“Congratulations. You have died.”

  My heart stood still and my eyes widened as Omegana’s words kept ringing inside my head.

  ‘Died? Me?’ I repeated the words over and over again. I couldn't believe what she said because there is no way a toss like that is enough to kill me.

  “You are joking…right?” I said, even though I forced my lips to smile, my voice came out broken.

  Omegana didn't say anything. She just stood there and looked at me before her gaze drifted to the scenery below.

  My legs gave out and I fell to my knees. My mouth hung open but no words came out. My throat felt so dry that it hurt to even swallow my breath. I couldn't speak a word. I couldn't even cry.

  I watched Omegana as she plucked a marigold flower from the ground and whispered something to it. When she let go of the flower, it floated into the air. The wind carried it and like children the flower circled me once before going back into the sky.

  And there, slowly its petals separated and flew backwards forming a large circle.

  As the petals sped up spinning, a figure appeared inside it. It was a woman with black hair and blue eyes. Her fair skin was enough to make anyone unable to peel their gaze away from. She wore a pretty dress adorned with ribbons.

  Slowly another figure outlined itself near her. A small boy no more than five or six. His black hair neatly combed to the side. His hands never leave the pockets of his pants. His eyebrows furrowed as he pointed at the camera.

  “Maa…and me?” I muttered.

  Slowly the figures faded and another image took form. This time it wasn't a picture, it was…a memory. It was night. Heavy rain and windows made the streets empty. On a sideway bench the girl from before sat. She was drenched in cold rain water. In her lap, a man wearing a black coat.

  She hid his face with a black hat. Suddenly the man's hand fell off the bench. She gently hugged the boy who was leaning against her, sleeping.

  She closed her eyes and raised her head towards the sky, “please, don't take my son away from me too.” She said through her sobs.

  One after another, the memories just keep showing in that circle like they were all recorded. I saw my Maa running to the hospital with me in her arms. I saw her working hard in fields, in her friend's houses and then how she finally got our house for rent.

  I saw my Maa, old and weak, like she is now. She looked at me, her beautiful smile tired from her hardships held me, “Alifaan, even if you are tired and lost, be sure to come back to me at the end of the day. Because, in the end, you will always be my little boy.” She said slowly and clearly.

  With that the petals all scattered away riding the wind. The grey flames in Omegana’s eyes dimmed slightly. Neither me nor her spoke for a long time.

  I kept my head low, “Is there any way I could go back?” I finally asked, breaking the silence.

  Omegana glanced at me before saying, “Yes, there is.” Her answer was short. But it was enough for me to see a new hope. I raised my head and looked at her.

  “But that is not going to be easy.” She said, “You will need to cross the Thana river and enter the Daesphere first.” She paused and looked at me. She waited for a few seconds for me to nod at her.

  “In the Daesphere, you will find your soul. Bring it back here, then you will live.” She continued.

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  ‘I could go back!’ That was how I heard what she said.

  “Wait…my soul? Then what am I right now?” I asked as I couldn't understand how it was possible for me to exist here without my soul.

  “The ‘you’ here right now is just a fraction of your fading consciousness.” She said, “And you will disappear from here if your soul is eaten or if your body is destroyed.”

  My eyes widened as a chill ran deep through my spine. I have to hurry if I want to live. But the problem was I couldn't understand why any of this would happen to me? In a single day, I lost a job, I got robbed, I got beaten up, I almost died, and I finally died now I'm going to retrieve my soul!?

  None of it made any sense. It felt like a dream. No–a nightmare!

  “I will protect your body when you are gone,” Omegana said, “Now then, I will take you to the river.”

  As soon as she said that, a strong wind blew at us. I squinted my eyes to not let any dust go to my eyes.

  The wind soon died out and I remained kneeling before Omegana. As far as eyes could see, marigold flowers swayed in the wind.

  ‘We haven't left yet?’ I was about to ask when a single drop of water fell to my cheeks. I slowly raised my head and looked at the sky.

