In the final moments of his life, Ebon remembered the last conversation he had with his mother. He had asked her whether he could someday become a surgeon like her, and she had answered with calculated coldness.
"You're so useless that it would be better if you didn't even try, or you'd end up killing someone, just like your father."
He was lying on the floor of a rooftop. His breathing had stopped long ago, and yet those words wouldn't let him close his eyes in peace. In the end, darkness claimed his final breath.
He could no longer feel pain in his body, but he didn't feel relief either, only regret and bitterness, until a sweet warm voice interrupted him.
"Ebon, unfortunately you've lost your life, but you're lucky, you're in good hands… or rather, good claws."
The young man felt his back soaked and immediately sat up, his eyes snapping open.
He found himself in the middle of a vast surface covered entirely in water, with a star-filled night sky above his head. The reflection was so perfect it was impossible to tell where the sky ended and the ground began.
He had read enough novels to expect a beautiful goddess to reward him for his unjust death, but standing before him was a white cat.
"I can tell you're disappointed, but I'm glad you've kept that shameless youthfulness even after dying."
The cat kept its eyes closed as it approached with elegant steps, then leapt onto his head and stretched its claws through his black hair.
"Anyway, that's not important. Since I'm here, I'm guessing you're going to send me off to save some troubled world, right?"
"Nothing like that. I just brought you here to mock you before sending you to purgatory."
"Purgatory? Cut it out, don't mess with me… Hey, at least send me to heaven. I may not have been very religious, but I was a good person."
"Maybe. But you deserve punishment for taking your own life, soooo… purgatory it is."
"That's bullshit, man. I didn't do anything. It was an accident, I didn't want to die."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's look at the evidence, kid."
With a jump, the cat touched the water again, but this time the surface lit up, transporting them to the exact moment of his death.
There was Ebon, sitting on a massive stage in the middle of the national finals of his favorite game, "Board of Towers and Legends", an incredibly popular MOBA.
Along with his team, he had gone deep into debt just to avoid working and spend their days training.
And now, the final obstacle standing between them and their dream of becoming famous pro players was an all-girls team that, just like them, had shocked everyone by advancing through the tournament with great difficulty.
"All right, team, the prize is already ours. This will cover everything and still leave us with extra, just don't humiliate the girls too much."
"Hey, but if they made it this far, doesn't that mean they're good?" one of his teammates replied.
"Nonsense. They could never beat us. I'd rather die than let myself lose to a girl." The cat pointed at the Ebon of the past with its paw, but the present Ebon stayed silent as he watched what happened next.
The girls' leader anticipated every single one of Ebon's moves and defeated him through flawless ambushes. His team never stood a chance.
The desperate twenty-something began shouting precise orders at his teammates, but no one listened. And despite all his talent as a Carry, it was impossible to win a five-versus-one.
In the end, the girls won by an overwhelming margin. When it came time to shake hands, Ebon couldn't bring himself to stand up, but his teammates encouraged him and practically forced him to show respect to the champions.
When it was his turn to greet the girls' leader, she winked at him with a shameless smile. A mere healer had humiliated him, and the worst part was that he hadn't even managed to kill her once.
He left the venue to calm down and ended up on the building's rooftop, staring at the cloudy sky and the falling snow. The cold only reminded him of his tiny apartment and how badly he wished he could buy a heater to get through the winter.
He couldn't contain his rage any longer. Closing his eyes, he spun around and punched the wall"only to hit a fuse box instead. A burst of sparks sent him flying before he slammed into the ground.
His body began to convulse from the current amid the snow, and in a brief instant, his heart stopped beating.
"Ha ha ha ha ha, I love this part so much. I just adore happy endings" the cat replied, writhing with laughter.
"Shut up. Dying by electrocution isn't funny. It was horrible and it was an accident. You saw it, right?"
"Well, technically, you said you'd rather die than lose to a girl. Words carry weight when it comes to destiny, so let's call it fifty-fifty."
"Bullshit. That was just a joke, it wasn't literal. And how was I supposed to know it would come true? What kind of god are you to judge me like this?"
"So you're saying you want a fair trial, without taking those words into account?"
The cat rose from the ground in silence, and Ebon felt the weight of its gaze despite its eyes remaining closed.
"Y-yes, that's what I want."
With a flash of light, they returned to the previous place, but now black marble columns rose all around them.
At the top of each column sat mice made of fire in various colors, and the cat was seated atop the largest column of all.
"Then tell me, what do you consider fair?"
"It's obvious. I'm asking for another life, one where I can fulfill my dreams… Dreams I repeated far more often than that stupid joke. Didn't you say my words shape my destiny?"
Immediately, the mice began arguing among themselves with ancient voices and words spoken in an impossible language, and the cat didn't seem pleased with what it heard.
"Well, well, well… it's true that it would be a waste to let such an amusing existence die without fulfilling at least one of his dreams."
"Yes, exactly… I never fulfilled any of them. I died a virgin and buried in debt. I didn't even finish college…"
Ebon dropped to his knees and clasped his hands, begging for his life"something he had sworn he would never do again, but he didn't want to end up in purgatory, even though he didn't even know what that was.
"Are you sure? You'll be sent to an unknown world and you'll suffer like any other mortal. Wouldn't you prefer to hear the other options first?"
He was so close now, so he decided to dazzle the being with his words.
"No option is enough to ease the pain of losing my dreams."
"Well, it's your life. I suppose anything is better than going to apologize just to get into heaven."
"Huh? What?"
The cat displayed a massive, satisfied grin as its body grew in an instant, becoming gigantic. When it opened its eyes, infinite stars floated within its pupils.
"Goodbye, boy. We'll meet again at your next death."
"No, no, no, wait, I've changed my mi-"
Before he could finish, the cat devoured him in a single bite. Inside, endless darkness wrapped around his soul, completely silencing his thoughts.