Chapter 03: As Per His Wish

"WE!" 

Erik gasped, his voice echoing in the void. When his life was claimed by a bullet, he found himself standing before an enigmatic figure that remained nameless.

"You possess a keen mind, Erik. A trait we despise." 

The figure's voice held a note of amusement, and Erik could discern a grin from the crimson line that formed beneath two glowing red eyes.

Erik recoiled, his heart hammering in his chest. His gunshot wound pulsed with pain. It felt as if an invisible hand was constricting his throat, making it difficult for him to draw breath.

"SHINE!" "SHINE!" "SHINE!" "SHINE!" 

Suddenly, Erik found himself encircled by a multitude of glowing eyes. They varied in size, color, and even shape. Yet, they all shared a common trait - they bore into Erik with a fierce intensity, promising a fate worse than death.

Despite the terror gripping him, Erik resolved not to admit guilt. 

'If they wish to punish me, then they have to kill me as an innocent man. I won't admit guilt, even under torture.'

"HA…HA…." Laughter rippled through the sea of glowing eyes, the lights flickering intensely as they observed Erik.

"If you die as an innocent, then we, as gods, have failed." 

The figure's voice echoed Erik's thoughts.

Erik felt a jolt of fear and wanted to strategize his next move, but he quickly realized that the glowing eyes were intruding on his thoughts. Swiftly, he went silent and stopped thinking altogether.

Erik wasn't born into privilege. He knew what it was like to go hungry and to sleep without a roof over his head.

Erik had clawed his way to the top, stepping on others to get there. He played their game, then betrayed them when they least expected it. His ability to make swift decisions and keenly observe his surroundings always gave him an advantage.

Now, his surroundings were trying to make him panic and break down. He had planned to do just that when he first encountered the figure and the eyes, but now he wanted to turn their laughter into desperation for him to admit guilt.

"I'm innocent. I will say it until none of you remain. Whether you're gods or not. I am the embodiment of truth." 

Erik declared, his smile wide, effectively masking his fear and nervousness.

A large blue eye among the multitude flickered as it spoke, 

"Erik Hardin, until you admit guilt, you are innocent. If we conclude our judgment, you will be sent to your afterlife…"

Erik grinned but quickly covered his face with his hands. He didn't want them to see his satisfaction.

A small purple light with rectangular eyes chimed in, its eyes sparkling like a firefly. 

"Erik, we won't let you pass on to the afterlife, as you committed a grave crime by plagiarizing another man's work."

"There are millions of greater crimes being committed every second. Murderers, thieves, psychopaths, the wealthy. Why focus on me? You are gods, you are supposed to oversee everything. Why waste your time on me, instead of punishing others?" 

Erik's voice rose in a crescendo of rage as he challenged the glowing eyes.

The glowing eyes fell silent for a few moments before a small brown eye at his shoulder level began to approach him.

"AHH…" 

Erik let out a cry of shock, stumbling backward, as he recognized the figure emerging from the darkness as his deceased sister. Slowly, other lights began to approach him.

Erik recognized all the faces of the people he had known, from his childhood teacher to his Editor, even though most of them were still alive. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him, as if he had betrayed them all.

His heart clenched in pain, he clutched his chest. As he looked at each face, memories of the times he had spent with them flooded his mind like a torrential downpour.

"These are the people you betrayed or let die. Are you ready to admit your guilt?"

Erik turned towards the voice to see his father, his body lean and his clothes tattered, standing before him with glowing red eyes. The figure had transformed into an image of Erik's father.

Erik closed his eyes and covered his ears, screaming to drown out their voices and shrieking at them.

"I'm innocent. I did what I had to do to climb to the top. I don't feel guilty. If I were to be reborn, I would do it all over again."

"Now, you finally said it. Condition completed," the figure's voice echoed around him. 

"SILENCE!" 

Erik found himself standing in a pool of blue light, the darkness surrounding him once again. He didn't see any glowing eyes or the figure.

Erik pondered in confusion, 'Is everything an illusion?'

"No, it is not," The figure's voice echoed in the darkness.

"Erik, be silent." The figure commanded, his tone ominous.

Suddenly, Erik found himself mute; it felt as if his mouth had vanished from his face. He couldn't even think. He felt disembodied, like a gust of wind.

"Erik, you need to understand why you are here before your judgment concludes.

The reason every god despises you is that the author of the novel you plagiarized your work from used to be a former Hero who fought to protect the world."

Even though Erik couldn't speak or think, the shock was clearly etched on his face.

The figure continued in a stern tone, 

"The Hero died on your planet Earth, reincarnated to the planet Anmoa. He fought valiantly to protect the people from adversaries, but he died fighting the Demon Lord. He may have failed to defeat the Demon Lord, but the bravery he showed us made every God in all realms admire his valor.

So, we granted him wishes for his bravery. He used his first wish to be reborn again on your planet Earth and wanted to become a Novel writer in the future.

But You. You impudent fool, because of your act, he died because of poor health due to mental stress. You killed him, you pushed him to the edge.

Even when The Hero fought millions of demons, he didn't waver, but one thing he ever wanted was being stolen and used by people like you, and people praised the thief like you while branding him as a crook when he raised his voice, made him lose his hope.

You and your insignificant people on the planet crossed the line. Every one of you will face the wrath of every God for making our Child suffer."

A strange silence fell upon them after the figure finished speaking about the grave mistake Erik had made.

Erik fell to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes. He punched the ground in frustration, then clasped his hands together and pleaded, his muffled voice choked with regret, facing the direction from which the figure's voice had echoed.

"Even in this moment, you haven't changed. Stop with your fake crying."

The figure's voice raged in anger, and the red eyes appeared among the darkness, their glow fierce, illuminating the surrounding area.

Erik remained silent after hearing the figure, he stood up. He wiped away his tears. He grinned and punched his chest, extending his hands to prompt the figure to give him hell.

"You are right, Rome. This fellow needs to know what it's like to live in hell. As per your wish, I'm sending him to you." The figure muttered to himself aloud.

Erik's face turned into a frown, as he recognized the name Rome, which was the name of the author of the novel he stole from.

"Hope you suffer, Erik. Goodbye." The figure bid farewell, as the red eyes disappeared and the huge light shining down on him also disappeared.

"What is happening?" Erik found his voice again.

"SHINE!"

In the distance, Erik noticed a small door glowing. Erik walked towards it and opened it, thinking it might lead to hell.

Erik stepped through the door to find himself inside a cave surrounded by stone walls, with a waterfall cascading down the side.

In the middle of the cave, surrounded by running water, a platform in the middle was raised, and a small ray of sunlight illuminated a throne below.

The throne was made of gold, gleaming in the sunlight. Erik quickly covered his nose, as the blood covering the throne was dripping into the water, creating a foul smell.

Erik suddenly recognized the cave and the bloody throne and uttered aloud. 

"The Demon Lord's throne from Rome's *The Memories of My Life* novel."

[End of Chapter]