[removed]

Somehow read this as "A soup can reincarnate" and my mind tried to think of an isekai, light-novel, title.

The battle of 800,000 BC between the primordials and apemen against the cat and dog like invaders from outside of the universe, The battle lasted several hundred years before a treaty was signed to stop WMDs from erasing reality

Fucked up on morphine. On my way to a better hospital

This sounds like a great premise for a murder mystery board game

{p o e m}

‘Know what’s crazy I met him.’

‘Did you really? What he say?’

‘Don’t come back’

‘ hellava life huh...’

You look like a crystal all the lights, ultralight beaming off you.

‘Madness man. Madness,’

‘How so’

‘Like they really lied to be honest. He was cool as fawk, but without really saying anything.’

‘Yeah it’s different down there like he knows what it’s like to be really down....’

So you and me keep walking this city and it’s nice it’s beautiful but it’s still not what you thought. Kindve a let down.

‘What did you expect to be like some angel or something?’

‘Nah just like I don’t know like some big, judgement thing or whatever you know like the books, like the movies.’

‘When you were down there. Was it ever real... the movies and the books. Weren’t they just figments of some person’s imagination?’

‘Yeah but it was like convincing like really convincing. Thought it’d be hot shit to make it up here.’

‘We’re not up. We’re just.... here. Like you get to not live but just be. You’d think after what went on down there you’d be.... happy’

‘Yeah I guess, ain’t that some shit.’

Ash.....Fire, and the searing smoke fill my lungs as I hear my wife cry out in pain for my name and my children scream for their mother on the floor above me. I struggle to pull free...To push my body from beneath the groaning wood boards pinning me to the basement floor when the room collapsed. I cry out for my eldest to leap from his window holding our youngest after throwing down what clothes they can quickly reach to soften their fall and run for help! My wife weakly yells towards them to "LISTEN TO YOUR FATHER!" and seconds later the sound of a window shattering and the sound of my children scream trail off as they plunge out the second floor window.

I smile as I continue to attempt to free myself and yell towards my wife "HONEY!! CAN YOU HEAR ME I THINK THEY MADE IT!" only to hear silence as the area to which my wife had been began to billow out dark flames and the stench of burning flesh hit my nostrils....I screamed as loudly as I could trying to unpin the layers of wood and furniture keeping me towards the floor and when I drew my last breath I felt the light of my life go with it...More than likely due to the smoke.

I awoke an infant in a crib still tasting the karmic soup offered to me by the makers heralds that allows my soul to once again enter the cycle of reincarnation however...I can still hear their cries and wails and I began to well up from tears and cry my heart out and scream as I had hoped that the soup could bless me with the gift of amnesia towards my lost love and life....When in walked the whispy golden hair and cherubim faced woman.....I knew from the curves of her face to the gentle eyes sitting above her rosey cheeks so deeply reminiscent of my wife that it was her....My daughter...IN THE FLESH!! I laughed between my tears and reached out my short stubborn arms towards her and cried inconsolably knowing she had survived.....

Once I find breath to find words I have much to explain...Much to give...And so much to thank...But also to apologize. For I realized in a cold sweat after the euphoria of seeing my youngest once more that I had stolen someone infinitely precious from her...The opportunity of motherhood from a child...MY GRANDCHILD....I had stolen their future and while I had no control over the matter the nature of my situation weighed on me far heavier than the weights pinning me before my demise.

I must grive...I must thank...And I must apologize...But this child-like form is so exhausted and I feel I shall rest before attempting to express these emotions first...Maybe it might be impossible with a mouth devoid of teeth however but I shall try my best.

I mean grandfather talked with no teeth and he sounded mildly understandable right?

[removed]

“So how long does it take?” Alan asked as the Administrator started to pack away the bowl.

Pausing mid task the Administrator looked back up at Alan and blinked slowly at him “Pardon?”

“The whole memory wipe thing.” Alan replied with a twirling gesture to his temple “How long after I drink you magic soup do I lose my memories and can reincarnate?”

The Administrator stared at him for a long moment before saying “It’s meant to happen instantly. You still remember your past life?”

“Yea.” Alan nodded.

“All of it?”

“Well, as much I ever did I guess.”

