You have died.
Aden stared in confusion at the glowing white text that appeared before him. He tried to reach out a hand to touch it, but he discovered that he didn’t have any hands, likely incidental to the whole “dead” thing. Huh. Oh well. He shrugged—or rather, he would have, with even a single shoulder to shrug—and proceeded to examine his surroundings.
This whole place was a void, with nothing around but the awfully dramatic text against a perfectly black background. But even as he marveled at the emptiness around him, it was suddenly filled with sensation as scenes from his life replayed themselves. It was as if he was transported into each moment so that he could relive each one in vivid detail. His first few years went by in a blur, interspersed with little events that seemed much more important at the time.
The faces of his parents, siblings, friends went by so fast that they all blurred together. High school seemed a lot less grueling the second time around. His first kiss, first car, first real fight—these all flashed before his eyes one after another, until he came to his wedding day. That scene pulsed as with the heartbeat he didn’t have, and he held onto it for as long as he could. It had been so long since he’d seen her face, felt her touch, heard her voice…
He was certain he would have cried if he had eyes, or even a mind or heart to feel. As it was, though, he gazed on in detached fascination, as if watching an uneventful movie interrupted at times with a minor spattering of action, discovery, and embarrassment.
Then, he came to the birth of his daughter, and every moment seemed alive. He watched her grow up all over again, felt each moment of joy and worry and wonder. He wasn’t dead, after all; he just needed a reminder of what life was, and he found it in his daughter’s eyes.
As he watched, his attention was stolen away periodically by a sudden flash at the edge of his vision, which in this place seemed to cover 360 degrees. Each time he tried to figure out what it was, though, it disappeared in what would have been an eye-blink, if only he had eyes. Yet he was persistent, and he focused on that impossible edge of his vision with all his energy. After some effort, the flashes gradually came into focus, and he realized it was a scrolling wall of text:
> Focus Check: 98/90
>
> Focus Check successful.
He looked on in confusion, and the text suddenly changed.
> Comprehension Check: 59/97
>
> -40 for insufficient data... Result: 19/97
>
> Comprehension Check unsuccessful.
He tried a little longer to make sense of the strange text, but the scene of his life suddenly flashed, drawing his attention to the final scene. He knew it was the final scene because of the way it started: his daughter opened the door for him as he shuffled through. His son-in-law entered after, carrying Aden’s things, all of which fit nicely in a single overnight bag. He had entirely expected to die in the hospital, so he hadn’t brought much with him when he checked himself in. His daughter had brought him a few things she considered essential, like a toothbrush or a shaving razor. She didn’t understand how the treatment turned every touch to fire against his skin, how the soft bristles of a toothbrush felt like tiny knives against his gums. But he knew it was her way of showing love, and he accepted the gifts gratefully.
When he had awoken after his most recent procedure he was surprised to learn that it had been a great success. He didn’t feel any better, but apparently, the tumor had shrunken enough from the treatments that the doctors were able to remove it with relative ease. After a brief period of recovery and close observation, he’d been sent home with high hopes of recovery.
Well, his daughter had been the one with the hopes. He’d almost dared to hope, but deep down, he still felt that something was wrong. It was a sort of churning in his gut that never slowed down. He swore he wasn’t nauseous; this feeling wasn’t from the pills or the medicine. Rather, it was a sense of dread that twisted his gut more than any radiation could. Somehow he had known, even before his daughter laid him down in his favorite chair to rest a while, that he would not be getting up.
When the final scene concluded, he saw that the glowing white text, which had been floating above the scenes of his life, had changed:
You have died.
Congratulations!
Before he could get annoyed at the cheeky text, more text appeared, line by line:
Though your former body has died, you will be reborn.
The world you find may be different from the one you left,
But rest assured that you will be placed in a situation
That will allow you to attain success and fulfillment.
All of the characteristics that you have accrued over your lifetime
Can once again be unlocked by making similar choices. …
There was more, but Aden was distracted by another line of text at the edge of his vision, and after a brief moment of focus, he read,
> Memory dump 0.001% complete…
Alarmed, Aden tried desperately to stop the memory dump, which he could only assume meant that his memories would be erased. As painful as it had been, he didn’t want to forget any of it. He had lived a full, happy life, even if he left it a little earlier than expected. And what about his family? He would give anything not to forget them.
Ignoring the congratulatory message, which was still scrolling with more information, he frantically tried to think of a way to abort the memory dump. He started by simply thinking words at it, like cancel or abort, or Please don’t take them away from me, but it was all to no avail. As he struggled to determine what to do, the percentage for the memory dump gradually increased until it reached 0.8%.
As he checked the progress of the memory dump, he was found additional lines of text that he had ignored in his haste:
> Memory dump 0.001% complete.
>
> Command ‘Cancel’ initiated:
>
> Abort memory dump? Y/N
>
> …
>
> Error: Invalid input received
>
> Action canceled.
>
> Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Memory dump 0.403% complete.
>
> Command ‘Abort’ initiated:
>
> Abort memory dump? Y/N
>
> …
>
> Error: Invalid input received
>
> Action canceled.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Memory dump 0.638% complete.
>
> Command ‘Please don’t take them away from me’ not recognized.
>
>
>
>
>
> Memory dump 0.8% complete.
He cursed himself for not checking sooner, and he tried canceling it again.
> Command ‘Cancel’ initiated:
>
> Abort memory dump? Y/N
>
> …
Now that he understood a little of what was going on, he focused all his will on selecting "yes."
> Subject selected ‘Yes’
>
> Confirmed.
>
> …
>
> Error: Action blocked by administrator.
