Chapter 1: The Great Choice.
No! I need to stop feeling this guilt. I thought as I shook my head from side to side in an attempt to push away bad memories. I need to calm down...
Settling into my seat, I took a deep breath before my gaze once again wandered to the gray ceiling of the bus I was on.
Oh! Right, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Christopher Bristol and... well, I've come to tell you a long story that continues today. I remember back then I was 27 years old, I guess you'd say I have very strange thoughts, but the truth is, I'm not usually like this.
If I recall correctly, the beginning of my story starts when I left work at night. I stood at the bus station to go straight home, but the threatening rain was about to fall.
"I hope the bus doesn't take too long," I said to myself before yawning from tiredness. After waiting for several minutes, one arrived just before the rain started pouring down heavily.
Thank goodness, I thought, before boarding quickly. The bus waited for other passengers for a few minutes, but as no one else got on besides some young people who got on after me, it departed, disappearing into the darkness of the secluded road.
"Are those young people from my old school?" I said quietly as I watched them from the back seats. "Yes, they are, they're wearing the same uniform I used to wear back then."
There were three students in front, a boy teasing a girl his age and a girl accompanying them.
Haha, by the way those two are behaving, it seems like they're classmates, friends, or even something more. I thought with a smirk on my face. But who's the girl next to them?
My mind wandered through different possibilities until unexpectedly the younger girl gave the boy a strong punch to stop him from bothering the other girl.
Ahh... now I understand, she's his siste— Thinking about that possibility brought back several bad memories. "Sister...."
I continued with the bitter feeling in my chest until it seemed like the younger girl looked at me for a couple of seconds, making me immediately look away. What? Did she hear me?
A little scared, I directed my gaze out the bus window, pretending to be looking at something through the glass. They won't say anything if I just look at them, right?
As I looked outside, the bitter memories returned, causing me more sorrow. "All of this... it's just like that night. Dark, rainy, and lonely..."
No! I need to let go of this guilt. I told myself as I realized I was still blaming myself for past mistakes.
I need to calm down... I thought until the bright light of a car coming from afar brought me back to reality.
"Ahh..." With a sigh, I settled back into my seat and directed my gaze to the bus ceiling, causing my gaze to wander again.
It's foolish of me to keep thinking about all this... I commented tiredly, realizing that nothing had changed all this time.
Honestly, I wouldn't mind leaving all this behind to start over. I said, letting my feelings take over.
"AAAAHHHH!!!" A very loud scream was heard in front of me, completely stealing my attention.
Confused, I quickly turned my head to see the source of the scream, but before my eyes could focus properly, I felt a strong impact on the side of the bus.
What? The same car I had seen just a few seconds ago had crashed heavily into us from the side.
What's happening? As if my mind knew what was going to happen, I felt time slowing down, except for my thoughts.
Sh*t! I cursed as I felt my body becoming lighter and lighter. It can't be possible.
The car crash was so strong that it managed to veer us off the road, causing us to start falling recklessly down a steep cliff.
No nononono NO! I desperately protested inside me, while starting to grip tightly onto the seats. I need to stay calm to think, because it's likely the bus will start rolling soon. What can I do? How can I survive this?
Trying to stay calm, I searched for a way out, but the screams from the front were not letting me concentrate. "AAAAHHHH!!!"
Shut up, damn it!! I can't think like this! I angrily protested. Damn brats!
As I continued analyzing my situation, I saw through one of the windows the steep fall awaiting us, causing me to lose any hope of surviving.
It's the end... it's impossible to survive this fall. I resigned myself. I can't believe it all ends like this...
As I clenched my fists tightly out of anger and frustration, my attention focused on the student, who in this situation was trying to protect the girls beside him with a hug.
What!? Is this for real!? A hero!? I shouted indignantly inside me at the pathetic scene in front of me. Does he really think he'll protect them from a fall of over 100 meters just with his body!? What an idiot... I thought, mocking him.
The bus, after colliding with a part of the mountain, began to roll recklessly, causing a commotion inside the bus.
As for me, I held onto my seat as tightly as I could to continue watching the great show of the uniformed hero. Come on!! Protect them from this!
As if hearing my thoughts, my new idol began to tightly grab the two seats next to him, trying to shield the girls from some seats that had come loose from the bus.
Damn it! Now I'd like to survive to ask for his autograph after all this, but I don't have any strength left. I thought annoyed before the force of my grip was completely lost.
As I let go of my seat, my body began to collide uncontrollably against the walls of the bus and several of the seats.
Incredible! I can't feel any pain, I suppose it's due to the adrenaline of the moment. I thought with a smile as I watched the exterior and interior of the bus slowly being destroyed.
