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The rift in between dimensions did not provoke the feeling of mysticism or fear that many tales have told. Instead of a gap full of darkness and the view of many galaxies, it was shaped more like a calm, placid lake of pure water over an endless sheet of pure-white marble. As far as the eye could see, pristine, pastel pods the size of shaped like the petals of lotus flowers hovered within the crystaline water. The leaves created the smallest of ripples that seemed to never end. The pods were always closed, lifting up their smooth tips to absorb the creamy-white light from above. When a soul, either alive or dead, passed through a dimensional rift, the petals would splay open in a fabulous, geometric scene. Sometimes, when souls found themselves here after death, they would find others and walk through the shallow water towards heaven or nirvana. Other times, the souls wound see themselves in their either euphoric or deplorable condition and strike a deal within the dimentions.
A second chance to live someone else’s life.
As two bulbs blossomed in the tranquil land, the souls of two men saw themselves looking into each other’s eyes yet again. The years had been harsh on the two of them, as they had been in their first lives. One man of a lean, muscular build had been splattered with his own, red blood that had now dried to a maroon hue. His crisp gray suit had been ruined, of course, and his tossled white hair showed no signs of a proper burial. The other man looked spotless compared to the first. His large leather jacket had been torn up around the arms and torso synonymous with sublte pools of dried blood on his white shirt and dark shorts. They exchanged a warm welcome with their eyes and emerged from the pods.
“Long time no see.” The man in the suit mused, his gait causing his hips to sway sassily. “What is your name again? Isabelle?”
“Jizabel.” He said, pulling his whispy silver hair from the tie that held it back. Though he certainly looked better in terms of neatness, his face spoke of some sort of unmistakeable melancholy. “It feels like it’s been an eternity.”
“Might as well have been.” He adjusted his soiled suit jacket with a frown. “Man, as eye-opening as that was, I would not do that again.”
“Why not? Now’s the time to seal the deal.” Jizabel strolled up to him, ridding himself of the leather coat. “How did it feel, Killua? Living my life?”
Killua stuck his pinky in his ear to clean out the canal. “You weren’t kidding when you said it was worse than torture. Honestly, it felt suffocating sometimes. Your father’s a piece of work.”
“Believe me, I know. The chains that held me to him didn’t come off until I severed them myself.”
“Yeah, as I learned.” Killua motioned to the bloodstains all over him. “I would always wonder, when I was little, what it would feel like to take my own life. Like, would it hurt? Would I be too scared to? I thought it would be so easy with my knowledge and skills but, even in this form … I had to try hard to convince myself to plunge the knife into me.” He clenched his fist and looked up at Jizabel. “Did you feel that too when it happened?”
His narrow, violet eyes drooped “Surprisingly, I can’t remember. Living your life kind of took me by surprise.”
“Oh? Is that a good or bad thing?”
“Good. I guess the word would be refreshing.” Jizabel lifted his chin up to the mildly lit sky, hands falling to his side. “You saw it yourself. I died in agony, wallowing in my own guilt as I realized my delusions had been wrong all along. I died only really believing that one person loved me. Self sacrifice seemed like the only redeeming quailty I had then. So, to have people hold my hand and shed tears as I passed on, I’ve never felt that before.”
Killua smiled gently. “It’s nice, huh? I was so lucky to have died next to Gon. I feel bad for him and I hope he hasn’t done anything too reckless but I’m seriously the luckiest guy in existence.” He ran his fingers through his white locks. “Don’t sell yourself short, though. Cassian was holding your hand too.”
“Yeah. Ah, Cassian …” His words drifted into the emptiness. For a minute or so, they just took in the calm silence around them. Two lives full of hardships had been shared by both of them now. There was a connection within them that would never go away.
“So, uh, Jizabel, the deal was to live each other’s lives again to prove who had the worst time. And I think you won.”
“No.” He said sternly. “Your life ended happily but I … I can’t get the thoughts of your childhood out of my head. I thought my Father inflicted the worst kind of pain on me but I just–” He shook his head. “No child should ever have to go through what you did. You’ve won this deal.”
“Hey, no! As great as it felt to have an actual normal childhood …” Killua paused, blowing air out of his cheeks and crouching down. “It felt like heaven to have a normal childhood. Picking flowers, playing with the barnyard animals, traveling places, even if it was with your psychotic mother. You had the childhood I dreamed of when I was chained up for days just waiting for someone to remember I existed.”
Jizabel crouched down next to him, chuckling. “This was a good deal. I feel the same way, just in a different way. I mean, I wouldn’t make anyone relive your childhood ever. But having all that in place of what I was used to and then to have my entire world brighten up with love, care and adventure was the only thing I wished I had when I worked for my Father. I wanted to be free. You became free.”
The two of them smiled at each other, and then laughed. Killua adjusted the lapels of his suit again as he stood back up upon the water.
“Well, everyone’s free when they’re dead. But, thank you. I think that deal was worth my time.”
“You finally ready to continue on?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Do you still think you’ll be in hell with me?”
“With you?” Killua scoffed. “I’m going to be with you, for sure. But I think we’re both going somewhere a lot nicer than hell.”
Their bare soles left more ripples in the dimensional water as they walked towards the faint path leading to their final resting place. And, as the ripples subside and turn placid again, another pod opens.