Having stood still amidst this seemingly infinite void of multicolored lights, I accepted the fact that I'd never be able to see my wife or child, which was too difficult to put into words. My wife… I loved my wife dearly, but I could, with difficulty, live the rest of my life never seeing her again. However, my child? He/She wasn't even born yet, but I loved them more than I could ever love my wife; the love of a parent was something that could never be reached.
'I-If… If I can't return to my universe, can I wish for my wife and child to have a wonderful life? A life that one could only dream of?' Asked Tom softly in a sad tone as he looked up at the white sphere, which once again absorbed the most minuscule of energy.
[99.99999999996% Energy remaining.]
Heaving a sigh of relief, or something along those lines, given the lack of a physical body, I silently pondered what my next course of action was, which was hard to do given the information that I had just received: losing the opportunity to ever return to family, was gruesome. I already knew the two options the Overseer gave to me, and between those two, I didn't really know what to pick; other than my family, I had no real desire for anything.
I didn't care too much about staying with the Overseer for all of eternity, nor was being reincarnated all that interesting; sure, the prospect of experiencing life in another universe was kind of cool, but it just didn't tempt me enough, which is a little weird when I looked back on my life, which was essentially boring.
Besides my wife, Jala, and my soon-to-be child, there was nothing interesting about my life; I was born into an average family with average genetics and average parents whom I loved. I looked average, my grades were average in school, and I got an average job as well. Essentially, my whole life was average, even with how I met Jala, was average; besides her, the only thing that wasn't average about myself was my calm demeanor.
I wasn't easily angered; in fact, it was hard for any of my emotions to be stirred. I was usually quite calm, which has helped me throughout more of my life than it had hindered me. Only things involving Jala ever made me easily lose my cool, and then, it was usually nothing more than frustration.
'What… What should I do?' Mused Tom in uncertainty as he thought himself, though his mind always returned to Jala.
I tried for several thousands of years, yet my mind would always drift to Jala and my unborn child, constantly wishing to see them, only to suddenly widen my eyes and lightly hit myself in the head.
'I'll just wish for them to be reincarnated alongside them. I'm so foolish.' Thought Tom with a faint smile as he shook his head and looked at the white sphere.
'I'd like my wife and child to be reincarnated into the same universe as me. However, I'd appreciate it if their memories and most of mine were wiped; I don't wish for the burdens and memories of our past life to interfere with our new life.' Stated Tom as he eyed the white sphere, which once again took a tiny amount of energy.
[97.8787% Energy remaining.]
'S-So much energy left, w-what else could I possibly want?' Thought Tom as he pondered deeply, only to eventually come up with something a few decades later.
I've always been average, born average, and even died average, so since I will be reincarnating with my family again, why not become talented? I've always been a little envious of talented people, so why not live life like them for once? It would be interesting.
'I'd appreciate it if you could make me very talented in my next life; same with my wife and child.' Declared Tom as he looked at the Overseer, who nodded even though it had no physical body.
[89.8% Energy remaining.]
Now… Now, I was really confused as to what I should do next; as per the Overseer's words, I couldn't leave until all of my energy was gone, but there was nothing else I wanted. I could think of nothing. I already had my family waiting for me in my next life, and that was all I needed; I truly don't know what else I could possibly desire.
'Can you just take this energy from me? I don't need it.' Asked Tom, though, unfortunately, he didn't get the desired result.
[I cannot. I may be the Overseer of all reality, but I am still bound by the rules that govern reality, with karma being one. You've acquired the remnants of my energy through your own hard work, and forcefully taking it back would beget negative karma upon myself, which will impact my ability to Oversee reality.] Stated Overseer seriously as it eyed Tom, who frowned and fell into a dilemma, not knowing what to do.
'If you can not take this energy, can I give it to you?' Asked Tom lightly as he stared at the white sphere, only to suddenly feel a weird tingling feeling throughout his soul.
[Yes, and you just have. Farewell on your next life, Soul.] Said the Overseer in a softer-than-usual voice as it glanced at Tom, who looked at him before suddenly disappearing from the domain.
[A third soul. How do they keep entering my domain? Hmm, at least this Soul was calm and decently intelligent compared to his predecessors. I hope there will not be another] Muttered the white sphere lightly as it suddenly vanished from its spot, appearing within another place in the vast, infinite reality it Oversees.
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"It… It is a boy." Said an older woman wearing light scarlet and mustard yellow clothes that greatly resembled a monk's.
Waving her hands, the older woman manipulated the very air itself to hover the quiet baby into the air, creating a small vortex that kept him afloat before exiting the room, leaving the woman who had just given birth to rest. While floating the newborn, the older lady passed a few other people wearing very similar clothes; most were either older women who had the front half of their head bald or they were men who were completely bald.
After walking for a little bit longer, the older lady opened a stone door, and just as she did, the sound of loud, crying babies was heard, causing the woman to softly sigh before heading deeper into the room, passing the numerous stone cradles, each one filled with a screaming or crying baby, the lady found an empty one and set the newborn, who had been peacefully floating in the air above her hand, into it.
"At least you're calm and quiet, unlike your brothers and sisters; I can already tell you'll be a talented Air Nomad." Muttered the woman softly as she gently rubbed the newborn before glazing at the numerous cradles and sighing, only to promptly leave the room.
A few hours passed, and during that time, several more newborns were dropped off, each one yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs, though eventually, by the end, they were all quietly and peacefully sleeping amongst each other. A few moments later, the stone door was once again opened, though instead of old ladies entering, multiple middle-aged men and a few middle-aged women entered as they spread out and walked around, searching through the numerous cradles with soft smiles that eased the newborns.
Although each man and woman was different, one thing they all had in common was the bluish arrow on their heads and hands.
However, that was until one of the older men amongst the bunch happened to pass by a rather calm child, which stirred his intrigue as he looked down and closely inspected the child, only to reach down and touch the child's head, causing his eyes to widen as he backed away, hitting the stone cradle behind and nearly typing it over.
"Brother Kyasatsu, what has gotten you worked up?" Asked one of the women softly with a faint frown as she looked at Kyasatsu, her voice causing all the other Monks to focus on them, only to notice his shocked expression.
"I-I apologize for my sudden behavior, fellow Monks; just, if you could, please check that newborn." Said Kyasatus as he slowly regained his composure before clearing his throat and quickly gesturing to the stone cradle in front of him, prompting the woman to nod gently.
Just as Monk Kyasatsu did, the woman looked at the peaceful baby with a smile before gently placing her hand on the child's head, only to furrow her brows, which was quickly followed by her eyes widening in shock as she slowly removed her hand while glancing back at Monk Kyasatsu.
"You don't think…" Asked the the woman as she gazed at Kyasatsu in shock, yet she couldn't finish speaking as he interrupted her.
"It's too soon to be certain, Sister Yung; however, to be on the safe side, I suggest we immediately bring him to the Southern Air Temple." Stated Kyasatsu with a shake of his head as he urgently stepped forward and gently picked up the newborn along with the blankets, which served to cushion the stone cradle.
"I am not against such a decision, though I suggest it's best we don't easily disclose such information, Brother Kyasatsu." Said Yung with a nod as she swiftly followed behind Kyasatsu, who nodded, passing the other confused yet curious monks before eventually leaving.