Merea/Mea
Upon being guided by the grim reaper, my body soared to the sky.
The reason why I knew that it was in fact my soul that was flying was because I saw my former body bellow.
–It had a warm smile on its face, my body.
Or the body that used to be mine.
『From now on, you will embark on a journey to my world.』
World.
Because it was the grim reaper who said so, was it a spirit world or something like that?.
『The otherworldly plant that we sent bloomed at the end of your life. Surely, it was also the will of the otherworldly plant for your soul to cross worlds.』
『Otherworldly plant?』
『Yes, an otherworldly plant. Connecting different worlds together, it was a peculiar plant.』
Upon the signal of the hand of the grim reaper, we ascended towards the sky.
Though I tilted my head in confusion, other than the gentle smile of the grim reaper, I was given no explanation.
『You will understand upon arriving there. The meaning behind my words. A proper explanation will be made once we crossed to the opposite side, so for now focus on holding my hand. 』
『–Un, I understand.』
With that said to me, I obediently held the grim reaper’s hands tightly.
Crossing worlds.
Overcoming the boundary of worlds.
I have a feeling that I heard the voice of time.
With that in mind — my consciousness faded.
And after that, as to where we went, or where we headed and where we arrived, I can’t properly remember.
However, the sensation of the strange warmth of the grim reapers’ hand, even though having my consciousness fading, had still remained.
—
—
–
「――a」
「――rea」
With the vivid sound slowly entering his ears, finally the man regained consciousness.
「Have you woken up, 〈Merea〉?」
The man even with opening his eyes, still had no conviction in him.
Or to be precise he still had no conviction on the place where he was in.
The fact that sounds entered his ears was certain.
Even the sensation of his body was there.
However,
— as for the hands of the grim reaper a while ago….
His memories of being pulled into a hollow space by the grim reaper’s hands were faint, it felt as if that hollowed space interfered with his body’s cognition.
「It’s indeed the spirit of Merea.」
「a….」
Suddenly a lone face entered in his field of vision.
–It was the face of the grim reaper.
At that moment, he finally understood where he was.
「Good morning, Merea.」
「Me…rea?」
「Yes, that is your name. Way before you even crossed worlds, we have decided to name you as such.」
The grim reaper saying “Come take a look” waving his hand and guided his sight, and moving in accordance with it.
He saw a numerous spirits around him.
The substance of their body was thin.
It was transparent.
“This might really be a spirit world” even with that yet to enter his mind, he had already decided in my mind that they are spirits.
「What.. is…」
「It’s alright, calm down, Merea. You are alive. You have only crossed worlds. After your soul left your former body from the opposite world, we have called you upon to this world. In you vocabulary, you have reincarnated.」
Reincarnated.
The man whom once wondered what would be after death, at that moment finally understood.
The second body that he was transferred into, for the first time has regained consciousness.
The man — Merea, who was being watched over by the spirits for the time being, was in a daze and had his consciousness drifting.
After that, he finally gained awareness of his new body.
In comparison to his new body, his former one seemed bigger.
And thinking about it, it felt like it was like the size of a boy.
But even for a boy, it was small.
Or rather, in comparable to those age that could be called a “boy”, it felt much younger.
He stood up.
With his line of sight being higher, his field of vision was still lower than the surrounding spirits.
「This body is –」
「That body was modeled upon the fragments of our soul. Well a body of a baby wouldn’t be able to stand the harsh environment of the holy mountain after all. Though with that said, a body of a five year old isn’t any different so do not push yourself.」
「Aren’t you a grim reaper?」
「Me?」
Suddenly, Merea glanced upon the face of the grim reaper who brought him to this place.
A genderless beautiful face, with a demeanor that had a gentle atmosphere.
However, even his body was transparent.
He was more like a spirit.
「I’m a being whom had lived around roughly one hundred years ago. 〈Flounder Crow〉is what they call me. An existence within a worn out hero.」
「A hero? of a previous hundred years ago?」
Merea couldn’t immediately understand the words of Flounder.
「Yes, it was a very old story of the past. I have already died a long time ago. The ‘me’ now was a spirit residing in this Sacred Mountain, Lindholm to dispel my regrets, such a vague existence.」
「Isn’t this place the spirit world or something?」
「You’re wrong. The world you said was different from this one. Speaking about it from your soul, saying that this is a parallel world is more proper.」
「– A parallel world.」
(TN: Parallel world fits better for “Isekai”)
Merea muttered taking a glance on his both hands.
「All of us called you here for the purpose of clearing away our regrets.」
Though Merea began to understand the words of Flounder due to his reasoning way of speaking. His head filled with surfacing questions did not became any clearer.
「Why? Why– me?」
All of those question was summarized into those words.
「It was due to you raising the otherworldly plant that you found. The person who will crossed the otherworldly plant was the one selected. — Well for us it was something like a legend though. However believing that, that purple vegetation growing here, and the other one blooming it’s flower to you, was due to its own choice.」
「That purple vegetation….」
Blooming a beautiful flower on the last moment, that vegetation.
That was a flower that came to meet my soul.
「That’s right. That purple vegetation connected this world and the world you resided in. I only guided you so that you wouldn’t lose your way.」
「Am I, really alive?」
「Alive indeed, different to the hundred spirits that resides here, you are surely alive. Compared to our souls who only wandered about, upon dying with regrets, your soul is brimming with life.」
「I should’ve died..」
「Only on the world you came from. Your 『vessel』 had only used up is life essence. However, it’s not as if your soul has died.」
「Is that… how is it?」
「Indeed, it is so.」
Merea began to survey around his surroundings.
Doing so, as if not being able to hold itself any longer, another spirit has appeared on his sight and began speaking.
「Oi, don’t be too sloppy and gloomy, you’re alive you know? Hearing your conversations, you have experienced death on the vessel of the other world. Then you should be happy that you are alive! Having a body is amazing you know! After all you can embrace a woman!」
「Wait, you muscle-brain shut up for a bit. Merea is a pitiful you know? Because he just woke up so he still couldn’t properly understand his situation.」
The spirit with a huge body was being told off by the female spirits with tall and slender figure.
「Understand? Let him put his feelings into place first. Though we just became like this upon our death, Merea upon dying just recently, has again entered a new body you know? Compared to us, it’s complicated! So if you don’t let him sort out his feelings yet, it’s no good!」
「I – I know it already! There’s no need to make such an unpleasant face. Sorry for rushing things Merea.」
The man obediently lowered his head, and the woman with a grin in her face waved her hand.
「Ah.. no it’s fine..」
「First things first, Sit down Merea . Let me explain things to you properly.」
As Flounder said that, Merea began sitting on that place.
Resting his hands on the rugged rock, he tilted his back and began to look upwards in the sky.
— The clouds are close.
The color of the sky of that place was in no different to the sky he saw on the window of the hospital room.
Looking at that sky, for the first time feelings began surging into his new body.
—I have begun a new life again huh?
At least for Merea, he was happier than anything because of that.