The sound of the clock ticking, echoed through the space…

I straighten my back while still sitting on the floor, observing the surroundings. A narrow room without any door…

Wait… No door?

Just a single window’s frame on one side of the wall.

As it is wide open, I can see a vast endless hilly meadow with a cool breeze blowing through. I don’t know where this actually is, but…

I love it already…

“Eh? You love it?!” A little girl's voice came from nowhere.

“Yeah…”

“I see… I made all of this just for you, ya know?”

“Really? Thank you! Uh… Who are you by the way? Or where are you actually? Lemme see you.” I stand up from the floor.

“Your nature is far in contrast to what he has… But it actually makes more sense this way. That's why my soul did not fall into the girl's hands, but into you instead… Boy...”

“Eh? Uh…”

“At least, if I really were you in this dimension, it couldn't be not, then Dionysius would definitely be that girl. I'm sure he'll be annoyed that he has to play a girl this time. Well, unlike me, even if you were a boy, I would enjoy this dimension anyway… Nice to meet you, Daniel…”

“Will you be mad, if I say that I don't understand anything you just said, little girl?”

“Nah… I also guessed that you would have a hard time, combining my hundreds of centuries of memories with your own… Or even more complicated? The point is I'm not forcing you to immediately understand... Because I know that you also have the same curse as mine. And it was enough to prove that none of this was a mistake. In this dimension, you are me and I am you. That is for sure… Daniel…”

I still don't know where the voice came from, but I'm not scared at all. As if I knew who this little girl was even before we ever met. But still…

Ugh… I don’t get it…

“Curse? I don’t feel like I have that in every way possible.” I took my eyes off the window, towards the rest of the remaining walls. It was there that I saw hundreds or even thousands of photos that moved miraculously like a film.

“All that is here... Everything in these frames... That’s your curse, Daniel...”

Those frames that the girl just called, contain all of my memories that I have forgotten. From the moment I was able to remember until the moment I died. Everything is neatly arranged in this room, that I started to give up to deny the words from this little girl’s voice.

“The only difference between the two of us is, I never forget even a second, every single bad memory of my own past, Daniel.”

I turned back to look at the window’s frame again. That's where she suddenly appeared and sat with her back to the view.

I asked something to her, while laughing… I said, “So you're saying that we’re actually the same person but from two different dimensions? Also you've been through the exact same thing as mine in your own life... And that's our curse, you mean?”

“See? I know you will slowly understand all of this thing…”

“How did you survive this long... Without even removing any of those bad memories from your own mind? I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Me neither… But that’s a long story to tell.”

“So what now? I die? Will we wait for another Daniel to come before entering the gate of hell?” I Asked her while walking closer to one of the photo’s frames. There’s mom and dad with their last minutes before… Ugh… I don’t want to talk about it.

“Ah… So you get it wrong after all! I’m sorry, but we’re not actually the one same person. I'm a girl, can't you judge it from my sweet voice? I’m not Daniel, I have never experienced the exact same thing as you. But rather the exact same suffering as you. That’s our curse. Note where the difference lies. We are two different people who have been chosen by one and the same rule… In other words, my world has its own Daniel and your world has a different me. Get it? But we were chosen by the same power. And from now on, you will live with it.”

“Power?” I asked her to make sure of myself.

“More precisely, the Authority.”

“Oh… To control something?”

“Yes. To control something.”

“What to control?”

“Suffering itself.”

Wait…

“But you just said that I got some curse of that suffering on myself. Then why has the power itself betrayed me all this time?!”

“Because all the authorities in this world have their own absolute rules. If you can make anyone suffer, then it has to include yourself. Listen… It’s actually more complicated than you think. So why don't you just learn as we go?”

“No, young lady… Just explain it. I will not go anywhere.”

“Ugh… At least your curiosity is the same as his… After all, both of you are just a Daniel. You guys have no difference. Okay so listen up!” And that’s where she explained almost everything that I wanted to know.

So it all started at the end of this girl's world.

The world contains the souls of gods and goddesses. A world where their orders were absolutes. A world without any single existence whose glory was higher than their own.

Be it good or evil, creation or destruction, love and hate, matter and spirit. All of those are their own dominion…

To simplify it, let’s say that all things that rule and create the entire universe, embodied into each one of the ninety-nine deities.

The number is exactly ninety-nine souls and ninety-nine authorities who rule over everything in this world. And the numbers will never increase or decrease.

But no matter how absolute an authority is, they would be powerless if they faced what was born not from their own dimension. Wandering souls who came from out of nowhere, the principle of power for the two sides is very much different.

Unable to leave the world they had just arrived in, the wandering soul then decided to rule over it even if it had to kill the natives...

Then The Divine War ensues without either side knowing whether they are in a white or black position. And as a result, the little girl’s world was lost and destroyed with everything in it.

With only the fragile souls of all the inhabitants and their gods and goddesses remaining, waiting to disappear, All those little souls then gathered all the remaining strength.

Transferred and merged themselves with the lower dimension without any magic and psychic power as the core of their authority.

The dark shawl on the day of arrival is the portal that the souls create in order to obtain a new physical body. And now slowly but surely, all humans are starting to have two souls that share the same body. And I am one existence equal to one of the ninety-nine gods and goddesses with the authority to control the elements of the world.

“But as you know, no one wants suffering. Even in reality, we are not equal to the other gods and goddesses. They do say that our job as a balancer is very important… The world needs forgiveness and suffering side by side. Or at least that's what they say. But they themselves actually want to wipe us out regardless of what will happen to a world that doesn't have suffering in it.” She jumped down from the window frame. Walked slowly towards me, hugging me from behind.

