I didn't know how much time had passed.
My perception of time practically didn't exist.
I couldn't perceive anything around me either.
My consciousness grew more and more clouded, while my soul, now without a physical body to reside in, prepared to go to the next plane destiny had prepared for me.
I knew what awaited me, better than anyone. The atrocities I had committed in life had earned me a more than assured spot in the worst pits of hell.
In my 'vision', there was nothing in my sight, as I remained floating in some plane of existence beyond the earthly world.
I could feel it. Every moment I remained in this place, I could feel my consciousness fading and my thoughts diminishing.
But despite that, I couldn't feel fear or panic, for my emotions vanished the longer I stayed in this strange place.
Except for one thing.
That spark, the same one that had driven me to live, the same one that burned in my final moments.
That incandescent rage, it still burned with the same intensity.
And it was perhaps the only thing keeping me awake in my current state.
I hate this place.
I cursed all the damn misfortunes that had to happen to me to end up here.
My life, my freedom, my destiny, had been decided by voices other than my own will.
I hate them all.
If I had another chance, the first thing I would do would be to put a bullet in each one of those responsible and drag them to hell with me if I could.
Even so, despite all my complaints, I could do nothing as I prepared for what would surely be my eternal damnation.
....
Some unknown time passed.
As I floated in the void, clinging to what little remained of me before being judged in the afterlife or disappearing into nothingness.
I saw something.
A strange, multicolored sphere appeared in the distance and came flying at high speed.
And judging by how it was approaching, it was heading straight for me.
I tried to do something, but no matter how hard I tried, even with the little willpower that kept me conscious, I couldn't move.
I could only stay there, waiting for the inevitable to happen.
It arrived too fast.
And as soon as it collided with me, something unexpected occurred.
My mind regained its clarity completely; my thoughts were solidly restored, and the feeling of disappearance vanished entirely.
My vision became clearer. I passed a 'hand' over my face out of reflex and saw a pale white, translucent hand before my eyes.
That's when I realized something.
That thing, somehow, had restored my soul and now allowed me to think clearly again.
A bell-like chime sound caught my attention, and suddenly, a strange window with a text message appeared before my sight.
[System integration successfully completed!]
What the hell was happening?
[Host soul restoration protocol: 100% complete]
[Diagnosis:
Restoration of original soul integrity at 67%. Due to irreversible damage from void exposure, the system had to use part of its energy intended to rebuild the missing pieces.]
[Warning:
Unexpected side effects, possible memory loss, unknown psychological effects.]
And so what if I lost a few memories here and there? My life had been shit anyway, and I didn't care if I remembered nothing.
The screen closed, leaving me stranded in the void again with only my thoughts to distract me once more.
And so it was, for a while.
Until, out of nowhere, a terrible chill ran through me, and I started to panic for some reason.
I could feel the gaze of something.
There was something there, in the deepest part of the nothingness, something so ancient and so terribly vile in the depths of this place.
And it had awakened and set its gaze in my direction.
It made an indestructible sensation of horror invade my being, with my soul form trembling in terror under the gaze of such a terrible entity.
[!Alert! !Alert! !Alert!]
[DANGER! INCREDIBLY POWERFUL UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED!!]
[Assessing situation... calculating...]
[Threat level: EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!!!!
REPRESENTS AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO BOTH THE HOST AND THE SYSTEM!!!]
[Initializing emergency protocols...]
[INITIATING EMERGENCY DIMENSIONAL JUMP!!!]
[Extreme situation... initializing dimensional jump sequence...]
Immediately, several windows popped up one after another before my sight, over and over, while an intense light began to cover my soul form.
I could see out of the corner of my eye something grotesque and horrible, formless and senseless, approaching far too quickly in my direction. It was of an immensely inconceivable size, exuding a primal and voracious hunger and infinite malice.
I could only pray that this thing would finish whatever it was doing as fast as possible, for that was better than becoming the dinner of what was clearly some kind of Lovecraftian horror monster.
Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long before a sensation of weightlessness dragged me away as my vision was blinded by an intense light.
All of this while a loud screech sounded, and I raised two middle fingers in the direction of the thing that wanted to make me its next appetizer.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
....
[Dimensional jump successful... energy at minimal levels... entering standby mode.]
My vision returned, and now, once again, I found myself floating in some space.
Only, unlike the depressing and terrifying void space, this place seemed to be a very colorful place, with tones that shifted into different types of colors.
Some I had no idea could even exist.
However, I couldn't appreciate the view much more when a strange force began to pull me towards somewhere.
Unlike the Lovecraftian horror from before, the sensation it transmitted was like a gentle, reassuring, and soothing touch that rejuvenated and relaxed my soul.
As I was carried along, the space itself began to change throughout the journey.
The next thing I knew, I found myself facing a unique landscape before my eyes.
Above, a sky that emanated a great, warm radiance.
In the middle of it all, there was a majestic "great tree," whose immense magnitude I couldn't even begin to fathom.
In the distance, a dark trench stretched out infinitely, seeming to swallow everything within its reach.
I was entranced for a moment, fascinated by a sight that would make religious believers cry with joy and pray with fervent devotion.
HE IS THE TRUE GOD
And I was practically doing the same, considering that not long ago I was about to become a cosmic horror's dinner.
Suddenly, the sky lit up with a great sacred radiance, and a deep, warm voice, yet one that exuded absolute omnipotent power, composed of all kinds of voices in one, made itself present.
Son
The first word came out in a dialect so ancient and sacred, so absolute, with great weight behind it, and which I could somehow understand.
Resolution
[Attention! Unauthorized intrusion DETECTED!!]
Second
[Alert! #_@$_#&(- ERROR ERROR ERROR]
Opportunity
[Security overridden.... superior administrator level access granted..... code rewritten... altering functions.....]
Desire
Each word, laden with great weight, though vague. I could feel in my soul what it truly meant to convey.
Trial
[Alteration of main code.... completed....]
Blessing
A sacred radiance covered me completely. I could feel it strengthening me and granting me great power and gifts as my soul form became more solid.
[Malignant parasitic entity found within the system...]
Then, I looked up and saw a strange thing being ripped from the system window before it was pulverized by a sacred radiance.
[Purged.]
Then, I was invaded by a great warmth and lost consciousness once again. ....