Another day, another dollar. The motto of my life. I come to work, do my work, and leave. I don't have much else going on. I try to relax when I'm at home. It's basically impossible to relax cause I'm so busy.
I'm a lawyer for a firm that represents major corporations. Most of my work is for Walt Inc. An animation and live action movie company. I specialize in Intellectual Property, so I'm most often sending cease and desist letters to people making animations that feature the companies' works. It's a dumb chore.
Sometimes I feel bad when I have to shut down some kid's passion project. Like Mario Boxes Bowser. Cute and simple, and I had to make a kid delete all his work. Worst part was his youtube video reacting to it became a few memes. Some rude guys in my work send a lot of wojak memes of his face to one another. I've received a few, and always feel some guilt.
Today was a similar, albeit somewhat less soul crushing day. A promising animation company was making a movie. But their cartoon mouse was a bit similar to Walt Inc.'s mouse, so I had to shut that down. Had to go through the whole trial, arguing my case. It feels childish for me, pointing at a drawing's ears and saying "Oh, you use the same ears, so shut down your movie and delete everything you've worked on."
I honestly don't need to, but it's been hinted that if I don't shut down this movie, there'll be trouble for me. Probably a vague threat that I'll be fired. And I've got family depending on me, just like anyone else. Money pays the bills, so I shut down this movie. Next day in the news, the company has rumors swirling around it that it'll declare bankruptcy because of how much was invested in a now dead project.
I sigh as this thought crosses my mind. But for me, it's just another Tuesday. A rather bitter one.
I'm driving home from work, and I just noticed my gas is running low. I sigh again, and turn onto a highway exit. Then I pull into a gas station. As I step out of my car, I notice an unfortunately common occurrence.
A young black man being harassed by two police officers.
"Hey, hands against the wall bitch." Officer 1 orders firmly.
The young man's face becomes tense and flat. An anger smolders in his eyes, but he does as he's told calmly. Wise.
There's nothing I can really do. I enter the gas station. I don't take long. Just buying some smokes and a soda. In and out in a few minutes. Not long enough to miss what happens next.
When I step back out, it's gotten worse.
"Boy! You better tell the truth now. Why do you smell like weed?" Cop 1 snaps angrily.
"Sir, that's not weed. It's some chemical I got spilled on me while I worked." the young man says nervously.
Cop 2 chuckles amusedly as he watches his partner work the young man. Cop 1 presses his nightstick against the young man's head.
"Do we need to search your car?" Cop 1 says angrily.
"Please move the stick away from my-" the young man asks tensely.
Cop 1 lightly smacks his nightstick against the young man's head. The young man flinches with every hit, and it ticks me off. When he does it a third time, something snaps in me. So I pull out my phone and start videotaping the scene.
This immediately sets off Cop 2, who angrily smacks my phone out my hand.
"Man, what the fuck!? You're harassing this damn kid! Leave him alone!" I yell angrily.
Cop 2 smirks, then suddenly smacks himself across the face. My jaw drops with shock, and drops even further with what comes out his mouth as he talks into his radio.
"We've got an Assault against an Officer, I'm gonna need backup." Cop 2 states calmly.
"What the fuck bro? He didn't even do anything." the young man says angrily.
"Yeah, what's your damn problem? I'm gonna sue your ass for this, I'm a lawyer." I snap angrily.
Cop 2 reaches into his belt, and pulls out a small revolver. He tosses it at me, and I can't help but catch it. It's instinct. Stupid instinct.
"He's got a gun!" Cop 2 yells with fake fear.
Suddenly both cops pull out their pistols and open fire on me. I feel intense pain as high speed bullets fly through my body, leaving burning holes behind. They must fire at least ten times before I fall to the ground.
As my vision fades, I become even more confused as Cop 1 shoots himself in the foot.
"Ah God, he shot me! Quick, get the shotgun!" Cop 1 yells with pain.
Cop 2 runs to their car, and pulls out a pump shotgun. He runs up to my dying body, and fires into my body. The first shot kills me and blows my face apart.
I see him fire repeatedly into my body but from this point, I'm not feeling it. It still scares me and makes me flinch. But after the third shot and not experiencing more pain, I look back and briefly see a bullet fly through me.
I crawl away in shock, and then it finally clicks as I see my body before me. I'm dead, and now I'm a spirit.
