Does the Afterlife Have Magic, Swords and Happy Endings?

Pure darkness surrounded me, the warmth of the abyss. I’d always wondered what was after, I guess this is it, nothing. I’m just floating around in this liquified goop of an abyss. Wait, why does it feel like this? Is that a light I feel coming from a tiny hole? Why am I going towards it? What is going on?!

I hear panicked voices, I’m cold all of a sudden. Now I feel a rough cloth being wrapped around me, and I’m being carried. Does my dead body still have consciousness? Am I being carried by paramedics? I’m so confused, I could just scream, “WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

Why do I hear a crying baby? I’m warm again, I’m being kissed on the forehead. I just want to know what’s going on, as I open my eyes I see a smile. “My daughter, the new reason I live and breath, I love you with all my heart, I can’t wait to see the strong woman you become.”

Mom? Those are the last words my mother said to me before the incident. Is that really her? Is this my imagination? Did she die as well? She was still in a coma when I visited her the day before I was shot, did she die after me? It doesn’t matter now, if these are the dreams of the afterlife, I want to hold her one more time. As I reach for her face, I see a tiny hand. Is that my hand? That’s impossible, I was 27 when I died, wouldn’t I keep the same body after death? I stared at my hand for a while, until the woman I believe to be my mother starts speaking, “Look, honey! She’s so curious, she was just reaching for me, my daughter already knows who her mom is. She’s so smart, just like her father!”

Wait, did she just say my father? Please don’t tell me that man is still with her in the afterlife! I need to protect her, I can’t let him hurt her again, I will kill the bastard if he tries anything. I hear a man’s voice, “Vivian, she’s just been born, she’ll be curious about the world as a child and of course she would be smart, just look at who her insanely intelligent and talented mother is.”

“You're going to make me blush, Edwin! She takes after both of us then, look at her adorable little face, she’s just staring at me with her violet eyes. Wait, Violet, that’s her name! I know we agreed on Ellenor, but I think Violet is a much more fitting name.” My mother said with a smile, her hazel eyes shined as if there were stars in them. I can’t be swayed, I need to sort my thoughts and find out what exactly is going on. If this is a dream, the afterlife, or something else entirely. I can assume the man my mother is talking to isn’t that bastard because their names, voices, and attitude towards my mother are completely different.

“We can just name her both, how about Violet Ellanor Virac. I think that has a nice ring to it.” My father said, looking over at me with a smile. “I think it’s time for her to eat, then I’ll put her down for a nap, and after we can talk about the future for our family in this Empire.”

My mother nodded her head at my father’s words and proceeded to put her boob in my mouth. This is so embarrassing, but my hunger took over the shame and I couldn’t stop drinking the milk. I need a distraction from this before I turn red, so I started to put together what I know.

It’s a fact I died, so the dream theory wouldn’t hold weight, also this all feels too real for it to be fake. This could be the afterlife, but it seems I’ve just been given birth to and I can’t speak. It wouldn’t make sense for this to be the process after death. After ruling out my primary options, I can only guess reincarnation. I was reborn in a different place, it seems, with different features than in my previous life as described by my mother. This could be my second chance, after my horrible first life, but why is my mother here? There are still questions that needed to be answered, but I’m just happy to live with my mother again. I’ll learn about this world and protect my mother, so we can be together forever in this life.

After Violet fell asleep in her crib, Vivian and Edwin laid down in their bed, holding each other. “Vivian, we might have gotten permission to leave the Capital City to start a family together by the Empress, but we can’t escape the conflict within the Palace. If she calls us back, we are obligated as those who swore allegiance to her, especially you. As the Holy Paladin-”

“Edwin, you know as well as I do that I can’t be the paladin anymore. I just want to be the Countess of Virac and a mother to little Violet. I know it was a selfish desire to want a child with the limited time I have left, but I wanted to raise a family with you in this cottage in this little village.” A faint smile appeared on Vivian’s face as tears began to shed from the corners of her eyes.

“This wasn’t just you, it was my decision as well. I love you and I want to spend the rest of the eight years we have left raising our daughter together, but we have to prepare her for the struggles she will be facing after you are gone. After they find out you have died, they will try to kill me immediately. I’m not strong enough to fight back, I’m just a strategist. My swordsmanship was never good, and I only excelled at water magic because I’m a distant relative of that bastard Duke. He’s the reason things in the Palace have gotten so bad, he’s helping the Royal Consort gain control through illegal dealings of the underworld’s worst crime syndicates.”

