Best Mistake [Boy x Boy]

† Chapitre Un †

† "Next!" A harsh voice yelled out, it had come from one of the guards as he rushed all of the dead inside the palace to get registered. Apparently they only did this once a month, and Xanti was lucky enough to have died today. The rest of the dead had to wait around for the day to come, every last Saturday. †
† Xanti couldn't remember anything but his name, age, and the fact that he was now dead. It troubled him quite a bit, but he knew that right now, all he needed to worry about was surviving this whole 'registration' thing. One of the guards had hastily explained that those whom tried to go around unregistered either got sent to the dungeon or got 'killed' on the spot, if that was even the right word. It scared Xanti a bit, and the ill-mannered people weren't helping either. †
† The palace was large and dark, a couple of torches being the only source of light. Mostly everything inside here was black, and if not, it was probably a very dark grey. The torches burned with a blue fire, giving Xanti an odd feeling. Had fire always been blue? Maybe, maybe not. †
† Pulled out of his thoughts, the people behind Xanti pushed him forward to get registered. There stood five men, the five 'Princes' of the Underworld, the five sons of Hades. Xanti was told that there were five large areas that each son got power over: the Fields of Punishment, the Fields of Asphodel, Vale Mourning, Elysium, and Isles of the Blessed. Nobody knew the names of the five sons, so they addressed them by the land they ruled over. The one whom led the Fields of Asphodel was addressed as Prince Asphodel, and he was the youngest. Next oldest was Master of Mourning, whom ruled over Vale Mourning. Third oldest was the ruler of Elysium, he has addressed as Leader Elysium. Fourth oldest was Ruler Death, and he controlled the Fields of Punishment. Last oldest was Lord Light, and he was in control of the Isles of the Blessed. †
† What line had Xanti ended up in? The one for the Fields of Asphodel. Xanti was pushed towards the Prince, whose face was covered by a mask, just like the other four princes. "Hand," the Prince said, holding his hand out for Xanti's. Hesitantly, he held out his left hand and watched as the Prince pulled out what seemed like an old dip pen. "Name and date of death?" he asked, his voice wasn't very loud compared to all of the other people's voices. †
† "Xanti Faustus; November 1st, 2014," Xanti said, his voice quiet. The Prince asked him to repeat it again, and so he did, just a little louder than before. He gave a stern nod and began to write on Xanti's wrist, and it burnt. A lot. When he let go of his hand, his initials and date of death were burnt into his skin. 'X.F. - 11.1.14' The Prince sent him on his way to Hades whom gave him a gold coin that said 'Newly Dead' on it in Ancient Greek. Apparently Xanti could read in Ancient Greek now. Earlier, when he'd first gotten inside the castle, they were all told that this would let the newly dead live in any living area for two weeks without pay, and then they had to muster up their own currency by getting a job of some sorts. Xanti didn't know what job he'd do now that he was dead, he couldn't remember the jobs or skills he had from when he was alive, so he'd have to think of something. †

† | † | †

† Everybody was given vague directions as to where to go, but they were quickly rushed out as more of the dead were filling in. Xanti was rudely shoved and ignored, so he decided it was best if he went out on his own. †
† Xanti had strayed away from most other people, and was now wandering around a quaint little town. Most people didn't bother to help him as he passed by, but it was better than in the place he had just passed, where pretty much everybody tried to push him as far away as possible. Xanti was exhausted, and looked for a place to rest for just a small while. He came across a small bookstore, it was vintage and unnoticeable, and it seemed as if people hardly ever visited. As if drawn in by an unknown source, Xanti walked in. The lighting was a bit dim, but not dim as to where you couldn't see anything. All of the walls, excluding the wall with the door, were lined ceiling-high with books, as if the walls were the shelves themselves, which they probably were. †
† "Welcome to my bookshop, how may I help you?" A raspy yet kind old voice answered, making Xanti turn and find a short old man, his skin dark and his little hair left a light grey. He wore an old fashioned, clean cut suit and glasses, giving him a classy sort of vibe. His smile was kind and genuine, unlike everybody else's he had seen so far, very welcoming. †
† "Ah, no, I'm just looking around. Thank you, though," Xanti answered, giving a kind smile in return as he ran his hand along the spines of the books, it gave him a strangely satisfying feeling. †
† "You must be one of the Newly Deads, am I correct?" He chuckled, pushing up the glasses he wore. †
† "Yes, I am," Xanti smiled and headed a bit deeper inside, where there was a couple of tables and chairs set up for people to sit and read. †
† "The name's Frank Benenati, and you are?" He leaned on the counter he was standing behind, his hands lightly tapping on the glass. †
† "Xanti Faustus, it's nice to meet you, sir," he took a seat near Mr. Frank, glad to finally be having an actual conversation with someone. †
† "Well, welcome to Styx Town, Xanti boy. I'll bet you're looking a for a place to stay, no?" Mr. Frank straightened up a bit, giving off another smile. †
† "Yes, I am," Xanti chuckled lightly, he didn't expect someone as kind as Mr. Frank to be here. He should at least be in Elysium. Or maybe he had been like Xanti himself, and couldn't remember a single thing about when he was alive, save for his name and age. †
† "I'll tell you something, Xanti boy, do you think you could work here, in this bookshop? Maybe even own it?" †
† "Own it? Wow, that's- That's quite a bit, Mr. Frank. Are you suggesting that I own this bookshop?" Xanti asked, tilting his head a bit in confusion. †
† "You seem trustworthy enough, I feel as though, even if we just met, that you're the right person to own it. Plus, it makes me a bit sad to think that a young boy like you died at such a young age; could've lived a long, meaningful life. See, I only have two employees who work here, and I'm sure you would get along great. It is getting to be my time anyway- I'm near gone." †
† "Near. . . gone? Mr. Frank, what exactly does that mean?" Xanti's voice was full of worry as he furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Mr. Frank for an answer. †
† "I've been dead for quite some time now, Xanti, and the longer you are dead, the more people start to, say, forget about you. Once people nearly completely forget of you ever existing, you may vanish, so to speak. I have a strong feeling that I will probably vanish, though it is never guaranteed. If I do, I want my bookshop to go into a safe and good persons hands, am I incorrect to think so well of you, Xanti?" Mr. Frank wore a sad smile, making Xanti frown slightly. †
† "No, no, it's not that at all. It's just. . . I'm a bit surprised, seeing as we just barely met. I'd be glad to take care of this bookshop, it'd be an honour, Mr. Frank," They exchanged sad smiles. †
† "See, you're a good young man, and my instincts are never wrong," Mr. Frank chuckled. †

† The two continued to have a conversation, Mr. Frank showing him the ropes of the place. A small door led to another room full of even more books, and had a locked off door that lead to another floor upstairs, where there was an office and files and such. The last floor, the third floor, was where Mr. Frank lived, and where Xanti might be living. Sure, Xanti wanted the job and the living area. But the thought of Mr. Frank vanishing made him sad, he didn't want that to happen. Xanti would just have to wait and see. †