Just as I realize this, the world begins to fade away. First it turns gray. Then it begins to melt down. Everything. The buildings, the sky, the people. Everything does, until the sky is black. And I'm sitting on a flat, black surface. It's moist. Whenever I touch it, small white ripples form across its surface.
Everything begins to shake. A massive white light emerges from the ground far away from me. It blinds me with a great intensity. I can hear a wave of water rising up, and crashing into the ground. I feel ripples crawl across the ground all over.
When the light fades, standing before me is a strange, giant woman. She seems to be floating in the air, with her upper half level with me. Does that mean the ground is see-through?
The woman is not beautiful in a traditional sense. She emanates power, influence, and fairness. Her eyes are gray, and they are solemn and wise. There are wrinkles beneath these eyes that do not speak ill of her. They show experience. Her skin is black and white, perfectly split down the middle. Her outfit and hair is split as well. On her white side, it is cut short and wild. On the right, there is a hoop of hair that swings to the ear. Then there is exactly half a ponytail.
On her black side, she wears a simple white pantsuit. Her cuffs are golden. And she wears a silver watch. On her white side, she wears a leather jacket with a spiked shoulder. Half a t-shirt with an Anarchy symbol painted across it. A black and red skirt. Black leather pants. And a black boot with a bloodstained sole.
Behind her head is a floating gold scale with a black bowl on one side and a white bowl on the other. The black bowl hangs behind the white side's ear, and the white bowl behind the black side's ear.
I still sit on the ground, unsure of what to do with myself. I'm honestly a bit terrified. There's a strange feeling in my chest as if I know what's to come.
Judgment.
The second those words struck my mind, her gaze turns on me. She stares at me for a moment, then smiles.
"I knew you were there the whole time. I was just thinking about what to do because you're a complicated case." she says nicely.
I smile nervously and nod. Okayyy. I sit in silence for several seconds, then spend several more seconds building up courage.
"So what happens with this? Do you determine if I go to heaven or hell?" I ask tensely.
She nods happily, then strokes her chin and stares at me.
"You were kind of a good guy. But from what I can tell, almost every good thing you ever did has been negated by your job. You did some good and have a good spirit. But like, you got Mouse Tales canceled. And that movie looked great." she says in a wishy-washy manner.
My jaw almost drops when she mentions that movie. I can't believe my job is going to send me to hell. All I did was follow the rules and argue what they were.
"Yeah, but you argued about them for the sake of assholes mainly." she says calmly.
I stare confusedly, then my jaw drops. She read my mind. She can see everything I'm thinking.
"Don't bother trying to hide any thoughts, I can tell what you're generally aiming for. So yes, I saw that urge to make yourself look good in your mind so you don't go to hell. Just relax. Or…" she says calmly. "Try to, anyway." she says quietly.
I try to relax, but I'm very confused and scared. So it isn't long before I start to ask more questions. Before I get a word out though, she holds up a finger at me and gives me an annoyed look.
"My name is Libra, the Constellation. Basically a God of Law and Justice. Now I want you to clear your mind, and let me focus on reading through your teenage years." she states tensely.
Somewhere in her eyes, I see a red ball of fury. I shudder at the sight.
"Fucking boys always jacking it. Disgusting." Libra mutters angrily.
I become incredibly embarrassed as I realize why she's mad.
"STOP THINKING, YOU'RE MAKING MORE IMAGES OF YOURSELF JACKING IT COME UP! STOPPPP! STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP!" Libra yells furiously.
"I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY-" I yell with fearful panic.
She pulls her hand back as if to smack me and I scream at a shrill pitch. She stares at me confusedly, then chuckles a bit.
"Heh, you're funny. You're not so bad." Libra says warmly.
She sighs and shakes her head.
"Perverted stuff aside, you are quite the case. Your soul is almost entirely neutral, and the proper judgment is Purgatory. Which is this place, by the way." Libra says nicely.
I…am not comfortable with purgatory. It's very boring and moist.
Libra claps her hands together and smiles.
"I've decided on what needs to be done. You will be given a second life to prove what you truly are. Good or evil. None of this neutral stuff." she says happily.
She leans forward and squints at me. A warning visible across her face.
"Now don't you freaking be a pansy in this life. If you come back here and you're neutral, you will stay in purgatory this time." she warns, mostly serious, but with a tinge of affection.
Her words strike me. Confusion and fear fill me.
"Wait, a second life? Where though? Back on Earth?" I ask quickly.
"Heh, nope. It's called Libraius. It's a Planet that worships me." Libra says proudly.
