There was nothing.
No light. No floor. No air. No stars.
Just darkness so vast that even light, if it dared enter, would be swallowed whole.
And yet…
The scent of tea still lingered faintly. A warm memory, curling like mist in this endless void.
Then, a VOICE.
Not an echo. Nor a whisper.
It was like nothing I had heard before, the voice, IT reverberated directly into me. I could feel it, IT sounded ancient, timeless, powerful and older than matter itself.
Whosoever this voice belongs to, I felt like this being was birthed beside Chaos, maybe even before it.
It did not sound beside my ear but right into my soul.
Yet with all this intensity, it still felt gentle and soothing.
As I dwelled into the identity of this mysterious voice, it spoke again
"So, the Ninth Soul has initiated the Path of the Adjudicator.
Are you ready, child, to walk it?"
As realization struck me who this voice belonged to, I stood stunned for a moment.It was the Will. Or rather, the voice of the Will, as I could not see any form, or was it the formless, I did not know, but I knew this was the omnipotent being.
But I quickly gathered myself, stepping out of my surprise. After taking deep breath, I answered
"Yes,"
"Then let the assessment begin." it replied
Then voice shifted, became more serious. I could feel the tension, or maybe it was just me being paranoid,
The voice said as it was assessing me
"Seven cycles as an Agent… yet unbroken. You did not crumble. You adapted. You lived your roles. You did not drown in them. You walked differently and for that, you carry a soul essence far beyond norm. Strange. Fractured in many ways… Yet your soul bears no hatred.
You do not ask for more. You do not resist.
You… endured."
I stood there, weightless, waiting. There was nothing else I could do.
Then, silence.
A silence that stretched far longer than it should have. Or perhaps no time passed at all.
Then the voice returned.
"Now, your memories will be wiped.
It is necessary.
To mend the soul, the old must be unlearned."
Another pause.
Then, in a voice gentler but no less vast:
"For your contribution across seven full cycles as Agent,
You are granted privilege.
You may choose."
And suddenly, a list appeared before me not in words, but in understanding:
Race you want to be born into
Physique you want to be born with
Race of your partner
Family you want to be born into
Power you want to assimilate with
Soul Companion Beast you want to bound with
Preferred World to want to be born into
And it fell silent
Waiting.
I breathed slowly if breathing even meant anything in this place.
And answered:
Race: Any higher human lineage among those that can evolve and adapt
Physique: The best you can offer
Family: One with love. A kind father and mother. Siblings, if possible. Caring. Gentle.
Power: Mana, Ather, Elemental and Aura
Soul Companion Beast: Any serpentine creature you deem worthy
World: One suited best to mould me into the Adjudicator I must become
I paused after each answer, and with every pause, I could feel the Will listening and maybe judging
Then came the final prompt.
"One more choice remains."
I hesitated, then asked, "Can I… trade it for something else?"
Silence.
Then, interest.
"WHY?"
"My partner's race… I don't need to choose that. Let fate or you bring her to me.
Of the nineteen thousand lives I've lived, I've learned two things, One having a family is a rare, precious thing. I never had one on Earth, and I've yearned for it ever since learnt of beauty of having one during cycles from life as the agent. Two having a love that just happens adds more meaning.
But her race? That doesn't matter.
Let her come as she will."
The Will was silent for what felt like the first time truly silent.
Then it asked,
"And what do you wish in exchange?"
"Luck," I replied instantly.
I could feel, it was amused, maybe playful perhaps even curios.
"Luck is a dangerous ask. Rare"
It fell silent, and I held my nerve. And after what felt like an eternity, it spoke again.
"Your barter is accepted"
I exhaled in relief.
Then asked, "May I have a system, too? Something to help track what you grant me?"
"It shall be given."
The Will declared.
And then, like a curtain being drawn open to a grand play, the blackness shifted.