Chapter 1: The misplaced soul
In a dark void, a man was sitting alone, cross-legged, looking at nothingness. His eyes were red, his hands were trembling, and from his expression, it was clear that his entire world had fallen apart.
Then, unexpectedly, he noticed a beautiful Asian woman appear in front of him. Yui!!!
Ohh, right, this isn’t her… I wish she was here—NO, it’s better Yui is not here… I should be happy she is not here… The man sighed. At least I can look at her face…
“Hey, Rian.” The lady waved her hand and greeted him with a deep, soothing voice.
“Ha—” But when he began replying, his words got stuck in his chest. He kept trying to talk, but nothing came out of his mouth. In the end, he exhaled and spoke with a strained voice. “Hi… Yui.”
She knew Rian wouldn’t act like this for no reason. “What happened to you?”
“...” He closed his eyes, took a long breath, and calmed himself down. He didn’t want to show her his vulnerable side. “Nothing much... why do you ask?”
“Did you even look at yourself? You’re not even able to speak properly... why do you think I’m asking?”
“You really want to know! I thought you were about to ignore me… again,” just as always.
She sighed. “Why would I ignore you in this condition?”
“...” He looked at Yui with a hollow expression.
“Come on, I’m still waiting.”
Give up, man. You can’t avoid her, he told himself and sighed heavily. “I don’t even know where to start. All these still seem unreal to me. I highly doubt anyone would believe me. So… it’s better I say nothing.”
“You worry too much… Say whatever you want, I’m not going to judge you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Umm… okay… thanks… I needed that… Why don’t you come and sit here? It’ll be long.”
Yui happily came and sat down beside him. Then she wrapped her arm around his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. “So? What kind of grand story do you want to talk about?”
“It is not that grand, but rather absurd… Anyway, so… Imagine. One day, you’re returning from your office, and… suddenly you lose consciousness, I mean, suddenly you die, and fall right in the middle of a street.”
“You died, and you were lying on the street?” She asked with skepticism.
“Yes… To be exact, I was walking, and suddenly I died without even realizing it, and my point of view changed entirely… And I found myself floating in the air.”
“Ooo… okay.” Yui had a lot of questions, but since Rian had mentioned how unbelievable it was, she decided to listen to him first before reacting.
“I was shocked, I thought I would fall, but that never happened. Instead, I started rotating in the air… it took me a while to realize I was floating and not falling anytime soon... I can’t even explain how scary those few minutes were… After a lot of effort, I regained my balance. But it was not the end... I wanted to go back to the ground, and it was scary enough already, so I tried to move down many times in many different ways, and every time I ended up losing balance and rotating nonstop…” He sighed.
“So… how much are you going to rotate yourself in the air?”
“Seriously!”
“Pfft… hahaha…” Yui started laughing so much that she ended up gasping for air. “Sorry… sorry… I literally imagined you rotating nonstop.”
I shouldn’t have told her anything… Rian was mad, but seeing her giggling continuously made him fuzzy inside. But somewhere deep down, he knew what was going on. I know it’s better to let go, but… just for this moment… god, please let me be myself… It’s not like I can meet the real Yui... It would have been better if I had not realized it.
“Are you done laughing?”
“Yes… So, how high were you floating? Were you above the clouds?”
“No, no, not that high. I guess I was floating ten or fifteen meters above the ground? Who knows… It may be even higher or lower.”
“Ohh, okaay…”
“Anyway… after some time, I noticed a person lying on an empty street below. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but then, I felt like I needed to be near him… I cannot explain it with words, but I wanted to be there no matter what... But, there was nothing I could do, apart from observing silently.”
“Hmm.”
“Umm… the person was me… my dead body. The street was empty, so no one was there to look at me. I’m not saying no one was there; people did come a bit later, but... it was already too late... If someone had given me CPR at the right moment, then I wouldn’t be here. I might have survived, I guess...”
“So… you’re saying you became a ghost?”
“A ghost? Umm… Yes. You can say that.”
“Hmm… I don’t even know where to start…” Yui looked him in the eye, gripped his arm firmly, and said with a serious tone. “First, you’re not dead, you’re alive. You’re here with me, and you’re perfectly fine… See? We’re sitting together just as always.”
I knew it; she didn’t believe anything I said. Rian looked at her with a hollow expression.
“Please don’t look at me like that…” She sighed and spoke in an assertive tone, “What happened to you? Why are you acting like this?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” He replied and looked away with an annoyed expression.
