“You… are a Titan.”

  Erik looked the man dead in the eyes. A small bead of sweat ran down the man’s face.

  “A Titan?.. Are… are you sure?” Erik asked, his eyes wide and mouth open.

  “One hundred percent. The test is never wrong.”

  “That’s… I mean, that… tells me absolutely nothing, man! Come on!” Erik said, twisting his face in his palm as he did.

  “Wh-... Excuse me?” the man asked, looking more shocked now than earlier.

  “I don’t know about any of this stuff, alright?! I found out witches were real a few minutes ago! You think the word titan is going to mean anything to me? Geez.”

  “O-oh, haa-haha…” the man tried to recover, but his voice was cracking. He cleared his throat before continuing.

  “I’m sorry. Times aren’t what they used to be. An aeon or three ago I would probably be tossed out of here for even mentioning… Titans.”

  “Why? I mean, are they super rare or maybe just explosively evil or something?” Erik asked.

  “What? Oh, yes. Very rare indeed. Evil? That’s always up to the individual. It’s said the Titans were the First People, very likely the ones who created the universe. Not from the First People, but literally the First People. I didn’t even know the tablets were calibrated for this outcome.”

  “I mean… Peon hundred-and-three told me that a Remnant, which I supposedly am, is literally the remnants, or descendants rather, of the First People, right?”

  “Yes, but Titans… Titans were the absolute first. The first First People, if you like. So much power they must’ve had back then… In your case, ‘Remnant’ is more… literal than in other cases,” the man continued, his focus slowly fading away.

  “Super First, got it. Not anymore, I take it?” Erik asked.

  “Well… No one knows. There hasn’t been a Titan since… well, practically ever! They are thought extinct, or were thought extinct.”

  “So am I a b rat now, or can I go?” Erik asked. Did it even matter?

  The man sighed, then looked down on his desk resignedly. A short while ter, he looked up at Erik, who was already moving through the hole in the wall.

  “I wish you well, Erik Fried.”

  After Erik had stepped through the wall, the hole immediately vanished and the Peon with the sb started back up. After about a second, it sounded like it rewinded for a second.

  “You are a Titan” it said, as if nothing had happened in the st five minutes. It was also incredibly casual when saying Titan, much more so than that other guy, at least.

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  “No problem. Please follow me to the District.” The Peon then took the lead and continued down the hall, continuing Erik’s journey through Afterlife. Next stop: the end.

  A short walk ter, the Peon opened a new set of double doors and guided Erik through.

  “Welcome to Afterlife,” he said.

  Unlike the boring pnts and vases he had become accustomed to, this was something completely different. Neon signs, shops and crowds of people. At least at first gnce. All the neon signs were of varying sizes and colours, but after a closer look, they were all for the same pce, and all the arrows and text pointed towards a stall straight ahead of him. All other shops he could see were closed and empty, and probably hadn’t been used for quite some time. As for the crowds… nothing but more Peons.

  He saw one familiar face, or at least one other than the hundred or so identical faces. Jessie. She was standing in front of the stall straight ahead. As it seemed to be the only shop open, that made sense.

  “Hey! Witch, right?” he asked as he approached her and she turned around.

  “Oh, hey. That took a while. That’s right! How about you?” she asked.

  “Some complications arose. Turns out I’m a Titan.”

  Erik mimicked an explosion with his hands around his head.

  “Well, woo-hoo!” Jessie excimed sarcastically. “And that is?”

  “No idea. Maybe I grow big?” Erik guessed.

  “Well, here’s hoping,” she said.

  Behind the stall stood a petite, old dy, her hair white and skin wrinkly.“Hello! Welcome to the District of Afterlife. I wish you could have seen this pce in its glory days! Now we even simute crowds with these gods-awful Peonites,” the woman greeted, and continued talking.

  At some point, she walked away, talking at the same volume all the while. Half of what she said following that, Erik couldn’t even make out.

  “That’s great, dy. So, what do you sell?” Erik asked.

