1.2 The Criterions of Lost Souls The man had stepped through the wormhole unnoticed, or rather, most eyes residing on Earth lack the necessary vision to detect this supernatural anomaly. As unbeknownst to most lingering in present society, the world is rampant with the deadly departed, some who were lost by accident, while others who go underground in attempt to avoid the entire cliché all together. It is for these souls a war is waged between light and darkness. For despite common assumption of immediate transcending to Heaven or Hell after death--souls can linger almost indefinitely on Earth until a side comes to apprehend their spirit. Therefore the solution was to forge a group of individuals called the Criterion—primarily assembled for restoring a balance between the realms, to return the misplaced souls back to their proper habitat. They are entities granted with the ability to slip between the tangible and intangible realms—the truancy officers of lost souls. Criterion can guide anyone who is deemed an unwelcomed guest among the living, except for those whose disposition was cremation. Cremains (ashes) offer no sustainable link between Criterion and host, the very essence of the departed soul incinerates into oblivion, erased from the books into the very void of creation itself; they are bound to an existence in the vast nothingness. Thus one could assume the dinner menu for those newly acquainted is isolated to Heaven and Hell... but another distinction does exist, one that is an extremely rare exception to the norm of soul trafficking--the realm of Purgatory. Purgatory, a realm fixed between Heaven and Hell, the bookmark for those whose judgment has yet to be finalized for a variety of reasons, mostly complications in due process. The realm historically served as a place-holder for all souls in times past, before God chose to condone the evil in man, refusing to look upon their vulgar sins. Thus he sent a facsimile of himself for recompense known as Jesus Christ, who broke the veil to Purgatory and allowed man access to the Promise Land. Unfortunately for Criterion, Purgatory is another task slated to their already extensive workload. (More on the battles of Demons and Criterion for souls in this realm later) But yes I’m trailing… The man steps through the wormhole to wind up in front of his place of Earthly employment, a mortuary located in downtown Los Angeles by the name of Frankford and Son’s Funeral Parlor. This was a beat up funeral establishment that stood on the same foundation for nearly 50 years. The man stops to adjust his loosened tie and walks inside to be greeted by an old man frantically multitasking between paperwork and clients on the telephone. “Yes, I understand Sir. You want her face embroidered on the head panel of the casket, and well that is a splendid idea I still must recommend a closed casket service, since she wasn’t “embalmed”, unless you plan on having a private viewing as stated before. Her remains are rapidly decomposing as we speak, even in the freezer Sir, it is a smell I am afraid not even Frebreeze can candy-coat,” said the old man trying to keep his composure on telephone with the customer’s unreasonable demands. Now one might question the logic behind a Criterion seeking employment on Earth, but the reason is simple enough given ample time to explain. You see, the powers of the Criterion are limited to touch, and although they are able to spot a demon from a mile away, they are not exactly what you would call telepathic. Each Criterion has devised their own method for seeking out the wondering souls on Earth. So what better way to find prospective souls than having death gift wrapped and shipped to your front doorstep? Call it a sick joke on God’s part, or maybe a gross negligence of power, but nonetheless they require a dead vessel to ascertain: what, where, when, why, and how. Think of it as a detective requiring a trail to solve a cold case, only on a spiritual level. But there I go getting off topic… The man calmly clears his throat as to announce his arrival. “Oh, Edgar… no need for an invitation, we just got a fresh set of remains that needs immediate attention,” Said the old man. “Very well then Hubert, I am on it,” Said Edgar. Edgar browsed the charts until he saw the list entitled with his name “Edgar Asori”. There were other embalmers employed on at this funeral home, but being a Criterion who has seen more than a few life cycles can’t hurt ones clout when it comes to nitpicking amongst cases. Edgar suited up in his PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and walked into the cooler to decipher his next case for the evening.