The doctor that performed her autopsy told me it was a quick death. Painless, even. Which was no consolation for me or the kids. But, after our grief began to subside and we could think clearly, the knowledge that she didn’t suffer in her final moments set our hearts at ease.
Whether through chance or providence, the little boy Sarah gave her life to save grew up to marry our youngest daughter and the rest, as they say, is history.
"Can you send me there as well?"
It remained silent.
“Please, I need to see her... I need to know that she’s okay.”
"I cannot."
"Why?” I asked through gritted teeth.
"Laws far older than your Earth say that it cannot be. Only one hero can be present at any given time.”
“I—I can’t go? No, wait—the laws said only one ‘hero’ can be present...”
“Let me guess. I’m supposed to be a hero too?”
“Eventually, yes. Though your time will not arrive for millennia.”
“And what am I supposed to do in the meantime while my wife is out there fighting for her life, huh? Am I supposed to just sit back and watch?” I was beginning to yell now. I’d gotten better about controlling my temper in my later years, but this thing was trying my patience.
"What if I don’t want to be a hero? What if I was something, anything else? Could I see her then?”
"Anything?” it asked, its voice resuming its earlier gong-like cadence. “Even if you were no longer human?"
“... Yes,” I said after a moment to think it over. “Even then.”
"Then I suppose it would be possible. But there would be no going back to the way things were. You’d be giving up your human life, and your chance at an afterlife.”
“Afterlife?” I asked. Apprehension settled inside my stomach.
“Yes, the creatures in that place are not allowed to enter the same afterlife as humans. One of the old rules forbids it.”
I moved to rub my neck, but my hand passed through it without resistance. I stared at my hand in awe. Wisps of greenish light were seeping through my skin and, if I looked close enough, my hand was entirely translucent. “You swear I’ll be able to meet her?”
“On my honor, I guarantee that you’ll have a chance.”
“A chance, huh?” I weighed my options. On the one hand, I really didn’t trust this thing. For all I knew it could be lying to me and I was about to sign my soul away to the devil himself. And on the other, if it was telling the truth, then I could again see the only woman I’d ever loved.
Even if I couldn’t have her.
“I’ll do it. If you swear on your honor that I can meet her again, then I’ll gladly give up my humanity.”
“Truly? You’d give up so much for her?”
“And much more.”
"...Very well,” it muttered after a moment. “Your request has been granted. It’s going to take some work, but I can squeeze you in while there are no living heroes. That should keep the others off my back. Though you’ll have to wait a while for her to show up.”
“That’s fine. How long are we talking, here? Two—three months?”
“Three hundred years, give or take a decade or two.”
"What!?" I protested. “I can’t wait three hundred years. I’ll be dead and buried long before then!”
"You can, and you will. Provided you can become something capable of living that long. The creatures in this place are not the same as the ones you’re used to. They are capable of living for millennia under the right circumstances."
"What’s that supposed to mean? Are you going to turn me into one of the creatures?”
"No,” it laughed. “But the world you’re going to is... unique. You can grow more powerful there than you’ve ever thought possible.”
“You’re going to need to explain that one in a bit more detail. I’m not stupid or anything, and something tells me it’s not going to be as easy as you’re making it sound.”
"Very astute of you,” it admitted. “Yes, it will not be an easy journey. The path you’re about to embark on is similar to one an infinite number of others have walked and will walk on. It is a path fraught with danger. A path that so few beings have completed the percentage cannot even be calculated... the path of evolution.”
I felt my right brow quirk in amusement and had to pull it back down. I knew what the thing was telling me should have freaked me out, but the overly dramatic way it was speaking was almost enough to make me laugh. Or maybe that was just my mind finally fraying? I was handling this entire situation oddly well.
Maybe I had finally lost it.
“And... how am I supposed to evolve, exactly?”
“All will become clear in time. Evolution follows rules so simple even children can comprehend it without instruction. I have faith that you will also be able to figure it out on your own—” It stopped mid-sentence. Its head swiveled to look at my feet before trailing back up to my head. “It’s starting..."
"Mm? What’s started?"
"The translocation process. In a few moments, your body will begin the transformation into your new form, and you’ll be transported to another time and place. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask. I will not be able to contact you for a while after you leave this place.”
I racked my brain for any questions and realized
