Flynn reached his hand out towards Xernex's helping hand to pick himself up. As soon as Flynn was on his feet, he followed behind Xernex who gestured for his friend to follow. Flynn was in his old Space Marine armor from before he met the Night Sentinels while Xernex was wearing standard Sentinel armor. Flynn raced next to his friend, walking alongside him before repeating his question, "Alright, so, what's going on here? What is this place and how are either of us here?"

Xernex explained, "Well, I don't know a whole lot, myself. But the best way to describe this place would be like…a… a dimension between the world of the living and the next place. Think of this place like a bridge or gateway."

"A bridge to the next place? So, what, is Heaven real?"

Xernex's face contorted in contemplation as he tried to come up with an appropriate answer, "I guess…? I honestly couldn't tell you. I think it's better if I explain things by telling my experience in this dimension." Flynn made a "mhm" sound in agreement as he waited for his friend to collect his thoughts before recounting his tale, "So… it was right after I was erased by the Dark Lord when I had infused you, as a spirit. I figured that was it for me, but, then, I woke up in this place. So, there are these guides that roam this dimension, they guide people to the next place, it's their duty. My guide happened to be a nice fellow by the name of Yoriichi, you might've seen him earlier, the taller guy, kind of looks like an older Tanjiro."

"There were two Tanjiro look-alikes."

"Ah, well, one of them was Yoriichi. Surprisingly, a lot happened before I was allowed to come back and help you guys out one last time. Time is… it's different in this dimension, it flows at its own pace compared to the world of the living. That's where Yoriichi explained, to me, the rules of this dimension exactly like I'm explaining it to you now."

"Alright… so, is there a point you're trying to make?"

"Kind of, I'm getting there. So, guides… hmm, okay, I'm getting ahead of myself again. Sorry, you're the first person I've ever had to guide, and I only learned of these things recently, so, my apologies if I'm stumbling on my explanations."

Flynn responded with a simple, "mhm" as he waited for Xernex to continue.

"So, guides are people that are given a second chance after all of the sinful things that they've done. In Yoriichi's case, he was responsible for sparing Muzan and pretty much allowing thousands of people to die at his hands. That was his greatest sin. So, as a result, in order to be granted access to the next place, he has to work his time off. Think of it like a prison, we have to serve our time in this dimension until a set amount of time has passed equal to the value of our sin. We can shorten our time by doing good things and helping out by interacting with the world of the living, moments at a time, as a spirit. Yoriichi had been here for several centuries, slowly working his time off until he found a big scoop in the form of Tanjiro, that's why he chose to make his presence known to Tanjiro and start training him to repent for his sins. As I understand it, him helping me to aid you guys during your last battle against Davoth was the last thing he needed to be set free. So, you'll, most likely, see him once you pass through. Speaking of which, we're here."

They now found themselves in front of a gargantuan pale-gray gate in the middle of the void. The gate started to open up, allowing a bright white light to invade into the darkness of the abyss the two friends were currently in. Once the gate was fully opened, neither of them could see what was inside besides a blinding white light. Xernex took a deep breath, looking towards Flynn as he stated, "Well, this is where we part ways… for good, this time."

Flynn gave the Night Sentinel a perplexed look, asking, "Why do you say that?"

"I was your guide, Flynn, which means I was given a second chance by the Ancient Gods. There's a lot I don't know, and you'll, most likely, get your answers on the other side. But, I did a lot of bad things, things I won't forget or forgive myself for. Sure, I might've shaved a bit of time off from helping you and Tanjiro at the end there, but I still have a job to do, I have to serve my sentence."

"How long do you think you'll be?"

