Again

An old timer nearing his end, Simon lay down, blissful in what he believed was his last rest. His life had been filled with both joy and sorrow. As the world around him faded, he felt a familiar warmth—one that didn’t come with fatality, but renewal.

When Simon opened his eyes again, he was no longer lying in his bed, but standing in the body of his younger self.

“Welcome back, Simon,” a loud voice said in the distance.

“Huh? What do you mean by ‘back’?” Simon asked, confused.

“Well, Simon, this isn’t your first time here,” the voice explained. Stepping forward was a short, golden figure whose presence could only be described as majestic.

“You are among a rare few mortals who have been chosen to live a cyclical life.”

“Cyclical?” Simon repeated.

“Yes,” the figure responded. “Among all the mortal lives in this universe, you have been selected to live in a cycle where, each time you die, you are resurrected back to your youth.”

“But why me?” Simon asked.

“Well, Simon, you have lived a most admirable life in the sense that you honoured the moral codes of humanity with the utmost respect. We are conducting an experiment—traveling to different universes to find individuals who live to such a high standard. The goal is to see how much a person can change while still retaining their core self.”

“Wait!” Simon shouted. “This is all weird, talking about universes and whatnot, but what do you mean by ‘how much a person can change while still retaining their core self’? Are you planning to change my organic composition with alien technology?” He took a defensive stance.

“No, no. You are jumping the gun. It is a prize.”

“A prize?” Simon asked, unimpressed.

“Yes, since you are given the gift of immortality—albeit not complete.”

“How is that a prize?” asked Simon.,The mysterious entity answered, “Well, it is a prize by its contrast; for each time you are brought back to your youth, you gain something new but lose an emotion.”

Simon stood there, still trying to grasp the situation. “So every time I come back, I lose something important, but I gain something else in return?” “Yes,” the golden figure responded, its glowing eyes narrowing slightly.

“But it’s not random. Each loss is tied to a part of your journey—your experiences, your reactions, your attachments. In contrast, each gain is meant to offer you something new, something you may have lacked in your past life.” Simon frowned, his mind spinning. “What have I lost so far?”

The figure’s expression softened. “In this cycle, you’ve lost your fear—the fear that once held you back from embracing the unknown. You’ll notice you no longer hesitate, no longer second-guess yourself in the face of danger or change. But in exchange, you’ve gained something quite different—a heightened sense of ambition. Your desires will now burn with more intensity than you’ve ever known.”

Simon felt a strange pull within him, an unfamiliar fire bubbling just beneath the surface. He could feel it—the loss of fear and the relentless desire to pursue, to achieve, to conquer. But something about the trade didn’t sit well with him. “And what happens when I lose something more… precious? Like love? Or empathy?”

The golden figure hesitated before responding. “That’s the nature of the experiment. Each cycle strips away a part of you, yet you continue forward, driven by new traits. The question we seek to answer is whether your core essence remains intact—whether you can still hold onto the identity that made you the honourable person we selected.”

Simon clenched his fists. “And how many cycles do I have to go through? “There’s no fixed number,” the entity said, stepping back. “It could go on for centuries, or it could end in your next death. The only certainty is that each time you die, you will lose, but you will also gain.”

Simon’s gaze hardened. “And what happens if I no longer recognise myself? What if I become someone… I despise?”

The golden figure gave a faint smile, one that radiated both wisdom and sorrow. “That, Simon, is the greatest mystery of all.”