As time grinded to a screeching halt, Eddie found his body grinding to a screeching halt on the asphalt road, after a supersonic impact with a speeding car. His crumpled body twitching on the floor, he could feel his friction burns oozing with pus and blood as his soul was siphoned out of his body at an alarming rate. Oddly enough, Eddie didn’t feel pain. Rather, he could feel nothing but for a warmth that spread through him in even pulses, seemingly emanating from his abdomen. The heat was faint and mild, and felt rather comfortable, as though lying underneath his warm covers on a cool winter morning, and it was this comfort that allowed him to keep a level head. Although his hearing was dampened and vision blurred, he could still make out in front of him the figure of a child lying on the ground, clutching a multicoloured ball to his chest as he sobbed uncontrollably.
He was scared, but alive. The thought put the faintest of grins to his lips. To Eddie, after a life rife with disappointment, regrets, and monotony, the thought that at the very least, his final act of nobility would not be in vain brought him a sweeping gratitude.
You better live a damn good life, kid, he thought, and don’t play with a ball near the road again.
He could hear a whirring static steadily growing louder, drowning out the various murmurs and yelling he could make out from around him. As white took over his field of vision, he felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier, threatening to fall if he didn’t exert all of his willpower in keeping them open. Eddie knew very well what it meant to close his eyes and fall asleep. His entire body now drained of power, he faintly sighed, let his eyes shut, and prepared to face death.
***
They had all said that when it came time to die, you would see your entire life flash before you like a film reel, so that you could at least relive all the happy moments before you were forced into the abyss.
Evidently, this was not true.
“Who would’ve thunk it! You, Eddie Lee, jumping in front of a car just to save a little kid! I’m telling you, I’ve done this job for longer than time was even a concept and this is the first time I’ve actually been this confuddled by a death.”
Eddie opened his eyes to the sound of a deep, boisterous voice, and found himself seated in the subway carriage of his usual morning commute, next to a man with an arm around his shoulder. He looked to be about thirty, his lightly wrinkled face sporting a long, wispy beard that extended down to his chest with the same colour as his messy brown hair. Unfitting of the metropolitan surroundings, he wore a flowing ivory robe reminiscent of the paintings in Roman mythology.
Although it was certainly no normal occurrence to wake up in the subway by the side of a strange old man, Eddie felt oddly sure that he was in no danger at all, as if he had known this man for as long as he had lived. Thinking back to what he had just heard, he could infer that this man was what he could only interpret to be a god, and also that he had also passed away after his unfortunate encounter with a windshield earlier that day.
“Hey man, I’d kinda appreciate it if you could get your arm off me” he said.
“Oops, sorry about that. I always get a little too touchy-feely with the people I meet” the god replied, quickly removing his arm. Eddie paused, pondering what questions he should ask him first.
“I’m assuming you’re the equivalent of god, and that you’ve come to collect my soul or whatever?” he asked tentatively, “If so, why are we in this train carriage of all places?”
“You really do catch on quick, huh. Usually people are a lot more panicky and scared when they arrive here. I’m used to hearing ‘Ah! Who the hell are you!’ most of the time.”
Eddie shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I just feel really comfortable for some reason.”
The god chuckled. “Good man, Eddie. Well, to answer your second question first, we’re not really on this train. To make you feel more at ease as I talk to you, I’ve modelled a recreation of the place you’re most comfortable in based on your memories. Gotta admit though, you’re a pretty weird guy. Why do you prefer to be in this train more than at home?”
“Huh, I never really thought about it. I guess… I can just let go when I’m sitting here. I can close my eyes, listen to music, and not have to think about anything except just going to my destination. When I’m at home, it feels like I constantly have to think about life, you know?”
“Fair enough. On that note, let’s take a look at your past, shall we?” The god smiled, before standing up as if readying himself for a long speech. Grasping the metal pole, he spun around absent-mindedly, and continued, “Your childhood was pretty rough, no? Father left during your early teens, leaving your mother to raise you in her lonesome, struggling so hard with her own demons as well as raising you as best she could. You made mistakes, dropped out of school, had fights, and eventually left home at the tender age of 17 to make your own way in the world. Am I correct so far?”
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Eddie nodded, looking blankly at the god’s eyes.
“You hustled on the streets for cash, found odd jobs here and there and just barely got by for years, until you found her. She was a real beauty, the sweetest girl you could’ve ever dreamed of. You guys went steady for some time, until your mother passed away before you ever got a chance to reconnect or apologise. You developed a drinking habit, became increasing angry at the world for leading you to where you were, and took it out on everyone you knew, until even she reached her limit and left. Lost, you just took a random job and have continued with it ever since. Until, of course, just now, when you heroically leaped in front of a car just to save a little kid’s life.”
