The man found no issue with his body and his clothes were his simple khaki pants, leather shoes and polo shirt for work he always wore. If there was anything he was unhappy about, it was being in eternity with these clothes. Sadly, nothing changed even with that thought.
Looking around, the man saw no difference in any direction nor any pull to go anywhere. It seemed highly unlikely this was all there was given the billions of dead people before him, but there was no one.
"What do I do now?" The man scratched the back of his head and wondered if he should just start walking in a direction.
"That is mostly up to you at this point, but feel free to walk around if you desire." A voice made him jump nearly out of his skin as he whirled around to find a couple of women standing behind him. They were definitely not there before but they seemed damned real.
Both were very slim but well proportioned. A white single piece dress coved both with golden cords cinched at their waists. They had one blonde and one brunette. Both had blue eyes but the blonde was very tan while the brunette seemed badly in need of one. It was almost like they intentionally contrasted their skin for their hair.
"Um…w-what do you mean it is up to me?" Was the afterlife some kind of choose your own adventure book? Was that really how it was going to go? Neither woman seemed surprised, but the brunette seemed to look at him with warmth while the blonde seemed bored.
"Exactly what I said. It is up to you what you do now. How was that not clear?" It had been the blonde that spoke again. Her voice was pleasant but her tone was clearly impatient to get this done. Was it that horrible to even deal with a single person. The man felt guilty. For some reason, the brunette was amused.
"I am sorry to be a bother but I do not understand. Isn't this the afterlife? Should I not see my grandparents or at least something like that? Oh! Could you at least tell me if that young woman is ok?!" In the middle of his honest questions he suddenly wanted to be sure that the woman he saved was ok.
Light laughter came from the brunette as the blonde looked annoyed at him.
"Are you dumb? Do you think life just can appear out of thin air?! Your soul is eternal but what exactly would you do in an afterlife? Lounge around for all time?!" She was clearly annoyed but the man felt it was a bit harsh. How was he supposed to know? He could kind of see the logic though. Basic physics stated matter and energy could not be created nor destroyed, only converted. Maybe souls were the same. They could only cycle back to a new life? Then what would happen to the him now?
"Now, now. We can at least answer the last question. He did die saving a life after all." The brunette sounded kind but the man felt like he was still being made fun of by her. The blonde was irritated but with a wave of her hand the white world was replaced.
The man was standing in a small but comfortable house. It was full of people laughing and talking while an older woman was sitting by the fireside looking on. Her wrinkly face did not hide the happily jumping eyes of amber from him. It was her! He noted a few of the younger people shared her features and he saw a few photos mounted on the fire place that showed a smiling man next to the version of the woman he had saved.
"How is this then? I found my happiness like you told me I could. I wish you could be here ****" For some reason, the last word was lost but the man was not bothered. He felt tears fall down his face and bowed to the old woman. He had saved her it seemed and she was happy. The vision faded back to the white expanse.
"Thank you for that. I am ready to be wiped out now." For the first time confusion appeared on both women's faces. They looked at him as if he had spoken gibberish. "Uh, I mean that is what has to happen right? I have to be wiped off of this soul so a new life can be born. I am grateful for that indulgence so I am ready."
He closed his eyes and waited for the final oblivion, but he was satisfied. He was glad his last act saved a life. It was enough for him. Time passed but he remained until he slowly opened his eye and saw the 2 women still looking at him but now in concern rather than amusement or impatient.
"Are you sure you want us to do that?" Now he was confused. Is that not what they looked at him like an idiot for earlier. There was no true eternal life, just the eternal cycle of life right?
"I mean, that is what you meant when you said I was dumb right? I don't get to go on, this is the end?" As soon as the words left his mouth, the brunette hand chopped the blonde on her skull. The blonde screamed out and began to roll on the ground in a rather undignified way.
"YOU IDIOT! You made him think we have to wipe him out!" The blonde was cowering now as the brunette raged. The man moved instinctively and grabbed the arm moving for another hit. He did not think it was odd but both of them looked at him in shock again. The moment stretched out before the girls quietly separated and stood before him again. What was odd about him stopping a fight?
"Let's start over. We are the ******. We are the ones that usually guide souls to their next destination. One option, as you have realized, is to wipe a soul clean and let it start over, but that is not the only option." The missing word bothered the man, but he assumed he simply could not know whatever that was. The brunette was talking now and she no longer looked amused but very serious.
"Ok, so when you said it was up to me, there are other options I can consider? I mean, I am kind of happy but the end result would be the same would it not? I am still going to forget all that I was?" He saw a twinge of guilt on both their faces. Was he wrong?
"For most people that would have already occurred but you are different." With a wave of her hand, the brunette summoned a floating display that showed something the man recognized. It was his life! There was something wrong though. It got to high school but he was dating a girl. She had been the number one girl of the school too. What life was this?!
"You were supposed to date and begin your life with his human. Like so many before, you would have joy, sadness, grief, and difficulty, but overall a good life as humans measure such things, but instead you changed fate." The image changed to what he remembered. His best friend, a bit pudgy and low self esteem wanted to ask out the goddess of our school. I walked him through the fires and surprisingly they had hit off and even now were happily married with 3 kids. What was wrong with that reality?
"What do you mean I changed fate?" The man was not a religious individual, but even he knew some things seemed fated to happen. These 2 were making it sound like he had done something heroic, but all he did was help a friend achieve a dream and ensure both parties were happy.
