Hours, day, or even years.
Stephen doesn't know how much time has passed since he woke up in this accursed place. It could be sense of lethargy that now still plagued him or the fact that he still couldn't discern how time works in this place. All this time he is still awake in drowsiness without an ounce of sleep. No matter how he tried to sleep or emptying his mind, his mental state doesn't change. Bordering on waking up and sleeping.
At first he felt helplessness and despairs when he founded out that he cannot move his body or even make any sound, hell he doesn't even felt that he is breathing. But later it was replaced with boredom as nothing else happened to him. Just floating aimlessly in the dark space, watching the motes of light.
After all this time floating, the space changed as the motes of lights that is few in numbers multiplied and almost made this place into something like starry sky, space or cosmos, whatever the term that could describe this place as it was now decorated like he was in outer space, floating among the stars.
The motes of light multiplied slowly, appearing one or few at the same times. At times, it appears in dozen or even hundreds when he counted. Interestingly, the rate of lights appearing is faster when he was daydreaming. The only thing he did to distract him from boredom that plagued him.
Sometimes he imagine of waking up on hospital bed before continuing his life. At times, he just imagine of starting his life over so that he can achieve the best thing at life's that he miss. If he is lacking for entertainment, he just imagines being reincarnated or even transmigrated into another more fantastical world where his life is more adventurous than his past life.
Hell, at this times even he could found an inspiration for his semester project that he couldn't finish. In fact, he has many unfinished business before he was killed by bunch of mindless angry thugs. From his study, family matter, and goal. All cannot be taken care of because he was killed.
Fortunately he made a peace with it during his times floating around. Otherwise he will become mindless raving bastard filled with angst. After all what if he somehow got out of this place? He will probably became edgy emo guy that talks about injustice and vengeance. Not that he didn't want some retribution upon the people that land him of this situation of course. He still wants that, but it just muted and placed at the back of his mind.
'Now how the hell can I get out of this place? It feels like ages since the last time I saw daylight.'
He curses his situation where he stuck in one place without being able to move. Traveling between the stars no matter how fake it is, is still better than floating aimlessly. That way, maybe he could found out how to get out of this place.
Not long ago (probably), he ran out of material for his imaginations. Now he is bored again and can only watch the starry sky above him. Checking it out and comparing it to constellations that he knew. Not that he knew much about it, but at least making it up using fake stars is better than being bored.
'Is that.. a mist? Or was it fog?'
This times, there is a new change in the space. A faint mist started to drift around the stars and coming closer to him. Something he look into.
Just as the mist started to enveloped him, a miracle happen. His drowsiness is gone and he can move his limbs and flying inside the mist.
'Holy shit! This is the stuff! Where have it been all this time?!'
He wanted to shout in joy, yet he still can't make any noise. But at least, now he can move and maybe, hopefully, he can get out of this place.
He tried to go up, finding where the mist come from but the speed of him rising up is so slow that it felt like he was swimming inside water instead of flying.
'Okay this is too slow, should I try it like swimming to the surface?'
Just as he places his hands upward in preparation to swims up, he realize that his limbs was discolored and looks grayish. Be it the color of his skins or the clothes that he wears before he was killed. Something like he seen in supernatural movies where the cast was experiencing out of body experience or they're some kind spirits.
'The hell? Is this place a limbo or some kind of afterlife?'
He set the thought aside from now and tried to move his limbs to swims up. Unfortunately, the speed remains the same, be it him moving his limbs or not. But feeling of moving his limbs after so long staying still made him keep trying to swims in the mist. Doesn't matter how silly how it looks.
As he swims further into the top, questions started to popped up. Begging to be answered. Where will he ended up? Will he remember his past life? Why is he alone all this time if it's a limbo?
Many more questions appear alongside the first thought. More questions but no answer. After a long time of swimming mindlessly he reach the source of the mist. Something akin to water like surface at size of well with the mist oozing at constant pace from it.
Normally, if he found something strange or straight out alien in concept he will stay the fuck away from it. Stupid people in movies that touch or take something that they shouldn't have teach him that. But alas, desperation won against reasons as he just wanted to get out of this place.
'Should I just touch this or just swim further pass it?'
Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. Just as he place his hand on it, he found himself in another place.
The once space filled with starry sky was replaced with long white corridor with modern design that has doors with different designs placed left and right. But what takes him back was not the corridor nor doors at his sides, but what lay in front of him.