  “I just told you!” the dy compined when she returned, smacking Erik in the head with a roll of paper. “Everything!”

  “Is everything an actual thing here, or do you mean everything everything?” Erik asked.

  “I’m not quite sure what you mean…” the old dy said, shaking her head gently in confusion.

  “Magic’s real, I guess. I’m dead, but not, and next to me is a witch. Maybe everything is an actual object of great quantum time paradox power… or something.”

  “Hmm…” the old dy responded, turning her head to look behind her, as if searching for something. “Nope, don’t got something like that,” she answered a moment ter.

  Jessie ughed.

  “Food?” Erik asked.“In your rooms,” she answered.“Drink?”

  “Part of food.”

  “Clothes?”

  “In your rooms.”

  “Shoes?”

  “Part of clothes.”

  “Hmm…”

  “That’s it? You managed to think of two categories of stuff?” Jessie interrupted, grinning at Erik.

  “What? I hoped it’d be four categories! You think of something!”

  “Uhmm… Toys..?” she tried after ten or so seconds, barely creaking the word out with a slightly high-pitched voice.

  “Nope,” the old dy answered. Erik ughed.

  “See? Not that easy!” he said. “Wait. Do you actually sell anything?” he then asked.

  “Of course! I got some… things…” the dy attempted.

  “Do you?” Jessie asked.

  “I think so… Maybe come back tomorrow, I’ll show you stuff!”

  While it didn’t seem like the old dy, calling herself Nana, was of any use on the goods front, she turned out to be really helpful when talking about magic.

  “Isn’t this something you should have asked the FAQ-Peon about?” she compined.

  “This pce is messed up. I’m sure when you know all these things beforehand, it makes sense, but I didn’t know anything about any of this before my body practically melted, and next thing I know, I’m in a random room somewhere, where the barista from hell tells me I’m dead and asks me if I have any allergies? After the weirdest questionnaire ever, I’m sent to the next room where the party-pnner from hell hits me up with an AMA about magic and Remnants? How the hell am I even supposed to know what to ask?”

  The two women stood silent for a while.

  “Party-pnner?” Jessie asked.

  “Well, at first. Turns out Peon Fifteen was okay. I’m sorry, This has been a hell of an hour,” Erik apologised.

  “As you likely know by now, the First People were very powerful magical beings. At the time, the universe was full of magic and wonder. Today, that magic is nearly gone, the lot of it. Things have changed. Afterlife was made a long, long time ago. It was a time when magical beings were in decline due to watered down bloodlines. People weren’t born Remnants anymore. They had to die, only to reawaken moments ter. With less magic all around, their bodies couldn’t survive the sudden influx of powerful magic. Those few who did suffered from broken minds.”

  Nana fiddled with her thumbs. “And so, Afterlife was made, for two main reasons: to help newly awakened Remnants come to terms with their death and… to help them transition. By transition, of course, I mean turning into a magical being. At Afterlife, you experience these next three months just like you normally would. You live in the now, you will sleep and eat, and days will go by like they normally do. In effect, however, your bodies are practically at a stand-still.”

  She paused, looking at the pair to see whether they were paying attention. She smiled and continued.

  “Without Afterlife, had you died and awakened to your bloodlines, it would only take a moment. The magic tent in your souls would infuse your bodies with magic, awakening your Crests in a mere instant. As you have lived your entire lives in a magic void, however, you wouldn’t be able to take it. Your bodies would disintegrate just as fast, and the soul would implode in on itself.”

  Jessie and Erik stood silently, listening to Nana intently. There was nothing in Nana’s voice or stature that hinted at lies or guesswork. These were facts, sounding like they were told by someone who was really there at the start of it all.

  “Crests?” Jessie asked, surprising Erik. He thought maybe she knew all about this stuff.

