What is death? What is a soul? Who really are you?
The whispers were heard with echoes in the ears of Jeevan. He slowly opened his heavy eyes with a lot of effort, his vision blurry, and slowly he came to consciousness. He stood up slowly using his hands. He was wearing different clothes this time, and his whole body felt different. It was light, and he was a bit taller, and his hair was wavy and shined in grey.
He observed himself, his hands, his thighs, and his legs, and he felt curious to see his face. But slowly he realized he was in a different place. He turned around and took a few steps in a confused state. What he saw made him speechless.
Jeevan was now in a place where there was only snow and ice. The sky was clear, and at the same time, it was foggy, and there was a single star in the sky as well. The snowfall was negligible, but it still made Jeevan shiver. The land was completely flat, with no ups or downs.
'The snowy world? Grandpa mentioned this place in his book, but he also mentioned this place is theoretical and unreal according to his research.'
Jeevan, with his hands closed towards his chest, walked. He was curious and tense as something was wrong here. He listened to the loudness of the silence; his ears felt no sound.
He walked and walked.
'I'm walking, but in which direction? Where am I, and how do I exit?'
He searched for the diary and sighed.
'How will the diary come? Come on, I'm in that machine, and my soul is wandering here.'
Then he remembered something.
'Wait, that whisper!'
He then continued forward. During his journey, he felt hunger and thirst like a flesh-and-blood body. He managed his hunger, but the thirst was unbearable, so he searched for water.
'No use. I'm starving, and the thirst is unbearable, and the cold...'
He searched for a long time. He wondered what time it was now, so he examined the sky. The sky was neither bright nor dull. It was not evening, nor was it dawn. No, it was not afternoon as well.
'It's like time froze here like me, and the star is the only companion I have.'
The star was also not a bright one; it was dull and small. To his surprise, Jeevan heard the sound of water. He ran towards that sound with a satisfied face.
"Wait! You poor soul, why are you here?"
Jeevan stopped. The voice was ringing in his ears.
"Can't you see, my child? The land you are standing on is water as well."
Jeevan searched around him. He moved here and there, but he found no one. He sat on the ground and moved the accumulated snow with his hands.
'No way, I'm literally standing on a frozen ocean or something, but...'
He became restless, and his thirst won at last. He screamed,
"Who the hell are you? Stop playing riddles! Show yourself! I'm thirsty and hungry. If you can't help, then at least leave me alone!"
Jeevan paused for a response, but there was nothing, so he continued, ignoring everything.
"You know this, right? When a star is dying, it becomes small and dull. It's like a metamorphosis."
Jeevan ignored it. He continued walking and searching.
While he was walking, he saw ice spikes about eight feet in height, and their width was quite large.
'Unusual ice spikes. As Grandpa said in the diary, if you see ice spikes, remember you have spent two days on the planet and one more day to go. After that, the machine automatically traces back the soul to the body, but in between, don't die.'
Jeevan was a little bit tranquil because his soul was not in danger, and the only problem here was primitive, like hunger and thirst.
"My dear poor soul, will you not believe me? The water you are searching for is to your left."
Jeevan stopped and thought for a while, and towards the sky he pointed his index finger.
"OK, OK, I believe you, but can you show yourself at least now?"
His tone was kinder than before. Jeevan grew curious about the voice and how it would look. Was it a human or something else?
A flapping sound reached his ears. The snow flew, and the fog appeared. Jeevan used his hand to wave the fog away to get a clear view.
To his surprise, it was a crow, completely black in color. It was a contrast to the environment. Its height was about three feet, something like a fully grown eagle.
"So here you are, just a crow..."
Before his next sentence, the crow started to fly towards his left.
"Hey, wait! I'm still talking! Wait, wait, I'm coming!"
Jeevan ran, following the crow. He reached the place. He was out of breath, his hands on his knees.
"I can't run any further. I'm feeling even more thirsty now."
He slowly looked at the place. It was a river flowing vigorously and violently. Jeevan was on one side of the river, and the crow was on the opposite side.
"OK, Jeevan. Your name is Jeevan, right?"
Jeevan was shocked.
"How did you know?"
"I know everything, Jeevan. So tell me one simple answer. Which side is the river flowing?"
"Easy, crow."
He tore a piece of cloth from his dress and threw it into the river to prove the direction. The cloth moved towards the right. After some distance, it started to move left towards him, and it continued on that path.
Jeevan was surprised.
"Now tell me, which direction is the river flowing?"
"No way. How? Ah... umm... I don't know. It's not possible."
The crow sighed.
"I thought you were a genius just like your grandpa. He found it in an instant. Think, my dear Jeevan!"
Jeevan thought for a while. His thirst and hunger went away. He dived into critical thinking and clasped his fingers.
"I knew it, but I didn't expect it would be this much worse."
"That's OK, Jeevan. Tell me the answer. I'm curious."
When he opened his mouth, he noticed water on his body. Some droplets appeared, and the drops increased gradually.
"Wait, is it raining now?"
The crow felt terror and said,
"That's not rain."
A cold sweat formed on Jeevan's neck. He wiped it and stared at the sky.
A giant flying thing was above them, its big maw filled with saliva. It had no eyes, and its color perfectly matched the planet's environment.
Its howl rang and echoed across the land.
Both the crow and Jeevan were frightened and decided to run as far as they could.
"OK, Jeevan. Now there is already Keeper's pet in the sky. I will tell you the truth about the river, which is—"
Before the crow finished, Jeevan interrupted.
"I know. The land and everything on this planet are moving towards the center, or in simple terms, the center is pulling everything."
The crow was amazed.
"I hope you survive. I cannot continue with you. Goodbye, Jeevan. Grandpa will be proud of your knowledge."