āGuardianship Trials (or: why is there a billionaire in my afterlife)ā
It started quietly.
Not with flyers, not with announcementsājust whispers.
Old beings talking in corners. Doors in the Infinite Realms staying open a little longer than they should. Names being passed around like secrets.
The Prince pretended not to notice.
He was good at that.
Heās not a baby.
Heās not even technically young, not by ghost standards. But apparently, āyoung enough to be recklessā is still a category, and unfortunately, he fits.
And ever since he and his shadow-twin lost their original domain, the whispers got louder.
He needs guidance. Structure. Protection.
He needs a guardian.
The Prince disagrees.
Firmly.
Loudly.
Repeatedly.
The compromise?
A trial.
Not a tournamentāno, that sounded too⦠fun.
This is something older. Stranger.
A series of tests. Of worth. Of intent.
Anyone powerfulāor foolishāenough can try.
He didnāt expect humans to qualify.
Which is why the first time he sees one, he assumes itās a mistake.
The man stands out immediately. Not because heās loudāheās actually very quietābut because everything around him reacts.
The air tightens.
The ground stills.
Even the watching entities pause.
The Prince tilts his head.
āā¦Youāre alive.ā
The man nods once. āYes.ā
āThat seems like a disadvantage.ā
āā¦I manage.ā
The shadow-twin likes him instantly.
Of course she does.
She circles him, curious, eyes bright with something sharp and playful.
āHeās weird,ā she declares.
The Prince sighs. āThat is not a qualification.ā
āIt should be.ā
The man doesnāt try to impress.
Doesnāt boast.
Doesnāt even seem particularly concerned about the ancient beings watching his every move.
Instead, he asks questions.
Practical ones.
āAre you safe here?ā āWho enforces the outcomes of these trials?ā āWhat happens if no one qualifies?ā
The Prince hesitates on that last one.
āā¦That hasnāt been decided.ā
The manās expression tightens, just slightly.
āI see.ā
He doesnāt win the early trials.
Not in the obvious way.
There are beings older than stars here. Creatures made of storms and memory and hunger.
They overpower him easily.
Butā
He keeps standing back up.
Keeps adapting.
Keeps watching.
And slowly, something shifts.
Not in the trials.
In the Prince.
Because this humanā
This strange, stubborn, completely out-of-place humanā
Doesnāt look at him like a prize.
Or a responsibility.
Or a problem to solve.
He looks at him like a kid.
āā¦That might be worse,ā the Prince mutters.
The shadow-twin grins.
āOh, definitely worse.ā
Somewhere far away, something ancient laughs.
Because this?
This is going to get interesting

















