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墨書 Inktalez
Perhaps it was because we had talked a few times that I began to unconsciously care about him.
Recently, during my return journey after escorting the deceased, I couldn't help but think: maybe that guy was so bored that he turned back to the mortal realm to pass the time. By the time I returned, he probably wouldn't be there anymore...
However, upon returning to the familiar riverbank and seeing his figure still lounging by the pile of rocks, I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Though this sense of relief was truly perplexing.
From that point on, whenever I had a moment after escorting other souls, I would habitually approach him and engage in casual conversation whenever I saw him still there.
"By the way, may I ask how to address you?" he suddenly inquired one time.
I raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise.
"No," I responded calmly. "I said from the beginning that you can call me whatever you want. After all, names have no meaning here."
It has been a long time since anyone asked me this question. Or rather, I seem to have no memory of such inquiries at all...
"Meaningless? What do you mean by that? Is it because you are the only ferryman on the entire River of the Dead?" He looked at me in surprise.
"How could it be just me? Of course, there are other Ferrymen! Otherwise, how could I possibly handle so many souls?" I couldn't help but chuckle.
"But... so far, I haven't seen any other Ferrymen pass by," he said, looking puzzled as he gazed at the river of the dead ahead.
The dark river lay shrouded in a thick gray mist, obscuring everything beyond a vague and indistinct view.
"Of course, because this location is under my jurisdiction. Each designated point along the banks of the River of Souls has its own Ferryman responsible for it, but they belong to different realms and do not communicate with one another." I gestured casually toward the other end of the misty riverbank. "So, if you simply walk along the riverbank, you'll only end up back where you started."
"Is that so?" He stood up, half in doubt, and walked along the riverbank into the thick fog ahead. Before long, he disappeared into the mist.
I turned to look the other way and, not surprisingly, saw him emerge from the fog coming from the opposite direction, his face filled with astonishment as he walked towards me.
"Is it really going to loop back?" His tone was filled with disbelief. "So, no matter how long we wait here, we won't be able to catch another ferry?"
I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "If you want to take a different boat, you'll have to return to the living world and come back."
"Are you saying that if I were to return to the mortal realm for a while and then come back here, I definitely wouldn't meet you?"
"No, it's not just 'definitely not'; it is absolutely impossible for you to meet me again," I replied firmly. "After all, this place is one of severed fates, and it is impossible for us to encounter each other again."
"Place of No Fate?"
"All encounters and connections are limited to this time and place. Once separated, there will be no further intersections."
"I see..." he murmured thoughtfully. "So, you ferrymen don't know each other at all?"
"If the souls we are responsible for transporting share the same destination, we might occasionally run into each other on the other side, but it ends there. We only acknowledge that other Ferrymen exist; we don't make a point of greeting or conversing with one another." Therefore, names hold no significance at all.
"Destination?" he asked with curiosity. "Are there several places on the other side of the River of Souls?"
"Well... it's somewhat like what people say about 'good people going to heaven and bad people going to hell,' I suppose? Everyone goes to a different place." Of course, it wasn't just a simple division between heaven and hell; there were countless other paths, making it truly difficult to elaborate on each one.
However, this is the only joy I have as the Ferryman in this monotonous, empty river of the dead.
Although everything I see is merely a fleeting moment that will be forgotten upon my return, the opportunity to witness a variety of unheard-of sights is enough to keep me entertained.
"Then... can you tell me what kind of place awaits me on the other side?" He gazed quietly at the misty river surface, his eyes somewhat vacant.
"No, I don't know," I replied calmly. "After all, I am just a Ferryman, solely responsible for guiding the boat along the river's flow to the other side. As for the direction of the river's current, that is determined by fate, and I have no power to interfere."
"I see..."
A habitual smile curled at the corners of his lips, but this smile faintly carried a hint of gloom.
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