Chapter 3

<p>Am I dead? Such a cliché thought was the first thing that came to my mind the moment I woke up. <br/><br/>"Yes you are", Was the unexpected reply that came to my musings. <br/><br/>Picking myself up, I looked around where I was and was slightly baffled as I was in a dome-like structure made up of different colour with each having a darker shade to them. <br/><br/>I looked around for the voice that spoke but couldn't find anything that suggests I wasn't alone in here. <br/><br/>The space I was in was around the size of half a football field. The ground I was standing on seemed to be made of glass as it was transparent and I could see grayish wisps floating through it. <br/><br/>"You are the first to regain consciousness". <br/><br/>Came the same voice sounding amused to which I couldn't tell if it belonged to a man or a woman as it was melodious yet had a masculine edge to it. <br/><br/>"Is my gender the thing that stokes your curiosity". <br/><br/>Seems like it can read my mind since it replies to my random thoughts. <br/><br/>Why am I not freaked out by this? Like hell I know because by rights I should be sweating bricks by now. Anyway seems like I should answer the voice since it could maybe explain the situation I'm in. <br/><br/>"Actually… Yes". <br/><br/>I just couldn't keep my curiosity to myself and ended blurting out what came to my mind. <br/><br/>"Huhm.. Excuse me, but who are you?" Trying to gloss over the slip-up, I inquired. <br/><br/>"Oh! It looks like the others are waking up" <br/><br/>Hearing what the voice said, I turned around and got quite a shock as I saw grayish wisps rising up from the ground which coalesced into humanoid figures and getting a closer look I recognized most of them as they were the people who were like me, was trapped in the fire. Well not all of them because the people gathered here were fewer - around 20.<br/><br/>Walking over to them, I saw Ronnie staring blankly above seemingly out of it while Cassina was fidgety, probably still anxious about the recent happenings. Mr. Hopsin was holding his son, Troy, close to him as he looked around. Some teenagers by the side seemed alright. If I didn't experience the recent traumatic event, I would have mistaken the glow in their eyes for excitement(?). <br/><br/>Everyone had different expressions on their faces with most of it being fear. <br/><br/>A few steps away from them, Cassina saw me and ran towards me with panic clearly written on her face and she held me tight. <br/><br/>"Where are we?" She asked with a quivering voice to which under normal circumstances I would have been tempted to tease her but this was not the time nor place for such foolery. <br/><br/>"Ouch! You are gripping me hard" I said with a fake wince on my face to which she took her hands away with a slightly apologetic face. It seemed to have calmed her down a little as she looked more composed campared to prior state. <br/><br/>"I don't know where we are but I think we should be getting some answers soon" I said. <br/><br/>As if on cue, a voice was heard throughout the dome to which I remembered was the same voice as before. <br/><br/>"Welcome mortals! To my domain". Immediately after saying that, the roof of the dome disappeared to reveal the most beautiful of starry skies I've ever seen. <br/><br/>It gave one the feeling of being in outer space with auroras painting the sky with breathtaking hues. And in the midst of it all was a man who seemed to be the center of everything happening around us. <br/><br/>It was instinctual but I felt the very core of my being being shackled by his mere presence. <br/><br/>With fair skin reminiscent of that of a baby, long diamond-like hair reaching his shoulders. His hair was almost transparent as it swayed behind him. His appearance was that of a middle-aged man in his early 30s and he was tall, way taller than me or anybody I've ever seen. His height would easily reach over 8 ft and as he stared down at us I could feel a pressure pressing down on me as I couldn't help but look to the ground. <br/><br/>Before that, I caught a glimpse of what could be called his most prominent feature - his eyes. <br/><br/>His eyes were dazzling, changing constantly in colors like a kaleidoscope. Seeing that, I came to the conclusion that whatever he was, he definitely wasn't human. <br/><br/>"Oops! My bad. It's been a long time since I last had mortal souls in my presence". <br/><br/>As soon as he said that, the pressure washing over since his arrival disappeared but I couldn't focus on that since my mind was hooked on what he said. <br/><br/>Souls? Is that what we are now? I queried inwardly. <br/><br/>"Yes. In case it isn't obvious to you yet, you are dead" He acknowledged. <br/><br/>The moment he said that there was murmurs but it soon died down which