Forward, To A New Life

Phew, glad that's over. I like Purgatory as much as the next guy, but those meetings're somethin' else! Can't believe they summon us just to listen to the higher-ups ramble. It's a struggle just keepin' my eyes open. It's our job to go out and reap lost souls, and that's it. I don't see where these endless sermons come in.

You sure complain a lot for someone who doesn't come to all the meetings. The rest of us have to deal with that all the time. I envy you, being able to skip out on their lectures without fear of punishment.

Hahaha! Oh, c'mon, it's not like I don't wanna attend. It's just that by the time I try to go, I'm already days too late!

Do you honestly think such a poor excuse will work? ...On second thought, it must, seeing as you're never penalized. How nice it must be being one of the few purgatorians who can reap dragon souls.

Hold on now. Dragon souls are incredibly rare, so I've got my own share of problems too.

Your stature seems to indicate otherwise. I take it reaping is going rather well for you.

Well, work's definitely gotten easier since I went to that island. And I feel like, even though there are fewer dragon souls out there, the ones I do find are pretty powerful.

How wonderful. I'm breaking my back trying to get reincarnated, and souls are practically falling before your scythe. I suppose that means you'll be getting reincarnated sooner rather than later.

Hahaha! Haven't you said that before? Does it really bother you that much?

It's been so long since we last saw each other, I can't say for sure, but...I don't recall ever speaking those words.

Hmm... Was it not you? I feel like it was your voice, but... It was before I went to that island, when I was still travelin' the world with that guy.

I thought for sure it was you, Zeviro, but sorry if it wasn't!

I already told you it wasn't me. Have you no manners? ...In any case, are you sure it's a good idea to come to my era? Don't you have people waiting for you back in your time?

Ah, you mean the ones who're huntin' dragons? I don't have to worry about 'em! They're strong. They'll be fine without me. Sometimes it's just nice breathin' in the air of a different age...

Huh? That a lost soul?

There are lots of two-legged souls in this area. I'll handle it and boost my results...

Wait. What is that? It is neither human nor beast. I don't think I've seen anything like it before.

Yeah, me either.

Don't tell me you're going to go after it. Neither of us can reap it.

That's no reason to just let it wander around.

What's going on here? It sounds like you're talking about me, but... Can you actually see me?

Oh, well this is a pleasant surprise. Thanks for comin' back. Saves me the trouble of findin' find you. You're right, we can see you. We're purgatorians.

Purga...torians? What's that?

To put it simply, we reincarnate souls like yours.

R-Reincarnate?!

Yes, but unfortunately you seem to be outside of our jurisdiction, so we cannot reap you now.

Don't worry, though. There should be a purgatorian who can help you back in our world. It can't be a coincidence that we ran into you here. Why don't we show you the way?

...... And if I don't want to go?

It isn't good for a soul to remain in the real world forever. We would have to take you by force.

But there must be some reason you don't wanna be reincarnated, right?

I'm looking for someone. I didn't get to see him again before I died.

Ah, I see. Well, why don't we help you find him then?

Wait. Do you have any idea how much time this will take? Do we really need to do this?

It's best not to have any regrets, right? If we help you find this person, will you come to Purgatory?

...Yes, I will.

Alright. Then we'd best start searchin' somewhere there's a lot of people. Maybe Unigan would be a good place to start. Can you tell us more about this guy?

He said he was a merchant who deals in medicinal herbs.

Guess we'd better find ourselves a merchant then.

What do you think you're doing? I have work to do, and I'm sure you can handle this on your own.

I haven't been to this era in a while. I need someone to show me around.

It hasn't changed all that much since your last visit, I assure you.

Hahaha! Don't be like that. The road's better when shared, after all.

No luck at all, huh. No one's seen anyone that fits the description.

It's still too early to say, seeing as no one sticks around to answer our questions. They either ignore us or flee in fear.

Hahaha! That's true. I forgot how the two of us don't look quite human. But we're gettin' nowhere fast here. Guess we've got no choice but to give up on askin' around and just find him ourselves.

That's...inefficient, to say the least.

Yes. You've been far too kind with the people here. Why don't you have them do the legwork for us? If you swing your blade around, even the ones who ignored you or ran away are sure to listen.

That's too dangerous, and far removed from the solution I was hoping for.

Hmm... I got the feeling you weren't human, but...your way of thinkin' is pretty different from theirs. Maybe you haven't heard, but violence is forbidden in this country.

Now that you mention it, he didn't make a display of his own power either... I suppose that's just how humans are.

Glad you understand.

I've been curious since we met, but...what exactly are you? You're neither human nor beast. You're not even a dragon. And I can tell you aren't a dog or cat either.

That's...a good question.

You don't have any memories of when you were alive?

No, that's not it. I just never paid much mind to what I was.

What I do know is the name Riveid, and the fact I lived for several hundred years.

So your species lives for a long time, then. You don't strike me as an elf or dwarf, though.

Unfortunately, this conversation has yielded nothing new. I wonder if we'll be able to find that merchant...

They say a strange monster's appeared in the Karek Swampland. Apparently one of the citizens is involved too.

And it sounds like it's different from those dragons the other day, too. We'd better head over!

Hm? Wonder what that was about.

They mentioned something about a monster.

If that's the case, I'd better head over too. I'd hate for 'em to get hurt, and it might be another dark dragon.

Are you really going out of your way to help people you don't know?

Aren't you being a little too impulsive? We still have yet to find who this soul is searching for. Besides, the knights will be there. They should be able to handle it without our help.

