"Talking"
'Thoughts'
_____________________________________________________________
'I always thought dying would feel more painful.'
A small, luminous ball of consciousness floated through the void. Around it were souls, similar in form, drifting toward a giant helm made of gold and silver, glistening from the combined intensity of light radiating from the countless souls streaming toward it.
Humongous Buddha statues guarded its sides, their serene faces etched with calm, unbothered by the never-ending task assigned to them.
'Clearly, even in death, one can't escape the never-ending line of bureaucracy.'
'But... this isn't so bad. Just floating around—it's like being in space.'
"I'LL HAVE ORDERRRR, ORDER I TELL YOU!!"
A high-pitched, exaggerated voice suddenly tore through the silence of the void. The ball of light, startled, turned toward the source and saw a large, rounded version of.
"Ruby?"
"YES!?!???"
The chibi Ruby yelled with boundless energy, whirling to face the ball of light that had spoken her name. The ball recoiled but quickly composed itself—only to lose its composure again just as fast when Ruby scooped it up and placed it on her palm. Though the ball had no discernible features, it noticeably shook, radiating fear as it "stared" up at Ruby.
"Um... nothing?"
'What in the actual heck is happening right now? Maybe I'm high and just forgot about it.'
"GASPPPP. YOU'RE HIGH!?!! I MUST RID YOU OF THAT FILTHY SENSATION!"
"Wait, whaaaaa—"
Before the tiny ball could finish, it was hurled into the void. As it tumbled, it glimpsed countless other souls trapped in an endless line. Its body grew light, then numb, before abruptly stopping back on Ruby's palm.
"Wha—... what just... happened?"
"IT'S CALLED PURIFICATION BY RAISED BLOOD CIRCULATION VIA G-FORCE!"
"Oh... yeah... that makes sense."
'What on earth is happening right now?'
"You're in the afterlife. Sorry to say, but you died recently."
'Did she read my mind?'
"YuP. Been reading it since I plucked you from 'THE LINE OF REINCARNATION.'"
"So I really died?"
"Yes. Tragic, really—killed by a flowerpot just as you confessed your feelings for your teacher."
"Ack!!"
'AHH HECK, THAT'S RIGHT! I CONFESSED TO MISS SHIORI AHHHHHH!'
Cringe-inducing memories flooded the ball's mind, projected onto a conveniently placed holographic screen.
Ji Minori, a kind-hearted high school student, had confessed to his homeroom teacher, Kaede Shiori, behind the local shrine. Though his words were sweet and sincere, Miss Shiori—who did like him—rejected him gently, wanting him to focus on his education first.
Overjoyed by her indirect acceptance, Minori leaped in excitement... only to trip on a flowerpot, fall onto a sharp tree branch, and—
"Sshhh, blood and guts and branch skewers. Unlucky, huh? But that's the cycle of life and karma for you."
"..."
The ball was silent. It just stared on the screen watching the image of his body hanging in a tree branch that was somehow sharp enough to puncture through his flesh and spine, his entrails sat on the branch visible for anyone to see with his face permanently showing an expression of shock and fear in his final moments.
'Shiori-sensei'
The ball was in trance just staring, letting the reality of his death sink deeper into psyche. However not all people had any care for this trance.
"Heyyy, heyy, hey kid"
Ruby, who was observing the ball's reaction, got bored and tried getting the balls attention by waving her hands infront of the ball. Though it prove to be ineffective as the ball was still in a trance.
Ruby was fed up and decided to.
"HEY KID IM HERE YOU KNOW"
Yell
"Huh-!! Oh... oh right..Ruby"
"I know your processing and everything, but hellooooo, your in the reincarnation cycle right now, might as well decide your next life right"
Confused, the ball raised its imaginary eye brow.
"Decide what?"
"Your appearance! Don't worry about the other things I already took care of that for you"
Ruby said with a mischievous look on her face whilst rubbing her palms together. The ball, however, was still confused and conflicted, especially since it just saw its own dead carcass skewer with a side of intestinal goodness. Not to mention the fact that he could've had a girlfriend if he just stuck out and finished his highschool education. Life sucked balls.
"Can... can I just take a minute to think"
"Uh huh, take your time, just call out when you're done with your thinking."
"Thanks"
The ball had to gather its thoughts for a minute, process everything and compose itself. It needed time to do that.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Nom-Nom––––––––––––––
Cookie-eating noises.