Ahh... I sighed heavily before reflecting on my last moments.
Honestly, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to think that all the effort of my life will be lost in these few seconds. I thought with disappointment. But well... I guess that's truly life.
After my foolish comment, the final impact had finally arrived, and with it, my death.
In less than a second, everything lost meaning, as I couldn't create any more words in my mind, and all I could do was watch as everything gradually darkened, until finally, darkness consumed me completely.
°°°
Huh? What happened? I clumsily thought as I tried to open my eyes. Wh- why does my head hurt so much!?
My mind was so confused, like someone's after weeks of intense partying. Wait!! Am I... am I still alive!?
Surprised and worried at the same time, my hairs started to stand on end as I looked around. Why does everything look like this? Where am I?
As I opened my eyes, I saw a long path surrounded by darkness, causing more doubts and confusion in my mind. What? What the heck is going on!? Why am I walking alongside all these people?
Besides me, I saw thousands of people walking in the same direction, and when I tried to turn to the sides to see more, I couldn't do it, because for some strange reason I couldn't control my body. THIS IS SOME BULL...
Unable to take it anymore, I exploded, making the next hour one filled with insults, complaints, and existential questions in my mind.
After accepting it, finally I calmed down, letting my logical side return.
°°°
I- I wonder how much time has passed. I thought a bit anxiously. I think... I think it's been more than two days already.
Ahh! I'm so done with all of this! If something's going to happen to me, let it happen now!!
After the first day, my spirit started to drift away from the rest, through one of the paths that frequently appeared to divert souls.
HOW FRUSTRATING!!
*Crock*
Like the darkness around me was fed up with my complaints, the floor several meters below me began to crack. But what the heck—
*Crock* *Cruck* *Crock*
It kept on cracking, abruptly cutting off all my thoughts. It went on like that until it finally broke, forming a gaping hole the size of a car in my path.
Wh-what is that? I thought with fear and amazement, and just like the crew of the Titanic, I was completely frozen, with nothing to do but scream or curse inside me.
AHHH!! STOP STOP STOP STOP! DAMN IT! STOP MOVING, USELESS BODY!!!
Unable to stop, I kept walking until I finally fell into the bottomless pit that seemed like the void itself.
°°°
"Ah... ah... ah..." I gasped after going through a rain of bitter feelings. "Am I... am I still alive? What? Wait! Now I can move!"
Joy began to well up from the depths of my being as I realized I could move again. "Hell yeah! It was so uncomfortable not being able to move!" I shouted in celebration.
After celebrating for a few more seconds, reality hit me again.
By the way... where am I? I thought before starting to analyze the place where I was. What? This is... space?
Not far from me, I saw with my own eyes several planets standing out for their immensity in the darkness of space. Moreover, I also saw billions of stars adorning the black void like millions of tiny diamonds.
Wow... Surprised, I observed everything the universe had to offer, until something specific left me speechless.
A small wormhole could be seen not far from me, making it one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen with my own eyes. It's... beautiful, it's like they took a picture of part of the universe and turned it into a sphere.
But wait. Did I...? I swallowed hard before continuing my theory. "Did I come out of there?" I said, looking at it.
The wormhole began to glow faintly, then started shining so brightly that it forced me not to look directly at it.
And now what's happening? I thought as I tried to shield myself from the intense light it was producing.
Confused, I tried to make sense of everything that was happening, but it didn't help that suddenly my body was rapidly expelled by a great gravitational force.
Unable to do anything to stop it, I turned to see where I was headed, and saw it was towards a planet in the distance.
"AHH!" I screamed until the light behind me suddenly went out, leaving me with more questions in my head.
Once I was closer, I was surprised to find that the planet I was heading towards was very similar to Earth, but with a small difference. Wow, if its continents weren't different, I would easily mistake it for Earth.
As I approached the planet, the wormhole I supposedly came from shone twice as bright, but unlike the first time, its glow had decreased a lot.
I kept observing everything until I finally entered the planet's atmosphere, but a bit annoyed by the low lighting of where I was heading. Dang it! I can't see anything! Why do I have to go to such a dark place?
As I noticed my speed decreasing, I took a mental pause to prepare myself for what was to come.
It seems whatever is pulling me is in this part of the planet. I commented on the strange events happening to me. Yeah, that must be it.
When my body abruptly stopped, I began to analyze my surroundings, trying to gather as much information as possible.
Okay, so I'm in a desert, but besides that, I can't distinguish anything in this darkness. I thought as I turned to look around.
Looking more closely, I saw a faint light a couple of kilometers away from me. Huh?
