The Fallen Prince

⋇- 40: Reunion -⋇

Distant voices echoed in the background, desperately calling En's name. Some told him to be strong and believed that he would survive. A particular one sobbed, pleading him not to leave her again, to come back.

En slowly opened his eyes as that particular voice kept begging him to wake up. The first thing he saw was the clear blue sky with some fluffy clouds floating around. Blinking twice, he slowly stood up and a calm breeze blew past him.

When he fully stood up and examined his surroundings, he saw that he was in a field filled with endless tall brown grass that reached his waist. He blinked repeatedly again, not understanding what was going on. He thought he would see the people that were desperately calling him by his side.

"Where am I?" He glanced around with a frown.

No matter which side he would examine, he found nothing besides the endless sea of golden brown grass. It seemed as though he was the only being standing in that awfully quiet place.

"En," a distant voice suddenly filled the silence.

En gazed around, looking for the owner of that soothing voice. As the calm breeze swayed the tall grass, he didn't spot anyone in the area.

"En," persisted the voice.

"Who...?" En rubbed his eye. "Who is calling me?"

"En," the voice called again.

En took a deep breath. With the voice keeping calling him and not seeing anyone nearby, he concluded that he had to walk around to find the owner of that voice and find out what they wanted. But looking at his surroundings, he didn't know where to go. Everywhere he gazed looked the same, it would feel as if he was walking in circles.

"En," the voice called.

En walked forward, telling himself that it didn't matter what path he took, as long as he strolled around he would finally meet the owner of that voice.

The calm breeze kept blowing across the grassy land, messing his obsidian hair a little and for a moment, it relaxed him. He wondered when was the last time he felt at ease like this. In the last months, everything seemed to stress him out.

As he thought of the problems he went through in the last months, En stopped walking. He examined his pale hands, remembering the battle against Shaula and him executing Belinsk. At that point, his body was in intense pain and it was a matter of time until Antares' venom fully consumed him.

He exhaled as he came up with a conclusion of what was going on.

"I'm dead." En relaxed his fingers. "This can only be the afterlife."

He examined his surroundings again. Despite feeling as though he had walked around for a lot of time, it seemed as if he hadn't moved from his original spot.

He sighed, with wonders flooding his mind. Although the afterlife was a mystery to everyone, he was surprised to find himself somewhere after dying. He always thought that after someone died, that was it. There was nothing else for that deceased person, yet here he was standing in a strange field after his body gave up.

"En," the voice called.

En gazed at the horizon, wondering where that person calling him was. He resumed his stroll, hoping to soon find that person.

As he walked for some time, questions raised in his mind. Was this really the afterlife, after all? He didn't know for how long he had wandered around that mysterious land, but by now he should have met other deceased beings, and yet he hadn't seen a single soul around.

Even though he felt bad for leaving pain in the hearts of the people who cared about him, he liked the idea of being in the afterlife. After all, he would meet his paternal grandmother after she passed away almost nine years ago. He would see his father and tell him he was able to become a King, at least for a short time.