The train rattled softly, riding rickety tracks that led to nowhere. Evening sunlight trickled through the windows behind Eddie, casting warm light and shadows onto the seats opposite. He looked briefly outside, seeing the brilliantly lit sky and the dozens of buildings tipped on the horizon, suddenly filled with a profound sense of nostalgia.
“Yeah, I suppose that’s my entire life summed up neatly” he said.
“Could I ask… Why? Why use your life just to save that random kids?”
“Well… it sounds cliché, but I guess my body just moved on its own. I guess I had half-hearted feelings of wanting to stitch my life together from the shambles it fell into, but I always felt that no matter what I did, I’d just sink back into the monotony of it all again. I just wanted to go out with a flicker. Doing something good, so that at least people would look back at me and think that I had done something worthwhile. I’d always admired the type of people who’d risk their life to save someone else’s, but I’ve never been able to really do that. So when I saw the chance, I guess I just went straight for it.”
Eddie’s voice wobbled faintly, before he brought it back under control.
“It’s quite selfish, really. I just did it to feel better about myself. As a pseudo-repentance for all the mistakes that I’ve made. Very ironic. A selfishly selfless act.”
He did not understand exactly why he felt it so easy to open up to the god, but he bared naked his soul before him, as if releasing a torrent of his frustrations.
“A selfishly selfless act… huh. I’ve got to say though, I admire you, Eddie. I see the good in you. Despite what you believe you jumped in front of that car for, you still saved a life, and that’s at least something you should be proud of. You’ve had the textbook example of a screwed up life, but you’ve still managed to go out nobly. Sincerely, take pride in it.”
Eddie looked up at the god, his eyes moist. In his eyes, the god could see the toll the years had taken on him, the strain of his turbulent emotions on his body. Feeling welled up in the musty crevices of the god’s aged heart, and he embraced the other man delicately, patting his back like a father to son.
“It must’ve been hard, Eddie.”
Eddie burrowed his face into the sleeve of the god, silently sobbing as his entire life came rushing back to him.
“Sure was, man.”
“You did very well.”
Basked in the gentle evening glow, the pair clasped each other in an understanding deeper than words.
***
“Well, I guess I’ll answer your first question now. As you’ve correctly surmised, yes, I am what humans would normally call ‘god’. However, you’ve made a tiny error in your assumption. I haven’t come to collect your soul or anything, rather, I’ve come to take it somewhere new. In other words, I’m here to act as your in-between for your reincarnation!”
The two were sitting back down now on their seats. At the word ‘reincarnation’, Eddie’s ears perked up, and he looked at the god in deep interest.
“Do you mean I’ll be reincarnated as a human back on Earth?”
“Not exactly. I’ll instead reincarnate you into a fantasy world. How does that sound? Living in a world with swords, magic, and dragons—doesn’t that just sound so fun?”
Eddie smiled wryly at the prospect.
“That sure does sound fun.”
“Right? I thought you’d say that. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited at the thought of it. If you want, I can also let you keep your memories from this life.”
“Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of dying and reincarnating though? I mean, what’s the point of dying and being reborn if you are the exact same person.”
The god winked, and said “Not everyone gets it, but just think of it as a tiny bonus. Because truth be told, I like you, Eddie.”
Chuckling, Eddie replied “That would be great then. I can get a second shot at life, and with everything I know, it feels like I can do it better this time.”
The god smiled and nodded.
“I’ll try to make sure you get born into a life of comfort, so you can relax after all you’ve been through. It’s the least I could do.”
“Thank you. Am I going to have to leave right now?”
“Sadly, our time together is nearly up, and you’ll be transported down to the mortal world in a short time.”
Eddie outstretched his palm, wiping away the lingering moistness on his cheek. The god took his hand and shook it firmly as a sign of goodbye.
“Thank you for this, sincerely”
“It was my pleasure talking to you.”
“Speaking of, what’s your name? I’m assuming even gods such as you have names?”
The god broke out into hearty laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“No, I’m sorry… It’s just, it’s been so long since I’ve been asked that by a human… My name? You don’t need to know my name, really. You’ll never see me again after this until you die again.”
“I really want to know, though. Please?” said Eddie.
“Fine, fine. You can call me Solomon.”
Suddenly, particles of light appeared at Eddie’s feet, engulfing his body in an aura of pure white. He could feel the slightest tugging sensation on his back, pulling him downward into what he could only assume was his next life. He looked at Solomon, and bade him a final farewell.
“Goodbye, Solomon. It was really nice meeting you.”
“Same here, Eddie. One word of advice, though, I don’t control everything that goes on down there. Don’t get too complacent.”
“Gotcha.”
The two men exchanged a cheeky smile, as Eddie seemingly got sucked into the ground by the light around him. He felt his vision go blurry yet again, his hearing dampening and his limbs crumpling. Letting go of the power in his body, he hurtled with anticipation into his next life.
***
On the summer of Solar Year 14084, on July the 19th, the cries of a young Cyrus Flavell pierced the realm of Engard for the very first time.