Chapter 37: Primordial
{Hello, Fumiko. It's nice to finally meet you in person.}
Fumiko didn't respond. Her body trembled like a leaf in the wind as she stared up at the towering figure before her with her mouth agape.
Fumiko had never been scared of many things in her life. She had no phobias and no hesitations when it came to trying new things. She had always seen fear as a loss of control of one's emotions, which was why she did her best to avoid such a blunder.
But right now, Fumiko was afraid. She was more afraid than she had ever been before, even counting when she was moments away from splashing against the ground. She wanted to run away, but wasn't sure how the being would react.
{Rise, child. There's no need for you to be afraid. You have nothing to fear here.}
Fumiko's pupils dilated as she finally realized something. That was her voice. The entity was using her own voice to communicate with her. She belatedly realized something else, as well. The being had not spoken this entire time.
Instead, it was as if its words were being directly transmitted into her mind using her own voice.
That was terrifying!
Fumiko remained silent for a few more moments, slowly coming to terms with reality. After all, nothing had really changed. She was dead and completely helpless against the being in front of her. Eventually, she steeled her resolve and slowly stood up like it had asked.
"W—who are you?" She asked softly. "Are you perhaps... G—"
{No, Fumiko. I am not someone any of your species' religion would consider a God. After all, that is only reserved for those who you believe created your kind. And I did not create humanity.}
"O-ok," Fumiko stammered, struggling to fully understand the scope of what this being was talking about. "So... Is this Heaven? Hell? Or a different afterlife of another religion, perhaps?"
{No. This is my domain. It is not the heavens nor the Hell you are familiar with. Neither is it a place the humans of your world would consider an afterlife. But that does indeed exist.}
Fumiko's brow furrowed. "Then... why am I here? If an afterlife truly does exist, then why am I not there right now?"
"Um, oh great entity." She added.
{Because I brought you here, Fumiko,} the entity said as one of the massive fingers on its only arm moved slightly. A sudden flash of light blinded Fumiko for a moment as she moved to shield her eyes before noticing the moving image in front of her. {From the afterlife. Or, more precisely, what you humans would consider Purgatory.}
In the projection was a river that had no beginning or end, simply going on infinitely in all directions. And on the river were boats. An infinite number of them, moving slowly toward the North. Each boat contained a person, or what seemed like people, in some cases. Fumiko couldn't tell what they were exactly, due to the fog covering everything on the ocean. The boats all had different shapes and sizes, much like their passengers. Some were so small that the people onboard simply seemed like they were surfing. And some were so big that they dwarfed every ship around them like mountains.
It went on endlessly like that, with an infinite number of boats trying to cross an infinite distance for the rest of eternity.
Fumiko watched the image with a shocked look, her face eventually morphing into a horrified expression. *'This is the afterlife??'*
{This is where the souls of almost every being in the multiverse end up after their true death. It is believed that a paradise awaits those that make it beyond the sea. But, despite my long life, I have never seen anyone manage it. In truth, I doubt its existence, but I am not omnipotent, therefore it is possible,} the being transmitted.
Fumiko watched the projection for a bit longer, searching for something. More precisely, someone. Eventually, she glanced away from the hopeless endeavour and turned to the entity before her, wanting to ask it all sorts of questions about the truth of the universe. Ultimately, she decided against it. If it had only told her this much, then it meant it was all it was willing to reveal to her.
{I pulled your soul from a boat and into my domain, like I have done for countless others before you.}
"I'm, eternally grateful to you for that," Fumiko said. "But may I ask why? And what me being here actually means."
{It means, child, that I am giving you a second chance at life.}
Fumiko's eyes widened at the entity's words. "You... what?" In a moment, her entire life flashed before her eyes. She thought of her parents, Kotone, and Naomi. And then she thought of Kenji, and her burning hatred for him. "Does that mean... I'll be reborn?" She asked with hope filing her heart. If given the chance, she wanted to start over from the very beginning. There was so much that she thought she could do better now. And so many people that she wanted to get revenge on.
{Yes, but not into the world you once knew, Fumiko. Your life there is over for good.}
The hope in Fumiko's eyes behind her glasses died out just as quickly as it had appeared. "...I see." She muttered. She didn't bother asking the entity about why it couldn't send her back, since she already guessed the answer.
After several long moments, she exhaled deeply, reorienting herself mentally before staring at the Primordial with a serious expression. "I understand," she said. "So then, where are you sending me? And what is it that you want me to do when I get there?"
Fumiko now understood her situation perfectly. There were so many things happening that confused her greatly and continuously shattered her perception of the world, but a transactional relationship was something she could easily grasp, given her profession. After all, there was no way an entity this powerful would save her soul from Purgatory purely out of the goodness of its heart. If it even had one, considering the dark hole in its chest.
{...You truly are fascinating, Fumiko Iekami,} the being transmitted in a tone that Fumiko could almost make out as amusement.
{Ah, I remember I never actually told you my identity.}
{Let me correct that. I am the being known to many as the Primordial.}
Fumiko's eyes narrowed at its title. From the novels she read back on Earth, she remembered that a Primordial often referred to a being that existed before time or reality. She wondered if that was truly the case for the entity before her.
{Now, Fumiko. Before I tell you about your future, I want to know one thing.}
{What is it that you desire?}