...Am I dead? Ah, I see. That elf had killed me. Then what now? Will I be like this for eternity? Was there truly...no… no afterlife? Then what was the point of that suffering, the war...the blood...
Cordelia's consciousness was drifting along a space, she could neither see, smell, hear, nor talk. Simply drifting.
"An afterlife? There is, but it is not for you yet."
Suddenly, a clear rumbling voice spoke, the sound emanating from everywhere and nowhere at once. Cordelia felt a tremble through her very consciousness, and slowly, parts of her body started to materialise from nothing. Behemoth arms reached up from the depths to cradle Cordelia's form, which was now curled like a child in the womb.
Who...Who are you? Can you hear me? What do you mean the afterlife isn't for me? What's-
Suddenly, a warm laugh emanates from the unknown voice, like a fluffy blanket made of wool on a night of winter.
"I can hear you, I can hear all things, and I know all things. Even about you. I have known you before you were conceived within the womb of your mother child."
Suddenly, the abyss splits into two, one side made of pure, radiant, and warm light while the other made of an obscure, enigmatic darkness. They met only at a single point in the eternal expanse, keeping each other at bay for all eternity. The form of the voice solidifies from the unseen, a being of incomprehensible size, its body being a perfect division of light and dark themselves, reflecting the eternal space around.
What... do you mean? Just who... are you?
Cordelia still could not see, though her consciousness gained a form, she had no physical features similar to the being holding her. Her body resembled an astral plane made of thousands of shifting stars and constellations, nebulas of colours--blues, purples, and gold shifting together, swirling and merging.
"I am the one who sees all. The one who knows all. The one who birthed time and space and concepts. The one who is above creation."
The voice replies, the words carrying a divinity that shook Cordelia. The very presence of this being commanded respect and submission. The head of the figure slowly leaned in, and the stars of the abyss made way. "I am the beginning, the end, and the eternity. All of creation flows through me, and so does all of destruction. Nothing can exist without my acknowledgement and nothing will." Cordelia could only listen, dumbfounded and amazed.
Are you a God?
"I am beyond that, however, the mind of a human cannot fully comprehend that, so do not try to understand. Just know I am an absolute being who resides beyond existence. My name cannot be said by one who lives in creatio,n else your soul crumbles to dust and ashes to be fed to the winds of nihility."
The voice goes quiet for a moment. "However, your people have come to call me Genesis. You shall as well."
Genesis... are you truly the Genesis? The one who created the world with only their words? ...I thought that was only a fairytale to tell to children... A being that rules the very gods...
"I am indeed. And you, my child, are my chosen one. The one to bear a burden, I wish to give. I have observed all things, the living and the dead. The rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, the good deeds and the bad. Though all creation and destruction flow through me, I have only created a few of the things you see. Everything else was created by my children, the gods and demi-gods. You are one of my creations, but it seems you have forgotten that. Though it is to be expected, this is your fourteen thousandth life."
Genesis responds in a cool yet intense tone, their voice commanding the very stars and passing galaxies.
F-Fourteen thousandth!? W-What do you-
Cordelia asks, shocked beyond belief. Fourteen thousand lives she had lived, yet she remembers nothing of a single one of them.
"It's quite a long story, but yes. You, my creation, have lived fourteen thousand lives, each different from the last. I have seen you rise to become a great leader and king, saving thousands of your people, and I have seen you fall to the pits, becoming cruel, tainted, destructive, and a tyrant who feeds upon the blood of your kin. I have seen it all, and you have been judged for each deed according to the laws that governed that world."
Genesis cuts her off, shifting their head backwards. "But it is now time for you to live yet again. Know that the life you will lead onwards will be blurred to your eyes and deaf to your ears. Blood and slaughter will trail behind every laughter and joy. Trusts, bonds, and promises will be broken, and death will linger at your heel. Your suffering will seep into your very soul, driving you mad. It is up to you to either overcome it or embrace it."
W-What? Suffering? Haven't I suffered enough? What more can I possibly suffer! I don't wish to suffer any more! I can't do it.. I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I don't want to...suffer anymore.
Tears that reflected the stars flowed from the formed eyes of Cordelia. Her soul began to cry, remembering the despairs of her life before, the suffering...anguish...betrayal. Her hands reached up to cover her face. And Genesis leaned in before whispering.
"I know, my child. You needn't cry, as you will meet people whom you will lay your life down for. People who will exalt you and bring you peace. Make the most of them and take the path you wish."
DING....DONG....DING...DONG....
The sound of a large bell spreads through the corners of the abyssal space, loud and sonorous. Genesis dips their hand and lets down Cordelia's form into a boat that floated among the nebulae.
"It is time for you to start again. You will not remember this when you awaken, but know within your soul, you are my creation. There is no wall or mountain high enough that you cannot topple. That is the blessing I bestowed on you. Now go, child. Go and live."
The boat begins to move mysteriously, drifting away from the hands of Genesis and into a bright light.
Slap!
Cordelia feels a stinging pain on her right cheek. She lifted her hand to cover the area, her eyes wide with shock. She looks up to see a fierce but jagged-looking man towering over her. His appearance unkempt, and his face red with anger and drunkenness. He heaved.
"Damn b*tch! How dare you look down at me!"
Cordelia looks up at him, confused, her eyes wide.
...What is this shit?