Darkness. Void. Nothing. He opened my eyes and closed it, it didn't matter, he couldn't see anything. Raising his hands and palming his face, he felt no sensation. He stood up on what he believed was his feet but felt the same, nothing.
"What the fuck is this? Have my nerves been cut or has my sensory and optic cortex been shut off somehow" he said out aloud "Well, I said that out loud and I heard it, so my auditory nerves are fine"
"HELLO?" he called out loudly
"Huh, no echo either, so it's not a facility" he muttered "Large space, no wind or tree rustle, so definitely not a forest"
He moved a few steps in every direction with his arms out, hoping to feel a surface but, nothing
"Nathaniel Reed" a voice called. He turned to the voice "Who-"
"Nathaniel Reed" the voice calls again, Nate tried to grab for something, anything he could get his hands on and could use as a weapon. "I hear you, now, who are you?"
"Nathaniel Reed"
"SPEAK BI-"
"Bastard son of Anna Reed" the voice interrupted again
"What? Who the fuck are you? How do you know that name? Are you one of those Corzyn's slimy fucks?"
Light. Bright. Blinding. The void dissipated into an unbounded room with nothing but white.
Tall. Golden. Intense. Nate faced an object of power, he felt it, and stayed silent. He faced a scale, a weighing scale to be precise.
"Who- or what are you?" he finally spoke
"I am known by many names, balance, fate, karma, providence. All that mortals could have named simply as equilibrium"
"Oookkayyy...I'm going cuckoo" he frowned
"Insanity? That's your conclusion to witnessing a being of higher plane?" it questioned
"Being of higher plane? What are you like....a god or something? A deity perhaps?"
"Gods are beings you would credit disasters and bountiful harvests to and whose actions determine a small fraction of what i am capable of, I am a being of even higher plane" he said softly
"I see...but how are we able to talk? How am I able to understand your words and how are you able to converse with me? Or the higher plane thing was not really an actual thing?" he inquired
"Nathaniel Reed I-"
"Nate is fine, please"
"Very well, Nate. I take on a simpler form your human mind can understand and use the language you speak so we may converse easily. I am judgement, now here to assess you."
"Judgement? I'm dead? How? When? No- by whom?" Nate sputtered
"Would you truly like to know by whom?" the voice responded
Nate thought it over and replied "No, a corpse can't exact revenge now, can it?"
The voice paused and said "You took the news of your death surprisingly quickly"
"It was bound to happen soon, more enemies than allies tends to do that to you." he admitted "and now you're here to send me to hell"
"Hell? Not heaven?" the voice asked
"Oh, come on. If you were a being of a higher plane and are here to judge me, you would know everything I have ever done. ALL the sins, all that killing is not something you just let go when you die" he replied
"A worthy observation, but consequences of one's actions don't necessarily affect only oneself. " the voice reminded "You were acting under orders, in order to protect close ones, people and country"
"And i killed hundreds if not thousands by my own hands, for that."
"Ironic" the voice replied
"What? What is ironic? The fact that I killed people to save people?"
"No, the fact that a human thinks they deserve hell and argue for that judgement, and a higher being of time, space and matter speak for the other instead seems more ironic"
Nate was speechless when he realized this was true. All this time he believed that was his judgement, but hearing a possibility of the other surprised him.
"Well, I.... I don't know what to say. If Hell isn't where I'm going then what's the idea?"
"You will know, in due time. But first, i will list out the biggest of your deeds, good and bad" the voice declared
"I'd rather you not do tha-" Nate began to speak was cut off
"Nathaniel Reed, son of Anna Reed and brother to Rosemary Reed..." the voice began and turned Nate's face grim "Soldier, warrior, mercenary and loyalist to the Tarz country. Murderer, assassin, perpetrator to the downfall of the Wright Empire previously known as the Corzyn empire and the sworn enemy of the Corzyn Family. Your deeds will now be listed and an appropriate judgement will be passed:
Day 17 of August Imperial calendar year 789, assassinated a spy by detonating explosives
Day 22 of August, Imperial Calendar Year 791, conducted a brutal raid on enemy camps.
Day 18 of October, Imperial Calendar Year 796, eliminated threats to critical supply routes.
Day 30 of December, Imperial Calendar Year 799, launched operations against insurgent forces.
Day 2 of April, Imperial Calendar Year 800, quelled unrest within the southern garrison.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The list went on for a while, Nate was drowned in the recalling of every moment he spent surviving, killing and running. Every memory etched onto every inch of his body. Comrades, allies, brothers-in-arms and the rest who died by his side and in his arms were not forgotten. Scars that never disappeared to the wounds that never healed, guilt, shame and depression were held back by his sense of duty now all gushing through after his death. He stood there motionless after the recall looking at the scale. This giant, Supreme being before him, was going to deliver judgement and he was prepared for the end.
After the pause, the voice spoke out first "With every action you performed, with every traitor you pursued and every assassination you thwarted, you saved your people from a misery beyond words"
Nate was confused but hesitantly said "How much of a difference could i have even made? Yes, I killed a spy who was feeding information to the Corzyns. Yes, I crushed the protesting members of the garrison. But how much of a difference could i have possibly made?"
