… . What a strange dream, did I really dream that I died? Eh?!
As soon as I regained consciousness, the first thing I noticed was that everything was pitch black.
Total darkness.
I tried to move, but I just couldn't.
And my arms?! My legs?! E-Even my head!?
What scared me the most wasn't the fact that I couldn't move like a normal person, but that I couldn't feel a damn thing!
[It's useless, you don't have a body to move with]
Huh?!
Suddenly, a text appeared in front of me, within which words began to appear.
What is this? Was I kidnapped and forced into a virtual reality video game or some shit?
[Wrong Stevenson. If you allow me to explain to you what happens, you will get answers. Otherwise you will make things more complicated.]
Did that text just read my mind?
[Correct. Since you lack a mouth and all other elements necessary to communicate orally, your thoughts are now your only means of communication]
….
I was silent at the very idea that my thoughts could be heard, but also at the bewilderment and uncertainty that this entailed.
Am I in limbo? Is there life after death…? Am I going to be prosecuted at this time?
Although she had no throat, I could swear I could feel her swallow.
It seems that I should have attended the Sunday sermons with my mother more often...
[Before answering your perfectly reasonable questions Stevenson, it is my duty to introduce myself so that you better understand the situation you are in, okay?]
… Yes, please explain to me what is happening
With all my attention on that text box that appeared in front of me, the words began to flow.
The only advantage of not having a body now is that I can't feel the panic wash over me.
[In simple terms that you can understand, I am an existence that you can call as "System", whose sole purpose is to record, manage, check, review and stabilize all aspects of "Existence"]
… I got it, can you continue please.
Who'd say? It seems that if there is something superior to all of us, it seems that the "system" is the closest thing to god that really exists.
[Because of how immeasurable "Existence" is, even me as the main system in charge of taking care of everything, managing everything in existence is too much of a workload for my abilities, so as part of my goal to be the most productive to ensure a stable existence, I created other "Systems" which would take care of less fundamental but equally relevant tasks to keep a proper record of everything that happened, what happens and will happen for eternity]
…Those "subsystems" have something to do with my death, right?
[Correct]
Sensing where things were going, I let the system continue with its explanation.
[Despite all my efforts, just like my own existence, there is a margin of error in what I do, because, although I am in charge of maintaining all "existence" in stable conditions, there are things, events and phenomena that are outside of my control, which may lead to certain defects or errors]
How can it be to kill a simple human, or am I wrong?
[You are correct Stevenson]
Killed by a simple cosmic mistake…. DON'T FUCK ME!
Due to my absence of a body, the only means by which I could express myself were my thoughts.
ALL MY LIFE WAS IN PERFECT CONDITION! YES! Some details were out of my control! BUT IT WAS MY DAMN LIFE!
[My apologies Stevenson, such an error by the system that killed you will not be repeated]
Of course not! Damn it!
Even with the closest thing to god in my presence, I barely held back.
Who could be so calm when you had everything but from one moment to another they take it from you like nothing?
My bright future… my girls….. My mother…!
For a moment I really felt scared thinking about my mother.
My poor mom... What will become of her now…? What will she be feeling with my death...?
I may have wanted to fuck her, but that doesn't mean that I really loved her with all my heart... Before I met my girls, she was the only person who was always there to support and encourage me… even if I was tired, angry or sad, how could I not love such a being full of kindness in his heart?
She was always my main motivation to be the best version of myself… stop being poor… give her a good life… Be a good man unlike my biological father…
And now…? Not anymore… that opportunity is simply gone… forever…. Because now I'm…dead….
… Wait a minute, dead? So how am I still conscious? System!
Calling the system that had gone silent in the face of my emotional outburst, I needed more answers.
Why am I still... alive? I know that biologically I left the world a long time ago, but why am I still alive...? Or rather, why did you bring my consciousness before you?
Now that my mind was clear, I was able to see things more objectively and I just... didn't understand why an entity superior in every way would bother to give me even a second of their attention.
Why am I still alive….?
[…]
The system put an ellipsis before proceeding to explain.
