NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Origon
---Third person POV---
Mark was dead, or at least that's what he thought. However, when he regained consciousness, he found himself in an absurd place.
"W-What?"
Looking around, he could see a myriad of stars and galaxies surrounding him as if he was in space. The strange thing, though, was that he didn't feel like he was floating; in fact, when he moved, he could see ripples forming on the platform beneath him.
"What is this place? I remember being injured and unable to stay awake, so..."
Many thoughts flooded Mark's mind.
Was he dead?
Was he in a coma?
Was he dreaming and would he wake up?
Unfortunately, he had no answers to these questions.
"Pleased to meet you, young soul named Mark Tormeto."
"?!"
A deep and unfamiliar voice made him jump, but no matter where he looked, he saw no one, at least until he looked up and saw a nebula that he could swear looked like a giant eye.
"It was... you?" -He asked hesitantly.
"Exactly. Welcome to my domain, The Realm of Souls," -The voice replied with its deep yet calm tone.
'This makes no sense. If this isn't a dream, then—'
"This is not a dream."
"!"
Once again, Mark was surprised because he hadn't spoken a word, yet the voice seemed to have heard him.
"No need to worry. As I said, this is my domain, and in the form you're in now, there is no difference between words and thoughts."
Listening to the voice's explanation, a doubt arose within Mark.
"In my form?"
"In the form of a soul, try looking at yourself."
As instructed, Mark began to examine his arms and body, only to see it translucent, coming to terms with a reality he had tried to reject.
"So... am I really dead?"
"Yes."
"Haaaaa..."
Putting his hands on his face, a sigh full of bitterness escaped his mouth. He knew he would never have survived with the injury he had sustained, but accepting the reality was much more difficult. He had finally managed to keep the promise he made to his parents, and there were still many things he wanted to do, especially being with Selene.
'At least she managed to survive; that alone helps me find some peace.'
But, as if mocking his hopes, the voice spoke.
"The human named Selene Caire is already dead. To be precise, she died a month after you."
"...Heh? W-What are you saying? Don't talk nonsense! I just died a moment ago!"
The voice seemed unconcerned about Mark's disrespectful tone as it continued its explanation.
"You must know that the place you are in now doesn't have the concept of time. Hundreds of years can pass in the blink of an eye."
"I can't accept this! None of this makes sense! She was fine and-and, right! We could see the mainland; it's impossible that she died so soon!"
Mark continued to deny it, so the voice calmly explained to him.
"What you saw was a deserted island. Moreover, the woman wasn't well; she had a head trauma."
At the mention of the head trauma, something came to Mark's mind. He could recall that after the first explosion of the ship, Selene had a wound on her forehead, and during their time at sea, she seemed to have a constant headache.
"A-Anyway, there must have been some rescuers, right?! We still had a lighter, so she must have tried to send a message!"
Mark refused to accept this reality, clinging to every detail that came to his mind.
"That is true if they were searching in the position where you were."
"What?"
"The ship you traveled on was extremely outdated. Many of its functionalities were damaged or malfunctioning, including the navigator that marked a few meters of difference. Initially, this difference wasn't much, but the more the ship moved, the greater the difference became. So, the data they provided to the rescuers about your position was hundreds of kilometers away.
From the beginning, finding you would have been impossible."
"No... no, no, no, NO! I can accept everything, but not her! It's—It's all my fault, damn it!"
If Mark could grab his hair, he would have already torn it out from the pain he was feeling, which, compared to the injury he had suffered, seemed like nothing. The reason he blamed himself was that it was indeed his fault. He was the one who proposed the idea of the cruise, and only after insisting several times did she agree.
And what was the price of his stupid insistence? The death of the woman he loved.
Ignoring Mark's state, the voice continued to speak.
"However, I must say that the human woman was praiseworthy. She used all her strength to row to that island, and once there, though exhausted, she created a tomb for you. For someone experiencing both physical and emotional pain, surviving on an island for a month is already a lot."
'Just don't say anything else.'
"Unfortunately, the cranial trauma caused more and more problems and pains day by day, to the point where living became impossible."
