Vacation Time

The walk took about five minutes and ended with a solitary door standing by itself, the doorframe being a mix of silver embellishments and black marble. After opening the door, Cain found himself on a plateau with several large buildings ranging from very elaborate ancient stone structures to wood and log huts to more modern 'artistic' style metal constructions.

Other people were milling about and paid no attention to the new arrival. Cain wandered around and read the signs for the buildings; most were things like restaurants, hotels, hot springs, and lounges. The place's layout was a cross with circles and a simple stone building laid at the center with a sign stating 'Administration.'

Twilight suggested that Cain went there first, so he walked in. The entrance had no door so that people could walk in freely. The building was mostly empty, save for a few who looked confused and crowded around the reception desk. Cain approached but stayed off to the side, he didn't like crowds much, and once in a better position, he could see an older man with a mask similar to Twilight's behind the desk, though his mask didn't cover his whole face.

With only the lower half of his face covered, one could see tired and wrinkled blue eyes that have a spark deep within them, and once Cain was there, he nodded, "Alright, all the new arrivals are here, so I'll begin the explanation," he croaked with a weary voice. "I'm Somer, and you come to me if you have any problems during your stay. The receptionists should have explained what's going on already; depending on the damage to your soul, your stay here could be short or long as we mend and prepare it for housing your chosen uniqueness. All services on the plateau are free, and the only rules are; No fighting, no preventing others from doing things, and lastly, but most importantly, no consuming other's soul power."

A mediocre-looking man with a military haircut raised his hand, and with a nod from Somer, asked, "What's soul power?"

"Very simple, think of it as life force or blood, but for your soul. Of course, consuming other's soul power will strengthen and heal your own soul, but if you try something like that on the plateau, you will be severely punished." Somer explained.

This time a somewhat pretty woman with a ponytail and wearing a business suit put up her hand, "You've mentioned 'on the plateau,' does that mean we can leave the plateau?"

Somer nodded, "Yes, however, your safety is not guaranteed to a certain extent should you decide to leave the safe zone that is the plateau. The outside is designed to be somewhat of a challenge zone; out there, you are allowed to get into conflict with others, but if your soul strength drops below the safe threshold, you will be whisked back here by force. Part of the point of the 'vacation' is to get used to your newfound strength. While your uniqueness will be limited to a certain extent partly for your own safety and partly to remain fair, you should be able to get a basic understanding of what you are capable of."

Next, a somewhat short teenager with messy hair and cracked glasses raised his hand shakily, "What about the worlds we are being sent to, are we allowed to learn about them before going?"

Somer laughed, "Of course, we have an extensive library where you can borrow books pertaining to the worlds you will be sent to. While some gods enjoy sending souls here and there with no information, we put the care of the souls first. There have been several cases where a soul given uniqueness has suffered immensely from uninformed decisions, which is not our goal. Although should you choose to jump in without researching, then that is fine too, be careful."

Cain stood by as several rounds of questions were asked and answered, giving him a general understanding of the 'Vacation Camp' and the area outside, lovingly dubbed 'Beat Camp' by the more unruly souls.

Once everyone more or less understood, they started leaving, but before Cain could turn and leave, Somer motioned for him to come over. "You must be Mr. Cain; you've attracted quite a lot of attention from having Twilight personally receive you." Somer grinned like a child, some of his teeth were missing, and one of his canines was replaced with a golden tooth.

"I've already talked to Twilight about it, but I want to get rid of my name," Cain nods as he sits in a chair offered by Somer.

"Oh? Hmhmm, what's your new name going to be then?" Somer asked with interest.

"... I haven't decided yet. I think I'll just stay unnamed for a while."

"Then I'll just call you kid for now," Somer chuckled, then stared deeply at Cain, "With the state of your soul, you're not allowed to leave the plateau. You're far below the safety margin."

Cain nodded and remained silent. He had no interest in fighting other souls, and he really just wanted to treat this like a vacation. He was simply tired and wanted nothing but to relax. While his variety of jobs had taught him many things, they worked him to the bone; he didn't even get weekends off. "By the way, if I'm just a soul now, why do I still feel like garbage?" Cain asked.

Somer got up and waddled over, then took Cain's arm and inspected it, "Well now, that's certainly not good. Other than the damage to your soul, your last life and a few other lives seem to have been much worse than others, and they are like a weight compressing your soul. I suggest you visit the massage parlour. First, the lasses there are experts when it comes to things like this," Somer nods, then grins and chuckles, "Plus, they're all beauties. In fact, we're not due for newcomers for a while, so I'll come with you."

"Mmm, okay." Cain seemed indifferent, though he seemed glad he could be rid of at least some of his soreness. Somer leads him out of the building and down the street, and two turns later, they arrived at a pink and lavender chic building. The large painted signboard read 'Divine Massage and Spa' and was very colourful.