'Mhhh, Death feels oddly weird. Why can I still think? Maybe this is the afterlife. A void filled with only our thoughts slowly driving us to madness.'
A strange mix of sorrow and shock settled into Ash's mind as the realisation struck him. His body felt as though it no longer existed, and yet his mind remained painfully aware.
'What is happening? Is this really it?' His thoughts echoed through the void unanswered as his mind began to spiral.
'Were all our lives meaningless in the face of death?' he questioned
In this void, Ash had lost his sense of time; what would have been minutes felt like hours to him. He inevitably began to reflect on his life—the highs, the lows, and all the moments he had never taken the time to appreciate. He didn't know if he could pinpoint a moment of absolute clarity, but he knew that despite everything, his life had been meaningful. As the months passed after his mother's death, Ash had matured to a level that he knew he wasn't to blame for her death. Of course he knew he could have done things differently, but he is still extremely grateful for everything he experienced in his life.
"Ahem, it feels oddly warm. Wait...it feels warm? And I'm speaking!?" Ash exlcaimed
In an instant, his senses flooded back, overwhelming him with their sudden intensity., with the most overwhelming being his sight. Before him, a hall of unimaginable grandeur stretched out; it was vast, its smooth white marble walls glowing softly, adorned with golden patterns that seemed to hold every answer for any question he could ask.
Towering columns carved with figures ranging from man to beast lined the space, supporting a high ceiling adorned with golden stars and intricate designs. Floating golden chandeliers lit the room warmly, leaving no shadows, while the polished marble floor reflected their light, adding to the brightness.
At the room's heart stood the grand throne, a blend of gold and white with carvings of books and scrolls. Behind it, a glowing golden arch framed the seat, radiating a quiet, powerful reverence for knowledge. And on the throne sat a man who looked no older than 30 with golden eyes gleaming with an unnatural intensity. His gaze pierced through Ash, as though it could see straight into his soul, unearthing every thought and secret he held, which seemed to discern every secret and experience Ash had ever gone through.
'What's going on?' Ash shivered slightly
"Do not worry, all will be explained shortly." the man said, his voice calm and soothing, like the sound of a gentle stream
'That felt weird; i thought he responded to my thought.' Ash thought
"I did," the man chuckled
"Do not worry, be at ease."
The moment the man said those words, Ash immediately felt a massive weight drop off his shoulder and every sign of fear completely removed from his being. Before Ash could get another word in, he was stopped by the mysterious man.
"My name is Modro, the Lord of Knowledge, or what most lower realm beings refer to me as the God of Knowledge."
'Huh...whats going on!' Ash thought
"I had asked you a question, whether you wanted to live again or die, and you chose the former." Modro continued, his tone neither harsh nor judgmental
"I am sorry for my rudeness, but can you explain what in the world is going on!?" Ash finally spoke
"This will take a while," Modro sighed
Over the course of the next few minutes, Modro began to explain to Ash that he has been chosen to live another life again, but in a completely separate world and dimension, as his will to live was extremely strong along with some other qualities. It took quite a while till Ash could clearly understand the idea of him being reborn in another world, but he soon came to terms with it, and his flustered, fearful character had been completely replaced by a calm and thoughtful demeanour.
"So what world will I be born in exactly?" Ash asked calmly
"Perindo"
"The world of Perindo is very unique, with humans, beasts and what you could call 'monsters' roaming around in every crevice I will touch more on the monsters later, but the most basic thing you need to understand about Perindo is spirits and souls; every being is born with both a unique soul and a unique spirit. To put it in simple terms, the soul is responsible for the absorption and refinement of spiritual energy; it is incapable of storing it, but this is where the spirit comes in. Your spirit is responsible for storing this spiritual energy and further refining it but likewise cannot absorb it. Both the spirit and soul have a symbiotic relationship where they both rely on each other for something that results in the formation of your soul core."
