1 Happiness at death's door.

Happiness...the state of being happy. Truly a strange concept that every human wants to achieve. Happiness can manifest in many ways - money, sex, authority...Depending on the individual and their beliefs, people have different understandings of the word. But for him, it was truly something impossible, something foreign...

***

The acrid smell of burnt rubber hung in the air at the scene of the horrific car crash. Police sirens wailed in the distance as onlookers gaped in shock at the mangled vehicle wrapped around the streetlight pole. Inside the driver's seat, a man's body was slumped over, hands still clutching the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip.

As the man's eyes lost focus, random thoughts drifted through his fading mind: "I wonder if my wife will find joy in this moment, now that her absent husband is dead. She can pursue her affairs in the open..."

A metallic, salty taste filled the man's mouth. Blood dripped from his busted lip as he thought of his daughter. "That spoiled, selfish girl - has she mastered the art of manipulation that she is so proud of?"

Though his life was ending, a whisper of relief passed through him. "I'm dying, but finally free of that damn existence."

He didn't understand happiness at all, or he had forgotten its meaning long ago. Yes, there were times when he had dreams that gave him great feelings of happiness. What a fool he was. But it's not important anymore.

Distant sirens grew louder, but the man slipping away hardly noticed them. "Why do they insist on calling an ambulance? Fools, can they not see my death is near?" His thoughts were rather random indeed...

"Hey, what's that? Why am I glowing, huh? What are these golden threads for? Hey, stop! What's that supposed to mean? Dammit! Can I not even die in peace, motherf*cker?!"

A glowing orb of purple light seemed to separate itself from his "body." Now he could see everything happening around him. The screaming people, others just taking pictures as if it was something fun. However, his focus wasn't on them, but on the golden threads linking him to something. In fact, he could hear a "call," confusing him even more.

"Am I dreaming? No, this doesn't seem like-" He couldn't finish his thoughts before being pulled at high speed toward a faraway place. That's what it felt like, at least.

Why? Because he could see the world getting smaller and smaller - first the city, then the country, then the continent and the others too. Suddenly, his breath was cut short. A huge blue sphere hung in the darkness of space. He knew exactly what it was - his planet. He was freaking out! But he also had an enormous smile on his face. This was incredibly fun. Fun indeed...

***

No! He took that back entirely. This wasn't fun at all! What the hell?? In front of him was something totally fictional. No other way to explain it.

He was in a strange place, misty white everywhere. But he only looked at the "thing" before him - a huge dragon, so giant he couldn't see the start or end. Ten wings spread majestically, eight horns formed a crown. Purple scales with golden markings all over. This dragon looked so damn cool!

But that's not what surprised him most. The dragon seemed illusory. What truly made him curse was the man hovering there, looking at him with melancholy as if he knew him. That was damn weird. Even weirder were the golden threads, linked from the man to what he thought was his soul.

Standing beside the magnificent dragon was a man with such blinding beauty, the specter flickered with envy. "How can someone possess such perfection?" he muttered. "If only I'd had those looks in life."

The strange man suddenly stood before him, looking at him strangely. He was a bit shocked by this "Fated One's" reaction. He was before a "god" yet his first thought was envying his looks? This made the man doubt if this was truly his Fated One.

"Why are you looking at me like that, cursed face?" Eyes full of envy and dark resentment, he couldn't help but curse about the unfairness of life.

The man's expression grew more perplexed. He coughed slightly. "My name is Solcius. It truly fills me with joy to finally meet you, my Fated. I-"

Before Solcius could finish, a huge scream erupted from the strange man. "Stop, stop! I've read tons of books about this reincarnation bullshit. Is that what's happening to me now? Is this real?"

Solcius was surprised but didn't dwell on it. This man was odd, and he had little time left. "Indeed, you-" Once again, he was cut off by the serious tone.

"But why do you have this aura of death in you?"

Solcius froze. How did he know that? Oh, he had just died. It made sense he could be sensitive to the aura of death. Smiling, Solcius thought it unfortunate he didn't have time to chat with this interesting Fated One. His time was running out, after all.

"As I said, I am Solcius. People call me different names - the Firmament Dragon, the Ancient Sun God, the Origin of Light...And you, Chandra, you're my Fated One. I'm happy to finally meet you. Do you want to reincarnate?"

"..."