“Are you on drugs?”
“No.”
“Did you smoke weed?”
“NO… Of course not.”
“I don’t even understand how you got to this point... You know what? Finish what you were saying. I want to know everything.”
Rian looked down with an exhausted expression and started murmuring, “Why am I going insane? First the voices, and now this hallucination... Heh, even my own body and limbs are my hallucinations... What can a ball of light do other than go insane?”
“Wait… you’re having hallucinations???”
“Yes… You’re right. I’m having severe hallucinations.” He gave up trying to explain.
“Okaaay… now everything makes sense… So, how long have you been hallucinating?”
“It hasn’t been long. Maybe a few days, maybe a week, maybe a month. I’m not sure. It’s been a while.”
“Then why aren’t you visiting a doctor?”
“I’ll visit soon… Will you come along with me?”
“Of course, I’ll go with you.”
“Then there is nothing to worry about...”
This is weird… Why is he so nonchalant about it? Is he hiding something? “What happened after you were looking at your body?”
“I thought you didn’t want to listen anymore.”
“Why wouldn’t I listen? Finish what you started.”
“Umm, okay... Where was I?”
“You said you were looking at your body from above.”
“Ohh, right… I was looking from above, but that’s when my real misery started... Just when I thought about getting closer, I floated toward my body automatically.”
“Wait, weren’t you having a hard time moving?”
“Yes, I was. And I still don’t know how I moved... But now that I think about it, previously, I was trying to use different techniques to move, but after that, I thought about moving toward it... Maybe that’s why I moved automatically. I’m not sure. But I didn’t face the same problems after that.”
“Ohh, okay...”
“Anyway, I got the chance to look at the dead body... When I looked at the face, I realised what was happening… I can’t explain how unbelievable it was. In the end, I tried to check the pockets and look at the ID. But guess what? My hand passed through and went inside the body. As if there was no substance in me…”
“That’s…”
“Everything was clear from the beginning, but still, I was unable to understand… Actually, I didn’t want to understand.” He sighed heavily. “I can’t explain how frustrated I was, how helpless I was… I had so many things to do. I had a dream to achieve. I just left my job to start a new life, and then this happened.”
“Hmm…”
“But… more than that, what would happen to my family? Will they ever be able to manage? What would happen to the people depending on me? For God’s sake, I HAD SO MANY PEOPLE RELYING ON ME! WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THEM???” He finally screamed.
“Ohh, sorry for screaming like that.”
“No worries, it’s not hard to imagine what you’re going through…”
“Sorry… Anyway, after some time, I accepted my reality... Since then, I have been feeling a weird sensation in my chest. It is not painful, but it is unbearable and excruciating. I feel like my chest could burst open any moment, but nothing like that was happening. I don’t like it. I want it to go away. But...”
“I know what you mean.”
“You know?”
“Everyone knows that feeling.”
“Ohh… okay.”
“So, what happened next?”
“Next? Next, I thought, What if I try to get inside my body? Can I be alive again? Even if there was zero possibility, I still wanted to try... So, I lay on the ground overlapping my body in the same way... But, even after waiting for minutes… nothing happened…” He sighed. “Just like that, my last hope was gone. In the end, I gave up and walked away, and I kept looking at my body from a distance. I didn’t want to be more miserable than I already was.”
“Is that all?”
“Of course not. The climax of the story is still there... After a while, a weird man appeared behind me. He was wearing full-body silver armor with a black cape on his back. He looked like a premium-grade dumbass.”
“You met someone in your hallucination?”
“Yes... And he started saying something in a weird language. Of course, I didn’t understand any of it… If I ever met other dead people, I would surely warn them about him.”
“Hmm? Why would you warn them?”
“Umm… I was already irritated, so I had a bit of an argument with him. And then he did something very bad.”
“Why am I getting the feeling that you got beaten up badly?” She sighed internally. “Anyway, how were you even arguing with him? Wasn’t he speaking a different language?”
“Do you need to understand someone to swear at them?”
“Ohh... okay… So, what happened next?”
“What happened was... that monster grabbed my head with his big hand and squeezed it so hard that my head was about to burst. He even started dragging me while holding my head like that—Sorry... I mean... He started flying while holding my head.”
“What??? He was flying??? While holding your head??? Your hallucination is getting really, really wild.”
