The sterile scent of disinfectant, a constant companion in his final days, filled Ray's nostrils. He lay on the crisp white sheets of the hospital bed, his gaze distant, his voice a raspy whisper.
"Hello, my name is Ray Ross. I'm just an unemployed man, drifting through life without a purpose." A faint, bitter smile touched his lips. "I never knew my real parents. An old man raised me, and I always pestered him about them, but he never told me anything. He was everything to me, my whole world... until I turned twelve."
Ray's eyes clouded with a familiar sorrow. "He died in an accident. After that, I was alone. Helpless. People talk about diseases like cancer, but for a child like me, the real disease was hunger. I wandered cold, lonely streets, suffering from malnutrition. No food, no one to ask for help. That day, I truly understood pain."
A harsh cough rattled his chest. "I begged, I wandered from place to place, but all I got was stale food and abuse. For me, this world was nothing less than hell. People are supposed to be punished for their sins after death, but I was getting mine while still living..."
Another series of coughs wracked his frail body. "Looks like my time is close. I'm happy. I'm going to die from cancer, and finally, I'll be freed from the curse of this rotten world. I truly am happy. Maybe in my afterlife, I'll get to live the kind of life people call 'peaceful.'"
The steady beep... beep... beep of the heart monitor suddenly flatlined into a piercing BEEEEEEEP!
A nurse rushed into the room, her voice sharp and urgent. "Doctor! The patient in Room 304 is dead!"
The doctor entered moments later, his expression harried. "Call his family and clear this room. Many patients are already waiting. Haven't you heard about the bus accident nearby?"
"Doctor, we don't know anything about his family," the nurse replied, slightly breathless. "He was admitted as an emergency case."
"Hmm..." The doctor paused, stroking his chin. "Then it means all his medical costs and room rent haven't been paid. Alright, refer him to the medical college. We can recover our fees by selling his body."
"Understood, Doctor."
Ray watched them, his newfound ethereal form hovering above his lifeless body. These greedy people, he thought, a sense of detached amusement coloring his observation. They don't even care about the dead. To them, only money matters.
A strange lightness filled him. But it looks like I'm finally freed from this cursed body, from these cursed humans. He remembered the old man's words. He used to say that after death, people go to heaven or hell based on their sins and virtues. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm sure I never did anything wrong.
Suddenly, a brilliant white door materialized directly in front of him, shimmering with an otherworldly glow.
"What is this door?" Ray squinted, shielding his eyes from the intense light. "It's so bright I can't open my eyes properly. Wait... is this a door to heaven?" A wave of pure, unadulterated joy washed over him. "Ah... I finally got what I was dreaming of!"
Without hesitation, Ray stepped through the luminous doorway. As he passed through, the door vanished, leaving the hospital room in silence once more.
"What is this place?" Ray's voice, though no longer a physical sound, resonated with awe. Before him stretched an expanse of blinding light, an endless, featureless white that somehow felt both utterly empty and infinitely vast. "It's so bright, so void... how do I even put this into words? It's just so divine, so utterly majestic."
He squinted into the boundless expanse, a flicker of confusion crossing his ethereal features. "I can tell by its appearance it's not hell, but it's certainly not heaven either. It's just... empty. Am I supposed to be here? Am I trapped? Just what in the hell is happening?"
Suddenly, a resonant, booming voice echoed through the boundless nothingness, vibrating through Ray's very essence.
"The space you are perceiving, the one you describe as bright, empty, and infinitely vast, is the Void of Nothingness," the voice declared, ancient and omnipotent. "The souls of lesser beings, such as humans, cannot fully grasp the logic of the Void within their tiny minds."
"Who are you?" Ray demanded, his surprise quickly fading into his characteristic lack of deference. "Are you also a dead soul, trapped here like me?"
The voice hardened, a faint ripple disturbing the serene white. "Control your words, lesser being. I am the owner of this realm. My name is Ager, and I embody the neutrality of nothingness. You are here to face your karma, and after that, you will be reincarnated into another universe."
"Karma? Neutrality?" Ray pressed, completely unfazed by the powerful presence. "I can't understand what you're saying."
A low, exasperated sigh seemed to reverberate from all directions. "Too many questions. As I knew, you lesser beings are quite annoying." Ager paused, a shift in his tone suggesting a rare moment of introspection. "Well, it doesn't make sense to explain all this, as your memories will be erased and your soul will be purified, so you will forget all this. However, you are the first to ask me such things, so allow me to tell you about one concept: 'karma'."
"Any entity possessing consciousness falls into the category of 'beings'," Ager began, his voice now a steady flow of profound wisdom. "There exists a special divine force known as the soul, which grants these beings consciousness. A soul is neither created nor destroyed. A soul's purity is determined by its karma—what it has done in its physical form. Every soul is destined to leave its physical form one day; this is what humans like you call death. Death is merely a comma in an endless sentence."
