The time has come. At the last moment of a hero's life comes the relief, or ever present fear of the darkness. The cold embrace of Lord, and or Lady Death as they welcome their newest companion into the next phase of their life. It is a thing that everyone must go through but some lives are harder than the rest. They who have experienced a need for justice, revenge, or and have experienced a life of struggle for the people. As the darkness embraces them however they are suddenly jerked out of it. As if awakening from a dream they awaken in a windowless room that seems familiar. However it is clearly not the same if not for the lack of a familiar feeling associated with the room they find themselves in, then the fact that their last act was clearly them dying. And not just that but they lack any bodily feelings. There is no tiredness, no pain, or even usual medical issues that some may find like headaches, or back pain. There is an eerie silence, and lack of human connection to these rooms.

And once they find themselves slowly adjusted to the room a polite but firm knock comes from the door from the hallway. But no voice calling after them.

Discomfort, at first, not from any physical sensation but a twisting sensation deep in the gut. Discomfort, an ache from a singing burn that was hastily covered in a cold gel, a tearing pain across the chest.

Fire.

Then there was nothing, at least for a little while. Only darkness, and a floating void. It wrapped around like a comforting blanket, cool and gentle with a reassuring feeling that everything was finally over-

Then it was nothing again, but different.

Since now, Claire could move again. Could sit up, blinking slowly at the familiar ceiling. She could feel the leaves brushing past her arms as she did so, but at the same time it was an almost phantom feeling, as though she couldn't really feel it.

Blink, blink. Finally the Dullahan twisted around at the waist to pick up her head that had been left behind, balancing it precariously on her neck before the swirling smoke curled around itself to attach firmly.

"... Huh," was the first word out of Claire's mouth, lips curled upwards in an ever present grin. All around her there were vines, leaves, trees. Even beneath her was a soft bed of moss and leaves, familiar and comforting. Yet strange.

There was not the usual scent of her "room" in the feywilds, brimming with magic and the leafy vegetation that bloomed all around. Instead it was only a faint presence, a phantom of the usual, like ... like the flavoring in a La Croix sparkling water. There were no birds happily chirping away, no sound of Morena's hound happily panting away as he dug holes nearby, not even the huffing breaths of her ever present protector-

"Thanatos!" Claire surged up, eyes flicking this way and that. There were plenty of shadows, in the forest-made room. It was one of her biggest requests, after all! Since if anyone would never leave her side, it would be her steed. "Thanatos!" The call was more urgent this time, but still no familiar presence. The shadows remained still and quiet, not even a wisp of shadows or a single clop of hooves.

The feel of a muscular body beneath her, the dark mane comforting against her fingers before she lifted her head high into the sky. Her own name, falling from her lips, then the sharp whistle of descending death and the fire, fire, fire...

Knock.

Claire paused, having been in the act of yanking her very head off to almost throw into the shadows looking for her mount. Slowly she tilted her neck to look in the direction of the sound, eyes nearly rolling in her head unnaturally.

"... Come in?" She finally tried, but when no response was forthcoming the brunette glanced side to side.

She shrugged.

Pushing away a wall of vine of leaves revealed the door, pristine white and clamly waiting.

"What a time to disappear, Thanatos." The girl muttered lowly before grasping onto the doorknob. The thought vaguely entered her head that if she had died, Thanatos might not have - being that he was already dead. "This better be you showing me you learned how to knock..."

It wasn't.

Breath in. Come on. Breath. Breathing...

She really needed to remind herself of it. It hurt like hell. The constant feeling of suffocating, combined with the burning, stabbing, aching from the wounds. And oh hell, she already was on some rather good potions to eliminate the pain. Her last request. She knew it. Fix me up, need to get going. The words alone had taken more strength than anything else she could remember. But they did. They stopped the bleeding - as far as possible. They gave her a splint for her leg and a cane and some potions.

She walked out. She was nowhere near a straight line, but she walked out.

She picked the letter to her brother from her belongings, handing it to one of the blue arrows. It would only reach him after her death. Afterwards she left for the sea. It was a little climb down a very stony side to get to cave. Her vision blurred ad she needed to stop from time to time. The constant pain was awful, but the sharp stings from her swaying walk were worse.

