A Second Chance

'Is this really the end? How is it possible? I'm just 25. I was supposed to bring another life, not die. God, I heard that you always listen to those on their deathbed. Please for the first and last time listen to me. Let those sinners be punished by someone. If only I got another chance, I.....I' she couldn't complete her thought. She closed her eyes. Darkness spread all over.

Suddenly she woke up. But it wasn't her small home where she supposedly died. Instead, it was a big white room. Not exactly a room. A big white place with no end. Nothing. Even her dress wasn't her. Instead of her plain purple nightgown, she was wearing a white dress. Plain but gorgeous.

She jolted awake, but this wasn't her small home. She found herself in an endless, blinding white expanse, devoid of features. Her plain purple nightgown had transformed into a simple yet elegant white dress.

"Do you want another chance?" a deep, resonant voice echoed, though its source remained unseen.

The sudden voice startled her, causing her to spin around in the unending white void. Panic began to seep in as she searched for the source of the voice, only to be met with the same unbroken expanse of nothingness. Fear crept inside her of this unfamiliarity as she tried to remember what happened last. 

I died, didn't I? What's happening right?- she questioned herself.

"Do you want another chance?" The voice resonated again, its tone more authoritative this time.

Her heart raced as she tried to steady her trembling voice. "Who are you?" she asked, her gaze darting around. "Where are you?"

"People call me God and many other names... I'm here. ''

A small ball of light hovered before her, its glow intense and unwavering.

"Are you...a light?"

"No, I exist within the light. Do you wish for another chance?"

"What chance?"

"A chance to seek revenge on those who wronged you. To fulfill your dreams. To be reincarnated."

Her eyes, which were looking down the floor this whole time darted towards the light.

Reincarnation? As in being reborn? The kinda we read in stories?- she thought to herself as she tried to make sense of this absurdity. She felt dumb and stupid but she wanted to believe it. That made her angry at herself.

Despite herself, she asked, "Is that possible? If possible, then I will do anything for that.''

"It was our system's error that led to your tragic end. So, our system will send you back to the time when everything went wrong. And we will also give you compensation."

"System? What is that?" her mind feeling more confused as the conversation progresses.

"Our system is kind of a machine in your human words. It keeps track of what misfortune or fortune will happen to someone. It also arranges people's lifespan."

She fell silent, trying to make sense of it all. It felt like a dream—far too vivid to be a dream though. Her confusion clouded her judgment, but one thing remained clear: the pain she'd endured in life. The losses of her loved ones and the betrayal by those she trusted were undeniably real. Believing any of this seemed foolish, but wasn't waking up after dying just as absurd? She took a few deep breaths, trying to steady herself. After all, she had already died—what more did she have to lose?

"Sorry, give me a moment to process," she said, trying to gather her thoughts.

The light, or God, remained silent as she collected herself.

After a few minutes, she asked, "So, I died because of some divine mistake, and you want to send me back? Is that it?"

"Yes, along with compensation." the light, God, said.

"What is compensation?"

"You will be able to hear the thoughts of people of whom you have a good understanding."

"Good understanding? I don't quite get it."

"You will in time. But first, close your eyes."

She complied. As she did, a whiteboard appeared in her mind, showing:

Name: Jiang Ying Yue

Gender: Female

Age: 25 (deceased)

Height:5"6

Weight:55 kg

Understanding: Highest

Current Emotion: Shocked

"Now open your eyes."

"What was that?" she asked, bewildered.

"It was a system board."

"Now what is that?" she asked, getting annoyed of so many otherworldly things she was never curious about.

'A system board shows the summary of a person. With it, you can glimpse the thoughts of those you understand well by looking into their eyes."

"I wonder if that will help."

"We offer powers suited to individual needs. You struggle with reading people, and being overly trusting. This ability will be your ultimate weapon for revenge.

"Wait, are there others like me, whose lives ended due to system errors?"

"Recently, the system malfunctioned, causing some people's fortunes to be misaligned. But it had never happened before. Don't think that our system is flawed because it's malfunctioning for the first time. The system will soon be fixed. And then it will be the best and the flawless system it always was."

"And here I thought the afterlife is perfect."

"This isn't the afterlife. It's the boundary between the afterlife and the earthly realm."

''Boundary?" she asked, confused.

"We review souls here before sending them to the afterlife. That way, if there is any mistake we can repair the damages."

"This is overwhelming."

"It's natural to feel that way. You'll understand better with time. Just remember one crucial rule: never reveal what you learn here. Nothing about the boundary or your misfortunes and the future you know of."

"What happens if I do?" she asked curiously. 

"You'll forfeit your second chance and return to the afterlife."

"So, I just need to keep these supernatural matters to myself, right? That's manageable. By the way—"

Before she could finish, the voice interrupted. "Another soul has just arrived. That poor soul also got the misfortune of someone else. He ended his life by suicide. Now if you keep going on straight, you will see a door. Open the door and you will return to the time everything started to go wrong. Good luck living your life fully."

"Wait, before you leave, tell me something. If the time gets reversed then won't the whole world will go back to the past?"

"No, we send people to alternate worlds."

"Are there more worlds?"

"Of course. You didn't think that there was only one world, did you?"

"Alternate worlds?"

"Indeed. Did you think there was only one world?"

"Most do."

"Humans!"

"By the way—" she began, but the light vanished before she could finish her question.

"Couldn't you have let me finish?" she muttered to herself, frustration lacing her tone. "Anyway…"

Resolute, she began to walk straight ahead. The distance seemed shorter as her mind raced with plans and dreams for her second chance.

When she finally spotted the door, she hurried towards it. As she flung it open, a blinding light engulfed her, making her feel disoriented. The overwhelming brightness dissolved into darkness once again.