As I focused my vision, I saw that the light was coming from some camping tents that were set up there. But why are there tents in the middle of the desert?
Curious, I wanted to investigate, but I couldn't because I didn't know how to fly with my new body.
Come on! Annoyed, my attention was once again stolen by the wormhole, which was now showing above me, because it started shining again, turning the night into dusk in an instant.
"It's shining again. But why the heck is it still shining? I'm already in this desolate desert," I said looking at the sky.
Resigned and without an answer, I lowered my head in defeat, but when I did, I could see what the darkness had been hiding from me until now.
"But what the heck...?" I said surprised before abruptly lowering my voice. "...what the heck happened here?"
Now, thanks to the light from the crack illuminating the whole desert, I managed to see how the space beneath me had been completely distorted. This is...
In many places, the sand was dyed black, in others, it rose to the sky like roots, as if several lightning bolts had struck the sandy ground. No, I can't believe it.
There were many more things to describe, but I'll skip them, because what really had a deep impact on my soul were the hundreds of dismembered, pierced, and burned corpses scattered throughout the desert.
"Gluob..." I began to feel a serious churn in my stomach, and strong dizziness as I continued to witness the traumatic scene.
Wha-What is this...? Unable to bear it anymore, I quickly looked away before bursting into tears like a little child.
"This... this whole scene... this whole scene is absurd!" I said, clenching my fists.
After a few minutes of trying to calm down, I opened my eyes again, only to realize that the light emanating from the tents began to shine brighter and brighter, managing to compete with that of the crack.
Aahhh!!! In that moment of weakness, I decided to shut my mind, so as not to question anything I was sure was about to come.
The source of light from the tents turned into a great pillar of golden light, which began to shine and spin faster and faster.
"..."
There were several seconds in silence as I just watched everything unfold, the light kept shining until something came out of it. What-what is that...? No... The right question is... Who is he?
I saw a small black spot shaped like a person emerge from the pillar of light, and then I started to feel watched.
"Sha'tsha" said that person despite being several kilometers away from me.
"Noukan" In a blink, the whole world around us lost its color and sound, confusing me once again.
"..."
I turned to look around and noticed that the wind, the sand hitting the rocks, and the flashes of light in the sky had stopped; in fact, everything had stopped except for the two of us. But... how is that possible?
"K'orushto noshjra." Hearing his voice again, my body instinctively turned, only to see that the person who had been several kilometers away was now just a meter from me.
WHAT!? But how!? I only looked away for a few seconds. It's impossible for someone to move that fast! I reproached myself after snapping back to reality from the shock.
As he got closer, I saw that the man was over 60 years old, with white-silver hair and a short beard. His skin was very pale but a bit wrinkled due to age. He also had two golden eyes with feline-like pupils, and a blue liquid surrounded part of his iris, making it something I had never seen before.
Wow, this again confirms that this world is nothing like Earth. I thought with discomfort and a bit of fear.
The strange man had several white cloths covering his body, but when he slowly raised his right hand, I noticed several black tattoos all over his arm.
His hand moved closer to my head, and inside me, the dread grew like fire on dry wood.
Damn, he's really scary just standing in front of me. I said while trying to keep my trembling body still.
As his hand got closer to me, my instinct screamed at me to run, to get away from him as fast as possible, that if I stayed, I'd meet one of the most terrifying fates I could imagine. But, ignoring my instincts, I kept watching what the strange man was doing.
The imposing man gently rested his hand on my head, then moved his thumb to touch my forehead. Huh?
Instantly, a small light appeared at the tip of his thumb, stunning me immediately. Wha—
Before I could form a word in my mind, a flood of information overwhelmed me, like a massive wave.
Seeing that I was still conscious, the man smiled, then moved a little away from me.
"Now you should be able to understand me." He said in the language he had spoken at the beginning. "Huh? I-I mean, yes! Yes, I understand you." I confirmed in the same language after realizing what was happening.
Before I finished responding, the man had turned his gaze upwards, more specifically, towards the wormhole that from here looked like a very bright little star.
"Do you come from there?" he finally asked while pointing at the rift with his finger.
"What? But, I thought you had brought me—." "Answer" he said, cutting off my words. Damn! This isn't helping me at all.
"...Yes, I come from there," I said disappointedly while thinking about various possibilities in my head.
I have no choice but to trust him because, after all, he's the only one who can give me answers right now. Besides, if he taught me a whole new language in seconds, I think he can help me one way or another. I just need to be careful with what I say.
"Mm… So Father sent you." The man said with a small smile as he spoke.
"What? What did you say?" I asked, surprised by his last statement.
