The group prepared themselves to leave the cave and took up their usual positions. Azuriel took the lead during this movement with Bard close behind. Sam was once again placed in the middle of the group as they exited the cave. The group backtracked toward the canyon they had exited from but then continued, keeping the rock formation on their right. They continued to move through a series of rock formations and open fields. They would repeatedly increase their pace in the open and slow again once they were guarded on at least one side by the rock walls. Sam could tell they had kept the battle to their right during this time and could no longer hear any sounds from the battle after about ten minutes. They maintained this pattern for another twenty minutes when the landscape started to change. The last rock wall abated and opened onto another field. This field started as sandy ground with a sparse amount of the same purple shrubs; however, about three hundred yards across, the orange ground started to give way to spots of green grass. There were only a few of the rock formations left at this point scattered around the field. The formations were smaller and shorter than they had been previously. At the far end of the field, Sam could even see a few trees sprouting out of the ground and the horizon had turned green from the grass. In the distance, he also noticed that the terrain started to elevate into a small set of hills followed by two looming mountains. He couldn’t see any other people in the field but did notice several animals amongst the grassy areas. They were still too far away for any detail but would equate them with deer.

It was at this point that the group’s demeanor started to relax slightly. Azuriel still took the lead scanning the area around him. The archers on either side lowered their bows, and Alannah moved closer to Sam. She smiled at him as she approached.

“We have moved away from the battle. We will keep alert, but we are unlikely to run into any groups this far north. We are still a day from the base camp, and we’ll find somewhere to settle for the night after a few more hours of traveling. I know we have denied you explanations and answers for most of the day, but we can discuss things now if you’d like.” Sam wasn’t sure which questions to ask first. Alannah took his hesitation as an invitation to continue speaking. “Why don’t I just start as basic as I can, and we can build from there? As Azuriel mentioned, you are on Eternity’s Gate. It’s a world that connects to other worlds as well as the spiritual realms. There are three worlds that connect to this place. You are familiar with Earth and that’s where all of us come from except Azuriel.” She paused for a moment to make sure Sam was keeping up with the conversation.

“And Azuriel comes from Heaven?” Sam asked. Alannah nodded her head in response.

“The other worlds are Lazantine and Aerwald. When sentient beings die on their world, their souls are brought to this place. Usually, a soul would arrive via a gate of transference. These are located within towns around the world. A soul usually has an alignment based on the person’s previous life and their soul’s alignment determines which gate they arrive at. For example, if you are more aligned with God, then you would arrive in one of the towns within Heaven’s kingdom. If you had no alignment or your soul is torn between different forces, you would arrive at one of the unclaimed towns. This world is inherently different than Earth. Normally, after a soul arrives at one of the gates, it goes through an orientation process to help adjust to the new world. This involves obtaining an avatar as well as explaining how the new world works.”

“What do you mean ‘obtain an avatar’?” Sam asked not understanding.

“Our souls enter this world without a physical form. Once here, the spiritual energy of this world creates a physical representation of our souls. These are called avatars. They are similar to our bodies on Earth but have some drastic differences. We do not relive childhood here. Our avatars start around age twenty-five. They are sustained with food or spiritual energy. Our avatars are usually a representation of how we see ourselves.”

“The bodies just appear around us?” Sam asked again.

“This world holds an increased amount of energy in it. This has to do with its proximity to the spiritual realms. Energy leaks through the connections and fills this world. People bring through a small amount of energy when they come to Eternity’s Gate as well. All of this energy accumulates on Eternity’s Gate. The closest thing I can compare this to is magic. It allows amazing things to happen and the energy, or magic, helps sustain life and is used in almost everything we do. This creates the avatars for us. You’ll find that outside of the spiritual energy, this world is very much like Earth. Most of the same rules that applied on Earth, like gravity, apply here too. The only different is you can use magic to negate some of those rules temporarily.”