Turning to look at the bowl in his hand the Administrator asked “Are you sure you drank all of it?”

“Of course I did. You would have noticed otherwise when you took the bowl back right?”

“Right.” The Administrator said uncertainly “Let’s just try again shall we?” he suggested as he placed the bowl back in front of Alan. Picking up a small flask the Administrator uncorked it and started to fill the bowl, pouring out more of soup than could possible be contained in such a small vessel. Once the bowl was filled to him brim the Administrator slowly pushed it towards Alan who carefully picked it up as to not spill any and brought it to his lips. Gulping down the soup Alan set the bowl back down on the table and met the gaze of the Administrator who was watching expectantly “Well, anything?”

“Nope, still me.” Alan shrugged.

“I don’t understand…” the Administrator muttered to himself as he brought the flask to his nose and gave an experimental sniff. “Here, try drinking straight from the flask.”

“Sure, if you think it’ll work.” Alan said as he took the flask and brought it to his mouth. Swallowing as quickly as the liquid filled his mouth Alan drank continuously for several minutes before pulling it away and shook his head.

“This… This doesn’t make any sense… This has never happened before!” the Administrator cried out.

“So what do we do now?” Alan asked as he tried to hand the flask back to the Administrator only for him to push it back towards him.

“You just keep drinking!” he insisted as he got to his feet. “I’ve got to tell someone about this!” he said before fleeing out the door.

Shrugging his shoulders Alan brought the flask back to his lips and started to sip. After an indeterminable amount of time passed the door flung open as the Administrator returned with someone in tow. “It’s this one!” the Administrator said as he pointed an accusing finger at Alan. “He drank two full bowls and even straight from the flask but he’s still here and-”

“Calm yourself.” the Senior Administrator said as he held up a placating hand. “While such an occurrence is exceptionally rare it is not unheard of.” Taking a seat opposite Alan the Senior Administrator said “This is usually the result of a particularly strong memory having taken root directly into the soul. To exorcise it we simply need to identify the memory and pry it free from the soul. Now then, Alan was it? Can you think of any memory that could have such a hold upon you?”

“Nothing really comes to mind.” Alan shook his head.

“Come now.” The Senior Administrator said with a kindly smile “You were over 60 years old when you passed, there must be something?”

“I lead a kind of uneventful life to be honest with you.” he said awkwardly. “I never had any family, not many friends, I worked a dead end job; me dying was probably the most eventful thing to ever happen to me.” he finished lamely as he scratched the back of his head. “I was kind of looking forward to going back and making a better go of it this time around."

“mmm, then perhaps it was some form of trauma that you have repressed but still weighs heavily on your soul.” the Senior Administrator pondered as he stroke his chin. “Let us find out together, your hands if you please.” he said as held out his own hand on the table palms up. Doing as he was told Alan placed his hands in those of the Senior Administrator causing an image of a diner to appear between them “It seems to be a restaurant of some sort. Does it seem familiar at all?”

“Not really. I’ve probably ate at hundreds of places like this in my life. I can’t think of anything traumatic happening in one.”

“Let us see how it plays out.” he said as the image shifted to inside the diner where a twenty something Alan sat in a booth being served by a young waitress. “She is rather attractive no? Perhaps your deep seated memory involves this young woman?” the Senior Administrator suggested only to notice Alan looking pale. “Is something the matter?”

“I...er think I remember what memory this is.” he said evasively. “We don’t have to watch any more.”

“Of course we do. How else will we help you move on.” the Senior Administrator replied as the memory continued to show the waitress placing a plate in front of Alan.

“Here’s your meal, do you need anything else?” she said with a smile.

“No, I’m good thanks.” he replied with a shy smile.

“Enjoy your meal.” she smiled.

“Thanks.” Alan replied “You too.”

White enveloped me blinding and deafening me to all. When suddenly shapes appeared all around. My eyes blinked furious trying to clear the lingering brightness from my sockets. The shapes became crystal clear. A plethora of well dressed men and women and a large stone room. Beautiful purple banners hung from the ceiling the pure white unicorn proudly placed near the bottom. "This is your speaker?" A commanding voiced erupted through the hall, I turned on my heel looking at the source of the voice. A man draped in purple garments and crown upon his head "wonderful" I thought to myself " Your defense is a drunk with a tankard still to his lips!" The man screamed now obviously angry, I spun around then to get an entire look of the room, faces shocked and curious surrounded me and then I saw it. Aidan my best friend of my whole life on his knees with a blade to his throat.