[As I stated earlier Stevenson, it was due to a subsystem error of mine that you died, therefore my error. And as the system in charge of maintaining existence in a correct state, it is my obligation to repair any damage or harm that has been caused directly or indirectly by my actions. Although thanks to the fact that the defect of the system in charge of registering human lives has been revealed and therefore corrected immediately, due to my self-imposed limitations to let existence follow its "normal" course as far as possible. I cannot repair your situation, that is, revive you and return you to your life before your death]
… But….?
There is always a small print, and it seems that this time it is in my favor due to the fact that I am somehow still alive.
[Even if you are just one more human life in the infinity of existence, it is undeniable that you have been wronged unfairly by external agents that should never have influenced you in the first place, for which, as part of my guidelines, I must "repair" damage at any cost no matter how small the aspect of reality in relation to the infinity of the whole. Therefore, after consulting with an ethics system that I have generated based on the "human values" of your world, I have concluded that the only way to "repair" the damage is to give you the opportunity to live another life to your full Stevenson criterion]
… Seriously? Can I start over from scratch?
[Right, I can't return you to your original world, but I can create a "universe" in which you can be reborn. You just have to give me the specifications you want and you will be reborn in a universe made to your total convenience and taste]
Really….?! Won't that affect "existence"? Wouldn't you be violating your guidelines or something?
This sounds great to me, but I have to make sure this opportunity is as good as it looks or it hides some hidden detail that will later blow up in my face.
[As part of my goal of maintaining a stable 'existence', I may create alternate universes, multiverses, dimensions, or realities uncorrelated to 'existence' which I manage for various research purposes and for the first time, compensatory purposes. So as long as you don't ask to be reborn in a pre-existing world, or based on your origin universe, I will be able to create a world at your discretion Stevenson]
…Basically… I have the power to be born into a world totally subject to my darkest desires… but… never to the world I really want to return to….
[Correct Stevenson]
… I see
The infinite potential of new worlds, unique and never seen before... but the condition is that I will not be able to return to my world of origin, my true home...
But what a fucking joke on the part of the cosmos, definitely what happened to me is full of irony to my chagrin...
What good is success if you don't have your loved ones to share it with…?
[You have eternity to think about what kind of world you want to be reborn in Stevenson, as long as you don't ask to be above my authority, you are totally free to make any request regarding the world you are born into]
…Even being the equivalent of the Abrahamic God?
[Correct Stevenson]
Can't you just use synonyms for correct...? It's starting to get a bit boring... it doesn't matter... let me think system.
[… Okay Stenvenson]
Finally, the system said something other than "correct", leaving me to think properly about my situation.
Number one: I'm the victim here, and I'm going to be rewarded with everything but what I really want: revive, fuck my mom, and have a nice life with my girls.
Number two: There's basically no limit to what I can ask for other than not going back to my original world, which is the only thing I really want from my heart right now.
Number three: …I don't know why to ask.
I mean… if you had the chance to do everything, and I mean EVERYTHING you ever dreamed of, you would be excited like never before… but that also brings a dilemma.
Being able to choose everything is somewhat tricky, there are so many possibilities that it becomes impossible to think about what you want to do first, without feeling that you are missing out on something better. Not to mention that everything I wanted I had in my previous life was irreplaceable, so trying to replicate it in my next life would be an attempt to recreate something that will never be the way I want it to be.
I think… that the best thing is to review my priorities from my previous world, to reconsider them and see which ones I keep.
But before….
Hey system
I called the system which was just a text box with ellipsis.
[Yes Stevenson?]
Could you… I don't know, give me a temporary physical body to start with? It's a bit unsettling to be just a consciousness floating in a black limbo in the infinite darkness.
[Okay, I will create a three dimensional space in which you can interact with physical targets for your total comfort Stevenson]
Thank you very much System.
Then a beam of light suddenly hit me and then I could feel my body again.
"My body! It really is my body!"
I realized that he was indeed dressed as he was before he died.
I closed my eyes to concentrate for a moment on all the physical sensations of my new avatar before starting to touch myself everywhere, and indeed… it was a full-fledged biological body.
Hell, and here I thought I was healthy, but I'm being great right now damn it! My mind was so clear and alert it was scary, my eyesight was better than an eagle's, not to mention I felt so energized I felt like I could walk the world in a day.
"Thank you very much system!"
[I'm glad you're more comfortable Stevenson, do you want anything else to make you more comfortable?]
