As I slowly regained consciousness, I found myself in a strange place. Something like something out of a fantasy book.
I am in front of a huge palace that is floating on an endless sea of white clouds.
Am I in heaven?
The sun tells me that it is around twelve noon and the palace in front of me is shining in an outrageous way, all thanks to the sun's rays.
Everything is very quiet but charming, the landscape is indescribable and in the middle of all this, the deep blue sky above me is fascinating.
I'm standing on the front lawn of the imposing floating palace and everything is damn beautiful. Even the flowers have a look like nothing I've ever seen before, not even in the library books while studying botany for a school exam...
As I thought this, I noticed something that caught my attention: to my left was a slightly secluded glass chapel with several chairs and a table inside. And elegantly sitting on the table, next to a tea set with two fine porcelain cups, was a woman in white clothes of exotic design. She seemed to have a Greek style...
I think I could compare this woman to the Goddess of beauty.
Or that's too little... I'm not sure, but it looks like a real Divine Deity.
But seeing her sitting on the table makes her casually informal and carefree.
Still, she is young and insanely beautiful. Her hair was blue, and her ears were slightly pointed. He would fall at her feet if she asked and lick them...
That outfit is so revealing that it's dangerous!
Ugh! Stop looking where you shouldn't! Ahh!
With a slow but steady step, I walked to the chapel to talk to her. The deity was simply drinking her tea while looking at the flowers in the garden without even looking at me walking towards her... but one thing is certain, the beautiful and delicate-looking deity knows that I am here and that I am heading towards her, as she poured some tea into a small porcelain cup and placed it in front of an empty chair.
It seemed like he was urging me to take a seat next to him.
"You may sit down, Sakurada Kujo, the tea will get cold if you just stand there." These were her first words. Her voice was soft and sweet, with a very decent and charming accent.
Thank you, Goddess-sama, then... huh? Why won't my voice come out of my throat? I can't speak!
"Relax, I can read your mind," he says with a small smile.
Eh, interesting...
Huh!?
"As you heard, I can read your thoughts, so don't worry."
No no no, i-it's just that... well, I thought something earlier...
"You're talking about licking a Goddess' feet and looking at her lewdly? That's… well…" After thinking about it for a bit, she was embarrassed and covered her mouth. "You're a pervert."
Aaahg! Swallow me up, earth!
Excuse me Goddess-sama... it's just that it was something unavoidable...
"Hahaha, don't worry about it. Take a seat before the tea gets cold!" Her cheerful tone was contagious, she smiled kindly and was friendly. I guess I will respond to her feelings.
After sitting down and taking a sip of tea, I felt the sweet taste fill my palate as it caressed my cheeks. I am not a fan of taking any of these substances, no matter how good or bad they are, I just hate them. But I have to admit, this is delicious.
It's amazing.
"I agree"
Goddess-sama, I would like to know why I am here.
"Because you are dead"
Haha, wow, what a good joke Goddess-sama, look how I can't stop laughing...
"Before we get to that topic, I would like to talk a little longer. Is that okay with you?"
Good luck, Goddess-sama, I have plenty of free time on my hands now.
"Hehehe, you're more fun than I imagined… being alone for a long time is awful." As she said that, for a moment I thought I saw her face cloud over with a sense of sadness…
I feel like something is wrong, but I don't think digging into it is a good option.
It must have been hard for you...
"I know you had a short life, but what did you think of it?"
Nothing special. It was a mostly ordinary life with a few luxuries, but I don't feel anything. I think it's because, since I'm dead now, the things I had don't matter to me at all. It's all in the past and I can't do anything about it... it was as much my mistake as it was my decision to be dead.
"Interesting. You seem determined..."
Naturally, I think it's silly to complain after you've done something. My motto is: Instead of thinking about it, think about how to finish it.
"Hmm" A smile accompanied that expression.
At least we both agree on the same topic.
"You bravely sacrificed yourself for that girl, you are quite a noble person."
I had mixed feelings about it.
"How daring"
Any man would probably have done the same in my place, wouldn't he?
"You might be right. Noble-hearted people still exist."
After the friendly chat, we looked at the scenery together with a smile while our cups steamed in the refreshing silence.
This is strange...
I thought death would be painful: something like a miserable suffering of eternal darkness... but instead, I am currently sitting having tea with a Goddess as we share a beautiful view of the landscape that stretches out before us.
I guess I couldn't ask for more than this.
Goddess-sama... I have a question.
"Yeah?"
Am I going to disappear soon... or something?
"Oh? Why do you ask that?"
Well...
I thought I would just fade away into the darkness when my dying day came. But instead, I'm having tea here in this place with you: the view is beautiful and cozy, the atmosphere is perfect and I feel strangely good... like I've finally accomplished something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I can't shake the feeling that everything is too good to be true and at some point I'll wake up from reality.
And then I will be returned to the opposite of what I am living here.
I'm nobody to say something like that, but that's what I feel and I can't find an explanation...
After listening to everything I said, she looked at the landscape and from one moment to the next, she couldn't help but laugh at everything I said...
After five whole minutes of non-stop laughter, he finally resumed his posture and calmed down.
Please take my feelings into consideration.
"Sorry, it's been a while since I laughed like that… but you're right, the fact that you're here means something special. Still, thank you for the compliments on this place, I put a lot of effort into creating something decent and attractive." With that said, she prepared to continue.
"The reason you are here is because of your destiny: every living being has a destiny that is already written; it is true that some are stronger than others, but all of them play fundamental roles. The actions of those with a strong destiny are more influential and dominant; but those with a weaker destiny, on the other hand, are interrupted and almost irrelevant to the story. It is a relative issue in most cases, but timelines are enigmatic to a certain extent."
"But you, Sakurada Kujo, are of the first category. You possess a strong destiny, and part of it is also being influenced by the past."
"You can't escape it... in a nutshell."
Adding a smile to those last words doesn't make it sound good at all.
"... It's a shame, I thought it had turned out well..."
"In any case, and as I was saying... you will be reincarnated 10,000 years ago, if we discount the 2,000 years of this time that you know, then it will be a reincarnation of 8,000 years into the past."
Huh!?