As they walked, they passed from the orange sand to the greener landscape. The air felt slightly cooler here, and he could tell they had started to walk at a slight upward slope. The first trees were only about a hundred yards in the distance off to his right. Smaller rodents skittered around the ground and occasionally dropped out of sight into underground tunnels. The creatures were only the size of a typical mouse and moved quickly along the ground. They were a mix of green and brown which made them hard to pick out amongst the taller grasses. There were quite a few of them across the open field, but they gave the travelling group a wide birth, skittering off well before the group approached.

“So, this isn’t my usual body?” Sam asked staring down at himself. He grabbed a small handful of his gut that was underneath the armor and jiggled it. He shook his head and wishfully said, “I would have hoped I had a better image of myself, but I guess I have truly embraced the dad bod.”

Alannah chuckled at the comment but shook her head at the same time. “I don’t think you have an avatar body. If Azuriel was right, that means you didn’t die to get here but instead were brought here from Earth intact. Your body is still your body.” Sam wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or if he would have rather had an intact avatar that would allow him to look however he wanted. “Even if this is your original body, it will still improve as your soul improves.”

“How does my soul improve?” Sam asked with confusion crossing his face again.

“As your soul absorbs energy in this world, it will continue to strengthen itself and improve. Our souls have tiers of strength. As the soul moves to a new tier, it gives us more access to the spiritual energy around us. We absorb the spiritual energy of things we kill. The purest form of that energy comes from animals, beasts, and mindless monsters. They are almost pure energy.” Alannah noted. “You also gain a small amount of energy from killing sentient beings, but since their souls are misaligned most of the dark energy is just released into the world.”

“That is mostly correct,” Azuriel noted. He had fallen back from leading the group to join the two in their discussion. One of the unique aspects of being a living anomaly is that his soul can absorb all energies regardless of alignment.”

“I did feel something when I killed the dog, but I felt a stronger sensation when I killed that man.” Sam noted with a saddened expression. “I’ve never killed anyone before.”

“You should not feel guilty about taking that one’s life. He would not have hesitated to take your life given the chance.” Azuriel stated. “It is always saddening to remove life from the world, but this is not like Earth. You will be forced to make many hard decisions that affect your life and the lives of those around you.”

“I almost feel guilty that I don’t feel guilty about killing someone. I’ve been around death plenty before and maybe that has hardened my reactions.” Sam said seemingly questioning his own logic as he said it. “Why would those people attack us? If Hell is as bad as people think it is on Earth, why would anyone try to be aligned with it?”

“It all comes down to power.” Azuriel said, a sadness settling into his tone as he spoke. “Hell is different than most of the people on Earth believe. There have been many prophets, agents of God, that have helped sway Earth away from Hell in the past. Those prophets painted a picture of Hell as an ultimatum to living a good life. Hell is much more complex than that. There is torture and despair plenty for certain types of people. But mainly, Hell is a hierarchal society with the upper tiers enjoying power, debauchery, and other sinful matters. The allure of this lifestyle is what pulls most people in. The promise of an increase in power is also a strong motivator. Demons have the means to advance the soul strength of their followers if they prove themselves. This lie attracts people in mass, but the majority of people pulled into Hell’s forces are either used as slaves or sacrifices for the demons and other more powerful souls on Eternity’s Gate.” There was a pause in the conversation as Sam considered this.

“Well, how do I know when my soul improves?” Sam asked.

“You will feel a rush of energy. You feel a small rush every time you absorb more energy but when your soul is ready to move to the next tier, you will feel an overwhelming sensation of pure energy.”  Alannah said. Azuriel and Alannah walked quietly beside him as he considered this. “You will also gain abilities as your soul improves. These abilities depend on your choices throughout your life before the soul upgrade and on the soul path you ultimately choose.”

“How do I know what abilities I have?” Sam asked.

“It almost seems like an innate feeling. A skill or habit that you have always had. Your mind is just aware of this new ability as well as what it can do.” Alannah answered. “Rarely, you don’t have to wait for a soul upgrade to get an ability. Some people enter this world and have abilities based on their previous lives. For example, I worked with animals, and I came into this world with the ability to interact with beasts.” Sam considered this and spent a few moments looking inward. His mind drifted toward a singular thought. He thought about healing which wasn’t odd for him since he had been a doctor until yesterday. The more he thought about it, he felt an urge to heal his wound.

