“Dorian.” The angel at the pedestal called out to the person in front of him, “Enjoy your time here.”

The golden gates opened for the man as he walked across the dense clouds to cross over. The long line moved forward.

“Christian.” He touched his glasses for a moment, “Too close for comfort with you. I almost didn't call your name. You're free to cross.”

The golden gates opened for him as well. He scampered across before the angel changed his mind. He simply sighed before looking forward. His eyes met a woman’s blazing with crimson red.

“...” He put his finger on a page in the large never-ending book. He tapped his fingers in a slow rhythm. “You're not on the list, my dear.”

The woman said nothing. She glazed over the blindingly golden gates and kept a straight face. There was no reason for her to be upset.

She knew what she did.

“You're awfully quiet. This is not the reaction I was expecting.”

Not a peep escaped her lips. Her crimson eyes bore holes into the podium the angel stood upon. He grew eerie from her silence.

A red string wrapped around her pinky and gently tugged to a random direction. She examined the string closely before getting out of the line. She walked towards the direction it pulled her to, not a single fight back.

The angel watched as her figure disappeared into the fog. Once she was out of sight, it turned black.

I want to feel sorry for her… He thought, focusing back to the long line at hand. “Ahh, you were teetering, Seth. Do come in.”

The voice of the angel from the podium soon drowned out from the woman’s earshot. She never expected the man at the podium to call her name. Not even to utter a single syllable. It was a surprise that she even waited in line to begin with.

It was comforting no longer hearing the golden gates open and shut at a constant rhythm. Especially since she was condemned to damnation. 

But now she has to walk this long hallway alone into the pit of cursed flames. She took her time, little by little. Each step forward left her wanting less and less. Her heart never felt more at ease.

And then, she felt it. The heat enveloped her body quickly. It felt like being in an oven, dialed up to its highest temperature. The pit was nearly visible. The flames were rampant. Yet, she stayed emotionless.

What was the point of trying to run back? The woman would probably be cast into the flames if there was any sign of resistance. Even slight denial would warrant the angel to call upon others for backup.

So this was it.

The sea of fire went for miles. Lava laid at the bottom with flesh and bones drowning in it. The flesh would regenerate and the same torture would occur again and again. The screams were blood-curdling, but not as loud as they should’ve been. The bodies were too busy burning, drowning and regenerating to let their screams go past a certain octave.

When one was able to scream out, it shook the cave the woman stood upon. She wasn’t that close to the edge to fall in, but she was close enough to see lava splurt up by the entrance like a geyser. Some lava landed on the edge, welcoming her with open arms.

Yes. This place was her new home. It felt almost rewarding to have red carpet treatment in a place such as this. Just a few more steps and her punishment will begin.

So why was this red popup box appearing in front of her?

Attention!

You’ve been sentenced to eternal damnation due to the crimes of your past life! Would you like to seek redemption?

Yes No

The woman blinked at the pop-up before her. Was this some kind of joke? Were the angels taunting her for her deserved punishment and feel the need to get the last laugh? This is a very back-handed way of getting it.

She glared at it and pressed, ‘No.’

Attention!

Are you sure? You won’t have to walk amongst the damned if you hit “Yes.”

Yes No

How far are they willing to go? The woman thought as she angrily hit, ‘No,’ again.

Attention!

It seems like you have trust issues that have gone unresolved! If you hit “Yes,” not only will you have a second chance, but you will also be given a gift!

Yes No

The annoyed woman stomped her foot, “Do you take me for an idiot? Do you truly think I would fall for something like this? Why do I need a gift for where I’m going?”

She hit ‘No’ again.

The system began loading. She was in no mood to deal with the angel’s trickery and simply wanted to get on with her punishment already. The red string wrapped around her pinky jerked towards the direction of the flames in tandem of her feet tapping.

The system had finally loaded.

Attention!

It appears that your trust issues are much more severe than we thought! That being said, please press “No” to continue on your way!

No

Finally! She thought, rolling her eyes.

She quickly tapped her option…

…but the option turned from ‘No’ to ‘Yes’ before her very crimson eyes.

The woman wasn’t fast enough to stop tapping on it and random confetti blew towards her direction. A few kazoos were heard from the popup window. She shielded herself from the rainbow colored assault and covered her ears from the annoying tune.

Announcement!

Congratulations! You’ll be reincarnated just momentarily!

Please wait…

Her eyes twitched in annoyance, “Reincarnated? As if that even-!”

She vanished. The red string that was attached to her pinky slowly floated down to the ground, replacing her silhouette. The system made a happy-go-lucky face before vanishing itself.

The screams of the damned roared throughout the cave, causing it to crumble into the lava.

—

Drops of water poured on her face but she couldn’t open her eyes. This element was the complete opposite of what she planned on feeling on her skin.

The chance of molten lava laying in between her skin folds, fire popping from her eye sockets, uncomfortable flares sparking from her fingertips…

That chance of true redemption was sullied by the popup window that paid her an unexpecting  visit.

And now, here she laid. Comfortably uncomfortable in a hardened bed of velvet. Her hands crossed one another on her chest as she laid deadlike. Not a single muscle available to be moved.

So I really did just reincarnate… She thought, annoyed with her situation. Great…

“Does anyone have anything to say about our late Princess Genevieve Ulrich?” a man’s voice rang.

Late princess?

In her little realm beneath her eyelids, a progress bar appeared. It showed a loading screen with the bar at thirty percent.

Announcement!

Synchronizing new soul to body!

Please wait…

Progress: 30%

Ah, so my new body belongs to a princess?

If she could turn in her grave, she would. Too bad her previous body was already twisted when it got torched to death. Whatever was done with her ashes is beyond her.

The woman deduced that she couldn’t move until the progress reached one hundred percent. Until then, her body is simply warming up. As she warmed up, she heard a few cries and speeches about how sweet this princess was. How the poor girl would never hurt a fly and would always listen to her family’s sound advice.

Some sound genuine. Most sound fake. She can practically hear the mask slipping from their faces. The sound of fake crying lingered in her ear drums. It was somehow louder than the pitter patter of the light rain.

Announcement!

Synchronizing new soul to body!

Please wait…

Progress: 60%

A female voice was heard, “She wasn’t my daughter, but I treated her as though she was my own.”

That definitely didn’t sound genuine to her ears. She can barely hear that woman sniffle as she says those words. It got the deadlike woman thinking.

I wonder how this body actually died.

She was able to raise an eyebrow at least.

Announcement!

Synchronizing new soul to body!

Please wait…

Progress: 90%

By then, she was able to move both her arms and legs. She maneuvered the body to the best of her abilities. It was like picking up lead. How long was this body lying dead for and why is it that they were now hosting a funeral for it?

Either way, it no longer matters. The host is already gone and now the woman is left to walk in her wake.

So walk she shall.

The percentage went up little by little in the long stretch as she finally sat up in her casket. Her eyes were half closed as she looked around.

Her crimson eyes bore holes into the shocked crowd. Gasps were heard all around. The man who stood by her was practically shivering in fear.

“By the Gods…” he breathed. “Princess Genevieve…?”

The girl blinked. She still couldn’t speak. Instead, she took one hand and used the edge of the coffin as support to jump out. Her new body still felt heavy, so she took a few small steps towards the crowd. They backed away in unison.