Chapter 3
A Chance to "Live" Again
----------------------------------------
I was looking over my status screen when a deep gruff voice sounded out beside my dead body, making me mentally yelp in surprise. His voice has an uncanny tone that made my soul shiver in a sense of impending doom. My focus was elsewhere, yes, but I could still see my surroundings with the same monochromatic outline, so how the hell did someone sneak up on my 360-degree vision of a few meters? That I do not know, what I do know is that there is actually someone capable of finding my body, which means that I could finally be discovered. And discovered I was.
However, the person who suddenly appeared isn't just a normal person coming across a desecrated corpse. He could only be called an anomaly. That feeling of impending doom isn't just the feeling of knowing my crisis of forever being conscious of my corpse after dying. No. It's like a rule or a decree. Like his very presence is the personification of doom and extinction, slightly triggering my fight-or-flight senses, my instincts telling me to run or make myself as small as possible. And with his presence, a slight feeling of discomfort grew within me, an uncomfortable pressure rising within my core.
"Aren't you a curious soul?" He asked with intrigue, still with that resonant voice of his. A jovial tone mixed in his tone with interest in a body that he had come across in the middle of nowhere.
Holy shit, I'm finally going to die. I thought to myself, fear gripping my metaphorical heart. My status screen had already winked out after hearing that chilled voice, giving me an overall look at who it was that was talking to me, but the only thing that I could see was the sparse forest that was surrounding my remains, no outline of a person visible in my sight. However, I know there's someone who has given my body attention, staring at me. No. He was staring directly at my soul as if it were an antique that had weathered the times of countless ages.
With a little more power to my conscience, I gingerly thought to no one in particular, Please, make it as quick and painless as possible. I don't want to feel my body being cremated and turned into-. But before I could finish my thinking, that intense voice sounded out again. However, this time he was speaking directly to my mind.
"A soul trapped in his own body. How intriguing", he said with amusement, making the feeling of inevitable doom more palpable than before.
Wait. You could hear me? I asked cautiously, afraid he might have a way to dish out more pain than what I've already experienced.
"Of course, I could hear you. Why wouldn't I be capable of such an easy feat of magic?" An offended voice replied, giving my soul another wave of shivers.
With a fearful tone, I slowly asked the mysterious stranger the question that had been on my mind since he appeared. Then... Who are you?
"Oh, right. I forgot that you mortals are big on formality.", he voiced out with irritation in his tone, surprising me a bit at his change of demeanor.
"Ahem... I am Death, the inevitable, the unavoidable, the inexorable. I am what you are currently wishing for, human. However, I am intrigued by how a lost soul has found his way to this world.", the voice said, with a somewhat practiced introduction. I mean, if death has to guide every soul in the afterlife, then he's got to have done this introduction trillions of times, right?
...wait, what?
Wait wait wait. You're actually Death?! Real Death? Like the Grim Reaper that guides the dead to the afterlife? Are you for real? I yelled out in my mind, excited to finally see Death come to pay me a visit, silently thanking him for hearing my prayers while screaming from pain and agony from being eaten.
So that's why I feel death was creeping up on me because I'm talking to actual death. But... why do I get this feeling of wrongness in me?
If this is actually death, then shouldn't I be happy? Isn't this what I've wanted for the past 3 days? This is the only way to end my torment and finally rest in peace. However, why do I get the feeling that this is somehow wrong? Like the being speaking to me is so unusual that my whole existence is screaming to defy its presence? And before I could investigate the feeling further, I was drawn back to my conversation with Death.
"Yes yes, I am Death. Now if you wouldn't mind, could you answer some of my questions first?", Death lazily said.
Sure. I absentmindedly answered, still mulling over that feeling of discomfort that was growing more and more distracting as Death continued talking to me.
"How did you get here?"
What do you mean?