I sigh and shake my head as I struggle to accept this.
"I should mention it's a world of magic too." Libra says calmly.
I stand up, face filled with shock.
"What!? Magic!? How come my world didn't have magic?" I complain angrily.
"The owner of your world is a lazy dick." Libra says nonchalantly.
She shrugs her shoulders while I seethe. Then she reaches a hand out to me. I recoil in fear, but find a small hand squeezing my shoulder. I look back, and find that her arm briefly disconnects a few dozen yards in front of me. Then what I assume is her shrunken hand is now on my shoulder. I think.
"This is your hand right?" I ask quickly.
"Yup. Don't think about it too much." Libra says warmly.
Libra removes her hand, and in an instant her arm is normal and her hand gigantic once more.
"Now it's time for a brief crash course on Librarius. First, the year is a nice even 1000. It's currently in what you would call the Medieval Era, though it's much more comfortable and hygienic thanks to magic and my influence. Monsters cover the planet for one of two general reasons: a part of the world is overexposed to magic and creatures of that area mutate into powerful monsters. Or a person creates something powerful and it goes wild." Libra explains quickly.
"Uhhh, I'm not a fighter." I say nervously.
Libra smiles and waves a hand dismissively.
"You'll be fine. You're starting in a city." she says warmly. "Anyway, there are five continents. Pordrig, that's where you'll be at. Draconic Kingdom, Kingdom of Gilgamesh, Zelzabog the Utopia, and The Forbidden Continent. It's forbidden cause everyone sends their prisoners there. It's like Australia in that way." she explains quickly.
I nod quickly.
"Can you write this down? This all feels essential." I ask nervously.
"Don't worry, your home has a small library with all the knowledge you could ever need." Libra says warmly.
"Oh, I get a home? Nice. Rent or own?" I say happily.
"Own. It's a nice cottage." Libra says warmly.
"Cool. Please, continue. I'm sure there's more I must know." I say respectfully.
"Indeed. Now then, you will be in the capital of Pordrig, the city known as Fair City. It's called that cause the Law is fair to all." Libra says proudly.
I arch an eyebrow and scowl as she says this.
"Really? So you're telling me stuff like racism doesn't exist in this world?" I ask skeptically.
Libra's smile wanes over a few seconds. Then she sighs and her head droops forward.
"Yeah it exists. And yes, the law isn't fair to everyone in reality." she admits with quiet shame.
I laugh because of how jaded I am. Libra straightens up and tilts her head side to side, like a fighter trying to push through the pain. I smile amusedly at the sight.
"Anyway, the laws of Pordrig are simple. There's only 10. They are as follows:
No stealing. Punishment is losing a hand. No adultery. Punishment is a duel of honor between the adulterer and the one who got cheated on. No murder. Punishment is death. Pay your taxes. Refusal to pay taxes results in Prison, and soon after being made a slave. Homosexuality is a sin and punished by death. Necromancy is illegal. Eating anything that can be described as 'cute' is illegal. Natives of Pordrig can't be slaves. Place of birth can be determined with a spell. Trademarks and Patents are to be respected. Illegally copying a trademark or patented item results in the company being able to seize money and items from the lawbreaker equal to the total financial damages determined by a judge. All other things that can be defined as 'Evil' are dictated by the local Judge. This Judge determines what the punishment for this 'Evil' is." Libra explains calmly.
I thought this Medieval Law system was incredibly basic until I heard that last one. That law just spells trouble for society. Judges will have way too much power.
"Can I say I don't like a few of these laws?" I ask annoyedly.
Libra grows disdain across her face, her brow furrowing and her mouth frowning.
"Yeah, it's irritating. Pordrig is a mess when it comes to its laws. It's why I'm sending you there. Fixing their law system seems like an easy path for you to go to heaven on." Libra says annoyedly.
"Uhhh, I'm sorry, what? You expect me to fix their laws?" I ask, annoyed.
"Well, I mean. You don't have to do that. You can become an adventurer and save people if you want." Libra says nervously.
Libra scratches her cheek with a finger and smiles.
"Though something tells me that life doesn't suit you." she says sheepishly.
I have to restrain myself from glaring at that. If I want to, I can be an adventurer. I'll fucking slay a dragon to spite you Libra.
"You do that, hun." Libra laughs.
Oh right, she can read my mind.
