Purgatory.

It was a place Kokoro had heard of before through fictional media but he never considered it an actual plane of existence in reality. He was mostly agnostic but when he did dip his toes into the subject, he always found the idea of Purgatory to be an overly fantastical creation. The idea of the afterlife having an area that’s like walking on earth but not exactly felt like a workshopped idea someone cooked up to help themself conceptualize the in-between state. If we’re speaking about the domain of the divine, which is so far above and beyond human capabilities, then why would an entire world be based purely on mortal standards.

The only concept Kokoro ever considered that’s close to what purgatory has been idealized to be was a void space where lost souls wandered endlessly until they end up or are guided to where they’re supposed to go.

This will be an annoying defeat for him to slowly ingest and he’ll be mulling over it for quite some time; luckily he’s in the perfect place where he has the time for that.

“Are you ok,” Mary asked, staring at him a bit concerned.

After visibly seeming like he was swallowing something with two gulps, Kokoro replied, “Yeah, I was just thinking about stuff.”

“Everything is not the way you imagine things huh?”

“Yeah, it still feels weird being here.”

“That’s completely natural,” Mary explained, “Souls can often feel a bit of fatigue moving around during the first couple of hours they arrive here. They’re so used to their senses being processed through a mortal body that when it’s just their soul doing it, the massive change throws them off and they end up overstressing themself. It’s like if you balance on your leg with a steel brace your entire life but then suddenly that steel brace is taken away.”

The angel then clapped her hands together, cheerfully complimenting the amber-eyed soul, “But you’re doing a great job adapting at a fast rate. You woke up really early for a newly arrived soul and you’re already able to walk around within minutes of waking up. Quite impressive!”

“Do new souls not wake up?”

“When a soul arrives in Purgatory, they can end up in a comatose state upon arrival before they regain consciousness. You waking up so quickly from yours is often a sign that you got some vigor in you,” Mary flatteringly told him.

Looking away, Kokoro thought back to his last couple of living moments before softly grumbling, “I wouldn’t count on it.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” the angel said, turning her whole body toward him to catch his full attention, “I’ve peeked into your life and with your skills, you’ve done some great work.”

Hearing those words caused an abnormal reaction boiling in Kokoro’s stomach at his deeds being noticed and praised.

“It’s because of your history, despite how short you’ve lived, that I was excited to talk to you,” Mary said, she turned her back to him and took a few paces forward, “I’ve been waiting to come across someone like you for some time now,” continued Mary, putting her hands together. Her wings spread out, swept up in the moment she has been patiently pining for. She spoke with genuine emotions about her awe and aspiration of Kokoro’s life on the mortal plane, “You devoted yourself to helping others at such a young age during your lifetime. That kind of dedication is always high in demand, especially here where all kinds of people need help.”

Kokoro then looked down at his arm, the one chained up. Spotting the Stellar Ring, the one worn by the fictional character Gentle Eclipse, still on his finger. It seemed to have followed him even in the afterlife.

Still speaking, Mary gave the proposition, “If you’re willing to listen, I think you can do some real good here with your capabilities. What do you say?”

“No.” 

“I greatly appreciate t- Wait what!?” stammered Mary, almost choking on her words midway through. Puzzled, she politely asked, “I’m sorry can you repeat what you said please?”

…

“Shikata?” she asked, turning around, “I just wanted to clarify- WHERE DID HE GO!?”

The silver-haired man she was happily escorting had now disappeared out of thin air and the angel was stunned now for two separate reasons.

Little did the kind angel know that her long-awaited soul-of-interest had snuck out a nearby window while she had her back turned giving her grandiose proposal.

As Kokoro made his way down from the building, he nonchalantly thought to himself, “A shame, I had so many questions to ask her. Meh, looks like I gotta go hunting for answers elsewhere.” 

With a simple goal in mind, he set out for it and dropped below. While it wasn’t the cleanest execution, stumbling along the way from the fatigue which led to a not so graceful but passable landing, he got to the ground relatively unharmed. The first part of his on-the-spot plan was completed without a hitch.

Now he was ready to explore his new fate in Purgatory!