left me flabbergasted. <br/><br/>Why isn't anyone freaking out about this? I wondered <br/><br/>"If you are wondering about your lackluster reactions, the cause would be the state you are in right now" He explained. <br/><br/>"What do you mean by 'state'" asked an adult behind me. <br/><br/>"I'm not sure if you'll be able to understand but everything has a core or in the case of living beings a 'state of beginning'", He continued, "This is the state all living things start from". <br/><br/>As he said till there I understood what he was trying to convey. <br/><br/>"Meaning this is the state all living things started from before they were able to comprehend ephemeral concepts such as desire, lust, morality, wants and needs, hate and love". He explained. <br/><br/>"Doesn't that mean we are eventually going to be nothing more than emotionless puppets?" rebutted Mr. Hopsin. <br/><br/>Gotta give it to Mr. Hopsin for his usual critical thinking. <br/><br/>"Of course, to mortal beings such as you, it wouldn't seem appealing but to beings such as I, such emotions are nothing more than shackles that binds us from achieving our prime state - which is what you are right now. A state that is unfettered by any mortal attachments. It is only by taking control of this state can one truly evolve to a higher level of existence".<br/><br/>"The only reason you were panicking when you first appeared here was because you were still acclimating to the change of state". <br/><br/>"Ok.. So uhm… Who are you? Where are we? And what are we doing here?" Asked Ronnie, trying to get us focused on the most important issue. <br/><br/>Looking towards Ronnie he gave a thin smile as he started "My name is Draul, God of Reincarnation". <br/><br/>The moment he said that, I could hear the sounds of jaws dropping. Not just me but everyone else was flabbergasted. <br/><br/>I mean, everything was laid out from the beginning but reaching that conclusion yourself and having someone pointing it out to you was entirely different. There was also no sense of suspicion in us mostly due to the 'state of beginning' thing<br/><br/>"So what should we address you as: God, Lord or…Mr.?" asked a woman wearing tight jeans and a purple crop top shirt. She seemed to be in her early 20s. <br/><br/>"You can address me as Lord Draul" he replied back and continued. <br/><br/>"Now that we've gotten the introductions and pleasantries out of the way lets move on to question number 2 - where are you?" <br/><br/>"Like I said before, you are dead and this is my domain. It goes by many names: wheel of samsara, yellow springs, sea of souls, anchor of the living etc." Seeing us staring blankly, he or rather Lord Draul continued on as we had our attention on his every word. <br/><br/>"This place is the meeting hub of souls across the vast universe and it is my job to guide them to another life according to their karma". <br/><br/>Saying that, he stopped and looked at us before moving on. <br/><br/>"And now, unto question 3 - why are you here?". <br/><br/>Upon saying that, all our ears pricked up as this was the most important question right now. As we were already confirmed dead, we needed this bit of information more than the others. So after getting rid of the 'whats', we focused on the 'whys' as it was the sole reason we were here in the first place. <br/><br/>"The reason you are here is quite simple. It is what it entails that makes it difficult". <br/><br/>Seeing as none of us understood what he was saying, he clarified. <br/><br/>"Simply put, some friends of mine - gods - asked that I should help them with human souls". <br/><br/>The moment he said that, we were aghast by the seemingly impending doom befalling us but before we could break further down he added. <br/><br/>"Meaning you will be reincarnated in another world". <br/><br/>The moment he said that, I could have sworn that I saw the bunch of teenagers fist bumping each other. <br/><br/>As for me, this was unbelievable. I mean, I did read those fantasy novels when I was young till when I finished college and got my PhD before dropping it. After getting my degree, I figured maybe it was time to throw those teenage fantasy away and focus on reality because chances of that happening was infinitesimally low bordering impossible. I was getting older by the day, probably would get married in a few years and then comes the kids. I wasn't getting any younger and as someone who had to work alone I had to keep my priorities straight with no room for childish dreams because face it - there was no such thing as Santa Claus. <br/><br/>The world changes the moment you turn 19 and life becomes hell when you turn 25. That was what my Dad always said. <br/><br/>But no matter what I thought of it, what used to be my childhood fantasy suddenly became reality. <br/></p>