I finally lowered the forgotten tankard from lips and swallowed my swollen cheeks of ale. I cleared my throat, " did you fall 'in love' with another hapless maidan Aidan?" I asked holding my cup at my side and slowly shaking my head. He shrugged and gave a nervous smirk, his way of saying " it's not my fault trouble always follows me." My eyes rolled as I looked to the king. " This man stands accused of bewitching and defiling my daughter!" The man roared fiercely, if I was a younger less experienced man I might have trembled. " Your highness" I began bowing as low as possible putting my free hand to my heart and my full hand aloft " I apologize for my sudden appearance and interruption of your trial but I have to ask, where exactly am I?" The rage upon the man's face shown as brightly as flame against a dark night

"You stranger are in the high court of Jethro the Fair King of the kingdom of Kirthdal! Now I order you to state who you are and how you came to be his defendant against his crimes!" I raised up after he finished and started him in the eyes making sure my cold resolve and indomitable will came to the forefront for him to see " I am Algus your highness and I was summoned because of these" I held up my hand to show my bland banded ring that wrapped around my right ring finger as I did so I walked over to Aidan hunched form and slowly pushed the blade away from him rose him to his feet and spun him to show a white ring in the same place on his same hand "they are summoning rings you see and we'll I was summoned" suddenly in that moment I remembered the accusations " I'm sorry did you say he charmed your daughter and I'm assuming you also believe he has made her with child yes? Well I can assure you, you couldn't cast any sort of charm, spell, ritual with a endless life and all the hidden knowledge of arcana" I lied trying to ease the king " and how are you so sure my daughter does not have his child growing within her how could you see so sure?"

"Well that's simple my dear king I enchanted him so that he cannot bare children" my smile grew wider Aidan screamed " you did w-" my hand shot to his mouth as I glared at him, in no small part explaining "there were to many close calls before and i wasn't going to have wind up in a situation like this, you should thank me for my forethought" the king was staring daggers as I looked back at him " how many I to believe any of this to me you look like a normal man dressed how you are and drinking as you were how am I to believe any of the words you say!" I looked down at myself and saw the robe " ahh yes hardly dressed for a court appearance I do apologize" I looked around the room and saw a servant girl I beckoned her over and gave her my tankard and bowed my head thanking her thoroughly " I realize my name must be unknown to you but I do go by a different more well known one" I stated as I snapped my fingers.

I felt the all to familiar sensation of my armor appearing around me concealing me in the black iron, the crowd gasped and I saw the anger leave the kings face as well as the color. " The... The... You are the black knight? The surge of Varkun, killer of king Horkar?" He trailed off his fear drowning the room as if they had seen the end of days upon them. I looked over in that moment and saw a young woman no older than Aidan himself looking in amazement excitement in her eyes as if to say " the stories are true!" I held out my and to her " dear princess if you would I would ask that you take my hand I wish to show your father the truth. She faltered a bit looking at her father then at me and slowly got up and ran down to me the excitement slowly burning back to life in her eyes " will you take me away with Aidan allow us to have a happily ever after?" She whispered her slight jitters like small fireworks in her body.

I frowned even though no one could see it. I was going to give Aidan a piece of my mind if this worked, " no my dear" I answered the armor slowly pulling away from my hand so I could feel her hand " I am going to show your father what happened between you to and then we will leave. And you will find a good man a better man to love you I am sure of it" she looked deeply saddened and put her hand mine " I know it is inopportune but I need you to remember the happiness you felt with my friend" a slow tear descended her cheek but she nodded and closed her eyes "

my dear king if you would please look" my fingers traced the symbols into the air as a tapestry of memory appeared above the princess and my head " I felt the emotion and saw the images in was pure and innocent affection it was mutual there was no wooing of even intercourse between the two when it was done I dawned my blade from the shadows and cut my best friends binds and pulled him to me by the collar of his shirt