Hahaha! Call me selfish, but I wanna do it all. And I can't turn a blind eye on either of 'em.

So c'mon, let's head over to the Karek Swampland.

*Sigh* Why do I even bother...?

The request asked for the Baruoki Guard's help in the swampland, but...

There's no one here. They've gotta be close, though...

Leave me alone!

Over there!

Don't be afraid, human. I'm not going to do anything bad, I promise.

They're from the Darkrealm! I never thought I'd see one of 'em here.

I've never seen anyone like that before. I don't think they're one of the beastfolk, though... But I can worry about that later!

Hey, you! What do you think you're doing?! Get away from him right now!

That's gotta be the monster they were talkin' about!

Utpalaka?! What're you doing here?

Well, if it ain't Aldo! Good timin'. Lend me a hand, will you?

Tch... Seems we have some uninvited guests.

Is that...?!

I'd ask you not to interfere. We're in the middle of an important negotiation.

Did he just summon monsters?!

Let me teach you a lesson in the ways of my world, one governed entirely by power.

If it's power you wanna see, I won't hold anything back!

Hmph... Seems you were the stronger between us. Very well. I'll take my leave.

He ran away!

You're not hurt, are you?

I'm fine. It didn't seem he was intent on harming me, after all.

Huh? Really?

I think he was a merchant, but he kept trying to sell me things I didn't need. It put me in a pretty tight spot. Honestly, with the way things were going, I wasn't sure if he'd resort to violence to get his way...

In any case, I don't think I've ever seen anyone quite like him.

Well that's probably because he's not from this world.

He isn't?

I don't know if you'll believe me, but...I was once sucked through a weird hole and ended up in another realm. I could speak to the people there, and they treated me pretty well too.

Since he was from the same place, I talked to him, thinking we could be friends, but...seems I was wrong.

I see...

Haha! You actually believe me? My friends said I was crazy.

......

You said you were friends with the people in that other world, right? Did you happen to meet someone named Riveid there?

I did! But how did you know? Are you one of his friends too?

Well...I guess you could say that.

What a wonderful coincidence, meeting someone like you out here.

Riveid was kind enough to give me a bunch of rare herbs. But I was fortunate enough to make it back to this world, so I don't think I'll be seeing him again...

......

Is this the man you were searching for? Is there anything you wish to say to him?

...No. It's been ages since we last saw each other, and he's already said more than enough. ...I'm just glad he remembers my name.

Then our business is done here.

Sorry, Aldo, I've got some things to take care of. Would you mind lookin' after the merchant?

Sure thing. I'll make sure he gets to a safe place.

I appreciate it. If you have time later, I'd like to hear more about Riveid.

Now, let's get to Purgatory. We fulfilled our half of the promise, so I trust you've got no issues with that.

...No. I'll uphold my half too.

I certainly wasn't expecting to learn about an entirely different world. It's no wonder we couldn't figure out what you were.

Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who can reap your soul, but I'm sure our leader can do something about that. I hope your soul has a safe journey into the next life.

......

You're not going to refuse reincarnation again at this point, are you?

I don't know much about reincarnation, but...I'm going to become a different person than I am now, right? I won't be Riveid anymore...will I? And the person that merchant remembers...will cease to exist?

Are you afraid?

I was born into a world where power is everything. I'd never thought about others as individuals, let alone getting along with them.

...Until I met him, that is. Even after living centuries, I only became Riveid in that moment.

Ah, that explains why you were so attached to him. I know how you feel, but you've already lived your entire life. From now on, for better or worse, there's nothing left for "Riveid."

......

But here's what I think. Instead of lookin' back and clingin' to a life that's already gone, it's better to face the future and the new life that's ahead of you.

That's easier said than done. I lived a long life, but the time I spent as Riveid was regrettably short.

...Y'know, I'm actually kinda jealous.

The truth is, us purgatorians are also souls of the dead. And I'm sure...my past life wasn't as great as it could've been.

You speak as though you remember it.

Course I don't. But I can't imagine we'll be livin' that long. We reap lost souls so they can be reincarnated, and in that way, we get closer to reincarnation ourselves. And I wanna be reincarnated someday, which is why I do what I do.

I didn't know you were so passionate about it, Utpalaka.

But if you were reincarnated, you would cease to be "Utpalaka," wouldn't you? So why?

The answer's simple: because I wanna live this life to its fullest. The life of a purgatorian might seem long, but it's actually pretty short, like a human's. And I wanna experience all it has to offer!

That's an interesting way of seeing things...

You just lived a life that was hundreds of years long, didn't you? And during that time, you did something that someone still remembers, even though you've passed on. I think that means your life was meaningful.

If it was...it was thanks to him.

Then you'd best reincarnate so that his kindness isn't in vain. If your soul remains in this world too long, you'll turn into an evil spirit that brings harm to others. You wouldn't want him to see you like that, would you?

...No, I wouldn't. He's the kind of person who'd never want to bring harm to others, even if it meant putting himself in danger. I suppose I could try living like he did...even if only in my last moments.

That's the spirit. Now let's get going.

Well, I think he'll be able to get reincarnated now.

You really are a fickle creature, Utpalaka. We wasted a whole day trying to help that one single soul.

Hahaha! It's not a waste if we managed to save someone! Besides, what's one day?

You have no sense for time, do you? In any case, isn't it high time you got back to where you belonged? One day by human standards can be quite long to be kept waiting, you know.

Hahaha! Good point. I might've gotten used to this body, but time is another thing.

Guess I'll head back before I get a scolding. See you!

"Before I get a scolding"? Hmph. He'll be lucky if that's all he gets after his absence.