"Look, human, I only have a few seconds left, so I'll be brief, got it?" Human...? OK, I can already imagine where this is going...
"Alright," I said, grabbing hold of my composure while looking him in the eyes.
"Young human, I want to ask you to find someone."
What...? Find someone? What the heck is he talking about— I thought, confused as my firmness from a few seconds ago crumbled under his new words.
"In return, I'll give you a new body in which you can revive to fulfill what I'm asking of you." WHAT!?
My head hurt just trying to process and absorb everything that was happening, and even with all the questions and concerns inside me, a ray of hope sprang up, because I knew this was a unique opportunity, and I probably wouldn't find another one like it.
What do I do...? I'd like to say yes without thinking too much, but all of this feels fishy. I thought, a bit worried.
"Just tell me one thing," I coughed before continuing to clear my tone. "You said you didn't have much time, so I ask you, will I ever talk to you again to get answers to the dozens of questions I have?"
"Looks like Father made a good choice with you..." the man said quietly while smiling.
If I'm going to accept his proposal, I at least need a guarantee that he'll answer my questions in the future. I thought, analyzing more deeply the consequences of accepting.
"That'll be impossible, we'll never see each other again" He said, leaving me with no options. Darn it! "But... if you want answers to the doubts you have, you'll get them if you accept."
"Eh? What did you say? If that's the case... I gladly accept!" I said, surprised to see that she noticed my intentions with my questions.
--CROCK--
Right after giving my answer, it sounded like something had cracked in the distance, making me quickly turn to see how several cracks were forming all around.
"Alright, little human, you're very wise and foolish at the same time" The man said with a joyful tone.
But what happened to him? I thought as I turned to see how the peculiar man with white hair was now semi-transparent.
"My time here is up." He said, closing his eyes.
So this is what he meant when he said he had little time. I reflected as I watched him fade away slowly.
"Before you go, can you at least tell me your name?" I asked a little fearfully.
The man opened his eyes again and looked at me intently. "My name is Bernal, kid. The Dragon God Bern—"
Surprised by his response, I wanted to ask him what exactly I should be looking for, but by the time I opened my mouth, Bernal had already disappeared completely, leaving me with doubts on the tip of my tongue. No-no, I didn't expect him to say something like that.
Coming back to my senses, I realized that the only thing left of Bernal was something akin to a small golden orb.
The orb began to glow to such a degree that it looked like a tiny sun, preventing me from looking at it directly.
"So your name was Bernal..." I whispered to myself as I shielded my eyes from the intense light with the help of my hands.
The intense light of the orb began to flicker until it went out completely, allowing me to see again.
Immediately afterward, the cracks that had appeared all around started to widen until something could be heard breaking. The entire environment shattered, bringing everything back to normal like the color of things, the light above me, and the sound of the wind. I pondered for a moment until the light above me went out again, bringing me back to reality.
I wonder if what Bernal did by stopping time is something I can do in the future. I thought intrigued before turning my attention back to the orb in front of me.
After all that, the small orb didn't take long to slowly approach my chest. Huh?
"Is this what Bernal promised me?" I wondered, still surprised by our strange conversation. "I'd better find out."
I tried to stretch out my ethereal hand to grab it, but the orb passed through it effortlessly.
Wait, what? How is that possible? Surprised, I tried to grab it again but still couldn't. But how am I supposed to use this if I can't even grab it!? I thought, annoyed.
The gem continued its path, advancing until it passed through my chest above my heart, then almost instantly, I could feel warmth beginning to invade every part of my spirit.
"Is th-this...?" I said, feeling strange to the point that my Spiritual body began to pant uncontrollably. "Is this sen-sensation...?"
After a second, several marks like tattoos appeared all over my body, among them, one caught my attention that was exactly where the gem had entered.
Is that a dragon? I thought as I saw a dragon-shaped tattoo stretching its wings in the middle of my chest. This strange dragon was surrounded by a circular line connected to what seemed to be 10 elongated spines.
The heat increased dramatically, turning the strange feeling into a slightly uncomfortable pain.
Then, various thoughts, feelings, and images came to my mind. Furthermore, Bernal's voice resonated throughout my head. I tried to focus to see or hear any of them, but the pain that was exponentially growing didn't let me.
"Ah, Ah, Ahh, AHH" Inevitably, I began to pant from the pain I was feeling.
Unable to do anything, the pain continued to increase even more, to the point where it had become completely unbearable.
"AAAAAHHH—" My agony was such that I writhed from side to side while screaming with all my might.
"—HHHHH!!" Not only my head hurt, but every fiber of my being burned like fire itself, in fact, for a second, I thought I would die at any moment.
All that torture continued for a few minutes until it finally began to gradually diminish.
