When I opened my eyes again, I found myself surrounded by vast emptiness. There was no ground beneath my feet, nor any sky above. Instead, I floated in a dark void, suspended in the nothingness. I was no longer human—just a glowing orb of light. Everything felt surreal, yet somehow, I knew that this was my soul, the essence of who I was.
All around me was darkness. No walls, no boundaries, just an infinite stretch of black. I tried to move, and, as if by instinct, I floated aimlessly through the void. I wasn't sure what I was looking for—maybe another soul, some kind of direction. But time had no meaning here. I could've been drifting for minutes or centuries.
"Are you finally tired?" A majestic, deep voice echoed through the void, breaking the silence. The sound was so powerful that it reverberated in every direction at once, leaving me stunned. There was no source to the voice, no figure or form—just words resonating from everywhere.
"Don't bother searching for me. I am everywhere."
The voice confused me even more. I wanted to ask questions, to understand what was happening, but I quickly realized I had no mouth to speak. Panic surged inside me, but the voice interrupted again.
"You don't need a mouth to communicate with me. Simply think, and I will hear your thoughts."
Can this being read my mind? I thought, still in disbelief.
"Yes," came the reply, calm and authoritative.
I gathered my thoughts, trying to make sense of everything. Where am I? What happened to me?
"You are dead," the voice responded, its tone unmoved by the gravity of the words. "You are now standing on the junction between life and death."
Dead... The reality of it settled in. It wasn't a dream or some nightmare. I was really gone. My life, my body—it was all over. Then, who are you?
"I am Yama, God of Death and Justice. It is my duty to judge the souls of the departed and assign them their next lives based on the karma they have accumulated."
So, you're here to judge me? I asked, a strange calmness settling over my thoughts.
"Your situation is a little different," Yama said, his voice tinged with something I couldn't quite place—interest, maybe?
Different? What do you mean?
"You were not supposed to die today, Alex," Yama explained, his voice firm yet not without empathy. "In your original timeline, you were meant to live until your eighties, dying of natural causes. However, you chose to sacrifice your life to save that little girl, an act that altered your fate and hers."
I absorbed this, feeling a strange sense of pride at my final act. So what happens now? Will you still judge me?
"I cannot reincarnate you on Earth before your time," Yama continued. "According to the natural flow of your life, your soul was not scheduled to return for another fifty years. The girl you saved was also supposed to die today, but your actions changed that. As a result, Earth is no longer an option for you."
Fifty years? I thought, dread creeping into my voice. You mean I have to wait here, in this void, for fifty years?
"Yes," Yama replied simply.
WHAT?! Panic surged through me. The thought of floating in this dark nothingness for decades made my soul shudder.
"Don't be so quick to despair," Yama's voice softened slightly. "Because you died saving a life—a deed as noble as creation itself—I am offering you another choice. You cannot return to Earth, but you may be reincarnated in another world of your choosing."
Another world? My thoughts buzzed with questions. There are other worlds out there?
"Of course," Yama said with a hint of amusement. "Did you truly believe your world was the only one in existence?"
I didn't even know other worlds existed until just now! My mind was racing, overwhelmed by this sudden revelation. How am I supposed to choose one? I don't know anything about them!
"You needn't worry," Yama assured me. "Let me help you."
Suddenly, my mind was flooded with a surge of information. It was like a thousand lifetimes of knowledge poured into me at once. Images, sounds, and details of countless worlds filled my consciousness—some advanced far beyond Earth, others still living in the shadow of medieval ages. Some resembled Earth, while others were home to terrifying creatures, dungeons, and magic.
My mind raced through these possibilities. There were worlds dominated by science and technology, worlds locked in eternal war, and worlds filled with strange beings and fantastical landscapes. But the ones that intrigued me the most were the fantasy worlds—places where magic and swords clashed, where ancient prophecies guided heroes on epic quests. I had spent so much of my time on Earth reading novels about such places, immersing myself in stories where the impossible was everyday life.
Then, one world stood out. It was eerily familiar, resembling the novels I had been read before my untimely death—a world of mystery, magic, and danger, where I had been left hanging, unable to finish the story. It was not just one novel. It felt like this world was crafted after combining various novels he has read. Through this one world I could live in various novel world's at the same time. My heart, or whatever passed for one now, stirred with excitement. I wanted to see that world to its end and experience the exciting world beyond the pages of a book. Maybe, in this new life, I could live the adventure I'd only dreamed of.
I've made my choice, I thought, feeling a newfound determination. I want to go to Elysiam.
"Elysiam?" Yama's voice echoed thoughtfully. "Are you certain?"
Yes, I replied without hesitation. That's where I want to be.
"Very well," Yama's voice boomed with finality. "The next time you open your eyes, you will be in Elysiam. And as a reward for your selflessness, a gift awaits you in that world. Make good use of it."
With those words, I felt my consciousness slipping away, as though I were being drawn toward something distant and far beyond the void. The orb of light that was my soul which was floating in vast emptiness till now shot through the vast expanse, heading toward a distant world.
And then, there was only darkness.