Shawn giggled. He liked 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.
Someone who died trying to dance off a cliff as a prank got assigned to "Seabird: Coastal Choir," a lineup that everyone agreed suited him perfectly.
Then, for some reason, the atmosphere shifted.
One of the Conductors unrolled a different scroll, one that shimmered brighter than the others. 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.
The soul's glow was warm and steady.
"Life review: sacrificial kindness, endless patience, love beyond measure. Judgment: Last Visit Pass granted. You may return to watch the place where you labored one final time, to see the faces you mended and hear the laughter you inspired. 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.
For several long seconds, the only sound was the soft movement of the ocean.
"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.
Others whispered quietly about fate and how strange it could be.
As time passed, Shawn slowly stopped being afraid.
Instead, he became fascinated.
He watched a flamboyant soul try to bargain with a Conductor by promising to be "extra entertaining" in the next life.
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. Laughter. Relief. Disappointment. Grief.
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 student-looking soul stepped out.
He looked young.
Too young.
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.
For one brief moment, images spread across the sea itself. A crowded hospital room. A trembling hand held in farewell. A father trying not to cry.
Then the boy stepped forward, and the images disappeared like water washing ink from glass.
Shawn stared at the fading ripples.
"That looked… poetic."
The businessman beside him remained as practical as ever.
"It is designed for closure," he said. "Useful for reducing temporal dissonance."
Shawn blinked. "Temporal what?"
"Never mind."
The line continued moving.
People hoped. Bargained. Complained. Accepted.
The Conductors handled everything with the efficiency of exhausted office workers trying to balance an endless cosmic ledger.
The ocean reflected every story back at them.
Then a rare case appeared.
A famous soul floated forward, one known across several realms for a life filled with sacrifice and reform. Even the crowd reacted differently this time.
This wasn't comedy anymore.
This was the sort of soul people whispered about when they thought nobody was listening.
His life review unfolded like an epic tale. He had rebuilt a corrupt nation, carried impossible burdens, and 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.
Bells rang across the sea.
Light pulsed through the air.
Somewhere in the distance, a choir-like hum echoed softly.
The noble soul bowed with calm dignity.
Then, unexpectedly, he turned and touched the shoulder of a much smaller soul standing nearby.
A child.
The child blinked in surprise. "Sir?"
The noble smiled faintly.
"Go learn," he whispered. "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, a punishment, or another chance.
Shawn occasionally joked with the businessman about terrible reincarnation options like becoming a mountain goat.
The businessman responded with meeting metaphors and random pieces of parental wisdom.
"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. 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.
It was the warmest Shawn had heard him sound.
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.
Something inside him tightened instantly.
His glow pulsed faintly like a tiny bell ringing in the dark.
Slowly, he turned toward the businessman.
The man gave him a small nod.
Shawn swallowed.
"If that's me…" he whispered, "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 again.
Not fear.
Expectation.
Hope.
Sorrow.
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. Regression candidates, stand ready."
Shawn's chest fluttered nervously.
He had seen everything now.
Mercy.
Punishment.
Absurdity.
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.
The first carriage arrived.
Its glass doors slid open, revealing impossible worlds hidden beyond them.
The train stretched endlessly across the sea like a living storybook.
Every carriage held a different future.
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. Any further questions may be directed to the waiting canopy. Next soul for judgment, step forward."
The platform glowed softly beneath them.
The sea continued its endless rhythm.
The train doors shimmered beneath the starlight.
And when the next name echoed across the shore—
It still wasn't Shawn's.
But somehow, the ocean itself seemed to wait.