Sebastian Sterling sat in his beaten up white sedan. He had long black hair down to his waist, a thin frame, sharp features, and piercing blue eyes. Five years ago he thought he would become a famous craftsman. Alas, no matter how hard he tried to follow the latest trends, he wasn’t able to make a solid profit. The storefront he had poured all his funds into failed.

Two weeks prior he was evicted from his apartment. Now he only had his car to call home. It was times like this that made the absence of his grandfather weigh heavily. He was the one who had raised him after the death of his parents. His mother had died from childbirth and his father soon succumbed to depression. The small one story house he had grown up in was where his grandfather taught him everything he knew. Leatherworking, woodworking, metalworking, and tailoring. Those skills were all that remained of his grandfather. His childhood home was taken by the bank after failing to make his payments.

Sebastian was now forced to take risks he never wanted to. A clinical trial that paid an unbelievable sum was advertised to him through an email. Without the payment from the trial he would inevitably lose his sedan soon enough. Ten miles away from civilization in all directions. A cube shaped building made of polished white metal stood in front of him. No windows, just a single sign that read “Astral Technologies” hung above the door. The time for his appointment was approaching. With a sigh, he opened the door to his sedan and made his way to the single steel door in the center of the building.

He entered a small lobby with fluorescent lighting that almost blinded him. The walls were the same polished white metal as those outside, with tile floors to match. Three chairs were placed against the length of the wall to his left. Another steel door to his right. After waiting in the lobby for no more than three minutes a loud buzzer rang out and the steel door slid open. “Come in! The first left!” an elderly woman's voice called out. With no reason to hesitate, he followed the instructions until he saw an open door labeled Laboratory. The room behind it looked more like a nuclear reactor control room. Monitors covered every wall and a large machine hung from the ceiling in the center of the room. A single surgical table sat under it. Sebastian was starting to feel a weight in his chest from the anxiety. However he was quickly distracted by the only other person in the room with him.

An older woman with black curly hair sat in an office chair in front of one of the many monitors in the room. “Um, hello? I’m here for the clinical trial.” Sebastian said with concern in his voice. The woman quickly spun the chair to face him. She had bronze skin with very little wrinkles for a woman her age. She was adorned in classic scientist attire and a necklace with crystals that spread from shoulder to shoulder. “Hello! I’m so glad to have you here today. To receive payment you must first sign these waivers and an NDA. At the completion of your duties as a patient you will be paid twenty grand, non-negotiable. I am legally required to inform you that this will be the first trial of its kind. The process should take no longer than half an hour.” said the woman with an obvious customer service smile.

With no intention of making this drag on any longer than it had to, Sebastian signed all the forms. He needed that money to be able to pick himself back up and convinced himself there was no other choice. He simply hoped that he would live to see that money. The scientist similarly made no efforts to prolong the trial. She led him to the table under the machine and had him lay down. After flipping several switches she turned to face him and explain what the objective of the trial would be. Separation of the soul from the body. She would be trying to take the soul from his body and then put it back in and interview him on the experience. Wires would be placed on his head to send electrical pulses to his brain to convince his body he had already died. After five minutes she would stop the electrical pulses and perform an interview, then he would be on his way.

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Sebastian had never been the religious type, but hearing that someone planned to rip his soul from his body worried him. But again he convinced himself he had no other choice. “So are you ready?” asked the woman. “Before we start, what is your name?” he replied. “Margaret Astra” she said with a smile. Then she attached the wires to his forehead and pulled a lever next to the table. He felt an electrical current run through his body for less than a second before everything faded to black.

After not too long, Sebastian realized he was still conscious. But he couldn't feel anything. No sight, no sound, no taste, and no touch. He was completely cut off from his senses. Yet he felt more awake than he had in years. He could only assume the experiment was a success. But as time started to drag on his doubts started to build. It felt like hours had already passed. Regret started to fill what he could only assume was his soul. Would this be his life now? An empty void? For eternity? How long would it take for him to lose any sense of self? How long before the concept of himself was eras-

AGHHHHHH. Pain. Searing hot and wet pain. Every fiber of his being felt as if it was being shredded apart. Undergoing torture that even the CIA would find unthinkable. Then as quick as it appeared, it was gone. Now he only felt wet. He realized he could feel again. In fact, he could hear again as well. A blood curdling scream that he could only imagine belonged to someone being murdered. There was no time to think about that though, because he was moving and had no strength to resist. Perhaps he was returning to his body? Before he could gather his thoughts, he was blinded and the screaming only got louder.

Green light filled his vision. There was a pair of hands cupping his head. They weren’t human. The blue skin made that clear enough. Trying to look at the being who held his life in his hands a wave of terror washed over him. They were completely blue, had pointed ears, long silver hair and eyes of the same color, and towered over him like a giant. He tried to scream but his body was frozen in fear. The blue woman carried him to another giant woman who shared all the same features besides their face. The second giant grabbed him and brought him to her chest. He could hear her heartbeat, its steady rhythm bringing him an unsuspected peace. He felt at home. He felt safe. After what he just experienced all he could do was cry.

With tears in his eyes he saw another blue giant approach with worry in their eyes. This one had short silver hair and a square jaw. The same silver eyes. They were filled with worry. Sebastian then looked towards his own body, wondering what these giants did to him. His heart sank. This wasn't his body. He was blue, and chubby. He was a baby. One that had clearly just been born. Clarity overcame him. Margaret Astra had been successful in ejecting his soul, but she had failed in returning it. He had died and been born again.