"Enjoying the view, Elias?" A soft voice cut through the sound of the waterfall, startling Elias. His eyes darted around, searching for the source of the voice.
There she was—sitting at the top of the tall waterfall. She was far enough that a normal person wouldn't be able to see her clearly, but somehow, Elias had no trouble at all. He could see her perfectly, as if she was standing right in front of him. And what he saw left him speechless.
Her long, pure white hair flowed like silk in the wind, settling around her like a glowing curtain. Her eyes were a piercing icy blue, and her skin was smooth and flawless, like porcelain.
She wore a flowing, almost see-through white dress that hugged her body just right—revealing just enough skin to stir the heart of any man. As a virgin, Elias found himself completely stunned by her otherworldly beauty.
In fact, calling her "beautiful" didn't feel right—it wasn't enough. Her presence held a kind of divine grace that went beyond simple words. There was only one word echoing in his mind: goddess.
As if she heard his thoughts, the woman gave a soft, gentle laugh.
"I'm not one of those divine beings," she said, her voice like music. "I'm just a nobody. You can call me Karma, if you like. The keeper of balance... and the order of Fate."
"Fate? Karma?" Elias muttered to himself, testing the words on his tongue. Then, suddenly, his eyes lit up with anger—so intense it almost seemed to glow red.
"Look, lady," he began, voice sharp, "I don't know what this is, or where I am right now. But if you're about to tell me my whole life was part of some cosmic balance or grand plan, or any of that bullshit, I swear I'm going to lose it."
There was a moment of silence.
A flicker of something passed through the woman's eyes, but it disappeared before Elias could catch what it was.
Then she spoke again, softly. "That's not it. In fact, it's the opposite."
Elias paused, caught off guard. But before he could say anything, she spoke again.
"Come with me," she said.
The words were simple, but they felt powerful—almost like they could bend the rules of the universe.
Suddenly, Elias felt a strange shift. It was both sudden and surreal.
On one hand, it felt like his body hadn't moved at all, yet at the same time, it felt like he had just traveled across an unfathomable distance.
When the sensation finally faded, his surroundings had completely changed.
He was no longer by the waterfall. Now, he stood in a dark, peaceful void—the same kind of stillness he felt earlier when his consciousness was drifting. But this time, the woman stood beside him, her presence casting a soft glow in the darkness.
In front of them stretched a massive bridge that seemed to go on forever.
Two huge swirling vortexes hovered over the bridge, spaced some distance apart.
From the left, ethereal figures—probably souls—floated toward the first vortex. They passed through it with a shimmer and emerged moments later as glowing orbs. Then, those orbs drifted slowly toward the second vortex.
Elias watched in awe at the magical scene in front of him. It looked like some kind of soul-recycling machine.
"This is the bridge that connects life to death... and then to life again," the woman finally said, breaking the silence. "Rebirth, you could call it."
She pointed at the first vortex. "Here, souls of the dead are judged based on the karma of their past lives. Their memories and identities are erased, but their karmic essence remains. That's what becomes the orbs."
Elias narrowed his eyes, observing the countless glowing orbs floating between the vortexes. Their colors ranged from deep red to pure white.
Then he noticed a few orbs that were pitch black—and even fewer that shone with a brilliant golden light.
The woman followed his gaze and explained further.
"As you might guess," she said, "the redder the orb, the worse the karma. Those souls committed wrongs in their past lives. The white ones carry good karma. The black ones... those are extremely rare. They're for souls who did unspeakable things. And the golden orbs? Those are the rarest of all—souls with the purest, most virtuous karma."
Elias nodded slowly, though he still didn't fully understand her reason for telling him all this.
"Once judged," she continued, "the soul moves on to the next portal for Rebirth. That's where their karmic essence comes into play. Their karma determines the kind of life they'll be born into. Those with red orbs will face hardship. The ones with black karma will suffer immensely. But those with white or golden karma… they will have fortunate lives."
Elias suddenly cut in. "So, what? Why are you telling me all this?"
He didn't believe she came here just to explain how karma worked. There had to be a deeper reason, and he wanted her to get to the point.
