Since the dawn of time, humanity has adapted, evolved, and survived the hostility of its environment. Thanks to intelligence, ingenuity, and innovation, we reached the top of the planet Earth. Nothing on Earth could stand against the power of humanity. At least, that's what I thought... until I contracted an unknown bacterium and couldn't be present to witness humanity's progress.
My name is Lloyd. Many consider me gifted, a genius. Well, I hated being called that because they didn't know how much I had to study to get where I did in the technology field. I've also been called a "death gambler" for taking too many risks in my scientific work. And to think that during a cave expedition, I'd find a lethal bacterium... At least I saved the geological department team. I think.
I wanted to have lived longer. I wanted to evolve further alongside humanity. I... I want to live. It's not over yet. I need to show what I'm capable of.
Lloyd wakes up. The environment around him was so bright he could barely see. The temperature was balanced, a total comfort — though Lloyd felt uncomfortable.
"I really died," he said with a tone of dissatisfaction.
That's when he realized he wasn't alone. A bright, spherical entity approached him, laughing, leaving him confused.
"Is this what angels look like?" Lloyd asked curiously, circling the sphere.
"I'm not an angel, boy. But that doesn't matter. I'm here to know your choice."
The voice was angelical, something hard to describe, as it didn't come from the sphere — it echoed directly in Lloyd's mind, surprising him with its new and strange nature.
*My choice?* he thought. He quickly deduced it might be related to his death.
"The choice about continuing to live or something like that?" he asked, reaching his hand toward the sphere, which proved intangible.
"I'm surprised you reached that conclusion so quickly. Yes, that's partly it," the sphere replied, floating higher, out of his reach.
Suddenly, the environment began to darken, becoming like a cloudless night with perfectly visible stars. Then, the bright sphere began to spin around Lloyd so fast it formed a ring of light, with luminous particles emanating from it.
"You've probably read or watched stories about people who die and go to another world," said the ring of light, projecting various windows showing people using magic, magical weapons, elves, spirits, monsters...
"It's up to you to choose whether you want to remain dead or be reborn in a world like these. You cannot be reborn in the world you came from. Your soul would be rejected by cosmic laws, which would lead to universal-scale disasters — and nobody wants that."
The ring seemed to have predicted his question. Lloyd didn't want to go to a world completely different from the one he knew, but he also didn't want to cause the universe's destruction for a selfish desire. After a few minutes of reflection, he reached a conclusion: he didn't want to end, nor end the universe. So, he decided to go to the other world.
"I'll go to the other world," said Lloyd, with a less dejected air, imagining he could be of great help there.
At that very moment, pages with strange writings and a quill-shaped pen appeared in his hands. Confused, he asked the ring:
"What do I do with this?"
His question was met with laughter. The ring slowed down until it became a bright sphere again.
"It's a contract, you idiot," replied the sphere, writhing from side to side.
"And what's the point of that?"
The sphere stopped writhing.
"Read. It's in clause number one."
The contract pages became understandable, but only in parts, as if the rest were omitted.
---
**Clause Number 1**
- The contract serves to protect the balance of cosmic natures, making the traveler's soul compatible with the new world.
- If not properly signed, the traveler's soul becomes incompatible with the new world, suffering consequences such as:
**Fragmentation**: imbalance of energies fragments the traveler's personality, leaving them without identity;
**Corrupted**: a soul anomaly that strips the traveler of their rights, turning them into an irrational monster;
**Disintegration**: the traveler is completely erased by the cosmic laws of the new world.
---
A chill ran down Lloyd's spine after reading. It seemed like a contract that protected the traveler, but why was only this part legible? he wondered.
He was interrupted by the sound of ticking coming from the sphere. When the sound stopped, it said:
"Your time is running out. Are you going to sign or not?"
Lloyd felt pressured. At that moment, he could do nothing but trust the sphere to guarantee his return to life.
He signed the contract.
Immediately, his body began to glow, and a strange, warm sensation arose in his chest, something he had never felt before.
Everything seemed to be going well... until the sphere began to laugh, exposing its true intentions.
The environment around him transformed again, shifting from the starry scene to a reddish one with unsettling breezes. The sphere, once bright, turned dark, and its voice took on a dreadful, almost diabolical tone.
A cold ran down Lloyd's spine even before the light finished transforming. His stomach tightened. *This isn't right.*
The black sphere approached.
"Thank you for signing. It was a pleasure doing business with you. But before I send you off, it wouldn't be professional of me to leave you without direction."
The sphere then passed through Lloyd, making him feel sick, as if he'd had a heart attack.
Still panting and sweaty, Lloyd, in his thoughts, scorned the entity and regretted being so idiotically manipulated. Physically, he tried to stand as straight as possible, to not give the black sphere the pleasure of seeing him falter.
The entity liked Lloyd's demonstrated courage even more, making it even more excited.
"You know... I'll send you off like this anyway. And fuck it."
Immediately, a portal opened, sucking Lloyd into the unknown. With a look of rage and fear, in his final moments, he raised his middle finger, just before the portal closed and took him away for good.
"Seems like it'll be an interesting period. Good luck, you little shit."