“Young lady? What are you doing?” I asked.

“I know that you are not my Daniel… But I really really miss you.”

“I’m sorry, But I'm not attracted to a younger lady…”

“Of course this isn't my real form, you idiot! And I don't have any feelings for you either, because you are not my Daniel! So you don't have to care about this hug.”

“Why don’t you use your actual form then?”

“No, first you have to meet the other me who is in your world. I don't want to spoil the surprise, because hers and mine… Our adult forms will certainly look exactly the same. I'm not going to tell you who I am here, and maybe someone as stupid as you will never notice. But don’t you worry, I will guide you.” She let go of her arms with tears of sadness that she couldn't hide anymore.

I really don't understand what she feels and what she's been through. So I can only be silent so as not to make things get even worse.

“So… According to what I explained about my existence which they always wanted to erase, The rules of our world are changing slowly but surely which is oriented to cornering me. All the souls of our inhabitants will enter into any human body they wish. But the souls of the gods and goddesses can only submit to the requirements and criteria of the soul’s vessel depending on what power do they have for their own authority. For example, the ruler of darkness’ vessel will have a past trauma to darkness itself. The ruler of the fetters will have a hatred for freedom. And the ruler of suffering will suffer for the sake of mastering his own power.”

“So I will suffer?!”

“What? No! Not literally... It means something like this. Almost all of your abilities will and will always give wounds with pain and soreness that your enemies never want in their own life... Pain that goes beyond physical injury. Your absolute rule is that you can injure anything, including yourself. Let's take an example... The Ruler of fire, has embers that are even hotter than any sun in the universe and he is immune to the element itself. While you can inflict a wound whose pain far exceeds any embers, you are not immune to your own power. All of it just to obey your own absolute rules. That’s it. You get it?”

“Wow… So I am stronger than the flame itself?”

“You can make someone choose to burn to death rather than suffer because of your own power… But you can still be easily burned by fire. So just don’t be stupid... You are not stronger. rather, all authority is equal... Or maybe we are weaker because of the absolute rule itself, And my advice... Use that power wisely. Otherwise you will regret for...”

“I won't regret anything... If you really know me, then you should know about it already.”

“Just… don't push yourself too much… And…” She stopped talking.

“What?”

“No… Nothing…”

“Okay… Is there anything else I should know about?”

“A lot. But slowly, all of my memories will eventually merge completely with yours. So don't be too hasty. Or maybe there are three things you should know… First, remember that you can never die by your own curse power. Can be injured, but will not be possible to kill you. What will become a problem later is, you will be more easily killed by others by taking advantage of the condition of your body which is full of wounds from your own curse.”

“Secondly, every time one vessel kills another vessel, the human soul that has accumulated in the victim’s vessel will be transferred to the murderer's vessel. The one that was originally possessed by its own human soul and the soul of our inhabitant will have two soul powers at the very beginning. When he killed someone else who also possessed the power of two souls, then his total soul at that time would increase to three. Meanwhile, the souls of our inhabitants whose vessels have died, will go looking for other vessels according to their wishes. If a vessel with the power of twelve souls kills another vessel with the strength of five souls, then the killer will have the power of sixteen souls. In other words, you can only harvest human souls from this world to increase your own strength. Meanwhile, the souls of our inhabitants have their own will to find other vessels.”

“The last one?” I asked.

“In the beginning and rightfully so, your criteria as my vessel is enough to just suffer for the sake of controlling suffering itself. But as I said before about how the rules of my world evolved to erase myself, then the criteria increased by one. That is, my vessel must experience death itself. And because of the same thing, there has been a kind of error that has swirled around us both. That is now that what fills this vessel is only my soul alone. Even if we kill the vessel that killed you, your soul will still be counted as just a power-up number. To keep it simple, now your soul has been lost forever. My soul will be considered as a vessel without this self being able to control it, which in reality you are the one in control of all of the movement.”

“Wait… I need some time to think about and understand all your words just now…”

“There is a lot of damage that we inevitably have to accept because of the stupid rule itself. Maybe the most important is that you’ll never be able to control the limits of your own power. Even just to grip a stone you won't be able to leave it intact without the slightest crack. You'll also have trouble grasping other people's hands, if you don't want to crush all their bones.”

“Girl, I said wait! All of it is just too complicated! Would the other you in this dimension also talk like that?”

“But the Daniel that I know always likes it when I keep talking. Of course the other me will speak in the same method as I am. You're just too stupid to understand.”

“So… My soul status has now been declared non-existent?”

“Yep.”

“And if I ever get stronger, I won't ever be able to control my own strength so it’ll be hard to not break my toothbrush every time I hold it?”

“We will need fourteen toothbrushes every week.”

“Then when I come back to my senses from death, you will stay beside me talking all the time to guide me through this life.”

“I will pray so no one can stop that.”

“Will I get that glowing sword?”

“We will all give the same sword to the vessel we have chosen.”

“So… I’m not dead yet?”

“Your soul is gone. And your body has been considered as mine. You are all fucked up. So are you ready to come back?” She asked with a warm smile on her face.

“Okay I’m ready… Just let me kill that guy.”

She lowered her face, backed away until she touched the window.

“If you die, then The Goddess, The ruler of suffering will disappear forever. All the Daniels in all the dimensions will die alone without even knowing who is that girl, who loves him so much. Your life will be much more difficult in the future... And I'm sorry about that. But I will always be here... So please don't die… Daniel…”

She cried until the roar of darkness swallowed up everything in the room…

That's when I woke up from the dead.

~~~~~