Azrail sat down on a stump and wiped his brow. His eyes swept slowly across the horizon. A small smile played on his face as he took in the atmosphere around him.

It was beautiful. But there was something so uncanny about this world. It was full of so much life and so many vibrant colors. Yet, it was silent. The world was still.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

There was so much of only a specific kind of life. No animals called out for a mate. No flashes of movement dashing across the sky. No blurry figures moving from tree to tree.

It was like a children's play box that had long been abandoned. Full of so much potential, and equally as empty.

Azrail closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "This can't be the afterlife," he finally said outloud to himself.

"How right you are," came a curt reply. "If it was, then I wouldn't be able to send you to hell."