Limbo, a place without a sense of time. Where the dead wait for those whom they are bonded to. A place with one entrance, and two exits.
One can wait for their significant Other and cross into eternal bliss with that person, or they can leave on their own, and face empty shadows forever. This path is rarely chosen, but enough do choose it that the guardian of the way is accustomed to opening that door.
Is it out of pity, or out of respect that the guardian allows the match to those people to pass into bliss alone? Only he can say.
The Land of Bliss is just that, endless happiness either with or without the one you are meant to spend it with. There is no pain, no hunger, no strife, no darkness, and no unhappiness to be found in that world.
On the other hand, the Land of Darkness is a black void. There is no light, no sound, no scents, nothing to touch, and nothing to taste. A person who enters the Land of Darkness is forever condemned to their own thoughts and emotions, and they will forever know the sorrows of those they left behind.
Surely no person would willingly subject themselves to such torture, is what you are thinking, but there are many who would without a second thought. Perhaps they need a second thought, a second opinion, the voice of their Other to help guide them.
It is not understood why, but every soul that walks into that place knows what lays behind those two doors, and they know what fate awaits them should they choose either one. Perhaps this knowledge comes with death itself, for knowledge always follows a new experience.
What then, of those who have not yet passed, and their Others passed into the Land of Darkness? Do they know this? No, the Guardian tells them that their Other is not there, and that they are allowed to enter the Land of Bliss alone.
At that moment, the newly deceased soul knows that their Other has passed into an eternity of self-imposed torture. They know that they cannot join their Other, for even if they did, they would never meet in the void that is the Land of Darkness. Those without Others choose to enter the Land of Bliss, and keep their Other's memory alive with happiness.
Does the grief then go away, when one enters the Land of Bliss without their Other? No, I doubt it would. They will carry it always, never allowed to show it outright due to the laws of that land, but the pain will eventually fade, as all things do.
Back to the Guardian, who is he, exactly? The Guardian is the one chosen to watch over the Doors of Death. Nobody knows how he was chosen or when, not even he can remember, it has been so long. He is also my oldest companion.
I am the Doorman for the dead as they enter Limbo. I speak far more than my Guardian counterpart. I sometimes even speak with the dead as they come through my Door. Sometimes, the talks span years if not decades out in the world. Others, mere minutes are spent.
Ah, look here. A woman comes forth to my Door. I have been expecting her for many years.
Her Other passed through my Door decades ago, and we spoke at length during our time in Limbo. This lad was a genius in his own right, though he never applied it in his life. He became a sort of friend to me, for we spoke for so long. How long we spoke, I cannot say for certain, but I do know that he knew without a shadow of a doubt the identity of his Other. He told me everything he knew about her, the poor love-struck boy.
And now, she comes through the Door I watch over. Tall and graceful, her youth has been restored in death. I can see how he could have fallen for her. She is quite the sight to behold. Her lightly-tanned skin seems to glow in the soft candlelight that radiates from nowhere. Her hair is both soft and brilliant, and each individual strand catches the light differently.
I can see the anxiousness in her eyes, the desire to see her Other. I beckon her to me, and she moves lithely, much like a cat. "Welcome to Limbo." I say. She does not respond, just looks around frantically, searching for the one she was unable to spend her life with.
"You wish to see your Other. You must go to the Guardian, he will direct you further." I tell her. She nods at me in thanks, flashes me a flawless smile, and rushes towards my counterpart. A sudden memory surfaces, and I call out to her.
She turns her face towards me, obviously impatient and willing to enter the Land of Bliss with her loved one. Once again, I motion for her to come closer. When she comes within arm's reach, I lay my left hand upon her left shoulder. I made a promise years ago when that boy left to see my counterpart, and now was when I would fulfill it.
I had seen many couples split apart by one decision to enter the Land of Darkness, but this was the only time I had ever truly known one of them. With all of the information the lad gave me, I felt as if I knew this young woman as well. I swallowed past a lump in my throat that had never been there before, and began to speak.
"He offers his apologies, but he will not be meeting you in the Land of Bliss." The look of horror on her face almost causes me to stop, but I press on. "He chose to enter the Land of Darkness, but he wanted you to live your life in Bliss. He said that it was the least he could do for you."
Through the eyes of the Guardian, I had seen many souls break down in a flood of emotions upon hearing this kind of news, but even so, I was unprepared for what she did next. There was no screaming, no crying, no begging for me to bring him back. She simply closed her eyes and fell to the ground.
'How strong she is, to know that her Other is gone, and still keep this level of composure.' I thought as I watched her silently mourn for her love, forever lost now. I knelt down beside her and she immediately embraced me and began to quietly sob. "Why?" she asked.
I gingerly placed my arms around her and patted her back softly, "He felt unworthy of you, and he felt guilty of his past. He chose the Land of Darkness to help him..." I trailed off as I saw the young man stand from beside the Guardian. The same young man who I was sure had walked through the Black Door years ago. I saw the gaping hole that emerged from both temples and knew it was him, I had seen the wound too many times not to recognize it.
"He wanted to atone." the girl whispered as she squeezed me tighter. I did not comprehend her words, so shocked was I by the spectacle before me. The Guardian had opened the Black Door, I was certain, so how could he still be here in Limbo?
The lad's thoughts reached out to me from across that room, 'The Guardian told me that I needed a better reason to enter the Black Door than what I had. Now, I have that reason.' He looked both lovingly and sadly at the now frail girl in my ancient arms before a tear rolled down his face. 'I could not stay with her forever. She must be free to choose her own path, just as I have chosen mine.'
I reached out to him with my own mind, 'She chose you as her Other! How could you ignore that and leave her in such a state?' I demanded. He slowly turned away and the Guardian opened the Black Door once again. 'I never wanted to be anyone's Other.' he calmly explained, 'I wanted to be hated, scorned, ignored, or better yet, forgotten. She is the epitome of beauty and perfection to me. Such a wondrous thing has no place with a monster like me.'
He began to walk towards the Black Door just as the young woman stumbled to her feet. I had not even been aware of her releasing me, for I had been so fixed on my mental conversation. She wiped her eyes dry and gave me a sad smile, "Thank you for that." I nodded once, slowly in acknowledgment. "Did he leave any other message for me?"
I could only watch helplessly as my friend, the Other of the woman standing next to me, waved at me over his shoulder and walked through the Black Door. The boom of that door closing sounded more final and melancholy than it had ever before. "No," I told her quietly, "Nothing." She nodded once more and moved towards my counterpart.
I stared at the Black Door with a fury I had not felt before and sent one last mental message to my one-time friend. 'You truly are a monster. A heartless, uncaring monster you have become from what you have done this day. Why did you do this to her, and to yourself?'
Whether it was real or not, I heard a voice in my head speak the following words: 'I could not face her again, not after leaving her alone whilst I lived. She deserves better than a coward, which is why I have given her the chance to choose from all those in the Land of Bliss. Could you think of no greater gift to the one you love than to offer them a chance at eternal happiness?'
Be content with this, for there may never be anything to follow.
~R0xas666