“All things considered, I lived well.”

The Will of Heaven, wearing the form of a large, white ram, folds its legs and kneels beside me. Together, we watch my funeral play out through a mirror suspended in the white void.

“You were loved,” It says. Its voice reminds me of my mother’s... or ex-mother’s now, I suppose. I lean against the ram’s soft side. Feels good… My spiritual body--an ‘instinctive projection of my last form’, according to the Will of Heaven--is much lighter than the withering bag of flesh and bones I inhabited for 30 years.

My heart aches for the people in the mirror. Although I’ve no desire to return, watching them weep as soil piles atop my casket hurts.

My mother and father… the nurses who cared for me… my best friends are there, too, tears streaming from their eyes.

Ah, my friends. It’s a shame I never met all of them in person. Four or five came from halfway around the world just to bury me. My earthly memories started fading when I landed in Purgatory, but I’d never forget the people I befriended during my gaming days. Sounds silly, huh? Well, for someone who spent most of their life confined to a hospital, video games were the spice of life.

Truly, I was fortunate. Many people who lived thrice my lifespan were never shown this much love.

“... Do you have any regrets?”

I look up with a weak smile. The Will of Heaven is a tiger, now, gold stripes streaking across a snow white pelt. My fingers run through Its thick fur.

“I wish I’d lived longer.” I sigh, tip back my head. Drink in the stark white void. “Though you must’ve seen that coming. No, I… not to sound cheesy or anything, but I feel guilty for all my good luck. Did you know? When I was six, just before the first hospitalization, I told my folks that I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up.”

The Will of Heaven licks my cheek. A real tiger’s tongue would grate like sandpapers, but this one is softer than silk. “Is that so?”

“Yeah. Of course, I didn’t know it’d take 12 years of training and academic hell, but after the suffering I’ve been through, med school doesn’t look so bad.”

We share a quiet laugh in the comfort of Purgatory’s all-encompassing warmth. People are paying their condolences to my parents, now, embracing them and taking their hands. A smile flits across my mother’s gaunt face as she exchanges words with one of my gaming buddies.

Ah… I hope they keep in touch. My folks will need support in the coming months.

A thoughtful sound emanates from somewhere in the Will of Heaven’s massive chest. It drapes a foreleg around me.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“You’re a kind soul. The omniverse needs more like you--though We suppose you all mature eventually.”

“Haha, you’re making me blush. Can spirits blush?”

“Not quite.” A comfortable pause. Then, “Shall I give you the opportunity?”

“Hm?” I look up at the Will of Heaven with eyebrows raised. A sleek, silver wolf lies prone in the tiger’s place. “Yes, of course, but… what do you mean? Isn’t it too late for a second chance? After all, my funeral is…”

“Indeed, your time as Arata Ikeda is over, child.” The Will of Heaven touches Its snout to my nose in a maternal ‘butterfly kiss’. It does remind me of my old mom. “But the omniverse is infinite, and time a mere illusion. There are other worlds, other opportunities, other people whose lives you might better.”

I consider Its proposal. Millennia pass within milliseconds.

“I want to try.” My voice sounds stronger, more resolute than it has since months before Arata’s death. “If I deserve it, then yes, please--I want the chance to give back. I want to make a difference this time.”

The Will of Heaven nods Its maned head. Its eyes shine, and the mirror featuring my funeral fogs over.

“Then, listen here.”

The fog clears with a delicate swirl, revealing a lush little planet suspended in space. Then, gradually, the view zooms in: Continents shrink to countries, shrink to provinces, shrink to towns. In one particular town--the name ‘Niska’ springs to my consciousness--the Will of Heaven focuses on a modest brick house flanked by planters and trees.

I listen. Silence, first, followed by twittering birds and the syllables of a foreign tongue. One--no, two voices. A man and a woman. Adults, by their pitch and timbre.

My brow furrows. We zoom further, through the shingled roof and into an attic bedroom. A woman with tumbling black hair perches on a wooden bed, expression tender while she rubs her swollen belly. The man beside her loops an arm around her shoulder. He presses a kiss to her temple and lays his hand over hers.

“Say, Argin…” The woman’s eyes close, long lashes stark against her fair cheeks. “Do you think it’ll be a boy or a girl?”

I blink in surprise. Since when can I understand their strange tongue? The Will of Heaven must have granted me some of Its omniscience.

“Girl,” says the man, after a thoughtful pause. There’s a pale, patchy scar by his jawline--burn tissue? It lends his angular, dark-eyed face a rugged impression, but his expression exudes sincere kindness. “Then we can name her after you. Imagine that! Katria the Second…”

She swats playfully at his hand. Argin grins, gives her shoulders a little squeeze.

“Just kidding. Anyway, not to say I’d mind a boy.”

“I’d like it if our first child was a boy. I had a wonderful older brother myself. I think any son of yours would make a fine big brother, too.”

“Well, I don’t know…”

The pair laughs, and their words taper into incomprehensibility. The Will of Heaven rests its head against the floor. My fingers reach for the spot behind one big, pointy ear and rub.

I think I understand.

“So… I’ll be reborn as that couple’s child, then.”

“If you desire, yes.”

I think of my previous parents and close my eyes. All the sacrifices they made for my sake... all the fond memories we shared… all the love they poured into raising me, even when money grew tight. Argin and Katria seem no less devoted to family life. I imagine they’ll make great parents, and I’ll fight to be a son worthy of their care.

“Alright,” I say. My fingers tighten and relax in the Will of Heaven’s pelt. “Please, let me be their child.”