There was a pause. The lady shook her head gently, and that strange flicker appeared in her eyes again. But this time, Elias noticed it. It looked like something… guilt?
'Why guilt?' he wondered.
As if answering his thoughts, the woman began speaking again.
"You see… your whole life was a mistake. A big cosmic mistake. You were meant to have a good life. Your karma was white. But something went wrong—a serious error."
She paused, her gaze turning serious, then continued, even though she seemed hesitant.
"At the hospital where you were born, a newborn with a bad karma died just minutes before you were born. Somehow… the karmic imprint meant for him transferred to you."
Elias stared at her and listened. He didn't say anything for a long moment. He just stood there in silence.
Then, to her surprise, he suddenly burst out laughing.
The woman blinked in confusion. "Why are you laughing? I expected rage… or at least disbelief."
Elias stopped laughing and looked at her. "What did you expect me to do? Throw a tantrum?"
"Yes," she admitted honestly. "That's what most mortals would do."
"Well, I guess I'm not most mortals," he said with a shrug. "To be honest, this is more relieving than upsetting."
"How so?" she asked, clearly curious.
"You see, I've suffered my whole life. And I thought it was because I deserved it. I believed I must've done something terrible in a past life to end up like that. But this? This is actually good news. It gives me peace," he said with a faint smile. "At least now I know it wasn't my fault."
The woman looked at him with a strange expression, as if trying to understand his calm reaction.
"So if all this is just for you to apologize," Elias added, "don't bother. I've heard too many empty apologies already."
And he wasn't lying. He had heard those empty apologies far too many times.
Was it when his parents left him with nothing but a note that said "sorry." Or when friends betrayed him and offered meaningless excuses. Apologies had lost their weight to him a long time ago.
"I'm not here to apologize," the woman said softly, her voice still holding a bit of guilt. "I'm here to make it right."
She raised her hand, and with that single gesture, countless shimmering worlds and realms appeared in front of Elias shocking him.
"Normally, no one gets to choose where or how they are reborn," she explained. "But I'm giving you that choice."
Elias stared at the glowing options, stunned.
There were worlds like Earth, some more advanced with incredible technology. Others were filled with magic, creatures, and floating castles—like scenes straight out of fantasy stories.
Then something caught his eye. One world's name stood out: Aurelia.
It sounded familiar.
It was the exact name of the world from the game he had been playing just before his death—Emperor's Dominion.
Could it be the same world?
As if reading his mind, the woman nodded. "Yes. That world exists. The game you played was based on it."
Elias hesitated. The idea was tempting. Magic, adventure, power… but also danger, monsters, and bloodshed. Still, it sounded better than going back to a boring, painful life on Earth. And unlike the other magical worlds, he at least knew a little about Aurelia. Not much, but it was still better than nothing.
After a moment of thought, he nodded firmly.
"Alright. I'll go there."
"Good," she said with a smile, waving her hand again. All the floating world options vanished, replaced by five glowing cards hovering in the air.
Each card looked almost identical, except for the faint patterns etched into their surface. The designs were slightly different, each one unique in its own way.
"These are part of your compensation," she explained. "Each one grants you something useful in the world you're about to enter. Of course, you won't know what it is right now, but I promise they're all very helpful."
Elias nodded and looked over the five cards.
They all looked the same, giving no clue about what they held. With no clear choice, he simply trusted his instinct and reached out to the one that pulled him most.
As soon as his fingers touched it, the card dissolved into light and sank into his chest. He paused, expecting to feel something—but there was nothing.
"Interesting," the woman murmured, watching closely. "That one is a very good choice. It will serve you well."
Then she smiled again. "Now that everything is set, I guess you're ready to move on?"
Elias hesitated. "Umm... can I make one last request?"
She tilted her head slightly. "If it's reasonable."
"I want to keep my memories," he said seriously. "I don't want to forget everything."
She paused, clearly thinking it over. After a moment, she gave a small nod.
"You've been through enough. It's the least I can do."
Then, with a final warm smile, she lifted her hand in a graceful motion.
"Goodbye, Elias."
And just like that, Elias began to float gently toward the massive glowing bridge, with a brand new life waiting for him on the other side.