Rebirth: Over the Horizon

Adam gazes at the old man, who looks at him with tired eyes, 

awaiting for his judgment.

\'Let\'s try this salt this time...\' 

The soul watches in silence as Adam sprinkles the cold salts on the ground, forming a circle around him.

  When he finished drawing the circle there is a noticeable change in the air. Edrix looks more solid, less ethereal than he did before. 

"Tell me, do you really think that you deserve an eternal reward?" 

Edrix first deflects Adam\'s question with more questions. "Can any man truly judge themselves? If such could be accomplished easily, would we have any need for Hadrene and her Judges?"

The king sighs. The salts compel him to answer more directly, though his pained expression makes it clear he would rather not. 

"Very well. I must be honest. Yes. Yes, I do feel I deserve a reward. Does that make me prideful?" His tone turns defensive.

"I dedicated my entire life to the betterment of my kingdom and my people." 

"I went without excessive luxury, I devoted little time to my interests and hobbies." 

"I maintained peace and prosperity. I was not perfect, but no man is perfect. Do I not deserve something for my lifetime of efforts?"

After hearing his answer, Adam steps away from the soul and raises the magical mirror in his hands. 

"Show me how this soul died?"

  The mirror shows him Edrix alone in the highest tower of his castle, in a room employed as a study. 

He is alone. He is stooped over a desk, studying a large stack of letters. 

They appear to be reported from officials throughout the land, detailing the proceeds of the year\'s harvests and tax collection.

Edrix carefully marks each report\'s information down in a heavy ledger.

  He pauses in his work several times, wracked by painful coughing.

  After a few moments, a coughing fit he cannot ignore comes over him. 

He drops his quill, then slumps to the floor. His eyes shut and he stops moving.

"I thought I had more time." Edrix\'s shade says sadly. "There was still so much left to do." 

"So many projects unfinished. If only I… well. It is too late for such thoughts now."

Adam still couldn\'t conclude, because there is no way he lived his life without a single corruption or misdoings as a king.

"Show me the greatest sin this soul has committed."

The mirror shows Adam, a much younger Edrix overseeing some sort of construction project. He carries a ledger with him as he walks the periphery of the construction site, checking some sort of inventory of materials.

A young messenger sprints to meet the king, out of breath. "Your majesty." The messenger speaks between deep breaths.

"The queen has given birth. You have a son. The royal physician says it was a difficult birth. The queen wishes to see you, and for you to meet your heir."

Edrix looks up from his ledger. "What the queen and my heir need now is rest. Surely there is time for me to finish my inspection."

"Tell them I will be with them when the day\'s duties are complete." The messenger looks taken aback but nods dutifully. "Yes, my liege." The king returns to his ledger.

Edrix\'s shade shakes his head. "Why did I think it was more important to look at a pile of stones and timber than to be with my wife and son on the day of his birth?"

After a few hours a messenger rans over again, "M-my King...the Queen h-has died because of the after-effects...."

Edrix suns still and a droplet of water rolls down his cheek, with that the mirror blurs and returns to normal

"Perhaps… perhaps my priorities were not always where they should have been. My queen must have felt so…" The shade trails off, staring at the ground.

\'Sigh...okay let\'s also see his achievement and compare both of them to decide his eternal fate.\'

"Show me this soul\'s greatest achievement," 

Edrix leans closer to the mirror when Adam makes this request, seemingly eager to relive the glories of his life. Adam sees his coronation as a young man, kneeling to have a crown placed on his head by one of the Borthe\'s high priestesses.

The mirror next shows an older Edrix negotiating with a foreign delegation around a table covered in maps.

There is tension in the air, but a heated discussion gives way to agreement. All parties sign a treaty of peace, bringing an end to a burgeoning conflict.

The third scene shows the construction of great buildings: a university, a new castle, a massive granary. The mirror shows him, Navalle changing from a humble realm to a developed land of prosperity and culture.

Edrix\'s shade smiles with pride. "To see the changes I brought… makes me feel that it was all worth it. That I made my kingdom a better place. I hope it endures."

"I will now judge this soul, Edrix."

Hadrene again pops out of thin air, this time very close to his face almost startling Adam.

"I will allow Edrix to return to the mortal realm to ask his family\'s forgiveness. If he genuinely apologizes to his deceased wife and children, if his apology is accepted, he can have the reward he seeks."

"Very well." Hadrene turns to the king\'s soul. "Edrix. You have been judged. You will be permitted to return to the mortal realm as a ghost, to beg the forgiveness of your family for your neglect."

"Once you have given your penance and received forgiveness, you will be rewarded with an eternity in Borthe\'s realm of plenty."

Edrix hangs his head "I… yes. How could I not have seen how wrong I was? This is what I must do. Thank you for giving me a chance to make things right."

Hadrene sweeps her skeletal hand through the air and a softly glowing white portal opens up directly beneath the shade. The portal swallows Edrix whole, then shuts a moment later.

"Now, let us proceed with the next soul."