"..."
I had closed my eyes from the pain, but now that I felt better, I opened them, only to find thousands of small spheres of many colors all over the desert. Some of the spheres were green, others yellow, red, blue, and many other colors.
"I hate you, Bernal..." I muttered under my breath now that I partly understood what had happened to me.
At first glance, the most abundant spheres were the purple and black ones. So, wanting to confirm the information shower I had received, I searched for the source of some of the spheres, or more specifically, the mana particles.
I lowered my gaze and saw how several mana particles in the environment emerged from the dead bodies lying on the sand.
I wanted to stay for a few seconds to rest and investigate the information I had received, but I couldn't, because deep down I knew I didn't have time for that at the moment.
"Oh, sh*t! I have to move quickly," I said, feeling a bit desperate at the thought of not making it to my resurrection on time.
Before I began to move, I quickly looked at the dragon tattoo I had before.
"Yes, the Fragment successfully joined," I said, seeing how one of the ten spines now emitted a peculiar golden glow.
"Now, off to the tents!" I said, looking in the direction of the tents I had seen in the distance before.
Okay, in theory, I can move with this body if my will aligns with the environment, but none of that is happening! Damn it!
Although I had the theory of how to move in this state, it was very difficult to put it into practice, but thankfully, after several failed attempts, I was able to float slowly.
Damn it! I thought it would be easier... When I was halfway there, the mana particles scattered throughout the desert began to glow faintly and vibrate. After a few seconds, they all moved quickly toward the tents, just like me.
"In theory, all these mana particles are of different elements, so the red ones are from the element— Damn it! Focus! You can think about that later!" I shouted at myself for the distraction.
I have to hurry! I thought as the first colored spheres caught up with me and passed me, and after a few minutes, the first spheres pierced the roof of one of the tents, remaining inside.
I kept floating until I finally managed to pass through the tent's roof and see the situation with my own eyes.
"You're a bastard, Bernal... but well, you had your reasons..." That was the first thing that came to mind when I saw my new dead body on a crib.
Why did it have to be a newborn baby? This is in very bad taste for me... I thought with disgust.
The tent I was in had a hexagonal shape, and besides some things inside, there was a young man and a small child about 8 years old near my new body, both wearing a light brown coat that covered their bodies perfectly from shoulders to feet.
Since the child was the only one wearing a hood, I couldn't clearly see his face, unlike the man who had features similar to those of Bernal, such as hair color, eye shape, and fair skin.
Wow, he's like a young version of Bernal. I thought as I looked at him more closely. That man had an appearance that suggested he was about 25 years old, and as for his face, he was very handsome.
When the last colored spheres finished entering the tent, I finally felt more at ease.
Phew, at least I made it on time. I thought, sighing in relief as I saw how that man raised both hands.
The mana began to vibrate more and more as the man who resembled Bernal clasped his hands together.
By the time he finally clasped them together, all the mana particles were going crazy, the man closed his eyes, and after that, an incredible pressure could clearly be felt throughout the whole environment, including my body.
That man slowly separated the palms of his hands, and immediately I was drawn along with all the mana into the space between his palms. Ahhh! Here we go!!
After a few seconds, I could feel the mana beginning to blend with my spirit, and as time passed, I could feel them as a part of my being.
The whole process felt very warm, which helped calm me down. I thought this would hurt, but it wasn't as bad as I had imagined.
When it was over, I felt more energetic than ever, the young man separated his hands again, and with a movement of his right hand, he moved me in front of the baby's body.
It feels bad to take over this baby's body, but... it's necessary to live again. When he grows up, I'll apologize to his parents... I promised to myself.
The man moved his lips saying something I couldn't hear clearly, without giving it much importance, I noticed how little by little I sank into the baby's body, making it glow slightly.
As the glow faded, I began to feel my heart twisting and sinking, and although that pain was nothing compared to what Bernal made me feel, for some reason, tears kept flowing from my eyes, and cries from my mouth. I just couldn't calm down, and I didn't know why.
What!? But what the heck is wrong with me? WHY CAN'T I CALM DOWN!? I reproached myself for my childish behavior.
Struggling to open my eyes due to the tears, I could barely see the tent's ceiling and the man resembling Bernal beside it, the man let out a tired sigh and said something that relieved all the worries I had about being reborn.
"Phew... It worked."
(Ｊ口ち卄ㄩ丹: Hey, this is my little project that will tell the story of how a man, just like you or me, does everything possible to be okay.
The first 5 chapters will be free for now, so I'll be uploading them in the coming days. If you liked my work, support me by subscribing. That will help me know that I should prioritize this project.)