“I just keep thinking about healing my wound. I guess because I was a doc on Earth” Sam stated. Alannah caught her breath slightly and grew excited.

“That’s great news” she said. “Are you just thinking about fixing it like you would have back on Earth?”

“Not really. I just want to ‘heal’ it. As weird as that sounds.” Sam said shrugging.

“Healing abilities are rare outside of that being your chosen path. It comes in handy in warrior classes to be able to heal on the go and not depend on making it to a healer. Let’s try something.” Alannah looked to Azuriel who surveyed the area around them.

“Let’s make camp just under that clump of trees over there,” Azuriel announced to the group. The group nodded their assent and started angling toward the closest copse of trees. Sam hadn’t noticed the light start to fade, and it seemed to be moving closer to dusk. The trees were similar to oak trees that Sam was used to in Texas. There were four trees relatively close together with their branches intertwining higher in the air. The trees themselves reached close to ten yards high. There was enough space underneath the branches to stand upright, even for Azuriel. The trees provided a nice level of shade that lowered the perceived temperature even further. Alannah walked with Sam toward the left most tree and they sat down at the trunk. Although he had compared the trees to oaks earlier, as he came closer, he realized the outside of the tree was quite smooth with black lines running along it, giving a perception of bark. The tree was also warm to the touch. When he pulled his hand away at the warmth, he noticed the tree’s skin had formed a pale imprint of his hand. The imprint faded slowly as he watched, and he was reminded that he was not on Earth anymore. Alannah sat next to him, staring at him patiently.

“So how does this work?” Sam asked, breaking the silence. “How do I know if I can heal something? Do I have to chant or move my hands in a certain pattern?” Sam asked not certain how to magically heal something or even if he could.

Alannah shook her head at the idea. “We aren’t in a movie or a video game. It’s nothing as flashy as all that. You said you were a doctor before?”

“Yeah,” Sam said, nodding in response.

“Since you the know the body, you just put your hand over the area you want to heal and focus your energy on fixing the injury. First, focus on your soul and then concentrate on moving that energy within your soul into your arm, down your hand, and out your palm. Once the energy starts to flow, just focus on the injury itself and repairing it how you would if you were in the hospital again.” At this she reached over and helped him unfasten the leather armor and slid it over his head. His left shoulder started to burn again, and he felt the pain further down his arm than he had before. He then pulled his shirt over his head as well. Looking down at his body, he noticed that he was a little more toned that he had previously been. He was looking more like he did in his earlier thirties when he was actively training for triathlons. He still had a bit of a paunch, but it had receded slightly compared to the full-on dad bod he had been rocking for the past several years. That gut had only worsened since losing his family. His wife was the one that kept him in decent shape before. He shook his head at realizing he had gotten distracted. He turned his attention to the wound. The same three puncture wounds were located around his left shoulder. They did not appear too deep and likely stopped just inside the muscle sheath. The wound looked worse; however, and the starburst pattern of black lines had extended toward his neck and down his left arm to the level of the lower half of his bicep. The lines also wrapped down into his armpit. He grimaced as he looked at the severity of the wound.

Sam closed his eyes to try and focus his mind. He wasn’t quite sure how to focus on his soul, so he just focused on the inside of his body. He could feel a small amount of energy fluctuating in his chest. He felt it move into his body, and he became aware of a small amount of circulation. Now, he attempted to move that central energy toward his arm. He smiled as he felt it working. Once he became aware of the energy flow, it was easy to manipulate where it went, and he found himself pushing it into his right arm and down into his hand. The next step was to make a grisly wound just disappear with a thought. He focused on fixing the injury several times, but the energy just stopped at his hand and didn’t go anywhere. Then he focused on just pushing the energy out of his body at his palm, but this yielded no results either.

Alannah had been watching him work at this for a few moments. She leaned over and repeated her prior comment in a soft voice so as not to totally interrupt his concentration. “You have to repair the injury like you normally would.” Sam thought for a moment about how he would go about healing this injury if it had arrived in his emergency room.

