Unlike Thana, or even Gunza really, the Anubis had lived up to his title. He sat in all his glory on his throne, while his three visitors, with the exception of Pitch, stood with their jaws on the floor. Jack rubbed his forehead, recounting the past minute. He stared at the beautifully adorned god on the throne, and subconsciously turned to the doorway from which he had run through as a small boy.
"You are the Anubis?" He felt another smack on the back of his neck.
"Be respectful," Idyss whispered harshly.
The man let a smirk break his serious face. "Yes, I am the Anubis. But you three," he pointed at them. "Aren't dead. At least not by standards of the afterlife you aren't. So what could you possibly be doing here?"
The Anubis had a thick, Indian accent that made Jack feel as if he were looking at a costume. He shook his head.
"We came here on behalf of the Azrael." Idyss spoke. "The Hela has sent her shadows to rob human children of their humanity."
The Anubis closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "That girl," he muttered before standing. "She thinks she can manipulate the outcomes of life and death." He walked down the steps as he spoke, his tuning fork still in his hand. "That doesn't explain what it is you're doing here." He stopped a few feet away from them.
"Your name is Edri, right?" Jack asked. The Anubis took a step back, startled.
"How do you know that?"
"Thana told me. Originally I went to her for help, since children around the world had stopped dreaming-"
"If you already had Thana's help to stop Gunza and her ridiculous plotting, then why bother me about it?"
"Because Gunza killed her."
It was the first time it had come from Jack's mouth. His anger slowly grew and he had realized that he couldn't fix what had been started if he didn't accept the very thing that had been surrounding him all along. The thing that Thanna had kicked him in the face for. People died. That was how life worked. Edri stood frozen.
"So then, it wasn't a coincidence." He whispered. "Not too long ago, a girl that looked almost identical to her passed through here today… I thought it wasn't possible. That just by chance…" Edri stopped, and shook his head.
Idyss took this chance to step in, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Lord Edri, we've come to you because the Hela needs to be stopped. During her battle with the Azrael, Gunza said that the dungeons of Helheim were empty because of you."
"Because of me?" He looked puzzled.
"She called you biased. Said that the reason Elysium is crowded and that Helheim is empty is because you believe there is good in everyone."
Edri stood in silence for a moment. He looked up and caught Jack in the eyes.
"You spoke to Thana, did you not?" He asked the winter spirit.
Jack nodded slowly.
"So then she must have explained to you the linear of death, and our divisions? How we each got our titles?"
Once again, Jack nodded.
Edri sighed. "Listen. Anubis is just that. A title. A way to align the stages of the afterlife in a way that keeps balance and order. Of course, I'm not really the proclaimed God of death and funerals, Anubis. I cannot decide where souls end up just as the Azrael couldn't."
Jack winced at the past tense that Edri used."
"If you don't make the decision of where the passing end up," Pitch asked. "Then what purpose do you have for being here?"
"I am the youngest of the beings of death." Edri started. "When I first arrived, that is how the trials worked. I would be the deciding factor of who moves on to Elysium, and who is sent to the dungeons. But after a certain number of centuries, I had the same concerns that Gunza had. Sure, I was chosen to judge those who had died. But who was I to decide what was considered a good or an evil life? Of course there were the obviously glaring examples. Murderers, rapists, life sentenced prisoners, frauds. But once it came down to the details, to the ordinary, minor souls. That is where it became tricky.
"A woman who has lived her whole life with a hatred of people of color. Anyone would say that there was no way she would make it to 'Heaven,' as they say. But this very same woman was born, and raised in a town run by white supremacists and members of the Ku Klux Klan. So how on earth would she ever know that the beliefs she held were considered evil? On the other hand, a boy that was born and raised in poverty. He grew up honestly and studied hard in order to make a good living for his family. He ended up becoming a successful businessman, creating a company of natural energy sources to replace greenhouse gasses. Anyone would say his soul should be saved. The woman held an honest job, raised children. Volunteered at the local hospital. The man secretly cheated on his wife, and would hit his children behind closed doors. So how can I draw that line and say she was evil, and he was not? That is bias. True bias.
