Realm of the Dead

The **Realm of the Dead**, also known as **The Afterlife**, is the mythological location in the Underworld where the shades of the humans shall descend to following their death.

It is ruled by the Lords of the Underworld, who are the Gods of the Dead from various pantheons and mythologies.

## Overview

The concept of a life after death is found in almost every civilization and "may be as old as humanity itself". Common features of underworld myths are accounts of living people making journeys to the underworld, often for some heroic purposes. Other myths reinforce traditions that entrance of souls to the afterlife requires a proper observation of ceremony and/or funeral rites and offerings.

A number of mythologies incorporate the concept of the souls of the dead making its own journey to the afterlife, with the dead needing to be taken across a defining obstacle such as a lake or a river to reach this destination. Imagery of such myths and journeys can be found in both ancient and modern art, and the descend itself has been described as "the single most important myth for Modernist authors."

## Appearance

Despite popular beliefs, the Realm of the Dead appears as a seemingly endless metropolitan city formed of numerous skyscrapers and buildings built of gleaming obsidian, all built around a giant pit where the core of the Realm of the Dead and the entrance to the Kokytus Prison is located.

According to Nico, the actual size of the realm is unknown, as it continuously grows each and every year without any warning, forming new territories for the chthonic pantheons to snatch in countless political and military struggles, as well as to accommodate the endlessly growing human population living on Earth. Originally, however, the realm was said to be the same as Earth, though there were much more landmass as there were only large rivers and bodies of water in the Realm of the Dead instead of actual oceans.

Outside of the metropolis are vast meadows of ghostly flowers, which make the realm appear as enchanting and serene from afara. The plants that can be found in the realm are often those associated with death or used in funeral rites, such as beautiful asphodels, fragrant mints, or pale white poplars. There are also many rivers running through the realm, which smell like embalming oils and shimmer like crystals under lighting, which serve the function of masking away the natural smell of rotten corpse the realm originally had.

The sky here is always dark, with no celestial bodies or weather phenomena up upon the sky. The only sources of light come from the numerous magic lamps and illuminating floras native to the realm. Once a year, all lighting in the realm, both natural and artificial, will be turned off for roughly an hour to be "recharged" with new energy for the following year.

According to Persephone, located beneath the Realm of the Dead is the Dimensional Gap, where the magical force known as the Mist originated from.

### Gateways

Each of the mythological underworlds are connected to the Realm of the Dead through numerous gateways stationed all across the borderlands of the realm and the Netherworld, such as one that leads to Naraka, or Haides, or Yomi, etc. These gateways are fashioned out of precious metals and jewels, and are placed in the heart of a great temple complex of their respective religion.

Known gateways to the mythological underworlds and their respective pantheon are:

* Duat (Egyptian)
* Haides (Greco-Roman)
* Helheim (Norse)
* Iriy (Slavic)
* Irkalla (Mesopotamian)
* Naraka (Hindu)
* Otherworld (Celtic)
* Tuonela (Finnish)
* Xibalba (Maya)
* Yomi (Japanese)

## Notable Locations

### Kokytus Prison

The **Kokytus Prison** is an inter-pantheon maximum security prison reserved for some of the most dangerous criminals the supernatural world has ever faced. It is placed in the deepest part of the Realm of the Dead where many rare and dangerous creatures live, and remnants of damaged souls of those who had committed the gravest sins or perpetrated betrayals are eternally bound to.

The prison was created shortly after the Angelos Concordat was signed to signify the peace between the Abrahamic Heavens and the pagan pantheons, and is built around the tomb where Saklas was sealed so it can draw power from the captured Nephesh to function.

#### Rizevim's Institute

A research institute in the outskirts of a valley made of ice near the Kokytus Prison that investigates anomalies and irregularities that are disproportionate to the prison. It is one of Rizevim's hideouts before he and his Faction got destroyed. There is a strict security system and a password is applied to the door that connects each floor, so it is necessary to go through the door to lightly exceed 10 to get inside.

At the deepest part, there is a culture layer that fills the entire vast floor, and the body of the original Lilith is stored in it. In Chapter XXX, it was revealed that the institute was built on top of a crack connecting the Realm of the Dead and the Abrahamic Underworld that wasn't noticed by the Angels.

### Labyrinthus de Michahel

The **Labyrinthus de Michahel** is where the Gods governing over [Destiny] from various pantheons dwell. It is located beneath the [Chthonian Central Park] in the Northwest Sector of the Realm of the Dead, and can only be accessed through a secret entrance. It is known as a labyrinth because of its complex structure, which is impossible for any god or mortal unfamiliar with the working of [Fate] to decipher.

In the heart of the labyrinth is a small chamber where a gold-and-ivory statue is placed, carved based on the likeliness of Michael - the Celestial Prince who governs fate and destinies all of entities in existence and beyond, including that of the immortal gods.

Here, the gods pay tribute to the Celestial Prince by burning him monthly offerings of fruits and incense, sacrificing sacred lambs upon his altar, and pouring him precious libations. On the 13th day of every four months, they bath the statue with the water from the chthonic rivers. According to Clotho, this is to placate Michael's discontent toward the pagan gods, especially those of the Western Civilization, as they failed to support the forces of the Abrahamic Heavens during the Great War.

## Trivia

* The technical adjective for all things belonged/connected to the realm is called *chthonic*.
	+ It means "in, under, or beneath the earth" or "subterranean".
* The temperature in the Realm of the Dead is always several degrees belows that of the living world.
* Despite being portrayed as the afterlives for those of the Abrahamic faiths, neither Heaven nor Hell is considered a part of the Realm of the Dead, instead both belong to a higher realm of existence.