  “Aye dear, Crests. The key to your powers, to all Remnants’ powers. Every Crest is unique to the wearer. When completed, it will be one or more marks on your bodies, symbols of your true selves. The symbol will evolve with you as you grow stronger, unlocking more power. You might have heard that the vast power of the First People was unlike anything we have now. That is untrue. Every Remnant can be just as powerful! It is only the ck of magic that halts growth. Anyway, here at Afterlife you will be well taken care of. Consider this an extended vacation. You will have your own rooms, tailor-made to fit your needs. The two of you are lucky. Rarely, if ever, is there two awakened the same day,” Nana continued.

  Jessie and Erik looked at each other.

  “And impossibly, even from the same world?” she guessed.

  Erik hadn’t thought more about that since the hallway where they met. Was he standing next to an alien right now? Actually, now that he thought about it, he probably definitely was, as Nana was almost certainly not from Earth. But Jessie, he hadn’t asked. If Afterlife covered the whole universe, Jessie might be from somewhere entirely different!

  “Err… Earth?” Erik tried, looking expectantly at Jessie.

  “Yes..?” was all she said in response, seemingly just as unsure as Erik.

  “Pizza?” Erik attempted once more.

  “Yes?”

  “Fiat Panda?” Erik said, much more certain this time. Jessie ughed.

  “Yes!” she excimed, and the following awkwardness where the pair didn’t quite know whether to hug, shake hands or simply nod in acknowledgement was quite… awkward.

  “Yes, I’d say we’re from the same world,” Erik said to Nana, clearing his throat first.

  “Ahem, yeah, seems right,” Jessie said, vocalising her throat-clearing instead of actually doing it.

  A short while ter, Erik was feeling the effects of the day, and wanted to lie down for a bit. A few hours ago, he had been on fire, after all. He considered that for a bit. Was he as upset as he should have been? Just a short time after his mother and himself, possibly even his father, had burned to death in their own home, here he was ughing with two strangers while learning about magic and was seemingly in a very good mood, one short outburst excluded.

  He tuned back in to their current conversation, where Jessie was taking the lead in asking questions.

  “So, when we do magic, is there any reliable way to know how much mana we got, and how fast it replenishes? If not, do we just feel it?” she asked. She was enthusiastic, at least. Turned out Jessie was hoping for a user interface of some sort, like those in games.

  “Energy, my dear. It varies, as some Remnants adapt different ways of actually managing their magic. You shouldn’t be worried about that. The same energy you have used your entire lives is what is also used for magic. You know when your body needs rest and when to stop running, right?” Nana expined.

  “Err… right. So you’re saying sprinting, jumping, climbing and spells use the same type of energy?” Erik asked, a bit surprised. “See, where I’m from, we have plenty of video games, which I won’t expin right now. Mana is a very common resource these games use to let you know how many spells you can cast before you need to rest, or otherwise refill it.”

  So, what about mana, Nana? You made it sound as if you expend mana just running around,” Jessie said, turning back to Nana.

  “Hah, Mana-Nana!” Erik burst, then chuckled. He noticed a faint curvature of Jessie’s lips and a stealthy chuckle from her as well. He’d always had a terrible, and childish, sense of humour.

  “Stop calling it ‘mana’. It is energy, what you use for everyday movement and bour. Why should spells be any different?” Nana asked. “You are magical beings.”

  “Because it takes a lot more energy to create a fireball from nothing than it does to lift a grocery bag, that’s why,” Erik said, raising his eyebrow at Nana as if this was perfectly reasonable.

  “Yes it does, so consider how many bags you can take in one go now that you’re practically a cosmic entity.”

  Nana then looked at them both with dead eyes. The younger pair looked at each other for a moment, then back to Nana.

  “Right…” Erik said, after clearing his throat.

  Things might have been a bit different than Erik and Jessie had learned from video games, but it might prove to be much more user-friendly.

  The two Remnants thanked Nana for all her help, and agreed to return to her tomorrow, if nothing else to see if she had stocked up anything to buy. They got directions to their rooms, and were on their way.

  “So, where are you from?” Jessie asked as the pair walked towards a new hallway, this one with several doors to their own apartments in Afterlife.

  “Well, until recently I didn’t think Earth was specific enough, but maybe it is?” Erik joked. Jessie ughed.

  “Right, but where on Earth? You have the features of a Statesman,” she said, looking at his facial features. “If you don’t mind me saying,” she added.

  “Well, I’m from the Scandinavian Empire. Born and raised, although my grandparents were from the States. Germany, to be more exact. And you? Based on your accent I’d say… UB?” Erik guessed based on her accent.

  “Yep! Good ol’ United Britain. Best pce on Earth, provided it doesn’t rain!” she waved her hand in front of her very showman-like.

  “Can I ask… How’d you die?” Erik asked after a few seconds of ughter.

  “I don’t really know. I don’t remember. Maybe I was hit by a car or something? I don’t think I saw it coming. You?”

  “Fire.”

  Erik stared at the doorway they were walking towards while they talked, never moving his eyes. Jessie noticed this.

  “I’m sorry… That must be hard,” she said, looking down on their moving feet.

  “It’s… It should be, but I don’t really feel it. It might just be this pce, but I don’t know. Still, I know exactly what to do when I get back. I’ll look for my father. He might still be alive. Even though it doesn’t matter to me right now if he is. Is that bad?”

  “I think I feel the same way. Dying didn’t really hit me that hard… I mean, maybe it’s just the negative that doesn't impact us here? We can both ugh and joke, right?” Jessie asked, thinking about her own death. She, too, had just found out she died and she couldn’t be much bothered to care. It was actually pretty exciting, being able to revive as a full-fledged witch.

  “I’m getting that feeling, too,” Erik responded while a Peon opened the doors into the hallway. The two first doors on either side of the hallway had a Peon standing in front of them. These ones opened their respective doors, and showed the pair to each of their rooms. They both decided to go lie down for a bit.

  A while ter, Erik woke from a gentle knocking on his door. He couldn’t be bothered to get up right away, but he said loudly that the door was unlocked. He was fairly certain it was Jessie, but even if it was just a Peon, they probably wanted something, so ignoring the knock either way wasn’t practical.

  Jessie opened his door, stepped through the doorway and shut it behind her.

  “You slept yet?” she asked, audibly skipping through his apartment before becoming visible past the corner of his bedroom.

  The apartments were more like rge, luxurious hotel suites, finely decorated with vibrant coloured pnts and paintings, vases and even a fountain in the middle of the living area. At least, Erik’s looked like that. He hadn’t seen Jessie’s room.

  “Yeah, a bit,” he responded, stretching his torso and arms as he sat up. “There’s beer in the fridge if you want.”

  “Score,” Jessie responded, then promptly resumed skipping, this time through his living room and into the kitchen. “You want one?” she asked after Erik heard the refrigerator door pop open.

  “Sure. I’m just gonna change, make yourself at home.”

  Luckily, the clothes were both varied and fitting. Erik had been concerned they would have to wear typical institution clothes, but his tastes in clothes seemed to have some sway in which clothes he could choose from. It wasn’t the same clothes as he used to own, but they were close enough, and even seemed brand new, mostly even an upgrade in terms of fitting. Erik grabbed a pin grey shirt and jeans with simirly pin bck socks.

  Fresh clothes on, Erik walked out into the living room, where he saw Jessie lying in the corner of the rge, grey couch. Her left foot was on top of the backrest further down the couch. He noticed she had changed her clothes as well, and probably showered.

  She was wearing a white shirt with three white buttons down from the colr, two of them unbuttoned. She wore a pair of jean shorts and white, ankle-height socks. Her hair seemed to have been brushed and now flowed down to the centre of her back. The colour looked a bit lighter under the apartment’s lighting, which was more bright, along with the white walls.

  “Looking good. I see I’m not the only one with a few luxurious commodities in my room,” Erik said, sitting down on the couch half a metre away from her, right where she had pced a bottle of beer on the table.

  “It’s great, right? If we’re staying here for three months anyway, there had better be some luxury!” she said, then took a sip from her own beer in her hand.

  “Cheers to that, then,” Erik said, picking up his bottle and bringing it halfway between them. She tapped it lightly with her own bottle, and took another sip. Erik did the same.

  “I had mostly wine in my fridge. It’s like they know all about me, which is a bit disturbing.”

  “Oh, I have some wine too, if you’d rather have that,” Erik responded.

  “I saw. I like to drink beer when just hanging out, wine is for rger get-togethers or parties.”

  “I see. I mostly drink wine when I’m at a fancy dinner or something, which isn’t all that often,” Erik said.

  They both just talked about normal things for an hour or so. It was nice gaining a new friend in the situation they were both in, and at the very least, they had that in common.

  “So, any thoughts about this whole Remnants and Crest thing?” Jessie asked, practically in the middle of a longer discussion about which was better, burgers or pizza.

  “Not really had the time to put together all the pieces yet. Besides, I thought you knew about these things. Didn’t seem like it with Nana,” Erik said.

  “I don’t, not really. I know my heritage, but no one has expined what being a witch is actually all about. I didn’t even think any of this was real until today. I think I know of a few other types of Remnants though. In my family we have stories, not handbooks. Great when you’re a kid, but going through all this with no reference book? Not fun,” she expined.

  “Any good stories to tell, then?”

  “Later, if I feel like it. If you’re lucky, I’ll tell you that story about my great-great and that time she fought a vampire pirate for a golden chalice, which may or may not be the Holy Grail,” she said smugly.

  “Lie,” Erik protested,

  “Yeah, alright. My Nan has told me and my sister a few stories here and there, nothing really exciting, though. I mean, not more exciting than the fact that her mother was a witch who once, for real, kept a town safe during the entire European War.

  Erik, who had just poured a mouthful of beer, nearly choked on it, but managed to swallow it a moment ter. “What?” he excimed, coughing a little.

  “She did!” Jessie ughed.

  “That’s cool!” Erik said, visualising a woman, a witch, fighting back against half an army of Royalists all by her lonesome. He figured it probably wasn’t as grand as he thought it was, but what if it was?

  “I know! She left when my mother was born, though. No one’s seen her since. Nan said her mother left for somewhere, since Nan was all grown up. It’s a recurring thing in our family, I think, that we’re considered grown up once we have children of our own. At least, it used to be.”

  “That’s actually kind of beautiful, in a way. Even though your great grandmother had died and become a witch, she still raised her daughter until she could take care of herself. I’m not sure how my life would’ve been if one of my parents were some interdimensional kung-fu space wizard, but I think I’m better for it, to be honest.

  “I suppose. I’ve never thought of it like that. My mum died when I was ten, leaving me and my sister with my father. He’s a great father, but as a mechanic he had to work a lot to get the money to go around. And so, she couldn’t take care of us until we had children of our own.”

  “I’m sorry,” Erik said, not knowing what more to say. He’d just lost his own mother not even a day ago, but losing family wasn’t a competition. There wasn’t any reason to bring it up without her asking. “What about your Nan, or your sister?”

  “She died when I was a teenager. She was never the same after mum died, but she tried to hide it when around us. I’m not sure my sister noticed the same, but we had a good life, all things considering. I’m just worried about my sister. She thinks her older sister is dead. I mean, I am dead, but only for a few months, and it sucks that she doesn’t know that. I hope she’ll be alright. She still lives with my father, but she always wanted to come live with me since I moved out.

  “At least you’ll be back, right? I’m sure she can handle herself just fine. I’m sorry for your mum and Nan.”

  “It’s fine, and I’m not just saying that. It was fine long before I even got here, where fine is practically the lowest it can go,” she said, genuinely smiling at Erik. She then rose from the couch. “Another one?”

  “Sure. So what do you want to do when you get back? After the family reunion, of course. I mean, dungeon-delving and fighting monsters doesn’t sound probable, does it?” Erik asked, speaking louder the further away Jessie got. As she got closer, fresh bottles of unmarked beer in her hands, he lowered his volume to normal again.

  “I don’t know. I mean, I’ve always wanted a tour of the Scandinavian Empire,” she said, showing a sarcastically wide smile.

  “Well, once you’re there, just shoot a couple of fireballs up at the sky and I’m bound to find you eventually,” Erik answered with a ugh.

  “You think I’m joking” she asked, her face taking on more serious features as she looked at him. Her eyes showed she wasn’t in any foul mood though.

  “Actually, no, I don’t. If you want to, you can come. I don’t know what to do next, so why not travel the world with the only other one like me I know. We could be a power couple,” he answered, smiling at her.

  “Couple, eh? You sure work fast!” she chuckled.

  “I meant Power-duo, but that doesn’t sound as good,” he corrected himself, but Jessie was ughing too hard at him to listen. “Oh, shut up.”

  “So, we have a deal?” Jessie asked, holding her hand open between the two.

  “We do,” Erik answered, grabbing her hand and shaking it.

  “Alright.”

  A few minutes ter they both said good night and went back to bed. The next morning, after a nice, long shower, Erik knocked on Jessie’s door for breakfast, then they both headed to Nana’s stall.

  “Morning, Nana.”

  The young Remnants greeted her with wide smiles.

  “Morning? At this hour? Pfft, youngfolk,” she compined, but smiled nearly as wide as they did.

  “It’s barely nine! I think…” Erik compined right back. “So, what have you got to sell us today?” He looked at the old dy with an expectant look. He wasn’t expecting her to have much.

  “What do you need, kid?” she asked back, wiggling her eyebrows knowingly.

  “That depends on what you have!” he returned.

  “I have everything you need! Just name it,” she grinned.

  “I’d like a…n ice cream, please!”

  “In your freezer,” she said, her grin growing wider.

  “Fuck. You?”

  “Still nothing,” Jessie said, disappointed in herself.

  “What do you sell, woman?” Erik asked loudly and in a faked deep voice.

  Jessie chuckled. “Oh gods, is that your hero voice?” she groaned.

  “Quite,” he said in the same manner, holding his gaze firmly at Nana.

  Nana sighed and ughed a bit herself.

  “I have only what you need, I promise. The fact that you don’t require anything is why I don’t have anything,” she expined.

  “A ha! Ye olde shoppe of requirements! Your secret is out at st, I say!”

  “What are you even supposed to be, a freaky mediaeval knight crossed with 60’s Superman?” Jessie groaned.

  “Quite, I say! Indubitably or… some-such.”

  “Stop it.”

  “I refuse,” Erik said, still with the voice.

  “Stop it.”

  “I say nay!”

  “Stop it, or I’ll firebolt your ass to ‘ye olde’ kingdom come!”

  “Fireball, surely.”

  “Fire bolt.”

  Nana, at this point, had long since started ignoring the pair. From deeper inside her shop, which only looked like a stall from the front, she could see that the young woman called Jessie was really enjoying herself, despite her acting annoyed. The old woman chuckled to herself and shook her head as she carried on with her own business. The pair soon shuffled away without saying goodbye to the old woman, as they were still in the middle of teasing one another.

  “Certainly, a ball maketh more sense!” he said.

  “No, it’s a bolt, you dolt.”

  The pair returned not five minutes ter, and were still on this, though Erik’s voice had returned to normal.

  “I mean, where do you even get bolt from? Frost bolt?”

  “It’s called fire bolt everywhere! Also fme bolt, some pces, but mainly fire bolt!”

  “Nowhere is it even called that! You’re confusing it with frost bolt! Unless you’re confusing it with Thunder bolt. Oh, hey Nana,” Erik said, genuinely a bit fired up in their conversation now. He greeted Nana normally, though.

  “You just left,” Nana said, confused as to why they both returned so quickly.

  “Yeah, I wanted ice cream. Don’t know about her though,” he said, licking his ice cream while turning to look at Jessie.

  “I just wanted some peace and quiet from you,” she said. Then licked her own ice cream.