"After all these years after everything we have been through after all those late nights and YOU decide to fall in love with a princess? You absolute fool!" I turned then in my fury ready to try and talk to the king when I saw him and the tear streaming down his face " I haven't seen a love like that since I was with my wife. I am sorry I doubted you my child and I am sorry I was to kill an innocent man forgive me both of you. I hear ya pass my judgement the accused is free to go but I forbade you from seeing my daughter" I grabbed Aidan before you could protest "

I thank you for your leniency my kind may you live long and rule even longer " and in a moment Aidan and I were teleported back to my study where I had been when he summoned me. " Alright it's done I saved you as you needed and now I want you to go. You are very lucky you weren't up to your usual tricks" " I love her Algus. I cannot depart from her and I will not be happy till she and I are together" I slammed my fists onto my desk " you lovesick fool how do you plan on doing that? Steeling her away? Running off to be chased till the end of your days by her father's men?" " I don't know Algus all I know is I love her and I won't rest till I am with her" I sighed my armor disappearing just like it had come "Fine. We will get you a Lordhood and go back for your beloved, they can't really deny a lord the hand of a lady noe can they?" his face brightened and he embarrassed me "Besides I need to get my favorite tankard back"

What’s a memory made of?

It’s one measly picture in your head that you desperately scribble in again and again, inevitably overcorrecting or under-representing. One thing, trying to replicate everything you were feeling then. Your firing senses. Overflowing emotions. Unmatched chemistry.

In fact, what’s weird isn’t that we forget. Try finishing a painting and then immediately dipping it into water, then repeating the process over and over again. Ending up with even a smidgen or similarity is a miracle, not an expected result.

So, a magic soup that erased memories? Least of the wonders in the afterlife. It made sense. Completely. People forget things all the time already.

All I could do was sit here, shafted into my special queue of one, while I watched other souls shamble up to the giant pot. The burly soup kitchen chef, whose name I can never recall, served the souls with an expression so flat and even that it looked like a… a… a… small human drew lines in the sand.

He sat on a high chair, and doled out bowl after bowl. Once in a while, his eyes flitted towards me. He would then grab a soul out of the line, passed them two bowls, and bade them to walk towards me.

The soup was disgusting. My first wish was always wishing that I would forget the taste. I swore it worked by being so terrible that it concussed your brain from the inside. The second wish was wishing finally, finally, the forgetting soup would work.

It never did. It never worked. I forgot everything else.

The chef would glance over, then shake his head. While the rest of the souls continued to file past him, I remained near the pot, staring in agony at the cauldron and line of souls that never ended.

I forgot all the time.

Can’t even remember how I died.

Or lived, for that matter.

I forgot how I ended up here, desperately downing soup after soup in vain.

How I can’t fucking forget that one single thing, a thorn of torment hammering itself into my brain again and again, flooding my entire body with pain. Perhaps smashing the bowl against my skull would stop that pain, or knock me out long enough for unconsciousness to act as nature’s painkiller.

The words rang in my head, over and over and over and over again.

“You will never forget.” His voice. That smirk, with yellowing teeth that could have done with several more brushings, twisting into a cruel laugh.

“You just lost the game.”

r/dexdrafts

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"Oh hi there Steve" he says calmly, whilst the sword is held against his neck.

"Hello Morgan, I see you have found yourself in a another picle". You try to act calm, as if you hadn't even noticed he hadn't called you in years.

"Guards!" You hear a voice comming from a throne on the other end of the room "take the intruder"

"Oh she is very pretty! You say with a lively voice What did you do this time?" Your voice going down to a more agressive tone.

"Uhm so... I kind of pissed off a goddess"

"A what?!" You sigh. As the dozen guards come your way with golden spears. Before any of them can touch you though you dissappear before their eyes and re appear sitting in the arm of the goddess's throne.

"ok, come on what did he do?" The woman seemes more annoyed than surprised with your presence and without reply she tries to stab you in the belly. You hold her blade firmly yet gracefully.

"Hey...cowboy calm down. I am much more of a counselor than a fighter, so let's not do that, as you are still holding her blade tween your hands you make it dissappear. Let's talk this out... did he try to steal from you? Did he kill anyone you loved? Anyone you hated and wanted to kill yourself?