"Now don't play dumb with me, Otherworlder. Your body may seem like it belongs here, but your soul tells me another story." His accusation makes the growing sense of aching harder to tune out. Trying to calm myself down for a few seconds, I replied;
I'm sorry, I've kinda had a weird past couple of days so I apologize if my answers come slowly. I answered, mentally gripping my teeth at the small pangs of pain that I was feeling while talking to the literal Grim Reaper
"Haha! Time is nothing to me if you think about it, human." The deep voice let out a belly laugh that sent my somewhat calm mind into a spiral of irritation. What the fuck is happening to me? I thought with a sense of urgency. Why do I feel so annoyed all of a sudden? I've never felt this way even when speaking to obnoxious children who ask too many questions when I was invited to my friend's homes. And with annoyance comes anger. A growing heat rising deep within me, like a tide that couldn't be stopped.
"Now tell me, how did you come upon our world?"
Someone stabbed me in the back and got transported here while bleeding to death. I blurted out as fast as I could, scared to say something rude to the only guy that I've spoken to after being transmigrated here, who also happens to be death incarnate.
"Woah there, human. No need to be hasty. I am but a humble man who has chanced upon a lost soul."
And with that, that feeling of rising irritation cracked something inside me, like a dam being fractured by some force unbeknownst to my knowledge.
A humble man who took his fucking time to take my soul to the afterlife! Do you know what being eaten feels like? Huh?! The feeling of your brain being pecked and destroyed by corpse-eating corvids! Feeling your insides being digested by your own acid?! Do you know what I've gone through?! DO YOU KNOW?!
Then I lost control, everything turning to black.
My mysterious anger flared and rared its fangs, sending wave after wave of heat throughout my soul. Flashes of memories came to me like a whirlwind of images, fueling my madness to try and resist the existence that had invaded my mind. Memories of my childhood, my first fight with some douchebag in high school, the time when I blacked out from rage at my uncle's funeral, and finally, the moment when I felt betrayal at the hands of the ones I trusted for 3 years made my seething rage uncontrollable. If I were still in control of my body, I had no doubt that I would've turned into a wild beast, punching and biting the person who was near me at the time. Not caring if I was hurt since the pain could be numbed by my fury.
Without even knowing, I was screaming profanities at the top of my lungs while being shackled by my own mind. Blaming the world and cursing those who have wronged me. And with each passing second, my thoughts turned into unintelligible screaming, like an animal who is backed into a corner, lashing out at anyone who comes close to it.
While letting out my anger, Death's presence was still there, waiting for my tantrum to pass and my head to cool down. He was showing his patience with my sudden outburst of outrage and wrath, demonstrating his millennium of experience dealing with the dead.
After what felt like hours of blind rage and madness mixed with mental yelling and screaming, I suddenly came to my senses after feeling a click sound in me, like something had been locked to keep the rage from consuming my mind. Relief and satisfaction crashed over my metaphorical body, and my head felt clear now after what felt like years of being in a hazy mental fugue state. Taking in this feeling of tranquility for a few more minutes, I finally felt Death's presence next to me. His once unseeable figure now looking over my corpse and sitting cross-legged arms crossed.
With a closer look, I could see his features a bit more clearly. His eyes were closed, a slight smile plastered on his short unkempt beard. His hair is a wavy mess that reaches his wide shoulders as if he had just woken up from bed after a rough night's sleep. You could say that he has that grizzled look, with a square-shaped face and sharp jawline, wearing what I would describe as a simple tunic with a few patches of holes on it. I considered myself good-looking back before my face got pecked to bits by some crows, but this guy's appearance can only be described as otherworldly, even if he looks like a homeless hobo living in the subways of New York.
Sensing that I've finally refreshed my mind, he slowly moved his hand over my head, caressing my blood-stained hair like what my uncle used to do when I was crying after a painful punishment from my parents back when I was a kid. Taking in that moment of kindness for a few more seconds, Death's voice sounded out again, this time more gentle than before. His somewhat serious demeanor tinged with a jovial tone is gone now, only that of a wisen old man was left to give me peace of mind.
