Nothing ever came easy for me.
Not in the new world, not on Earth.
My life has been a spiraling chaos of having no talent to speak of, nothing to call for myself.
When I was in my 20s I was thrown into a hospital bed thanks to a chronic desease I had since I was born.
We all are dealt a hand when we are born. I had one of the worse ones.
My hand was an immunodeficiency, coupled with other series of diseases, that kept getting worse and worse thanks to my parents barely giving a shit about me and never caring about sending me to the doctor. Getting sick was hell, a cut could mean a deadly infection.
Until I was connected to machines just to keep me checked and alive. Constant vigilance from a cheap nurse, and I was held in bed. All I could do was play videogames and chat online.
The only friends I had were ones I could not see directly. They were going to college, starting families, having a normal life while I was stuck in bed not being able to do anything for myself.
YOU DIED
"God dammit... That was extreme bullshit" I complained at the dead screen in front of me.
All those hours grinding only to get killed by timing bad an attack.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Of course, the heart monitor starts to sound, why wouldn't it?
"Bro, you suck." Said a female voice from my computer.
"Wow, so mature."
"Told you grinding doesn't fix noob, dude." Said another voice, male this time.
My chat server was a group of friends. I often streamed games while playing and they roasted me.
Between them, was Anie. On who I had a major crush on. Cute, teasing, playful, draws, goth aesthetic. She was often messing with me and watching me play. She was the one with who I interacted the most. She is the one that daid I sucked.
So when the news came that she was dating someone, my heart was crushed to pieces.
But what else could I expect from this? I was stuck on bed, it was not like I could go on dates with her.
I just stayed in my lane, the forever friend that never gets anyone.
The machine kept sounding, annoying as always.
But no one came.
"Maria?" I called my nurse, who was not coming.
"I can hear the machine, are you okay, Axel?" Anie asked.
"It must have been because of the game don't worry." I said. Although it was mostly to keep them calm. It usually stopped already after a hard boss.
"I'm going." Anie said, and I could hear her grabbing stuff.
"No, there is no need." I answered.
But I hear no response.
Everyone went silence... Even the machine. It was in the blink of an eye that there was silence.
"Guys?" I asked.
I looked at the monitor of my laptop on the side of my bed... The screen was black.
Around me every machine went black. Nohing was working. The lights were off. My game system was off, my tv was dark.
And then I saw it.
In the corner besides the door of my room was a tall black figure, with a skull of what I assumed a cow with large horns where its heads belong. The eyes were void, yet I felt like I was being watched.
"W-what the fuck?!" I yell in fear and take a step back.
...I took a step back?
I looked down... I was totally naked and on my two feet, something I have not been able to do since over year back.
Then I saw the bed... And I was there, eyes open... Dead...
I put two and two together as the entity placed its skeletical hand on my shoulder.
"Your time has come, mortal human." Its voice was deep as a chasm.
I turned around, its skull face was close to mine and it looked into my eyes with those voids on its eyes.
"I suppose this is it... Where is my nurse...?"
"Speaking through the devices your civilization calls phones with some friends."
"Tch." I clicked my tongue. Of course. My parents paid cheap for me, and I was getting cheap treatment. "Just take me... I am done with this life."
The entity stood straight, looking down at me.
"Through your life you accomplished nothing. You were nothing.You did nothing."
Hearing those words hurt like a dagger.
"Oh, sorry. But I had the problem that I was thrown in bed and I died in my 20s" I andwered in sarcasm.
Even when I was being judged by an otherworldly being, I did not enjoy being told what I did.
"...interesting..." The entity said, tilting its head. "I feel no fear from you since the moment you realized you died..."
"I was crippled and thrown into a bed, a small cut was dangerous, the girl I liked was dating someone else... I am done with this fucking life... Just take me already to thenother life or whatever happens with my soul."
The entity returned its head to normal.
And the whole room became dark.
I can see the void and under us, an infinite escape of souls wandering aimlessly.
"This is purgatory." The entity said. "Souls that decided they were done are sent here to wait for judgement. Then, their fate is decided if they go to Heaven or Hell."
"The waiting line seems... Big."
The entity was silent for a moment.
"Every mortal life is dealt a hand when they are born. All are meant to find how to use it. But not everyone figures it out or gets the chance." The entity seemed to change in shape and form, and so did the rest of the plane we were in. "Do you believe in second chances in nature, mortal?"
What is this? Phylosofical debates?
"If I win this debate what do I get? I revive with a system or super power?" I said, not taking anything serious.
The entity tilted its head, waiting for ny answer.
I sighed and then answered.
"I remember a documentary about nature... A gazelle was running away from a lion and the beast lost a step and tripped. The gazelle managed to run away... So I guess that is a second chance? But that was just luck that the lion messed up."
"Luck... Fortune... Mortals forget what those terms mean..." For a moment, I believed he entity became larger. "Every soul gets a second chance. Those that you see, drifting in the river Styx aimlessly until judgement, got it too. You lost the will to live, therefore the cosmic nature is not weighting on you... Make your choice, wait for judgement in the current of souls or go for a mulligan and take a second chance?"
...
I did not consider the possibility of a second chance. The offer came in a rush of surprise.
I was done with life. I did not want to continue... But if I could live a second life... If I could get a new hand...
The entity stretched its right arms towards me. On its skeletal fingers I saw worms and spiders crawl back into the darkness.
I hesitated... But I reached and stretched it.
"I will take the second chance."
And when those words came out of my mouth... I was sucked into the void in its eyes... And everything went dark.