The letter
Leon was once again puzzled. In his mind the vivid conversation he had with his grandchildren happened just a few moments ago, and now he received an offer to fight for his desire, to fight for love, to fight for Irene? As romantic as it sounded it didn't seem like a proper way to solve his predicament. How was sensless violence the 'right' way to do things here? He was just about to inquire more about the so called "Soul war" when the Assistant Overseer began his explanation:
"Soul war was Supreme Overseer's way of helping souls that have endured cleansing in 'Hell' achieve 'enlightenment', and move on to a higher plane without going through a gruesome process of life and death again. Before it was renamed and rebranded it was equivalent to the 'Purgatory' you probably heard of in many of the Earth's religions".
Leon wasn't really satisfied with that explanation so he sought further information.
"But still? Soul war? It is a war isn't it, doesn't all of the God's preaching demand love and peace!?
"That is because peace and love wasn't even his idea, but my own way of cutting my work hours in half since more order means less work for me. Out of all the laws in the universe, entropy grinds my gears the most! That is why I am really proud of the 'peace and love' concept, *haha* it still gives me chuckles... oh and once again it is a SUPREME OVERSEER not a God! 'God' is a concept you humans came up with for who knows what reason. Many of those so called Gods were just overseers in charge of fixing a mess he created in some part of the universe. It was so chaotic back then, everything was wrong everywhere and we even had to work overtime! That reminds me I still haven't received my payment for the 'Dark Ages'! You know what, I really hope his wife cheats on him!"
It was hard for Leon to get used to this eccentric personality the Assistant Overseer displayed but he needed to understand more about the Soul war:
"How does it work? The Soul war I mean!?" he asked carefully in order to avoid another off topic rambling.
"Hmm, actually the concept of the Soul war is not that complicated. You receive the system that displays your stats and skills, just like in those video games you played with your grandson and fight other souls for their karmic points. Once you 'kill' someone, you receive karmic points, and their soul is sent to 'Hell' in their own realm and has to endure the whole cleansing process once again, only this time the torture is doubled. The real kicker is the fact that you have to fight souls from many different realms with different kind of abilities and skills. You can even use magic, so it's actually a lot of fun if you disregard the torture in case of a failure"
The Assistant Overseer actually provided a proper information for Leon this time.
"And how does one acquire magic and other kind of abilities and skills?"
"Well there are a few options, the easiest one is to buy them of course! Everything is available if you have enough karmic points! You can buy everything that you may think of through the system that everyone receives at the entrance gate. From weapon mastery to legendary items and additional stats. There is even a chance that your, *Ehm*, victims drop some 'extra' rewards upon their termination. Some special actions can also grant you karmic points, but don't expect to get rich overnight."
"But don't I need karmic points in order to have my wish granted, and isn't this 'game' Supreme Overseer came up with completely unfair to the newcomers?" Leon further inquired.
"And that is why I said that it is almost impossible for you to succeed in this endeavor. You'll have to spend karmic points in order to earn more karmic points or work tirelessly and endure incredible hardships. The only mitigating circumstance for you will be the fact that every second, thousands of new souls from all over the universe join the war, and thousands leave, in one way or another. Many different mythical creatures you heard of or haven't yet had the pleasure of hearing of will be present, making this the harshest competition in the universe! In fact many weak souls don't even get the chance to participate."
He took a brief pause to check something that resembled a smart phone, frowned at the number that displayed the time and continued:
"Wisdom and deception, loyalty and betrayal, friends and enemies, skills and tactics! You will have to use everything at your disposal in order to get your wish granted, and let me tell you, it is an expensive one. You don't have to 'win the war' or anything like that, simply because it doesn't have an end. Accomplishing what you hope for will test your willpower like nothing before. In fact many of the previously successful participants only managed to get enough points in order to buy benefits for their next rebirth, like keeping their memories. That, I believe, speaks volumes about the Soul war and it's hardships."
Leon was obviously overwhelmed by the explanation, but desipte the doubts that briefly flashed in his mind, he clenched his fist as if to gather courage and solemnly proclaimed:
"I will do whatever it takes to meet her, so please send me there, the longer I wait, the more difficulties I will have to overcome"
"That is the spirit Mr. Swain, I will now send you to the entrance, and you will receive further instructions there. Finally my job is done here, now I can go to the spa and relax."
The Assistant Overseer moved towards Leon in order to send him on his way, when a different figure cloaked with a red mantle appeared between them interrupting the process.
"Sir, there has been an urgent message for you from the middle management, apparently Mr. Swain here received a letter from the higher plane" she shouted, as if she was scared for her life.
"Middle management!? Seriously?" The Assistant Overseer was briefly surprised and then, clearly annoyed by another delay, snorted:
"Well what are you waiting for, give it to him."
Then what Leon thought was one of the receptionists handed him a blank screen, which started filling up with words as soon as he touched it. These words would have given him a heart attack if he was still in his human body.
*'My dearest Leon,
I missed you and the children. I need you to accept that what happened back then, was not your fault, and that I would do it again in a heartbeat. Please stop drowning yourself in regrets. Knowing you, and the choices you will make despite the danger, I got you a little present to help you on your journey.
See you soon,
Irene.'*
Even though Leon's eyes were full of tears, he couldn't help but smile. The screen soon turned blank again and slowly disappeared as if it was never there.
'You always looked positively upon every situation' He concluded. The regret he had held for so long, turned into hope for the future. The infamous light at the end of the tunnel shined brighter than ever.
As if waiting for him to finish, the Assistant Overseer added: "Well now I don't see any more problems, and you can be on your way. You will also receive a short debrief from the gatekeeper." and then started the teleportation array below Leon's feet.
As soon as the teleportation has ended, he turned towards the red mantled figure and bawled:
"Middle freaking management!? Who the hell has the power to get those lazyasses to work! Not to mention enough points to send a message from a higher plane!?" He exclaimed, but soon calmed down, and a smile could be seen forming on his face.
'I hope that this mortal messes up your project in some way you bastard. I guess I'll owe him a drink. And I better start asking for that overdue 'Dark Ages' payment' He thought, and quickly left his office in an unknown direction.