“Hey, don’t undermine your accomplishments by mentioning the Duke, you became the Imperial Strategist and one of the closest aids to the Empress. It’s because we were both aids to the Empress that we were able to meet and given a new start. I was given the surname Virac by the Empress, and we were both given the title of Count for our accomplishments in the wars to create this Empire. These are big things, be proud that this is the history we can share with our daughter.”

“We have to get back on topic, we have to plan for the worst case scenario. We have to prepare her for the day we are gone, we have to explain everything about this world and make sure she has the tools to survive. They are going to come after her no matter what, especially if they find out she has violet eyes. It’s proof she has the Duke’s bloodline, and she can use powerful dark magic, just like those with violet eyes in the Duke’s household. The current Duke and his son don’t have violet eyes, they don’t have the same power to instill fear with their magic anymore, so they will try to build back their strength by having her marry into the family and create an heir with violet eyes. We can’t let that happen!”

“And, we won’t let it happen, Edwin. I will teach her swordsmanship and if she has an affinity to light magic I’ll teach it to her. You can teach her dark magic and, if she has an affinity, water magic. We can hire a tutor, or you can teach her basic education. Let’s leave her with magical tools and books to help her after we are gone. We can do this together, she will be ready for the world and will be the future of this Empire.”

“Alright, you win, Vivian. I love you, my intelligent, caring, talented, and gorgeous wife.”

“You can always praise me more, but this will be sufficient,” Vivian says with a smile, as they both break out into laughter.

“I love you too, Edwin.”

It’s been three months since I started living my life as Violet. The things I’ve recently learned may surprise you. This land I’m living in is called the Edraevia Empire, it’s a place full of magic and swords. This world has monsters, demons, beast-men, spirits, and elves! We live in the west, which is a territory owned by the Empress and her vassals, it’s a prosperous land with advancement in every area. The village we are in is five days away from the capital on the paved road, but through the forest two days if you don’t get trapped in any dungeons. It’s truly your typical fantasy world, but it’s familiar to me. I’m not sure why, but I feel like I’ve heard about this world before. It doesn’t matter, I need to focus on gaining strength to protect my mother and father.

Recently, I realized where I recognized Edwin. I met him in my first life when he ran into my mother and I at the mall when I was 12, he was my mother’s first love. They had been childhood friends that grew up together, but he moved away after high school to go to a prestigious Ivy League university. After Edwin saw my mother, he knew it was her and called out her name in the middle of the mall. When she turned around, she was so shocked, she dropped the books she bought and started walking towards him in a trance. Edwin, in turn, held out his arms waiting for my mom to come to him with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen a man make. It was almost like a signal for my mom to start running into his arms, as I watched them embrace it felt like something out of a romance novel. I hadn’t seen my mother that happy before, as she was lifted into the air laughing with Edwin, I picked up the books she dropped and walked over to introduce myself.

“I didn’t know that they were filming a romance movie, is this the part I’m supposed to say cut,” I said with a chuckle. My mother flashes red and lets go of Edwin, who is also blushing red.

“Sorry Lizzy, this is Edwin, a childhood friend that I haven't seen in many years.” With this introduction, my mother seemingly brought Edwin back to reality. “Yes, it’s nice to meet you! Can I assume that you are Vivian’s daughter, both of you are very similar?”

“Yes, your assumptions are correct, my name is Liz. It’s nice to meet you, Uncle Edwin. It’s interesting, you said we’re similar. In what ways?” I took Edwin off guard by calling him Uncle, but he just laughed and smiled.

“You and Vivian act the same as when she was that age. It’s almost like going back in time.” He looked at me with a smile, but sadness in his eyes. It was a weird feeling being told I was similar to my mother, it was the first time I wasn’t addressed as an adoptive child who was nothing like my parents. I felt like her biological daughter for a moment, something I’d wished for a long time. “Since I haven’t seen you in a while, Vivian, would you like to go and eat at a café right now? On me for our reunion.”

“I guess we could eat now, I can tell Lizzy about some funny stories from childhood.” My mother smiled, and we started walking to a café in the mall. After being seated, my mother went to the bathroom and my investigation of Edwin started. “So, Uncle Edwin, what are your intentions with my mother? You’re not going to kidnap her, are you?”

Edwin is still full of smiles and lets out a chuckle as he responded, “I expected this interrogation, but I didn’t think you would make the same expression as Vivian when she’s suspicious. You are her daughter.”