"Consequences of one's actions don't necessarily affect only oneself. The spy you killed? He was going to share your supply routes to his comrades next, that would've led the siege to be shattered. The garrison unrest? It was incited by the adjacent empire to weaken the troops morale. Many such actions by you were figuratively acting as a dam of misfortune for your country and kingdom. You belittle yourself to the point of insignificance that you fail to realize what you have done and what it has resulted in."
Nate was grasping for words when the voice spoke again: "What i offer to you now isn't a rest, in fact it is quite the opposite"
"You would send me back to that hell?!" Nate exclaimed
"No, the duty and service you have provided to your country is enough, no one has the right to ask you of anymore. Instead, the order has decided to let you live your life, but in another world, one filled with mystical energy of strange ways to you. A place filled with so much potential it could be the world you needed or even wanted."
"Why? Why me? What could i possibly achieve from this? What could you possibly achieve from this?" Nate lamented.
"Why? The order holds an omniscient view of all that goes on and we remember individuals who have bested their craft, or bested their emotions or have carried out their duty without hesitation in benefit of others. We reward these individuals accordingly, and you are one of them."
"So all those deaths that i caused, they are not my sins? I will not be punished for them? How is that justice in the eye of the universal judicial system?" Nate asked, a bit suspicious
"Wrong" said the voice "sins are sins regardless of intention, but these deeds were a part of your duty and you did them anyways. And you will be punished accordingly for them, just not in the way you are thinking" the voice replied.
"What do i do? What do i get? Is there a test i must overcome?" Nate said
"In a manner of speaking, yes, there is a task for you. The order shall move you to another world, where you can learn the ways of magic and mana. Live your life there, in the way you deem fit, without any interference from the order or the providence." the voice declared.
"Wait, you said the order and the providence separately, why? What's the difference?" Nate asked
"Each world has a higher plane entity assigned to it and is referred to as The Providence of that world. The Order refers to a group of such entities as a whole. While The Order speaks for a general manner, each one of The Providence is able to retain an ego and have different manner of speech."
"Is that why you called me a bastard?" asked Nate annoyed.
"It wasn't my intention to offend you, but an attempt to draw your attention from your belief that you had been kidnapped or were behind enemy lines" the voice clarified.
"Yeah, whatever you say" Nate grumbled
"Very well, let's proceed. The world you are moving to is named Varin. It is a vast world with countless different creatures with it's own thriving and expansive ecosystem. You may now choose your form of magic or combat arts." The voice said and pulled up a metal-ish surface painted and depicting this new world to Nate.
"Wait, i have questions before this" Nate confessed
"Ask"
"Elaborate on the concept of magic, please"
"Magic is one of the elements upon which this world functions. The 5 elements of this world are: Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Mana. Mana acts as a fuel source to be able to control many aspects of this world. Mana also acts to enrich the other elements in a natural environment, hence giving many rare ores and materials capable of being either resistant or yielding to magic. Magic can also be used in different ways, in the form of inscription or manipulation and also going so far as to being able to embed that said energy into objects for further purposes. Now you may choose what aspect of this world would like to be able to manipulate through mana and determine your class" the voice finished.
Nate looked at the surface listed with materials and the classes, barely understanding The Voice. He touched the surface and the list moved accordingly, as he swiped through he saw countless battle forms, magic types and professions, he found none that seemed to be meant for him. He read through certain classes he thought seemed alright or compatible to him while The Voice remained silent. It was quite a while before either of them spoke.
Nate broke the silence and asked "What's a Blood Mage?"
The Voice replied "Sorcerers capable of using mana to be able to be able to manipulate blood, either their own or if they are talented or experienced enough, others blood as well"
"What, no limitations? i can fling across people with blood in their body?" Nate asked amused
"Of course there will be limitations, no power has no-strings attached, your ability to manipulate is limited to your proficiency in mana control."
"Alright fair enough. I might go with that"
"Why a Hemomancer of all? You should also know there is no marker or milestone for your proficiency" The Voice inquired.
"I have seen blood all my life from birth to death, and I see it as a omen and a reminder of what i did and the path forward."
"And so it shall be, in this new world you shall be bestowed the knowledge of their language as well as a new name as a mark of a new journey: Silas Ryd. This may be the very last time i speak to you, Nate, as I am The providence for this world and this world only. You may come in contact to one another, understand that they are different than me." the voice said.
"Well, i don't know if i am ready for what is to come. Wait, aren't you omniscient? Don't you already know what is going to happen?" Nate asked
"The Order is all-seeing, not all-predicting. We can see what could be, not what will be. Goodbye, Silas Ryd and farewell."
Nate saw flashes and then darkness, almost as if he had slipped out of consciousness and felt himself being flung far away almost like being shot with a catapult. Then the sensation hit him, all his senses felt jumpstarted all at once. The pain was intense but he endured it throughout. Through all this he felt something new, something that never was in his body, a sharp pang through his entire nervous system and senses renewed. The whole ordeal lasted almost an hour and the process had remade his entire body to something younger and filled with that youthful vigor he once had as well. He was exhausted of this moment and wanted to it to end as quickly as possible.
Nate opened his eyes as though he woke up from a slumber, neck heavy and body slow to respond. "My back hurts" Nate spoke out loud and realized his voice was different, it immediately struck his mind that he was now Silas Ryd, or whoever that was. The language was different too, as he spoke fluently as though that's the only language he had spoken his whole life. He got up to his feet and moved to the closest window showing the world outside .
Silas thought to himself an old saying from his home world "Fortuna ad paratos venit".