"Worse!" She utters in a terrifying voice.

"He broke my heart"

"He what?" You say under your breath

"And now he must die"

"Oooh, wow... wait a minute there tigress. You can't kill him just cause the relationship didn't work".

"Look I get, sometimes you are in love and things don't work out, you feel heartbroken, like you can't go on without him, or that if you can't have him no one else can"

"Shut it"... you feel a gust of wind come over you and press you against the wall "you have holded this trial long enough, you friend must now die"

You try to dissappear, but your powers don't work...

(To be continued if I have time)

You just made me retire from the internet for the day, as everything else is misery and this was pure joy.

God damn, well done.

Night was falling, and with it the temperature, bringing a chill I shouldn’t have been able to feel. I knew I should get up, leave behind this secluded corner and uncomfortable stone bench and go inside, into the light and the warmth where my friends would be waiting for me, but I just couldn’t bring myself to stand.

They would all be excited, filled with nervous anticipation, ready to see my true form and certain the elders had given me the key to find it. It would never occur to any of them that I wasn’t a dragon like them, bound to human form in infancy until reaching a level of skill and power and self awareness sufficient to cast Revert to True Form. I had dragon magic, after all. So what else could I be?

A huff of bitter laughter fell away from me. Seconds later, there was Pitch, buzzing low to the ground in his true dragon form. I always thought it was funny that he was pure white and tiny as a dragon when his name was Pitch and his human form was so massive, but I was having trouble finding anything humorous at the moment.

“There you are, Kauri! We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“You have? Why?” I asked, internally admonishing myself for not casting a hiding.

“You missed dinner and no one heard from you after your meeting with the elders. We were worried. Some of us thought you might have gotten lost in the instincts of dragon shape and needed help remembering who you are no matter what shape you are, so we all came looking. I was put in charge of this section of the grounds in case you were little like me and couldn’t fly far, and Frost and Soot took some of the better flyers and they’re doing a wide loop in case you ended up big and went further than you meant to. But here you are, all human shaped and safe.” Pitch touched down, changing to his human form between one breath and the next. “Were you waiting for us to change shapes?”

[removed]

The year is 2033 and superheroes have been deployed to the first battle of WW3, being surrounded by enemy forces and having a last stand under the Eiffel Tower. Today we find out if powers can save these heroes!

America has been turned into a dictatorship, with people being enslaved and used for testing. The resistance has finally prepared for the final battle against the dictator...

A grizzled old assassin gets reincarnated as a magical girl.

There is no afterlife, only the life you have lived.

Do not be afraid though. When the time comes, like a river reuniting with the sea you will return to those moments that made yours worth living. Those moments when you smiled to yourself for no apparent reason, when the urge to cry out of gratitude overwhelmed you, when great sadness washed over you because you knew that moment would not last forever. Only you couldn’t know that they do.

Time is never ending, constantly moving forward with seemingly no regard to the past, but know you have your dedicated space in the creation of the coming future. Nothing— not even the inescapable embrace of death— can take that from you, because it is yours. Every breath you ever took transformed the very atoms of existence, changing the the world around you in ways you never knew, and exist today in some way, shape, or form. Every laugh, every cry, every shout of yours will forever echo in the seemingly barren cavern of time, but barren it is not. You may not be aware of what comes after, for you and everything that makes you will be spread like dust in the raging winds of life, but you will forever exist in all that came before.

Sometime today, it will be you, tomorrow it may be me. But this moment right now, this seemingly insignificant moment of time, is ours. Read this and know that I love you. And as time continues on, know that this moment has its place in the history of forever.

The Battle of Argentshade, sometimes poëtically referred to as the Last March of the Black Tower or the Day of Stone Terror, is the final battle of the Alavonic Campaign, as well as the first and only time the superweapon known as the Doïnmarna or "Black Tower" was ever used. Through the use of the roughly 1500-kil tall Dwarven golem, Alavon Felsenkind was able to force the capitulation of the Five Kingdoms of the West.