"It seems that you have gone through a lot for your whole life. And for that, I am sorry for not coming sooner." He said aloud.
Ah...You don't have to be sorry about my past. If anything, I should be the one to apologize for blaming you and screaming for hours when I lost control of my anger. I don't know what came over me. It's like something inside me is fighting you back or something, and I can't stop it. But if there are any more questions that you want answers to, then ask away. I won't be able to do much anyway.
"Strange." He said in a hushed mumble, which he quickly recovered from.
"Then, if you wouldn't mind. Could you tell me your name, Otherworlder? It doesn't seem appropriate to call you mortal or human anymore considering your current condition."
While chuckling at the thought of Death being a bit embarrassed for asking my name, I gave him my answer.
The name's Callum. Callum Hurst Foster. A lost soul from a world called Earth, a place of no magic but filled with entertainment. Nice meeting you, Death.
Death gave out another loud belly laugh before saying "I never thought that I'd be hearing that again after my multiple millennia of service. The dead would usually beg me to give them more time in their mortal life, but I've only heard a couple who found my presence being called nice." Laughing a bit more and joining him, we finally calmed down, and his jovial mood changed into a calm serious demeanor.
"Now, Callum. Tell me how you got transported here to our world."
Organizing my thoughts for a few seconds, I retold my time when Katrina proposed a plan to go camping, how it was just supposed to be a week-long trip to relax and recuperate from the monotonous work that I go through. Then I got to the part where everything happened in a flash. From that morning when Katrina and I were having some idle conversation, the time that I suspected someone else was there because of the missing knife and the footprints, and how I was stabbed in the back by my once best friend Jake. Then, when I got to the part of the ritual, Death grumbled, and his look turned serious, a frown forming on his face as I continued my story about glowing runes that seared into my flesh and bones and the glyphs that I saw before everything turned white.
And that's it. That's how I got here. Everything felt like a blur because of the pain, but that's what I remembered. After finishing my story, silence pervaded our surroundings, turning the once peaceful mood into a tense one. Waiting for a few more seconds, I finally asked;
Hey...You good? A few more seconds of silence followed until it was broken up by another grumble from Death.
"Remind me, what did you say this girl's name was?" He asked with a serious tone.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
I immediately answered, It was Katrine, now Katrina. Katrina Vegas.
"Hearing" my answer, Death furrowed his brows. Thinking hard about something after I said my former partner's name.
"Katrina Vegas. K.V. Wait, no. It might have once been a C. Catrina.". Countless mumbles too fast for me to hear went by, and a few seconds later, a flash of recognition went through his eyes.
"Cartiña Liara Voidguide. So it was them", he voiced out with vitriol.
Wait, who?, Confusion is evident in my thoughts. Cartiña? How did Katrina Vegas turn into Cartiña Liara Voidguide? And with only her name to go on?
"I'm sorry, but I guess you of all people should know who this revolting group of people are.", disgust dripped from his every word pertaining to this mysterious group, making me mentally gulp and feeling the seriousness of the situation.
"The Voidguides are part of a group that worships beings from the Void Plane, the world in between worlds. And some of those who were born of the void are so incomprehensible that they could eat whole pockets of universes in the blink of an eye. The Voidguides, who are considered a powerful family of space mages, are very skilled at puncturing a hole in our world to travel into different planes of existence, and the most skilled of them could even cross the endless void and travel to another world. I would give my guess and say that your former partner is part of this family, and is a very skillful mage at that if she could find your world devoid of magic.
"The cult that I speak of, The Far Ones, use the power of the Voidguides to invade other universes and offer them to the ones they worship. So if you already have a Voidguide in your world, then you should expect the other members of The Far Ones to have already gone and conquered your universe."
