Well, just because someone says they’re going to create an afterlife, everything doesn’t magically fall into place overnight.
First things first, we gotta figure out what kind of system the afterlife will run on.
The way I see it, there are two main types of afterlives I can think of.
First. The storage type afterlife where souls are collected and stored.
Like your typical heaven, hell, or Valhalla vibe—just stacking up dead souls in designated areas. Good souls go to heaven, bad ones end up in hell, you know the drill. A straightforward storage-based afterlife.
Second. The reincarnation type afterlife.
This is more along the lines of Buddhism or Hinduism, where souls are judged based on their sins and then reborn as another life form, continuing the cycle of reincarnation.
It’s like collecting dead souls, giving them a quick processing, and sending them back out into the world. Sure, calling it “soul processing” sounds kinda weird, but hey, that’s the gist.
Anyway, these were the two systems I had in mind.
Of course, both share the common factor of needing to collect dead souls, but let’s set that aside for now—I’ve got other ideas about that I’ll explain later.
Let’s start with the soul-storage type afterlife.
This one’s pretty simple. Just gather the souls and stick ’em in a designated space.
Sure, creating a good environment for virtuous souls or making sinful ones pay for their crimes might be necessary.
But the downside? Eventually, the storage space could overflow if you keep collecting souls forever.
And since you’d need to separate good and evil souls, multiple locations would be required.
Oh! And how about setting aside a special area for heroic souls who accomplished great deeds in life? Kinda like Valhalla.
You could summon their spirits when their power is needed—like that famous game with spirit summoning mechanics.
For now, let’s move on.
Next, the reincarnation-type afterlife.
The advantage here is you don’t need massive storage space.
Just judge the souls, give ’em a good cleansing, and send ’em off to be reborn.
Sure, some space might still be needed for souls paying off their karmic debts, but far less than just stockpiling them.
The downside? You’d need to build an entirely new system for judging, processing, and reincarnating souls.
Compared to simply gathering souls, this requires thorough analysis and setup. Definitely not easy work.
And even after processing, you’d need plenty of labor to manage the reincarnation process.
It’s no small task, but once set up properly, it could save a lot of trouble in the long run.
I pondered over the two options. Should I go with the simpler method that might cause issues later? Or the harder-to-set-up but ultimately more convenient option?
Neither was clearly better than the other. Hmm… which should I choose?
I mentally put both options aside for now. Let’s decide this later.
Right now, I need to gather the workforce that’ll collect souls in my stead.
No matter which system I pick, their cooperation will be absolutely necessary.
First priority: spiritual beings to gather dead souls. Reapers or death gods, basically.
Also, managers to oversee them, and collection spaces…
Man, this list keeps growing. It’s getting overwhelming, but souls are piling up by the second, so I gotta get moving.
Fortunately, I already had candidates in mind for the collectors.
Among the spirits, there were those suited for such tasks.
Dark spirits.
Once children of the black dragon, betrayed by Erebus—their so-called father—who manipulated events to escape punishment, leaving these dark spirits shunned by others.
Had Erebus been properly punished, the dark spirits wouldn’t have suffered this fate. But what’s done is done.
Even if I could turn back time, undoing everything they’ve gone through feels… unnecessary. Too much hassle.
Still, these discreet dark spirits seem perfect for quietly collecting souls.
As for middle management… hmm, I’ll handle that myself for now, delegating if someone better comes along.
Can’t do everything myself, after all. Plus, it’s such a bother.
Let’s head out and find these dark spirits.
Many of them, ostracized by other spirits, had gathered in one place.
An old site where dragons transformed into spirits, their divine bodies buried beneath the ground.
Here, away from other spirits, the dark spirits lived in isolation.
They were pitiful, sure, but I figured now was the time to lift some of the blame unfairly placed on them due to Erebus’ sins.
Though in exchange, they’d have to take on heavy labor.
I arrived at the barren plains where dragons were buried. Once lush with trees and grass, it’s now desolate, barely anything grows here.
Must be the effect of the dragons’ bodies buried beneath. Kinda worrying.
Plus, the thick fog lingering here makes it feel downright spooky. Not even wind or fire spirits dare approach, keeping the fog ever-present.
Such a creepy atmosphere. Feels like ghosts might pop out any second. Tch.
Into the fog I went, speaking in a low voice.
“To the children hiding in the shadows. Come forth. I’ve come to lighten the burden of sin upon your shoulders.”
From the shadows stirring came a reply.
“Who are you…?”
“Have you forgotten me already? It has been quite a while, hasn’t it?”
Since the age of dragons ended, even dinosaurs have turned to fossils.
“This power… Could it be the Creator Dragon God?”
One of the dark spirits, maintaining more self-awareness than the others, approached me.
Despite losing their divine body, they still possessed considerable strength—a high-class spirit, indeed.
“What is your name?”
“My name from when I had a body is lost to memory. Now, the children call me Shade.”
Lost their name, huh? My doing, but it stirs a bittersweet feeling.
“So, Shade. I’ve come to untie the collar of sin binding you.”
“That… truly? Finally, we can be free from the oppression we’ve endured for so long.”
“Of course, there is a price to be paid.”
Without hesitation, Shade responded.
“It matters not. To shed the sin placed upon us by our father, we’ll bear any cost.”
“Good. Gather all the dark spirits you can. As many as possible.”
“All the dark spirits? Those gathered here won’t take long, but tracking down the scattered ones may take some time.”
“No problem. I intend to assign you a monumental task in exchange for lifting your sins.”
“What kind of task might that be?”
“Just roughly speaking, you’ll be responsible for collecting and organizing things that will soon overrun this world.”
Souls, that is.
“Collecting and organizing… understood. If it means shedding the sin bestowed by our father, we’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Excellent. Bring as many dark spirits here as you can. The more hands, the better. Born or unborn—it doesn’t matter. More workers mean less strain on everyone.”
“Understood.”
And with that, Shade and the dark spirits melted into the shadows, dispersing to gather their kin.
Ah, I didn’t mention this job would last forever… but oh well!
A permanent position! No vacations in this black workplace—but crucial for maintaining the world system!
Alright, while the dark spirits round up their numbers, I’ll conduct some research on souls.
Thorough investigation is key to understanding what we can do with them.
