So… here I am.
At the crossroads once again.
Seven full cycles behind me. Nineteen thousand two hundred and eight lives lived.
And now… I was done.
Truly.
This time, my decision felt simple and straight forward.
Option Two.
Go back.
Live a quiet, simple life.
No grand purpose. No divine burden. No echoes of who I used to be.
Just breath and live.
Honestly, that sounded like peace.
But then—why the tightness in my chest?
Why did it feel like I was walking away from a chance to be something more?
Even now. Even after everything.
I was standing before the Chief of the Cosmic surfers, and the silence around pressed like gravity.
Thoughts spiraled through me, unspoken.
Still, I said nothing.
Rules are rules.
And it's always the Chief who speaks first.
Even for someone like me a veteran soul, who had visited this place multiple times.
The Chief sat on a raised platform with table, eyes scanning a scroll as if he had all the time in the universe which, knowing him, he probably did.
Oh right. I forgot to tell you.
"Mediators that is more like a nick name they introduced themselves with'
Their true name Cosmic Surfers.
Their role is not just bringing lucky souls like me who they bump into. They're also the ones the Will of the Universe sends out to harvest the most karmically potent souls divine or damned.
Jason Weaver the one who first found me, was on one such harvesting run when we crossed paths.
Earth, naturally.
While I stood there waiting, my mind drifted back to that day. The day I met Jason for the first time. My thoughts wandered, curiosity got the better of me. I thought to myself, he had never said, who he was there for.
Was it that orange-haired politician with a strange way of speaking? The one everyone joked about?
Or maybe it was that quiet actor who gave millions to charity… but never once took credit.
Or could it have been that singer with the voice of heaven and the personality of a nightmare? I mean, none of her personal staff lasted more than three months.
Or could it have been that terrorist… the one who blew up a hotel
Karma doesn't care about good or evil.
It only weighs impact.
And yes—karma is exactly what you're thinking.
The word that starts with a capital B
The Chief finally looked up. His eyes lit with a quiet smile, laced with mischief.
"Ah—it's you. Which cycle are you on now? I lost count myself."
"Seventh," I replied.
He let out a low whistle.
"Huh. A brave one, are we? Or just stubborn?"
Without waiting for my answer, he lifted his hand and his voice shifting to become more ceremonial.
"Alright. Since you've completed seven cycles, here are your options."
"One: Begin your eighth cycle.
Two: Return to one of the world like Earth, memories wiped and start afresh.
Three: Choose the path of a Cosmic Surfer.
Four: Accept initiation to become an Adjudicator."
I blinked.
"Wait… four options?"
Brows furrowed. "Since when?"
He chuckled like he'd waited for that question.
"Yes," he said. "A little-known rule. A kind of hidden quest. We don't talk about it. But once a soul completes five full cycles, they unlock the third option—Surfers."
He then gave a pause to let that sink into me and continued:
"Complete seven and you get access to the fourth. Adjudication."
I stared, heart skipping a beat.
"Why keep that hidden?" I asked.
His voice lowered, deeper now.
"Because we need to see who reaches that point on their own. No shortcuts. No promises. Just will. That's what matters."
Then his grin returned. Mischievous. Knowing.
"You know… we were all kind of curious about you. Most souls, by their third or fourth cycle, they start to crack. Dragging their feet. Tired. Bitter. Done."
"But you? You kept showing up like it was all new. Even on your fifth cycle, you were still wide-eyed like a child tasting candy for the first time."
He leaned in slightly, voice dropping conspiratorially.
"So, we started betting. When would you finally break? When would you finally pick the second option?"
He laughed a full, hearty sound that echoed through ends of space.
"But you just kept going. Bright-eyed. Curious. Restless. We stopped betting eventually. Figured we'd just wait."
"Everyone hits that wall, you know. That deep sigh. That quiet surrender."
"And here you are."
He wiped a tear of laughter from his eye, still smiling.
"How else do you think we recruit new members?"
And just like that…
the decision I thought was simple wasn't simple at all.