A hand grabbed her. She smiled. She knew the wiry man in front of her, albeit making him out became difficult. He went to her side, effectively walking on thin air. At least the pain subsided slightly. Going down to the cave none of them uttered a word. Lea sank down in the sand and tried to take her shoes of, just to feel darkness creeping in and immense pain just from bending down. A smile escaped her when he took them of, making the waves wash over her feet. She leaned back against a rock, feeling his hand on her head.

"I am sorry."

Her smile stayed while she looked over the shore "Things happen. I knew what I signed up for... albeit you never gave me something to sign."

She turned silent again "I forgot to write on the letter where I am, if you could be kind enough to point him here."
A nod and both went silent again. She stopped forcing herself to breath and did not fight the creeping darkness any longer. She lost the feeling of the waves washing against her feet and at last the sound of the sea.

Then she awoke again. For a moment she just laid on the small, well-known bed and felt... nothing. Well that was not unusual. She sat up and took a look around, but the ceiling had already given it away. She was in the small hut she had been long years ago. Somewhere in the middle of the woods, but none could be seen as there were no windows. The real hut had windows - this was just a remake. A refuge created in her own mind, deep down. Deep enough to fool those trying to enter her thoughts. Secure enough to lockaway anything from the personality she pretended to be at the moment.
And a place to meet those who were allowed in. The familiar desk was there, the chests. The shelves, stuffed with smaller chests and flasks and pergaments.

Lea stood up and not feeling excruciating pain was refreshing, albeit pain had never been something she could feel here. And still something was odd. She could not pin it down. Slowly she went around, inspecting the flasks and things around. Was she missing anything? What...

She jerked when someone knocked at the door and spun around. For a while she just stared. Why was there a door?!

The real hut had had windows and a door - but besides from the bed and fireplace had been fairly empty. Her hut had no door. It was not meant to be entered!

Was this the afterlife? Her ... test? She tried to remember what would normally, per the sayings, happen to the dead but she found no answer.

After a while of starring she took a deep breath and a last look around "I hope your brother does hold no grudge against me." She took a strand of her hair, wrapped it around the rest to keep it out of her eyes and open the door to step out into the unknown.

Quiet.

It wasn't something Edward was used to. Noise had followed him wherever he had gone since he'd been a boy. But not here. Here the silence was eerie, almost oppressive. Or maybe that was just his ears still ringing from the final detonation. No, on second thought it was definitely just utterly soundless in here. And for that matter there was no color in the walls or ceiling either.

"Hello?" he called as he sat up from the floor where he lay. His voice echoed as though he were in an empty concert hall, but no reply came. Was this the afterlife, then? He certainly died, there was no getting around that, he thought as he rose to his feet. As he looked around, he realized why his voice had echoed so- the room was and empty concert hall, the one he'd performed in on many occasions. But it wasn't quite the same, and it wasn't just the paintjob that told him that.

"What's going on here?" he asked to nobody. To his surprise, a knock from one of the backstage doors answered him. Out of shock he whirled around and, on pure instinct made to call Lucy to his hands- and to his further surprise she came, appearing out of thin air. But something wasn't quite right. He could feel no power within her, felt that he would not be able to use her to wield the sound, at least not yet. Still, his guitar's presence in his hands was a comfort, and he began to slowly stride toward the door. Which, he only noticed as he got closer, had a knob instead of its typical pushbar.

"Something is definitely weird here," Edward said warily, "And damn if I'm not going to find out what!" he declared as he grabbed the knob and flung wide the door...!

In front of all of the heroes gathered in their rooms appears a male who looked no older than his mid 20's to thirties. He wore a white dress jacket, pants and sported a blue undershirt. A red tie hung from his neck. His hair was almost white but he was still blonde enough to retain some color. Some may have even called him handsome if he didn't exclude an apparently innately cold aura. Just standing near him felt as if they weren't in a normal comfortable room but a cave. On his head sat a similarly white fedora. His cold white eyes stared at the person in front of them, and he gave them all a professional smile. He bowed his head to them, and spoke with a clear unaccented voice. "Why hello there hero...I suppose you're wondering where you are? I am here to introduce you to...well a variant of the after life. Whatever your last memories were, and how you died does not concern me." He said moved out of the way of the door. "If you would follow me I will show you to your destination and reason for your being here. And no its not so trivial as heaven, or hell nor am I demon, and or angel. This is a different place, and I am no grim reaper...they don't exactly get along well with me anyway. My name is not important. But if you must call me something you may call me White. If you have questions they can either wait, or they can be answered quickly. I have nothing of any worth to hide. I am neither from your world, or of it." The man said as he waited for his charge to follow him. The hallway was filled with well lit modern light bulbs, and the doors around them seemed to be shut with no one going about the halls. The halls themselves seemed no different from any hotel, or tavern one may stay at in a city all that there was, was a simple red carpet leading its way down the hall that had multiple breaks in it to go down different corridors.