The wound obviously had an infection associated with it. I would start by assessing the patient for signs of sepsis. He turned his focus onto his body again and did not feel like his heart rate was too fast, he did not feel feverish, and he did not feel lightheaded like he might pass out. Good, he thought to himself. No signs of sepsis yet. Without sepsis, it was a matter of cleaning the wound and getting started on antibiotics. He didn’t have any antibiotics, so he thought about what those accomplished. Antibiotics killed off the invading organisms that were in the wound and the surrounding tissue. I’ll focus on killing the infection first and then follow up with cleaning the wound and then closing the skin. With a plan in place, he returned the energy from his soul into his hand. He placed his right hand over the puncture marks in his left shoulder. He focused on using the energy like antibiotics. It took a few moments but then he started to feel his shoulder relax slightly. He watched as the black lines started to retreat as if pushed back by an unseen force. He continued his concentration until the lines had been completely removed from his skin and all that was left were three puncture wounds. They still had a small amount of black pus bubbling at the level of the skin. He changed tactics and started to focus on pushing the pus out of his body. Again, he was amazed as the infection pushed out with ease. His mind then went to closing the deeper layers, followed by the skin. After a few minutes of focusing his energy like this, he noticed that there was no burning sensation left in his shoulder and he could freely move it without pain. Using the edge of his shirt, he wiped away the black pus that had been pushed out of the wounds and was elated to find that his skin was completely intact. It was almost as if the wound had never happened.

Alannah was watching him during this process and an excited smile spread across her face as she watched him repair the wound and grin with pride after wiping away the pus. “You’re a quick learner,” she said. “You’ll want to keep using your skills as often as possible. The more you use the skill, the less energy it takes to perform it and the more you can accomplish. That applies to all your skills, not just the innate one you have now. Using skills like this sap some of your soul’s spiritual energy. You can replenish it with rest. There are other ways that will replenish it faster, but we can discuss that later. For now, you’ve had a long day. Let’s get some food and we can settle in for the night.” At that, she stood and moved toward the rest of the group that had gathered between the other trees. He put his bloodied shirt back on but left the armor laying against the tree. He stood and moved toward the group. He was shocked to see that the group had laid out bedrolls under the branches of the trees. They had also set up a small table between the bed rolls. The table seemed to be made from the wood of the trees around them. On top of the table were four different metal platters, each with a different type of food. One platter held a meat that seemed to be freshly roasted. It was covered in herbs and the juices of the meat still pooled around the meat itself. Two of the platters held what appeared to be fruit. There were items comparable to grapes as well as apples. The grapes were almost identical, but the apples had a rougher skin that the group had been peeling off prior to eating. The last platter held some sort of grain that was green in color. The platters were accompanied by serving ware and a stack of small wooden plates. Each person in the party also had their canteens out. Sam stared at the group, confusion once again marring his face.

“Where did all this stuff come from?” Sam asked, trying to understand. Sanders smiled at him and got off his bedroll.

“You still have a lot to learn about this place,” he said. Sanders stopped a few feet from Sam and put his hand near his belt. Sam felt like more was going to happen, but he was just standing there. Suddenly, Sanders was holding the large double-sided axe from the earlier battle. “Now you see it.” Before Sam could ask what happened, the axe disappeared. Just as quickly, it was replaced by a sword. “Now you don’t.” He repeated this process a few times. Sanders’ smile grew as Sam’s confused look intensified. “It’s magic,” Sanders said as he walked back to the group.

“It’s a storage bag infused with spiritual energy,” Lucas explained. “Craftsman can make all kinds of things in this world and if they use the right combination of skills and spiritual energy, simple items can be extraordinary. The best way to look at it is the bag has an extra-dimensional space and can hold far more than the external size of it.”

“It’s not just bags either. The same can be done with rings and pockets but the smaller the item, the more difficult it is to infuse with a large space.” Alannah chimed in.

