, looked around—
Then I started running.
"…Are all guards like you this frivolous? Or is everyone here like this?"I asked irritably while climbing onto a tall building to survey the city. I couldn't deny it—it was magnificent, awe-inspiring, steeped in history… mythology, perhaps.
"Why can't we be clowns? We're not worried about being beheaded for mocking a king."
"Hmph. So this is your Abyssal Prison?"
"Oh right—let me say it properly. Welcome, honored guest, to the Abyssal Prison—the great summit of this land."