Chapter 48: Heaven.
"Another... life?"
"There could... be another life?"
The Magnari instinctively tightened their grips around the edges of the wooden table. Questions immediately gave birth to even more questions as every one of them remained silent, unconsciously trying to arrange the countless thoughts racing through their minds.
The possibility that another life might exist beyond the one they were living now wasn’t something they could immediately welcome... nor was it something they could reject. A strange excitement stirred within their hearts, yet alongside it lingered an unfamiliar fear. If another life truly existed... then what exactly awaited them there?
One of the younger Magnari could no longer suppress his curiosity.
"Would we still be Magnari?"
Another voice immediately followed by others.
"Would there still be hunting? Would there be predators? Would we remember this life? Would we remember each other?"
As though a dam had burst open, one question quickly gave birth to another. None of them expected an answer from those around them, yet every one of them wished to ask. Their gazes instinctively gathered upon Gre Ka Go, only to find him quietly listening without interrupting them. He simply allowed their thoughts to run their course until the room naturally fell silent once again.
Only then did he spoke.
"I don’t know."
The answer immediately caught everyone off guard.
"You don’t?" Gree Ma Go asked almost instinctively.
Gre Ka Go slowly shook his head.
"No. I’ve questioned it countless times. I’ve imagined countless possibilities and searched for an answer more times than I can remember..." A quiet chuckle escaped him before he continued, "...But I’ve never died. So how could I possibly claim to know what lies beyond death?"
Silence settled over the room once again, though this time it wasn’t because they were confused. Rather, they found his answer strangely convincing. Had Gre Ka Go confidently declared that another life certainly existed, they would have believed him because he was Gre Ka Go. Yet hearing him openly admit that he didn’t know somehow made his words feel far more genuine than certainty ever could.
Gre Ka Go rested both hands upon the table before looking around at everyone gathered there.
"What I possess... are not answers. Only questions... and speculations."
Several Magnari unconsciously lowered their heads in thought, repeating those words to themselves. Seeing the unusually stiff atmosphere, Gre Ka Go suddenly laughed.
"Haha... why does everyone look so serious? I did say they’re merely speculations. That doesn’t mean we can’t think about them."
His gaze slowly wandered from one Magnari to another.
"You asked whether we would still be Magnari. Whether there would still be hunting. Whether predators would exist. Whether we’d remember one another..." He paused for a brief moment before a small smile appeared on his face. "...Those are all wonderful questions. But if we’re already imagining something none of us has ever witnessed... why should our imagination stop halfway?"
The Magnari quietly stared at him.
"If there truly is another life... then who’s to say it cannot become the place we all wish it to be? A place free from hunger. A place where those we’ve lost are waiting. A place where no child cries because their parents never returned from a hunt, and no elder fears growing too weak to protect the tribe."
He lowered his gaze toward the table, gently turning the empty wooden bowl between his fingers.
"I don’t know whether such a place truly exists. Perhaps it does. Perhaps it doesn’t. But if all I have are speculations... then I’d rather believe in a place that gives comfort than one that only gives despair."
The Magnari’s remained silent and kept listening. Some found themselves unconsciously imagining such a place, while others quietly questioned whether it could truly exist. They didn’t know. None of them did. Yet merely entertaining the possibility that another life might await them beyond this one somehow filled their hearts with a strange sense of comfort.
Before anyone could continue, however, Gre Ka Chu, who had been quietly resting against Gre Ka Go all this time, slowly lifted her head. Her crimson eyes remained fixed upon him as though she had only heard one part of everything he had just said.
"...We..." she asked hesitantly, "...can ask for anything?"
Every Magnari instinctively turned toward her.
Gre Ka Go looked down at Gre Ka Chu before letting out a quiet, helpless chuckle. "I did say they’re merely my speculations. If we’re imagining a place none of us has ever seen... then there’s no reason our imagination has to stop halfway."
Gre Ka Chu blinked several times, trying to digest his words.
"R-Really?" she asked, her voice noticeably brighter than before. "...Then... can I ask for someone too? To keep them with me forever... and do whatever I want with them? Anything? Absolutely anything?"
The atmosphere inside the room immediately became strange. Several Magnari subtly shifted their gazes between Gre Ka Chu and Gre Ka Go, while Gree Ma Go instinctively scratched his cheek. None of them were foolish enough not to understand who the "someone" she spoke of was.
Gre Ka Go remained silent.
His gaze met Gre Ka Chu’s hopeful eyes before drifting away for a brief moment. Somehow, he had a feeling that the place he had just described and the place Gre Ka Chu was currently imagining were... completely different.
"...If it’s only based on my own speculations..." he finally replied with another helpless chuckle, "...then... why not?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Gre Ka Chu’s expression brightened so noticeably that even the elders couldn’t help but notice it. The lingering jealousy and frustration that had clung to her since earlier vanished almost instantly as she happily nodded to herself before quietly settling back beside him.
[Character’s mental stability is stabilizing.]
"....."
Now that Gre Ka Chu had finally moved off his lap, happily wiggling her tail to herself, Gre Ka Go adjusted his posture and sat comfortably. He made no attempt to continue the discussion, simply listening as countless quiet murmurs gradually spread throughout the room.
"It’s... too good to be true," one of the rough-looking Magnari muttered while scratching his chin. "But... if we become selfish like the Chief suggested... then... I suppose we can imagine such a place."
The others slowly nodded.
None of them believed it was real.
Yet...
None of them wished to reject the possibility either.
After all, if it was merely a speculation...
Then there was nothing wrong with hoping.
A younger Magnari suddenly raised his head, as though a thought had just crossed his mind.
"Then... then..." he hesitated before asking, "...shouldn’t such a place have a name? Just like we have names for ourselves... and for the places we live?"
Gree ka go answered almost instantly as if he was expecting such a question.
"There is..."
"At least... in my own speculations... I’ve given that place a name."
"I refer it as a Heaven"
The Magnari unconsciously leaned forward.
"...Heaven."
"...Heaven..."
"Heaven..."
"Heaven..."
The unfamiliar word quietly spread from one Magnari to another. They rolled it across their tongues, repeating it over and over as though trying to understand it through the sound alone. Before long, their imaginations unconsciously drifted toward that distant place Gre Ka Go had described—a place without hunger, without loss, and perhaps... a place where they might one day meet again.
[Ding!]
[You have introduced the concept of Heaven to the Magnari, greatly influencing their beliefs.]
[Reward: 230 Karma Points]
[Total Karma Points: 7,450]