"Yes... this feels like sh**."
In the middle of nowhere, between dimensions, a glowing orb floated calmly. Surprisingly, it could speak the human language.
"It feels like my consciousness is floating in the sea... it's kind of relaxing... so am I in a coma or something?" the orb murmured, trying to sense the space around it.
'Well, the last thing I remember is walking down the street when I saw a little girl standing in the middle of the road, and a car nearly hit her,' he thought. The orb let out a sigh of disappointment; he was the unlucky one who jumped out on reflex to save her. All he could remember after the shock was waking up... here.
Not far from the orb stood a lady and a little girl with unique galaxy hair, fox ears, and a tail. The girl looked at the glowing sphere in front of her with a sad face. The lady, her mother, patted her head and said, "It's okay, he had a good heart, so don't worry, he won't be angry."
Lifting her eyes from the girl, she looked at the globe for a moment before snapping her fingers. The darkness around them turned white, and the globe—the soul, to be specific—took a human shape with no distinguishing characteristics (no face, ears, etc.).
The moment he took shape, he looked around, finding the girl and her mother. Just seconds ago, he couldn't see or feel a thing, but now he could. Still feeling the floating motion, he guessed that the lady in front of him had done something. This time, he noticed the little girl beside her and was shocked: removing the tail and ears, it was the same girl he had been trying to save.
"I don't know what happened, but from what I remember, I was trying to save the little girl beside you. Don't tell me I didn't make it in time," he asked the lady after a moment of silence.
"Sorry," the girl flinched and hid behind her mother, murmuring.
As if she had done something wrong and just been discovered, the sight of the little girl made him feel terrible, despite not having done anything. He looked at the lady, confused.
"No, you made it in time, but she didn't need saving. I am more surprised that you saw her with your mortal eyes," the lady chuckled, giving her explanation. "And thanks to that, you died."
"Saw her? Died? Sigh... can you explain to me in more detail, please?" The man cut straight to the point and asked for an explanation, not minding that he had just been told he was dead.
Seeing that he was calm after all this, the lady was surprised, and the girl was stupefied. Don't judge them by their young look; they travel and have had few cases of meeting souls after death, and very few keep their sanity after the big realization.
"What, something wrong?" he asked, not knowing whether to press or let them continue. After all, the whole situation felt weird altogether.
The lady and the girl just looked at each other, then started to chuckle, and the lady said, "No, nothing wrong. It's just most people will start to squirm and throw anger fits at us because, technically, it's our fault for your death."
The girl lowered her head again and said, "Sorry."
"Mostly yes, but death is something I believe is the end of every born creature, and I jumped on my own to help. So, no fault lies with any person but me. I chose an action, and here is the consequence of it, so don't worry." The soul said, getting closer to the girl and patting her head to calm her down.
"Sorry for causing your death, and thank you for helping me." Seeing the smile and calm look in his eyes, she bowed again after he removed his hand, and this time her voice was noticeably stronger.
"Yup, as expected, kind, forgiving, and considering how you could see my daughter... I was right, you hold a close link to nature," the lady just nodded and said with a smile. From the moment they got here, she felt a strong connection to this soul, and the fact that her daughter let him pat her so easily confirmed her hypothesis.
"What again?" Not understanding what she meant, the soul asked.
"I am talking about your past life," the lady said. "When you helped my daughter and died, your soul was supposed to enter the wheel of rebirth. But you ended up here in 'The Between,' a place between dimensions and worlds. Very few could survive here, and it's not about strength, but more about the uniqueness of the being itself."
"If I understand well, this place is supposed to be some kind of abyss? So how is that related to me being close to nature?" The soul looked around. Before, it was all darkness and stars. Even though it gave him a 'homey' feeling, darkness and nature were completely opposite concepts.
"Nature is more than forests, mountains, or even the life they hold. Nature is more than just part of a floating rock in space; its principle and definition are more than you can imagine, and..." The lady, catching his misunderstanding, started to explain.
The soul remained silent, trying to understand the meaning behind her words. What he didn't notice was that the moment he started to truly grasp the meaning, the energy around him began to coalesce, surprising even the duo watching.
The girl looked at her mother. "Mom, is that!?"
The lady just nodded and looked serious for a moment before smiling, looking into the far, unknown space and murmuring, "Karma is really interesting." Looking back at the soul she met unexpectedly and only by chance, she decided, 'Let's give him his chance and see where he gets.'
After a while, the soul returned to his thoughts. "I see..." He looked at the lady. "So what happens to me now?" As for the next move, he couldn't stay here. Despite the comfortable feeling, this place was extremely dangerous, and he could feel it now. If he wanted to get out, he had no way.
"How do you feel about living a second life? Let's see, how about Soul Land?" the lady proposed, observing him for a while.
The soul flinched for a second, then, with barely contained excitement, asked, "Which generation? I hope it's Yuhao's time! Do I get to choose my Martial Soul?" Gaining a chuckle from the parent-child duo.
"Even I don't know what time you will land, and your Martial Spirit will determine when you are there. All I can give you is a small nudge, at best, and help you wake your sealed memory later," the lady said.
"Then can you give me the ability to be an alchemist and crafter, some kind of ability to safely grow plants, and an appraisal skill to keep track of my training and others' states?" The soul took some time to think, asking not just to enjoy something he always admired, but also to secure a financial backup.
The lady looked at him and nodded. "Sure, and I will leave a gift for you as thanks for your good heart and the courage you showed."
"All good, but you never told me your names, and why this little sweetie was not in danger?" the soul nodded before asking.
"Right, we never did. But..." The lady looked at the girl in realization and smiled at him. "That is something you should ask next time you meet us, but for now, you can address me as Ancestor." She looked back at the soul with a mischievous smile.
Not giving him time to talk back, she started accumulating the energy around the soul to form a sphere. After a moment, the sphere disappeared, leaving only the soul, which started to disappear too.
The last thing she told him in a soft voice before he vanished completely: "I don't know what your new body will be like, but I made it so you will wake up in a little base close to Shrek, where it is supposed to be." She said this in a serious voice, as if to make sure he remembered her words. "Good luck, and remember: 'Everything that has value deserves to be fought for, and don't forget, Strong Will brings the impossible close to possible, and with hard work, nothing is far from your grasp.'"
After the soul disappeared completely, the two of them vanished too, and the place went back to what it was before. a calm darkness.