“I know... Anyway, he was flying higher and higher. I cannot explain how scary it was. I was screaming, I was apologizing, but he didn’t stop. My head was hurting so much, but still, I didn’t want him to release me. I wanted him to put me down safely. I didn’t want to fall and die... heh, now that I think about it, that was the only time I forgot that I was dead.”
“Haha.”
He sighed. “After reaching above the clouds, I saw a beautiful horizon, but that was the scariest thing for me. Then he started murmuring something, and suddenly a translucent orb appeared in his other hand... Then he started murmuring again, and this time, my point of view changed… and he became as big as a huge building. Then he forcefully pushed me inside the translucent orb.”
“It is soo… hard to imagine… Did he really become that big… and pushed you inside an orb?”
“Yes. No, no, no. He didn’t become big. I think I became extremely small...”
“What do you mean? First, you said he became big, then you said you became small.”
“I’m sure of it, because just before he pushed me inside the orb, I saw my reflection on its surface. At first, I didn’t think much of it. But later I realized, it really was the case. He turned me into a small glowing ball and then pushed me inside his translucent orb.”
“Hmm… That’s… interesting.”
“I know... Inside the orb, I tried to move, but I couldn’t. It felt as if I was being held from all sides. I didn’t know what was happening... Well, I’m still not sure what is happening here. I can’t even explain how scared I was at the beginning...”
“Then what happened?”
“Then I kept calling for help, hoping someone would hear and save me. But no one answered… I couldn’t feel my body. I couldn’t feel my limbs. I couldn’t feel my head. It was confusing. Then I reached the point where I was hearing voices. Then, I started seeing hallucinations of people I love. I kept talking to them. And after some time, I started seeing my own body, but even then, I couldn’t feel anything in it. It took me a while to figure out I was having severe hallucinations... And everyone was fake, everything was fake, including my body. Since then, I stopped resisting and started talking to fake people. At least it was reducing my pain. And this time I am talking to you, my ex-girlfriend.” He sighed. “It is not bad though…”
“What do you mean???” She pushed him with her hand and looked at him with confusion and desperation. “I’m your current girlfriend, not your ex. I’m a real person, not your dumb hallucination.”
“And that’s what everyone says.”
“I. Am. Your. Real. Girl. Friend.”
“...”
“Please don’t stay silent. You’re hurting me for real... I’m taking you to a doctor now. I don’t want any excuses.”
She was about to stand up, but he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her towards him and hugged her tight. “At least you’re way kinder than my real ex. I like you better like this. Will you stay like this forever?”
“I am not going anywhere. I am who I am. But you need to go to a doctor as soon as possible. And I am not your dumb hallucination, seriously.”
“Heh, I have stopped worrying about what’s my hallucination and what’s not my hallucination... I have accepted my fate.”
“What do you mean by accepting your fate?”
“What do I mean by accepting my fate? Umm… Don’t worry about it. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Then explain it in a way I can understand.”
“Okay… Have you ever read any mythology books?”
“No… why?”
“Then you wouldn’t understand. I have read many mythology books… I have read about souls, I have read about gods, I have read about the cycle of rebirth, I have read about the effects of karma… and I have read many more similar topics.”
“So?”
“So, I think I’m going to be reborn and have a fresh start.”
Yui looked at him with a sad and unbelievable expression.
“Don’t look at me like that...” He sighed, looking at her. Her eyes were tearing up.
Then, he looked up and said, “It’s been a while since that dipshit put me here, and I’m still inside the same orb, probably. Maybe I’ll be transferred to my world again. At least that’s what’s supposed to happen, no?”
“I-I’m not able to follow your thoughts anymore. I’m taking you to a counseling session, right now.”
He ignored his ex-girlfriend and started murmuring again. “I hope I am a human in my next life... I was finally going home in peace, after resigning from my job. I wanted to start a new life. Everything was perfect, but then… this happened.” He sighed. “This is so frustrating... I hope I get a proper chance next time.”
“Youu...”
“Why am I suddenly getting sleepy? This is new... Ohhh, I get it!!! It’s finally happening!!! God, if you’re listening, please fulfill my one wish... If you can’t make me human, then at least make me the pet dog of a beautiful woman…just like her... I don’t want to struggle anymore...”
— After his death —
The Soul Bringer finally finished his job. Now, it was time to go back. He began chanting a spell. And as soon as he finished, the space in front of him started distorting in a circular motion. From the center of distortion, a hollow portal formed. The formation process looked as if a small black hole had silently engulfed the space itself.
