Death.

Why wasn't it the end?

Before his demise, Kaden had hoped for something beyond the flesh.

Like a soul to embody his being, and a paradise for the deceased.

An afterlife.

Yet, now that he was here, Kaden felt no joy.

In his heart, there was only longing and regret.

People tend to focus on the things they don't have and only learn to appreciate what they have when they lose it. Soul? Paradise? Why did he have to bother himself with spirituality when he could've just gone to a gym and improved his body? Why did he only care about his health when he already got sick? Why did he have to learn how to manage his time when his days were numbered?

Mistakes come first; regrets come later. With a lifetime of screwups, Kaden came to regret quite a lot of things.

Stupid things.

Shameful things.

Unpleasant memories replayed in his mind, reminding him of his many past mistakes.

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This was the dark side of the afterlife.

In the process of purifying the soul, memories are purged. But a memory must first be unearthed before it can be erased, which is why he was recalling all these hateful things.

"But if the senior's words hold true, this process shouldn't last too long." Kaden winced.

He really hopes it doesn't!

As more buried memories resurfaced, Kaden shifted his gaze and focused on a particular figure in the distance. Partly in worry, but mostly to distract himself.

There, far to his right, lies the translucent figure of a Hollow.

The thing retained the shape of a human, albeit slightly deformed and missing a few limbs. Its face has disappeared entirely, leaving only an ugly smear on where it had once been.

Hollowing is inevitable and a step every soul must go through before they could be reborn.

It was the result of the latter stages of purification, where the soul loses all its memories, leading to gradual dissolution.

The faceless hollow would soon be reborn.

But needless to say, it wasn't pretty.

'...Will I end up like that too?' He shuddered at the possibility.

Judging himself sufficiently distracted, Kaden hurriedly left the hollow's resting place, not wanting to be near it for even a second longer.

Then—

As his soul wandered aimlessly, a storm of azure suddenly tore through the space, tainting the whiteness of the void.

Then, from the cosmic fissure, a faint whisper escaped into their souls.

[Twilight seeks new champions. Glory—]

"This…"

Kaden had died just recently and was quite new to the norms of this strange hell. The blue cloud was unfamiliar, but not completely unknown. It was something commonly talked about in this place.

The Devil's Whisper.

From what he had heard, the event was a common occurrence in this place, yet was never truly treated as such. It was the only known path to salvation, inspiring both hope and apprehension.

Like an oasis in a desert, it was viewed as the rarest thing in existence.

Both precious and suspicious, greatly desired but filled with skepticism. As words coming from the devil's mouth, they were hardly trustworthy. Hope can be a wonder of illusion, just as an oasis can be nothing more than a mirage.

Naturally, the Devil didn't come just to utter nonsense. The whisper came with an offer. An offer to take a one-way trip into a hellish battlefield as glorified fodders.

How alluring.

It was indeed tempting.

Going to war is a terrible idea.

So is being a soldier.

But to be a meat shield, one must first have flesh.

There lies its charm.

Indeed.

The devil offered to revive those willing and brave enough to jump into the war.