A seemingly endless expanse of white and black, people walked, their eyes dull, as if they had no control over themselves.
On that day, when a new beginning began, the absolute cycle of life and death had been replaced by a chance at reincarnation.
The souls of the dead had been gathered in rows and made their way to the trial.
Everything proceeded smoothly, without interruption.
In the line, a young man walked; he too had died that day, defeated by everything he had learned, humiliated by himself and betrayed by those around him.
Finally, after a long walk, something large and towering appeared ahead: a black and white scale, with the right side adorned with white feathers, like a scale for good, and the left side adorned with black bones, seemingly speaking of evil.
Behind the scale, a giant creature stood majestically, its towering body intimidating yet giving off a strange feeling, as if awaiting the verdict of life and death.
Its body was composed of majestically shaped rocks, both smooth and rough. On his right shoulder was carved a giant face that seemed to bring serenity, but on his left shoulder was a skull, bringing a terrifying feeling.
Slowly, the people in the trial began to fall, most of whom had fallen due to their past actions, falling into a pit of endless responsibility. Meanwhile, a smaller number of people walked toward the exit, given the opportunity to achieve their unfulfilled dreams.
The trial continued until finally, the time for the man's trial arrived.
The thunderous voice of the creature's reflection echoed throughout the venue.
His deeds began to be read out, and the scales slowly began to tilt, without revealing the final result until everything was read. The final result was a weight to the right, allowing him to continue his second life.
Slowly, he began to walk back toward the line of people heading to the next life, but before he could take a step, he was stopped by a giant hand blocking his path.
Above another reflection appeared
an eye with golden hands, one holding a pen and the other holding a book.
Those hands wrote, as if writing a primary destiny, but also as if writing another destiny that could happen even if only a second apart.
The reflection of the being on trial glanced at the others, then simply nodded.
One of her hands then reached out to the man, lifting him up and facing her large eyes, before finally carrying the man's soul through with her own hands, through the door of continuity.
....
In the cave, Skafael's body lay motionless, like a corpse.
A shirt clung to him, a pristine white garment that seemed untouched by a stain.
Water dripped through the ceiling of the cave, falling into his eyes until it finally managed to wake him.
In a daze, Skafael rubbed his eyes, dry and sore, as if he had just woken up from a long sleep.
Luckily, the cave wasn't dark; a light shone into the cave, illuminating the exit.
"Ughh... Where am I?"
He felt dizzy, feeling like he had just woken up after a long coma. All his memories were hazy, confusing him with his current situation.
Kruukk...
The sound of his stomach growling immediately brought him back to his senses, somehow feeling as if his stomach had been empty for decades.
Skafael got up and walked around. But there was nothing inside the cave. Stepping in the direction of the light, Skafael exited the cave.
A fresh breeze immediately rushed over him. The refreshing breeze seemed to instantly refresh Skafael's troubled mind.
The sun shone so brightly, Skafael's eyes, still unable to adjust, felt incredibly dazzling and burned, forcing him to reflexively shield the rays with his hands.
A few moments later, Skafael simply stood there, looking up and closing his eyes, letting the wind hit his body and breathing in the fresh air.
Now that his eyes had adjusted to the sun, he could see more clearly.
Before his eyes, where he stood, was a cliff overlooking the beautiful expanse of the ocean.
The extraordinary view immediately filled his eyes with awe.
Looking to the side, he saw a downward path, which Skafael followed. His bare feet made him feel a twinkle and a tingle as he stepped on the rough stones.
Consequently, he walked slowly and limpingly, like someone with an injured foot.
After struggling down, Skafael reached the bottom and set his feet on the surprisingly cold sand.
Krukk...
But yes, there were things that had to be done first. His empty stomach felt like it was spinning around.
Skafael walked along the beach. As he walked, he thought about how difficult it would be to catch the seagulls that occasionally came down, especially since he had nothing.
He soon arrived at a rocky area where the water had receded.
His eyes lit up slightly, thinking that there might be fish that hadn't managed to leave and were trapped there.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for Skafael to find many fish trapped in the rock pools.
He felt a sense of hope, and without realizing it, he gathered a large number of fish and, luckily, caught an octopus.
Across the beach, near the cliff wall, a vast forest of coconut trees stretched out.
Skafael carried his catch under a coconut tree. Picking up a rock, he struck the octopus's head several times before it finally died.
