Chapter 1: Miracle that defies destiny

13th February, 2006. Kanagawa Prefecture

Alex Chen woke up that morning. He felt the heat of the sun on his face and he heard the faint sound of birds chirping outside his window. It seems like a normal morning for him. He tried to lean his ears beyond the door of his room but everything is silent. Like he is the only one in his house.

He got up from his bed and went to the bathroom in his room, to prepare for school.

Alex Chen is a 17-year old highschool student. He cant remember his father, but he knew that his father is dead. he died when he was 4 or 5 years old. His mother, which is his only relative, was a drug addict. There was once a time where he worried if one day, his mother is going to leave him as well. Men of different age come and go in his home, sometimes, they are touching him, but most of them are not interested because he is a boy. If he was a girl, that would be unfortunate of him.

Alex thought that this morning is just an ordinary morning like before. He went downstairs to the kitchen and called on her mother from the living room. He is about to get a water from the fridge when he noticed that her presence seems gone. He tapped on his phone to know the time and the phone said 7:15 in the morning, she should still be sleeping from the living room.

When he reached the living room though, it reeks of alcohol, vomit and burnt cannabis. He stood on the doorway for a while and tried to sense his surroundings. He can feel that everything is very still, including his mother. As he went near her, he cant hear her steady breathing and her body is light, as if her soul has left her body. He turned his head around and tried once more to feel his surroundings, definitely, it is only him and the furnitures in the room. He put his two fingers on her inner wrist and tried to feel her pulse...

His mother is dead.

Surprisingly, he felt serene. He is not grieving nor happy on his mother's death. He was so afraid before about her, leaving one day. But now that she is gone, he didnt feel anything at all. His day is wasted in the four corners of his classroom, but he did not hear a thing from his teacher. He was thinking, a month from now, would be his graduation. A day from today, would be his 18th birthday. his mother's lifeless body is still laying on his living room. He is contemplating whether to bury her body in the backyard. But that would make him look like a killer trying to hide a body. So he decided against it. He didnt really know any relatives of them, because his mother never talked about any of them when she was alive. 'ah, maybe I'll just call an ambulance when I get home, so I can ask for help to have a proper funeral. What a way to celebrate his 18th birthday.

The sound of the bell brought him back to his senses. It was the final period of the day. He can hear the parents of his classmates waiting outside the room. The laughter and excited voices of their children are mixing in the hallways. Among them, he can hear the not so quiet whispers of the parents that are curious about him.

"he is a little unusual for a blind person. The teacher said that he is a genius!"

"He has heightened senses that he doesnt need his eyes!"

"Maybe a monster. He doesnt even need a cane! What kind of blind person would just casually walk as if he didnt have any disability?"

"Wow, I wish my daughter is like that. How come he has heightened senses?"

"Maybe he is just pretending to be blind."

Those were some of the things that he hear on a daily basis. Alex was born blind. He never saw his face but according to his mother, he has a silver hair and a dull blue eyes. blue eyes that looks like a darker shade. no matter how bright a light is, his eyes are always a darker shade of blue and it makes it look dull and lifeless. looks normal on the outside, but he was declared blind by a doctor.

As for his unsual senses, he was told before that the other senses will be heightened to compensate the loss of sight. He can feel the weight of things. even humans and animals. everything has its own weight except for air and light. for example, humans are heavier than the animals. And he noticed a huge weight difference between a child and an adult. probably because the heavier a sin is from a human, the heavier their soul weighs. Animals however, have lighter souls. Even an elephant weighs much lighter compared to a human child. That is because animals have no consciousness of sin. They dont know what it is and only move according to their instincts.

However, there were things that are heavier than a human soul. They were called spirits, or ghost that refuses to leave this earth. When he was a child, he often encounters these beings. He was told by one of the ghost before that they are bound to earth by anger, sadness, regret and fear. And the longer they stay here on earth, the heavier their souls become as they are defying the god of earth. According to the legend of reincarnation, before a soul was born, they are supposed to make promises to the trinity god. The god of destiny, god of earth and the god of death. No one should defy the promises made from the trinity gods. Souls are required to leave the earth and their bodies once their time is up. If a soul refuses to leave, their soul will become heavy until they are dragged down to the pits of hell, and they will never be reborn. Then he remembered his house this morning. He cant feel any other presence aside from the furniture and the light weight of his mother's body. He thought bitterly, 'Even her soul left me.'

