Kanya: "No. Even if their lifespan ends, divine people of Heaven do not die. They are reborn through the Day of Rebirth."
Shirone: "Then it doesn’t add up. If everyone can live forever, how does the population stay the same?"
Kanya: "The lifespan of divine people is under Ra’s governance. Strict laws calculate the total population’s lifespan, maintaining a fixed number."
Eternal life and population control were incompatible.
In the end, the key lay in the Day of Rebirth.
But like Guardrak, Kanya also avoided explaining it. Whether divine people or heretics, they had their convictions, but the Day of Rebirth was an exception.
The Day of Rebirth, as Shirone imagined it, was a massive contradiction.
They arrived in Heaven after passing through the Whirlwind Serpent’s valley and the Forest of the Fallen.
The party looked up at the sky.
Compared to the size of the walls, they were mere specks of dust. It was a scale beyond human creation.
Kanya introduced this place as the 73rd district and added that there were 820 districts in the first sky alone.
Giving up on imagining, Shirone touched the wall. It was not stone; it was metal.
Heaven’s technology far surpassed the common sense of Shirone’s party.
Shirone: "Is it okay for us to enter?"
Kanya: "It should be fine. You are a Nephilim. But I can’t guarantee it."
Shirone: "Then what about climbing over the wall?"
The thought of climbing over the towering walls of Heaven seemed impossible, but there was no other way.
However, Kanya shook her head.
Kanya: "Only drones with flight authorization can fly in Heaven’s airspace. You will be intercepted. I have never seen it happen, but I heard about it from my grandfather. And sneaking in is impossible anyway."
Shirone: "Why? There doesn’t seem to be anyone guarding the gates."
Kanya: "They don’t restrict entry. It is a matter of the law. All information in Heaven is managed by the angels residing in the 6th Heaven, Zebul. They can measure even the smallest changes in mass and gas composition in each district, so sneaking in would be pointless. Do not worry too much. Nothing dangerous will happen. This isn’t Purgatory."
As a divine person, Kanya reassured Shirone, as if there was no need to plant negative feelings about Heaven in advance.
As they approached the gate and inserted the gauntlet, a red beam of light scanned the surface from the lens.
The gate opened, and a sound that shook the world echoed. Covering their ears was useless.
As the entrance to the 73rd district opened, Shirone and his party followed Kanya into Heaven.
The gate closed, and the lens flashed.
Information about the newly transformed 73rd district was transmitted to the 6th Heaven, Zebul.
The first impression of Shamain was surreal.
The residential areas of each race were divided by streets, but their cultural styles were drastically different.
The Noor’s buildings were practical, while the Kergo’s were extravagant. And when they discovered the Mecha’s buildings, Shirone and Amy stopped on their tracks, speechless.
It was the Magic Warehouse, Istas.
Square boxes were stacked in layers, freely intersecting, and moving between adjacent buildings.
It was unlikely that the Mecha had visited the magic school for a field trip. This was evidence that Mecha technology had somehow flowed into the original world.
Kanya led them through the Mecha district and into a plaza.
The plaza, where various races mingled like a cultural hub, resembled an international market in a neutral country.
Amy: "Shirone, look over there."
Amy pointed at a statue of a giant.
The atmosphere was different from when they had seen it at the Kergo altar. Here, giants actually lived. And they had even fought one.
Why would a giant, revered by divine people, wander in Purgatory?
Kanya’s house was the same size as other Mecha homes.
If the Kergo sought extravagance and the Noor practicality, the Mecha pursued standardization.
As they entered Kanya’s house, the building rose to four stories.
Despite its inhuman shape, the interior was cozy.
Her parents, sitting at the dining table, abruptly stood up.
They had heard that the Day of Rebirth was for those whose lifespans were ending, but their faces looked much younger than Shirone had expected.
Kanya’s mother hugged her daughters and shouted.
Mother: "Where on earth have you been? Do you know how worried I was?"
Kanya: "I’m sorry. There were circumstances."
Mother: "Who are these children? They look like Noor’s people."
Kanya: "We went to Noor’s Sanctuary. To get this."
When Kanya held out the potion, her mother’s eyes shook in shock.
She had never told anyone about it. How did her daughter know?
Mother: "You... this is..."
Kanya: "It’s a stimulant, made with Noor’s magic. Drink it before the Day of Rebirth."
Mother: "Rena! Why did you do this? I never wanted this!"
Rena: "Then what, just watch? You went to Purgatory to get medicine for Grandpa too!"
Mother: "Who told you that...?!"
Rena: "Grandpa told me! That is why he could enter the Day of Rebirth with a smile! That is enough, isn’t it? That is what family is!"
Mother: "Why are you ! If you knew that getting the medicine shortened my lifespan, how do you think I would feel if my daughter did the same thing!"
Her father, who had been listening with a painful expression, intervened.
Father: "Both of you, stop. What has done is done. At least they’ve returned safely."
After calming his wife, he turned to Shirone’s party.
Father: "So, are you heretics? From Noor’s Sanctuary?"
Kanya introduced Shirone’s group.
Kanya: "No. They are from the Earthly Realm. They saved me and Rena and helped us get this medicine. If it weren’t for them, we might have died."
No parent would treat those who had saved their daughter harshly.
Her father invited Shirone’s party into the house.
While her mother prepared a meal, Kanya recounted their experiences in Purgatory.
