Yanyuwa Underworld
Atticus was conflicted about Mictlān as he followed Thanatos through the familiar doorway. He wasn't entirely sure that he liked the idea of oblivion, but at least he knew what awaited him at the end. Any other Underworld ended in a question mark about where he would actually end up. With these thoughts running through his mind, Atticus didn't realize Thanatos had stopped at a doorway until he almost walked into him.
Thanatos turned as Atticus jolted to a stop. "This is the last option for you Atticus. After we tour here you will need to make a decision." Atticus threw a quick glance to the plaque above the door to see if he recognized the characters, but the pictographic images' meanings eluded him. "This last Underworld is that of the Yanyuwa people. They are a tribe from a place called Australia and have traditions that go back for tens of thousands of years.
"This place will likely be a little surprising for you, but it is not as dangerous as Valhalla or as strange as Mictlān. Are you ready?" Atticus took a moment as the weight of his looming decision weighed on him. "Lead the way, Thanatos."
With that, Thanatos threw the door open wide. Blazing bright sunlight flooded the hallway and the driest air imaginable stole the moisture from Atticus's lips. After the humidity of Mictlān, this air felt as though it came from a furnace. It even affected Thanatos as he staggered back some from the light.
Once they had both regained their composure, they stepped onto the pathway which led from the door. They walked in a red desert sparsely spotted with low shrubs. Red mesas and hills dotted the horizon in every direction except directly in their path to the east. From there rose glittering spires which shot up into dizzying heights. With the heat beating down on them, Atticus didn't know how they could ever walk such a distance even with himself being dead and Thanatos a god.
Apparently, Thanatos had similar thoughts for he again grabbed Atticus's tunic and lifted them into the air on his wings. "I hate the heat here, Atticus!" Thanatos shouted over the roar of the wind. "I suppose I should start be telling you a little about how a soul works in this Underworld. Here, you have three souls that represent different aspects of your life and you. The first is the ardirri, your Bone Spirit. It manifests at conception and will live as long as the person. The second is the na-ngawalu, your Shadow Spirit, and it lives both in life and death. The third has two forms. The first is the wuwarr and manifests at death and the second form is when the wuwarr fuses with the ardirri and creates a new spirit called the kuyara."
Atticus was very confused by all this but kept listening as Thanatos explained further. "It may seem odd to have so many variations of the spirit but that is because each spirit has a different role and place in the afterlife. For example, your Shadow Spirit will live here if you choose this Underworld." Thanatos gestured at the gleaming city which lay sprawled beneath them as he spoke. The city was magnificent and filled with people living what appeared to be normal lives. Some went to the markets, others walked in the parks, and yet others appeared to even be working jobs around the city.
"This city mirrors the world of the living, Atticus. In fact, the whole world is mirrored in this Underworld. It progresses along with humanity, so long as they live this world thrives." Atticus couldn't believe the beauty of the city which lay beneath Thanatos's flight. "However, that is not the only place you will go. Remember that you will be split, effectively, into two distinct spirits. The Shadow Spirit will reside in the mirrored world but the kuyara has a much different fate.
"The kuyara will return to the land where you lived in Anatolia in the real, living world. Once there, it will be judged to have one of two fates. If it is a favorable judgement, the kuyara will be reborn as the ardirri in a new birth. If unfavorable, the kuyara will wander the Earth as a restless spirit, unable to communicate with the world of the living and tantalized by life."
Atticus was surprised by all of this. How could one man have so many different spirits within him? How much of a man resides in these souls? Does one live as the Shadow Spirit in the Underworld, or does he live as both of them simultaneously? He had so many questions, but Thanatos was speaking again.
"There are many nuances of this I cannot explain, Atticus, though I would like to. It may affect your decision and I cannot cast more stones into what already appears to be troubled waters. I have given you all the information about this Underworld that I am allowed to share on the tour and the time to decide is about to come. You have the remainder of the flight back to my office to decide, but you must make your decision once we arrive."