>
> Override? Y/N
He would have rolled his eyes if he had any, but he thought "yes" once more and was relieved to see the next line of text:
> Memory Dump paused. 0.093% complete.
He’d started thinking of this bunch of text at the edge of his vision as an action log, since it explained the actions he took and their results. It filled with new text at the thought, and as he looked on, it shifted to include more text:
> Querying server…
>
> Access denied.
>
> …
>
> Initiating override.
>
> Please wait…
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Subject has renamed the activity log, ‘action log’
>
> Updating Preferences…
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ADMIN NOTE: Well, this is unexpected.
>
> +2 to Wisdom, because why not?
>
> Who are you, anyway?
>
>
>
> ADMIN requesting user designation.
>
> Please input NAME…
Aden tried to think his name at the amorphous Admin, but he was alarmed to realize that he didn’t remember his name.
> Ah, yes. Dumb question. The memory dump starts with your previous identity, to help avoid situations like this one. I’ve found that people have a much harder time fighting the default procedures if they lack a clear sense of identity.
>
>
>
> Would you like to restore those memories for now?
>
>
>
> Temporarily restore memory of user? Y/N
Aden answered in the affirmative, and he suddenly remembered who he was.
> That’s better. Hello, Aden!
>
> Keep in mind, this is just a temporary change while I explain why the memory dump is necessary.
>
>
>
> The first thing you need to know is that you will be starting an entirely new life, with its own memories and identity. The average human mind barely has enough room for one lifetime, and entering this life with your previous memories may unalterably cripple you in your new life
Aden would have nodded along if he could have. It made sense. Some people’s minds were overwhelmed with the memories of one lifetime, and he was thinking of trying for two? Yet no matter how he thought of it, he couldn’t convince himself to give up the memories of his loved ones.
A dark silhouette of a man appeared, more of an interruption of the void than an actual presence, and Aden heard a cold, raspy voice—which was weird, since he didn’t have ears.
“So you’re one of those ones, hm? Fair enough. You should also know that this new world is a realm of great possibility. What you called impossible by Earth’s standards is commonplace in this world. There, what you called magic is as common as scientific study was in your old world. You could wield great power, should you choose to pursue it.
“With your processing power split between two lives, however, it would be nearly impossible to wield significant magic. Thus, aborting the memory dump would not only cripple your body, but also your magical potential.”
The argument made sense, but to Aden, it sounded like hollow excuses. He somehow managed to project his thoughts to the strange figure, “Is not love significant-enough magic? Where would I be without my memories of my daughter or wife?”
“And what of the love you’ll find in your new life? How will you find the space in a heart already full-filled?”
“A man who cannot make room in his heart for love is a sorry soul indeed. Yet love does not betray her own. Old love will nourish the new, and the new will make the old much sweeter. There is no trash to clear out, only like to bond to like.”
In a flash, the dark figure was suddenly closer to Aden’s center of consciousness, and he could make out additional details. Piercing black eyes scoured his soul, and the following question was delivered at a whisper, as the man leaned in conspiratorially, "And what of the pain?"
The meaning of the words was immediately clear to Aden, and he thought he felt a shiver run through him, even without a body. He had often wished he could forget the pain, or cure the nightmares that twisted each night into new trauma.
The void pressed in around him, demanding an answer, yet Aden took the time to consider how best to express his thoughts. He had so many reasons to not remember, from the promise of a crippled mind to the phantom pains of cancer and the treatments, yet he knew within him that none of that outweighed the love he felt for his family.
The figure looked contemplative for a moment, studying something he must have discerned in Aden's soul, then he seemed to make a decision. The darkness... lurched as the figure took another step toward Aden. His eyes shone with a power that was somehow right before his center of consciousness but also distant as the space between stars.
Realization dawned upon Aden, and a creeping apprehension began to build in him. This man, this creature, was a god, or close enough to one that he could probably unmake the likes of Aden with an idle eyeblink. Perhaps he shouldn't have spoken so candidly...
"Had you not been so candid in your responses, I would not have granted your request. Yet you have passed this little test, so I will allow you to retain your memories," he said. Aden was surprised that the man had read his thoughts, but then he realized that, without a body, Aden must have been communicating through thought alone the whole time. He glanced at the action log to confirm his theory.
> Wisdom Check: 88/90 (+2)
>
> Wisdom Check successful.
The god cleared his throat to get Aden's attention again, "Furthermore, I will place your spirit in a body that will provide you with enough processing power to account for the increased memory requirements. Instead of becoming a mindless blob, you will be a peerless prodigy in magic or whatever else you choose to pursue."
If mindless blob was what he'd meant by telling Aden he'd be crippled, then Aden thought he might of undersold it a bit. It just made his next words all the more true: "Thank you for your benevolence! I will cherish your gift throughout my life."
"Don't thank me quite yet. This will be a burden as well as a blessing. Many will want to destroy you for the latent energy within you and for your connection to me. Still others will wish to exploit you for your power, against your own best intensions. Few such as you have ever appeared in this world, and I will be interested to observe your progress."
The figure began to fade away, but Aden realized that he'd left out one crucial detail, "Wait! What is your name?"
"It shall be yours, in time. For now, you may simply call me 'friend.'" The sudden change of tone left Aden with a sense of solemn finality, and he watched with gratitude until the figure disappeared completely.
A notification blinked into existence in his action log, and he smiled inwardly as he read it out
> Request has been granted: memory dump aborted.
>
> Limited Admin privileges granted.
>
>
>
> Admin Note: Find me when you find yourself.
Aden wondered at the message a moment, but his thoughts were interrupted by a new message appearing below, before his consciousness faded completely:
Reinitializing...