Brightness. Blinding brightness was all Ethan Scott could remember before he woke up. It was an alien feeling, as if his body was floating in the air.
When his vision finally returned, he was confronted with an unimaginable reality. He really was floating in the air, in an unfamiliar space, and yet he was at peace. He didn't feel any panic or fear, just a serene calmness that washed over him as a soft breeze tickled his skin, carrying the scent of cherry blossoms.
The entire area was an open expanse. Wherever he looked, Ethan saw endless golden water covering the ground below him, and the sky was glowing with a similar golden hue. There were cherry blossom trees scattered about, their long and thick stems disappearing into the golden water. The cherry leaves rustled, some falling into the water and breaking its vast stillness for a few seconds, while other leaves just floated with the breeze.
"It's a beautiful place, isn't it?" Her voice was gentle yet commanding, making Ethan shiver a little.
"Yes, it is," Ethan mumbled, trying to make sense of the disembodied feminine voice that reverberated throughout the whole place. "Who are you? Why am I here and What is this place?"
"Take a breath." The speaker sounded amused. "I'll answer all of your questions, no need to hurry. We have all the time in the world because... you are dead."
"Dead?" Ethan asked.
"My apologies, this has all been my fault," another voice spoke to him. This one was also a woman, albeit she seemed to speak in an embarrassed and rather weak tone.
Right then, two feminine figures started materializing before him.
They both had red skin and jet-black hair. They had ears that ended in points and two golden horns jutting out of their skulls. One of them was wearing a large, intricately designed black gown with gleaming crystals, while the other, who seemed younger, was wearing a long black coat over a white shirt and black pants.
One of them spoke, whom Ethan recognized as the first woman who had spoken to him after he opened his eyes. "I'm Zeira. I am responsible for the safe passage of souls from life to the afterlife. In your world, I am known by many names and stories, albeit none even come close to my actual nature. The most common is the god of the underworld. And now you're in a realm where I reside and judge souls based on the life they led. This realm lies beyond life but before the afterlife."
Ethan had a lot of questions on his mind, and then it all came back to him. He had been driving his car to the director's place for a meeting about a new storyboard gig he'd gotten for a soon-to-be-produced film.
Most of his life, he'd been alone and had to struggle, but in the last six months, his life had turned upside down. He'd worked as a storyboard and conceptual artist for shows and had gotten many more jobs since then. After years of honing his skills and struggling to make ends meet, he had finally gotten himself an amazing home and was hoping to ask out a coworker who seemed to be showing interest in him too.
Alas, it all ended pretty soon. It was like waking up from a great dream before it even reached its high peaks. The black dog with raging red eyes had appeared before his car out of nowhere. He had slammed on the brakes and managed to stop the car before it could hit the dog and hurt it mortally. After that, it was all blurry. He remembered hearing a loud truck horn and a crash sound before his car started to spin, and then he lost his vision. His car was hit by a truck.
"I remember it now," Ethan spoke, looking at the red-skinned woman.
Zeira smiled warmly. "That makes my job easier." She had golden eyes and a warm smile. Although she appeared to be a woman in her 30s, Ethan felt she could be over a thousand years old and seemed pretty friendly for someone whose job seemed grim. "You may ask any questions that are on your mind, Ethan Scott."
Ethan was silent for a second. He had a clear question in mind. "Why did I have to die? I mean, I got into an accident, but why did it have to happen when everything was going so well for the first time in my life?"
"It's a mistake on our part, or more specifically, on my disciple's part," Zeira said, motioning to the other woman floating next to her.
Ethan turned his gaze to the other woman, who seemed younger and about his age, appearing to be in her early to mid-20s. "A few minutes ago, you apologized to me. What do you have to do with my death?"
The younger woman joined her hands. "My name's Yanai. I'm truly guilty of your death. It was a big mistake, one that I don't know how to repay." The woman sounded sincere, her voice weak and breaking, the very opposite of Zeira's.
She couldn't meet his eyes as she spoke. "My job is to dispatch the soul dog to Earth to bring a person's soul here. You weren't supposed to die today, but another Ethan Scott, who happened to live in the same city as you and is a criminal, was designated to die today. In my unfocused state, I accidentally sent the soul dog to you. By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late. You were already dead, and your body was too damaged to be revived."
Ethan was at a loss for words. Of all the people in the world, after so much pain he had gone through in his life, he got only a few weeks of happiness, and now it was gone. But he didn't freak out; in a way, he had wanted this, though not now, but a year ago, if he died back then it would've been a pleasant surprise.
A year ago, he had contemplated his wish to die and to get a chance to start everything from scratch. But then his life changed its course and got better than it had ever been. Still, there were many things he'd missed out on, many things he wanted to achieve but couldn't because of all the responsibilities he had to take up.
There were things he wanted to do differently in life but never had a chance to. If he really was dead and maybe got a chance to live again, it would be a great opportunity. "What is going to happen to me now, considering that I can't get my previous life back?"
Zeira spoke this time. "This is a very rare incident, and we're sad for you, but to make up for it, we can give you a new life in a new world. Maybe someplace you've dreamed of living in. There are countless realities in existence, and you have the chance to go anywhere but your previous life."
She continued. "Tell me, do you want to live in a world where kingdoms are fighting for dominance over each other, or do you want to live in a world where intergalactic travel is possible, and you can meet people from various backgrounds? Or do you just want to live a peaceful life as a humble farmer, marrying various women of different races and having a harem of your own like most men desire?"
"Is it all really possible?" Ethan had his doubts. At first, he wondered if he was in a coma and was just imagining everything, like one of those dreams that feel way too real to be dreams. He tried pinching himself really hard and felt pain, so he wasn't dreaming at least. And if he really did die due to Yanai's mistake and they were willing to give him a new life, he had to get one he could enjoy.
Come to think of it, he wondered what it would feel like to have a lot of girlfriends. His love life had been pretty non-existent in his previous life, and if what Zeira said was true, then he would be really lucky.
Yanai nodded. "Yes, it is. I believe you deserve a second chance, a chance to perhaps live a more fulfilling life."
