Spirit World

The Spirit World

Humans said that once a life came to an end, it was the end of it, all the hopes were gone, all the dreams would remain discontinued, and everything had just become a distant memory of how life had been so alive before. But that was where humans were wrong. The death of humans, or any living creatures, meant a new start to another universe, or to what the very few believed the 'next world'. Once they died, the judgment would be faced, their deeds would be thoroughly inspected and the dead souls would bear all the complete requirements to be able to enter the 'next world'.

Life was a continuous cycle: lives would be born, then would live their lives in the world, choosing whatever they wanted to be, living their lives to the fullest or wasting their lives in their own choice, then lastly, they would die, no matter how or when, as long as they would die, the process would then repeat.

But of course, that was not how it would always be, as what was mentioned, the choices in life were always in the hands of humans. Everything depended on them, and sometimes even death. The only time the cycle would stop was through the decision of humans to put an end to their way of living and of seeing the beauty of the world, and like the usual, they would be headed to the judgment after they died, but instead of having their lives straight to the 'next world', the cycle would stop there and they would be having their lives on a different world. Somewhere rather always busy, and providing service to humans, whether they liked it or not. This was something that they didn't choose because this was the time that they did not own their lives anymore as they proved themselves not worthy of it when they ended it.

Where did these souls go then? Aside from the 'next world', here entered the other world where the souls that stole the purpose of their lives, ended the hopes and dreams by their own hands and proved themselves as not worthy to be gifted of life, went. The souls who were directed to this world called this as the 'Spirit World'. This was the world filled with souls trapped on being souls forever unless they would be able to redeem themselves and do service to the humans as the only way that they would be able to be back on track with living their lives in the world with flesh.

The 'Spirit World' was considered as the punishment world for those who stole their lives and did not continue their purpose. They were the souls that were instantly rejected to have a chance to live again in the 'next world'. They would have to spend reasonable time to gather their fire to live again and would make sure to themselves that they would not waste another gift of life once they got there.

This world was located somewhere not visible to human's eyes, of course, they were spirits. They would freak out if they ever knew that spirits were roaming around the place they were not just roaming around freely, if there were spirits in the world, then it meant that they were called for service. They would not be able to get outside the Spirit World unless they were called for work. That was how the rule of the sovereign of Spirit World goes for all the spirits. That guaranteed good governance to all, and no one would try to argue over the made rules.

Well, maybe except for one.

The sound of a crunchy noise coming from the bite of an apple filled the silent field, followed by a slurping sound as if trying to drink up all the juice that was dripping from the juicy fruit. Then a happy hum came after as if appreciating the taste of what had just been eaten. That was the only sound heard around, just the way he liked it. The silence was giving him the peace that he often had before a long hectic day ahead.

"Give me a wonderful day today, please," he muttered in the air as he bit on the apple again and sniffed the fresh air when the breeze came and hit his face. "What a very refreshing air. Hmm~"

He had his eyes closed. The wind hitting his face and blowing his blue hair made him smile as it made him relax as if someone was massaging him. He was on the tree, laying his back on the sturdy branch with his left hand behind his head, and the other was holding the apple. His legs were crossed, eyes straightly peeking at the gaps the tree was giving him to see the clear blue skies with a train of clouds passing through. He hummed again and bit on his apple.

It was still six in the morning, or at least the current time in the human world, nonetheless, it was the best time to have this kind of early meditation to prepare himself for what was coming for him when the busy bustling servitude of Spirits start again and they would have to go back here and there for their missions given away by the sovereign of Spirit World—that annoying old man.

Yes. His name was Free, and he was a Spirit currently living in the Spirit World, a beautiful place, but the way of dwelling there was definitely a reminder of punishment, of the payment for the gift of life that they stole and wasted. They serve and listened to humans' prayers like they were agents in a call center company, minus the uniform, and the headphones and microphones. It was tiring, and it was annoying how they serve as slaves.

The Spirit World is just like the Human World but their world couldn't be seen by anyone unless they were dead. Though the Spirits could be seen by the people who called and asked for their presence, no one else could see them aside from them and their spirits alike. But even then, most humans wanted invisibility to be free, but spirits never had that. Maybe his name was Free, but he was never a free spirit, almost every day someone asked for his service whether, for mundane or crucial things, he was sent down to serve, and he was getting tired.

