"I am the proud son of 'Lucas Gantrick Granham' and 'Lopez Tethoris Graham.'"
"My name is Arthur Velaris Graham,"
"I am the 'Kestramore's Supreme Ruler."
"The proud people of Kestramore refer to me as 'The King of all the Hell and Heaven.'"
"I am the creator of all the worlds, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent."
"I am Fate's ruler."
"I am the Supreme Being you refer to as 'God'."
He bent down and whispered into my ear.
"That's right, I'm the God you've been looking for all this time. The God who has decided your fate."
Sweat began to flow down like rain from my brow as if there was no end in sight.
'What have you gotten yourself into this time, you fucking moron?'
"At long last, we get to meet my friend."
'Fuck...' I cursed myself.
****
'What should I do now?'
'I never imagined such a day would arrive in my wildest thoughts.'
Is anyone expecting to run into him?
'Don't tell me he remembers all the curses I've been hurling at him for the past few years?'
Shit,
I screwed up big time.
'Is he going to annihilate my soul or something?'
'I don't have any thought of living again such a miserable life once again anyway. Let's see what's in store for me,'
"What are you thinking about?", His words stunned me
"Oh, do you want to fight with me?"
I was taken aback and turned to face him.
What do you mean, fight? With you?
'What do you take me for?'
Even if I despise you, I'm not the type to make snap decisions like an imp.
When it comes to reacting and retreating, I am well-versed.
I didn't live as long as I did simply because I was manly. To be honest, I'm a jerk. If that means I can live, I'll lick someone's shoes.
'Have I got any pride? I'm not the main character, after all. So what does it matter?'
"From your face, it appears that you are not the brainless idiot that others assumed."
"At the very least, you know how to react to various scenarios. Hehe..."
I felt a little relieved after hearing that.
"Let's go somewhere and talk freely," he said, snapping his fingers.
****
We've moved on to a new location.
The entire scene has transformed at the snap of a finger. Not a single second had passed. It was as simple as that.
We are currently staying in a typical wooden house surrounded by enormous snowy mountains.
I can hear birds chirping and sense a variety of life forms all around me.
'Scary! 'This is quite terrifying.'
'Is this the kind of person I want to pummel to death?'
I'm only able to laugh at myself. The universe is truly vast. This is a phenomenon that no science can explain.
We're now seated across from each other at a round table.
'This feels like an interrogation, but the only difference is that this interrogation is being conducted by God.'
'Isn't it cruel enough for God?' 'Come on, now.'
'Don't I have the right to express my dissatisfaction? First, you handed me a terrible fate that I can't change, and don't I need at least that much latitude to curse the person who handed me this fate?'
'And you want me to obey your command without question?'
In my thoughts, a sequence of questions began to arise.
"Again, what are you thinking about?"
"You can also speak freely because there is no one else here except us. You can't beat me to a pulp anyway because you know who I am now." said the Almighty God sarcastically.
I'm starting to notice that my soul is investigating my own existence. It's becoming lesser and lesser.
'Damn, he knows everything,'
"Sir, it's too much for me to process what's going on around me." I finally began to speak.
"Because you're my friend, you can skip the formalities. And when you talk like that, it disgusts me. It doesn't fit you though, haha"
'I thought I'd pay this bas*, ahem, I mean God, some respect here.'
"As you wish," I said as usual.
"Can you tell me where I am? Is it a part of my imagination that I'm meeting you here or did I truly die? "I'm not sure what's going on," I said.
"This isn't a figment of your imagination. "You passed away."
"Oh, that's OK."
"The location where you are now is known as Kestramore. It's the capital of both hell and paradise, and I'm the one who rules it."
"However, what am I doing here?" Is it to be punished?"
"Hahaha... You have a fantastic imagination." "Are you aware of that?"
"Then what am I doing here?" I inquired thoughtfully.
"Well, I summoned you here because I'd like to speak with you."
"What? "Would you like to speak to me?"
"Yup. For so many years, you've been the only one who has spoken to me. So is why I called to speak with you since no one has ever talked to me for that long."
It slipped my tongue, "But it's more like swearing."
"You used to curse a lot, but you also used to tell everyone about everything you've done and what you're going to do next. Listening to you is a lot of fun."
"Is that so? Haha."
'Well, being a God is a challenging duty in and of itself. He must have been so lonely that he relished hearing about my wretched life.' That's what I assumed.
We continued to converse after that. The atmosphere, though, is different. It's more welcoming.
The more we chatted, the more I learned.
The fate of a person would be determined by the wrongdoings they had committed in a previous life. It will be passed down to the next generation, and you will be reincarnated. You must ponder on your sins in that life.
My fate is known as 'Dark fate,' and it is the darkest of them all. It's more like a bad omen. The person who is cursed with this fate will live a lonely and unhappy existence. They would become despondent and want to terminate their lives, but it doesn't end there because what you're doing is absolving yourself of your penalty, and those who commit suicide will have a much more horrific life in their future reincarnation.
