Gasping sharply, a man sits up in a dark chamber. Its walls are woven from tree roots, and the floor is a mixture of hard rocks and soil.
"Where am I?!" the man gasped, looking around fearfully as he scrambled to his feet. He wore nothing, but felt everything- the cold, damp soil under his feet and the pungent smell of moss and mildew.
Before him is a giant door made of twisting branches in the shape of an arch. His gaze rose with it, but he couldn't see the top. But how could he know it was an arched shape then? Yet the moment he looked elsewhere, even just a small flick of his gaze, the ceiling of roots blinked into existence.
His gaze wandered the area around him, but there was nothing. Just roots, soil, and rock in a space about the size of a 4x4 meter chamber.
"Welcome to the afterlife."
A monotonous, baritone voice echoed through the chamber, startling the man as he looked around in alarm but was unable to pinpoint its origin. The roots twisted and curled around him, and the soil, like arabesques, shifted in design.
"The door will open when it is your time to be judged."
"W-Where am I? Hello?!" the man called out anxiously as the voice spoke, looking around wildly at his unnatural environment shifting again. Once the voice stopped, everything became still again. "Hello?!"
Nothing.
"Where am I? Let me out! I have a wife and kids to get back to-"
Freezing, memories of wolves tearing apart his body flooded his mind. His heart raced and he looked down at himself in panic, but there were no wounds. No half-eaten corpse, even though he hadn't died fast enough while they feasted on him.
"I'm... dead?" he called out again. "I'm dead?"
No response. Just the sound of water droplets falling from roots and hitting rock.
Unable to find words, the man sat down on the floor. It felt like there was a hole in his chest. That's it? It's over? What will happen now?
"At least they're safe," he sighed, remembering his wife and kids fleeing. "I wish I was able to do something more with my life..."
His words echoed around the chamber, but it didn't shift, and only silence returned. Self-analyzing, judgment, remembering all of his good times and bad—they all raced through his head.
'God? I'll be able to meet God!' His eyes widened. 'Maybe I can ask for a second chance!'
Immediately, he stood up as these thoughts entered his mind. Meeting God? Exciting! A second chance- maybe he would get into pottery and create the most exquisite art in his village. The doom and gloom and despair faded as new hopeful thoughts dominated his mind, and his uneasy wait became one of impatient excitement.
Time passed as he paced his chamber. Eventually, with a frown and a stare at the looming door, he sat back down.
"I guess it takes time..."
He rolled around, stood up, and did exercises. He daydreamed while a nervous feeling grew in his chest. Was he forgotten? Did they even know he was in there anymore?
"Hello?! Anyone?" he shouted anxiously, but no response.
Hours passed and he began shouting again as a feeling of dread began to grow.
"SOMEONE! I'M STILL IN HERE! HELP! LET ME OUT!"
Nothing. This torturous silence dragged on as he shouted himself hoarse. The hours became days, and days weeks- if there was such a thing where he was. Or maybe it just felt like that, as he shouted and screamed, tore at the walls and ground in vain, as his fingers and strength couldn't remove a pebble or splinter of wood.
The worst part was that he didn't feel hungry or sleepy either. He tried, for sure, but couldn't do it. After a while, as the feeling of being forgotten, unable to die or sleep or eat, grew, he began to shake and tear at himself unconsciously. Still, despite the pain and his fingers puncturing his skin, he couldn't die. He'd blink and the wounds from his growing insanity would disappear.
Eventually, after what felt like perhaps months, or years... maybe even decades, with all hope lost as he stared mindlessly at the door before him, a loud snap jolted him out of his trance.
"Hehe—" He giggled madly, "Hahaha!" His fingers clawed at his scalp as the door started to open inward. "I can finally meet God!"
With a wild sprint and blood staining his fingertips he dashed through. The world shifted mysteriously around him as the walls grew higher and the room expanded by itself. It felt like an endless sprint until he finally stopped.
Three massive chairs with humanoid figures made of twisting branches and roots stared down at him with glowing green eyes. They were at least ten meters tall and each held a large slab of wood in front of them.
"Why did you forget about me?!" the man shouted madly, his arms gesturing wildly behind him. "Do you know how long I've been in there?! Years! Decades! I've created art with my blood and-"
"We will now review your life." A voice rumbled from the center figure and all three of their heads dipped. The wooden slate in their hands glowed and their eyes began to glow a deeper shade of green.
With his heart in his throat, gulping nervously, he asked, "H-how long will this take... H-hello?! HELLO?!"
Once again, no response.
"Why won't you talk?! Say something! Anything! Please!"
Angry and maddened, he sprinted forward intending to tear them apart for a single word more. If not speak then hopefully hit him. Something. Anything! For he knew if he didn't get a reaction, he would be stuck waiting an endless amount of time again.
But within seconds, he knew he couldn't harm them. His sprint didn't get him any closer. It was as if he were running in place. And when he glanced behind him he couldn't see the door anymore. Just another wall made of roots and branches.
"Not again, please... Just judge me and be done with it... End me..." the man despaired, collapsing to his knees as he began to weep as the endless passage of time stretched on again.
Decades passed and the three figures' eyes finally dimmed.
The man, slouched over on his knees, mentally muted, didn't even notice.
"Judgment complete."
The central figure spoke and the man twitched in reaction. His gaze rose with hollowed eyes as he listened.
"Life, mediocre. Death, tragic. Karma, good," it listed off. Impartial in gaze and tone, its attention rested on the man. "Choose. Slumber and feed the tree or reincarnate."
"Why... would I let myself become food for this accursed tree?" the man croaked.
"Food, nurturing. Faster cycles. Less waiting."
"Oh... so it benefits those after me... but not me..." the man bemoaned, his head falling again with a defeated sigh. "Reincarnation?"
"Reincarnation, chance. Ant, human, squirrel, wolf, salmon. Endless possibilities. Good karma, not enough. Memory wipe."
Silence fell. The man couldn't think anymore. He was exhausted mentally. The thought of reincarnation didn't excite him anymore. Rather, he wondered if it would be an existence worse than the one he was currently in. That very thought made him shudder in place and a whispered response escaped his lips.
"Slumber..."
"Confirm, slumber?"
The man nodded, more eager to find release at this point. Within seconds his vision started to darken while his body glowed. For the first time- however brief- he felt happiness again.
"Finally, it's all over."
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Cycle of Judgement
Time passed in An-Ki: 10 Years
Time passed inside the World Tree: 100 Years
Option for Souls:
Slumber - Turns the soul into nutrition for the World Tree. Mandatory for souls with bad Karma. Shortens the Cycle of Judgement time and strengthens the physical body of the World Tree.
Reincarnate - Returns the soul to the physical world. Neutral to good Karma permitted. The more good Karma a soul has, the higher the probability of a better reincarnated body and the potential to retain their memories (extremely rare).
---------------------------------
"One million common souls to reduce the cycle by one year," Atlas frowned. "And the cost scales as the time gets shorter- one hundred million at fifty years, one billion at twenty-five, a hundred billion at ten..."
"This is a terrible system for souls," Wisp commented with sympathy. "At least their memories get wiped if they're reincarnated."
"There isn't any helping it. The new World Tree, Eleos, needs time to grow. And time to forgive me, hopefully..."
"While the execution was terrible I believe Eleos will forgive you. That is his nature. His initial resistance was driven by doubt because of Myra's mana matching that of the Smiling Tree."
"No doubt," Atlas nodded in agreement. He didn't feel amazing after forcibly moving Eleos's soul, but he also couldn't afford to lose more souls.
"Let's check up on him and make sure he's doing alright."