“That’s strange. No mortal can see spirits.” Castor sips his wine, pondering the reason why Kevin was able to hold his brother’s feet and cross the rift with them.

“When a mortal dies, their soul crosses the border between the mortal world and the Ever After through teleportation and is summoned directly to the Palace of Origin. In rare cases, when a mortal holds deep emotional attachments—such as love, regret, or hatred—their soul may become too stubborn to be summoned. That’s when we send our guardians to retrieve them.”

Castor looks at Quinn. “Your brother is an example of that. But you, Kevin. In the past five thousand years, I’ve never encountered someone like you. Perhaps there were people like you before I succeeded my predecessor.”

“Then, where should I go next?” Quinn asks, voicing the unavoidable question.

“You will be taken back to the Palace of Origin, where your soul will be judged, and your next life cycle will be determined.”

“You mean whether I’m going to heaven or hell?”

“No, boy. It’s as complicated as it can be. When a mortal dies, they are judged based on the total of all their previous lives. Only when a soul has completely undergone all the required ordeals of life and reached a realization of peace will they be summoned back to Heaven. Otherwise, their next life will be determined based on the sum of their good and bad deeds across all past lives.”

“Sounds complicated.”

“It is. Ever since the angels demanded free will, and soon after, humans demanded it too. The universe has been governed by the weaving of countless free wills, which is so-called destiny and fate.” Castor’s gaze seems to drift beyond the line of memory, where thousands of years pass in the blink of an eye.

“Well, the food is here. Please, enjoy.”

They are sitting in a private chamber. The door opens as servants enter, carrying plates to the table.

Kevin has never seen any of these dishes before. But when he takes a bite of the grilled meat, sweet and creamy flavors explode in his mouth. It doesn’t taste like beef or pork from the mortal world; instead, it’s elastic and tender, with a delicate texture, like fresh bread dough.

Quinn doesn’t need food, but Kevin is starving after walking for so long. He quickly finishes the plates in front of him. Castor smiles with understanding and asks the servants to bring him another plate.

“Then what are you going to do with my brother?” Quinn asks, wanting to make sure Kevin doesn’t forget what’s important.

“We have to send him back. It’s not safe for him here, and we must ensure that every mortal soul stays on its intended path. But before we send him home, we may need to consult the Lady of Old Wills about Kevin. We can't afford for him to cross the border again alone without any protections. There are many other portals beyond our control, and even the Void has begun sending its minions into the human world to drag lost souls into their grim territory.”

“Please take care of him.”

“We will, Seraphina. It's time to bring Quinn to the Palace of the Soul, and perhaps allow these brothers a moment to say goodbye,” Castor says, his tone sympathetic, indicating the harsh truth of a mortal’s end.

“It’s still too early to say that, ain’t it?” Kevin’s tears burst forth. He’s been holding them back ever since they entered this world. He knows his brother is no longer alive, but saying goodbye to the older brother he loves so deeply is still too much for a twelve-year-old boy.

Quinn rises from his seat and gives Kevin a big bear hug. Souls don’t have tears, and Quinn is grateful that he doesn’t cry right now.

“Kevin, be strong. Remember that time is short, be happy in your life is my biggest wish for you. Our parents don’t understand the harm they caused through their fighting and arguments. I left home too early, and I abandoned you for my selfish ambitions. It’s too late for me... for everything. But I hope that one day, you’ll become the man I once hoped to be. Change them. Build the great family we always talked about.”

Quinn wipes the tears from Kevin’s face. With his touch, they turn to sparkles in the air.

“I will.” Kevin hugs him back, holding his brother tightly one last time. He can smell the familiar scent of tangerine body wash, clean and comforting, just like always.

***

What is in front of them is an immense, empty great hall. The complexity of the rib vaulted ceilings of the great hall overwhelms Kevin’s vision. 

The floor is paved with crystal slabs. After walking a few feet toward the center of the great hall, a dais comes into view. It rises from the floor with a radius of about fifteen feet. Etched with a magic circle, its center holds a triangular crimson gem that elevates a few inches from the surface of the platform.

They are standing around the crimson gem. Seraphina chants the ancient spells.

The crimson gem glows brighter, and the magic circle begins to gleam. Suddenly, the space around them vanishes, the rib-vaulted ceiling is gone, and the walls are gone. They now stand in an infinite crimson expanse, with only the dais beneath their feet remaining.

Quinn’s body begins to glow with a bright light, sparkles surrounding him and dancing in energized motion.

“Guess this is goodbye, Kevin. I love you.”

His body dissolves into light and shoots upward into the endless sky.

“Bye! Brother! I will… I will… remember…sob…sob.”