After Modro had finished explaining the most basic thing that Ash needed to know about his new world, Ash was rather overwhelmed. The explanation was simple but very foreign to him, so he needed a few seconds to completely digest it, along with Modro answering any of Ash's questions on the topic along with the current state of the world. The more Ash understood about Perindo, the more excited he grew to the point he just wanted to jump right in. Ash didn't know why either; why would he be excited to go to a world where war and death were a daily occurrence?
'Interesting; it looks like I've picked the right person.' Modro contemplated
"I won't go into too much detail about the current state of the world, as you will know most of this the moment you descend into your new form."
"Understood," Ash firmly responded
"Good. Perindo consists of three main groups: the Humans, Ashborn, and Valkon tribes. The two kingdoms in Perindo are Acron Keep, governed by the Humans, and Ebonsant, governed by the Ashborn. The Valkon tribes are based on their own island and hardly interact with either the Humans nor Ashborn; they are what you could call the more rough and primitive faction. Leaving the Valki aside, both Acron Keep and Ebonsant have clans that are present, and these clans hold the most amount of power in their respective regions; clans are groups of people who form an organised structure. The direct line of a clan consists of the relatives of the first leader or any other leader. While anyone can join a clan, they must achieve a certain level of recognition, and then they can be known as collateral members. This status extends to their descendants, but to secure it, members must marry into the direct family line and bear children with the blood of one of the leaders."
"I have already explained far too much, so I will now end it off with talking about the'monster' or what they are commonly referred to as Luminaros. Luminaros are formed due to the amount of negative energy in a person as they die. Someone who has an immense amount of negative energy is reborn as a Luminaro. The vast majority of Luminaros do not reside in Perindo but instead reside in their own separate realm. They are the imbodiment of evil, and it is simply impossible to find a good Luminaro as they are born from negativity and evil. Just like their are different types of people in Perindo, there are also different types of Luminaros depending on who they swear allegience to."
"That should be all the basics you need to know, but you will naturally learn far more during your time, especially a few seconds once you have reached your new body."
Ash was speechless, which was expected as this was a massive information dump, but as the seconds went by, he began to understand more and more. But one thing kept on bugging him: as he wondered what body he would be taking over.
"Whos body will I be taking over?"
"Do not worry, you will not be removing someone's soul or killing someone in the process of gaining their body. I guess you could say... your going to be taken into your body in this world. That may sound confusing, but many do not realise that in every single dimension you exist in one form or another and you will be reborn into the you in Perindo, or you could say merge, as you will be both the man from Earth and the boy from Perindo."
Ash felt far more relieved now that most of his questions had been answered and his was ready to dive right in, but he still had one last question.
"Why are you helping? What do you want in return?"
Ash wasn't gullible enough to not realise that some godlike being would just help him for no reason. When someone gives, they innately want something in return, and Ash highly doubted Modro was any different.
"I was waiting for that question!" Modro giggled
"I want you to try your best to do a lot of damage to the Luminaros and, if possible, completely eradicate their existence."
"Is that all?"
"That is all."
"As long as you do that, I will leave you to live your life as you like."
Ash finally had all his questions answered and was now ready to embark on his new journey.
'Thank you, mom, for letting me experience a good life. I'll make this one even better!'
"Then shall I transport you?" Mordor inquired
"Yes!"
Mordor then began to whisper something, and he dragged his hand in the air and grabbed hold of the space itself until it created an opening, which quickly expanded till it formed a black, malformed circle.
"Get in the portal." Mordor commanded
Ash began to walk closer to the portal till eventually he had reached it. He took a deep breath in and thought to himself.
'Whats wrong with me, Why am i so excited?'
'Why do i feel as if I am ready for anything that comes my way?'
'Why do I feel so happy?'
'Was I really that desperate for life?'
'There's no point in overthinking; just make this life a good one!'
Ash walked straight into the portal, and his figure vanished from the throne room. Only Modro remained as he began to laugh histerically
"This should be fun," he chuckled softly, his golden eyes gleaming with anticipation.