As he opened his eyes, the first thing that came to his vision was the clear blue sky which filled his eyes with it's blinding light. The clouds all looked closer than they should, close enough for him to reach.
It was only until he blinked a few times before he realise that the sky was under his feet. His feet was making contact with it and yet he could not feel anything. He looked around and realise that he's sitting on a wooden chair, suspended in midair but he didn't know how high he was from the ground since he couldn't see anything below him.
"Where am I?"
"Another soul?, How sad" he heard a feminine voice filled with grief. "And you died the day your wife finally gave birth"
He quickly shifted his gaze to the voice. Just in front of him, a beautiful woman whose looked like she was in her early twenties sat on a cloud that looked like a chair. She was dressed in a green Victorian style dress which was tightly fitted to her curves, her long green hair looked like tree vine beautifully braided around the edge and let to fall down to her waist, her emerald colour eyes were filled with grief as she looks at him.
_How long have she been there?_ He couldn't help but wonder.
She stood up from her chair elegantly and bowed to him, "I'm Hilda, the goddess of nature" she rose up and sat down on her chair, crossing her legs as she leaned on the armchair. Her eyes rested on him as she asked. "You must be Kaganashi Hugo, am I right?"
Kaganashi paused for a while, trying to understand what was going on. Few minutes ago, he was running home, filled with joy after her receive the news of his wife—Who has been pregnant for three years—finally giving birth, his father waking up from coma after thirteen months and his promotion.
"I had sold my car due to my dad's hospital bill and was too excited to take a bus, so i ran all the way to the hospital, shouting at the top of my voice... But... i never made it to the hospital, did I?"
Kaganashi said, sounding unsure of himself.
The lady shook her head sadly then shifted her weight to the side, making herself more comfortable on the armchair.
"You didn't"
"So, am... Am I in heaven?"
"Well..." Hilda started, her gaze has moved to the sky, letting it reflect on her charming eyes. "No, but you're not on earth either"
"Huh?"
"This is the in between—a space between the here and the hereafter" even with the confused look on Kaganashi's face, she continued. "The reason you're here is because you died before your time was up, so we're sending you to another world to complete your lifetime"
"I don't get it" Kaganashi said immediately after Hilda's explanation. "If I die before my time was up, can't you just send me back. My wife, I can't leave here"
Hilda shook her head, her expression still the same. "That's not how the system works"
"Then how does it work?!"
Hilda changed her position again, this time she was sitting properly on the chair, making Kaganashi think if she's was a model or is a chair made with cloud that uncomfortable.
"I'll explain it as simply as I can" She started, her voice filled with authority. "By the time humans are given birth to, their time of death are assigned to them. For example, if a child is meant to live for ninety-five years and he dies at the age of fifty, we send them to a different world to spend the remaining forty-five"
"Do I get to keep my memories?"
"No" She replied flatly.
"Then I don't want to be reincarnated unless you're sending me back or letting me keep my memories"
"Huh!!???" She stood up in shock, it was clear she was caught off guard but his request. "That's not fair, you are already given the chance to reincarnate, why won't you not want to!. Any other humans would have jumped on the opportunity, why are you different!!!?"
Hilda had lost her composure and is now acting like a child, even with her mature body.
"I just want to see my child" Kaganashi said, tears slowly dripping from his eyes.
"I'm sorry, but you need to be on your way" Hilda slowly bowed her head, holding her hands together, maintaining a prayer posture. A magic circle appeared right under Kaganashi. "Be safe, Bell. And try to live a peaceful life till the end of your days"
"Wait!!, I don't want to go..." Kaganashi yelled and tried to stand but before he could even move, his vision was enveloped by a bright light, then, his vision darkened.
.
.
.
There was darkness.
Then, a faint chirping that gradually sharpened into a chorus of birdsong. A scent of damp earth, pine needles, and something else... something acrid and metallic, filled the air.
"Huh...?"
His eyelids fluttered, heavy and unfamiliar. He lay on his back, the rough texture of grass digging into his skin. The canopy of the forest offered a dappled shade, but slivers of sunlight still stabbed at his eyes. He squeezed them shut, shielding them with his clumsy hand.
"Where...?, What is this place?"
With a groan, he pushed himself upright, his head swimming. Towering trees surrounded him, their branches swaying in a gentle breeze. Red birds flitted between the leaves, their melodies strangely cheerful amidst the unsettling quiet.
"Where am I?" The words escaped his lips in a hoarse whisper.
A wave of dizziness washed over him. This wasn't right. This wasn't... Was this heaven?
The forest blurred, memories flooding his mind in disjointed fragments: the blinding flash, the searing heat, the sensation of his body dissolving into ash. He'd been so tired, so utterly done with his monotonous existence. Had he even tried to escape the explosion? Or had he simply welcomed the oblivion?
A translucent screen flickered into existence before him, jarringly out of place in the natural setting.
[You have been chosen by the God of Death]
[Please, choose your path]
[The path of the Warrior]
[The path of the Mage]
[The path of the Assassin]
"What the...?" He stared at the floating options, his mind struggling to reconcile the serene forest with the blatant video game interface. God of Death ? Path selection? Was this some kind of elaborate joke?
He reached out a tentative hand, expecting his fingers to pass right through the illusion. Instead, his hand met a solid barrier. Startled, he flinched back, his fingers brushing against the [Assassin] option.
[Your have chosen the path of an assassin]
"Wait! No! I didn't even—"
The screen vanished, replaced by a new message:
[Your trial starts now!]