Chapter 1: Welcome to the Soul Corridor
"Welcome, dear soul, to the Soul Corridor,"
said a stunning young woman with flowing silver hair and mesmerizing violet eyes, dressed in what looked like a fusion of a modern business receptionist outfit and celestial robes glowing faintly with ethereal light.
"Wait... what?"
I muttered in complete confusion, blinking as I stood in what seemed like an endless white lobby floating in a sea of stars.
"Please place your hand on the Soul Panel so we can complete your reincarnation,"
she said with a gentle smile. As she finished speaking, a translucent, glowing screen materialized in front of me with a palm-shaped imprint, pulsing softly like a heartbeat.
"..."
I just stared at it—no, more like gawked—my brain completely refusing to process what the hell was happening. Was this a dream? A prank? A VR simulation? Was I dead?
"Is there a problem, dear soul?"
she asked again, this time with a bit of concern in her voice, tilting her head in a way that made her look both curious and genuinely caring.
"What? Sorry—I was just... shocked,"
I replied, snapping out of my daze. I hesitated for only a second before reaching out and placing my hand on the panel. It started to scan my palm, producing that smooth digital whirr you hear in sci-fi movies.
Ding!
A clear, crisp chime rang out as the scan completed, and a floating window popped up right in front of my face.
---
Soul Profile
Soul Name: Set Goodly
Current Sex: Male
Current Age: 89
Karma Alignment: Good (350 Positive Karma)
Current Soul Titles:
-Peaceful Life
-Kind Existence
---
I stared blankly at the window, trying to process the information. I couldn't recall much from my past—just flashes. I remembered resting in my small, cozy house. Then... a loud honk. A blinding flash. Something metallic. Something fast. Like... a truck?
"Please proceed to the Karma Hall so your life deeds may be converted into Fate Points,"
the receptionist said softly, gesturing with a graceful wave toward an enormous gateway at the far end of the corridor.
Calling it a "door" was an understatement—it was a colossal, majestic gate made of deep oak-brown wood, etched with golden accents and intricate carvings that shimmered and shifted slightly as if alive with cosmic energy.
I stood in awe, my mouth slightly agape. As I stepped closer, I couldn't help but feel tiny in its presence. With a hesitant push, I opened the gate.
On the other side was a sight that nearly knocked the breath out of me—if I even had breath anymore. A vast white hallway stretched out, polished and glowing softly. Lining the sides were massive picture-frame windows that showed entire universes. Some were serene and heavenly, others burning with infernal chaos. One window even showed what looked like a medieval fantasy world with dragons soaring through purple skies.
As I walked through, I felt like an ant standing inside the engine room of reality. Grand? Beautiful? No—those words didn't even come close. Great. Yes. Great in the truest, most ancient sense of the word. I felt like even if I stayed in that hall for a thousand years, I'd still be just as awestruck as the first moment.
Eventually, I arrived at a vast chamber. At the center floated a gigantic orb—dozens of glowing rings rotated around it, humming with immense power. Inside the orb was a river of pure data, flowing endlessly like a living, breathing library of existence.
A man—no, a worker, or maybe a divine staff member—stood beside a floating panel similar to the one before. He wore a white uniform with black and gold accents, and he had a professional yet relaxed smile.
"Please place your hand on the panel to be judged,"
he said, motioning toward it with a practiced flourish.
I placed my hand on it.
Suddenly, memories crashed into me like a tidal wave. My birth. My first steps. My first word. The shy first kiss under the stars. The day I got married. The joy of raising children. The grief, the laughter, the peaceful afternoons with tea. Then... arguments, aging... and death.
By a freakin' truck. Of course.
I stumbled back slightly, catching my balance just in time.
"Karma Calculated."
The mechanical voice echoed through the chamber. I looked up to see numbers appear on the massive sphere.
---
SP: 562
---
"Congratulations, Mr. Goodly. Your karma has been successfully converted. If you'll please follow me to the SP Store, we can proceed to selecting your next life,"
the man said with a pleasant tone and a reassuring smile.
"Wait, wait, wait—"
I raised both hands in alarm.
"You can do many things using SP points, like—"
he started.
"Not that—not now!"
I interrupted, flustered.
"I mean, what the hell just happened?! I just got hit with 89 years of memory flashbacks! What's this 'SP'? What the heck is the 'SP Store'? And what do you mean by 'next life'?!"
I blurted, bombarding him with questions like a panicking tourist in a new dimension.
He looked at me with a composed expression that practically screamed, Here we go again.
"Sigh. Let me explain. Well—short version: you're dead."
"Wha—"
"Please let me finish. Like I said, you're dead, and now you're in the afterlife. We judged your soul based on your life's karma. That karma gets converted into SP—Soul Points—which are the currency used to customize your next life. The SP Store is where you spend those points to buy... well, everything. Appearance, skills, luck, worlds, bloodlines, you name it. That's the whole deal. All your questions: answered."
He smiled again—just a little too perfectly. It was either god-tier customer service or a program running on autopilot.
"...Yeah. So, can you lead me?"
I asked, rubbing the back of my neck with an embarrassed blush creeping up my ethereal face. Wait—can spirits even blush?
"But there's one more thing, Mr. Goodly,"
he said, pausing in his tracks.
"Yeah?"
I asked, curious.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a shimmering, purple bead that pulsed faintly with mysterious energy. He handed it to me and said in a voice so serious it killed every joke in a 10-mile radius:
"Eat it."
I stared at the bead, then at him. There was no sarcasm, no hesitation, no wink. Just pure, terrifying seriousness.
Swallowing nervously, I did the dumbest smart thing imaginable—I tossed the bead into my mouth and swallowed.
I didn't even get the chance to ask what the hell it was.
Because suddenly—boom.
It hit me. Hard. The world twisted, colors bled into each other, time bent sideways, and the laws of physics filed for divorce.
It was like being 17 again, hitting that devil's lettuce and snorting a mountain of snow. The sky melted. The ground warped. My vision turned into a kaleidoscope from hell.
And then—blackness.
___________
This is a new fanfiction I thought of—hope you guys like it! I really hope this won't be another flop like my others, and fingers crossed that I don't get writer's block on this one.
Maybe a few power stones could help keep me motivated? 😉😉😉
Hope you enjoy this new fic!