After awhile some hours or days maybe weeks, the ball didn't know, the lack of stimulus left the ball quite numb, but, it also gave the ball a chance to reflect, to think.
It was an interesting experience, basically speeding through grief by yourself without any help, without the option of suicide and escapism. At least that's what the ball thought of the experience.
But now that it finished reflecting upon itself, it forgot one crucial thing.
"Where am I again?"
The ball miraculously forgot the events leading to the present moment. Truly, how impressive, forgetting the giant wheel of literal gold and solver, the giant Ruby too.
"DID SOMEONE CALL MY NAME!!!??!?"
As sudden as a cancer diagnosis, Ruby, in all her chibi glory, appeared out of nowhere. Her appearance brought forth a wind gust so strong that the ball was swept away, only to be grabbed by Ruby's gigantic hand.
"So have you decided?"
'oh right the decision'
"Yup, the decision about your appearance, so who do you wanna look like? Any preferences? Or do you wanna keep your old appearance?"
"Um...I wanna look like 9s but grown up"
"That's the best you could come up with?"
'Am I being pressured right now?'
Under Ruby's slight insult over it's imagination and originality the ball altered its choice by a small amount.
"...but with long hair"
"..."
"..."
"How uncreative and unimaginative"
"WELL SORRY I'M FEELING A LITTLE PRESSURED HERE"
"Still unoriginal though. But what can we do, it's your choice after all"
"Yep that's right. And also where will you reincarnate me anyway?"
"Remnant"
The ball looked at the gigantic Ruby before him with a strange expression. A mix of confusion and curiosity appeared on his imaginary features as if to question why.
"Remnant? Any reason why?"
'Regrets maybe? Wouldn't make sense though, if Ruby is all powerful, she could've just fixed the problems of her world if need be, why send someone else who might not even do anything?'
The ball clearly forgot the established fact that the great Ruby-sama can read minds. But Ruby just ignored this thought of the ball, clearly the motivation of why reincarnate this kebabed person wasn't important to the overall plot of this webnovel.
"Just cause"
'This just feels like its for plot convinience at this point'
What a sharp instinct and intuition this ball possesses.
"Let's just say its like that"
Couldn't be farther from the truth.
"Sure??"
"Anyways, when you get to remnant you'll get a notebook, on the first few pages you'll get a list of your perks and semblance, a map, I.D and a motorcycle, also some weapons"
"For convenience?"
"Yes"
"..."
"..."
The mood between the two started to become awkward. Like that elevator ride with some random hot chick, you want to make small talk, take some small glances, but you don't have the confidence for it, how sad.
"Don't..you have any questions...or request?"
Ruby trying to get out of this awkward situation, initiated to make the conversation. The ball, with it adequate social skills responded in order to not make the situation any more cringe inducing.
"Might as well actually. First when am I gonna get sent to remnant? Second where in Remnant? Third what stuff do I get? And lastly do I have a cheat?"
Ruby smiled warmly in approval, clearly the ball had good social skills and EQ, such people were good for introverts like her self.
"Well 1. I'll be sending you to remnant in just a minute or few. 2. In Mount Glenn, so that your map and motorcycle has uses 3-4. Your notebook will provide a list of everything you're getting for your trip to remnant"
Ruby misunderstood what the ball meant for question 1, what a disaster this is. And the ball was confused, but with his high EQ, it understood that Ruby misunderstood its question so it
"What I meant by my firs-"
Ball wanted to use clarification
"Oh would you look at the time bye bye now"
It was ineffective and Ruby used reincarnation leading ball to fall through the void at FTL speed.
"WHA––!!!"
The ball screamed as he silently cursed Ruby with.
'RUBY WHAT THE FUCKK----'
"SWEAR JAR!!!"
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Tipping the swear jar–––––––
In the forest surrounding Mount Glenn a man with flowing white hair fell to the ground with a hard thump. The man laying on his back started blankly towards the sky with a black look on his face, a face of someone unimpressed or rather someone who is fed up.
"Who the he––"
A notebook hurled itself from the sky, landing on the man's face.
Smack down the middle.
"FU–––"
Followed by a swear jar.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––End––––––––––––––––––
(A/N)
√ First book I publish. Lets see if I have the motivation to write more of this. I'll try pushing out one everyday.
7|°^°|✓Byeeeee