Chapter 32
Upon hearing that he could be given a second chance to live, Sun’s sunk spirit suddenly rose like a submarine going to periscope depth or even breaking through the surface. Yes, he will be given the chance to finish what he needs to do, but to what cost, he can only hypothesize. “What terms?”; “When does it start?”; “Who are involved?”; “Will I be alone?”; “Where to get it?”; “How to get it?” – these questions go around Sun’s head as he sees the outstretched arm of Thanatos in front of him.
Throughout his life, Sun has watched a number of media where the protagonist inks a pact with a dark figure, and he or she can have anything. In return, the dark figure will take his or her soul.
“Come, Sun. I’ll show you around,” invited Thanatos again.
Sun takes Thanatos’ hand despite all the doubts he has. As he does, a bright light forms around him, enclosing him in a sphere. In fear, he lets go of the god's hand.
“What is this, Lord Thanatos?” asked Sun from inside his shield. Despite being enclosed, he can normally see and hear everything around him.
“This is my magic. It will remove your smoky gray aura while you are here. The aura binds you to be in The Underworld for the duration of your judgment and its corresponding punishment. I’m removing your aura to unbind you from that edict,” the God of Death explained. Afterwards, the shield disappears, and so does Sun’s aura.
“Why, my lord?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Sun admires himself as he does not radiate the hazy aura anymore. When he looks ahead afterwards, Thanatos is already in Charon’s boat, waiting for him.
“Come and board the boat Sun,” commanded the God Of Death. “You can greet Charon with…uhhh…what do you call that salutation again? Wey?” asked Thanatos.
“It is a Wai, Lord Thanatos.”
“Right. Apologies. You can give Charon a Wai.”
Sun did, and Charon bows back to him without saying a word. “Where to, my lord?” asked The Ferryman.
“Uhm, take us around the Four Rivers, Charon. Young Sun here and I will talk as we go along.”
“As you wish, my lord.”
“Where are we, Lord Thanatos?” asked Sun, trying to get his balance to stand straight as Charon untie his boat.
“This is Avernos – The Lake Of The Dead. This is where Charon starts when he takes the souls from the gates and into the Stygian Marsh.”
“What exactly does P’Charon do?”
“He ferries the souls from each of the gates and takes them to the Stygian Marsh. From there, the souls go to The Pavilion Of The Judges where they will be sentenced.”
They begin moving away from Avernos and pass a short strait. In no time, they enter Acheron.
“This is Acheron – The River of Misery. Touching its water alone is enough for your worst memories to flashback into your mind,” announced Charon, directing the facts to Sun.
The Four Rivers in The Underworld are never calm, and their waters are always in a rage as if Poseidon commands them to be in constant berserk. Even so, Sun looks in wonder as the little boat they are in cruises easily against the strong current.
“How is this possible? A boat this size should’ve toppled over at these conditions,” said Sun.
“Charon is no ordinary boatman, Sun. He has magic just like other deities here. He uses his magic to pilot his boat, and the boat itself is enchanted.”
Sun is pessimistic to believe that the boat is enchanted until he sees a soul in Acheron swim fast towards them and tries to get aboard. The field protecting it repels the soul.
“So, to get to our business – your second chance,” announced Thanatos. “First off, let me ask you, Sun. What was the accident that happened to you?”
“I was hit by a car while crossing the street, trying to beat the pedestrian light. It happened earlier today on my birthday.”
Thanatos lets out a chuckle on Sun’s reply. The God Of Death waits on how Sun will react.
“Did I say something funny, Lord Thanatos?”
“You said that the accident happened earlier today? And it is your birthday, right?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Well, Sun, time is irrelevant here in The Underworld.”
“What do you mean by that, Lord Thanatos?”
“It doesn’t exist here,” said Thanatos, looking at Sun sternly.
Sun becomes muted. All along, he thought that The Underworld is just like any other place on earth where time is measured using seconds, minutes, hours, days, up to months, years, decades, centuries, and even millennia. Only now did he truly realize that despite having a live body back at a hospital in Thailand, his spirit has traveled somewhere that does not appear on any earthly map. “You don’t even measure time here, Lord Thanatos?” he continued.