"After death," Ager continued, "I examine the karma of the soul. Then, to purify their essence, they must confront the consequences of their actions in their previous existence. Following this, a soul assumes another physical form—what you refer to as rebirth or reincarnation."
"Now I understand what karma is!" Ray exclaimed, a spark of genuine comprehension in his eyes. "But tell me, who are you? Aren't you also a soul like me?"
Ager fell silent. This soul is different, a thought echoed through the Void, not quite his voice but an undeniable presence. He shows no fear of me. I haven't even revealed my form, and he hasn't thought to ask where I am. Normal souls can barely stand properly in the Void; due to the effects of their karma, they feel intense, incomprehensible pain. Even souls with good karma typically lose their awareness due to the sudden summoning into the Void of Nothingness, yet this soul keeps asking questions without cessation. Usually, after a death, I instantly know who is dead and about their karma, and they automatically appear in the Void. But I cannot even ascertain his karma, and he appeared suddenly, without any summoning. Something is wrong...
"Hey!" Ray's voice cut through Ager's contemplation. "What are you thinking? Are you even still here?"
"Soul," Ager replied, a new resolve in his tone, "allow me to come forth and speak with you in my physical form."
In a blink, a figure materialized before Ray. He was towering, majestic as an ancient tree, with a divine light radiating from his entire being. A third eye, with a piercing red iris, adorned his forehead. Dressed in impeccably formal attire—a tailored coat and trousers—his physique was remarkably powerful, almost sculpted.
"Hey, just who are you?" Ray blurted out, genuinely surprised. "Believe me, I can bet any girl in my city would fall in love with you with that body. Because of your voice and strong presence, I honestly thought you'd look monstrous!"
Ager's third eye narrowed infinitesimally. "Again, control your words. Your entire past lives and future lives, your present, past, and future—everything is within my hands."
"Why are you getting angry?" Ray countered, a mischievous glint in his non-existent eyes. "I was just saying you look really good! Even your voice doesn't match your appearance."
"Huh..." Ager sighed, a sound that seemed to encompass cosmic weariness. "We, the Neutralities, are not bound by such lower concepts as physical bodies, appearances, or love. We have spoken enough."
His divine light intensified. "Now, let me check your karma."
Ager's third eye widened slightly, then pulsed with a brilliant, momentary flash of light.
"Oh!" Ager murmured, his gaze fixed on Ray. "Now I understand what makes you different from other souls."
"What do you mean?" Ray pressed, his curiosity piqued.
"Soul, you should be exceedingly proud," Ager declared, a rare hint of astonishment in his ancient voice. "You are the first being to surprise me in five Mahayugs—five vast cosmic ages! You possess zero karma. This means you have done nothing wrong, nor have you done anything overtly good for others. You hold a neutral karma, just like me."
Ager's gaze intensified. "Never, from the dawn of time until this very moment, has there been a soul without karma. You are the absolute first. You are truly unique among all souls existing across the countless multiverses."
"Now where will you send me?" Ray asked, surprisingly calm despite the revelation. "Hell or Heaven?"
"Do not worry, being," Ager responded, his voice softening slightly. "You have nothing to be punished for. I will reincarnate you into another universe, on another planet. Before that, however, I grant you the unprecedented opportunity to choose the type of universe you wish to be reborn into."
"What if such a universe doesn't even exist?" Ray questioned, ever practical.
"Do not worry, human," Ager replied, a touch of cosmic amusement in his tone. "Neither you nor I possess the ability to conceive of something beyond what the Supremes have already created. Think what you desire; you will be only the second to receive this opportunity."
"Then who was the first one?" Ray immediately asked, his curiosity overriding all else.
Ager fell silent, a fleeting shiver, an ancient, almost imperceptible tremor, passing through his immense form as the image of that figure briefly materialized in his mind.
"Leave that topic," Ager said, his voice regaining its usual sternness, though a trace of unease lingered. "Just imagine what type of planet you wish to be reincarnated on."
"How will you know my choice if I just imagine it?" Ray challenged, his skepticism firmly in place.
"You truly ask far too many questions," Ager sighed, an echo of exasperation in his voice. "Who do you think I am? In the Void of Nothingness, nothing can be hidden, not even your thoughts. Here, nothing exists, yet everything exists. This state, where two opposite things exist together at the same time, is called a Superstate. Here, no one can hide anything, nowhere, at no time."
"Then let me imagine..." Ray murmured, closing his eyes.
He concentrated, his mind racing. I want a place where I can live in peace and happiness. I should have my own pride, my own respect. I should also have a wife. And I want the strength to protect others.