However, its tentacles were still firmly attached to his hand, making it quite difficult to remove.
After he managed to escape, it felt as if all his energy had been drained, leaving him leaning against the cliff face.
Time passed, and now that he had regained some energy, Skafael began to wander around the forest. Of course, it wasn't just the head tree; there were other trees there, but he couldn't tell what they were. They felt very unfamiliar.
Skafael gathered twigs from the ground and brought them back.
Now he had what he needed, but one crucial thing was still missing.
In the uncertainty of his memory, Skafael didn't know how he could do it; everything he had done just felt like a routine.
Picking up two sticks, Skafael began to rub them together quickly, but several attempts still yielded no results.
Skafael sighed, then got up, throwing the sticks back into the pile of twigs.
Frustrated, Skafael walked up the cliff face into the forest, toward the stream there, specifically to where the rocks were.
It was now late afternoon, making the rocks somewhat difficult to distinguish.
It seemed like luck was on his side this time. In the pile of rocks, Skafael found a flint.
His expression was instantly relieved, and he hurriedly returned.
Taking a dry piece of husk from a peeled old coconut, Skafael immediately tried to light a fire.
Sparks flew and hit the coconut fiber, slowly starting a fire from a small spark.
Skafael raised his arms in celebration.
"FINALLY!"
With no knife or anything sharp available, Skafael had no choice. He simply skewered the fish and grilled them without removing their guts.
The octopus was also immediately thrown into the fire.
.....
Night had fallen.
After Sfakael ate the grilled fish and octopus, he stored the leftovers, making a craft box out of a young coconut leaf he found.
The fire lit up the surroundings, though it didn't have much effect.
Above the sky, a large moon appeared, its light radiating and illuminating the entire area like a dim sun at night.
Skafael leaned against the coconut trunk, gazing out at the sea.
After feeling full and regaining his energy, he unexpectedly gained an ability.
Skafael doubted it was from eating the fish and octopus. But he himself doubted that this ability belonged to him to begin with.
Although he felt familiar with this ability. It allowed him to see very clearly, even now, without moonlight or fire, Skafael could see dark places with perfect clarity.
Another ability was the ability to see tiny particles, such as atoms and cells. "Unbelievable," but that was what Skafael saw. It couldn't be denied when the evidence was before his eyes.
But it didn't come without a price. When he used that ability, a burning sensation appeared in his eyes, preventing him from using it for long.
The roaring ocean waves, coupled with the blowing wind, created a calming and melancholic atmosphere.
The crashing waves were also adorned with migrating plankton, emitting their bioluminescent properties, bathing the waves in a beautiful, bright blue light.
In that tranquility, Skafael closed his eyes, but a strange feeling suddenly pierced him from behind.
The sound of almost completely silent footsteps.
Skafael immediately turned his head quickly. From a distance, a figure staggered, a long sword gripped tightly in his right hand while a rifle was held in his left.
The figure's mouth moved to announce something Skafael couldn't understand. The murmur sounded like it was in a language he didn't know.
His eyes fixed on the figure sharply, and he readied his stance. A sense of worry arose, as he found himself at a disadvantage without a weapon.
The person walked closer and closer, but his steps became increasingly unsteady until he finally collapsed before he could do anything.
Skafael remained silent, confused by the situation.
"Is... Is she dead?" he blurted out.
Walking to pick up a long branch, Skafael approached slowly, poking it with it.
Slowly, after confirming the person was truly unconscious, Skafael approached and turned them onto their backs.
His eyes widened when he saw the person. It was a woman.
A beautiful face illuminated by the moonlight. Although somewhat dim, Skafael could see her black hair with a purple tinge underneath.
But Skafael's surprise wasn't at her appearance, but at the woman's horns.
Yes, the woman had horns growing from her head, curved with a pattern that seemed to be carved into them.
If you look closely, the horns resembled dragon horns.
"...How is that possible?"
Skafael was confused as to how someone could have horns growing naturally from their head. A thought crossed his mind, "If there are horns, there must be a tail."
Skafael turned the woman over again, and sure enough, there was a tail under her back. It wasn't very long and could be hidden under her clothes.
Kruukkk...
A loud rumbling sound was heard, but it wasn't coming from Skafael's stomach; it was coming from the woman's stomach.
Skafael remained silent, finding this situation truly strange.