It made me happy to be recognized by my mother, it gave me comfort, but I didn’t want to keep lying about who I was to my mother. “You can say that all you want, but I’m adopted, so you are still off.”

“But does that matter, you are still her daughter and you both are similar. I only stated a fact.” Edwin’s curt response was unexpected, most people made fun of me, even the man I called my father. I was doing my best to push down a smile, “This doesn’t answer the question, my mother is an important person she doesn’t have the energy to deal with people who aren’t important.”

Edwin responds with a story I was shocked by, “If I’m being honest, your mother was my first love and the one that got away. I decided that I would become a person worthy of her, and went to university and the workforce to become the kind of man she could rely on. I want her to follow her dreams to become a writer and live a life full of happiness. It’s what I’ve been working towards all this time. I know I’m late, but I want to make up for the lost time. That is if you give me your blessing.”

Edwin’s words were sincere, and I felt he had a genuine care for my mother. I wasn’t going to be swayed yet, but I could give him a chance. It’s not like her current husband is better, if anything Edwin is better looking and seems a lot wealthier. “I’ve decided to give you a trial run, if there are any red flags or if my mother is hurt in any way you will feel my wrath. If I feel you are a good fit, I will help you with hints or opportunities.”

“Thank you, Liz, I appreciate the chance and I will never hurt your mother, not in this life or the next.” My mother was walking to the table at the end of his sentence, and we both sat straight up and awkwardly smiled towards her. My mother laughed, “Did I break up a team meeting? What did I miss? Are we at the bottom of the ninth inning already? My bad, a baseball joke Edwin wouldn’t understand!”

My mom is laughing, while Edwin tries to explain he wasn’t a big sports person as a kid, while my mother played every sport she could in high school and got scholarship offers all over. Apparently, my mom was really popular and classically, Edwin was a nerd. He liked gaming, comics, and the stock market. He would always talk to my mother about it when they were kids since they grew up in the same neighborhood. Edwin was also the only person who knew my mom loved books and comics. They would go to the library all the time together, until their senior year of high school. It brought them closer, and they dreamed about making comics and books together.

As time went on, their conversations reminiscing showed how much they cared about each other. They would have inside jokes and explained them to me, so I could be a part of the joke. They would tell stories until, late that evening, the café and the mall were closing. My mother looked relaxed, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. We started leaving, and my mother went to go get something out of her car, leaving me with Edwin.

“Uncle Edwin, my mother seems happy with you, so you passed my test. I’ll give you a piece of advice, so listen closely. My mother isn’t happy with her life currently, especially in her marriage. Since I’ve been adopted, this is the first time I’ve seen her so relaxed. I hate to say this, but I need your help can’t be the only reason she smiles anymore. She deserves more from life, and I believe both of us working together can give her that.” Edwin looked at me surprised for a moment, but nodded and assured me that he would make my mother the happiest she’s ever been. My mother returned with a photo of her and Edwin as teens, with a note with her number on it.

Ever since that moment, my mother saw him often for a few months, making up for the lost time. It wasn’t long for my mother to start putting herself back together, and she fell in love with Edwin. I was happy spending time with both of them, we felt like a real family and Edwin always treated me with respect. He took me places when my mother wasn’t feeling well, and even showed up to my talent show with my mother.

A few weeks before my 13th birthday, Edwin asked my mother to marry him and move away with him. In his speech, “Vivian, I know we have only been back together for a few months, but this time I won't make the same mistake, and I’ll make sure I tell you how I feel. I’m in love with you, I’ve been in love with you since we were kids, and I want us to be together for the rest of eternity. Let’s raise Lizzy together and be a real family, I want to give you the life you deserve.”

Standing in agreement with him, we could finally become a real family after she left the man I called my father. I agreed with Edwin that once he and my mother got married, I would call him father. These dreams never came to fruition. My mother agreed to his proposal and as she was leaving that bastard of a man, well, you know the rest of the story.

Edwin visited my mother in the hospital every two weeks, from a different city he would drive to see her. He never resented me for my mother protecting me with her life, he said it’s that bastard’s fault and left it at that. We both reminisced about my mother and cried together. He even offered to adopt me, but I refused because I wouldn’t be able to see my mother every day. I couldn’t separate from her, I couldn’t lose her.

That was their story of reconnecting and losing each other. I'm happy in this life they are together, and I’m their daughter. I know my life in the Empire will be fun with my mother and father. This time I will learn about this world to protect my mother’s happiness, and maybe I’ll protect my father too.