As the man appeared she just starred at him for a while. She was certain that this was NOT the afterlife as she should have expected it. She did not know much about it but she knew some pointers and this man alone was well outside any of them. She blinked. He was still there. She turned her head, blinked again, turned her head back to him. Still there. The only thing consistent with her expectations was the coldness around them.

She gave a slight nod to his introduction. He was dressed rather strange, from her point of view. Destination... destination was a word she had been hearing more than once. It was not a bad word - but it often meant trouble "Hell?" Another concept she was not familiar with. She stepped outside the room and took a look around. It was foreign to her. The halls themselves reminded her of a tavern or two. The carpet was... foreign. Red was a colour that ws not often used in her region. But what caught her eyes were the light bulbs.

She grrinned and stretched a little, trying to reach one. Surely light fixtures powered with magic were something she had seen before, but these were special. And she could not reach them. For a short moment she contemplated how she could, but her mind snapped back to the severity of the situation

"You effectively snatched me out from my way to afterlife?" Lea was someone to make conclusions rather fast - and often correct. She had been in a comparable situation before. It seldomly meant something overjoyably good. But it offered opportunities.

Turning to him she gestured for him to go on. She was well able to ask questions and follow him around. Especially as she was not keen to wait any more.

As the man appeared she just starred at him for a while. She was certain that this was NOT the afterlife as she should have expected it. She did not know much about it but she knew some pointers and this man alone was well outside any of them. She blinked. He was still there. She turned her head, blinked again, turned her head back to him. Still there. The only thing consistent with her expectations was the coldness around them.

She gave a slight nod to his introduction. He was dressed rather strange, from her point of view. Destination... destination was a word she had been hearing more than once. It was not a bad word - but it often meant trouble "Hell?" Another concept she was not familiar with. She stepped outside the room and took a look around. It was foreign to her. The halls themselves reminded her of a tavern or two. The carpet was... foreign. Red was a colour that ws not often used in her region. But what caught her eyes were the light bulbs.

She grrinned and stretched a little, trying to reach one. Surely light fixtures powered with magic were something she had seen before, but these were special. And she could not reach them. For a short moment she contemplated how she could, but her mind snapped back to the severity of the situation

"You effectively snatched me out from my way to afterlife?" Lea was someone to make conclusions rather fast - and often correct. She had been in a comparable situation before. It seldomly meant something overjoyably good. But it offered opportunities.

Turning to him she gestured for him to go on. She was well able to ask questions and follow him around. Especially as she was not keen to wait any more. The feeling in her stomach already pointed at something and she was anxious to hear what it woudl be.

White stopped, and looked at Lea with a bemused grin on his face as he spoke to her in a slightly amused tone, "Hell? No though some would certainly call it that. But it is only a hell if you make it so. Only those who choose to make themselves suffer force that fate onto themselves. This is a place where people like you choose their own path. But do not mistake that for true freedom. Your options are limited." White said cryptically as he turned on his heel, and made sure to walk down the hallway looking at the floor as he did so. It seemed that he saw something there, or else he was simply too in love with his own feet. "Ha I have the power to snatch you from places but not enough pull you from the grim reaper. As for the afterlife...you world may not even have one. Many here have had places were gods died out, or simply ceased to be such. There may not have been a place for your hapless soul to go. Consider that a possible mercy, or cruelty at your own displeasure. However to answer the question my lord is the one who does such things. He is the one who will allow you to decide your fate. You will not find solace from him. Only choices that you make regarding your own destiny. Be it the void, or your existence. It sounds more complicated than it is really. I am no god merely a steward to a higher being. Think of me as you will I am no more than a guide. I serve to walk a path until I am no longer needed." White told her as he kept leading the way forward not really paying too much attention to Lea.