Have you ever died before?
It is a very awkward question, isn't it? People rarely, if ever, would dare ask it straightforward. Yet, the meaning is the same as inquiring about the afterlife itself; A common rumored topic.
Have you heard that dying is like passing through a long black tunnel?
Before you take the first step into the darkness, you will see your life again; Frame by frame like a silent movie or an exhibition of countless oil paintings. You will remember joys and sorrows, the intense emotions you have felt, the myriad of your encounters, the unfinished tasks, your pending dreams and desires.
Will this feel like an eternity or just a fleeting moment?
No one knows.
However, one is certain. The more you move forward into the shadows, the calmer you become. Letting go of your past, present, and future; Returning to a blank state, to the beginning.
At least, this was how it was supposed to be. However,...
[Congratulations, you have died! We wish you a pleasant repose~
Before rebirth, please wait patiently f^r f*%6th##--Error!
...
In^5i#^$ng re*_[]0*8999&##@1!--
...
The recovery of your soul is impossible.
Your death was irregular, and the Karmic Cycle was interrupted.
Your soul has gone astray and is rejected by the Samsara.
Your rebirth is currently impossible; The soul will dissipate into the echo.
...
...
...
Initiating the repair system.
...
You have been given a choice.
Do you wish to enter the Path of Life? Y/N
47,3384(51) seconds before oblivion]
A series of baffling messages reverberated into Luca's head one after another. The genderless voice was unpleasant and mechanical. Maybe it was just his imagination, but Luca felt like he could sense its gloating.
However, what was really upsetting was not the voice itself but the content of the words it spoke of.
Luca had died. He wasn't sure exactly how or why, but he felt it in his bones even before the voice's confirmation. This definitely wasn't just a prank or a tasteless joke. Yet, he wasn't even given time to wrap his mind around this fact.
[29,0016777819... seconds before oblivion]
[24,233(92001) seconds before oblivion]
The time was ticking down fast. Although Luca still had more than 20 seconds left, his thoughts were already slowing down. The feeling - similar to falling asleep after a hectic day at work. He had no time to consider anymore.
"Yes."
But it was fine. Luca didn't need to contemplate too deeply. Compared to stuff like oblivion and echo, the word path at least pointed to a goal and direction.
[You have chosen to accept the backup route Path of Life.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Initializing...
You have acquired The 0th Arcana - The Arcana of the Beginnings - The Fool.]
A light erupted, engulfing Luca and drowning his senses. As the serene darkness around him receded, he found himself in a very familiar room. This was the bedroom in his small rental apartment. It looked nearly identical to the one from his memories. However, it was a lot less messy than what he remembered it to be.
The first thing that entered Luca's eyes after he came to his senses was his spacious bed. It was his most cherished and expensive item. Not far from it, there was a small desk with a chair he rarely used, and against the wall to his right, an even smaller wardrobe.
After identifying his bearing, Luca didn't continue examining the room and directly went to the window at the head of the bed. There was something he wanted to confirm. And as he expected, what greeted him was not the relatively peaceful street behind his condominium. Now the world outside was dark, tranquil, and hazy. It was the same blackness he had just escaped from. It resembled the endless cosmos one could see above their head at night. The only thing missing was the infinite number of fireflies.
Luca's heart fluctuated for a second as he gazed beyond. The sight was both calming and horrifying.
After a while, he took a deep breath regaining his composure. First things first, he needed information. Moving his eyes from the window, Luca went toward a door. It was one of the two doors in this bedroom; One connected to an attached bathroom, and the other led to a small corridor.
This was the second.
The door handle rotated slowly under his pressure, and Luca was pleasantly surprised. The door could be opened. He was not confined to the bedroom as he feared!
A slight excitement flashed through Luca's eyes as he strolled toward the new door at the end of the corridor. If this one could be opened as well, it meant that Luca could exit his apartment, which in turn suggested the chance of him not being the only person here. After all, unlike this apartment which was Luca's personal space, everything that lay beyond would have a meaning only if there were other people present.
