Shawn giggled, liking that the man still sounded like he was in a meeting when everything else felt like a fairy tale.
More absurdities followed. A soul who had spent his life cheating at board games received a "Karma: Farm Slug" ticket, while someone who died trying to dance off a cliff as a prank got assigned to "Seabird: Coastal Choir." Everyone agreed the lineup suited him perfectly.
Then the atmosphere shifted.
One of the Conductors unrolled a different scroll that shimmered brighter than the others, and the crowd quieted immediately.
"SOUL 149871," he announced. "Cause of death: years of quiet, unpaid care. Lifted entire families while being forgotten."
A murmur spread across the shore as the soul's warm glow stayed steady.
"Life review: sacrificial kindness and endless patience. Judgment: Last Visit Pass granted. You may return to watch the place where you labored one final time, to see the faces you mended. Then proceed to your carriage."
The soul smiled softly before tears, bright as pearls, drifted from her face.
The currents lifted her gently, carrying her away with a peace Shawn suddenly realized he wanted for himself someday.
Not long after, another booming voice echoed across the silver sea.
"SOUL 149890. Cause of death: heroic attempt to stop a collapsing bridge. Died in the attempt."
The crowd fell silent, leaving only the soft movement of the ocean for several long seconds.
"Judgment: Reborn into Noble Lineage. Carriage 002. Honorary guardianship granted to the descendants you saved. Additionally, Regression Gate available after two life cycles."
Some souls sighed happily for him, while others whispered quietly about fate.
As time passed, Shawn slowly stopped being afraid and became fascinated instead.
He watched a flamboyant soul try to bargain with a Conductor by promising to be extra entertaining in the next life, and he watched a small-time thief get reincarnated as a dog in a loving home. He even watched someone beg to be erased entirely, only for the request to be granted with gentle finality.
Every judgment carried its own emotion, like laughter or disappointment, and through it all, the ocean simply carried everything away.
Halfway through the endless line, a carriage made of polished black stone rolled closer to the shore. Its doors opened quietly, and a young soul stepped out who looked like someone whose life had ended before it truly began.
The Conductor looked at him with unusual kindness.
"SONG OF MERIT," he announced. "You may visit before rebirth. Step into the Memory Gate."
The boy's soul flickered softly, and for one brief moment, images spread across the sea itself.
Shawn saw a crowded hospital room and a father trying not to cry before the boy stepped forward, causing the images to disappear like water washing ink from glass.
Shawn stared at the fading ripples.
"That looked… poetic."
The businessman beside him remained practical.
"It is designed for closure, which is useful for reducing temporal dissonance."
Shawn blinked.
"Temporal what?"
"Never mind."
The line continued moving as people hoped, bargained, or complained. The Conductors handled everything with the efficiency of exhausted office workers trying to balance an endless cosmic ledger while the ocean reflected every story back at them.
Then a rare case appeared.
A famous soul floated forward, known across several realms for a life filled with sacrifice. This wasn't comedy anymore; this was the sort of soul people whispered about.
His life review unfolded like an epic tale of a man who had rebuilt a corrupt nation, yet still regretted every life he failed to save.
Even the Conductor seemed careful while writing.
"Judgment: Noble Reincarnation accepted. Prime Lineage. Additionally, access to the Regression Gate for one cycle, conditional."
The reaction was immediate as bells rang across the sea and light pulsed through the air.
The noble soul bowed with calm dignity, then unexpectedly turned and touched the shoulder of a child standing nearby.
The child blinked in surprise.
"Sir?"
The noble smiled faintly.
"Go learn, and remember to fix the small things."
Something tightened in Shawn's chest.
He didn't fully understand why, but for the first time since arriving here, he imagined meeting a younger version of himself someday and giving him a better future.
The judgments continued.
Tickets passed from glowing hands to glowing hands, each one carrying a promise or another chance.
Shawn occasionally joked with the businessman about terrible reincarnation options like becoming a mountain goat, and the businessman responded with meeting metaphors.
"Do you think you'll get regression?" Shawn asked at one point.
The businessman adjusted his nonexistent sleeves before answering.
"If you accomplished great things, the possibility increases. Potential matters, and unfulfilled potential especially tends to receive favorable consideration."
Shawn lowered his gaze toward the glowing water.
"Then… maybe I could become something cool next time?"
"You could," the businessman replied, sounding warmer than usual.
A moment later, another judgment echoed across the shore.
"SOUL 1498114. Cause of death: accident while inventing. Life review: brilliance cut short. Unfulfilled potential: maximum. Judgment: Assigned to High Potential Cycle. Eligible for enhanced life seed and mentorship bond. Carriage 007."
Shawn froze as something inside him tightened instantly.
His glow pulsed faintly like a tiny bell ringing in the dark, and he slowly turned toward the businessman, who gave him a small nod.
Shawn swallowed.
"If that's me… then I'm building the greatest machine ever."
"You shall," the businessman replied calmly. "And perhaps this time, you'll document the process properly."
The silver ocean brightened as the distant sound of a train finally grew louder.
Rails of light stretched across the sky, forming glowing pathways toward the horizon.
Souls gathered closer together, clutching tickets that somehow existed despite none of them having proper hands anymore.
The atmosphere shifted to expectation and hope.
The Conductors stood together as the lead one tapped his scroll.
"All judged souls, prepare for boarding. The Great Train of Return will soon arrive. Carriages will be assigned accordingly."
Shawn's chest fluttered nervously.
He had seen everything now: mercy, punishment, and second chances.
He had watched selfish people receive fitting endings and kind souls rewarded quietly without fanfare, and somehow, it made him hopeful.
A ripple of light crossed the horizon as the first carriage arrived.
Its glass doors slid open, revealing impossible worlds hidden beyond them as the train stretched endlessly across the sea.
Every carriage held a different future, and every door promised another life.
Shawn took a slow breath and glanced at the businessman, who adjusted his collar like he was preparing for yet another endless meeting.
The Conductor cleared his throat.
"Prepare to board in order. Next soul for judgment, step forward."
The platform glowed softly beneath them while the sea continued its endless rhythm, and the train doors shimmered beneath the starlight.
When the next name echoed across the shore, it still wasn't Shawn's, but somehow, the ocean itself seemed to wait.