On the 16th of Neverrime, 44 a.Al., the Fellenaren forces of Alavon, strengthened by Dwarven mercenaries from the confederacy of Kormos and Desraen swords for hire met the Artanen legion, which had been stationed at the city of Argentshade at the northern border of Artan to await them. Queen Fiora of Artan had correctly predicted that Alavon's forces would swing north and use the shadow of the overhanging Capriconen plateau to hide their approach from the east, hoping to launch a surprise attack. The armies appeared evenly matched until the late morning, when Alavon himself arrived piloting the Doïnmarna. Aiming the stone colossus' lumenic weapon at the city of Argentshade, which had been evacuated prior to the battle, he obliterated the heart of the city in a single blast. An hour later, Artan announced its unconditional surrender. Queen Fiora stepped down as ruler of Artan in the evening.

Though Alavon is typically said to have made his vow of nonviolence at his coronation as emperor of the Five Kingdoms, some sources state he made it, or a version of it, at queen Fiora's abdication, being horrified by the potential of the ancient Dwarven weapon he wielded. This account is considered dubious, however, as Alavon is noted as having made "grand threats in the name of peace" during the Conference of Everfall later that year.

[Poem]

No pain now and for forever after
Pleasure only coursing through each vein
I'll die once more choking on my laughter
And God himself will declare me sane
 
So which way am I headed now, I ask
As I pack it all up to up and leave
I light a cigarette and fill up my flask
Rum for my after afterlife, if you'll believe

Don‘t get it wrong this time, don’t get it wrong I told myself for the hundredth time today.
„According to information obtained by members of my spy network, the sabotage is planned out of a safe house close to the embassy on Arakesh road.“ I blurred out to my handler and his boss.
„What did I say?“ the handler asked triumphantly. „I knew we could trust him.“

God damnit again I thought, when I realized I told the truth and revealed the location I was supposed to keep secret. Again.

The boss nodded lightly. He sounded cautious, but content: „it appears so we can trust Dr. Livingston. Thank you Doctor, the people of B‘Yelano owe you for your services. Your information is going to save hundreds of lifes.“ He paused for a moment and added „If your information proves to be true.“

I did not dare to say anything. I learned the hard way only to speak, when asked. Too fresh is the memory of prison on D‘Yalak, the home planet of the other war party. The other war party‘s sabotage act I was supposed to keep a secret. I had provided General Kenta with the location of the safe house, a mission to redeem my status as an agent. The General, as well as his B‘Yelan counterpart both employ me as agent, double-agent, triple-agent. I lost count how often I changed the side and revealed things. I‘m in the thousands now, at least. But for some reason they still trust me.
If my therapist is to be believed, it’s because I’m a Doctor. Though I’m not really a Doctor

„I check in with Observation to get a look on the house. Possibly we can liquidate them tonight“ my handler told us, while standing up and moving to leave the room.

His boss, a Colonel by rank, nods lightly again and offered me a cup of Hogosha tea down the road, at the tea house by the lake. I accept knowing I don’t have a choice. We leave the building in silence.
At the time we‘ve grabbed our tea and walk by the lake I‘m as nervous as on my first day on the job. I‘m well aware what it means if an officer invites you for tea. A new mission awaits me.

The colonel leans against a tree for wind protection to light a cigarette, when he suddenly exclaimed: „Are you out of your fucking mind? Why would you tell us this. If General Kenta gets wind of this, you’re spending the rest of your life in prison.“.

His sharp tone in his voice scares me and the paranoia kicks in. Why is he saying that? Is he saying that because he wants to protect his double-triple-quadruple-agent or is he himself a double agent?.

To win some time I take another sip from my tea. I understand why so many employees of the agency spend their breaks at the tea house.

„I‘m tired, Colonel.“ I tell him speaking truly. I pause for a brief moment and start walking away. Away from the lies and deception. Away from a war that already killed thousands of souls in over a decade.
Truth be told I don‘t know how long I can stay out of it this time. Two weeks would be nice. I could use some vacation.

The afterlife wasn't what I thought it would be; wasn't what they told me. I felt a fool, after the fact, to have believed them.

The tales of men.

It wasn't until I shed my former body– dropped it like a coat on the floor after the end of a hard day's work, that everything became clear to me. It was as though I had wandered through life with a static in my head that I'd grown used to, maybe even came to enjoy. Because in the afterlife your mind is as clear as a crystal bell that rings true every time the rooster calls.