When the topic of Shirone being a Nephilim came up, both parents knelt, causing a commotion in the living room.
After much pleading from the group, the parents agreed to treat them normally.
Father: "I see. Thank you for helping Kanya and Rena. But it is best if you leave this place soon. Even if you’re a Nephilim, those from the Earthly Realm won’t be welcomed here."
Shirone: "No. We plan to go to the 7th Heaven."
Arabot, the holy land of God, was so sacred that even mentioning the desire to go there was considered blasphemy. But Shirone, being free from the law, could speak his mind freely.
Father: "But... there’s no way to reach the 7th Heaven."
Shirone: "We’ll figure that out. But I am more curious about the laws here. What does it mean for lifespans to be shortened?"
Father: "It’s exactly as it sounds. Divine people are granted a lifespan at birth according to the law. Kanya’s lifespan is 62 years. Rena can live up to 73."
Shirone: "Huh? Rena’s younger, but her lifespan is longer?"
Father: "Lifespans can change. Rena gained 10 years because she sang hymns beautifully as a child. It is a good thing, but the problem is my wife. Her lifespan is 43 years and 247 days. Only one day remains."
Shirone’s heart sank.
Who would know their lifespan down to the day? The thought alone was horrifying.
Yet, Kanya’s mother was smiling. She was confident in Ra’s grace.
Father: "My wife lost 20 years of her lifespan for going to Purgatory when she was young. So tomorrow, she’ll enter the Day of Rebirth."
The idea of altering someone’s lifespan was cruel. No, it was hard to believe it was even possible.
If Ra controlled lifespans, how old was he?
Heaven’s history spanned hundreds of thousands of years. Ra truly was a god.
Shirone: "What is the Day of Rebirth?"
Father: "Hmm, I guess no one’s told you. Well, it is not good to know. Besides, you are a Nephilim, free from the law. It’s none of your concern."
Shirone: "Still, I want to know. Understanding it might help us come up with a solution."
Father: "Hmm, well then..."
Just as her father was about to explain, a clear voice echoed from outside the window.
Voice: "All, heed me! I am Peope, the Mecha overseer."
Shirone’s party jumped to their feet.
The voice reached them as if amplified by magic. Most astonishingly, the language was automatically translated.
The ability to communicate telepathically without a channel.
If it were magic, it would be high-level.
Father: "It’s finally happened. A fairy."
Shirone: "A fairy? Like the fairies I know?"
Shirone recalled the fairies from his original world.
Kanya’s father nodded, mistaking the fairies Shirone knew for the ones here.
Father: "Yes. They enforce the law. If giants uphold the law, fairies are the ones who execute it. You could call them administrators. They’ve come because of Kanya and Rena."
Shirone: "What should we do?"
Father: "If you’re a Nephilim, you shouldn’t have to worry. You are free from the law. But... I am not sure if she will take that into account. She has a peculiar personality."
Voice: "What are you doing? Open the door, divine people of this house!"
The fairy’s voice came from outside the door.
They were on the fourth floor. And the fairies Shirone knew they could not fly.
When her father opened the door, a tiny creature flew in, defying Shirone’s expectations.
It was a girl the size of a palm.
She had golden curly hair, and even on her small face, her features were strikingly beautiful. She wore green boots that reached her ankles, and her transparent wings fluttered at an invisible speed.
As Kanya’s family knelt, Shirone’s party followed suit.
Peope, floating in the air, raised her chin and spoke.
Peope: "I am Peope, the spiral fairy. I have come in person to conduct a divine trial."
Fairies were born from spirits, like Jack O’Lanterns, but they were concepts rather than natural beings.
A single-concept entity.
Thus, fairies had reason and could control the concept from which they were born.
Peope: "Therefore, I shall now enforce the law. Kanya and Rena, have you been to Purgatory?"
Kanya: "Yes. We went and returned."
Kanya’s parents closed their eyes tightly.
But Kanya herself was calm. She had been prepared for this since leaving Heaven.
The only problem was... Rena.
Rena: "I’m sorry. I wanted to treat my mother, who’s about to undergo the Day of Rebirth, to a delicious meal, so I hunted in the Forest of the Fallen."
The Kergo could freely travel to Purgatory, so she thought using hunting as an excuse might lessen the punishment.
But Peope showed no concern for the divine people’s circumstances and pressed her.
Peope: "Hmph, how dare you lie. What use is food to a divine person who will die tomorrow?"
Kanya’s mother finally burst into tears.
Even if the Day of Rebirth were a blessing, what creature in the world would not fear death? Peope had stirred up those precarious emotions.
Shirone felt anger at this.
Divine people called the Day of Rebirth a rebirth. But the words from the fairy, an administrator, were a clear death sentence.
It was not mere intimidation because there was no malice in Peope’s words.
It was like an innocent child expressing their feelings honestly.
Peope: "Regardless, I shall pass judgment. Kanya and Rena, your lifespans shall be reduced by 40 years each."
Kanya looked stunned. A 40-year reduction meant she would have less than 10 years left. Rena was better off, but she would still die at 33.
A 40-year reduction for unauthorized departure was the highest penalty of which she had ever heard.
A year ago, a peer named Seil received a 5-year reduction. Uncle Kai, a Noor’s person, got 7 years. Even her mother, who was considered the unluckiest, only lost 20 years.
But 40 years? She could accept it for herself, but what about Rena’s life?