What is Death?

The question has been asked for thousands of years, from the moment that human consciousness began to wonder about itself. It was in the heart of every religion and philosophy ever created: what does it mean when we die? What happens after death? Is there a heaven or hell? Will I be judged by a God? And so on.

I would like to propose an answer: nothing changes. We are all born into this world already dead. Our lives and actions do not affect anything beyond our own existence. When we leave this mortal coil, everything goes back to how it was before we were born. The universe will still exist; life will continue as it always has done. Nothing will have changed. There is no afterlife. There is no heaven or hell. There isn't even any purpose to life. Life exists purely because it can. Death is just another form of birth, and the only difference between being alive and dead is the fact that you don't remember what happened while you were alive.

For some people, this is difficult to understand. They want something more than just survival. They want to accomplish things, achieve their goals and dreams, make a difference. But there's nothing we can do to change anything besides ourselves. No matter how much power we have, it will never have any effect beyond our own flesh. We are all born with the same amount of potential, and once we've used it up, it's gone forever. We cannot control the weather; we cannot cause earthquakes; we can't stop meteors from smashing into the planet. All of those things happen whether or not we like them. We cannot alter history. If we could do these things, then there wouldn't be miracles - we could simply create whatever we wanted.

So what is there to live for? Why should we bother going through life if we know we're going to die anyway?

We have one simple tool at our disposal. It doesn't give us more time, but it does allow us to use the time we have better. That is the greatest gift we can give ourselves: a chance to live a full life without regrets.

There is a saying in the military: 'Live fast, die young.' This is a phrase that has been repeated many times throughout history, and it means exactly what it says. Live your life to the fullest, and if you happen to die along the way, that's fine too. You may not have accomplished all of your goals, but the important thing is that you lived.

Why shouldn't you be afraid of dying? Because death is nothing more than a natural part of life, and there is nothing wrong with accepting this.

So what does all of that mean when I'm given the role of death? That is a question I don't have the answer to.

"Ajal?"

Will I have to fight people? Kill them?

"Ajal!"

I snapped to my senses. "Yeah? What's up?"

Katria looked at me with concern on her face. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just fine. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, you seemed to be in some deep thought. What were you thinking about?"

Deep thought? I don't remember thinking about much of anything. All I remember is Kaito bringing us back home and saying he needed to talk to our parents. Speaking of which, I don't see Kaito anywhere around here.

"Hey Katria, where is Kaito?" I asked.

"He already headed inside. "She walks forward, "Come on, we should join them."

"Alright, let's go."

We enter the house and find everyone sitting in a circle around the table. Kaito is sitting in the chair comfortably and sipping on tea. My mother looks up and smiles.

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"Ajal, we were just talking about you." Mother said. "Kaito told us you had quite the adventure out there today, and you're an inheritor, too? Congratulations!"

"You seem a little too calm about this." I responded.

Katria and I walked over to the table and sat down alongside everyone else.

My dad spoke. "So what does Ajal becoming an inheritor mean, Kaito?"

"Well, normally, someone receives their Gift randomly from the Gods. An inheritor is someone whose Gift is received, or inherited, directly from a God. In Ajal's case, it is the God of Death who gave Ajal his Gift." Kaito responded.

"I think there was someone else who became an inheritor last year, right? It was all over the news. It seems like a big deal." Theo said.

"It is a big deal indeed, my guy." Kaito acknowledged. "But this comes with a great deal of responsibility. What I'm about to say now is the main reason I needed to speak with you all."

"Go ahead." My dad replied cautiously.

"Ajal is going to have to come with me. The rest of you might not see him for a while."

Everyone stiffened up immediately but quickly relaxed themselves. My family has never been the overreacting types. They are always understanding of any situation, but upon hearing that they might not see me for a while, even they might be conflicted.

"I'm going to have to train him." Kaito clarified.

Katria finally spoke. "Train him for what?"

"Those are details I cannot disclose to you, unfortunately." Kaito responded. "Now, I understand this is sudden and a lot to take in, but we really have to begin now, which means we will be leaving."

"Hold on!" I yelled. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"Nope!" Kaito answered. "Say goodbye now Mr. Death-In-Training."

"But- "

"It's fine Ajal." My mother cut me off. She had a smile on her face. I could tell it was a strained smile, and she was holding back tears.

Theo and my dad began laughing. "Well, at least he has something to do with his life!" Theo said, before continuing his laughter.

My mother took out a handkerchief and wipes her tears that now began flowing. "Yes, he might finally actually get some ambition."

"Wait! That's what you guys are worried about?!" I shouted. "Fine then, I'll just become death. You guys are first on my list! Chop chop Kaito, my training awaits!"

I stomped angrily out of our house. Kaito was behind me, laughing. "Man, you guys are hilarious." He said.

Before I can fully exit the doorway, I felt a tug on my shirt. I turned around to see Katria.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot you need to get your daily jab in. Ok, make it a good one, it's gonna be your last for a while."

Katria sighed, but didn't let go of my shirt. "Stay safe." She said meekly before quickly letting go and shoving me out the door and slamming it shut.

I stare at the door for a few seconds and turn around and face Kaito, who is standing there with his hands in his pockets and a smug look on his face.

"You ready?" He said.

"Let's go." I replied.

"Ok!" He began walking away from the house.

"Wait! aren't you just gonna teleport us there?"

"In this weather? Are you kidding me? Kids these days." Kaito shook his head.

I begrudgingly follow him. After a few minutes of walking and listening to Kaito hum and whistle out of tune, he spoke.

"So, have you had any strange thoughts lately?"

Now that he mentions it, the self monologue I had earlier came back to me.

"Yeah, I guess so." I said. "I remember thinking about death, but it sort of felt like I was forced to think about it."

"But they were your thoughts, right?"

"Yeah, the content of the thoughts themselves are my ideals, but I've never thought that deep about it before."

Kaito chuckled. "Good.. Good"

"So you know what it means?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll explain it all later."

"You said that already! When is later?"

Kaito began whistling again. It was out of tune, again.