Naomi aperad on the misty shore of the ocean. Next to her stands god Varo.

  “So, this is the ocean of souls?” She asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I hope a new life for all those people from that town, and warriors fighting to protect me will be somewhere far from wars, and definitely far from my influence.”

  “You are not responsible for their deaths.”

  “And who pissed off Arch Lich?”

  “And who allowed him to appear in the first place?”

  “Ok. But that was a part of the plan, minus twisted gods. Yes?”

  “To be exact, we planned that dungeons would be a reason why kingdoms would clash. Not the source of danger.”

  “But you are gods, you should know the future.”

  “We could know the future. But then there won’t be a place for free will.”

  “I guess,” Naomi answered after thinking for a few moments. “So what now?”

  “Some people are waiting for you.” He pointed with his hand in the misty land. Some of the fog disappeared, and a crowd of people appeared there.

  Naomi’s eyes went wide.

  “You are the people…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

  “Yes, we are the people of the town destroyed by the grand lich.” The Grand Priest of the Sun, standing at the front, spoke.

  Naomi dropped to her knees and bowed.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!” She started crying.

  The Grand Priest approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “Please rise, Dungeon Mistress. You aren’t the one responsible for our death.”

  “But, it was I who made Arch Lich angry enough to send Grand Lich.”

  “And, you think we didn’t make him angry? I personally led knights and warriors numerous times to fight cultists. And plans to kill us were made years before your arrival, Dungeon Mistress.”

  Naomi looked at him for a long moment, trying to find any sign that he was trying to lessen her guilt. She saw only sadness and shame on his face, too. She rose from her knees and spoke.

  “It was still me who made them act.”

  “You are as stubborn as anyone from the north.” He laughs. “So be it. You, Dungeon Mistress, claim that you are guilty of our death. By that, you give us the right to demand from you repayment for our suffering.”

  “I’m ready,” Naomi answered, dreading what he would demand from her. But Naomi decided to fulfil their demand, even if it takes her centuries.

  “Good. The majority of your debt is already paid. The Grand Lich and the necromancer responsible for our deaths are dead. But not the Arch Lich, and Arch Warlock. Help bring them to justice, then your debt, Dungeon Mistress, would be paid in full.”

  Naomi stared at him in disbelief.

  “But I’m already doing that.” She answered.

  “Splendid. Keep doing it until you succeed.”

  “Alright.” Naomi agreed and faced the crowd of souls. “I promise to help bring the Arch Lich and Arch Warlock to face justice. I also wanted to say that I’m sorry. I know it’s an empty word, after you lost everything, but I really mean it. Also, I have a small request to all of you. Before you embark on the journey to find a new life, please tell me your name. There are so many faceless and nameless victims of this war already.”

  For the first time, the crowd rippled with movement, and hushed voices were heard. Knights and guards immediately stepped in and organized people in a very long queue. Before the grand priest, a writing desk and a stack of scrolls appeared. He sat behind him, smiling and remembering his first days as a priest, when he spent his days writing and reading.

  People were reluctant at first. Dungeon masters were equal to the kings, and even the most decent nobles created an invisible status wall around them. To their surprise, Naomi was very considerate of everyone's feelings. She doesn’t press if someone wants to keep a distance. But her tears when she saw the first child in the crowd changed everything. They were genuine, and she couldn’t stop crying. And the same was with adventurers. She spent so much time with people like them that she could talk to them as if she knew them. People began slowly opening up to her, telling her anecdotes about their families. When they found out Naomi had a boyfriend, they gave her relationship tips. She even got a few cooking recipes, and Naomi promised to learn how to cook. Some of the craftsmen told her about their work and shared some secret knowledge. Naomi shared with them her discoveries.

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  “It will be rude if I do not share in exchange some of my knowledge with you.” She answered, when they told her that they would not remember anything she told them. “And I learned some time ago that some experience can shape our souls permanently. So who knows, maybe someday, when you're stuck with your work, you will remember this, despite not remembering our talk.”

  After a very long time, finally, all souls departed.

  “Thank you for your help.” Naomi sincerely thanked the grand priest and a handful of priests who were helping her. They noted every name, creating a very thick scroll, and around two thousand letters.

  “You're welcome, Dungeon Mistress. It was our pleasure to work for you. Before I go too for looking for a new life for myself, there is one family you need to meet.”

  “I missed someone?” Naomi started looking around.

  “They stayed back.” The grand priest answered. “Let me introduce you to the former Lord and Lady of our town, and their daughters.”

  The fog receded, revealing two adults with faces full of shame and postures of someone with a completely broken spirit. Older daughter was pissed at them and was shielding the younger one with her body, who was completely lost and didn’t know what to do.

