Greshina didn't say anything at first after telling Ely to follow her. Ely kept glancing at the Deathwatches above people's heads as they moved through the streets, still not fully used to the quiet ticking that never stopped. After a while of walking, they reached a large building with glass walls and people constantly going in and out.
"What is this place?"
Greshina slowed down a bit and glanced at the building.
"A hospital. It's where mortals go when their bodies are failing. Instead of relying on Divinity or healers like in Spheraphase, they use tools, medicine and knowledge to try and keep people alive."
"So it's like a place where they fight death?"
"More like a place where they delay it."
That answer sat weirdly with Ely but she didn't push it. Greshina simply raised her hand slightly and a faint purple mist spread around them, wrapping around their bodies.
"My poison mist won't harm anyone right now. It just makes us invisible and intangible to them."
They walked inside. People in uniforms moved around quickly, machines beeped softly in the background and even the air had a sterile smell.
"This place feels strange."
Greshina pressed a button near a metal door.
"That's because it's built on fear and hope at the same time."
The doors opened. Ely stepped in and looked around the small enclosed space.
"What is this?"
"An elevator. It moves between floors."
Ely watched as the doors closed, and then she felt the slight shift as it began to move. Her eyes widened just a bit.
"That's actually convenient."
"Try not to look too impressed."
"I'm not impressed— well okay, maybe a little."
The doors opened again Greshina stepped out without hesitation. Ely followed as they walked down a quiet hallway until Greshina stopped in front of a room. She didn't knock. She just walked in. On the bed lay an old woman. Her body looked frail. Her breathing was slow and shallow, her skin was thin and pale too. There were no machines connected to her.
She wasn't alone. Two men stood close to her bed, both trying and failing to keep their composure. Their eyes were red. Behind them were two women, gently holding onto them, offering silent comfort. And near the edge of the bed were about five young children.
Ely felt it immediately.
The old woman's Life wasn't fading in panic. It felt like a tree that had fully grown, lived through every season, and was now naturally shedding its final leaves.
"My boys…"
The men broke almost instantly.
"Mom… please…" one of them said, his voice cracking as he grabbed her hand. "You don't have to—just… don't say it like that…"
The other man looked away, wiping his face, failing to hide the tears.
"We can still… we can still call someone… there has to be something…"
The old woman shook her head gently.
"No… no more doctors… no more trying… I'm tired."
Her voice wasn't sad. It was peaceful.
The wives tightened their grip on their husbands, one of them whispering softly,
"She's okay… she's okay…"
The children moved closer.
"Grandma, don't go…"
Another clung to the edge of the bed.
"Stay… please stay…"
The old woman looked at them and she gave them a smile.
"Oh… my little ones. It's okay… this is how it's supposed to be…"
"It's not!" One of the children shouted. "You're not supposed to go!"
She chuckled weakly, lifting her hand slightly and resting it on the child's head.
"Everyone goes one day… that's what makes being here… special…"
Ely glanced at Greshina, but Greshina was just watching quietly. She leaned slightly toward Ely and spoke softly.
"Her name is Emily. She's one hundred and three years old. She had her two children when she was seventy. It was a miracle, really. She and her husband never thought it would happen. Her husband died at eighty so she raised them alone after that."
Ely watched as one of the men dropped to his knees beside the bed, holding his mother's hand like he was afraid it would disappear if he let go.
"She lived well. She has no regrets strong enough to bind her here."
"So this is…"
"A natural death. When it comes to these, I don't take their life. I let it happen."
Emily's breathing slowed down even more. She looked at her sons one last time.
"You did well… both of you…"
Her gaze shifted to the women behind them.
"Take care of my boys. They cry too much…"
A weak chuckle passed through the room, mixed with sobs. Then she looked at the children again.
"Be kind, live well… and don't be afraid…"
Her eyes slowly closed..A long, continuous beep filled the room.
The sons broke completely as their wives held onto them as tightly as they could. The children started crying too, clinging to the adults around them.
Ely stood there, frozen. She felt the exact moment her Life ended. A faint, glowing figure rose gently from the old woman's body. Emily looked younger. She blinked slowly, looking at her own body, then at her family crying around her.
"Are you here to take me away? Am I… going to heaven? Or hell?"
Ely instinctively glanced at Greshina, waiting for her to answer. Greshina didn't hesitate to answer.
"Neither. You're a Transmigrator. Heaven and hell don't apply to you. Those systems are for natives bound to their original worlds. You'll be taken into the Reincarnation Cycle and be reborn in another world. Just not this one."
Emily let out a small breath, processing that slowly.
"So… I won't come back here?"
Greshina shook her head gently.
"No. Transmigrators don't return to the same world twice. This life ends here."
Emily looked back at her family. Her sons were still holding onto her body, crying openly now. Their wives were trying to steady them even as their own tears fell.
"I see. You know, in my life on Earth… I died as a teenager."
Ely blinked slightly at that.
"It was a car accident. I didn't even get to finish school. Who would've thought I'd end up living like this?"
Ely watched her closely now, listening.
"Miss Death, I met my husband here. We didn't have children for so long. We thought it just wasn't meant for us. But then, when I was seventy, we had them. Both of them."
She glanced back at the two men crying beside her body.
"We grew old together, my husband and I. Even without children, we were happy. But having them was full of happiness. And now they're grown. They have their own families now."
Then Emily looked at Ely.
"And you? Who are you?"
Ely hesitated for just a second before answering.
"I'm just an observer."
Emily studied her for a moment, then smiled.
"Well, you picked an interesting moment to observe."
Ely almost smiled at that.
"Can I ask you something, Emily?"
"Of course."
"Do you have any regrets?"
Emily laughed.
"No, Miss Observer. My life wasn't perfect. There were problems too. Losing my husband hurt. But even then, it was worth it. With him, everything felt full, even the hard parts. I lived long and that's enough for me."
There was no doubt in her voice. Greshina watched her for a moment, and then, for the first time since they entered the room, her expression softened just slightly.
She stepped forward and extended her hand.
"As the ruler of Death, I acknowledge your life. There's nothing more I could've asked for. You died without regrets."
Emily smiled at her.
"Thank you, Miss Death."
Slowly, Emily turned back one last time at her family.
"Goodbye."
She reached out and took Greshina's hand.
The moment their hands touched, she began to fade. Her form dissolved into soft light, and within seconds, she was gone.
Greshina lowered her hand and glanced at Ely.
"This is Life in its completed form."
Ely didn't respond immediately. Her gaze lingered on the family still mourning.
"She wasn't scared."
"She had no attachments strong enough to bind her."
"And what about the ones who don't end like this?"
Greshina's expression returned to its usual normalcy.
"That is the next lesson."
They left the room off to the second victim.