WAIT, WHAT?! Then how about my friends? The people that I've idolized? What will happen to them? This is fucking new information to me, and most of those words are so outlandish that I lost track of what he was saying. Voidguide? Space mages? The Far Ones? What the hell am I supposed to do after knowing all of this? Play dead? But maybe there is something I could do. I'm talking to Death here, so I should be able to ask him for help, right? He seems like a good guy...right?
"I am sorry to say this, but most of the people in your world will be devoured by the void anomalies. The Far Ones are elusive. Cockroaches the lot of them, until they've fulfilled their purpose. However, now that I know where they are after chancing upon your soul, I can give those who you've considered close to you another chance to live here in our world. But know this, Callum. A deal with a god never comes for free. What are you willing to give me in exchange for your friends and family?", his seriousness and the tense atmosphere made me doubt my plan to ask for help a few seconds ago. However, thinking about Frank and his girlfriend, the professors that I've made friends with, and all of the people who helped me when I was still alive, I've made up my mind.
If I could save those who have supported me after the death of my uncle. The people who have shaped me into the man that I am today. Then, I wouldn't mind offering my soul to you. Even if it means eternal torment. What's more pain when you've already experienced your brain being slurped like a smoothie? I mentally smirked. My conviction to give my soul to the God of Death with the risk of being sent to hell was laced in every word. My mind is set, and I am willing to give everything if it means giving my friends another chance to live in this fantasy world. I just hope that they won't complain when they hitch a ride in Death's travel bus. Or is it a boat?
"Callum, I've heard that millions of times in my line of job. Most if not all of them came from some desperate soul, begging me to bring back their loved ones. Although your soul is more than enough as compensation for bringing your friends over here, it is something that I despise and do not consider a trade. However, your proposal of eternal torment is hilarious. I've never heard a soul suggest themselves into an endless cycle of pain and rebirth just to save a couple of friends."
Aren't you sounding like a sadist here? If you don't want to take my soul, then what else could I give? And don't worry, who would care to remember a lost soul from another world? It could be used for something, right?
"Otherworlder, I am many things, but finding pleasure by inflicting pain on others isn't one of them. And don't sell yourself short. I wouldn't even consider your offer of eternal torment or using your soul as an energy source to power my magic, because that, Callum, is fucked up. People see death as some evil entity that consumes life and brings pain to the souls I reap. But they could never have been further from the truth.
"I have seen countless deaths since my birth in this world. Even now, I am watching my people claim the souls of those who have fallen in battle or those who are dying from an incurable illness. Death is but a natural course of life, and without it, the world will grow in chaos. And I don't want to give that bitch of a goddess more playthings to lord over. In short, no, Callum. Your proposal to impose yourself on more pain after what you've been through is not what I want from you. I may be the God of Death and Extinction, but I am not one to use my power just to kill those that cross me.". His tone was serious, laced with weariness and gloom.
I can't even imagine being sane after watching multiple people die in multiple gruesome ways. If anything, I would quickly desensitize myself just to keep my mind from breaking. But Death isn't one to just do his job haphazardly. I don't know why he's taking his time to have a conversation with me when knowing about his hectic work schedule, but I do know that having to see millions of lives snuffed out just to keep the natural order would be hard for anyone. And it seems that even Gods can't stomach the notion of consciously taking the lives of people because of a rule or order.
But if Death doesn't want to see people in pain or torment, then my proposal won't be enough to save those that I know of. And I don't want to make Death feel bad. After knowing a bit more of the guy, I couldn't just push my proposal to torture myself to give my roommate and his girlfriend a magical date ride through the void. Aren't I the one who is weird here? Like a fucked up masochist or something? Shaking my metaphorical head at the thought, I started revising my proposal with death.
So if my offer doesn't stand, then what else could I do? I can't really do more than sit around and turn into compost. Maybe if there's a world tree, they could use my body as fertilizer? But that's a big if, and I'm running out of ideas. Damn my 8 points of intelligence. Maybe if I add 10 more, I could come up with a better proposal.