"Yes, a table with its respective chair, a notebook, a pencil and I would also like you to change... the white room I am in for something more familiar to me"
I made those requests because, although I could feel the ground under my feet, I was in a white space with no ceiling or walls, just the vast infinity of the horizon...
[Understood Stevenson]
In the blink of an eye, I was now in a windowless, doorless room made of polished dark brown wood, with a fireplace made of bricks at the far end opposite me, a fire hypnotically dancing without any kind of fuel to keep it burning. I was also sitting in a leather chair, the desk in front of me was dark oak to the naked eye, as well as being extremely wide.
On the desk was a large checkered notebook open to give me access to the first page, next to it was a stereotypical charcoal pencil with a pink eraser on its tip, perfectly perpendicular to the notebook.
"Excellent work… this is the office of my dreams, although it is missing windows and a door, but I am not complaining"
I can work like this.
"To work…"
I took the pencil and wrote down my priorities from my previous life.
"1.- Get rich so I don't have to work for the rest of my life (almost done)
2.- Have a harem of beautiful and loving girls (completed)
3.- Fuck Jack's life for stealing my mother (Not fulfilled)
4.-Having sex with my mother, but not before enjoying corrupting her morality to make her want me. (Not achieved)
5.- Have the best sex life with my mother and my harem for the rest of my life (Not fulfilled) … "
Once I wrote them… I couldn't help but feel that they were quite simple. Not referring to them being easy to achieve because they were not, but referring to my full potential
I was definitely not going to be a genius of the stature of Einstein or the other past minds in history, but if I set my mind to it, I could have achieved great things like being president or being an astronaut.
Whatever it is, it's not that I feel the need to prove myself, at least I have them clear.
"System... I have a doubt."
[Forward Stevenson]
"...Could you copy my mother's consciousness...?" Or at least let me appear before her in a dream?
I asked something hopefully to the text box that appeared inside of me.
[…]
Just three ellipsis for a moment.
Before I decide anything... I have to know if it's possible, if I can't bring her to life in another world, I would at least like to say goodbye to her...
[I am afraid I cannot accept your request Stevenson]
-Why…?
I asked now defeated and hopeless.
"My consciousness is here… why would hers be any different?"
[…]
The system again fell silent before responding.
Here comes a huge text of information….
[Before answering your question Stevenson, I must explain a few more things to give you a satisfactory answer.]
"Go ahead… we have eternity to chat…"
I sighed to lean back in my seat and have my explanation.
[As a system, before I can do anything to meet my guidelines, I need data to process before determining a course of action.]
"Yes, I understand that."
[Based on certain special characteristics of the information, I have classified it into 3 categories Stevenson
Class 1 data: They are data that regardless of the external or internal conditions to which they are subjected, these data will remain unchanged, the simplest example that I can give you Stevenson is the fact of 2+2=4. Regardless of the universe, the laws or the dimensions in which one is subject, such data is true and always will be]
"It makes sense, facts that will never change no matter what"
I have no idea what else beyond math might fit the bill, but I don't feel the urge to know either.
The system continued its explanation.
[Class 2 data: They are data that are subject to the external conditions of the environment in which they are found but that follow certain rules depending on the system in which they are found. The example that I can give is the study that the human sciences of your world do in trying to understand how things work. There are patterns that are repeated regardless of the circumstances, although sometimes there are exceptions that depending on the world or reality in which they are found, for which they can vary infinitely within a certain margin of certainty]
"Hmph… go on"
[Class 2 data is the most common type of information that I have to manage, as there are infinite factors that constantly create new data, modify or delete it, so there are also subcategories within this category of data]
"Okay, I got it now"
I don't want to know how many subcategories there are...
[Finally, class 3 data is a type of special data as it is the most erratic and largely difficult to predict, as these data are subject to both internal and internal factors. In simple terms: they are data that interact with each other causing a constant and eternal modification of the same without the possibility of predicting their changes or behaviors in a systematic or exact way]
"How do human societies…?"
This time an example was not needed, it was easy to deduce it based on the previous examples.
[That's how it is. That kind of data can vary even under perfectly replicated conditions, which is why it is often very problematic to process. For minor variables can cause changes as important as major variables]
"So… What category does human consciousness fall into…?"
