'Where are we going?'

Arthur and the boy have been walking for several minutes or maybe hours. He doesn't know how, but his sense of perceiving things is diminishing after he realizes he is a soul.

"We are going to send you to the afterlife," The boy said without turning back.

'Afterlife huh...it seems like my perception about Life is shattering every minute' Arthur chuckled.

The boy didn't say anything; he was just walking silently in the corridor.

'When will this hallway end?' Arthur tried to start a conversation, but seeing he was not going to get any answers, he also turned silent.

Arthur doesn't know how to feel; he is going to the afterlife, and maybe he will lose all his memories...

'Just why was I struggling all my life?'

The boy in front of him suddenly stopped and said without looking back

"Don't cry"

'What are you talking about? I never cry,' Arthur said while looking at the boy's blurred body.

"Everyone who desires something gets something whether it is a reward or a lesson"

'What does it even mean? Are you saying something philosophical?' Arthur looked at his back, not understanding what he was suddenly blabbering.

'And where are these tears even coming from!?, I am a soul for God's sake

"You know the people will kill or get killed for listening to my advice."

'Yaa sure' Arthur sneered.

This small bickering between them continues for several minutes before the boy suddenly shouts.

"OKAY! I HAVE DECIDED!"

Arthur was startled seeing him suddenly shouting after remaining silent for several hours.

'What have you decided?' Arthur said, not wanting but asking just for the sake of it.

"I will give you a choice, a chance to change your destiny!" The boy said again with his exaggerated hand movements.

'Sounds like a scam'

"Don't overthink it; you don't have a brain. It will cost you something unpleasant, so just follow my instructions.

'Something unpleasant...so that's why I am feeling so off' Arthur wants to ask about this, but knowing he will not give a straight answer, he just stops.

After some time, some words started to form in front of his eyes; it looked like he was reading a parchment.

'Contract?'

"Oh, you knew about contracts, that will make it easy"

Contracts are the common things in the world. They are only used in formal procedures mainly in business or big projects involving money. It is insurance for betrayal, so seeing a contract here was surprising for Arthur.

'I thought it was a thing of our world.'

The boy in front of him suddenly stopped walking.

"We have come"

'Are you sure this is the right place?'

The place in front of him was empty, not different from any normal room with a table and two chairs.

"Yes, did you expect something more mystical?" The boy said with a cheeky smile on his face.

'Well its ordinary look is giving me more creepy vibes'

The boy gestures to him to sit down on one of the chairs.

'I think we have talked plenty for several hours' Arthur was confused, not sure what that boy was planning now.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The boy comes and gracefully sits on the chair in front of him.

"I was going to have small talk with you and then send you away"

Arthur doesn't say anything.

"... But now I have changed my mind!"

The boy in front of him maintained silence for some seconds before opening his mouth again.

"Let me formally introduce myself, I am the holder of the Zeroth position"

A tension pressure begins to build in the air.

"The God of Hope"

The boy said with a calming smile while a soothing light started radiating behind him.

"Emes"

...

'Who?'

...

________________________

Alisa and Monica were walking silently. Monica tried to say something to her, but she said she was okay and needed some time alone. But it was seen that Robin has some hearing problems.

"Don't worry, Miss Alisa; Monarchs are not that dangerous. One of the Monarchs even complimented me for my tea. If something dangerous happens you can count on me"

"Thank You, Mr Robin" Alisa said with a rigid smile, fully understanding his intentions.

The more they got closer to the meeting room, the more Alisa was feeling anxious.

"Just what the beings like Monarch want from her?... Is she someone special...Maybe she is some illegitimate child of the Emperor"

Her mind was fully overthinking every reason for this situation.

"Maybe they wanted to kill me before I became a threat"

'Alisa'

"Maybe they will leave me if I plead, no this is a Novice thinking I should ask them to detain me for some time"

'Alisa'

"Can I run from that detainment place? Do I have to train there for some years before implementing my escape plan!?"

'ALISA!'

The sudden shout startled her.

Looking around Monica and Robin were looking at her with sympathetic gaze.