Every detail.

Every moment.

And all the time.

You're something different when you break away from the things that made you human. Not something necessarily better, but different. You bloom like a flower in a field, but with directions for what happens when your pedals blow away with the wind. The collective beauty of it all loses its novelty, and you yearn for the things that you never dreamed you would.

Evil. Revenge. Pain. Suffering. And most importantly, struggle.

A baby born, wet, sticky, and cold lacks a compass. They may have their parents if they're not some unlucky SOB, but that alone isn't enough. Life is a web tangled with threads of entropy, gossamers of the unknown, and it's one's own personal journey to avoid the many spiders that populate it.

Drugs, gambling, alcohol, whores, hedonism.

I made some sweet vibrations in life; heavy ones that pulled every thread and called every eight-legged bastard straight to me, fangs glistening, and venom at the ready. The sun never set without venom in my veins. Never rose without me scrambling for more of it. Life was never enough for a guy like me.

And it seemed indeed neither was death.

I was told everyone grew bored with the afterlife at some point or another. Reincarnation was a certainty; not an if, but a when for every new flower that bloomed there. Each would inevitably crave the things that came with life and seek it again for themselves. It started with a journey– a pilgrimage known as the Long Walk. Some left in groups, others alone across a long field filled with flowers that watched as you passed.

From there, they'd cross a vast wetland, a barren desert, a wheatfield that stretched as far as the eye could see, and then a long arctic plane filled with snowcapped mountains, glaciers, and long stretches of white wilderness. Through a forest of golden leaves, a swamp of spewing gasses, and lastly a grassland that led to a single structure in the far distance. It sat nestled within the trunk of a great tree, the leaves of which one could see from where they first bloomed.

For as many who leave the garden at a time, the tree was never busy. Only ever a few souls at a time stay for long. It was like a traditional ramen shop like the kind they had in Japan. You'd pass under pearl white drapes and take your seat at the counter. A turtle man would greet you and ask you why you wished to return.

Any answer was good enough, it wasn't a test.

He'd then slide you a bowl of steaming soup, and ask you to reflect on your past life as it cooled. He said the same thing to me every time as though I hadn't been here every day for the past four seasons.

"Bathe in the steam; this step favors the bold. Inhale your new purpose and exhale the old."

I'd stare into his soulful reptilian eyes and take the soup into me again, again, and again, day after day. I would see others take but a single spoonful and vanish where they were. It was a gateway, you see. It was right in our instructions from the moment we bloomed. Much like I had shed my old body, I would need to shed my memories of it in order to be given life anew.

"It doesn't work," I'd tell the turtle.

But he'd simply stare back at me wisely; silently; never uttering a word, as though he were simply existing on a loop.

And there weren't any further instructions.

No contingencies, and no workarounds. In life, there were many pathways to achieve one's goal, but in death, there was only this. It was absolute. I spent years visiting every day and drinking the soup, but I couldn't forget who I was; couldn't emerge from my chrysalis as a fresh face with a new story.

I was stuck as me. As this.

And in time I grew from remorseful to angry. I finished the bowl and smashed it against the wall, only to get no new reaction from the turtle man. He would just watch me through his big all-knowing eyes, as though pitying me. As though he had the answer and was withholding it from me. His gaze drove me to madness day after day. He would never say a word, save for his stupid rhyme about inhaling my new purpose. I inhaled all the steam every time and all I exhaled were curses at the end of each unsuccessful attempt to pass through the gateway, as was my right to do so.

My divine right.

I snapped.

I leaped over the counter and bludgeoned the turtle to death with his own cookware. I ventured into his kitchen and found behind it a cave.

The inside of the tree.

Gold and silver flecks blew past my face as I ventured into the trunk. A warmth washed over me as I reached what I imagined was the center. I felt a wind beneath my feet that pushed with a gentle force and lifted me into the air. I ascended into the trunk of the tree. I saw things no soul has seen. Understood truths available only to one willing to take. The turtle was dead. If I couldn't go home, then nobody would.

I would exist as I always had– as a spider.

As a spider in the tree.

r/A15MinuteMythos