aefenglom | voice; un: mogget

Entry tags:

voice; un: mogget

Name: Mogget
Date: May 8th
Format: Voice

---

How is death viewed in the world you come from?

[Now there's a question. Mogget pauses a moment before he continues, just to let it sink in.]

In the Old Kingdom, when one dies, their soul moves over into a different realm. There they traverse nine gates along a river until finally passing on. I understand that this isn't the norm outside of my home world.

[Not close to it, in fact.]

So, indulge me, if you would.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[This one amuses him, if only for the idea of someone being reborn as a toad.]

And when someone has lived the best life possible, what then? Is this a process of infinite reincarnation?

It's possible. Depending on how one's lives go. Supposedly you can eventually escape the cycle and become immortal, god-like. More often than not, your luck will bring you greater reward in the next life. A man who gets to marry the woman he has loved all of his life might say that he must have saved up all the luck from three lifetimes in order to be able to spend one with her.

Something like that.

Hmm.

[Interesting. And not a bad way to go about it, all things considered.]

And if someone punished for a wicked life continues to be wicked... just how low could they sink?

Eventually, every soul will be allowed to be reborn. However, for the crimes you commit, you have to suffer your punishment. Once you learned, you will be allowed to return in some form or another. There are multiple levels of hell depending on what one has done in life. I will refrain from describing them as they are not good conversational topics.

I suppose it would be those whose souls continue to repeat crimes who would be more likely to end up being less than human in their next life.

If it causes you discomfort, I won't press you to explain further.

[He pauses to yawn, with a soft but audible click of his jaw when his mouth closes.]

But I would be interested in hearing about it.

Not that is uncomfortable for me, but that it is not pleasant for those to hear about. The belief is that there are eighteen levels of hell, each one with a unique punishment that the sinner will relive multiple times until it is deemed they have learned their lesson. Examples include being thrown into a pool of blood, being crushed, and being maimed in a way that fits your crime.

Hmm. That's creative.

[Amazing, the things that humans can come up with to punish those they deem wicked. And it isn't enough to punish them in life, either.]

Do you believe these things?

[It really was a model of 'what will people think of next' for those that were aware of other ideas. Jiang Cheng had spent most of his life with it so that idea was normal to him]

I do. As much we wish it wasn't the case, this is what we know to be the case and we haven't seen evidence otherwise.

Ah, then it isn't a matter of faith. Interesting.

[Another one, then, who knows what is to come.]

In that case, do you believe that people can be good with sincerity when they know the punishment for living a poor life?

Well, would you want to really hope a place that will punish you exists? It is what those who are very devote spread around and what most people tend to accept because of it.

Interesting question. I know there were those who are. My sister was one of them. There was nothing she did in life that would have her punished in the afterlife. Others... it likely deterred them, but to the extent is hard to say. You can usually tell the people who are holding their tongue because it is proper in some way, but they don't want to.

[He is frequently one of them, to be honest]

But then there are always people who don't particularly care no matter what you tell them.

Mm... there will always be people like that.

[Just for a moment his voice goes softer, as if recalling a memory and linking that thought to it. There will always be those who do what they want regardless of the consequences, even if they know that those consequences are very real.

Wasn't he one of them, once?]

Thank you for humouring me.

Of course. Is this very different from your beliefs of what happens when one dies?

I don't have any beliefs about what happens. I know exactly what happens.

I see... I suppose to maintain what I believe to happen, I will refrain from asking what actually does.

[Mogget lets out a little chuff of a laugh.]

The reality of what happens in your world is unlikely to match the reality of mine. I can tell you, if you're curious, and your own beliefs will be intact.

Hmm... true. It is unlikely that they would be the same. Then I'd be interested in hearing it.

Very well.

[He'd been hoping that this was a reasonable person.]

When one dies, their soul passes into Death. Beyond this, they will enter the First Precinct, where they will find a river with a gentle current, infinitely wide to either side. A current carries them to the First Gate, where a waterfall awaits. There are a further seven gates and precincts that follow until the final ninth one is reached.

[He pauses here and adjusts his position.]

The Ninth Gate is a massive expanse of stars, so close together they almost seem to be a cloud, suspended above the river in the Ninth Precinct. If it is your time, and you look up, your soul will be drawn to them.

[He listened patiently to the information being provided, trying to picture it for himself. Certainly sounded different than what he had always been taught death was like]

Your soul is drawn to them? As in you become one of the stars? And if it isn't your time?

[Mogget thinks about it. The answer is a little distasteful.]

If you passed through to the Ninth Precinct and it isn't your time, there are only two explanations. Either you are a necromancer prolonging their life by maintaining separation between body and spirit. Or you are the Abhorsen, in which case you have nothing to fear... save for what dead thing you might be chasing to the Ninth Precinct.

[He didn't necessarily consider it distasteful. It was rather informative about his world]

I see. Then it is pretty much a guarantee that you are supposed to be there if you find yourself there.

Ideally, yes. If you're not, the best course of action is to not look up.

[He pauses, yawns.]

You'd want to, of course.

Why not look up? Because the stars will try to claim you?

Precisely. It would be very difficult to resist it. Easier for an Abhorsen, I suppose, but I never asked.

That makes sense then. So you wouldn't want to end up there by mistake as it might be the last thing you saw.

Precisely.

Though it would be incredibly difficult to end up in the Ninth Precinct by accident.

(no subject)

lotus_of_rage - 2021-08-04 02:17 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only