What if I told you that you could live forever? It may sound tempting at first, but in the end, it boils down to the amount of selfishness that a human can have towards the rules of this world. 

His name was Parker Moore, and he was a human being as average as the next. His grades were average. His lifestyle was average. He never aspired for more and was a conformist who didn't think or want anything else for himself other than what was already the bare minimum. And yet, he was allowed to live again. In what universe is that fair? 

In moments like this, I can't help but think to myself, Why? Why is it that such a life-changing opportunity is bestowed upon a nobody? When faced with the uncertainty of the universe, humanity can't help but turn to the divine. If so, what kind of entity would create such a world-bending escape? 

Death, being the ultimate release, was thought to be inescapable, and yet here I am, traveling through this void full of endless possibilities. However, being the human I am, I can't help but wonder: Is there someone else out there who would deserve such an opportunity more than me? Naturally, there is, and yet here I am. Bending the laws of this world isn't for the coward, and if I’m to stand in the face of chaos and demand a second chance, then I shall.

I will live again. 

But alas, I can't ignore the fact that this would only cause my soul to diminish in despair and quake at the walls of sorrow. This path is a vile one, and acting on it would mean giving my identity to transcend humanity and live again. 

And yet, I will live again.

[The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.]

“Where am I?”

I sit up, startled, as if woken up from a deep slumber. I look around and see that I’m currently resting in a tent and wearing some kind of old military uniform. In my clothes, the smell of carnage can be felt. 

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As I get up, I hear countless people stepping in unison in my direction, all while being enveloped in a sound of rage and fear. When I reach the window and search my surroundings for clues on the situation, my sight is blinded by a bright light as I cover my ears with my hands at the sound of a loud explosion coming from below. The ground shakes with vigor, and the line of soldiers previously marching is now scrambling to get to what I assume are their weapons.

I step out to see the damage the explosion caused, and all I see is a seemingly endless cliff. I step closer and look below, only to find the massacre taking place on the battlefield. The smell of blood engulfs my senses, and I have to cover my mouth to stop me from gagging. Their screams become more prevalent as I stare into their terrified eyes. 

I look away and find a young woman who is looking very distressed. Her hands signal to me that she has something important to tell me as she shakes my arm violently.

“I've finally found you, sir. Lord Bazarov has demanded your presence on the battlefield, sir. This is an emergency! If you don't get there right now, he will die!”

Her voice was light compared to the screams of agony below us, so I barely made up what she was trying to say. Battlefield? Does she want me to go down there?

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

I tried to scream as loud as I could, and yet I could tell she didn't know what I had said, so she began pulling me towards the base I had run out of.

“Sir, we don't have time for this! You have to-to-to-to-to-”

She kept repeating the last bit of her sentence as if she were a broken record, trying to get a message across. Then, as I tried to get here to react, the world felt silent, and everything seemed to stay still.

The wind had stopped, the screams of pain and agony had ceased, and the young girl didn't even blink. 

I tried to figure out what was going on with her, and in the distance, a sound could be heard.

creak...

The sound of metal clanking—no...

CRACK!!

Glass shattering. As this horrible sound begins to fill the silence within, the face of the young lady and everything around her begin to twist and deform until their outlines are barely visible.

I let go of her in horror as cracks began to form in her face and neck, and I quickly ran away from the cliff. 

However, I didn’t even reach the tent before the ground I was stepping on broke down, making me fall into an infinite void.

Am I going to die again?