A lake, a really huge lake, was the first thing I saw after exiting that colossal door. The lake was vast, with no end to be seen. It looked like the lake stretched until my eyes could see, and I was standing in the middle of it.
Well, I meant everyone stood on the lake.
Others stood on the lake along with me. Some were mesmerized by the view, some were scared, and some didn't care about where they were.
The girl I met at the door's entrance approached me. Now that I looked at her closely, she looked the same age as me. She was as tall as me, maybe slightly taller. I think she is around 5'9". She had an alluring and beautiful face, black hair that was utterly messy, and hazel eyes. Surprisingly, her build was weak. The girl was also pretty thin compared to her height, and she looked weak.
"Hey, I saw you before when we entered the door. My name is Luna. What is yours?" the girl asked, smiling.
"Um, Rukh"
"Huh? Rukh? Is that your name?"
I nodded
"Whoa!! That's a pretty cool name; I wished mine was something cool instead of some boring name like Luna."
"Oh, you think so?"
Well, I guess it's an unusual name, but for me, this name was precious. This name was the only thing my xxxx left behind for me. Huh? Wait? Who left his name behind me? I can't remember. Huh? What is happening?
"Hello? Hello?" Luna waved her hand in front of me
"Huh? What?"
"You were deep in your thoughts there for a second. Are you okay?" Luna asked.
"Oh…yeah, never mind. What were you saying?"
"Look above; something is coming down."
I looked up and saw a bright light shining. The light was so bright that it made the day look like a sunset.
But where was the light coming from? And that is when I saw it. Something that I had only read in books and mythologies.
It was an angel. A beautiful angel. The angel's appearance was completely different from what movies or books mentioned.
The angel looked as massive as the moon and as white as a cloud. Its single golden eye seemed to see the entire universe, and six enormous wings graciously sat on its back, giving it the appearance of omnipotence.
"Beautiful" were the first words that came out of my mouth after looking at the angel.
"isn't it?" replied Luna, looking at the angel hovering in the sky.
Just like us, everyone else was looking at the angel, too. Some were mesmerized, while others were terrified. Maybe because they committed sins? I thought.
A few moments later, the angel spoke or instead spoke telepathically. I could hear the voice in my head, ringing, voiceless but, at the same time, alluring.
"Welcome, beautiful humans," said the angel
"This is the sea of starting. You all are chosen as worthy humans to earn the right of reincarnation. And such as, I would act as your guide for the first trial."
For some reason, even though there was a panic amongst the people here, everyone seemed somehow rational and did not cause a stir. I wonder why? Could it be some sort of power?
"Umm, excuse me? What do you mean by trials?" asked a guy far from me. He had brownish hair, and his build was the same as mine.
Even though the angel spoke telepathically, it seemed we had to ask questions verbally.
"There will be a total of seven trials, and you must pass all those trials to earn a chance to be reincarnated" the angel replied
"Wait, what do you mean 'earn'? Shouldn't we get reincarnated after passing the trials?" asked a woman who stood behind me in a plain tone.
"Even if you pass the trials, the other gods will decide if they believe you worthy enough."
"Then why are we going through the trials and not just going to those gods to prove our worth."
"Those gods and such design the trials; those who would be able to pass the trials would be considered worthy to meet the god", replied the angel.
"So, what happens if we fail the trials?" asked another guy dressed in a black coat.
"You will vanish into the void, which we call nothingness."
"What is that?" asked the same guy
The angel replied, "A place where souls who die go. There is no coming back. Once you vanish into nothingness, your entire existence is erased from the history of the universe."
Everyone who heard the angel had now terrified faces. They were scared. Well, why wouldn't they be? Everyone is scared of something like that. Though, I guess I was the exception.
"I see", replied the guy in a sad voice
"But do not fret; as you vanish into the void, you shall feel no pain, sadness and anger, but peace. You would vanish in peace. That I swear." The angel's voice replied in a warm tone.
"Now then, I shall explain the rul- "
"Excuse me," said a voice
It was me. I was the one who cut off the angel mid-sentence. "Um, sorry to cut you off, but I don't want to compete in the trials, so could you vanish me into the void?" I asked the angel. Why did I say that? I don't know what happened, but my mind asked this before I could even think.
I felt the angel's gaze hovering above the sky, staring at me. The angel stared at me in silence. A few seconds later, it replied
"If you wish to do that, then you would need to ask the other half to whom your soul is bonded," said the angel in a monotone voice
"What? What do you mean by the other half? I don't understand. I don't have any other half; I am not even married." Huh? How do I know that I am not married? Wait…something feels weird. Since the moment I came here, I have felt really weird. As if…I don't even remember my own existence. Then, do I just have a feeling that I was not married? Could it be? Did I… lose my memories?
"It seems you misunderstood me. I mean, the other half of your soul has merged with."
It still didn't make any damn sense.
"I don't understand what you mean. Could you please explain to me in a way I can understand?"
"It seems you do not realize your current situation." The angel replied to me in the same emotionless voice as before
I looked at the angel confusingly.
"Fine, I shall explain," said the angel
"Your soul has been intertwined with someone else's soul while entering this place, which means that if you vanish from here, the other soul you merged with will vanish, too. So, to make a huge decision like the one you proposed, the other person to whom your soul has merged must also agree with your decision. Now, do you comprehend?"
"HUH?"
"I said yo.."
"No, I understood that part, but what do you mean my soul has mixed with someone else's. That can't be right," I replied in frustration and anger.
"I wasn't told about this happening by him."
The angel didn't respond and kept looking at me.
"Well, anyways. Could you untwine my soul so that I could vanish?" The feeling of vanishing was strong. In fact, it felt like the feeling came from deep within my heart. But why? Why do I want to vanish?
"I cannot do that. I do not have that kind of power," replied the angel
"What? Then how do I untwine it? Tell me, I would do it myself."
"You cannot untwine it either. The only God who has the power to do that is 'Omrutya'," the angel replied
"Omrutya?" It seemed like I remembered him, at least.
"I do not know how you are connected to him, but he is the only one who can mix souls. Only that God has this kind of power."
Hah, he screwed me over. Did he do it deliberately? Why? I even told him I was not interested in reincarnating. Damn it
I sighed. "Then, please take me to him; I want him to undo whatever soul intertwine thing he did."
"That is not possible."
"and why not?" I replied frustratingly
"He has been banished from the role of God and thus cannot interfere with the trials or the humans giving the trials."
"No way. That means I cannot leave this trial."
"Yes"
"Damn it, Damn it, fuck, fuck, Aaargh…" I screamed in frustration. Emotions took over my body and mind without me comprehending the reason.
Everyone was looking at me.
A while later, I spoke.
"Tell me, to whom has my soul intertwined?" I asked the angel
The angel then looked at me. I felt the angel's eyes looking in my eyes. Suddenly, I went blind for a moment. I opened my eyes, and everything looked normal; there was no difference.
"Look at the other humans standing here, and focus your mind whenever you look at someone. If you focus carefully, then you will see a bright light shining from one person. That person is your other half," said the angel
I focused my eyes and looked at everyone, but none emitted light. However, a few seconds later, I found that person.
That person emitted a bright white light from within. It was Luna. She was the person my soul intertwined with.