"I didn't tell you to think about what you want there," Ager's voice cut in, sharp and impatient. "Think about the type of universe. Think again."
Ray frowned, placing his hands on his head. It's actually much harder to think about the 'type' of universe. I need to think deeper...
A sudden, agonizing pain lanced through Ray's head. "It's paining!" he gasped, clutching his skull. "Aaaahh... my head will burst with pain! I... I... I am losing consciousness!"
Ray's ethereal form flickered, then sagged, unconscious. He began to fall, drifting downwards into the vast, white, empty void with nothing to impede his descent.
"Hey, human!" Ager cried out, his voice sharp with a rare, undeniable tremor of panic.
If he falls down and reaches Mightspace, his soul will... Ager's thought trailed off, the implications too severe to voice.
"I have to stop him before he breaches the Void of Nothingness!" Ager declared, his resolve hardening. "I have no other way to stop him. I have to summon him, even if I don't want to!"
Ager stood perfectly still, slowing his breathing, focusing his mind with immense effort. He brought both hands together, forming an intricate handsign, and began to chant, his voice resonating with ancient power.
"Me, Neutrality of Nothingness, summons you, Rahi, Neutrality of Destruction!"
Blood streamed from both of Ager's nostrils, stark crimson against his divine form. "It really requires too much energy to summon you," he muttered, swaying slightly.
Suddenly, a new figure materialized in the Void, teleporting into existence with a subtle distortion of the white expanse.
"It's been many yugs since I last met you, Ager," the newcomer, a being of immense power, remarked. His voice was deep, laced with a casual, almost bored, amusement. "I wonder why you would summon me."
This new arrival held a sword in his hand. His eyes were a piercing blue, his hair a vibrant red. An immense, immeasurable aura of raw presence emanated from him. He wore no clothes on his upper body, revealing a powerfully sculpted physique and a massive scar etched across his chest. His lower body was clad in simple, functional attire.
"I don't know why my heart starts to beat at high speed in your presence," Ager replied, a wry note in his tone, though his eyes betrayed lingering apprehension. "Well, let me get to the point. A human soul with no karma fell a minute ago and will soon enter Mightspace. You understand what that means, don't you?"
"So you want me to erase that soul?" Rahi mused, a slow smile spreading across his face. "But wait... is it even possible to have no karma? Only Neutralities possess zero karma."
"That's precisely why I'm telling you," Ager explained, his urgency evident. "If he enters Mightspace, where all realms—like hell, heaven, and the Void of Nothingness—converge, the raw neutrality energy released by these vast bodies will cause his soul to evolve into a new Neutrality. We cannot take such a risk. For the sake of cosmic balance, we must erase him from existence."
"Before that," Rahi interrupted, placing his sword casually on his shoulder, his smile widening, "tell me, how did he fall from this Void? Even we can't fall."
"I don't know for certain," Ager admitted, visibly frustrated. "But perhaps it was when I used my third eye on him to directly check his karma. The energy shockwave my third eye releases is enough to destroy an entire planet. Yet, even after that, this soul continued to talk to me, and he endured my presence for ten minutes!"
Rahi chuckled, shifting his sword on his shoulder. "It will be fun to erase him!" he said, a predatory glint in his blue eyes.
"Because of your foolishness, he would have already passed Mightspace and dropped onto a planet!" Ager snapped, his patience wearing thin. "How will you reach there now?"
Rahi smirked, an air of supreme confidence radiating from him. "Don't worry about that. Did you think I was the strongest among Neutralities just for a name?"
Rahi stood perfectly still and straight, his form becoming a pillar of focus.
"I am using this spell after a long time," he murmured. "It's time to activate the pact I made with the Neutrality of Space."
"SPACE PACT: DESIRED DESTINATION TELEPORTATION!"
The Void shimmered, twisting for a moment. Suddenly, the scene shifted. Ray's unconscious form lay sprawled on a sandy seashore, the gentle lapping of waves barely reaching his feet before receding.
A new presence appeared beside him. "So, you are Ray," Rahi's voice echoed, now carrying the vastness of an entire planet.
An immense amount of black aura erupted from Rahi, swiftly enveloping him and momentarily eclipsing even the sun's light. His entire body became shrouded in the inky darkness, save for his piercing blue eyes, which glowed with an intensified, vibrant azure. The sheer pressure of his immense strength caused the very planet to tremble, triggering a large earthquake that rippled across the landscape for a brief, terrifying moment.
"I have already sealed my aura and energy from leaking," Rahi mused, the tremor subsiding as he tightened his control. "But I thought I would have
to use a more powerful seal, or this planet will soon be divided into pieces."