Julian watched as the blue planet beneath him disappeared slowly as he was being slowly absorbed into the darkness.
The blue planet beneath him held everything he had ever lived for, everything he has ever loved and the idea of leaving everything behind brought him pangs of pain.
He had seen life and right now he was experiencing death.
But one thing that was sure was the uncertainty of the future and he knew nothing it held for him.
Life after death? Heaven or Hell?
There were beliefs of no proven evidence of heaven and hell, yet no one had ever told a real tale about them.
He wondered where his next destination was going to be.
Just as he was thinking along these lines, his mind hurriedly drifted to Alexa.
Will her surgery be successful? He hoped it will, because he didn't want to think about his sacrifice going in vain.
The thought of not being able to ever see the three people he loved the most filled him with sadness. He believed in natural cycle and believed that every person one day had to meet their end. Although unfortunate, his had come early and he had no option but to accept his fate and hope for something good ahead.
He closed his eyes and breathed deeply in as the last sights of the beautiful planet began to fade away.
"Perhaps death is not an ending" Julian's voice echoed in the vast void of darkness
"But a mirror where life is measured"
I have walked these fleeting years with weight upon my chest, and if a second dawn should grace me,
I will live not as a prisoner of regret,
but as a boy err—man unafraid to burn with the fire of his own choices.
To whoever finds these words carried on the wind of silence—do not waste your breath in shadows.
The world is not waiting; it is running.
Chase it. Hold the hands you love before they slip away.
Do not make the mistake I made and die a virgin.
Yes I tell you, you might regret.
Speak your truth before silence swallows it.
Laugh even when the night is heavy, and love even when it seems foolish.
And If I am granted another chance,
I will not bow to hesitation.
I will carve my life into the stars themselves.
And if you hear me now, let my parting voice be a lantern: Live fully. Live fiercely.
For in the end, only the moments you truly lived follow you into the dark."
Suddenly as if waiting for his parting speech to end, Julian felt himself being pulled into the darkness by a strong external force. He stole one last glance at the blue planet hanging beneath him before he got engulfed into the darkness.
Somewhere in the heavens.....
Julian scanned the bustling large spacious Hall which seemed to have no end with giant pillars. It looked like a big market with beautiful walls and stores with people, both children and adult moving about as people shouted and called out to customers to patronize them.
"Do you want to build empires and have your name spread out throughout the world? Then you're at the right place. Just come and sign a contract with me and you're a rich man walking in your next life"
"Do you want to have hundreds of wives like the only man on earth to ever do it? Then look no where else, i might even throw in a freebie"
"Do you want to have unimaginable strength? you`re just at the right place"
"Do you want your name to spread as the best healer? I`ve got you covered"
This and other several similar calls for customers was heard inside the infinite grand hall. Julian scanned his surroundings critically and wondered if he was in heaven.
The heaven he had heard about was said to be beautiful and peaceful and although the hall he found himself in was nothing like anything he has ever seen on earth, it was too chaotic and noisy to be the heaven he had pictured when he was still alive.
Curious to know to know where exactly he was, he took a few steps forward to get closer and understand his situation but to his surprise, the large hall in front of him was moving with his steps.
No matter how he tried, it always moved forward with every step he took but surprisingly came to a halt anytime he stopped. After trying so many times, he gave up and find another method.
As if waiting for that moment, a handsome white bearded old man in a green and gold plated robe appeared in front of him.
Just then hundreds of golden clouds carrying people came flying and dropping the people before turning back. Some of the people carried by the golden cloud were children who would be the same age as his little sister some a little below her age. Most of them were adults and old people but all of them had one thing in common and that was the confused looks on their faces. Just as he was scanning the people who have arrived beside him, a low yet commanding voice sounded in front of him making him turn his attention back to the middle aged man who appeared earlier.
"You're all welcome to the Divine Temple Of The Gods" The white bearded middle aged man said as he addressed the confused crowd.
"I know you are all confused and your minds are flooded with with lots of questions but I will not be able to answer all of them but rest assured, I will answer the best I can to keep your mind at peace." The man added and murmurs broke out of the crowd.
"All of you are not here due to a coincidence, no. You're all dead and are here because you might have done something of a great significance to please the Heavens to give you another chance to life" He scanned the faces of the people present before continuing.
"Here in the temple of the Gods, you have the chance to be reincarnated into another life and choose a patron God who you will follow throughout your next life and they will in turn assist you" he said.
A young girl raised her hands to ask a question and the man gave him a nod of approval.
"What is a patron God" she asked
"You came from earth right" He asked the girl nodded.
"A patron God is just like a guardian angel but in this case it's a God instead of an angel. Just like the Trinity is the guardian God of earth and watches over the world, a patron God will watch over you throughout your life time" The man answered.
"Does that mean I had a patron God in my previous life? Then why is it that I never met him? " a teenage boy also asked. "You're also from earth, no?" The boy nodded in affirmation.
"That is because every world has the rules and laws that guides it and like that, the laws of earth does not allow the operation of patron Gods unless special one's but rather guardian angels" he answered.
"Does that mean we get to go back to our previous lives and worlds?" Another asked
"No….." all these an similar questions were asked and the man answered them to the best of his abilities.
"I know you have a lot of questions but as I said earlier, I cannot answer them all for you" he said and murmurs rose up in the crowd.
"The gate behind me will allow you to enter the temple where you begin your journey for a next life.
Do everything you can to make a good use of it. You're not here because it's your right, no. You are here because destiny has smiled upon you and so make that smile worth it."
"And remember" the man did a hand gesture behind him before continuing
"What you do in life echoes in eternity"
"Once again, welcome to the divine temple of the gods. I wish you all a smooth journey" When the man finished his mini speech, the gate behind him opened as hundreds of people surged inside with smiles hanging on their faces.