“More difficult means more credits. Only rich people get the cool dimensional items. You’re lucky though. The bag you got off your first kill is actually a dimensional bag as well,” Sanders said still chuckling at his earlier magic show. They explained how to use the bag and it was like his skills. He only had to focus his spiritual energy on the item while touching it and he could sense the items inside. Then, he would just focus on one item, and it would appear in his hand. He had retrieved both the armor and the bag from the tree he was near earlier. The others continued eating as they watched Sam move things in and out of the bag. Each time, the smile on his face would grow a little wider. After playing with his new items for a few minutes, he returned to the group and got himself a plate of food. The group had changed its focus from him, and they were now discussing things amongst themselves. Most of the topics were surrounding today’s events except Sanders who was critiquing the food. Azuriel was slowly walking around the outside of their makeshift camp scanning the area for enemies. Sam picked at the food on his plate, enjoying the taste but not having too much of an appetite.

Conversation slowly died down as the group laid on their bedrolls. Sam borrowed a bedroll from Sanders after learning that he carried two around. Lucas had told Sam that Sanders had an extra one and Sanders made a big point of telling him that it wasn’t extra. He just enjoyed laying on two bedrolls because he didn’t sleep as well without the extra cushion. Sam thanked Sanders and lay down on the mat. Even with night falling, the temperature was still moderate. Sam felt comfortable in his clothes laying on top of the mat. He had positioned his mat under one of the trees, closer to the edge of the branches so he could look up into the sky. Parts of the sky reminded him of home as a multitude of stars had lit up the night. There were foreign elements in the sky as well with three separate moons. One of the moons was similar to his moon but the other two had a red and green hue. They were all about the same size but remained separated as if chasing each other across the night sky. The number of stars reminded him of when he had seen the sky in Yellowstone Park. The lack of extra light had allowed the stars to shine their brightest. His mind edged its way deeper into his memories and soon he was thinking about his family again. The Yellowstone trip had been one of their favorite family trips. Life always found a way to remind him of what he had lost. Always leaving him like he had been kicked in the chest. He laid there for another hour, swimming in despair, before exhaustion overwhelmed his anxious mind.

            Sam’s dreams took him back four years ago to the Yellowstone trip with his family. They had been planning the trip for a year, trying to bring together extended family as well. It had finally happened. They travelled to Yellowstone in June and were shocked to still see snow on the ground in some areas. The kids had only rarely seen snow before at ages five and seven. Even before getting into the park itself, they had pulled off to the side of the road for a quick snowball fight. The kids’ laughter reverberated through the trees as they played. The dream sped further into the trip. Everyone was sitting around a large bonfire. Sam’s wife was organizing a s’more station while Sam gave off tips on how to perfectly roast the marshmallow. Sam’s daughter was studying his technique intently, determined at age seven, to be the best marshmallow roaster that ever lived. His son was just enjoying catching the marshmallows on fire and then blowing it out really quick. Laughter drifted around the fire while everyone was talking and enjoying their s’mores. The dream moved forward again to a later night in the trip. They had driven the truck away from the hotel into a more secluded part of Yellowstone. The kids were giggling in the back seat as they found the perfect spot. They were already up well past their bedtime, hoping to get a pristine view of the night sky. The evening had been perfect with barely any clouds in the sky. They found a small loop on the side of the road and pulled over. The family piled out of the car, bundled in gloves, hats, and heavy coats despite it being summertime. A thick sleeping bag was unfolded and laid across the truck bed. Everyone climbed into their positions, looking up at the sky. Sam covered the family with another large blanket. They laid there for over an hour watching the sky slowly light up from all the stars. His son spotted the first star of the night, and his daughter was able to point out Orion’s belt. Eventually, the kids fell asleep in the truck bed while Sam and his wife continued to enjoy the serene night. The memory faded and was replaced by another one.

Laughter greeted him from the back seat. He held his wife’s hand as they rested their arms on the middle console. He was in the driver’s seat of his truck, and they were heading down a two-lane highway on their way home from the beach. Oldies were playing on the radio as he tapped his left hand on the steering wheel in rhythm with California Girls by the Beach Boys. He turned his head to look at his wife as she spoke to him. He looked back to the road in time to see a white SUV jump the median just in front of them. He didn’t even have time to move his foot to the brake before slamming into the oncoming vehicle. He startled awake, finding himself in his usual cold sweat laying on top of the bedroll.

