Shawn floated forward as his name echoed across the Soul Ocean.
The sound of it—his name—seemed to shimmer through the air like a ripple through still water. Every soul turned to look.Glowing eyes locked onto him.
Some were curious.
Some sympathetic.
And more than a few whispered:
"He's so small…"
Shawn gulped.
He tried not to shrink under the weight of all those stares. With the confidence of a kid trying to act like he hadn't just cried during "How to Train Your Dragon," he floated forward—shoulders back, chin up, even though he technically didn't have shoulders or a chin anymore.
Still, the effect was there.
Totally cool.
Totally calm.Definitely not a twelve-year-old who may or may not have been dragged underwater by a death-squid.
Each inch closer to the glowing Judgement Platform made him feel like he was approaching the principal's office while desperately pretending he definitely didn't punch someone at recess. Not that he had. Probably.
A crystalline lectern shimmered into existence in front of him, tall and elegant, like it had grown from moonlight itself. Behind it stood the Soul Conductor assigned to his evaluation—a regal, radiant being made entirely of swirling stardust and ancient authority. Her form pulsed gently with cosmic light, and her eyes glowed like polished comets.
She unfurled a long scroll that rolled down past her knees and kept going, curling up slightly at her feet.
Her voice chimed like bells, each syllable echoing like it had traveled from a cathedral at the edge of time.
"Soul Record — Shawn Miller. Age at Death: Twelve."
Shawn braced himself.The silence behind him thickened.
The Conductor's glowing finger traced down the scroll.
"Cause of Death…"
She paused.
Then raised one arched, starlit brow.
"Unknown Aquatic Tentacle Entity?"
Laughter exploded through the waiting souls like firecrackers. Even a few angelic bureaucrats near the edges of the realm coughed into their sleeves.
Shawn spun around. "IT WAS REAL!" he snapped, throwing up his glowing hands.
Behind him, the grumpy old man from earlier let out a snort. "Sure, kid. Tentacle monsters. Next you'll say you fought a sea dragon."
Shawn turned back, muttering, "It had suckers. And a vendetta…"
The Conductor cleared her throat delicately, silencing the crowd.
"Personality Assessment," she continued smoothly, as though he hadn't just been heckled by the entire afterlife.
"Mischievous. Prone to breaking minor rules. Tendency to talk back…"
Shawn's glow brightened slightly. He nodded, visibly proud.
"Highly intelligent. Displays remarkable creativity. Exceptional early aptitude for mechanical and magical invention. Loyal to friends. Kind to family. Strong sense of responsibility beneath childish behavior."
Shawn straightened his nonexistent spine.His glow pulsed with a touch more confidence.
This wasn't so bad.
The Conductor gave a slow nod, scrolling further.
"Overall Potential Rating: Extremely High."
Murmurs erupted behind him like a ripple of static through the souls.
"Did she say extremely high?"
"Isn't he just a kid?"
"That's rare."
Even the old man let out a long, low whistle.
Shawn blinked.
Wait. What?
The Conductor continued, her tone now tinged with a kind of reverence.
"Verdict: Eligible for High-Tier Reincarnation."
Shawn's eyes widened. His glow stuttered like a flickering candle.That was… big.
He could feel something shift inside him. Like all the self-doubt, the fear, the helplessness that had been clinging to him since that moment in the river—since Jean's hand had slipped from his—was finally cracking.
And then came the final line:
"Reward: One-Time Return Visit to Previous World before departure."
Shawn gasped. "I—what? I get to go back?"
A nod.The scroll kept unrolling.
"Assigned Rebirth: Child of the Emperor of the Jade Sky Empire."
The words hit like a lightning bolt.
Shawn's jaw dropped. "W-Wait… I get to be a prince cultivator?! Like the ones with swords and glowing fists and—cloud palaces?!"
The Conductor allowed a small smile, barely perceptible but undeniably there.
"Pending final stamp."
She raised her hand slowly, reverently. A golden seal materialized above the scroll, hovering in the air. It pulsed with divine energy, every beat like a drum of destiny.
Shawn held his breath.This was it.
One final moment.One press of that golden stamp, and he'd be on his way. Not just reincarnated—but reborn as someone destined for greatness.
The Conductor's hand inched forward.
And then—
"Yo. Hold up."
The world paused.
Literally.
The Conductor's hand froze mid-stamp.
The Soul Ocean stilled.
The air went silent.
All movement stopped.
Every soul turned, eyes wide, necks craning.
Something shimmered at the edge of the horizon—a tear in reality, like the fabric of the afterlife itself had hiccupped.
A figure casually strolled in. Not floated. Not appeared. Just… strolled. Like someone walking into the wrong room at a party.
She wore robes made of galaxies. Actual galaxies, swirling and spinning in the fabric. Her hair trailed behind her like the tail of a comet, and her skin shimmered with the glow of starlight. She was power incarnate—and somehow still had the vibe of someone who would talk your ear off at a bowling alley.
In one hand:
A piece of glowing bubblegum, which she chomped on with surprising enthusiasm.
In the other:
She pointed lazily toward Shawn.
"Is this where y'all sell souls? I'll take that one."
Her voice was casual, breezy. Like she was ordering a sandwich.
She flicked her wrist toward him like she was calling dibs on the last donut at a celestial brunch table.
"How much? Y'all take star cores? Or do I gotta swipe my fate card?"
The entire Judgement Hall glitched.
A silence fell so deep, it made the last one sound like a rock concert.
The Conductor sputtered for the first time in, possibly, all eternity.
"EX—EXCUSE ME?! WHO—WHO ARE YOU TO INTERRUPT—"
The newcomer blinked innocently. "Oh, right. Formalities."
She coughed once, theatrically.
Then—
Her aura flared.
The Soul Ocean shook.
Souls dropped to their knees in unison, like strings had been cut. Even the Conductor stumbled backward, her scroll vanishing in a puff of light.
Shawn's glow dimmed in instinctive awe.
The being smiled. It was sweet.
Too sweet.
Like candy laced with supernovas.
"Call me Feela," she said warmly. "A lady that fiddles with Fate like a violin during her free time."
She stretched slightly, cracking her neck like someone who'd just woken up from a thousand-year nap.
"And I'm buying that kid."
She winked at Shawn.
"Congratulations, boy. Your reincarnation just got… upgraded."