a simple question; (cw: death/dying discussion)

[icanhearscreams]

[An unsigned note appears on the bulletin board, written in extremely neat handwriting. There's a few smudges on it from erased lines, as if the author wrote it over and over again.]

Is anyone else here dead?

[Just five words. No signature. He'll see how this turns out.]

Comments

[aetherialshackles]

[He may not be one who truly believes that sacrificing others to 'protect the star' is the way, when his father put the 'must lock pandaemonium away' on the table he was the first one to say he refused to abandon others to protect the rest but... he was trying to be positive.

The idea of a 'game' where destroying other worlds is the only way for survival, though... he hates it as much as he hates what happened to his star, a place where survival was no longer an option.]

That 'game' seems to have been something out of your control, at least?

Most species fight for their own survival with very few exceptions. I think this sounds like a case of 'you did what you had to'?

[icanhearscreams]

No, it wasn't under our control. And we did do what we had to do. I don't blame anyone who fought for their world.

That said, it was still horrible. Some battles went smoothly. Others... did not.

[aetherialshackles]

I... get it. I truly do. My world, when I left, was not in the best kind of situation. It does push people to make... unfortunate choices.

I can only imagine. I'm no fighter, but at the same time I've seen people fight for their own lives. If you ever just... want to talk? I'll be avaiable.

[icanhearscreams]

... I mean that's nice of you to offer, but I don't actually know you.

I didn't really intend for this to get into detail, it's just... weird that there's so many dead or nearly dead people.

[aetherialshackles]

It is a perfectly valid response. I wouldn't want to talk too much about my world as well.

It is... an interesting thing to notice, yes. One could almost wonder if souls linger into a state of almost-existence like this, trapped in nonsensical places, before being allowed forward but... I think the scholars studying souls would let us know if there are steps between death and the return to nothingness that preceeds a new journey. They can see them, after all.

[icanhearscreams]

... I don't know if souls are real. It's not exactly a known thing in my world.

Magic and stuff like that is just in fantasy books and stories. All we know is that we exist, not how.

[aetherialshackles]

They are. People in my world are able to see them and, in some rare cases, even interact with them. My father was one of those talented people. He created life with a level of skill I could only admire.

[OH, how things changed from the days he hated Lahabrea...]

Magic is real where I come from and something took us here. The fact so many of us were either dead or dying may mean something in this case.

[icanhearscreams]

[He wants to ask what this person means by 'creating life', but he's starting to get a headache already.]

Maybe it does have to do with something. Or maybe whatever runs this place is seeing this as some kind of 'rescue' for us.