Chapter 2: Torture and Wishes

I turned back to see who patted on my shoulder. At this point I am not even surprised by anything I am seeing. I was another clerk who smiled looking at me.

"Is there anything I can help you with? Are you a new joiner or someone who is here to enjoy the luxury? Fufufufu…", The clerk ended his sentence with a light laugh that sent shivers down my spine.

'A true Sadist', I thought and passed him the form. "Here", I said.

"Oh, quite a short punishment in a long time and another stupid death. Well, you deserve the pre-filled reincarnation then.", He glanced over my form and said while still looking down on the form.

"Follow me. I will take you to your designated place. Meanwhile, ask me anything bothering you but only one question so think it through", The clerk said while moving in front me while I followed him back.

Was there anything to think about? It's more like I can't think of anything to ask in the heat of the moment. Everything is new and different from what I expected and only a single question won't satiate my thirst. So, I just asked the first thing that came to my mind.

"Why is there only Hell as the destination in the form? What about Heaven and stuff?", I asked. Going to Hell was one thing but not having Heaven as the option was perplexing to me.

"Heaven, you ask? Well, we had that department but it was closed before I came here. I have also read stories about it. Last I heard, employees were transferred here from Heaven as no one was being admitted there. So, Heaven is nothing but a thing of the past." He said without looking back but I can sense him laughing while uncovering the truth to me.

Well, it would be funny if you shatter someone's worldview with a simple sentence or two. Throwing the facts in their face while they shat their asses on the floor.

"Why? I mean why can't people enter it now?" I was sweating when I asked this question. Was I afraid? Very much. Would being scared work in my favour? No. I was going to be punished so why not just accept it.

"We are here, Mr. Keep your questions for next time as we will meet once again.", He smiled and asked me to move inside the room. He smiled and closed the door.

Pitch black darkness. Nothing in sight.

"Hello, is anyone here?" I asked and I heard a flick and lights turned on.

"Hey, new fella. Leave the introductions. Take off your clothes and lie down with your face down." I saw a figure with a surgeon's dress putting on gloves.

"What is my punishment sir?" I was about to piss my pants when he asked me to take off my clothes and lie down with my ass up.

"Hurry up boy. You will know soon." The surgeon patted on the lawnmower's handle and asked me to hurry up.

...

Let's just say it wasn't a pleasant experience. Those were long six hours. It felt like eternity to me. Feeling your skin and muscles getting chopped and scraped down to your bone while being over sensitive does not work your way. Degloving is the worst punishment.

And those who say you get numb to the pain if you feel it often enough are bull shitting. I mean it might work in real life but here the adrenaline never kicked on to numb my body. I felt every second of the pain.

He never laughed maniacally as I thought he would. A true professional to his core.

After completely crushing my soul he passed me a bottle to numb my pain and a health potion to let me recover the flesh and blood I lost during the torture. He passed me a patient robe and called in the clerk who took me here in the first place.

I came out of the room and met the clerk once again.

"How was it? Feeling fresh now.", He asked with an innocent smile as he knew nothing of what was going inside the room. I really wanted to curse him but I was controlled it. Nothing worse than losing my cool in a place where I don't know the rules.

He might even file a complaint against me and increase my torture punishment who knows.

"It was a… a new experience", I said with a small smile on my face. Though my physical scars healed, this mental scar will never go away.

"Okay, Let's get it over with. Because of certain conditions you will get reincarnated with memories of your previous life in a new world of course. Can't have someone go back and create chaos and because of those conditions you will also get three wishes. Three wishes. I mean, something a mortal can achieve if he tries hard enough."

"Nothing like a sentient system or anything from fictional words like Captain America serum and wishes should be specific. Not like I want peak human physiology. Be specific. Something which can be provided. This is not your mother's backyard", He told all this in a single breath. His speech was oozing out professionalism from every word except for the last sentence.

"Can I get some time to think things through?" I asked for some time as things like these you don't come across everyday.

"Do you really think we have the whole day here? Five minutes at most. Give me something after that or I can just send you away just like this.", He said while sighing hard.

[Five minutes later]

"I am ready"

"Shoot them", The clerk said he pulled out a notebook from his hand bag.

"First, I want full control over my neuron sense and pathways. Second, I want the ideal ratio of fast-twitch fibre to slow-twitch fibre in my muscles and for the final wish, I want an ideal metabolism rate throughout my life. That's it."

"Okay, Noted. Now off you go. You will receive everything you asked for on day one after you are out of the womb. You will be reincarnated back in India as for the location I don't know. You won't remember this meeting but you will know how to use your blessings. As your Date of Birth, any preferences, you can choose the year as well."

"December 12, 1990".