He saw that only the red tinged moon was still in the sky. The green moon had completely disappeared, and he could just see the edge of the white moon at the horizon. He surveyed the camp and noticed everyone was still asleep and there was a resounding snoring noise coming from Sanders. Azuriel was sitting at the edge of camp with his back against the outer most tree. He was awake and occasionally scanned the area for any threats. Sam shook off the cold sweat but the emotional drain from these nights could stick with him for hours. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and he quickly moved over to stand next to Azuriel. “Your slumber was a restless event, Samuel. Do the day’s events still weigh heavily on you?”

“No, my sleep issues started well before I arrived here,” Sam muttered. “I lost my family eight months ago. I haven’t really slept well since.” Sam paused. He had a question to ask but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer. “Azuriel, how do you know which souls end up here and which souls go directly to the spiritual realm?”

Azuriel turned his head to look at Sam with compassion in his eyes. “You are asking me if there is a way to know if your family is here on Eternity’s Gate. The answer is not simple unfortunately. If a soul ascends directly into a higher spiritual realm, they retain all their memories. They are reunited with their loved ones and no longer face the strife of the mortal worlds. This world is more of a waystation for those souls that were not aligned with their god. This place serves more as a second chance to choose your path and attempt to reach paradise. One of the curses of ending up on this world is losing the ones you loved in your previous life. By this, I mean your soul remembers broad details from your life before, but it is unable to retain specific memories such as your wife and kids. If they did end up here, there is no way to find them. Occasionally, people will cross paths with someone from their former life and be reunited. If this occurs, memories can be regained. This is rare, however. Let us pray that your family ascended to Heaven and are at peace, awaiting you there.”

Sam thought on this a moment. “Is there a way for me to find out if they made it to Heaven? Or a way to communicate with them?”

“Unfortunately, no. There is no direct way for you to check on their status. Beings of the higher realms, such as myself, will occasionally traverse the link between the realms and they could determine if your family is there. This does not occur very often; however, and we only move between realms at the beginning and end of our assignment here.”

“So, you came from Heaven? What’s it like?” Sam asked.

“I did. I have been in this realm for over a hundred years. We come for a period of two hundred years to assist the souls of this world in ascending to Heaven.” Azuriel noted. “It is our duty to help where we can, but I do miss Heaven. I pray that you see it one day, Samuel. Heaven is more than any being can possibly imagine. I have experienced it but even I cannot put its description into words. People’s religious beliefs are something that are transferred with them to Eternity’s Gate. I have discussed religion with many different people as they enter this world. I am sad to say that Earth’s view of God and Heaven has strayed from reality. Despite so many different religions on Earth, there is in fact only one God. All people seem to think their god is the God. They are all correct and incorrect at the same time. God, in his infinite wisdom and love, knew that people would look to different higher powers due to their limited understanding of the universe. He presents himself to them in different ways but always with a message of love.” Sam remained silent for a time and Azuriel was content to sit beside him and let his new companion work through his thoughts. As Sam continued to ruminate on this last discussion, he slowly steeled his resolve.

“I know they made it. What do I have to do to get there?”

“To move from this world to one of the spiritual realms requires the same thing it did on Earth. Your soul must be aligned with the spiritual realm you hope to join. Your soul is judged at the moment of your death and if aligned, you will be permitted to enter that realm. If it is not aligned, your spiritual energy will rejoin the universe and your soul will enter oblivion and cease to exist. Your spiritual alignment is not just something you choose, but a reflection of your thoughts, words, actions, and the culmination of your life on this planet. I will assist you with this where I can, but first we must talk with the commander.” The two talked further on the link between the origin worlds, Eternity’s gate, and the spiritual realms. Every answer Azuriel gave seemed to lead to two more questions in Sam’s mind as he tried to figure out this new reality. They talked for a couple of hours before the red tinged moon, which was called Rojen, slipped behind the mountain range in the distance. The other two moons were Niven for the green tinged moon and Alita for the more familiar white moon. They were reflections of the moons associated with each of the three planets connected to Eternity’s Gate. The sun had also started its ascent from the east as it climbed over the horizon spilling an orange glow across the field. The rest of the crew started to wake as the light grew.