Eclipse: Time Thief (Romantasy)

63. After

I'd made it to the after-life, whatever that really was. Wasn't trapped in an eternal slumber, at least. Unless, so much time had passed that my world had ended and I'd been salvaged from some kind of permanent death.

I shot up on lavender covers stretched tightly over the soft bed beneath me.

"Good morning." Soft eyes met mine. "Take it slow."

It wasn't Dr. Henderson, not unless she'd disguised herself. The smile was so genuine and kind, it was hard to imagine the god of my world managing it.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"That's what I wanted to ask you." Despite the concern on her expression, there was no malice in her voice. Any suspicion she had didn't seem to make her distrust me. I wasn't accustomed to such a trusting disposition. "Do you know where you are?"

The soft yellow walls closed in on me as I looked around. Natural light poured in from the floor-length windows and bathed the sparse room in so much life that it felt full even though there was nothing more than the bed I lay upon, the chair this woman sat on, and a nightstand with flowers.

When I didn't speak, the woman softened her voice even more. "Waking up can be hard on a person," she said. "My name is Dr. Drake. I'm here to help you."

I tensed at the title of doctor, and then winced, expecting the searing pain from my wounds. Except there was nothing. My injuries from the Prophet were entirely gone. My hands slid down my body, searching for the rips in my skin. Again, nothing.

"I'm healed," I said.

"In a way."

"I died." I didn't need confirmation. I remembered dying. Felt dead, like I'd left an entire life behind. Muted grief panged the hollow drum of my chest. I'd lost my life, my world. Lost Leif and Wren and little Rune. Lost Piercey and Elsie. Nash. Maybe I had a chance to win them back, but it didn't feel like it. Even though I'd chosen this and I planned to find a way back to my world, right now it felt like pure loss.

"Yes," Dr. Drake said. "Only people who have died come here. But you're safe."

"Here." I sat up, waiting to feel weakness or pain. I never did. "This is the after-life."

"Yes. We call it different things for different people depending upon your cultural and religious beliefs. You came in unexpectedly. I didn't receive any information on you and I don't take memories without permission. It would help me a great deal if you could share a few things with me."

"First I need to know who you are." I stared into her eyes.

"I'm the supervisor of this realm of the after-life. I help people wake up from death and serve as a guide for them as they live here."

I'd known that when I came here, it would be impossible for me to know for sure whether I could trust people and that at the end of the day, I had to go with my instinct. Just like when I chose to ally with Nash.

"My name is Max. I come from a world that's at war and a people who need me to find my way back."

Even though I'd kept my memories in the after-life, this place had a numbing effect on me, and I hadn't even realized until this moment, when the look of pain in her eyes drew upon my own grief lying beneath the surface within me. My emotions were tamer here. My memories in the backdrop. And Dr. Drake pitied me for thinking I could return home.

"I see which world you came from. From what I read, it does seem you've been through a great deal."

I shifted. "How much time has passed since I died?"