Chapter 3:

Awakening in a void Shane let out a Hysterical laugh.

He stood there, or rather floated, gazing down at the hollow vessel that was once his body. The clear lack of flesh or feeling and the phantasmal shadow that surrounded a core, proved he was no longer amongst the living. Even the laugh produced no noise, simply a figment of his imagination. He gazed at the translucent body, a body with no warmth. A clear tinge of regret flashed through his non-existent eyes as he drew in the realization as to what would come.

Like how a baby instinctively knew to cry or drink milk, he knew where he was. Shane was currently a soul meaning he was very much dead. The place or void was empty. A place of complete darkness, true darkness incomparable to under the rubble. There was no cold. no hunger, no feeling. Just a fathomless emptiness stirred within him reflected by the surrounding.

He also knew what was going to happen by instinct. It was similar to reincarnation. There was once an article which stated that how could there be so many human beings or plants and animals. What defined the living, after all plants also carried out life processes, did that mean they also have a soul. If this was the case were souls infinitely created or recycled. Now it seemed the latter was the case.

He could feel his soul was going to be remoulded. His previous memories and emotions that defined him to be erased as if he never existed. A clean slate or soul for someone knew, someone that was not him. This could very well be the thousandth time this soul went through the process as it began to go towards a particular direction.

Flashing with speed unbridled by laws of physics Shane still within the soul found himself at a junction. Multiple wholes floated in the void, seeming to connect different realities together.

His soul moved towards one of the brighter wholes. As it arrived it phased through the metaphysical door and began moving downwards through a tunnel radiating a crescendo of colours. As he moved further down, he felt something latch on to his soul. It seemed this was the cleaning process as it began to erode him away. Cold grey tendrils began to corrode the edges of the soft white globe which represented his soul shattering the projection of himself.

Shane panicked, he didn't want to die a second time, he read so many novels were the main characters got to meet God and gained their golden fingers. The only finger he seemed to be receiving was the middle one. He didn't think he would come out of one hell just to sink into the next. It seemed all the curses may have sent any potential god if there was any away.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit"

He produced no noise but his mind rapidly began to think. He didn't want to disappear, he refused to disappear, the fear rekindled within him setting forth a drive he never knew he had. He remembered the pressure he faced under the weight of the wall, the colossal heft over his body which separated him from the rest of the world.

He thought of the worst fear and torture he ever experienced. The crushing weight, the unfathomable pain, the lack of oxygen. He put all his belief not in Gods but on himself. He realized in the rubble that no one could save him. If he wanted to survive, he had to believe in himself. His desire shielded the soul breaking the grey tendrils off.

He cocooned himself into a ball, compacting himself as tight as he could like a foetus. His soul mirrored the change and began to collapse into itself, it became smaller and more compacting becoming more like a small jewel through the passing of time. The hardened exterior helped fend of the tendrils but how long could it last.

As time continued and he spiralled further down the tunnel his mind became weaker. Through the continuous belief in himself fuelled by the will to survive he was able to hold of the tendrils, but as time continued to pass the strain on his mind became stronger making Shane more exhausted.

Seeing a dim glow, surface far into the distance rekindled hope within him. However, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold on till then so he sacrificed the outer areas of his soul to reduce the pressure.

As the grey tendrils wrapped around the soft shimmering soul, they began to pull something out. The bright lustre dimmed and Shane felt his memories begin to disappear. He knew they were there but forget what they were. His earlier years quickly flashed by and he could no longer remember before 8 years old. The pressure once more increased wanting to devour his soul. He had no choice but to give more to this heartless glutton.

His memories bled into the abyss as the tendrils squirmed in delight. The full process accompanied by a pain as if thousands of needles entered his body. He was only able to hold on as he experienced similar pain when under the wall.

Shane could see the light at the end of the tunnel get bright and brighter. He was close to being free so he began to sacrifice more of his memories. Very quickly he had lost all his memories till 13 years old and with a final push he forced himself through the circle of light shattering the rainbow hues which framed the hole as some latched onto him.