A short while after my outburst the angel continued speaking.
"Now that you have been assigned to Heaven, Mikail, we can send you towards your new destination."
Ignoring the fact, that he only used my name after it was clear that I don't get wiped clear or buried in my own soul, I stopped him from sending me away.
I have some questions that I want to ask before that.
"Wait, please.
I have a few questions, that I would like some answers to if possible."
He seemed relaxed, which is good for me.
That means he does not mind me stopping him.
I would not want to upset the guy sending me to Heaven, even if it is his job to do so.
He paused for a moment and spoke to me afterwards.
"Sure, you can ask your questions, if you have any.
You do not need to worry about wasting any time.
You have all the time you need inside this place."
'He seemed to know that I was afraid of wasting his time and upsetting him.
Which I should have known, with mind reading and all that.
At least I have the green light to ask away.
So, let's start.'
"You mentioned in your explanation of the Reincarnation process that the soul gets send to his own universe.
I have a few questions concerning that and more.
Is that thing with your own universe as the destination always the case?
Can a soul be sent to another universe?
Do the universes mentioned in stories and fiction exist?"
'Because they should if my box example is right.'
"If they do exist, is it possible for a soul from any universe to get send to one of those ("fiction") universes?"
After firing a few questions I focused on him.
He seemed amused more than anything else, as he started answering my questions.
"Let us answer your questions in the order you gave them.
The process of Reincarnation always sends a soul to its own universe, unless the soul fits better into another universe because of some change that happened to it.
Mind you this nearly never happens, because a soul is naturally aligned to its home universe and something monumental needs to happen to change that.
It has happened before, which is why I said nearly never, but it is so rare that the number is exceedingly small even if we look at the whole of existence.
This also answers your second question.
Yes, a soul can get sent to another universe.
It's just really, really, really rare.
Your next question has actually been answered in my previous explanation about the afterlife and existence.
Your own realization about the box gave you a decent example.
So, yes.
The universes mentioned in stories and fictions in your own universe exist in some form or the other somewhere in existence.
It fits with your box analogy, everything you can think of exists somewhere in existence.
Things you can not think of probably exist somewhere in existence as well because you are limited in your imagination by your limited knowledge.
So, things you couldn't think of have been thought of by someone that could.
Now to the last question.
Yes, like previously mentioned, it is possible to get sent to one of those universes.
The possibility is impossibly small, but it could still happen. It has not happened in your universe yet, because it should be clear from my explanation about the afterlife that Reincarnation is not a reward. It is something those that can't get into Heaven but don't deserve Hell are assigned to. A soul anomaly has not happened in your universe yet, so no one was sent to another universe that way as well.
You can go on with your next questions, if you want to.
I will answer what I am allowed to and will tell you in case I am not."
Ok, that was informative.
There being limitations to what I am allowed to know is nothing surprising and should be obvious.
Let's see from what I understood the thing I want should be possible if it is allowed.
He only said Reincarnators don't have that option and it seems that no one who was allowed to Heaven before me wanted to do it or the price to do it was to high for them.
Which I can totally understand.
Why would they give up eternal life in Heaven for it?
I mean most of what they can experience that way, they probably could wish for in Heaven.
So giving up the chance to go to Heaven for the chance to travel to one of those "fictious" universes may not be worth it for most or may seem silly.
Especially if they could lose the right to enter Heaven after their second "mortal" life.
Before I could ask my question the angel started answering me.
Mind reading and all that, you get used to it.
"Yes.
What you're thinking about is possible.
It has its consequences and conditions like you thought, and they are not limited to possibly losing the right to enter Heaven after your hypothetical second life.
These conditions and consequences are the reason no one in your universe has done so before."
I knew it.
"Most of what you can experience there you can experience in Heaven risk free.
I say most because some things can only be experienced as a mortal.
Those experiences could be stimulated but without the consequences a mortal has to suffer, they simply aren't the same.
Until now no one thought those differences were worth the price."
That is understandable.
A fitting comparison should be reality and virtual reality.
Most would rather play a fighting game that feels realistic in a virtual reality without having to experience the consequences afterwards, than go out and fight in reality.
"So if you want to do it, you can make your request and we will go over the consequences and conditions of it.
Afterwards you can decide if you want to do it or if you would rather go to Heaven like those before you."
That is about what I expected.
So all that is left is for me to learn what the price is and if I believe it is worth paying.
"Okay, I would like to know if it would be possible for me to travel to another universe instead of going to heaven and if it is, where can I travel to?
Can I choose anywhere I want to?
Is it possible to choose the living conditions and looks for my second life?
Can I get any form of help to make my second life easier, since I AM giving up the opportunity to go to Heaven for it?
Those are the main questions I would like answered, except for the information concerning the consequences and conditions for my trip.
Those I would like to know as well."
He began to answer me as soon as I was done speaking.
For a moment I was wondering if I even need to verbalize my questions, with him being able to read my mind but I decided that I like to speak more than the alternative.
Because to me it feels more "normal" to speak and I feel better this way.
Which is probably why he, normally, waits for me to speak before he answers me.
