“So I'm dead? And I am not allowed to enter any of the various heavens or hells of all you gods? Also, why the hell are there so many gods.” He asked for what felt like the hundredth time, the soul of an old man to the being that was before him.
“Yes, I am afraid, so none of us want to deal with you. Now, since you have received my reply, would you kindly leave? I don't need another disaster from something like you in my realm again.” a fit young red/golden-haired man said while stroking his beard.
The being that spoke to the man was sitting on a throne in a hall while the man was standing before the god in the middle of the hall, which was filled with statues of warriors, dragons, unknown monsters, and countless other races. All the statues looked so real that when he looked at them, he swore they were alive and watching him, too. Bringing himself back to God and looking him in the eyes, the god finally spoke again.
“heh!!” sighed the old man. “ Well, at least you let me come in to sit down for a bit. I guess it’s now time to go back out to the shifting lands and views to wait again in line till I meet another god. Just so I know, what did I do to you all? I don’t rightly remember hurting any of you or anything. So why this treatment? I’m sure you all don’t personally come out to meet individual souls or whatever I am now all the time yourselves, so why meet me personally just to tell me I can’t enter? Like I said before, this has to be the 100th time I’ve met a god now, and they always say. Sorry, I can’t let you in, old man, to my heaven or hell it’s always every damn fucking time something like that! So why, what did I do? I don't remember hurting any gods or god's realms? All I remember is my last life.” The old man started cream at the end.
“It can't be helped. It is not because of you yourself, but it is for what you essentially are right now in our eyes.”Replied the god to the soul.
The old soul felt even more pain in his mind wondering if even a soul could get a headache now. He just wanted to at least know why he was getting this treatment. He was fed up constantly waiting in some stupid line with all the dumb or stupid souls, as he liked to call them, for all they did. Along with that, all the waiting with nothing but an ever-changing scenery which always gave him a headache and made him feel like he was about to go insane. He was about fed up with how many time he had stood before a god and then been dismissed just quickly as he had showed up then sent back to tht damn line up again.
“Couldn’t they at least tell him something for once?” Thought the soul to itself.
The young man siting on his throne in the entrance used for revered and powerful souls sighed too che felt the pain the soul was in from that last comment after he denied him who knw how long that had been building up in it for. He was actually one of the oldest and most powerful gods for this Iteration creation aong the multiverse. So while this wasn't a first for him, compared to other gods who would likely shoo the soul away as fast as possible it was still an unusual circumstance that he deemed worth taking a hand in personally. As this wasnt the normal way a soul came to the gods even when the room was used for its inteded purpose this was still way different from the norm for even that.
How it was usually supposed to work for most souls was that a soul would be denied or granted entry from the area to his realm because it either ended up in the wrong place and sent on with out thought from him. Or the soul that was before him was his or unclaimed but deemed a soul of noteworthyness for hime to see personally. All gods tended to mark their believers so the unwritten agreement was to just deny and send them to that god's realm it was almost automatic for accepting or denying souls. A god usually only took action if it was a soul they deemed to be of worthy of attention personally based upon how they lived. It didnt matter wheter the soul was good, neutral, or Evil by the god. The soul before at any time just had to be a soul they wanted to handle personally or that met their set criteria for meeting through actions done in life or was just unusual as the one before hime currently was.
The only issue with this system was that this soul wasn’t marked, and at the same time, it was marked and met the criteria to be met personally by a god. Somehow turning this into a godly version of a catch-22 but still, this was not a big deal just meant the gods had to personally deal with the hassle of it and make a decision persoanlly. These rare cases were usually because certain souls, while they had been marked, were marked in for certain reasons as a way to let the other gods know that they should not let these souls enter their realm. One other way it could happen too was if a mark was from a far distant palace even to a god.
As the god sat there he made his decision and spoke to the man with words that carried far more weight than the soul felt he coud handle.
“Look, you are a bit of a conundrum to us gods you see, as most all souls come to a god with no memory of being in the astral sea or soul ocean as some of us call it. For you though I guess from what you said it looks like a long infinite line up which is actually pretty funny sinnce your in the souls version of a line up.” Spoke the god actually chuckling at the image of a man standing in a line up for eternity it was actually of of his hells funny but also making him feel a bit sory for the guy too stuck in a hell for some odd chance of circumstance in how he saw the astral sea.