'I—'

'No! You don't have to say anything...we understand'

Monica suddenly hugged her. Alisa wanted to say something, but seeing their condition, she just decided to go with the flow.

'We have arrived', Robin said, interrupting their moment.

Monica leaves Alisa and goes in front of her, covering her.

Robin goes toward the door and knocks on it.

For a few seconds, there was utter silence. It felt as though no one else was present in the vast palace except for them.

A low but clear voice suddenly comes back.

"Enter"

The voice was feminine, maybe the monarch was a girl. If so, then she had some leverage as a girl, or so Alisa thought.

When Emperor Arthur was alive, the Monarchs always remained in full-body armour, so nobody knew what they looked or sounded like. Maybe some people knew, but she was an orphan for God's sake.

The gates got opened and Alisa gulped.

After taking a huge breath, she took her first step with Monica and Robin in front of her.

In the meeting room, there was silence.

No sound was coming in her ears not even of wind.

"Isolation B-barrier..." Monica muttered to herself.

"Barrier? Means magic... Why do they need to use magic for someone like her? Are they really going to kill her!"

There are Eight seats in the room, of which six are occupied.

The eighth seat was the throne of the late Emperor, while the other empty seat belonged to the first Monarch, who was not present.

The bodies of the Monarchs were hiding behind a shadow, with only their eyes visible looking at or assessing them.

The gate behind them suddenly slammed shut, startling their group.

One of the Monarchs opened his mouth

'Welcome Alisa we-'

"I am sorry you can detain me"

Alisa interrupted them, which she regretted the very next second. She lowers her head to the ground.

"Just why did I open my mouth!!!"

She was panicked, so panicked her mind started to lose its function, but she gathered her courage and looked toward the Monarchs, wishing that maybe they would forgive her for this insolence.

But the scene she sees trembled her soul.

***

The boy who he says is named Emes was looking at him with a weird gaze

"You don't know me?"

...

"I am zeroth ranked—"

'That I listened, but what are you talking about?

'I didn't believe in Gods, but according to the number of Churches, there are only 7 Supreme Gods.'

The God of Beginning 'Cranus'

The Goddess of Death 'Antaria'

The Goddess of Fate 'Zama'

The God of Stability 'Raphaestus'

The God of End 'Olka'

The Goddess of Growth 'Himaya'

The God of Reincarnation

The God of Truth

The last two don't have any names but they are worshipped.

'I thought you were God of reincarnation because you said you are sending me to the afterlife.

Emes was looking like he was contemplating something. He had a small smile on his face.

"Oh I see"

He whispered something to himself and turned towards Arthur.

"Arthur, my friend, forgot what I was saying. I am going to give you two choices."

Arthur didn't know what to say, but he understood that this was something of a problem above his capacity, so he didn't ask further.

A panel formed in front of his eyes like a previous contract whose content he forgot to read.

________________________________________________

Heavenly Contract

Rank- Divine

Expiration- Eternity

The following rules should be followed.

1. The contractor will not tell anyone about him.

2. The contractor will kill all the Monarchs in his Lifetime.

________________________________________________

'What is this?? Kill the Monarchs? Why would I kill them they were loyal to me all my life' Arthur looked at Emes like he said something outrageous.

"You don't have an attachment to them. Right, so just kill them," The Emes said without any change in expression.

'I indeed have no attachment to them, but I am not an emotionless doll. I know what is morally right and wrong.'

...

Emes looked at him and said with a smile

"Boy, if you do this I will grant you a wish"

...

'...I don't need any wishes...I already have everything before death. I don't think I can ever get more than that, and seriously, I don't even want.'

The demeanour of Emes changed after listening he became somewhat serious and ask

"Can you really can't do this?"

"Yes, I thought this through and came to the same decision that I don't have any wish to be reincarnated again"

...

"So please send me to the afterlife"

The expression on Emes's face was not one of disappointment or anger, but rather of sadness. He considered offering something else, but after a moment he just smiled to himself and looked at Arthur.

"Okay"