"What was it?"
A woman clad in a one-piece white attire interrogated.
Her face was, although, not visible.
"Yeah, that's me... the idiot on the bike, pedaling like his life depends on it—because it did.
From the time I was born, we were always told to never, ever go outside after 6 p.m.
It wasn't just advice; it was like the town's number one survival tip.
And honestly, who wouldn't listen after seeing the sky slowly turn red, like it's auditioning for a horror movie?
But of course, genius me decided to test fate and kept on playing games in the arcade.
You'd think I'd have learned better by now, right? Wrong.
Look there—right where I almost wipe out. Beautiful form, isn't it?
And you can hear Adrian screaming for his life behind me.
Honestly, the guy clinging to my back like a koala didn't make this easier.
The elders always said the town was cursed, though no one really knew why.
Probably because anyone who went outside after the sky turned red didn't exactly come back for interviews.
Then there's her. The demon—or whatever you want to call her—Dayan.
Pause the video right here.
See that massive shadow above us? That's her.
Colossal doesn't even begin to describe it. And before you ask, no, there's no reasoning with her.
I lashed out, pointing furiously at the screen, which was replaying my death.
My words poured into an unbroken stream as I continued to speak without any pause.
"She doesn't do motives. She just appears, does that creepy laugh—yes, that laugh you hear faintly—and kills everyone dumb enough to be outside.
Now fast forward a bit.
Yeah, there I go, leaping off the bike like some action hero, except it's more of a belly flop into despair.
But we didn't make it.
We weren't fast enough, and the sky went full crimson.
You can see it here—Adrian locking the door behind me like the world's worst best friend.
And that's me.
Up in her grip, flailing like a fish while Adrian books it.
See the part where my body hits the ground? Yeah, that's how I died."
The woman, however, didn't react a bit and put up another question in a calm voice.
"Was he your friend?"
"Either I am an idiot, or you are really deaf?"
I confirmed, as I looked around, then at the woman who floated in front of me.
"Hey... why is your face not visible to me?"
I inquired, while comprehending where I was right now.
"It's clearly visible... It's just that you can't see it."
The woman replied, a hint of annoyance in her tone.
"I am a fifth-dimensional being, and you are a mere third dimension."
"Huh, like I will believe whatever you throw at me."
I scoffed, snapping my neck sideways.
The woman sighed tiredly, raising her voice as she spoke.
"Listen, kid. I am not lying, and if you don't want to believe, then so be it."
Ignoring her, I flickered my eyes around once more, only deducing now that we were floating through space.
Countless stars, planets, solar systems, and galaxies went past us.
I pursed my lips, but before I could speak, the woman abruptly cut off.
"Right now you are in between a phenomenon known as 'Cycle of Reincarnation,'" she proclaimed.
After a brief pause, she continued, signaling her hands towards the galaxies and celestial objects that went past us.
"You may choose any of the upcoming galaxies for your reincarnation."
'Crap... is that reincarnation stuff real? It will be too troublesome.'
I quipped, raising my brows in exclamation.
"Don't you dare abuse 'Reincarnation.' It's a divine word and a thing only one in trillions are given the chance to go through it."
The woman snapped at me, her voice raised more than ever.
"I-it was just a joke, you know... anyways, why was I given the chance to get reincarnated? I don't think I am anyone special."
I rebuked, cold sweat trickling down my face as I stretched my eyes vertically.
"Look, I don't even have blue eyes."
The woman tapped her palm on her forehead, pursing her lips to speak.
"You really. are. a. fool... Now quickly choose one of the galaxies."
I found her behavior of shrugging off the question suspicious but didn't probe further.
'Just a bit more chit-chat, then I will be all settled to go.'
"Don't try to act oversmart. I can read your mind," she declared.
Sighing tiredly, I said, "Fine... Reincarnate me in any of the galaxies with a magical world out there, but keep this in mind: I don't like being a commoner or royalty... umm... Duke for the win."
"Wait, wait, wait, who said anything about magic... anything like a magical world doesn't exist."
"There is not?!"
I exclaimed in surprise.
"No."
A flat-out refusal.
Closing my eyes for a brief moment to gather my thoughts, I opened them again.
"Then just send me to any other world where people are still living in the Stone Age."
I mused, as wild thoughts crossed my mind.
'I will teach them that I am their God and the process of reprodu-'
"I can read your mind."
She spoke as a matter of fact, and I realized she could read my mind, so I prevented myself from thinking further.
"Sorry... but is that possible?"
"Fine."
The next moment, a blue-colored portal, enough for a man to pass through, emerged into existence.
It was pulsing with vibrant energy.
"Step in, and the next moment, you will find yourself in a Stone Age era world as a newborn without the memories of your previous life intact."
The woman chipped, moving her head towards the portal.
I bolted towards the portal with no second thoughts for some reason.
Not bothering to offer my ears anymore to that high-pitched guitar.
But just before I could enter, another purple-colored portal appeared in front of me.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to kill my momentum.
I entered that portal at the last moment.