"Well, Yoriichi was here for a couple centuries. So, using that, in comparison, well…" Xernex made a sour face upon guessing the number, "...I'd say I'll probably be here for several millennia…" Flynn grew a somber expression upon hearing the steep number guesstimated by his friend. "I really have no idea what's beyond these doors. Maybe Heaven is real, but I won't know for the longest time. My job is to guide others to a treasure I cannot possess. At least, not yet. This is my punishment for what I've done which is why I want to say goodbye now. I don't know when I'll be able to see you again." The Night Sentinel reached his hand out towards Flynn. The warrior, without hesitation, got a firm grip of the Sentinel's hand. They silently pulled each other into an embrace, staring off into the distance as Xernex said his final words towards his best friend, "Thank you for forgiving me… I hope you don't forget about me…"

Flynn responded, "Likewise, it's been an honor serving with you, Xernex." They separated before saluting one another. They stared at each other for several more seconds, capturing one last glimpse of each other before turning their backs towards each other as they ventured off in opposite directions. Flynn closed his eyes as he passed through the gates, feeling the intense rays of the next dimension blasting into him like the warmth of the Sun.

Flynn opened his eyes to find himself in a colorful dimension, chock-full of life. There were various buildings and terrains as far as the eye could see. He could see so many different creatures perusing the landscape, even alien species he's never even seen before. Flynn tried to figure out what was going on, but his attention was caught by someone calling out to him, "Ah! Would you look at who it is!"

Flynn looked to see an older man who looked very similar to Tanjiro. His skin was very pale, his physique was thin and fragile. However, they shared the same distinct eyes and hair, with this man's being much longer in comparison to the boy's. He also wore a checkerboard haori, just like Tanjiro. Except, the color of the haori was orange and black instead of green and black. The man extended a welcoming hand as he introduced himself, "My name is Tanjuro Kamado, Tanjiro's father, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Flynn hesitantly shook the man's hand as he responded:

"So, you're his father…? Heh, he definitely takes a lot after you."

"I suppose he does. Come, have a seat, there's much to discuss." Tanjuro led Flynn towards a campsite not too far away. There, Flynn was greeted to the sight of several other men who looked similar to each other with the same red hair, eyes, and head scar. Tanjuro introduced the men, "These are all of the previous sun-breathing users who preceded myself and Tanjiro." Tanjuro then pointed towards Yoriichi and explained, "This is Yoriichi, the founder of Sun Breathing as well as all other breathing techniques as we know them." All of the Sun-Breathing users shook hands with Flynn, gesturing for him to take a seat along with them as they all stared into the gentle campfire.

Tanjuro then said to Flynn, "Ever since I passed away, I've been keeping my eye on Tanjiro which is how I came to learn of your existence. It's bizarre to see the legendary Hellwalker sitting right next to me, it sounds like something straight out of a fairy tale. Regardless, I've seen all of the good things you've done for him and helped shape him into the man he was meant to be. My only regret is dying as recklessly as I did and not being there to do my job as his father so I could still raise them. Maybe then… I could've-"

Flynn interrupted Tanjuro as he asked, "'died as reckless as you did'? What do you mean?"

"Well, as you, probably, know, each and every one of us sun-breathing users have dedicated our lives to defeating Muzan. It's our sworn duty, in a sense. I tried to teach Tanjiro the ways of Sun-Breathing at an early age, but he never quite grasped what it was I was teaching him. But… It was then that I realized that I didn't want my son to keep following the same path that my ancestors did. I took it upon myself to track Muzan and find him, leaving without saying a word to anyone in the hopes that I could kill Muzan and return to my family, peacefully. Well… me sitting next to you, right now, is the result of my reckless actions. I think my impatience is what led to Muzan finding our homestead which is where I was keeping the Blue Spider Lily hidden from him. I only really have myself to blame for the death of my family. That's why I'm indebted to you for taking care of Tanjiro. It's irresponsible of me to shift the duty of being a parent onto you. You have my gratitude."

Flynn slightly chuckled at the last comment, stating, "Don't mention it, I was a parent as well… which reminds me… where is your family? Shouldn't you be with them?"

The other sun-breathing users looked towards each other, awkwardly, upon hearing that statement. That's when one of them cleared his throat to explain, "I think, to answer that question, we must explain what this place is. This might seem like Heaven, but it really isn't. We are neither alive nor dead. We simply… exist… as spirits… heh, calling us spirits would still be inaccurate. If this place was truly Heaven, then there would be a lot more people here. Don't let the various species and people deceive you to the real truth of the situation. There are many good people that I know that should be here, such as our families."