He stood up and was ready to leave the whispers of the parents when he felt 2 presence approach him. "Alex." An older female voice called him.

He turned his head to where the voice came from. "My daughter wishes to speak with you." She said with slight hostility in her voice. The mother took a step back to give them a little privacy.

"Uhm Alex..." she said with a little shyness from her voice. "Tomorrow is your birthday...I was wondering if you wanted to visit the shrine nearby the school...tomorrow is also valentine's day! Well, we can go if you want."

"Why would I go to the shrine on my birthday?" He asked plainly, indicating that her idea is pointless.

She explained desperately, "It was said that the shrine will grant you miracles if you sincerely asked for it...Well, I was thinking we could wish for wealth, longevity or...." She whispered as she blushed, "...love."

Alex scoffed. "If I am going to ask for miracles, I am not going to ask of those petty things. I appreciate the offer but no, I am not going to be available tomorrow." He said arrogantly and left.

He heard her mother say "Ingrate. Let's go!"

As the darkness of the night slowly approaches and the night creatures are slowly waking up: Owls, bats are covering the sky, and the lingering souls are starting to gather around the school, he is walking past this nightly occurrence, he thought about what his classmate has said. "The shrine will grant miracle if you sincerely asked for it." He scoffed with the absurdity of it. No matter how hard you ask, if the death of his mother was meant to be, it will happen. We cant defy the destiny that was written before we are born.

"Are you certain of that?" He stopped walking at the child's voice from his head.

Somehow, this child's voice from his head feels normal. Like it was always a part of him. he believes that this is his subconscious speaking to him. Yes, he might be crazy and started to hear things, but this thing in his head, is the only source of his vast knowledge. A knowledge that is sitting at the back of his mind that he knew he didnt learn from school or from this lifetime...he knew a lot of things that cant be found on the internet...including this train of thought that is slowly being whispered to him from his head;

"You cant bring the dead back, that is for sure...but you can continue writing the destiny of a soul where the connection from it's body was severed...like writing a sequel of a completed book, where the main character is given a second chance..."

Alex didnt know how or if this is possible, this is one of the thoughts that are present at the back of his mind. He just knew that he needs to visit the shrine of destiny and call on it's god. There was a shrine of destiny near the school. It was called Mingyun Shrine. Erected during the long history of Ming dynasty. It just so happen as well that the shrine is one of the oldest in Kanagawa prefecture.

But how is he going to the shrine? He didnt know the way because he didnt normally go to the shrine. If ever, this is the first time that he is going to visit one. He should have accepted when his classmate offered to visit a shrine. He sighed.

"You can always ask the ones that refuses to leave..." he heard in his head.

Huh? The ones that refuses to leave? The souls?

And so, Alex has shut his sense of hearing and smell, and started to navigate his surroundings. Indeed, he can feel that there were a lot of heavy souls around him, he randomly asked a soul to guide him to the shrine. And before he knew it, he was infront if it, he can smell the incense burning from a distance and he can hear the slightly lighter steps of the living humans, separating them from the ghost of the land. The humans are leaving the place as it is time to go home.

"This is the farthest that we can take you. We cant go in beyond the torii gate. The god forbids us." one of the souls who guided him said.

Alex tilted his head on the 2 souls that are with him. "Why cant you go in?"

He felt the sadness from the presence of the two souls "We have refused to leave the land of the living when our time was up. We are not welcome anywhere aside from the pits of hell. It was an oath that we refuse to honor."

"You are unusual for a living soul." The other soul said to him.

Alex stared ahead of the shrine and asked, "how so?"

"Your soul is not dark like the rest of the humans, not a dust of darkness. It is as pure as the snowfield when I was alive during winter, and as warm as the summer sun. For someone who is living in the darkness for so long, the light of your soul is the thing that we want to preserve and our little salvation from hell inside us. It is a reminder that we are once living. Be careful sire. Us, the fallen souls, can only guide you so little..." Their voices are slowly fading in the air as he started walking inside the shrine. "We cant always watch over you sire."

An unexplained sympathy for the dead is swarming his heart, sympathy that he cant offer for the living. He paused and said in the air, "I do not wish for you to watch over me. But I do wish for your soul to be released from the earthly bindings and be reborn again."