All that he wanted to do was to do nothing, to be alone, eat his apples, talk to the spirit animals, look around the Spirit World. Enjoy the peacefulness of the world that he never had when he was alive. That was all that he wanted to happen to him. But that was also the stark opposite of what the Sovereign of the Spirit World wanted to happen to him, and he really couldn't do anything but to relent.

Like right now...

The sound of the flapping wings of a bird caught his attention and stopped him from having about to bite again on his apple. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, as what humans had said before, apparently, it wasn't enough to keep the Sovereign's messenger away from him even for just a day.

"What do you want, Geon?" he asked with a huff. His voice came from his nose as he bit on his apple. Unlike earlier that it tasted sweet, it was suddenly bitter.

The bird dropped the small scroll from his beak to his abdomen, and even if he didn't look at it, he knew all too well what was written on it. But he still picked it up, sighing as he opened it only using just one hand, hoping to find a different note than what he had usually been receiving. Unfortunately for him, it was just the same message.

To Sovereign's tree now.

It popped and turned to dust in his hand as soon as he read it. He huffed and finished his apple. Then he realized that the pigeon was still there, watching and waiting for him to move, and it seemed like it had no plan on flying away, not unless, he came with him.

"I'm coming, okay?" he exasperatedly told the bird. He sat up and handed the remains of his apple in front of the bird for him to feed on, but of course, this Pigeon was even more glorious than him, so he just threw it on the ground. "Fine. Come on, you beaky servant."

He just jumped off of the tree and he floated. Spirits could fly and float, that was one of the things he enjoyed being a spirit, he could go wherever he wanted without feeling tired. He could even go around the human world and walk around, or just float along with the clouds and sightseeing, that was the advantage. What he really hated about being a spirit was the service.

He flew along with Geon to the Sovereign's tree, where the Sovereign of the Spirit World resided. When he arrived, he immediately found the old man that since the day he died and dwelled in the Spirit World he never failed to see. He always sought for him, and the old man also did the same even though he shouldn't have to. Free was just such a headache that he needed to send his messenger to him and make sure that he was going to come there as what he asked.

The Sovereign of the Spirit World was obviously busy with giving the spirits the papers that stated where they should go and who had asked for their presence. They were all humans, of course, but if they would ask for a presence of a spirit like only for protection, they would only be given animals, anything and any kind. But if their prayers were specific, and they asked for someone who could help them with their decisions, then the Sovereign would be giving them a human spirit.

Free waited for a while as the Sovereign looked at him and motioned him at the side to wait. He knew by then that he would be receiving one important task. Whenever he would call him, he would be one of these spirits who would instantly be given the paper and be directly sent to their new humans to serve, but right now, the old man was finishing the distribution first before he could talk to him.

He took an apple on the nearby tree first while waiting. The surroundings that the Sovereign was resting were full of apple trees. They were always full of riped apples, and those were free for the spirits, and it was also the main food that they eat there. Well, it wasn't like they could taste their food, nor they could feel hunger, Free just like the feeling that he was munching on something, so he was eating.

Spirits didn't feel anything, well, not really. They did feel nothing but they did know their way of thinking, they could say that they were scared, they could say that they were happy, they could say that they were sad, and those sort of things, their brains were the only thing that worked and triggered their emotions. It was complicated, but the spirits had emotions, but they just couldn't feel it.

After a while of waiting for the old man to finish what he was doing, and sending the spirits, both humans and animals, to where they were supposed to be, and after another two apples, the sovereign had finally sent everyone out which left him and Free alone, with Geon, the pigeon.

"What do you need me for, old man?" he inquired casually, doing an Indian seat position in the air as he crossed his arms and legs and stared at the old man's foot.

Whoever would look on the sovereign's eyes would be blinded as a spirit and as a human once reborn again. So they were only looking anywhere on his body, but never on his golden, bright eyes, as what was described by those spirits who tried and were now blinded.

"It's Sovereign Spirit for you, Free," he said, as always, whenever he would address him through that. But the guy couldn't care at all. "I've called for your presence-"

"To serve a human," he interjected and continued the phrase that he had been hearing for like years already. "Ugh, here we go again."