It's quite bad.
'What type of atrocities did I commit in my previous existence to deserve such a fate?'
'I don't want to think about it.'
"I'd like to ask you a question." By saying that, God sprang to his feet.
He approached me and put his hand on my shoulder, asking,
"Why do you wanna live?"
Suddenly, the pleasant atmosphere vanished.
It may appear to be a straightforward question, but if you understand what he's talking about, the answer is anything from easy.
He went on.
"A life without anybody to rely on, no one to communicate with, and no one to love. I could go on and on about how your only buddy betrayed you, how the only girl you loved nearly choked you to death, how the person you risked your life to save sold you out, and so on. So, I'm gonna ask you once again, Why do you wanna live?"
"Hahaha... You're probably wondering why I want to live. Then the answer is simple."
Hearing that, God lifted his brows, as if he wanted to know what type of response I'd provide.
"It's my life so I want to live."
I kept going.
"I'm not sure what I did in the past to deserve this fate or whatever it is. As far as I'm concerned, I believe I have only one life to live. Even if I am reincarnated, I will not have access to my prior life's memories."
"As a result, I only have one life. Unlike the previous me in the past, I'm not going down without a fight. I shall live to the end, even if it is a wretched existence."
"I don't want to lose to you, so that's the main reason."
"It's for that reason that I want to live."
God's face lit up with a little grin.
"Is that so?"
"Then we'll meet somewhere else to chat."
After that, he snapped his finger once more.
****
With that, We were back at the palace, where we had been previously.
God is majestically seated on the throne.
There is no external pressure, unlike before, but I still feel more congested than before.
I have the impression that many eyes are fixed on me, yet I can't see or hear them.
God is the one who breaks the silence first.
"The reason I brought you here is to carry out your parents' wishes."
"What?" I was taken aback and exclaimed.
Then, all of a sudden, I was surrounded with killing intent on all sides.
"How obnoxious is that? Do you dare to speak up in front of the King?"
"This vermin will be sliced into a million pieces and fed to my dogs. Hehe.."
"He had no right to raise his obnoxious voice in front of my lord. I'm going to fry his soul in hell till it dies."
I was bombarded with threats from all sides.
God looked at me and tapped his foot.
Then all the commotion and murderous intent vanished. It felt as though their very existence had gone, leaving no trace behind.
The god then slowly descended the throne and began marching right towards me.
I didn't try to avoid his eyes this time. I stared him down square in the eyes.
"The souls of your parents are the finest souls I have ever seen."
He went on to say,
"Because of the nature of your fate, the fates of those around you will be altered as well."
My entire body began to tremble.
"Those whose fates are touched will be given the opportunity to relocate and begin a new life. Your parents, on the other hand, have refused and want to leave their Will to you."
"What will become of them? Is it possible for them to reincarnate?" My eyes began to well up with tears.
"Unfortunately they can't."
Silence has descended once again.
"What will happen to their soul?"
"They're going to be a part of me."
"Oh, I see."
"You must now make a decision. Do you wish to continue living your life as it was before or start a new life in David Foster's body with your parents' consent? Make a wise decision. It is impossible to reverse a soul's decision to pass on their will."
'My parents can't be reincarnated, even if I was dragged back to my horrible life.' As a result, I should not squander their sacrifice.'
"So, what choice will you make?"
"I'll follow my parents' will and live as David Foster," I answered swiftly.
"Good choice," God responded with a smile.
Then, all of a sudden, a surge of power poured through me. It is not painful, but rather warm. I felt like I was in my mother's arms. Then I gradually felt as if something had been erased from my brow.
"It is your parents' Will that you decide your own fate."
"What?"
"I guess I've been staring at your face for longer than I planned, and I'm starting to grow bored. So get out of here now."
"What?"
Then I gradually began to lose consciousness.
Then I heard a hushed voice say,
"Perhaps we'll meet again in the future, but until then, Goodbye, My friend."
With that, I was knocked out.
I was in a rustic bedroom when I opened my eyes.
"Haha..."
"I'm David Foster now."
****
"My Lord!"
A maid stepped out of the shadow and knelt before God.
"Yes, Selena,"
"May this ignorant servant ask you a question, my Lord?
"All right, go ahead."
"My lord, why did you bestow such power on that vermin?
Suddenly, the maid was engulfed by a powerful force. It was difficult for her to take a breath.
"So you're questioning my decision, huh?"
Sweat started dripping from her forehead.
'Gulp, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp'
She had realized the graveness of her mistake
"Please, my lord, kill this ignorant servant."
There was pin-drop silence for a few seconds. God could be heard laughing quietly.
"Haha... It's pretty easy to throw your life away isn't it?"
The servant does not dare to move.
"However, he never once requested me to end his life; rather, his desire to live is astounding even for me."
He stared at the maid and asked,
"Is this what you're looking for, Selena?"
"Thank you, my lord,"
The maid vanishes.
"By the time we meet, I'd like to see how much you've grown."
"Hahahaha..."