“But for your answer as to why your not allowed in to my realm or others I’ll just say the few you things might figure out if you think on it and one you might not know about latest for being able to survive in the ocean and stay sane if you are a man as you appear say. “ replied the old god to let this guy who kept getting kicked to the curb know why like a unwanted puppy maybe know why. Pulling a pipe out, he lit up, sat back in his chair, started puffing and let the smoke fill the room while he talked.
“Please do I’m tired of this weird form of hell any way to stop it I would be grateful.”Replied the old man. The god almost laughing at how he had just thought that too but holding it in with just a small mirk showing from him.
“Wierd form of hell, he says well, not like there isn't a form of hell I have that is literally waiting in line for eternity, so who am I to talk.”replied the god to the man shocking him from what he heard. Mostly to see his expression.
As the god let out a good long puff from his pipe blowing smokerings and weir smoke animals he started speaking.
“ There are a few reasons for as to why most gods refuse you. It could be for one thing is I would say isthat you don’t revere us or have the strong belief other have of us I mean you're talking to me like you would some stranger which is fine, but I also sense no willingness to convert or at least pay the simplest respects to us gods at all. Don't get me wrong, all gods take in various types of souls those types too are part of what we take in to our realm. Some gods even thrive on those, who have no belief in us but it's still a mark against you big and small as it is.” Said the god somewhat reporachfully to the man yet even when he said that the man didnt really show much change in attitude upon hearing that.
“Yea Sorry but wasnt really raised or cared about that when alive not going to change now.” said the old man in response still not guilty for it all even after being stuck as a soul. Making the god frown a bit and take another puff on his pipe then start speaking again.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Another one and probably the bigigest fucking one of all”. Said the god with force and pausing for a few seconds as well letting it sink in to the man how important this one was and the yelling at hime as loud as possible.
“YOU ARE STILL FUCKING SANE AND REMEMBER YOUR PAST FUCKING LIFE AFTER BEING IN THE ASTRAL OCEAN FOR WHO KNOW HOW FUCKING LONG!!” The old god shoutted at the soul.
“After meeting how many did you say again 100 gods and waiting who knows how fucking long too in between all the time adrift in the ocean of souls that is supposed to wash memories away or dull them a bit so you dont remember everything yet i sense you rember all except for names of people and that is it.” Screamed the old god of the universe letting out a strong wave of pressure without realizing it. “Not to mention it will only get worse as you meet more of us and continue to seek admittance to our realms simply because there is no process in this universe to hande something like you. The worse part of it is we we cant even stop it from happening most of it is all automatic it triggers to many warnings for us causing us to meet you personally no matter what god you go to.”
“Sorry.” The soul mutely squeeked out. Almost brought to its knees from the pressure the god gave off at the moment as he was yelled at causing the gods to realize how worked up he got knowing he might have went to far and to take another puff of his pipe and speak more calmly this time.
“ You have no idea how insane that place is even gods fear losing themselves in that place yet you show up and all you have to complain about mostly is simply standing in a online up that fucking insane even by godly standards. That palce without preparation even gods get slowly stripped of memory and thought one of the few ways we might actually die in a senses by losing the memory of what we are you walk in here from the place mind intact with no safeguards at all.”Replied the god shuddering just even thinking about it he might be an old god but even he wouldn't play with that fire without at least preparing himself. Yet here stood some average everyday soul just looking to get into his realm marked and not marked not very strong in belief in any god and to top it off still sane after being aware in the soul ocean.
“Yeah thats one big red flag i’m not touching not touching one little bit.” Thought the god to himself almost looking at the man as if he was a monster. Taking one more puff trying to calm down again whilelooking at the man knowing he cant help him but still feeling sory just a little bit for this souls fate for now he continued on with his words.
While yes I could let you in, forgiving you the none piousness and the memory thing as what i can read from you in your mind your just an average soul. You are also marked by another god and at the same time, not marked by another god, which is even more weird. So yeah, I'm not letting you in, sorry.” THe god replied firmly deciding this little monster can take that be be gone.
