Chapter Text
Death holds his scythe in one hand; his other rests on the shoulder of a newly-lost soul, guiding them gently along. To any living being, this would be fatal. To the dead, it's a kind of comfort.
"Korasi," he greets you, his voice hollow and echoing and still with a certain warmth. It's not something you could have ever expected in life, but in your time in the underworld, you and Harold have become good friends. "I have someone you may wish to see. I believe this may benefit both of you." He leaves the soul with you, and floats a small distance away so that you can talk.
Souls can be hard to see at times. They fade, they flicker. This one's pulsing in and out a little -- but when he sees you, he becomes solid. His eyes widen. He recognises you.
And you recognise him! "Squire Lorin?"
"Knight Lorin. Since last month."
"You made Knight? That was fast!" You remember the last time you saw him. A boy, not even into his twenties, itching to join the fight. You liked that quality in him, even though there wasn't much sense accompanying it.
"It took me four years," he says. It almost comes off rude, but then you realise he's probably just a little confused. Naturally. He did just die.
Four years, though? You were never good with time, and here less so than ever, but it can't have been that long. You try to remember how long Lorin was a squire before your death. A year? At most. Means you've been here three years, at least.
It can't have been that long!
Lorin's shuddering. Looks like he's about to tear up. The soldier instinct in you wants him to pull himself together, but dammit, he's dead, you'll let him cry.
"I always looked up to you, you know," he stutters. "You were... you were brave, you were strong, you were a good leader! You died helping save the world. I..." He looks down at his fingers; they shimmer with ethereal light. "I guess I did too."
You give him a smile. "Rest easy, Knight Lorin. You did well."
At that, there's no holding back his tears any more. He weeps. You go to his side and reach towards him, a silent request for permission; he nods, and you clasp an arm around his trembling shoulders.
After a while, he speaks. "This is the afterlife?" There's still a wobble in his voice, but you can tell he's over the worst.
"Almost," you say. You gesture out over the River Noumenon: "The god Icthlarin marches you across this river, leads you through that door, then you're in the afterlife. I went through, but then I got brought back out again. Kind of a special case, me."
"A special case?"
"Yeah. There was some tricky business, someone was taking souls from the afterlife. Threatened its integrity. We dealt with him, don't worry."
He gives a shaky laugh, his bowed head lifting a little. "I'm not surprised! Are you ever not saving everything?"
You laugh with him. You're usually one to downplay your achievements, but... he has a point there.
His breathing steadies. "So... everyone's through that door? Commodore Matthias? Ami and Diana? All of them?"
You're not sure, really. You wouldn't be surprised if some went to Limbo, had to lose themselves slowly before moving on. You hope none of them ended up in Nomad's abomination. You never saw the thing, for which you're glad. Xenia describes it as a nightmare beyond belief.
"You'll see for yourself," is all you can say.
He takes your word for it, thankfully. Then his eyes widen: "Is... Is Guthix in there?"
You've heard about Guthix's death. Talked to Harold about it. It shook you when you found out, and you know he mourns it too, but... you're still going, both of you. Can live up to his legacy, even if the god himself is no longer around.
"He doesn't have an afterlife." His breath hitches. "Sorry. Death over there explained it to me, that's just the way it is for gods. And it's a shame, but it doesn't stop us fighting, does it? As long as there's pests to fight and people to defend, the Void Knights will be there."
"I suppose you're right," he says. He's drooping a bit, but he's still solid. You're confident that he's not headed for Limbo... and that he'll be much better once he's reunited with the others.
And in the meantime, there are things you'd like to ask. "How are the Void Knights these days? How's... Commodore Tyr?"
"Doing alright," he says. "Leads us well. I was never really high enough in the ranks to know him personally, though."
You nod. "Fair enough. How's..." Oh Guthix, you're afraid to ask, but you have to. You can't miss this chance. "How's Jessika?"
"She was a squire alongside me for a bit," he says. "No one was sure how to treat her at first. They knew she'd caused the deaths of the old Commodore among others, people we'd looked up to. But she knew it was a mistake, she was doing everything she could to fix it and help us. And you'd believed in her. You died for her. So... we tried trusting her. We gave her a chance."
"You made the right choice," you say. "Jessika... she made mistakes, but she only ever did what she thought was right. I respected that, even though I didn't always agree."
"And not everyone agrees with her now," he says. "But what she does works. She keeps researching as well as fighting, holding off the pests but looking for a way to free them too. From what I've heard, she's making progress." He remembers something else: "She moved up quickly, too. She's made Commander now!"
"Commander!" You throw your head back and laugh. "Commander Jessika. It rolls off the tongue!" Takes a lot to get you teary-eyed, but this might just do it. "That was the rank I was when we met. Dear Guthix, she has come a long way. And in less than four years..." Commander Jessika. You wish you could see it for yourself. "I'm proud of her. I truly am."
He alternates between looking at you and averting his eyes: "She... she told me. When we were both squires, not long after... yeah. She said, she said that... that she missed you. I don't talk to her much these days, she's always so busy, but... I think she still does."
No point in hiding it, not after your life's been and gone. "I miss her too. Plain and simple."
"Yeah." He hesitates. Deep breath in, deep breath out. "She loved you. You did too, didn't you?"
"I really did. Still do." Hurts to say it, but you have to be honest about this.
His voice is cracking: "So does she."
You're not sure what to say.
After a while of silence, what you do manage to say is: "I'm glad she's okay." And a little later, with a smile on your face: "Commander Jessika..."
You catch up a little longer. Old friends, new faces, and the role the Void Knights play in the Sixth Age (you're intrigued to hear about the formation of the Abyssal Knights, in particular). In the end, though, you can't talk forever. Harold sees Icthlarin with his latest cohort of souls, getting impatient on your side of the bridge, and comes over to the two of you.
"Your time has come," he tells Lorin.
He accepts it. The Squire Lorin you knew would've insisted on staying longer, but Knight Lorin's grown up.
"Will you ever cross over?" he asks you as he turns to go with Death.
"Someday," you say.
At first you were staying to deal with the aftermath of Nomad's scheme. Since then, you've helped deal with a few more: some inspired by him, others serving Amascut, still more simply attempting to carve out their own chunks of the Underworld. You don't think you've outstayed your welcome -- Death and Icthlarin appreciate your help, and Xenia's too. But it's clear to everyone what's stopping you making the crossing. Who you're waiting for.
For now, you wave him goodbye as he joins Icthlarin. You watch as he crosses the river and fades into the fog.