Pushing down the handle, Luca forced the door and...And it was locked.
"...No expectations, means no disappointment," shaking his head, he scolded himself.
The newborn spark of anticipation was ruthlessly extinguished before it could light a fire in the young man's heart. However, even the loss of such a negligent spark was not enjoyable. In retrospection, this outcome was unsurprising. Thinking back to what he heard, some kind of a bug had occurred, preventing his successful rebirth. Was it so often for such an error to emerge? If yes, then the whole Samsara system was very flawed. If not, then...
"Do not think of pointless things right now. First, examine your surroundings. Second, search for clues about your current situation!" Luca muttered as he turned around.
Tracing back his steps for a few meters, he tried the door to his left. Across it lay a small and unassuming kitchen. It wasn't grand, but it was far enough for a single male to prepare food from time to time. Most of his day Luca spent at work, so even if he loved cooking, more often than not, he didn't have the time and energy to do so. Scanning perfunctory the kitchen without finding anything noteworthy, Luca reentered the bedroom.
The second door here was located near the desk. After opening it, Luca sighted, for better or for worse, at least he could still enjoy a shower. For some unknown reason, there was still a steady water supply. Actually, it was even far better than the usual! Anyway, he was already desensitized when it came to errors and miracles.
Of course, the bathroom itself had no clues hidden in it, so he was back to the beginning. This time, he had to search more carefully this place. He didn't believe the situation was hopeless. There was definitely some kind of clue. Otherwise, he shouldn't have been transported hither, to begin with.
Logically thinking, the best location for a hidden hint was the desk, followed by the closet. Therefore Luca decided to start searching in this order.
On top of the desk, he saw his laptop and a few books he had read not long ago. In the last years, all of his hard copy literature was work-related. Luca really liked the touch of paper and the smell of ink, but, nowadays, with the wifi access, it was difficult to motivate himself and buy or borrow books from the library. Another problem was the lack of space in his apartment. Therefore he preferred to search for web novels every time he needed thill or relaxation.
Taking a book, Compendium of Medicinal Herbs and Poisonous Flora, Luca flipped through its pages. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Similar was the result he got from checking the rest of his books. As a pharmacist most of Luca's literature was about plants, drugs, physiology, or chemistry. Unfortunately, now he wasn't in the mood to revise his knowledge.
After he was done with the papers, he directed his attention to the laptop. The computer slowly turned on, and Luca orderly checked the internet connection and the desktop files. And of course, he could not access the wifi, nor was there anything missing or added to the desktop. Unlike the water source, having the internet would imply communication with the outside world. And there was no way Luca could have this pleasure.
After concluding that the obvious desktop and folders were clean, he decided to move on to the next target. There was a tiny possibility for the existence of a hidden file, but going through everything was Luca's last course of action if he really couldn't find another clue. It was too tedious a work; If you could procrastinate it, then why not?
In the next 10 minutes, Luca meticulously searched the whole desk area, reluctantly concluding that it was all green. His second-best guess was the wardrobe.
The state of the wardrobe was unchanged. It didn't take long for Luca to be disappointed once again. Aside from some clean clothing, he couldn't find anything useful. At this point, he was starting to feel a bit bemused.
This was out of his expectations, and for the first time, he felt somehow lost. Was he really supposed to slowly comb the computer files? There definitely should be some kind of a clue hidden in this apartment. And it was most likely in this room as well. Then where could it be? The only unchecked place was his bed. Why would someone hide it there? Waiting for him to go to sleep before finding it?
Moving his hands fast, Luca picked up the blanket followed by the pillow. The moment he lifted it up, his eyes sparkled, and his heart thumped. Finally, he found what he was looking for.
What lay underneath the pillow was an ordinary-looking card. It depicted a man in colorful clothing. He had a carefree expression, and a small puppy was running in between his legs. In front of him was a clif. This was The Fool; The Zero of the 22 major Arcana in the Tarot. It was the symbol of a beginning, a new journey. The Fool was innocent and naive. He was blinded by the excitement of the future adventures, unaware of the hardships that lay in front of him.