Death seemed to notice my problem of coming up with another offer because after thinking hard about what I could give, death gave his own piece.
"It seems that I have put you in a predicament here. But know this, Callum. You have helped us tremendously just by coming here. Even if it is just your soul left inside your prison of a body, we could still use a wisp of it to get the coordinates of your world. Just knowing where some of The Far Ones are right now could change the tide of this war. So don't think hard about what you could pay me.
"Although I said that a deal with me never comes for free doesn't mean that what you have to give should be a detriment to you. Like I said before, just knowing where those bastards are hiding is more than enough to bring a couple of people from your world here. But from what I'm hearing, you want to bring the people you know and the people that they know too. If that is the case, then you have to give me something other than your soul or body. And remember, I am Death. Tangible things do not matter to a God, Callum. So think. What can you give me?"
Hearing death's advice, I started thinking about what I should give him. I couldn't give him anything material since I only had my ruined clothes and some pocket knife tucked away in my jeans to my name after coming here. Thinking about it some more, I finally thought out loud;
Loyalty. I mentally mumbled
"Loyalty?"
Yes, an undying loyalty. If this world has magic, then there's a possibility for me to turn into an undead. After becoming one, I'll swear that I'll do my best to be devoted to you. I won't just go killing just to give you souls to reap, but I'll help keep the natural order that you're talking about. You said that souls can be used to power magic, right? Then I'll find those people for you. I mentally exclaimed, thinking about how I could help death instead of giving him something that he didn't want. If I can't give him something tangible, then why not something that is intangible? Loyalty is a feeling that could be given, right?
Finishing my thoughts, death answered in a serious tone.
"You will be my prophet, human?". A tremendous force smashed into my soul, drowning me in the presence that made me mentally kneel just from his question. The pressure he was exerting made me metaphorically gasp for air. A sense of doom overcame my mind and my spirit trembled from fear. Suddenly for what felt like hours of imminent death, a click sounded out, like a key unlocking something in me, and that uncomfortable sensation pushed back Death's presence again in a futile attempt to defy him. However, that small attempt gave me the power to answer his question.
If it is enough to save them, then I would be your prophet. I slowly said, tensing my whole soul just to bear his aura that crashed before me. Hearing my answer, Death's presence suddenly disappeared, like it didn't just make me metaphorically piss and shit my pants, one of the perks of being dead, I guess? While trying to calm my trembling soul, death's boisterous laughter sounded again beside me.
"Haha! No mortal has ever asked to be my prophet! It would be good to finally have someone that I could talk to again without them being dead. It would be more than enough to have your people transported here if I could have you be my messenger.". His sudden change of mood made me momentarily blank out. After sensing his aura of doom, and then hearing his contagious laughter, my brain short-circuited. How could someone switch from "I will erase you from the world" to "Let's drink beer and have a good boy's night" in a matter of minutes?
Man, Gods are bat-shit insane.
When Death took a calming breath and stopped his laughter, his mood changed again into a serious tone.
"It seems that we have come to an agreement. And only a pledge needs to be made to close the deal." An air of majesty washed over our surroundings. The atmosphere grew heavy and gusts of wind rustled the canopy of the trees around us. Then, out of nowhere, that familiar blue screen appeared again before me.
A Divine Being is attempting to form a contract with you.
You are to pledge your undying loyalty to the God of Death for all eternity in exchange for the transportation of your people and those close to them to the world of Memoriya. You are to become Death's prophet until you have expired. This contract cannot be destroyed or annulled by you. Any attempt to break the contract will result in the punishment of the contractor, resulting in the permanent loss of access to the system and divine tribulation.
Do you wish to sign this contract?
YES/NO?
Quickly reading the contract over, I immediately accepted it. If saving my friends means being a messenger of death, then so be it. I've already proposed to sell my soul to him, so being shackled by preaching about our imminent extinction is nothing compared to the feeling of guilt that I'll have after knowing that I could save the people I've known but did nothing to do so. This is the time when I remembered my uncle, and what he would do in my situation. And I know that he would do the same.
