'Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony…'
Well even longer ago, when the even the spirits were still young, they set about making the first humans to inhabit the earth.
It took many tries and many failures but eventually, with the Mother of Faces to give them shape and King Enma the Raven to give them life, the first human was born.
From there the system of human life came to be.
The Mother of Faces would mold a vessel from her branches, sculpting it's features with the utmost skill and love. King Enma, with his dominion of the Mortal Coil would breathe life into it.
The life in these bodies is not always new. In fact it is often that King Enma chooses to place an old soul in for their 2nd, 3rd or even hundredth, life.
The Avatar is not the only being to reincarnate, they are simply the only being who can be counted on to remember their past lives clearly.
Prior to reincarnation your average soul is cleansed in the Jiànwàng River—the river of forgetfulness—where their memories are washed away so that they may start their next life unburdened with the troubles of the past.
And before each new life, and before bathing in the crystal clear waters of the Jiànwàng River, a soul must stand before King Enma and the Mother of Faces both, and they are presented with a choice. To continue to their next life or to leave the cycle and stay as they are in the Spirit World.
Now invariably, a human who discovers they've only been through 10 or so cycles will decide to be reborn. So much they haven't done, so much they haven't seen, so many things they'd like to do better next time ect.
But sometimes, when a human finds they've lived a full life (lives) and they truly find they have nothing more to learn, they choose to stop. Some request that they be brought back as an animal even.
Truly evil souls are not given such luxuries. Theirs is a process that is only known by the spirit who commands it.
Knowing all this, and having known it from the minute I woke at the base of a river flanked by unearthly beings in a land I knew to only exist in fantasy, I am now faced with a choice.
"You're not real." I say. "You're not real."
"You should be careful how you speak. Were we lesser beings such language would not have been tolerated." King Enma's voice was like a mountain personified. A deep and rumbling crackle that I could feel deep in my chest. It left me waiting for the earth itself to begin quaking.
The Mother of Face's voice, by contrast, was much lighter. Like the breeze that caresses your face on a spring day. Despite her gentle disposition it was impossible to ignore the raw power that radiated off of her. A reminder that even the lightest of breezes can easily transform itself into a hurricane.
"Why do you believe we are not real child? Do you not trust your own eyes?"
I shake my head despite myself. "You're not supposed to be real. You're a story. I-I have to be dreaming."
As I say this, I take in my surroundings. The brilliance of colors, from the blue of the sky to the grass beneath my feet, is unreal. Surely I had to have been colorblind before for me to never have realized such colors existed.
The water of the river surrounding me was so clear, you'd think you were looking into a mirror. Water this clean doesn't exist in the world I know. The rocks that lined its bottom were a mosaic of colors and shape, each sparkling like a diamond. Even the smell of the water was amazing, the sweet scent of roses and bergamot in one; it practically begged you to drink it.
I know that my dreams were never this detailed.
"And just who decides what is real and what is not?" King Enma asked with a shrug. His size was such that a full grown man would be nothing more than a speck in his massive hands. "We say that this is real. What do you say?"
Deep down I know what the answer is but I can't bring myself to believe it, not yet. "I don't know."
The Mother of Faces voice has layers, as though a thousand speak as one. "Do you want this to be real?" Each of her many visages is the picture of gentle encouragement, just as a mother's should be.
Faced with a world of spirits and power that's only supposed to exist in stories that I loved, I answer honestly. "Yes, very much."
The two beings answer at once. "Then it is so."
The gravity of the statement was such that I wasn't sure whether to cry or start jumping up and down with gratitude, so instead I ask, "What now?"
"We know of your preference for this new life, we can make that happen." Began The Mother.
"But be warned. Such allowances come at a price." Finished the Great Raven.
I'm not the least bit surprised that at them knowing what I wanted without having to be told. Being such as these probably had ways of making themselves known without words. This conversation was for my benefit alone.
Just as they knew what I wanted without being told, I too knew of its possible repercussions without it having to be explained.
A soul is free to choose the circumstances of their next life.
By all means, make yourself into the son of a wealthy businessman, dripping with charm and good looks. One who wants for nothing as the world is handed to them on a silver platter. But be prepared to live a life of crushing pain and loneliness as a result.
For everything you choose to give yourself in your new life, that life must test you all the more.
It was all about balance. An equivalent exchange.
By deciding aspects of my next life for myself rather than leaving it up to chance I was signing myself up for additional struggle.
Logically speaking, it'd be easier to submit myself to the luck of the draw. But how often do you get the chance to better the lives of characters you've admired and lamented from afar.
The Banished Prince suffered greatly. But fate allowed him a beloved Uncle to guide and nurture him into becoming the honorable man he was always meant to be.
The Fractured Princess had nothing but the gnarled claws of a beastly Dragon to slowly mold her into becoming a warped, broken version of what she could've been; all in the name of strength.
I could fix that...
Maybe...
I could certainly try.
"I understand. I'm ready."
"Because your cause is noble," thundered Enma. "We've decided to help you, but only just."
"The rest is up to you." Breathed Mother.
Often times what spirits consider helpful doesn't quite fit the human standard.
King Enma and the Mother of Faces were noble spirits, well known to help the humans they cherished. They wish for all their creations to live good lives, but they also know that growth can not occur without strife. So it's out of love that they allow such things to happen to their creations.
"Thank you." I respond tentatively. "But what do you mean by help?"
"Your life may not be exactly as you envisioned it." Enma admitted. "But trust that this is with your well-being in mind.
"Rest assured that you have our blessing and that your vessel has been chosen with your mission in mind and with the utmost care." Assured Mother.
In an instant they were before me, not as giants but normal sized.
At that moment, I am hit by just how crazy this all was.
Could I really do this? Could I really change someone's fate? Or was I just setting myself up for failure?
With one hand on each of my shoulders they spoke as one, the cacophony of their voices deafening.
"Good luck." They say before I am enveloped by a blinding light.
Later when I wake up in my new life, I wonder if it's too late to change my mind.