Inside the portal, there was a dark tunnel. It was connected to another portal at the far end. This was his destination. He entered and chanted another spell to close the entrance. He made sure that the entrance was closed properly. Then he proceeded toward the other end.
On the other side, a huge circular hall came into view. From the inside, the structure resembled the Roman Colosseum. The hall’s surrounding wall was lined with hundreds of portals. Each portal was a few meters apart, and in between, torch sconces with white flames were placed. Even with hundreds of torch sconces on the surrounding wall, visibility was still low, creating an eerie atmosphere inside.
Countless Soul Bringers were present there. Every one of them had the same armor. Some of them were waiting, some were exiting through the portals, and some were entering with crystal orbs in their hands.
At the center of the hall, a heavenly being was sitting gracefully on a majestic chair. He was wearing a black full-body armor with a red cape draped over his back. He was reading a massive handwritten tome that was continuously emitting a golden haze. The tome was hovering in the air, its pages were turning themselves as the heavenly being was reading it. He didn’t even need to put effort into finding what he wanted.
Many Soul Bringers were standing around him, waiting for their turn. As the heavenly being was calling the souls’ names, the Soul Bringers moved forward, bowed down, and presented their orb with both hands.
With a simple wave of his hand, each orb floated and moved just above the tome. The tome then turned its pages according to the soul and showed the heavenly being the soul’s karma. After checking everything, the heavenly being was instructing the designated Soul Bringer to send the soul to its next life accordingly.
He was not only determining their fate, but he was also determining how a soul would be born, where a soul would be born, what kind of challenges it would face, and how much it would suffer during its lifetime. Though how a soul would deal with its circumstances would be entirely up to the soul itself. If the soul is determined enough, it would surely be able to overcome its predestined fate. The heavenly being always made sure to leave such ways for each soul.
Just like every other day, everything was proceeding normally. But this time, something unexpected happened.
The heavenly being called a name again. The Soul Bringer stepped forward, knelt down, and presented his crystal orb. The orb hovered in the air and moved just above the handwritten tome. The tome’s pages turned rapidly, and the heavenly being began checking the new content.
As he finished reading, his blank expression shifted into a solemn one. He looked at the orb, then looked at his tome, then again looked back at the orb, and again he looked back at the tome.
“Soul Bringer, what have you done? Do you understand the consequences of your actions?”
The Soul Bringer realized something was wrong. “Forgive me, Commander, for I do not understand your meaning.”
The heavenly being was at a loss for words. Looking at his subordinate, he realized the mistake was likely unintentional. “This is not the rightful soul. How did you manage to retrieve the incorrect one? There should be no way for such an error to occur.”
The Soul Bringer was shocked. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how he had made a mistake even after checking again and again. “I brought the soul guided by the threads of destiny. There should be no error... at least, none on my part.”
”Yet a wrongful soul has been presented before me. Did you even verify it correctly? Hah... No matter. Restore this soul to its rightful vessel and deliver the true soul this time. I have examined the vessel’s current state. His last rites are in progress. Return it with haste, else you must endure grievous consequences.” The Commander was irritated, but he kept himself composed as he issued the command.
The Soul Bringer became tense and replied with certainty. “Yes, Commander. I shall amend my negligence and bring you the rightful soul.”
Several hours Later, the Soul Bringer returned with the same crystal orb. His face was pale, and he was sweating profusely.
He walked slowly to his superior. “Commander, I have failed my oath. The current of time in the mortal realm moved too swiftly for my approach, and I could not place the soul within its rightful vessel.”
The Commander could no longer hide his anger. “Are you serious? Do you understand what you have caused? Not only were you negligent, but you also moved with the lethargy of a mortal! Face the consequences. I shall not aid you in any way. Your fate rests in the hands of His Majesty.”
The Soul Bringer was horrified. The only thing he could think of was apologizing to His Majesty directly. “Please, allow me to speak to His Majesty and inform him of my error. I shall take responsibility.” Perhaps an honest apology will at least lessen my punishment.
They were discussing the matter so tensely that they did not notice the crystal’s soul had started fading into oblivion. It was not only fading, but it was also turning into white smoke and disintegrating into nothingness.
In the heavenly realm, an underdeveloped soul cannot stay intact. So the temporary vessels, the crystal orbs, are used to prevent the dense divine energy from disintegrating and absorbing the souls. However, there is a limit to how much pressure a temporary vessel can handle. Before that limit is reached, the souls are always sent back to the mortal realm. Even a vessel transfer is impossible due to the dangers involved in the process.