"Exactly what we said. You were fated to walk the first path but changed both your friend's fate and the one you were supposed to be with. Not only that, but it worked out as well. From that day onward, you changed many fates." His life played out once more. This time though, he saw the consequences. The close friends and family he knew how they turned out, but what about the random encounters?
He watched as all the people he had touched seemed to find happiness and meaning in their lives. Very few became powerful people, but almost all found personal happiness. The man felt content. He was glad he had been able to help people in the end. So what did that have to do with his current situation?
"I am happy to know I helped people, but what does that have to do with me now?" The blonde blushed red as she watched the display and suddenly bowed low.
"I am so sorry sir! I did not know!" The brunette once again looked amused but now the man realized it was the blonde she was amused by, not him. What was going on?!
"My partner is rather new, only the last few thousand years and most humans are not like you. You changed fate. That is not an easy thing and usually fails spectacularly. You, on the other hand, seem to be gifted here." Now the blue eyes looked at him deeply. This look was not human. The man felt something unfathomable as he looked at the brunette now.
"So what are my options then aside from the one we discussed?" The man felt nervous but when she smiled, the pressure seemed to vanish. She then walked forward and hugged him. What was going on?!
"You are a rare one. Humans are selfish, uncaring monsters, but you are the rare one that justifies them all. You are thus given a rare opportunity. Full Rebirth." The man saw the blonde's jaw drop in shock. "You can keep all that you are in a new life. Due to this, you cannot return to Earth, but any other human realm is open to you."
Wait, there were other places humans existed?! The odds were against life period but now the man learned other places had human life. So he had to pick a world or what?
"W-wait! We can't just do that!" The blonde was trying to pry her partner off of me but the man felt her words were correct. He was nobody. He helped people, sure, but why did that get him special dispensation?
"Can I give this chance to someone else?" The blonde froze as the man felt the brunette lock her arms around him. He wanted to ask them to select someone more worthy of this chance. Surely the world could benefit from someone else getting this that could actually save the world right? Earth was in bad straits from when he died.
"Do you see this?!" The brunette was staring at her partner as if her argument was silly. "How many have done this? How many humans have you settled and been like this?" The blonde stepped back and was suddenly kneeling on the ground.
"I was wrong! Full Rebirth, absolutely!" The man was very confused but now was free of the hug.
"Let me explain. Fate is not something that can be altered easily. People fight it all the time, but lose 99% of the time. You, against all expectation, not only changed fate, but improved upon it." The words at the end of his life came back to him. He suddenly understood.
"She was supposed to die?!" He saw both of them nod their heads and finally something changed in the man. "The Hell with that! If Fate decrees someone that could have such a wonderful life dies, I will change it every time! If Fate says people never find happiness, I will break it every time. I will not just stand by and let people be buried by Fate!"
His chest was heaving and his words were shouted at full volume. For the first time, he saw awe on both their faces. He did not care. It was the dumbest thing in the world to be told someone is fated to die or not ever find happiness. The man had always helped the people in his life. If he could find it, then Fate was wrong!
"So as we said, it is up to you what comes next. You were not supposed to die today. You were supposed to live a very different life. You have changed so many Fates. Thus, your next life is yours to choose, just not Earth." He regretted yelling but he had no idea what to do now.
"I am fine having a new life, but am I able to ask for anything?" The man wondered how far he can push this freedom. He would still be him, but now he would have a new life. He saw both nod again and he thought hard. His last moments had one regret. He wanted to change that if nothing else.
"I would like a useful life, a life where I can see the benefit of me being there and living whatever I choose to become." The blonde looked confused but the brunette was nodding firmly. She began to wave her hands and swiping through complicated reams of symbols before she smiled wide. The blonde with her looked shocked once again but before she could speak the brunette firmly looked at her.
"Easily done. Any other requests?" The man looked over his life and only one thing stood out.
"I am fine as long as I can have a loving family again. I know that is a lot to ask but I would like to keep that." For the first time the blonde teared up at him. The brunette patted her head while smiling kindly at him.
"I want to reiterate, you are a rare one sir. Many have had this chance and asked for godlike powers and so many other things, but you asked to be useful and a loving family. I truly wished we could spend more time with you." The man actually felt a little touched and had a thought.
"Well, if possible, you can come visit then. If I remember all this, I am happy to host you, even if I am a decrepit old man. Would that be ok?" Both of them froze before suddenly bowing to him. What had he said?!
"Thank you for that sir. You will now be reborn. Please understand it will be a very different world from Earth. In the future, we may get permission to visit you, but it will depend on you as well. Work hard and hopefully we will see each other again. Oh, you are welcome in advance!" Before the man could ask what that meant, the world suddenly dimmed once more. What did the world coming have in store for him?
The 2 women stood in the empty space as many other women appeared. They looked like many things aside from human, but all smiled gently at the pair.
"A Fate changer like that, who would have thought it?" A voice reverberated but the pair looked up as tears fell from their eyes. "I give permission. If he can achieve what you hope in that troubled world, you can see him again in the living realm. Just remember, you have sent him to a difficult place. Someone as nice as that may die again."
Both of the girls wept openly now as their sisters hugged them in the white space. They both hoped the man would not die again. They sent him to a place where it was not impossible for him to live forever but because he was reborn, he would have to struggle harder than others. Hopefully, he could save that world too as he had saved Earth.
Fate changers were not given the freedom to choose a new life so easily, only when they shattered the doom of a world could that happen. All those lives he touched lead to saving Earth, now they hoped he could do it again. The special space faded as the pair opened a window and saw a woman screaming as a new life was born into her world. The life they gave the man that left here.