An elderly man in white suits sat behind a well-crafted desk. He was leisurely smoking while writing on paper using quill of all thing. He didn't know what to make of this bizarre view in front him. The change was too jarring for him to proceed.
"Well, what do we have here?" The man place his cigarette in ashtray before looking at Stephen with a frown. "You shouldn't even be able to come here."
Stephen swore that the man's eyes glowed for a bit before he stated that.
"What do you mean by that? Is this not place for the dead to be judge?" Stephen was glad that he found his voice back but he is more baffled by his situation. If he is not supposed to be here, then probably he will be kicked back into that shitty place. Hopefully not as spending time there once was enough for him.
"All people who came here are those who are preordained to come here. Not for all people who died." The man lift his left hand to the air before a paper suddenly materializes in his hand. He briefly glanced at it before his frown turned into scowl.
"Stephen Chen, born in 15 August 1999 on Earth. Lives his life averagely with no significant achievement and died to gang attack at 21 years old. Soul was judged and passed to designated afterlife," The man summed his life pretty well if the last part wasn't there. "By the record alone, you are not supposed to be here. Yet here you are, coming from that place and surprisingly with soul intact and a sound mind."
Morbid but piqued Stephen's curiosity about the place he spent his time before, "I'm afraid to ask but.. what happen if I spent my time longer in there?" The man smiled in amusement hearing this. "Beside losing your sanity gazing at the void between realms? Getting eaten or seeing something you shouldn't have seen."
Surprised doesn't cover how much he felt hearing this. Void between realms? Insanity? Eaten? Seeing something that shouldn't be seen?
"Wait, if it's a void then what is that fake stars that accompanied me there or the mist that guide me here?"
Stephen wanted to know about things that lives inside it or things he shouldn't see there, but what is that thing that helped keeping his sanity by driving him to daydream or the mist that guided him here?
If the man was surprised by his question then he hid it well, because somehow Stephen could felt the man's gaze was more intense than before.
"It's a * * and a * ," the name was loss on him, as if it was warped and distorted the moment it was said or when it was heard by Stephen, giving him a brief headache. The man just smiled seeing his reaction before he continued. "Right now, you won't be able to hear it. But perhaps later in the future you will be able to know what it is. It will be interesting."
The man then looked down and dip his quill into an ink pot before writing something in the paper which contains Stephen's record. It was brief before he paused and smiled in amusement. He looked up once again, meeting Stephen's eyes.
"Choose a single door in this corridor, it will lead you to your new life. You could be reincarnated into a baby once again, inhabit a dead body, or even be transmigrated into another world with your old body. Choose carefully."
The offer was unexpected but welcomed by Stephen. Way out of this place without coming back to Void between Realms.
"By inhabiting a dead body, is it possible for me to go back? To my old body?" Hope lighted up inside him, just for it to be extinguished once again. "No, you're already considered dead in your world. Even if somehow you're able to go back using one of this doors, you will be terminated as an anomaly. Something you couldn't prevent as you're to weak to resist."
He can only gritted his teeth hearing that. He couldn't refute that if the man said so, if he died to thugs then pretty damn sure whatever will terminate him is above his weight.
"But of course, in the future if you're strong enough then you can beat back them and you can live your past life again," the man said it with a smirk as he smoke his cigarette. "If you're strong enough that is."
"Then I'll be strong enough, isn't that simple?"
No it's not, but Stephen can try hard enough.
"Then go, choose one door. Begin your next life, seek apotheosis, and achieve your dream."
Without a word, Stephen walk away from the man. Choosing one door between many. He contemplated on which door to chose as each doors has each own style and design. In the end he didn't think too much as he choose the door not far from where he talked with the man behind the desk.
The door he chose was styled in flourish with a faint giant emblem divided in four. He didn't chose it because the emblem. He chose it because there is a mist coming from it, unlike the other doors. Just as he reached it and almost touch the doorknob, he stopped and looked at the man.
"Right. If somehow we will meet again, what should I call you?" The man smirked at his question. "You may refer me as Provider. That's what I am, and that's what I do."
'The man behind the desk, Provider. Seems shady enough.'
"Then see ya, Provider."
Stephen turned the doorknob and promptly step through the door.
--
"Very interesting," the Provider mused out loud as Stephen walked through the door, to begin his new life. "Not only an anomaly in death at the Record itself but also managed to came here from Void Between Realms."
Provider looked at Stephen's Record once again and saw it changed without his interference, "Truly interesting."