Accepting the contract, the blue screen disappeared, and in its place was a paper contract in my monochromatic vision. After seeing that the contract has formed into existence, Death's voice boomed, calming the wind around us and stilling the air. His aura appeared again, making the already heavy atmosphere tremble and weigh my soul down.
"I, Thellius Bas Thorum, The Inexorable, acknowledge the contract made before me. In the name of Death, I recognize Callum Hurst Foster's loyalty as my messenger in this world. May my divine decree be heard by the heavens and bind this contract to our souls. And in my name, any and all who attempt to break this soul contract will be met with my sweet embrace."
The ground shook, the sky was lit with flashes of lightning, and the world shifted in an indescribable silence. The heaven's attention bore down on us, a feeling that I'd never felt before and one that I wouldn't want to feel again. A few tense seconds passed before the contract between us turned to motes of light and entered our bodies. Death was still sitting cross-legged beside me, grinning widely throughout his declaration. Then, lightning cracked and streamed down towards us, making me mentally jump from heaven's action. However, when the lightning reached us, it turned into a figure of chains that connected our bodies together, before quickly dissipating into the electrified air. The lightning and thunder disappeared as echoes in my mind, and the whole event abruptly stopped when the last of the chains entered my corpse.
You have formed a soul contract with Thellius Bas Thorum
When the whole ordeal was over, I felt cold steel gripping my core. Feeling it a bit more, I realized that it was those magical chains that were connecting me to Death, which I now know as Thellius. Calming myself for the hundredth time, I asked what just happened to the god beside me with a trembling voice.
"That, my friend, is what we call a soul contract. The most powerful of all bindings in this world. It is unbreakable by any mortal, and the last line in my little speech could even cripple a God if they try anything funny with our contract. Pretty neat seeing one happen, right?" He said with a smirk on his face, satisfied with my reaction of awe and fear of what the fuck just happened.
Yeah...Sure. And I thought that I was one to flaunt my talent when I was still alive. I said with defeat in my voice. Do all the gods here just like to show off their godly powers in this world? What's next? A tornado of fire?
Going over the absurdity of my situation...again, I heard death's exclaimed recognition beside me.
"Ah, yes. That's right. To be honest, I tried to harvest your soul just after meeting you, but it seems that you are still defying me, multiple times now actually. Although it is weird, I can see why it is happening. The soul is inviolable, and a soul that just came from another world is more powerful than those born in this world. It doesn't even take into account the fact that your world is sapped out of magic, which makes your soul much more durable and potent. But this whole situation of you being dead won't do after I signed that contract. What kind of prophet would you be if you can't move or speak?", He said, dropping another bomb of information and chuckling to himself.
I was supposed to be ferried to the afterlife?
"Of course, every soul is to be ferried to the afterlife. What use would I be if I missed one?" Death said while rolling his eyes.
"As I said, there are multiple factors as to why I can't touch your soul and bring you with me, but that's not the important part right now."
I think going to the afterlife and not getting stuck inside a body is pretty important.
"What's more important than you getting to live again?" He said, doing air quotes when he said the word "live".
Good point...But what should I do then? I know that I could become an undead with all this magic talk, right?
"Yes, but that would take years to happen. However, there is a way to speed up the process."
And what would that be? Asking the question, Thellius smirked at me, giving me that sense of doom again and making me momentarily regret my life's decisions that got me here.
"You're already acquainted with the system, yes?", he said with a shit-eating grin on his face
Yes?
"And you have some tolerance skills, correct?", he asked with too much joy in his tone, sending shivers down my metaphorical spine.
...Yes? I answered in a high-pitched tone. I swear to some god if this is what I think it is-
"Then, you wouldn't mind experiencing more pain, right?"
...
Fuck me.