It was strange, knowing you're dead but feeling fine with it. It wasn't that I had a death wish but I knew it was coming. I've been on the edge for years, not knowing when it would strike.
Most of the memories of this life were vague and dull, nothing that carried much weight. It wasn't that I didn't value my life, I did my best to live and fight with everything I had. I had a family that supported me, that was there in hard times. Yet all I remember was the room of a hospital ward, nothing else.
I felt no longing for that life, and though I would miss my family, my body had hit its limit. If I were to name one regret it would be that I didn't get to say goodbye.
"I see you finally open up."
I was shaken slightly by these words. The dark space that I had grown accustomed to slowly shifted, revealing a bright light that surrounded me. It was blinding at first, but looking down I realized I sat in the middle of a white flower.
Looking up I am met with a giant woman, smiling warmly at me.
"It's good to finally see you. I was beginning to think that your flower would never reveal your soul," she said openly, lowering herself slightly as if to get a better look. I found that her form was the source of all light in this place, making her true feathers indistinguishable.
Looking around to get a better idea of what was going on, I found that there were other flowers, all drifting on a body of water. Their colors ranged from bright reds to deep purples, all scattered around the woman. Some were open wide, others were closed. Some were huge, while others were tiny.
The woman hummed and brought my attention back to her.
"I see you are confused, little one. You have every right to be," she said before sitting down close to me, the water rippling as she moved. "Feel free to ask any question that is on your mind."
I looked at her, then at the place again.
"W-who… are… you…?" I whispered out, my voice hoarse and weak. I hadn't been able to speak much in my life so I was a bit intimidated.
Yet the woman only chuckled, bringing my flower closer to her.
"I am Lativia, the goddess of Life and Death. You are currently in my realm, a place known as the soul garden."
I looked at her confused.
"Soul… Garden…?"
She nodded, before picking up my flower, causing me to stumble slightly. When I regained my balance, I saw fields upon fields of flowers surrounding us.
"Here, new and old souls enter to be sent to the world I govern," she explains. "They are to cultivate and adjust before their flowers bloom and their souls are released."
I look back at her slightly amazed.
"To… where…?"
She gestures upwards, to which a giant orb was situated. At first, I thought it was a moon, as the light directed at it was too bright. Slowly I started to make out greens and blues, foliage and water.
"That is the planet of Pervila, a place of swords and sorcery, kings and queens, monsters and fey. I, and a few other gods, watch over its inhabitants. Giving them our blessings to help with the world order."
I look at her before pointing at the planet.
"I… go… there…" I get out becoming a bit frustrated at my slow words.
Latvia only laughed, patting my head with her fingertip.
"Soon child, but not yet. You have just woken up and have been closed for many years."
"Closed…?" I asked, tilting my head at her words.
"How do I explain," She said, tapping her chin. "You are not the first to come from your world… Earth if I am correct. It is a world without magic or a way to express power. For this reason, the gods of this world opened a connection to it. The connection is made with that world's gods' consent of course as they are unable to give the souls what they need."
"When a soul-bearing some sort of power dies in that world, they are whisked away to this one to be reborn. Most wake within a few hours after their flowers sprout. Some do take longer but that is usually due to not letting go of the living. You, unfortunately, have been asleep much longer, to the point where you are the last of your world to arrive."
"The… last…?" I ask, sitting down once more to listen.
"All souls bearing power had already been transferred, and those connections to your old world were closed. Your flower appeared here very long ago, but it never opened. Well, until today, that is." she said with a smile, placing my flower back on the ground. "I've been worried about you for a while now, as I could feel life within the bloom, but your soul never fully manifested. Your old gods had even worried about your existence as they didn't understand why you hadn't entered our world yet."
I nod my head, processing what the goddess told me. "Why… so… long…?" I ask, trying to understand more about my situation.
Lativia looked at me with sympathy, caressing my hair with her finger. "I believe it's your soul that is the problem."
"My… Soul…?" I asked, looking at my hands.
"Your soul is brimming with energy, a lot more than what I saw in the others. Because of this, it seems to have degraded some of the souls' defenses, leaving it fragile to change. Likely, the transference between the two realms took so long because of the souls' fragile state."
I look at her then back at my hands, memories of my sick state and how people couldn't identify it. For some reason, I started crying feeling overwhelmed by an unknown force.
As I began to break down, I felt a gentle pat on my head and I looked up at Lativia, who was watching me patiently. "I know it isn't easy to adjust to this, so let it out. No one will judge you here."
With that I began wailing, crying my heart out in overwhelmed emotions. Lativia just stayed there, patting my head and rubbing my back. She didn't say anything, just allowed me to cry.
Eventually, my eyes became dry and my mind began to think more about the situation. "Why…?" I asked, my voice cracking from the strain. "Why… Soul… like… this…?"
Gently patting my head once more, Lativia spoke. "There could be many reasons for the soul to be like this. Some are environmental, some are genetic, and others are just born with it. I unfortunately don't have any information about your previous life, so I can't say for certain what your case is."
I nod before looking at my hands again, wondering when the power started affecting my body, let alone my soul.
"Happen… again…?" I ask as I realize that what happened to me in the past could happen again in this world.
The goddess only shook her head, cupping me in her hands and bringing me close. "Your body will no longer be affected by the energy you bare in this world. If anything both your body and soul will thrive and get stronger here."