"Let us answer the questions in order.
Yes, you can travel to another universe.
You would need to use the karma in your karmic balance as a price but it is possible.
I am not allowed to tell you the amount of karmic points you have, but I will tell you what percentage of your balance the request would cost you.
You can choose any destination you want but the price may differ according to said universe.
The same applies to the living conditions and looks of your second life, as well as any help you could choose.
It is more of a question of can you afford it and is it worth the price.
Now let's start with consequences and conditions.
The most obvious one is that you give up the right to enter Heaven.
That means you have to earn said right again in your second life.
Now here is a point that drives away most.
You have to pay karmic points to keep your memories during your second life, otherwise they get buried like it happens to the Reincarnators and that kind of beats the purpose of a second life.
But that's not all.
Since you keep your memories and know about the afterlife, the requirements to enter Heaven are raised and for Hell they are lowered.
Not only that, good actions give you 75% of the positive karma you would have gotten otherwise and bad actions give you 125% of the negative karma.
You also can not ask to forget about the afterlife, since that's forbidden.
So no partially keeping memories.
At least you don't have to pay for any knowledge you MIGHT have about your destination."
Uffff.
That is a big consequence.
Especially since he did not mention yet by how much the requirements were raised.
At least I now know that I could travel to another universe.
The possibility of bypassing the memory costs has been voided as well.
Let's continue to ask my questions.
"By how much would the requirements increase and decrease respectively and are my memories safe from possible mind reading in the new universe?"
He smiled while he answered me.
"You would need 10 times the amount of positive karma you need now to qualify for Heaven and 10 times less the amount of negative karma to be sent to Hell.
As for your second question.
Your memories about the afterlife and what you experienced and learned here are automatically safe.
But the fact that you are originally not from that universe and all your memories of your previous life including possible future knowledge of said universe could be read by others.
That being said your integration into that new universe would be perfect and it would turn you into a native like the others living there so you would not be automatically or immediately seen as an intruder.
This means that you would have to encounter someone that actively tries to read your mind and memory or you would have to do something that would make someone actively seek you out to do the same.
Otherwise you would seem native to everyone there."
Steep.
That is what I feel about that price.
But it is what it is.
No use to cry over something I can't change.
That memory part is going to cost me I can feel it.
"How much would it cost me to make my mind safe from anyone outside the afterlife?"
He answered.
"15 to 20 percent depending on the universe."
Expensive.
Why is it so expensive?
It should not be that much.
Wait let's change the phrasing of that question.
"How much to protect my memories before the second life from being seen by anyone outside of the afterlife?"
He seemed happy because of my actions.
"3 percent"
That's less than I expected.
What a difference.
There has to be a reason for it.
What's different.
Let's add to it and see what changes.
"Even if I actively think about my past life or about knowledge based on said memories they should not be able to learn of it."
"4 percent"
Was his answer.
Still cheaper than I thought.
"If they try to read my mind and I happen to use my past memories, instead of getting nothing they should see something logical.
I also want to know what they are shown in case they ask me about it."
"5 percent"
Is all he said, like he was waiting for more changes.
Let's see what else has to be added.
My memories are safe but my mind still isn't.
"I want my mind to be protected as well.
It doesn't have to be automatically safe from possible higher beings if they exist in the new universe but I don't want everyone being able to access my mind if that ability exists there.
So I want a strong, logical, passive shield, that seems natural, to protect my mind from all except the strongest beings there, until I can learn something better myself if that option exists."
"7 percent"
Came from him.
That is a good price.
My memories and mind are safe and I got a kind of mini-ability out of it in the form of a mind shield.
What else has to be considered for my memories?
Oh, I know.
"I also want to, while perfectly keeping my memories, be free from any negative influence they could have on my new life.
Including but not limited to, not being able to form normal bonds and family bonds, taking everything or everyone as fake or not serious, unnecessary fear and paranoia, and the likes."
This way my memories are perfectly organized and I get to perfectly recall them. No knowledge loss for me, which is awesome and another mini-ability.
This way I do not only get to have the positive aspects of past memories AND can live my second life as what it is, a second life.
I am also still able to experience negative emotions but not those I would have felt because of my past.
This way I can accept my possible new parents as such and make new bonds and experiences without them being marred by my first life.
How they do it, I don't really care but I feel it is necessary to really live my new life.
"If we add that to the previous cost, then the final is 9 percent."
That is an acceptable price for me and everything I need in regards to my memories and mind that I can think of right now.
I have been told the consequences and conditions for a second life.
I can accept those for now since they make sense in a way.
I have prepared the basis for a possible trip so let's see the options and their corresponding prices.
Afterwards I can decide if it is worth it and if I want to go through with it.
"That is all concerning my memories and mind for now.
I also know of the possible consequences of my desire for a second life.
Now I would like to know my options and their price.
That way I can decide if I want to go through with it or not."
He seemingly smiled at my need to speak about things I thought about and summoned a binder of sorts before addressing me.
"This binder has all universes you can afford to travel to and their price."
He gave me the binder, allowing me to look through it, so that I can choose my destination.