Echoes of Mastery

Year 2074 Earth

An old man was in a bed in a hospital, looking out the window, watching the view while his family surrounded him.

"Honey, we will get through this," his wife said. He turned around with a big smile, looked at his five kids and all his grandkids, and said, "My wonderful wife, even if I don't, I've already experienced all I can in this life. I've become a multi-billionaire, I have five wonderful kids, and 15 grandkids."

His wife broke down crying.

He grabbed his wife's hands, pulled her towards him, and gave her a kiss. "You know, even after all this time, they still have not come up with a way to cure cancer."

"I'm in Stage IV. The cancer has spread to other organs or areas of my body. This stage is also referred to as metastatic or advanced cancer. All I can ask for now is for you to live your lives and use the money I've made to find a cure so it can help people like me. I'm already 78 years old; I would have died anytime because of my smoking addiction when I was younger, but I'm happy I've lived my life." As he said that, he slowly closed his eyes and passed away.

They were mourning in the hospital. The next day, there were headlines of the multi-billionaire's passing as people mourned the loss of one of the most generous billionaires who helped the poor and homeless, even helping people in Africa by building hospitals, houses, electricity, banking,and more.

In the void where there should be nothing, you can see a white and bright orb moving—or perhaps not. You cannot tell if things are moving here because there is no concept of movement. Yet, this orb defies the rules that should not be broken, as if this soul is on a mission with no entities aiding it. If anyone, even gods or entities that could survive the void, saw this, they would wonder how the tiny thing survived. The void should have shattered the soul. This is a mystery; maybe the soul will find out in time.

As time passed, a glimmer moved through the void. The soul had existed there for an indeterminate span—perhaps millions or even billions of years—though time held no sway in this realm. Slowly, the soul strengthened; once insubstantial, like a wisp, now it grew more solid and radiant.

Suddenly, a crack ruptured the emptiness beside the soul, as if the void were fragile glass. Through the jagged crevice, a hole materialized, and the soul was abruptly drawn in.

In the middle of the forest, a young man lay in a pool of his own blood. He had been dead for at least an hour, clutching his chest as if someone had stabbed him there.

A luminous white orb floated to the body. This was the soul that had been in the void. It slowly moved to the young man's chest, as if it were meant to be there. Gradually, the wound healed.

The young man's eyes started to twitch. Minutes later, you could hear a gasp as if trying to breathe.

The young man opened his eyes and looked around. "So, I've been reborn in this young man's body after his death," he said to himself, sifting through the memories of his new host. "He had no mother or father, only a sister he was searching for when he was killed by a rogue ninja."

Reflecting further, he pondered, "Now that I think about it, how did I reincarnate? Was it some entity or a bored god? Well, it doesn't matter. There's nothing I can do about it now."

"First things first," he muttered to himself. "I need to sort through these memories because they seem to be mixed with my old ones." He closed his eyes briefly, trying to make sense of the jumbled images and thoughts. "I remember the meditation technique from my old world; people discovered it in the year 2050. It helps keep memories intact and makes it easier to recall things."

He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the task ahead. "But before I can do that, I need to find a quiet place where I won't be randomly killed."

He glanced around his surroundings, taking note of the dense forest and the faint sounds of distant wildlife. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows on the ground. "A secluded spot would be ideal," he thought. "Perhaps I can find a hidden cave or a deserted hut where I can meditate without interruption."

As he moved cautiously through the forest, he couldn't help but reflect on the young man's life. "No family except for a sister he was desperately searching for," he mused. "Killed by a rogue ninja. What a tragic end." The thought made him more determined to survive and understand his new reality.

After some time, he stumbled upon a small, abandoned shrine nestled among the trees. It seemed to have been forgotten by time, covered in ivy and partially reclaimed by nature. "This will do," he decided, stepping inside and finding a relatively clean corner to sit.

He settled into a meditative posture, closed his eyes, and began to focus. "I need to separate my memories from his," he reminded himself. "Only then can I make sense of this new world and my place in it."

With each breath, he delved deeper into his mind, sifting through the layers of memories. Images from his past life mingled with the new ones, and he carefully began to untangle them, gaining a clearer understanding of both his former and current selves.