"Talking"
'Thoughts'
_____________________________________________________________
'I always thought dying would feel more painful.'
A small, luminous ball of consciousness floated through the void. Around it were souls, similar in form, drifting toward a giant helm made of gold and silver, glistening from the combined intensity of light radiating from the countless souls streaming toward it.
Humongous Buddha statues guarded its sides, their serene faces etched with calm, unbothered by the never-ending task assigned to them.
'Clearly, even in death, one can't escape the never-ending line of bureaucracy.'
'But... this isn't so bad. Just floating around—it's like being in space.'
"I'LL HAVE ORDERRRR, ORDER I TELL YOU!!"
A high-pitched, exaggerated voice suddenly tore through the silence of the void. The ball of light, startled, turned toward the source and saw a large, rounded version of.
"Ruby?"
"YES!?!???"
The chibi Ruby yelled with boundless energy, whirling to face the ball of light that had spoken her name. The ball recoiled but quickly composed itself—only to lose its composure again just as fast when Ruby scooped it up and placed it on her palm. Though the ball had no discernible features, it noticeably shook, radiating fear as it "stared" up at Ruby.
"Um... nothing?"
'What in the actual heck is happening right now? Maybe I'm high and just forgot about it.'
"GASPPPP. YOU'RE HIGH!?!! I MUST RID YOU OF THAT FILTHY SENSATION!"
"Wait, whaaaaa—"
Before the tiny ball could finish, it was hurled into the void. As it tumbled, it glimpsed countless other souls trapped in an endless line. Its body grew light, then numb, before abruptly stopping back on Ruby's palm.
"Wha—... what just... happened?"
"IT'S CALLED PURIFICATION BY RAISED BLOOD CIRCULATION VIA G-FORCE!"
"Oh... yeah... that makes sense."
'What on earth is happening right now?'
"You're in the afterlife. Sorry to say, but you died recently."
'Did she read my mind?'
"YuP. Been reading it since I plucked you from 'THE LINE OF REINCARNATION.'"
"So I really died?"
"Yes. Tragic, really—killed by a speeding truck as most isekai protagonists do."
"..."
'So my death is a plot device?'
Cringe-inducing memories flooded the ball's mind, projected onto a conveniently placed holographic screen.
Ji Minori, a kind-hearted high school student, had confessed to his homeroom teacher, Kaede Shiori, whilst on a field trip. Though his words were sweet and sincere, Miss Shiori—who did like him—rejected him gently, wanting him to focus on his education first.
Overjoyed by her indirect acceptance, Minori ran in excitement, and in the process got in front of the infamous Truck-kun™.
"Sshhh, blood and guts, and meat paste™(patent pending); especially recommended for titans. Unlucky, huh? But that's the cycle of life and karma for you."
"..."
The ball was silent. It just stared at the screen watching the image of his body's scattered remains. The impact of the collision was strong enough to hurl his body into the asphalt to become as Ruby would put it "Meat Paste™". Also his head flew away landing in front of a kid walking his dog, leading the kid to become a serial killer, but that's a story for another day.
He felt nothing. Nothing at all, no care for his body, no care that he traumatized that kid. It was just cold.
'Shiori-sensei.'
Thinking of the future that could've been, it was painful. But still numbness persisted.
"Heyyy, heyy, hey kid."
Ruby, who was observing the ball's reaction, got bored and tried getting the ball's attention by waving her hands in front of the ball. Though it proved to be ineffective as the ball was in a trance, despite her efforts.
Ruby was fed up and decided to shout into the ball's...ears? Does he even have ears?
"HEY KID I'M HERE YOU KNOW"
"AHHHHH."
The loud voice, equivalent to a thousand supernovas' noise, echoed through the ball's ears? soul?, startling the luminous sphere; leading to a scream of relative proportions.
After a while of shouting, Ruby forcefully shut everything up. Free of distractions, she shrank down to the size of the ball and patted it.
"I know you're processing and everything, but hellooooo, you're in the reincarnation cycle right now, might as well decide your next life right."
Confused, the ball raised its imaginary eyebrow.
"Decide what?"
"Your appearance! Don't worry about the other things I already took care of that for you"
Ruby said with a mischievous look on her face whilst rubbing her palms together. The ball, however, was still confused and conflicted, especially since it just saw its own dead carcass traumatize a kid(leading him to a life of crime). Not to mention the fact that he could've had a girlfriend if he just stuck it out and finished his high school education. Life sucked balls.
"Can...can I just take a minute to think?"
"Uh huh, take your time, just call out when you're done with your thinking."
"Thanks."
The ball had to gather its thoughts for a minute, process everything and compose itself. It needed time to do that.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Nom-Nom––––––––––––––
Cookie-eating noises.