'I don't want to hear this.'
"In the end, she committed suicide near your grave."
"SHUT UP! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, HUH?! WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THESE THINGS?! DO YOU WANT TO MAKE ME FEEL BAD?! DO YOU WANT ME TO BE CONSUMED BY GUILT?! BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB!"
Mark collapsed heavily to the ground while pounding his fist continuously, trying to rid himself of those feelings that seemed to burn him alive, but with no result.
"It seems you have misunderstood me. My words were not to judge you; I truly admire the willpower your wife had to live. As for your question about who I am, you can call me Origon, the one who watches over creation and reincarnation. From your perspective, I am no different from the god you venerate."
Seeing an opportunity, Mark tried to say something, but Origon interrupted him.
"But unlike the god you venerate, I am neither omnipotent nor omniscient. I cannot revive her."
"Why? Aren't you a god?" -Mark looked at him helplessly.
"In the end, I am nothing more than another existence, and because of that, I am bound by rules that I cannot break."
"I... see..."
In the end, Mark had to accept that he couldn't change anything and that everything was already set, at least until he heard Origon's words.
"I cannot break the rules, but I can make compromises. I can offer you the chance to reincarnate with all your memories along with your companion, in exchange, you will have to make a deal with me."
"I accept!"
There was no hesitation in Mark's response.
"Although I appreciate your confidence, listen to me first. In our agreement, you will become a sort of apostle of mine, allowing me to absorb the energy I need through you. Obviously, this will come at a price, and it will be up to you whether you can bear it."
"Look at me; what else do I have to lose? You're giving me the chance to see her again; why should I refuse? But there's one thing I don't understand, why me? You don't seem like someone who would do something just out of pity."
"Normally, souls can't remain conscious in my domain, but there are cases where they manage to maintain it, and in that case, I offer them an agreement similar to yours. However, you are a bit special.
Despite being such a young soul, you still manage to maintain a mental state identical to before you died. How fascinating."
Various lights illuminated Origon's body as he spoke as if emphasizing his curiosity. However, Mark didn't care about any of that; he just wanted to see Selene again as quickly as possible.
"What exactly do I have to do?"
"Live, nothing more and nothing less. You will be reincarnated in a new world and with a new body, but the problem is your companion."
"What do you mean?" Mark asked anxiously.
"Remember this phrase first, 'body, mind, and soul are connected.' If one of them is damaged, it risks affecting the others, and that's what happened with your companion. Before she died, both her body and mind were severely damaged, so her soul was incomplete.
Normally, I would reabsorb such unstable souls, but now we have a pact, and she is what you desire. So, I will divide her soul into three pieces and infuse them with some of my energy to mitigate the damage as much as possible, only then can she be transported to the new world."
"And where will I find these fragments?"
"I don't know." -Origon replied.
"You don't know?" -Mark asked strangely.
"Once the fragments enter the range of the new world, I will lose contact with them because I cannot interact with existences that are not souls. Offering you more than this is impossible; I have reached the limit of compromises I can make within the rules imposed on me."
"I understand and appreciate it, truly. But how will I find them? They could be scattered anywhere."
"As for that, once reincarnated, you will have support that will help you locate the fragments and provide you with the necessary information."
"Phew."
A sigh of relief escaped Mark. Finally, he received some good news, albeit short-lived.
"The most important thing. You will have only five years to complete the objective; this is the maximum my powers can offer. Once the time limit expires, it will be impossible for you to save your companion."
When Origon finished speaking, Mark remained momentarily silent. He carefully pondered over everything Origon had told him, making sure not to forget a single word.
Inhale
"I am ready. However, I hope you won't reincarnate me as a child, considering the time limit."
He didn't know what awaited him on the other side, but he wouldn't give up. He had the chance to change his fate and he certainly wouldn't let it slip away, no matter the cost.
"As for that, you don't need to worry. When you start to reincarnate, I will send the fragments. I have high expectations for you."
Mark briefly saw Selene's fragments before a blinding light made him vanish along with them.
However, neither he nor Origon noticed that something else transferred along with the fragments.