Elder White had been the gatekeeper of the nexus for many years. Even when the current pantheon were mere mortals, he had watched the portals. He was a heavy-set man, with flowing white hair and a beard that reached his chest. His eyes were that of a hawk, always watching.
He had seen many different types of souls pass through. It was his everlasting duty to help the souls of the deceased move onto the next phase of their existence. Be it devils, angels, or anything in between, he helped them choose their next life. Today was no different.
"Next." - Elder White
Elder White watched the next soul approach his desk. This soul seemed to be a human male, around 20 perhaps. He had a plain face, was roughly 2 meters tall and had chocolate brown hair.
When the man stood a few feet from the desk, he stopped.
"Name?" - Elder White
"I don't remember." - Man
The elder sighed.
"Very well, touch the orb on my desk." - Elder White
The man didn't hesitate and touched the orb on the desk.
With a flash of light, the orb displayed a screen for the elder.
"Hmm, death by suicide. That explains it." The Elder sighed. "Because you took the easy way out, your next life's opportunities will be limited. But looking at your merits, you were generous with your time, were a good son, and didn't do any evil. So it could balance out."
"I see. What now, Elder?" - Man
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"Based on the merits you accumulated, you have a few options. You could return to your previous home, with no change to the way your fleshly body will grow but slightly better off in terms of social standing. You could also gain some benefit to your body but have about the same standing in society.
Another option would be to go to another realm, filled with magic. You would have to bet your merits on the Wheel of Fate to see how powerful you would be there. The wheel could make you a dragon, or you could be a fish. It would be up to the Wheel of Fate. However, because of your suicide, the most powerful options would be out of reach to start. You could always gamble though. So, what do you choose?"
"I didn't really like my previous realm, sir. I would like to spin the Wheel of Fate." - Man
"Very well, then. Let us begin. Follow me." - Elder
The elder led the man through a doorway and the man couldn't help but be surprised at the scale of the Wheel of Fate. It was the tallest thing the man had ever seen. It looked like a giant black Ferris wheel towering over the world.
"Close your mouth, you're not a fish yet." - Elder
"Right, sorry." - Man
"So, you have 3 merits you can use to gamble on the Wheel of Fate. You can split them up for 3 changes, good or bad, or bet them all at once to unlock the rarest prizes, because of your demerits. What is your choice?" - Elder
"I will bet them all, sir." - Man
The elder gave a nod and with a wave of his hand, the wheel came to life.
"Okay. Give it a spin. Good luck." - Elder
"Thank you, sir." - Man
The man slowly walked but to the towering wheel and pulled a lever. The screeching of metal echoed out as the mechanisms began. Slowly at first, the wheel began to spin. But, very quickly it picked up speed. The man could barely hear himself think over the outrageous sound coming from the wheel. After a few minutes, the wheel slowed. As the wheel got slower and slower the man couldn't help but be nervous.
'Please don't make me a fish. Please don't make me a fish. Please don't make me a fish.'
As the wheel stopped, the man couldn't bring himself to look and see what he was fated to be in his next life.
"Elder, please tell me. What am I to become?" - Man
The elder looked and the wheel and raised an eyebrow.
"It seems you got lucky. You are not a fish. Instead, you are to be a troll. Not the luckiest fate, but its no fish. Live well." - Elder
'A troll?! This is disheartening, but I can't give up before I start. Perhaps fate has plans for me.'
"Thank you, Senior." - Man
And with that, the man returned to the main hall and entered a portal to start his new life.