Regarding Death (2)
Well, just because I decided to create an afterlife doesn't mean everything pops into existence like magic. First things first, I need to figure out what kind of system it's going to run on.
The afterlife ideas I've come up with fall into two main categories. The first: a storage-style afterlife where souls are collected and kept. You know, like the classic heaven, hell, or Valhalla vibe—stacking up the dead souls nice and neat. Good souls go to paradise, bad ones to punishment, that sort of thing. Collect 'em and store 'em.
The second: a reincarnation-style afterlife. Think Buddhist or Hindu wheel of rebirth—judge the soul for its deeds in life, then send it back as something else to keep the cycle spinning. Gather the souls, process 'em a bit, and recycle into new lives. "Processing souls" sounds kinda weird when I put it like that, but anyway.
Those are the two big ones I've been mulling over. Of course, both require collecting souls from the world first... but I've got plans for that, which I'll get to later. Starting with the storage model. Super simple: just gather souls and dump them in designated spots. Sure, you'd want nice environments for the good ones and some karmic payback for the baddies based on their earthly sins. But the downside...?
Eventually, the storage space is gonna fill up and overflow. Souls don't stop coming, and unless the space expands infinitely—which it won't—it'll hit capacity someday. Plus, separating good from evil means multiple zones, eating up even more room. Oh, right! Heroes who racked up epic deeds in life could get their own special spot. Valhalla-style. Collect hero souls and summon them when you need backup power. Like that one game famous for summoning heroic spirits. Eh, just brainstorming for now. Moving on.
Next, the reincarnation model. Big plus: doesn't need tons of storage. Judge the soul, cleanse it a bit, and ship it off to a new body. Souls with heavy karma might need some extra "punishment time," but way less space than endless hoarding.
Downside: gotta build a whole new judgment and processing system from scratch. Unlike pure storage, this requires thorough handling—analysis, cleansing, rebirth. That's a ton of extra research. And not easy. I'd have to dissect souls completely, invent processing methods, then handle the rebirth logistics, which screams for a huge workforce. Tough road ahead, but if I nail it, it'll run smoothly forever.
I weighed the two options. Simple and easy now, but potential headaches later? Or tough upfront, but hassle-free long-term? No clear winner.
Hmm... which one...? I tabled both ideas in a corner of my mind for now. Decision later. Priority one: round up some labor to collect souls in my stead. Whichever path I pick, I'll need their help.
First up: spiritual beings to harvest dead souls. Reapers... or grim reapers, whatever you call 'em. Then managers to oversee them, and hubs where they drop off the goods... Yeah, a whole wishlist.
Sudden wave of laziness, but souls are piling up every second, so no time to waste.
Good news: I had candidates in mind for the soul-grubbers. Spirits with the right vibe—darkness spirits. The sad remnants of what were once black dragons. Their "father" Erebos stirred up trouble among the dragons, pissed me off, and bolted without punishment. Now his kids are shunned by the other spirits, too scared to show their faces.
If Erebos had faced justice, they might not be hiding... but what's done is done. No rewinding time—too much hassle, and I don't wanna undo everything anyway.
Point is, stealthy darkness spirits who stick to shadows? Perfect for soul-reaping. For mid-level management... eh, I'll handle it till something better comes along. Can't do everything myself. Too annoying.
Time to track down the darkness spirits. Most of the shunned ones had huddled together, hiding from their siblings. Their hideout? The old dragon burial ground—the very plains where dragons turned to spirits, their bodies interred below.
No other spirits dared approach, so the darkness crew set up shop there. Kinda pitiful, but collective guilt for Erebos's sins. I'd been ignoring them... but now I can lighten that load. In exchange for major labor, of course.
I arrived at the dragon plains. Once lush with trees and grass, now just sparse weeds in a desolate hush.
Hm. Something about dragon corpses affecting the soil? Nothing grows. Kinda worrying. And this thick fog—wind and fire spirits steer clear, so it lingers. Eerie as hell. Ghost central.
Tsk. I pushed into the mist, calling out softly.
"Children hiding in the dark, come out. I've come to ease the sins weighing on you."
Shadows on the ground stirred faintly. Huh. Hunkered in the shadows like true darkness spirits.
「Are you...?」
"Can't even recognize me anymore? Well, it's been ages."
Since the dragons vanished and their era ended. Even the dinosaurs that roamed back then are fossils now.
「This presence... could it be... the Genesis Dragon?」
One darkness spirit with a solid sense of self emerged before me. Diminished to spirit form after losing its body, but still packing serious power. Upper-grade spirit, I'd say.
"What's your name?"
「I forgot the name I had in life. The young ones call me Shade now.」
Forgot its name... My doing, but bittersweet.
"Right, Shade. I've come to remove the noose of sin around your necks."
「R-Really...? At last... freedom from centuries of persecution.」
"Of course... but it'll cost you."
Shade didn't hesitate.
「That's fine. To shed the sins our father forced on us, any price.」
"Good attitude. Now, gather all the darkness spirits. As many as possible."
「All of them? The ones here won't take long, but the scattered ones... might need time.」
"Doesn't matter. In exchange for lifting your sins, I'm assigning you a grave duty."
「A duty...? May we know what it is?」
I nodded slightly.
"Rough outline only. You'll be tidying up and collecting things that'll soon overflow the world."
Souls, that is.
「Tidying and collecting... Understood. For absolution from our father's crimes, anything.」
"Perfect. Bring as many darkness spirits here as you can. From this place, from elsewhere—tons. More hands make light work. Or you'll regret it."
「Understood.」
Shade and the others melted into shadows and dispersed. Ah, didn't mention it's eternal... Eh, it'll be fine! Permanent gig! No vacations, total black company, but vital for keeping the world-system running!
Now, while they round up the crew, time to inspect some souls. Gotta analyze thoroughly to figure out what I can do with 'em.