Years had passed since the incident, and Joshua Destiny's time had come. He had lived a righteous life, guided by the principles of honor, humility, and justice. His family was gathered around him in the small but warm home he had built. His wife, Jennifer, stood by his side, her hand resting gently on his arm. Their children, William and Rachel, sat nearby, both of them grown but still under the comfort of their parents' protective gaze. The air was filled with an unspoken understanding as the moment approached.
The conversation was quiet but filled with deep emotions. Jennifer's eyes were heavy with the weight of the coming separation, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Joshua," she said, her voice trembling slightly, "I've always known this day would come, but I'm not ready to let go."
Joshua smiled softly, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "I know, my love. But I've lived a full life. We knew this was our path—ours and everyone else's who lives a life full of purpose. We'll be together again someday."
Rachel, now a young woman, looked at her father with a mixture of pride and sadness. "You've been a great father, and I'll always carry what you taught me with me."
William, his son, stood a little away from them, trying to hide his emotions. "Dad, I… I can't imagine life without you. I know it's your time, but…" His voice faltered. Joshua walked over to him and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"You'll be strong, William. You're ready. Your mother and sister will need you. Lead them well, as I've taught you."
Jennifer, unable to hold back her tears, pulled both her children close. "We will always love you, Joshua," she whispered. "We will carry your spirit with us in everything we do."
Joshua stood back, taking in the sight of his family for the last time. As he looked into the horizon, a familiar sensation began to stir within him. The Thin Line appeared before him, shimmering like a faint thread connecting this world to the ancestral realm. It was a phenomenon he had anticipated, yet the weight of it still struck him in the chest.
Joshua closed his eyes briefly, feeling a calmness wash over him. "It's been thirty-four years since the incident," he thought, as the line stretched across the room. "And still, no sign of David or Saponu. What's become of them?"
Before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, the scene shifted.
In a dark, stone-walled chamber deep within an unknown location, Saponu and David stood in the eerie silence. Saponu's gaze was fixed on a large, dark stone slab at the center of the room, where David knelt.
"It seems the time has come for Joshua's ascension to begin," Saponu's deep voice rumbled, filled with both anticipation and something darker beneath the surface. "And I told you I'd help you become an ancestor. The time has come to fulfill our agreement."
David stood still, his expression unreadable, but his body trembled ever so slightly from the weight of what was to come. "I've waited for this moment, Saponu," he said quietly. "I trust you will honor our pact."
Saponu's lips twisted into a cold smile. "Of course. Now, the Thin Line has appeared, and you have twenty minutes before the ancestral gates open and close. To enter the ancestral realm, both the ancestral gates and the Unknown World's gates must be opened."
David nodded solemnly as he laid down on the large stone pedestal in the center of the chamber. His eyes flickered with a final spark of uncertainty. But this was his choice, his only choice. The ritual had already begun, and there was no turning back now.
Saponu approached him slowly, and without a word, he drew a long, gleaming dagger from his cloak. The cold blade gleamed in the low light of the chamber. David inhaled deeply as the tip of the dagger hovered over his chest.
"Remember our deal," Saponu said quietly. "This is the price."
Without hesitation, he plunged the dagger into David's heart. The impact was brutal, but swift. David gasped as his life was extinguished, the last remnants of his existence slipping away as his soul detached from his body.
Standing above his lifeless form, David looked down, seeing his own body on the stone slab. A strange sense of detachment overcame him as his ethereal self remained standing, no longer bound by flesh.
Saponu smirked, satisfied by the result. "Now, let's go. We have no time to spare."
With that, the ritual had been completed. The two moved quickly, leaving the chamber to begin the next phase of their dark plan.
Back at the village, the Thin Line shimmered in the sky, calling to all those who had lived righteous lives. It stretched across the sky like a bridge between worlds. Joshua took one last look at his family. His heart felt light, free from fear and doubt. He felt the pull of the Thin Line drawing him toward his ascension.
Jennifer, Rachel, and William stood by, their gazes filled with a mixture of sorrow and reverence. The villagers began to gather around, drawn by the appearance of the Thin Line. They, too, had come to honor Joshua's journey.
Joshua took one final breath and turned to his family. "It's time," he said softly, his voice steady despite the gravity of the moment.
Together, the villagers followed the Thin Line, a procession of light and unity. The Thin Line stretched from Joshua's feet to the heavens, guiding them toward the opening ancestral gates.
As Joshua's family walked with him, Jennifer whispered to him, "You'll be with the ancestors soon, but you'll always be with us in our hearts."
Joshua smiled, though it was bittersweet. The line stretched before him, his steps leading him toward the next chapter of his existence.
The villagers followed, each of them filled with awe as they walked the path of the righteous, a path that would eventually lead to the ancestral gates. Their feet moved as one, like a living river flowing toward its destination, toward the world of the ancestors.
Joshua felt a deep sense of peace as the gates of the ancestral realm began to open, shining with an ethereal glow. The villagers, his family, and those who had honored him, stood before the gates in reverent silence, awaiting his final journey.
But as the gates continued to open, the air grew thick with the weight of the unknown. The unknown world, where darkness lingered, where David's fate and Saponu's plans awaited, was just beyond the horizon.
Joshua knew his journey was not complete yet. The ancestors waited, but the mysteries of the past would continue to shape the future.