“Well, we do, but not for our usage or benefit. Like I said, time is irrelevant to us: we neither have a sunrise here nor a sunset. We have Chronos, but his will on what to do with time in unknowable.”
“Sorry, but who is Chronos?”
“The God Of Time. He can do whatever he wants with time. He can even use it as a weapon.”
“So, you mean that I may have been staying here for more than days?”
“Possibly. You could be in a coma for quite a long time now, Sun.”
“Oh dear.”
“However, you told me earlier that your accident happened on your birthday, right?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. That being said, I am now giving you an offer to return to the Human World to continue whatever it is you are supposed to do – a sort of birthday gift from a god to a soul.”
“If I take your offer, what happens to me Lord Thanatos?”
“Well, your soul returns to your body. Your aura will return too, so that you will be identified as a soul that returned and not as a normal human being. However, there is a limit on how long you can stay in the Human World?”
“How much time will I have?”
“Three full moons.”
Sun admits that this is a tight deadline to solve a murder case that probably involves looking at multiple angles. Plus, he will be recovering from a coma, which will eat up more days from his allowed time.
“Three full moons are roughly about three months back on earth. Isn’t that a little bit short, Lord Thanatos?” Sun said with a tone of someone who wants to haggle.
“Don’t worry, Sun. The deadline may be tight, but you will have aid. A Sentinel will be assigned to you on the duration of your stay in the Human World until your third full moon.”
“Sentinel? Like the robot in a comic book?”
“AHAHAHAHA!!! He doesn’t know about Sentinels, my Lord Thanatos,” laughed Charon as they pass the stream of Mnemosyne and into the river Lethe.
“Yes, he obviously doesn’t,” answered Thanatos, looking disappointed in encountering such a soul. Sun bows his head in shame for being ignorant about the things that tackle the supernatural. He never thought in his wildest fantasies that he will be part of such a world.
“Are we in Lethe now, Charon?” asked Thanatos.
“Yes, my lord – just entered it.”
“Slow down.”
“As you wish.”
“What for?” asked Sun.
“Look to your left, Sun. That is Elysion – The Field Of The Blessed,” said Thanatos.
When Sun does, he sees the secluded plains whose fertile and gorgeous fields serve as home to the souls of the righteous and noble. To Sun, this is the only place in The Underworld that has life.
“So, to continue. As I was saying, you have three full moons to complete what you have to do, and a Sentinel will be assigned to you,” continued Thanatos.
“What is a Sentinel, Lord Thanatos?”
“You remember me telling you about the Hukoms, right?”
“Yes.”
“If Hukoms chase Wayward Souls, Sentinels protect Tasked Souls.”
“So, when I get back to the Human World, I will be a Tasked Soul?”
“Yes. Tasked Souls are those who made an accord with me, just like what we are about to do now, but only if you agree.”
“What exactly does a Sentinel have to do with me as a Tasked Soul?”
“Well, the term Sentinel means guardian, and it will do the same thing as its name suggests. Its objective is to help you complete whatever it is you have to do, to keep you safe while doing it, and to ensure that you complete it before the eclipse on your third full moon is over.”
“What happens if I fail?”
“You die, and this time, it will be for real. No Psychopomp will come for you to guide you back here.”
“What will happen after I die, and I did not complete my task?”
“After you die and your soul has separated from your physical body, your Sentinel, rather than a Psychopomp, will guide your soul to The Underworld. It will bring you directly to the Meadows Of Asphodel. There is where you will spend eternity.”
“What is that place and why there?”
“The Meadows is the place where the souls of those who did nothing special in life end up. Making a covenant with me to become a Tasked Soul is a privilege not a right. As such, the soul entails on completing something special, which makes it stand out from the others. Failing to accomplish that will have meant failing to uphold the greatest thing one can do – fulfill an agreement with a god.”