I look up at her for reassurance. "Really…?"
"Really," she said, placing me down again. "Now then, let's organize your abilities, to see how you will best adapt to the new world."
With that, a ray of light surrounded me before culminating in a screen in front of me.
Name: Unnamed
Level: Unknown
Stats: Undefined
Class: Undecided
Skill: None
Titles: None
I stared at the screen for a while before looking up at Lativia for answers. "What… mean…?"
She giggled a bit before explaining. "This is the status window, showing the personal information of each individual." She then hummed in thought, while looking at the board. "It would seem most of your previous achievements and information were scrubbed before you entered the realm but that might be for the best."
"The… best…?"
She smiles down at me. "It just means you will have more freedom to choose and change things as you grow. Most people will be restricted to what they already know and go into a body that will accompany their level of skill."
"With you, it is a different stance, as you have little to no defining factors. At least none that coincides with a class."
I looked at her with worry but she just waved it off. "It's okay not to be defined. It just means you need to find your passion in this world, that's all. There are so many things to experience so you don't have to limit yourself."
I look up in wonder. "Like… what…?"
Lativia waved her hands revealing a bunch of windows, each holding information. "One's job or class is usually determined by the skills and titles. Certain knowledge and abilities have certain effects on everyday life. In this world, the class of a person is determined at age fourteen. Yet even then they are subjected to change for the next seven years."
"There are occasions when transfers do not have the requirements to have a class. So they will start at an age where they can be able to build the skills needed for a class. Most specialize in certain areas relating to the skills they have already, others decided to branch out. Some become rulers, others live a more simple life."
"Us gods give the necessary abilities to provide a happy life to the transfer, so regardless of where you go and what route you take you will have some support."
Nodding in understanding, I look around at the windows once more. "Can… pick… now…?"
She laughed slightly at my words, before patting my head. "Though it isn't usually how things work, having a few skills to help with your new life would be helpful."
The screens came down towards me allowing me to see the contents. "Pick three basic skills that you may find useful to you. I'll be sure to accommodate you as much as I can with them, though they may be limited to begin with."
Looking through the list, I eventually came across three skills of interest.
Adaption. The ability to adapt to the world around you slowly, whether it be environment, government, or magic. Takes a while to understand and use the information learned. I thought it would be useful considering what happened in my previous life. I do not want to be confined to a bed again.
Understanding. This gives the user basic communication abilities that apply to most races. I have no idea what I will find in this realm but I do desire to make connections with people.
Memoir. Allows the user to catalog things around them. It is a journal that only the user can access. I didn't want to forget again, not about the things that matter most. I also thought it would be useful to remember information.
"Done…" I say looking back up at Lativia. "Are… okay…?"
Lativia flicked her wrist and brought the panels up to her looking through them. "I see nothing wrong with these skills. They will be useful in whatever class you grow into and will grow alongside you."
"Grow…?"
She smiled down at me. "If you use the skill often, it will evolve and strengthen with each use." she explains gently, offering me the screens to look at. "Depending on how you use the skill may alter its use in your daily life. It may change to a specialty or enhance the abilities the skill already has. There is also a chance of learning a skill from the skills you have."
I smile, becoming excited about the thought of learning more before becoming a bit scared. "Will… be… dangerous…?" I asked, worrying about my safety in this world. "Will… hurt…?"
Lativia stops for a moment, before looking down at me sadly. "There are dangers to this world, things that you can't avoid." She explains gently. "But there are many good things to experience and learn."
"Will… I… hurt…" I began to feel more worried. I didn't like pain in my previous life but I hated it more when others were in pain. Both physical and emotional.
Before I can worry about that anymore, I am lifted into a semi-hug by the goddess. "Oh child, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. There will be times when the world would desire you to do something but it is up to you. If you don't wish to fight, then you don't have to, but know there will be times you may not have a choice."
I nodded in understanding, finding comfort in her warmth. "Thank… You…"
We stayed like that for a bit before she raised me again. "Now then, let's give you your body and send you to Pervila. Because of your circumstances, I'm giving you a body that is about five years of age. Do you have a preference about what race you are or how you look?"
I thought for a moment but couldn't think of anything that would be needed. "I… stay… human…"
She nods before going through her screen and selecting the option. "Alright, anything else?"
I shake my head smiling at her. She smiled back before the screen turned into an orb of light, going into my chest. "With that, all has been prepared, now to send you off."
"W-wait!" I yelled, grabbing one of her fingers in fear. She seems a bit startled but brings me close again to listen. "W-will… Will… I… see… you… again…" I tried to stay calm but I didn't want to be alone in this world. Though I have only just met her, she is someone important, one I don't want to lose.
Lativia only smiles and taps my head gently. "You won't be able to come back here but we will be able to see each other again. Me and other gods will be watching over you and thus will have a connection to you. There are ways you can communicate to us directly but I wish for you to find your way."
With that, she gave me one last hug before my body began to emanate light. "Know you will be unable to see the skills you've earned or your class until you're fourteen. By then you will need to be appraised by a specialist."
I felt myself leaving this place, but I wanted to hang on a bit more. Lativia only patted my back as I became drowsy, and drifted away.
"May you chart your destiny… Sophie…"