Trailing specks of ice blue light, the little boat passed over the town below, where countless lights shone in the darkness, then arrived above the sea before finally dissolving into the void beneath the stars.
It was as though they had passed through a thin black curtain. The starry sky vanished overhead, replaced by endless void. Yet this place was not dark. From the distant front, a vast silver moon disk gradually emerged from the darkness, until more than half of the Underworld Moon hung above the water's surface.
The boat gradually slowed, and the Underworld Moon's radiance illuminated the faintly rippling water ahead. When he looked around again, the little boat had already stopped upon that expanse of black water. One pure white soul after another passed by the boat, walking toward the final destination of all souls.
Bathed in the Underworld Moon's light, Mr. Otto the Ghoul did not look back again.
"Beautiful."
He sat in the little boat, gazing at that half moon as he spoke, his voice completely restored to normal.
"If you want to wait for your wife and leave hand in hand with her, you can refrain from moving forward for now. Just stand in these waters and wait."
Shade said this from the stern, holding an oar. The ghoul rose to his feet and turned to thank Shade. At the very instant he turned around, he changed back into a human, though a layer of frost still covered his body.
It was Mr. Otto as he had looked in his youth—handsome and utterly dependable. This made Shade regret the story between him and his wife all over again.
Mr. Otto carefully studied Shade's face, with the cat perched on his shoulder, then bowed deeply in thanks.
"Though I do not know who you