Chapter 4: The God's Blessings
As if an angel had passed by, silence descended among the 4 of them. Karlus, who had no idea of anything, was surprised by what he heard. He was about to raise his hand to disagree with it, when Nirvana suddenly spoke.
"You'll do that, Brother?" Nirvana questioned, perplexed. She didn't know that her brother could go to that length to reward Karlus.
A few days ago, when they learned that Emperor Karlus was about to pass away due to old age, the three of them gathered and had a meeting. They decided to give him a little reward for his service.
However, the three of them have never talked personally about what to give. That was why Nirvana initially thought that they would just grant Karlus a wish in the afterlife.
"If that's the case, then, I should personally grant Karlus my blessing too!" Nania's eyes sparkled as she took a step forward. A smile rose to her cheeks as she stared at the man before him.
"Tell me, Karlus. What do you want? Do you want to be reincarnated as an emperor once again?" Nania questioned with an encouraging tone.
"I apologize, but I do not wish to be reincarnated nor to live nice again. I'm already satisfied with what I had done so far. I wish to just rest now." Karlus spoke apologetically with his head held up high.
Their offer was enchanting, but he does not want to live and have the same path again.
The power that comes with being on the top was a great responsibility. It was nice to have, but he does not wish to experience it again.
"Does that mean you do not want to have my blessing?" Nexus arched his eyebrows when he realized what Karlus meant. Somehow, the tone of his voice meticulously changed.
"Yes," Karlus answered directly, unfazed.
Because of Karlus's answer, the three gods fell into deep silence. It seemed like they underestimated Karlus and his character.
"Then what do you want to have?" Nirvana questioned with curiosity laced in her voice.
If Karlus doesn't want another life nor richness, then what could possibly, a man like him, want to have?
"I am a simple man, you see." Karlus chuckled as a smile slowly appeared on his face.
"I do not want to have any responsibility now. I am not interested in being rich either. I have already experienced that. What I want now is to rest and spend my days in the afterlife with my wife."
Hearing Karlus's answer, the three gods shared a knowing look with each other once again. It seems like there was information that Karlus does not know yet.
"We are sorry to burst your bubble, but it seems like what you want to have does not follow the law of the afterlife." Nirvana's eyes trailed around.
"Once deceased, the soul of the mortals does not stay in the afterlife. Rather, your soul will turn to what we call the "Elixir of Life" after some time. You will then be kept in the "Hall of the Dead", and will stay there until the end of time."
Nirvana gracefully opened her palms until a transparent circle filled with golden dust appeared in the air. They were the "Elixir of Life" that she was talking about.
"Do you wish to be like this?" she questioned before swaying her hand. The "Elixir of Life'' floated as Nirvana controlled them. And with just one stroke of her hand, they immediately disappeared from the air.
"..."
Karlus' eyes widened in a fraction. His pupils lightly quivered as his dream to see and spend time with his wife slowly dawned upon him.
He didn't know that the afterlife would be like this. Karlus does not want his existence to be merely a ball that had no importance at all.
He recalled all the things he did, all the achievements he accomplished, and the empire he built with his blood and effort.
A great man like him, after all his efforts, would only be a ball that would be kept in seclusion until the end of time?
Unacceptable!
"What will happen to me, if I accept your blessing, then?" Karlus questioned.
As he thinks of it thoroughly, even if he gets reincarnated, he would still die again and would eventually be like the ball that Nirvana showed.
There was no way out of it all.
"Why bother thinking of the future?" Nania's words silenced Karlus. "Didn't you say that you want to experience the joy of life?".
"Then think about it. In this new life, you could do anything you like. I know that even if you're satisfied and content with how you live your life, deep in your heart, you regret not being able to enjoy it at all." Nania pointed out, seeing deep inside Karlus's thoughts and heart.
"How sure are you that I'll be able to enjoy my second life then?" Karlus questioned. However, Nania shook her head.
"We do not control the mortal's life. We are just here to guide you and be an overlooker. You create your own destiny, young lad." Nexus answered, taking Nania's spot to reply.
"So…" Dropping the serious atmosphere that ensued among them, Nexus placed his hand in a hopeful manner as he glanced at Karl with enthusiasm.
"Do you accept my blessing now?"
Taking a deep breath, Karlus carefully looked at the three gods in front of him. He couldn't even counter Nania's words earlier, as it was the truth.
Despite disregarding that feeling, he knew that he somehow regretted not having the opportunity to enjoy life fully, away from responsibility.
Shrugging his shoulders. "Alright then," Karlus answered simply and quickly.
If he'd turn to a ball despite what he will answer, then might as well do anything he wished first and live peacefully after that.
After all, his first life was a huge success. What would even be the problem if he goes through it again?
"Are you sure with your answer now?" Nirvana questioned as she looked at Karlus with squinted eyes.
"Yes," Karlus deeply sighed.
With her personality changing 180 degrees, Nirvana excitedly clapped her hands. After that, she stood up and slightly raised her hand in the air.
"I do not wish to lose to my brother." Nirvana swayed her hands gracefully before smiling widely.
"Thus, I am granting you your second wish. Together with you, your wife will also be reincarnated in the afterlife. However, due to the fact that she has been long dead, only her soul would be able to come back. Her memories wouldn't."Nirvana said the words in a monotonous voice.
Karlus stood frozen, the words echoing in his mind. His heart pounded against his chest, and his breath caught in his throat. However, before Karlus could find his voice, Nania stepped forward. She gently placed her hand in front of his face and said some words.
"I am rewarding you with a special thing I created. You would know it once you are back in life. I hope that my creation will be able to help you find the path you want to take in your new life."
As Nania said those words out loud, a white light came out of her palms. It encircled in the air before landing on Karlus' forehead.
"What's that?" Karlus asked, his brow furrowing as he felt a brief, intense burning sensation in his head.
Nania's eyes twinkled with a playful mystery. "It's a secret for now," she replied, as a soft, knowing smile tugged at her lips.
"Do you like our blessings, Karlus?" Asking the question, Nexus's eyes sparkled as if he was an excited child.
Karlus could only nod as an answer. He was still in disbelief of all the things that happened in a short period of time. Just moments ago, he had been content in the afterlife, and now he was bound to live again.
"We will say goodbye to you now then."
Nexus exchanged a glance with his sisters before taking a step back. As if it was a silent signal, Nirvana and Nania stepped back in unison. The three of them smiled at Karlus before waving their hands.
"It's nice to meet you, Emperor Karlus." the three uttered, their voices harmonizing with genuine enthusiasm, before vanishing into thin air
'What am I even going to do in my second life?'
Karlus, now alone, felt a wave of perplexity wash over him. He was still in shock, his mind struggling to process everything that had happened.
'Oh shit! I didn't ask them when it would happen." Karlus problematically uttered, as his eyes met the same surroundings as before.
It seemed he would have to wait here for the meantime.
Sighing, Karlus was about to sit cross-legged into the air when an unsettling sensation washed over him.
Karlus felt an unknown force beneath. His eyes widened in horror as a massive black hole appeared below.
A frigid chill passed through Karlus's whole body, freezing his breath. Panic surged in his chest, his heart pounding wildly as he tried to comprehend the situation.
However, before he could even think clearly, the unimaginable happened.
"Ahhhhh!" Karlus screamed, his voice echoing into the abyss as he was pulled into the darkness, the scene around him vanishing in a swirl of black.
"Ahhhhh— Uwahhhhh!"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone