"The main ha-a-all is-s just this w-way." the Apparition before them flickered as its voice stuttered. She eyed the translucent figure through a strand of black hair, now greasy and frayed. Her own eyes could barely make it out in the periphery. But, she saw through her Children. She lost count of the high arches passing overhead.
"One-hundred and sixty arches. Twenty meters long. One thousand, three hundred and thirty-three strides." spoke a tiny voice in her mind. "Thirty-four, thirty-five."
"Be silent!" she snapped at the voice. The command echoed down the vast hallway, uttered from many throats. The Apparition turned.
"I p-beg p-pardon?" it asked as it glitched to face each of the group.
"Nothing." scratched out a disheveled peasant named Tricia. The Apparition sputtered, then blinked down the hallway, beckoning for its charges to follow.
The hallway ended. As the Apparition walked through the wall, the smooth metal surface cracked into many patterns. Each shape separated from its neighbors and shifted soundlessly from the center, creating an opening.
"What is it?! Momma, help!"
"Shhh... It's alright. I'm here."
"We are dead. This is the afterlife."
"No. We live."
"It is a trap to kill me!"
"There's nothing to fear. We are together."
Tentative as deer, they stepped through the portal. The ancient craft which had brought them here was windowless. The corridors and halls behind them had no outside view, either. The voice had told her she was far above the world. Here, she saw the truth with her own eyes.
The entire room's ceiling was transparent glass. The planet loomed over the left side of the gargantuan chamber. The Sun showed pale, blue light over the right. The chamber, which was filled with beautiful plants was bathed in tranquil glory. And directly overhead...
"The stars! Oh, Mother! The stars are beautiful, here!" She made no reply, save to touch them all with her own awe. The Apparition beckoned them on, further into the groomed vegetation of the otherworldly paradise.
In the center of the massive chamber was a high dais. All the Children, save Paulus who carried her in his arms, waited in nervous anticipation at the feet of the structure. The Apparition led the giant man and his frail Momma up the steps.
A throne stood atop the dais. She saw a suit of armor in the massive chair, still as death. The suit was complex, intrinsic, and beautiful. The voice listed different components in the armor, as well as the outcomes of several stress-test scenarios. She was heedless to its never-ceasing droning. Her shock was too great at the sight of the sigil emblazoned on the chest plate. A hammer.
The same hammer which was sewn into the gowns of the Healing Order of Saint Ameena. The hammer that she had worn in tandem with the blood of so many she could not save. The hammer on which many a solemn vow was made; to which many a pious servant of The Builder prayed. The hammer which was ripped from her tunic, just before the gallows.
"Y-ou rrrrr-here may rest-t-t. Master will speak-k with you sp-shortly." The Apparition vanished. The giant holding her set her gently down at armored feet, carefully resting a too-stiff neck on the cool stone. Then, he knelt by her, quietly flexing his elbows and shoulders to restore blood flow. For a long time, she laid there.
"Welcome. I'm surprised the shuttles can operate." The figure on the throne remained motionless. But the voice came from its still, metallic lips. It was a deep, rich voice. Paulus looked up.
