Realizing they were about to reach their destination, Shade looked ahead more carefully. The dense White Fog completely blocked his view, but gradually, he still saw that familiar glow of the Underworld Moon.
The moon, half-submerged in the distant water, grew ever clearer behind the thick mist. Even Ms. Brooke noticed it.
The two rose together and watched as the fog around them grew thinner and thinner. Before they realized it, many pure white souls were standing upon the water around the small boat, while the Underworld Moon had already illuminated them over this pitch-black expanse.
Soundless and utterly silent, this was the end of all things, the destination souls were meant to reach after death.
The last time Shade had appeared here was when he had been near death during the Battle of Moon Bay. Back then, Detective Sparrow, Ivan Daknis the Dark Chosen One, Haila Osenfott, Ms. Knight the Female Knight of the Fifth Epoch, and the mother-and-daughter pair of black cats had all been here to welcome him. This time, however, he saw no familiar faces.
After gliding forward slowly for some distance, the boat came to a complete stop. Beneath the Underworld Moon, they all seemed to have been dyed silver, yet none of them cast shadows upon the boat. Ms. Brooke held her breath as she watched, and perhaps because of the little boat's protection, they felt no discomfort here.
Shade gave her time to sense everything around them. He lowered his head and petted the Cat gazing at the Underworld Moon before handing the Mithril Blindfold to the witch. She accepted it hesitantly, but did not call out at once:
"Tell me, should I really disturb my elder sister's peace after death?"
The silence here made her hesitate.
"We've already come this far. Are