Beyond the torii gate, Alex tried to feel his surroundings once more. On his right, there is a cleansing water well that was believed to wash off impurities of your soul and body. straight ahead are sets of stairs that you have to climb on to before you reach the shrine. he didnt care about the courtesy of the shrine. He just went on straight ahead, took a coin from his pocket and tossed it to the shrine. He felt this unusual resentment towards places like this, he cant explain it. But he has deep hatred towards the gods of the living. Doesnt matter from what religion that god is, as long as it has the godly title, he hates it. Sooooo bad.

"God of destiny or whatever you are! You are here, right?! You can here me, right?!

ANSWER ME GOD DAMN IT!!"

He remembered the cold skin of his mother, "I thought a god is supposed to hear and grant wishes." Alex scoffed. "Do you even grant wishes?!"

He heard footsteps coming from his left side, and so, he turned his head from the direction of the footsteps. "You are quite an angry young lad. Your resentment has piqued the interest of the god in this shrine. I wonder what made you this angry."

A man in his late 20's revealed himself. His tied, waist length hair is shining under the sunset light, making it glow against his pale skin. His green eyes watching the angry, blind soul, as if he is expecting him. He is wearing a red yukata where the ends flow like a water around him.

"are you the monk of this shrine?" Anger is visible in his dull blue eyes.

"You could say that."

Alex sighed. It is no use if he is going to vent out his anger on this monk. "I want miracle."

"Well, you can pray for miracle properly on the god of destiny that is in front of you." The man said while he sat down on the offering box.

Alex scoffed. "So are you saying that you are a real god? Hahaha, well, you certainly don't sound like a god. You sound like an imposter." He spat on the face of the god.

The god himself was getting irritated by this young man in front of him. In a flash, he grabbed his face and said,"If you see a miracle tomorrow morning, comeback to this shrine and worship me properly. Got it?!"

Alex slapped his hand from his face "I am waiting to see my mother alive tomorrow morning."

He was about to leave when the god stopped him from his tracks "You dont think that you can just leave here without paying the price of your miracle, right?"

"What else do you want? I already gave the coin to you!"

The god of destiny laughed, "The coin is worthless for a high price miracle that you are asking for. I need a payment more than that."

Alex stood firmer in front of the god, even though he cant see and now that he is calmer, he can certainly feel that he is not human. neither a wondering spirit, his soul is much lighter than any living creature from earth. "State your price."

"Your destiny." The god said seriously.

"What?"

"The price to continue writing your mother's destiny," The god touched the only string that was left on his left ring finger, the red string of fate. "is your own destiny. I am going to cut the half of your red string of fate and that half will be owned by your mother. You can write how your mother will live the half of the life that she will have. Will you give the half of your string?"

At this point, Alex still thinks that this man in front of him is a fraud, so he nonchalantly said, "Go ahead."

The god of destiny smiled mischievously. "The tongue, indeed, is a small but powerful weapon. Any words uttered from it are a signature from you." The god lifted his right hand in the air while still holding the red string on his left hand. A golden scissor appeared out of thin air. The air around them is getting colder every second, "I cut and connect the strings of destiny, as I was designed for that role and that role alone. Once it is cut, like words, the string that you lost will never be back."

**snip**

The golden scissor has cut the half of the red string from him.

Alex felt his consciousness leaving him.

***

14th February, 2006, Kanagawa Prefecture

Alex Chen woke up because of the heat of the sun from his face. He can faintly hear the birds chirping from the outside. He laid still on his bed before remembering what happened.

He remembered that he was in the shrine yesterday. He went in the shrine to ask for miracle. Miracle to bring his mother back to life. But he cant remember how he got back home. He still remember that his consciousness left him, and he can recall perfectly the words of the self-proclaimed god of destiny...

"I cut and connect destinies, as I was designed for that role and that role alone. Once it is cut, like words, the string that you lost will never be back."

What a bullshit.

He went inside his bathroom to prepare for school, he thought that after his shower, he will call the ambulance so he can ask for help in his mother's funeral. When he went out of the bathroom, he can hear the pouring of the rain from his window. He went downstairs and he was surprised when he heard the sound of pan and spatula clashing against each other, as if someone is cooking. He stopped in his tracks and tried to sense the presence coming from the kitchen.

It was a heavy presence, like a human, and this presence is oddly familiar with him. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen and asked, "who are you?"

He heard a feminine laugh that he thought he will never hear. The presence that he was so scared to lose when he was a child. The woman that was dead yesterday upon checking.

"You silly boy. Have you lost your mind now that you are 18?" He can smell the familiar clean scent of the woman that he yearned when his father died. The scent without the smell of alcohol and other substance. "It is I, your mother!"