Prologue
When I opened my eyes, I was somewhere I never thought I’d be again.
My throne room.
But how? I’d been on the battlefield, run through with a sword, bleeding out on the ground. I’d managed to defeat the Demon King, but it had come at a cost. And Edwin— A sob caught in my throat. My Edwin was…
I tried to numb my bleeding heart, because I had to think right now. I could grieve my Edwin later. I was in the throne room. Why was I back here? I should either be dying or in the afterlife. So why here?
I hated even sitting here. This throne had come at a steep price, costing me every bit of personal happiness I may have attained. It had robbed me of everything, including my life. Bile rose in my throat.
Even as I sensed the feeling of padded velvet under me, I realized something was wrong. This looked like the throne room, superficially, with the massive columns lining the room and the picture windows all along the right wall. But therewere no people, no sense of life. No sunlight streamed through the windows, and the colors of the banners were wrong. The normally bright red banners with the golden phoenix were muted, almost sepia toned. This was a mimicry of that hellish place. Fortunately. Still, I stood quickly and walked off the dais, not wanting even a phantom memory under me.
Why was I here?
From the corner of my eye, I saw a ball of bright light appear. I turned my head to watch as it grew incrementally in size the closer it floated to me. Strange, how easy that turning motion had been. Years of war had taken a toll on my body, leaving chronic pain and injuries that hadn’t fully healed before the next battle took place.
A tentative relief took hold. I must’ve died after all. If that was truly the case, then I could rejoin Edwin. It meant the sorry life I’d lived was over and done with. I wouldn’t have to deal with my hateful wife, the sorrows of war, or the demands of state ever again. Perhaps it was finally over?
The light coalesced into a form with trailing robes around its feet and a staff in one hand that extended above its head. A few more steps, and the figure became more distinct still, with a discernible nose, eyes, and mouth. A beautiful woman stood before me, platinum-blonde hair trailing over her shoulders to her waist, dressed completely in white from head to toe except for accents of gold in the belt around her waist, the staff, and a choker about her throat. The dress was simple in design, short at the knees and bare at her shoulders. For some reason it looked familiar, like I’d seen it in a depiction somewhere?
She smiled at me, the expression so joyous and excited I felt compelled, almost, to smile back. “James. Are you ready?” she asked, her voice rich and resonant.
In a flat second, I realized who she must be. “You do not look like a grim reaper. An angel?”
“Yes,” she confirmed with a light, airy laugh. “Only those who must reincarnate are escorted by a grim reaper to the place of rebirth. You do not need to do so. You have proven yourself time and again in this life.”
Growing up as a child of Zuskal, I knew the tenets of the religion by heart. When a person had successfully managed every Task they had been given by the gods, then they were done. They could be escorted to Paradise and not need to be reborn again to complete any failed Tasks.
A bitter, pained laugh tumbled from my lips. “You think this life was a success?”
Her smile faltered, expression sliding into confusion. “What do you mean? You saved this country from utter ruin. You killed the Demon King, a Task most aren’t even capable of. You’re the best king this country has ever had. Because of your rule, your benevolence, you saved millions of lives.”
“I was a miserable sack of pain for nearly a decade. I failed to protect or show love to the one man who mattered most to me.I lost Edwinand wasn’t even able to bury him, to grieve him, because of that damn Demon King! I was forced into a marriage with a woman I hated, and I spent most of said marriage fighting for my life. You consider that asuccess?”
Her expression morphed into one of compassion. “All you did came at a great cost. We recognize your sacrifice. It’s why you are promised Paradise now. A life with no pain, no trials, awaits you.”
“Will he be there?”
“The man you love? No. He has not acquired Paradise yet.”
I closed my eyes as despair raged through me. Here I had hoped I could rejoin Edwin, but even that was denied me. Tears welled in my eyes as I choked out, “Then it is not Paradise to me.”
Now she grew frustrated. “James. You can’t just sit here and not go.”
“The hell I can’t.” The stubbornness that had served me well in life surged to the fore as I stared her down. The time in my life when I bent myself into knots pleasing others had well passed. “If Edwin hasn’t finished his Task yet, fine. I’ll wait for him right here.”
Her jaw dropped in horror. “Wait, wait, that’s not possible. He failed his Task—he has to start the incarnation path all over again. He has to be assigned a wholly new Task. That could be hundreds of years!”
“So be it.”
We stared at each other, a silent battle of wills, for a full minute. Then she slammed her staff against the tiles—which would have broken them if they had been real—before throwing her head back. “A supervisor, please.”
Angels had supervisors? Now, that was funny. I almost smiled.
In barely a second, another being landed right next to her. This woman was dressed much the same, but she stood a head taller, her body shaped more like a warrior. Her ruby red lips pursed in thoughtful speculation.
“James. Will you really refuse to go unless Edwin goes with you?”
