Hermes hovers at the threshold between worlds, one hand raised to guide the next soul forward. The line behind him stretches back into shadow — dozens waiting, then hundreds. But the soul directly in front of him won't move. It simply stands there, transparent and silent, refusing the passage Hermes has opened. He's seen confusion before, seen fear, but never this: pure, stubborn stillness. He shifts his caduceus to his other hand and steps closer. The soul's form flickers, barely holding shape, but one detail remains sharp: a wedding ring on its spectral finger, gleaming like it's still solid gold. "You're holding onto that," Hermes says, not a question. The soul doesn't answer, but its hand closes tighter around the band. Behind them, the procession grows — pale figures stacking up in rows that curve back toward the living world. Each one waits with the patience of the already dead, but Hermes knows that patience has limits. When souls pile up like this, they start to forget why they're waiting at all. He kneels down to eye level with the soul, his winged sandals brushing the ground that isn't quite ground. "Listen to me," he says. "That ring? It's like losing your keys and searching every pocket twice. Except you're the keys. And you're never going to find yourself back there." The soul trembles, and for a moment Hermes thinks it might understand. But then it pulls the ring closer to its chest, and he knows: this one isn't confused. It's refusing. The difference matters. Confusion he can fix with direction. Refusal requires something else entirely. Hermes stands and looks back at the growing line of souls waiting at the gates. The route he's trying to perfect — the faster passage that would prevent exactly this kind of delay — it won't matter if even one soul can jam the whole system. He pulls out a small ledger from his satchel and marks the soul's position with a quick note. Then he gestures for the line to split, routing the others around the stubborn one. They flow past like water around a stone, and Hermes guides them through, one after another, his movements sharp and efficient. But the soul with the ring stays put, and Hermes lets it. For now. Because he's learned something today: the route itself isn't the only problem. Sometimes what holds souls back isn't the path — it's what they won't let go.