"Anyway, final thing. Your cover story. First of all, to make this really easy you're an orphan. No family. Everyone in your neighborhood has had their minds enchanted so they think that you've lived there for a few years now. You'll be considered a recluse. Your day job is to be a Lawyer for people in court. Your name remains the same. I've also given you a somewhat powerful Passive Spell called Treat Me Like I'm New. Basically this lets you ask anyone that considers you a friend any question about the world you want, and they won't act like it's crazy you're asking. Even if it's a really basic question like 'why is the sky green?'" Libra explains calmly.
"The sky is green?" I ask confusedly.
"I changed the color scheme for how light looks when it scatters. I decided the lowest color should be green, and the highest purple." Libra answers calmly.
"You can just do that?" I ask, shocked.
"Yeah, it's like I'm a God or something." Libra says sarcastically.
Libra claps her hands once more, and the ground beneath me gives way. I scream fearfully as I fall. Libra waves to me with a warm smile.
"Good luck Henry. Make sure to be a good boy. And make sure to study Magic at some point." Libra says happily.
It's a full minute before color begins to come to the world. It's like I'm seeing stars come into existence. As I travel, objects grow bigger, becoming planets and galaxies. I can tell at this point I'm heading for a large blue ball with a thick green aura around it.
After half an hour, I can see the five continents Libra was talking about. I think the one I'm heading for is shaped like a pot. There's even a trail of islands on both sides that look like handles. There's a continent shaped like a lizard with sharp fangs, and a volcano in the center. I'd bet that's the Draconic Kingdom. There's one shaped like a very long knife that seems to curve around the planet. One continent that seems to just be entirely covered in mountains. One that looks like a normal blob of land. Though it's lit up with lights like there's a modern city there. Though I swear Libra said this planet was in the medieval era.
As I get close, it becomes clear how fast I'm moving. It only takes a second to pass through that thick green aura. It must be hundreds of miles thick, but I just zoom through it. I fly over a bright blue sea. I see a large gray snake swimming through the sea. I see a red dragon flying through the sky. I see a giant walking through the sea.
I grow fear as I get close to a city. I worry about what will happen when I hit something. Especially as I'm drawing close to the ground.
Ah! My foot just-
Went through the tree. It happens again, but I feel nothing. The tree passes through my foot. I must still be a spirit. That's it. Probably. I breathe tensely as I keep zooming ahead.
Finally, what must be Fair City comes into view. A tall, gray stone wall surrounds the city. Covering it. Is ads. I see I'm heading somewhere that loves money. Great. I was really hoping that things would be at least a bit simpler. Greed too young to have infected every aspect of life. But no. Instead I'm already being assaulted with ads for snake oil, spell shops, slaves, groceries-wait slaves? Oh God, this place is cursed. And I'm supposed to fix it? This blows.
I fly through the walls, and find an admittedly beautiful scene. It's like something out of a show that has only the purest idea of what the medieval era was like. Nice cottages all around, flowers in pots everywhere to give some serenity to the city streets. They seem to love roses. The people wear bright clothing studded with glowing jewels. Their clothes seem somewhat like my planet's modern era. Though I don't see any jeans in sight. It's more just some kinda soft fabric with a lot of pants and shirts covered in abstract patterns with wild colors. Though I get annoyed when I manage to get a solid look on a shirt, and see a brand name painted across the front in cursive.
The streets have signs of magic all around. I see a man point his finger at a tea cup, and a flame jet like a bunsen burner comes out and starts warming the cup. Kids shoot thin, red lasers at one another that seem to mildly shock them. And fortune tellers seem to line the streets. My jaded side flares up for a moment, then awe and hope fills me as I realize something.
What if Fortune Tellers in this world really can use magic to tell you stuff about the future? That'd be incredibly useful for me. I could tell what ventures are worth taking on.
I um, see I'm heading for a nice cottage. It's half white and half black. Libra really isn't subtle.
I fly through the front, and for a brief second I see another me, standing in the center of the room wearing a blank look on his face. I'm wearing a gray suit with a half black, half white tie. Libra really, really isn't subtle.
Then I enter my body. For a few moments, it's dark. I don't feel anything reminiscent of a sudden stop. It feels more like I'm suddenly wrapped in a marshmallow. Then slowly everything begins to become more and more solid. I start to struggle to open my eyes, but feel hands hold down my eyelids.
"Relax. I'm syncing your new body and your spirit. Give me a few moments." Libra says warmly.
I sigh with relief, and relax. It takes several minutes, but eventually-
"Open your eyes. It's time to begin your new life." Libra says happily.