“So what this old man is to drift for eternity in my own form of hell, occasionally meeting godly realms seeking entrance to have an actual afterlife just to be denied every time I come to one!” shouted the old man to the god fed up with even being nice since he knew it was doomed anyways. He just wanted this damn cycle of entering a realm and then being denied to end.
“Yes. and that is exactly what I meant by not pious at all yelling at a god. You are talking to one of the oldest gods of this universe, and honestly, I humoured you and answered bit of your questions because you so strange and piqued my interest. You could probably safely be let in with no problems but I’m definitely not letting you in.” Gettinga little worked up again from this souls response. Lookingat the mans look of anger and slight disgust on the souls face the god continued.
“To answer your un-asked question, yes this is probably why most arent letting you in and getting rid of you so fast youre still sane from being in and aware of the ocean you are not the first or the last that will be like that for sure. Unbelievable as it is and rare its not too uncommon for it to ocasionnly happen in a very rare soul on the edge of more but you remeber to much usually its just the personality and a few base memories you rember all of your life but the names of others. But then there's is the other big red flag you have in that your also marked and for some reason not marked by some god. Which is honestly very very rare and weird but it is not unforseabele when dealing with eternity, but still thats a big red flag for us.” the old god taking a puff from his pipe one more time to keep his coming headache down.
For us gods the answer to securing our realm from astral ocaen creatures becomes, why let you in with all that is going on with you as with infinite time and infinite souls, what would be the point in bringing something like you into our realms and risking the balance of them getting messed up?” Questioned the god to the old man realizing he was starting to go on a bit of ran but not really caring now he started to speak more not really thinking on what he was saying.
Sighing the old soul could only slump his shoulder down acepthing this fate that was his now and for a loon log while to come wasnt going to change. But continuing to listen as this information might help him in the future.
The god continued “ There are actually very real examples of gods letting someone like you in and half the the time it becomes a coin flip on if their realm or even themselves are not hurt or changed in some way from it. So for us gods the answer is simple why not wait and let your soul be washed away till it's to our liking in the soul ocean.” the god said looking at the old man with a very sharp glare, and surge of power that would send most souls to their knees yet this one didn't even flinch.
The old man bowed his head and got up and was about to leave the way he came into the hall through a large arch way. “There's nothing that can be done?” he asked. “I just want to stop this cycle of entering and getting denied im tired of it?”
The god, seeing this, nodded his head and left one last remark for the old man as he left. “Look at it this way: you are essentially a monster with a big red sign on you saying it. A monster who is asking to enter mine and others' homes. Would you let very obvious from history possible monster to even a god enter your home the answer is no the god wouldntif ehe was smart. I know you don't get it i can read it in your mind and soul but that is fine too so off you go since my smoke is done.” Replied the god starting to use some force to push the soul getly away to the arch realizing what was going on the man turned around and started walking himself know ing not much else could be accomplished in any form now here.
As he was taking his last steps out of the realm the god said one last thing to him in almost passing.
“Just so you know there is a multitude of gods and goddesses so it's not like you will be denied forever it will just take luck or time to meet the right god or realm. You could also get lucky and have another god to aid you in going to one of the few places you could get a restart with out waiting for time to wash away the weird marks and your sense of self strange as it seems even in death some things take time. Perhaps your next meeting might even be the one good luck.” the god said just as the soul stepped through the arch.
Some time later after getting kicked out he the realm of the god who for some reason never said his name the old mans souls was once again standing in a line up a line up he was very very fucking tired of being in again. As he stood there he decided to think on how this all started so long ago like a movie playing in his mind he could still see it the first few hours or days or months he didnt know time was weird here wherever here was for him.
“Not like the line moves much if ever.” said the old man to himself. “ time to start his cycle of insanity all over again i guess”
“FUCK”
Stilli thinking on how it began his mind drifted back to that day like it was still fresh to him……..
This was how the man met 100 gods and got denied eternal peace 100 times
As he though back on it the beginning of this personal hell for some reason he was still thinking. As the line moved and people came and went and the scenery changed he thought
” Please let 101 be the end please, please, please let it be the end.” After being denied a 100 times he could only somehow not lose hope and still hope the next one would be the end