  My eyes widened at the bizarre scene. In the sky, two streams of water flowed. Both larger than that of the biggest river I have seen. And both flowed in opposite directions.

  The first one flowed to the right from the left and the one above it flowed to the opposite. And in between them a blank space was left touched.

  “The river at the bottom is Thana. Jump, Alifaan.” Omegana said.

  ‘Wait? Jump? How am I supposed to jump into the sky?’ For a moment I hesitated, but I jumped just like she said.

  The moment my legs lifted from the ground, I was immediately carried by the wind. ‘He’ took me and flew around Omegana.

  “How do I get to the Daesphere from the river?” I shouted.

  “You will know. Thana is the entrance.” I heard Omegana’s voice from the wind around me.

  Before I could ask another question, the wind threw me into the river. The moment I entered the water, there were sizzling and hot bubbles rising from me. The water was colder than even the most freezing ice water.

  As I started to shiver, I noticed small orange and red drifting to me. When they get close to me, they stick to my transparent ‘body’.

  Soon, steam and bubbles rose from my body, and the water around me turned slightly warmer. I instinctively looked below, underneath the river the marigold field stood stretched and beautiful. And Omegana was nowhere to be found.

  ‘Shit! What am I supposed to do!?’

  I simply just waited in the water, holding my breath. From afar, a dark figure came closer and closer to me. I held my breath and waited for the creature to attack.

  Soon, it came out into the light. It had no limbs, but a tail and fins.

  ‘A fish!?’ I couldn't believe there was a fish in the spirit world.

  “Calm down, boy.” A deep and calm voice said. The fish swam past me without even stopping or being afraid.

  ‘Who is that!?’

  “Follow me if you want to go to the Daesphere.” The voice said again. I looked around and saw no one except for the fish.

  ‘The fish!?’ I thought to myself as I found myself dumbfounded.

  “Yes! The fish!” The voice shouted again as the fish stopped in its tracks to glance at me. Without wasting another second, I quickly followed the fish.

  We swam in the river for a long time without talking about anything.

  ‘Well, how can I talk to a fish underwater?’ I thought to myself when the fish suddenly turned its head to look at me.

  “I can tell what everyone is thinking when they are in this water.” The fish said, “What is your name, boy?”

  ‘The hell!?...I'm Alifaan Cordi.’ I kept thinking my name to myself.

  “You don't need to think a lot of times. Just once is enough” the fish said with a sigh, “So, Alifaan. I'm called Klepheus.”

  ‘Klepheus..’ For some reason I couldn't get it out of my head. A fish with a name as ancient as that!?

  After swimming for a while longer, Klepheus and I stopped in front of a large iron bar gate. The gate sometimes swayed in the water.

  “The gates of the Daesphere.” Klepheus announced.

  The gate was there right before me, and sometimes it wasn't. It made no sense to the human brain and no one would ever come to trust it. But I knew it was real, because from the last few hours I have seen bizarre events.

  And from what I understood was, the more bizarre it is, the more real it is!

  “Go ahead.” Klepheus said.

  ‘Shouldn’t you open the gates?’ I glanced at the fish for an answer.

  The fish shook its body sideways as if shaking its head in denial, “Since you don't have a physical form, you can go right past it.” Klepheus said.

  I nodded my head in answer.

  “But that would be a different case when you come back from there.” The fish said as it swam to me with something in its mouth, “Take this.”

  ‘What is this?’ I looked at it, turning over and over. But I couldn't figure it out. It looked like a small thorn of some plant.

  “That's my tooth.” Klepheus said, his voice not breaking, not even shy, “When you are done with whatever you are doing in there, break it. You will get back safely.”

  I nodded again before swimming to the gates.

  The moment I passed through the gate, the world stabilized. No longer swaying or disappearing. My transparent self stood floating.

  Suddenly my hands trembled, my eyes widened with fear as my jaw hung open.

  “What the fuck is that?”

  EDIT: I have changed 'spirit world' to 'Daesphere'. It means, dae= death and sphere..just like atmosphere hahaha...