  “Dungeon Mistress.” The former baron began with a weak voice. “I’m the person responsible for the massacre.”

  “We both are,” Lady added.

  “Yes. We both.” Her husband agreed.

  “But how? Don’t tell me you were working with the cultists,” Naomi asked.

  “It was something worse, Dungeon Mistress. We were stupid and thought we could outsmart everyone.” The Lord answered.”Let me tell you our story of failure.” He began speaking about shady deals, questionable agreements, and meetings with suspicious people. And the former Lady told her story, too.

  “That is why I hate both of you!” Older daughter shouted. “You are just two stupid, greedy nobles! You allowed cultists to torture us! Your own daughters! They poisoned my soul and mind! I can’t think about anything but hate and anger. And why? Because you want a few more gold pieces! I hate…" Her shouting was interrupted by a tight hug from Naomi. Her parents tried to approach her, but they couldn’t. What they did stripped them of every right to do that.

  Naomi kept hugging the girl until the girl stopped trembling and her breathing calmed down.

  “Better?” She asked.

  “No. The fire still burns.” She answered. “It’s smaller, but just waiting to explode and consume.”

  “Understood. Soon you will forget most of it. And if ever again you feel this anger, remember your sister, think about your family.”

  “I will never forgive them.” She answered through clenched teeth. Her hands clenched in fists.

  “I’m not talking about forgiveness. I’m talking about a second chance.”

  “There is no difference.”

  “There is. And it’s a big difference. If you forgive someone, that is the end of the story. You decide that past grievances no longer matter. If you give someone a second chance, they have to prove they deserve it. And after what your parents have done, they will need to atone for every soul that dies that day. So, why not wait for the day when their punishment ends, and then decide?”

  “But I wouldn’t remember that. We probably will never meet each other ever again.”

  “Normally, it could be true. However, I was told that if souls are emotionally attached to something, they keep returning to that thing. And you four are very close to each other. Also, we can ask the god here to arrange things. I bet it’s not the first time something like that happens.”

  “Dungeon Mistress is right,” Varo answered.

  “So?” Naomi looked at her.

  After a few moments, she kneeled before the god.

  “God of death, Guide of the souls. Please allow us to meet again in the future. When the punishment of my parents ends, and anger in my soul will be a cold ash.”

  “I heard your plea. And I promise that it will happen. Now go with your sister to find a place where you can rest and heal your soul.” The god turns to the former lord and lady, who also kneel, “For you waiting challenges and trials. Be strong, and your sins will be forgiven.”

  All of them thanked god for his words.

  “Dungeon Mistress, before I go, I need to warn you. There are more people like me. Blind fools believe they are blessed with luck and are smarter than the whole world. Please warn inqizitors. I hope that the death of Grand Lich will make the cultists retreat, but it also could make them want to retaliate and use them to do the same that happened in my city.”

  “I’m aware of that. It will be the first thing I will do when I return.” Naomi assured him, and with his wife, he went to the ocean. Still alone without their daughters, but their posture was somehow more confident.

  When they finally vanished, Naomi asked:

  “Please tell me they can do it. That they will survive the trial and see their daughters again.”

  “Before your intervention, it was uncertain. Now their chances are high. You have talent for that. I could use your help, actually.”

  “No, thank you. I know how that deal ends. I will work my ass off with all the hard cases, and you will sit and drink wine. Your job sucks, and I don’t want to have anything to do with it.”

  Varo laughed.

  “So, what now?”

  “Now, I will bring you to meet with the rest of the gods.”

  “But, then they will appear on the walls of my dungeon, yes?”

  “Not this time. You would be rewarded differently.”

  “Great.” Naomi really didn’t want to look at her path. “Before we go, I want to ask about the souls of cultists. What happened to them?”

  “They will need to face trials, too. Do you want to talk with them? They are full of anger and hatred, talking to them will be hard, and some probably even wouldn't want to talk with you.”

  “Probably. But I want to try if I can. Many cultists were deceived into joining the twisted god's side. I wanted to find those and try to help them.”

  “So be it.” God Varo answered, and around a few dozen new souls appeared. And it was like he said. They were full of anger and hatred. It was hard for Naomi to approach them, and they completely refused to talk. A few, however, carried a great amount of grief and shame. With those souls, Naomi managed to speak, and she hoped it would help a little.

  When the last cultist departed to face their punishment, Naomi was clutching three letters. Only a handful of ex-cultists were sane enough to understand what they had done. But only those three decided to apologize to their relatives. For Naomi, it was proof she was right. Cultists weren't inherently evil. At least not all. Most of them were lost and deceived, but the twisted gods' grasp over their minds, along with the fear of being hunted by both sides, made them unable to do anything.