Edri turned, and pointed at the huge scales behind him. "It was then that I said enough. I took the concept from the Egyptian story, the feather of Ma'at, and created my own version. These scales possess the same ability as the feather of Ma'at. But rather than weigh a person's entire soul against the symbol of order and truth, their heart would be split into two parts. The good and the evil. Whichever side weighed heavier would be the deciding outcome. To me, that was the fairest way I could pass judgement."
Idyss rubbed his beard in thought. "Weigh the soul against the soul… Cancel out and see what remains…"
Edri nodded. "I did this to prevent what Gunza claims. And for centuries after, it worked."
"So then how is this all happening?" Jack asked. "If it's supposed to be a fair system then why are Gunza's dungeons empty?"
"I couldn't say. The only explanation I could possibly think of is that the world has changed drastically. Humans have a higher standard of morals now. And Gunza feels envy for the crowds that fill Elysium."
There was silence amongst the four. Now that Jack fully understood, his heart was filled with anger. Gunza's motives were purely selfish! She killed Thana not because of the new way of order. But because she had no power. Nothing to rule over. While Jack highly doubted that her dungeons were barren, it wasn't enough. His knuckles turned white.
"So how do we stop her?" He spoke. "She can't be left robbing children of their innocence left and right."
"I hate that it has to come to this, but there is no avoiding a battle. Gunza will fight, and it is clear to me that I cannot persuade her to stop. Thana's death is proof of that."
"What of the Hades?" Idyss asked. "Surely he must be informed!"
"That is true. Cassius must be told. But Gunza must be dealt with quickly."
"Then we'll split up." Jack announced suddenly. The three looked at him strangely.
"One of us will go to Cassius, and the rest will go to Gunza. The fight is going to happen, so why not start it? Then, once we convince Cassius, he can help us end this."
"Jack," the Anubis rested a hand on the spirit's shoulder. "Gunza is a very powerful being. You three alone cannot defeat her. You'll need more power. And while Cassius might understand, he may very well do nothing."
"How could he sit and do nothing?" Idyss objected. "This is the fate of humanity at stake!"
Edri sighed and while it could have been just the shadows of the flames, Jack could have sworn that he saw the Anubis begin to shrink. "Out of all of us, Cassius is the oldest. He has ruled since man first walked on this earth. He is tired and weary. And while I have no control over where the souls go, Elysium is still full and he has a lot of work on his hands. He may be the best representation of a god of the dead than any of us."
"Jack," Idyss nudged the boy. "You should go to the Hades."
Jack reeled back, his face expressing offense. "What?!"
"He's right," Pitch added.
"But I-"
"Jack, you know the story best. You were there, you lived it. If anyone is going to convince the Hades to help us, you're the best man for the job! You even convinced Pitch to help!"
"Idyss, I'm pretty sure that was you." Jack said grumpily.
"Frost, get out of your own head." Pitch said suddenly. "You've been going on and on about the atrocity and the fate of the world. How dare Gunza be so selfish? The Hades died at the same age that you did. He's an unsociable teenager. Idyss' fancy words aren't going to be the catalyst that brings out his spirit. Passion is. And what better way than with another cranky teenager who has a lot of it building a fire in his belly?"
Jack was silent, while Idyss chuckled proudly with his arms folded. Pitch exhaled.
"You are the only one who can get through to him. Besides," he grit his teeth. "I've been meaning to give your lovely guardians a taste of their own medicine."
"We believe in you Jack," Idyss said. "And don't worry. We'll save some of the fight for you."
"The door at the end of that corridor," the Anubis pointed to the left. "Leads to Gunza's realm. I'll take Jack to Cassius."
The two parties split. Just before Jack disappeared into the corridor, he looked over his shoulder. Idyss and Pitch walked down the hall, talking like old friends. He smiled, and turned away.