But now, the crystal orb’s limit was about to be reached. Once it happens, the soul would disintegrate completely.
In the ancient era, mortals believed in making themselves stronger through meditation and inner cultivation, but in the current era, mortals have forgotten such things. No mortal being practices them anymore. Consequently, their souls have become extremely weak. And this soul was no different.
Everyone in the Heavenly Realm, including the Soul Bringer, knew this well. When he noticed the disintegration process, he immediately started sprinting toward His Majesty’s throne room. He knew that disintegration was an irreversible process, and only His Majesty was capable of making the unthinkable possible. He sprinted without looking back or saying a word to the Commander.
After reaching his destination, the Soul Bringer met the guard stationed outside, “Please, ask His Majesty to grant me an audience. It is a matter of utmost urgency.”
The massive doors to the throne room opened with a thunderous sound. The vibrations were enough to be felt just by standing near the door. The guard went inside to seek permission, and it was granted.
The Soul Bringer entered immediately. He didn’t want to waste any time.
The throne room was incredibly majestic and vast. There were two rows of pillars lined straight from the gate to the dais. Each pillar had four torch sconces on all sides. The white flames within the sconces were so bright that the entire room was shimmering with heavenly elegance.
There was no ceiling. Instead, billions and billions of stars were visible above. Between the two rows of massive pillars, a red carpet was laid from the great doors to His Majesty’s throne.
Guards stood in line on both sides of the carpet. Each one was clad in elegant golden armor with a red cape. They carried massive shields on their backs and swords at their waists. They were the Celestial Guards, one of the most fearsome fighting forces in Heaven.
Just before the dais, there was a slightly raised platform, and in its center, an intricate, short cylindrical altar was there. On the dais, His Majesty was sitting on a colossal throne, looking directly at the Soul Bringer.
He walked up to the dais and knelt and bowed down. Before he could offer his greetings, His Majesty asked sternly, “What has happened that you request my audience with such urgency?”
“Your Majesty, I have committed a most grievous error. This has brought a wretched soul to the brink of dissolution. I know not if anyone, save Your Majesty, can save this soul. I beg you, extend your mercy to this poor being and allow me to atone for my own transgressions.”
Knowing the soul inside the crystal orb was already vanishing, the Soul Bringer kept the details short. He presented the crystal ball with both hands while keeping his head bowed. He dared not look at His Majesty.
His Majesty immediately commanded him to place the orb on the cylindrical altar. “Make haste and lay the soul upon the Altar of Rebirth.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the Soul Bringer replied. He placed the crystal on the altar, then stepped back and knelt just like before.
The soul was already halfway disintegrated into nothingness. His Majesty stepped forward and approached the altar while summoning a hovering tome. The tome appeared out of thin air, its pages turned themselves just like the Commander’s tome. This tome was far more majestic. Its pages shimmered continuously, exuding a dense golden aura.
His Majesty touched the crystal orb and read the contents of the page with an amused expression. “For many a year, my eyes have not beheld a soul with so many virtuous deeds. You are truly worthy of praise, good soul, especially for keeping nobility within your heart during your blackest hours. I shall bestow upon you a gift in recompense for my servant’s folly and in honor of your kindness. This is a boon I have not granted in many an age. Employ it wisely for the welfare of the realm you are soon to enter.”
His Majesty closed his eyes and faced the cosmos.
A golden light descended from the cosmos above and began merging with the disintegrating side of the soul. Immediately, the soul started regenerating. The air surrounding the altar swirled into a cyclone, creating a wave of pressure that pushed everyone back. Even the Celestial Guards struggled to keep their footing straight.
It took some time for the light to be merged with the faded portion of the soul. Once it was merged properly, the golden glow began to cover the soul entirely. Gradually, the white light emitted by the soul transformed into a soft, radiant golden glow. Simultaneously, the cyclone died down.
Then, His Majesty waved his hand, and a small portal appeared just above the altar. The soul rose out of the crystal ball and entered the portal.
“Soul, I hold high expectations for you. Let me not be disappointed. I shall observe your deeds.”
After sending the soul through the portal, His Majesty commanded everyone to exit the throne room. He was more delighted than he had been in a long time. To him, noble souls were a rare treasure in this era.
For presenting such a soul before him, His Majesty pardoned the Soul Bringer.