He wouldn't be telling me all this if it weren't for the fact that he's going to give me an answer that I'm not going to like...
[In the class of data of category number 2, well, on certain occasions the human mind is subject to variables that sometimes cause decisions against all predictions and it is not possible to predict when, where or why they will happen]
"And why can't you bring my mother…? And you can't copy his consciousness?"
I asked tensing at the lack of a clear answer.
[Because copying your mother's consciousness and making her aware that you are technically still alive would modify category 2 data, which I am unable to do due to my restrictions imposed by my guidelines]
"But aren't you going to send me to another world on another 'plane of existence'?! What's the problem if it's not even going to affect any factor of whatever it is you protect!? Explain it to me damn it!"
Feeling disappointed by such a cheap answer, I angrily asked the System for a more detailed explanation.
[Sorry Stevenson, I can't violate my guidelines by once again intervening in the flow of existence by modifying more category 2 data. It wouldn't be a problem if human consciousness were category 1 data, but it isn't. It may be unfair from your point of view, but violating my guidelines on a single occasion would cause a precedent that would put my functions at risk. The only way you and your mother would be able to reunite would be if the subsystem in charge of registering and managing human lives failed again, which will not happen again]
"Damn it! That's not fair! Why did it have to happen to me?!"
I clenched my fists impotent for that answer, it was clear that the system had the power to do what it was asked, but I preferred-, no, I decided not to intervene more than necessary.
What was wrong with modifying category 2 data? Why would that imply intervening in existence? So what if he intervened once? What kind of precedent would it cause? Why the heck would copying and pasting something be so harmful?!
[…]
The system just kept the text box in ellipsis, probably to wait for my anger to pass.
"…. Is there really nothing you can do…? I just want to be able to say goodbye to her properly!"
I pounded my fist on the desk, waiting for the system's response.
[Sorry Stevenson, even after his death, I cannot intervene by interacting in any way with the backing of his consciousness]
"…."
I just slumped against the seat, utterly defeated at his refusal.
[My condolences Stevenson]
Seeing the system apologize, I felt great anger towards it… but at the same time I knew that it would be unreasonable to try to insult an existence more like a machine than a living being.
…Mom, I'm so sorry I left like this…
"At least I was able to proudly show him how I achieved my goals before I left…"
Talking to myself, I put my hands to my eyes.
Yes, I am crying. I don't want any comment on it.
When I finally calmed down, I faced the system having decided something.
This time… he would live without any regrets. What happened to me was tragic, yes. That does not mean that for not achieving everything I set out to do, I will live my second life bitter about it.
That… now will only motivate me even more to live longer and much better, no matter what happens… no matter how the next time turns out.
"System... I think I already know what kind of world I want to be reborn in... but I want to make a request for you when I'm reborn."
[I will comply if it is within my possibilities Stevenson]
I smiled thinking well one last time about what I had just decided...
"Before that, could you tell me if my mother will have a good life after I leave and also my girls…? I don't need details, I just want to know if he'll be okay."
[…]
The system stayed in suspensive points for a few eternal seconds before answering me.
[The first 5 years after your death were difficult for your mother and your Stevenson partners. However, they managed to continue with their lives in a satisfactory way, although they never stopped keeping you in mind, especially your mother Stevenson]
"I see…"
I just nodded satisfied with that.
I didn't want to know details, or else I might regret my decision... but seeing that despite everything... they were able to be happy, then there was nothing more to know.
"So... I already decided System"
[What is your second decision Stevenson?]
I took a deep breath before speaking.
"Erase my memories of the details that I will tell you about the world I want to live in when I reincarnate, the first thing I want to feel is this desire to live without regrets… after that, I will take care of the rest"
[…]
The system remained in suspension points.
[Are you sure Stevenson? Because once I delete such a conversation, only I will remember the details and I will not contact you again or intervene in your life. Which is why you will be unable to remember in case you regret your decision]
"Yes… totally sure…"
What is the use of reincarnating in another world if you already know what will happen…? Where would be the magic in that?
[Okay Stenveson… I'll erase your memory once you're reincarnated about the subsequent conversation, you can start declaring your requests]
I smiled when I heard his words because I was excited like never before because.
"So system… this is the kind of world I want you to set up…"
Because I would reincarnate in another world to fulfill my sexual fantasies….