After a while, some hours or days, maybe weeks; the ball didn't know, the lack of stimulus left the ball unsure of anything. But, the time gave him time to think, to reflect.
It was an interesting experience, basically speeding through grief by yourself without any help, without the option of suicide and escapism. At least that's what the ball thought of the experience.
But now that it finished reflecting upon itself, it forgot one crucial thing.
"Where am I again?"
The ball miraculously forgot the events leading to the present moment. Truly, how impressive, forgetting the giant wheel of literal gold and silver, the giant Ruby too.
"DID SOMEONE CALL MY NAME!!!??!?"
As sudden as a cancer diagnosis, Ruby, in all her chibi glory, appeared out of nowhere. Her appearance brought forth a wind gust so strong that the ball was swept away, only to be grabbed by Ruby's gigantic hand. In her wake, countless other souls got blasted away to the unknown void.
"So have you decided?"
'Oh, right my appearance.'
"Yup, your appearance. So, who do you wanna look like? Any preferences? Or do you wanna keep your old appearance?"
"Um...I wanna look like 9s but grown up."
"That's the best you could come up with?"
'Am I being pressured right now?'
Under Ruby's slight insult over it's imagination and originality, the ball altered its choice by a pitiful amount.
"...but with long hair."
"..."
"..."
"How uncreative and unimaginative."
"WELL SORRY I'M FEELING A LITTLE PRESSURED HERE."
"Yeah, the pressure."
"OH COME ON. I wasn't that big on ACG culture you know."
"LIESSSS."
Ruby looked at the ball with contempt, scrutinizing the ball's shameless lie. A viewer of RWBY, but not big on ACG? Might as well say the Earth is flat.
The ball, unable to bear the gaze, quickly decided to change the topic.
"So where am I going in the first place."
"Trying to change the subject, huh?"
Chibi Ruby narrowed her eyes, and let out a puff of air in exasperation. But nonetheless, she answered.
"Remnant."
The ball looked at the gigantic Ruby before him with a strange expression. A mix of confusion and curiosity appeared on his imaginary features as if to question why.
"Remnant? Any reason why?"
'Regrets maybe? Wouldn't make sense though, if Ruby is all powerful, she could've just fixed the problems of her world if need be, why send someone else who might not even do anything?'
The ball clearly forgot the established fact that the great Ruby-sama can read minds. But Ruby just ignored this thought of the ball, clearly the motivation of why reincarnate this kebabed person wasn't important to the overall plot of this webnovel.
"Just cause."
'This just feels like it's for plot convenience at this point.'
...
"Let's just say its like that."
...
"Sure??"
"Anyways, when you get to remnant you'll get a notebook, on the first few pages you'll get a list of your perks and semblance, a map, I.D and a motorcycle, also some weapons."
"For convenience?"
"Yes"
"..."
"..."
The mood between the two started to become awkward. Like that elevator ride with some random hot chick, you want to make small talk, take some small glances, but you don't have the confidence for it, how sad.
"Don't you have any questions...or request?"
Ruby trying to get out of this awkward situation, initiated to make the conversation. The ball, with its adequate social skills, responded in order to not make the situation any more cringe inducing.
"Might as well actually. First when am I gonna get sent to remnant? Second where in Remnant? Third what stuff do I get? And lastly do I have a cheat?"
Ruby smiled warmly in approval, clearly the ball had good social skills and EQ, such people were good for introverts like herself.
"Well 1. I'll be sending you to remnant in just a minute or few. 2. In Mount Glenn, so that your map and motorcycle has uses 3-4. Your notebook will provide a list of everything you're getting for your trip to remnant."
Ruby misunderstood what the ball meant for question 1, what a disaster this is. And the ball, with its high EQ, understood that Ruby misunderstood its question.
"What I meant by my first—"
Ball wanted to use clarification.
"Oh would you look at the time bye bye now."
It was ineffective and Ruby used reincarnation leading ball to fall through the void at FTL speed.
"WHA––!!!"
The ball screamed as he silently cursed Ruby with.
'RUBY WHAT THE FUCKK—'
"SWEAR JAR!!!"
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Tipping the swear jar–––––––
In the forest surrounding Mount Glenn, a man with flowing white hair fell to the ground with a hard thump. Laying on his back, he started blankly towards the sky with a blank look on his face. Clearly a face of someone unimpressed or rather someone who is fed up.
"Who the he––"
A notebook hurled itself from the sky, landing on the man's face.
Smack down the middle.
"FU–––"
Followed by a swear jar.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––End––––––––––––––––––
(A/N)
√ THE REWRITE BEGINSSS.