2 The Waiting Room

Raam knew his life had ended at that moment but he believed the darkness had lasted too long.

"So there is no Heaven or Hell? All those years of religion are truly wasted. Am I just trapped here in darkness left to my own thoughts and endeavors? That sounds so boring and cruel. Can you at least give me some ice cream if you're going to trap me here?" He complained

"Since there is no reply, let's get right down to business. I need to not go insane while here, the most efficient way of doing so would be not to lose track of time." Patting his pockets he hoped to find his watch still there. Having pulled out an old beaten up leather watch he solved problem one.

"Haha! People always said that writing would never come in handy. I laugh at thou!"

"Okay...I went a bit overboard there. I now have some way of keeping time. I need figure out what is going on though. Got no food or water and no way to entertain myself than my own thoughts. This what solitaire confinement must feel like. Well actually wouldn't solitaire be worse... Oh wait, nevermind they can use the times they get food for their way of telling time."

Time past by while Raam sat around talking to himself without thought. If he had a pen and paper he would try to start writing again but he didn't think he would die nor did he think he would be able to bring the objects on him from life to death.

"Is that a light? Am I finally free from this place? Freedom? Freedom!" Raam ran towards the single dot of white in the surrounding pitch blackness. The dot didn't get any bigger as he got closer but as Raam stood in front of it he was filled with confusion.

"Is this my freedom?" Raam questioned,

"You don't look eatable." A voice echoed in Raam's head.

"You can talk?"

"There is no one else here, is your first thought me and not your own insanity?" The voice answered.

"I've made sure I didn't go insane and with the situation I'm in, it makes me feel like I'm in a novel."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well in situations where the main character knows nothing; a spiritual guide leads them down the path of their new lives. You're my spiritual guide. Where will I be going? Why was I chosen? Do I get to kill the Demon King?" His eyes were bright with expectation for the new life he will be living the life he always dreamed of.

"I think all those novels have gone to your head. I'm no guide. You have to solve all these problems yourself I'm only going to give you basic information towards what you are about to experience." The voice countered bursting Raam's bubble, making his eyes lose their glittering light.

"All you need to know about me is I'm the Game Master for lack of a better term. Now about the game you're about to play."

"I'll be graded, get a reward and then move on to the next mission? What is this "Arena"?"(1) Raam complained sitting down with his previous excitement gone.

"Do you think our thought process is as bad as yours? How dare you compare our game to such a novel!" The voice was angry.

"Oh, what will you be doing then?" Raam was provoking the voice for more information.

"You will get a grade and the grade will correspond to the upgrades to this waiting room. The so-called missions will be living through your book."

"How is that any different? If anything I see this as lazy you can't even create your own worlds, you have to use mine."

"Your thinking is too simple. You think we only used the words you wrote? We continued the stories you wrote and you have to live through them."

"What happens if I die?" Raam wondered connecting the dots with his stories and life.

"You get three lives."

"What if I die three times?"

"You better hope not to find out."

"You do realize your game doesn't feel unique more than most. You boast of uniqueness but it seems the same as everyone's trial stories I have ever read."

"Fine, you want uniqueness? Sure I will show how we are superior to you. A new set of rules will be created for you and you alone."

'I may have pushed him too far.'

"First, you will be graded only as either a pass or fail.

Second, you may take one object from your works to this waiting room.

Third, you will have to change the fates of your characters.

Fourth, you won't know the mission you will be given. You have to solve and find the problems yourself.

Fifth, you will have three tries per world.

Sixth, you must learn why you were chosen to experience this game." The voice told him all the rules.

Raam didn't think it was enough though, there was something else the voice wasn't telling him. How were these rules any different than before? Raam was mentally punching himself for not allowing the voice to go into such depth before pushing it to make new rules.

"Isn't the world too dull?" Raam voiced without warning.

"What do you mean?" The voice questioned, their voice filled with hesitation.

"There have been more than 100 billion players, so the idea of being unique is a false dream of those ignorant to the world. To define it as anything except dull would be lying to oneself."

"What does that have anything to do with your current situation?"

"If you were half as smart as you believe yourself to be, I wouldn't need to answer that. Don't know the reason I wrote?

Don't you know the reason for my works?

For my running?

For my hiding?

For my fear?

For my lonesomeness?"

The voice was silent to Raam question for a long while. The voice ignored the question replying with something of much more importance, "It's time for the game to start."

"Hope," Raam replied before being dragged into the small speck of white.

"Your whole life fits into a single speck of light but you speak such huge words. Hope, you say? Don't lie to yourself." The voice comment before laughing to itself.

"Don't lose too early,"