"Alright… so, then how are we here?"

"From what I can surmise, this plane of existence is meant to preserve those who are special. This can refer to their feats, what they have, or what they're capable of. It's a broad term for sure, but this place exists to preserve those that the Ancient Gods deem are worth preserving. In our case, we are all breath-users, which allows us to perform superhuman feats. Our master, Yoriichi, is indefinitely special for being the founder of all breathing techniques. That's why we're here. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our families. Despite them being good people, they, admittedly, have nothing going for him. They're ordinary people with nothing special going for them, they aren't deemed worthy to preserve."

"...What the fuck… so, what happens to them?"

"They just… die. That's it, their souls aren't saved like ours. They're left to wither out and fade away."

"What the fuck type of Heaven is this?!"

Tanjuro sighed as he pitched in, "I would hesitate to call this 'heaven'. This may be a weird analogy, but this is more akin to an art museum for the Ancient Gods, a place where their greatests creations are preserved. For what purpose? We're still uncertain. All we have left is each other and everyone else the Ancient Gods deem special."

"Then what?! Do we just sit on our asses for an eternity and look pretty for the Ancient Gods?!"

"I don't see any other option. Even those who have been preserved for a much longer period of time compared to us still don't understand this dimension and it's rules."

Something caught the attention of everyone present as a distorted black sphere began to take shape near them. Flynn angrily got up once he recognized The Wretch appearing before him, storming towards the messenger of the Ancient Gods and angrily jabbing his finger towards the creature as he exclaimed, "I want answers! What's going on here?! Is what Tanjuro said about this place being some sort of art museum true?! Do you really not care for all life?! Well?!"

There was silence until The Wretch answered, "The Ancient Gods have acknowledged the actions of the Doom Slayer and have deemed him worthy of preservation and exception."

"Exception?! What the fuck do you mean by that?!"

"The Doom Slayer's actions in ceasing Davoth's attempts to destroy everything created by the Ancient Gods has garnered enough attention to make an exception, an exception to receive a reward for his actions."

"A reward?! What the fuck are you talking about?! What reward?!"

"The Ancient Gods will now restore what was lost for the Doom Slayer, the very thing that transformed the ordinary soldier of humanity into an instrument of destruction."

"Stop dodging my question and get to the point!" Flynn was prepared to start punching The Wretch until he heard a voice he had not heard in many years call out to him:

"Flynn? Flynn, is that you?"

The warrior lowered his guard upon hearing the beautiful voice of his deceased wife. What he heard next nearly moved him to tears, "Daddy! Daddy, it's me!" Materializing from thin-air, in front of him, was his family, Vanessa and Daisy Taggart. Flynn's eyebrows curled upwards upon seeing the two loves of his life returned to him. Daisy ran towards the man, embracing him right away while having a sheepish grin on her face. Flynn crouched down and squeezed his daughter, shutting his eyes as he savored this moment.

Vanessa knelt down next to her husband, hugging both her husband and daughter as she commented, "I've never seen you make that face before, Flynn. It's okay now, we're all together again. Nothing can separate us this time." Flynn was at the verge of crying, he couldn't hold his emotions back. Their reunion was interrupted by The Wretch speaking:

"The Ancient Gods have restored what belongs to the Doom Slayer." The Wretch began to fade away after it's last statement. Flynn parted from his daughter so he could get a good look at his family. He was left speechless, he didn't know what to say to them. Just as he prepared to say something, he heard someone sniffle from behind him. He looked behind him to see a few of the Sun-breathing users with sorrowful expressions while others silently cried. Flynn's jaw was left open in defeat, a wave of guilt and disgust washed over him upon seeing their reaction to him reuniting with his family. So this was the exception the Ancient Gods were referring to… Flynn muttered in response to seeing the painful expressions on the Sun-breathing users faces:

"...This isn't right…"

Vanessa commented, "What isn't?"

"All of this… this place… the fact that I'm the only one who gets to be with his family… This isn't right…"

"What are you trying to say, Flynn?"

Flynn furrowed his brows, looking towards the sky as he declared to himself, "... It means this fight isn't over yet…"

Until Part 3/3