What was supposed to be a simple flight between Germany and Japan turned much worse.

Screams were echoing through the plane, barely surpassing the noise of the air as the wind as they were crashing to the ground.

Strangely enough, Viktor didn't feel scared. He didn't feel anything. Maybe it was the shock of it all, but all he was able to feel was a great clarity as he was looking at the scene around him, every little detail branded forever in his memory. The yellow hair of the boy in front of him, the dying lights of the plane, the noise of the burning engines... everything was crystal clear.

Everyone was reacting differently. Most people were screaming their lungs out, some were passed out, others kept still in their seats, either silent or muttering some prayers.

[Should I pray too?](Viktor)

Certainly that couldn't hurt. Running wild, screaming or waving his harm would not help him survive. Staying still at his seat, curled up, while keeping his head in his arms may have increased his chances of survival by some single digit percentage, but there wasn't much else he could do.

He started reciting some buddhist prayer, the ones he used to be reciting twice per day, but strangely enough that wasn't really helping. Words came from his mouth, but they refused to leave it, as if his tongue was paralized. He noticed that his arms were trembling too, as the wind noise was increasing.

[Maybe I'm not as calm as I thought I was...](Viktor)

That was his last thought, before a huge explosion blew away his consciousness.

-----

[WAKE UP CHILD](???)

Viktor opened his eyes. All he could see was white.

[What happened? Am I alive? Am I dead? Or... am I in a coma?] (Viktor)

Viktor tried moving his limbs. They moved without problems. He was able to feel everything. But before his eyes, all he could see was still a soffuse white light.

[Well... I guess I am alive?] (Viktor)

[I AM AFRAID NOT. NOW GET UP.] (???)

As if his body was a puppet controlled by those words, Viktor immediately got up, his muscles before he could realize it.

Around him there was still that unmoving sea of white light, but other figures were around him.

Viktor recognized them immediately: they were the other passengers of the plane: the little girl with the pigtails, the young man with dark hairs and the slanted eyes, the bald old guy... they were all here.

He could count about twenty people, most of them younger than he was.

[LISTEN TO ME CHILDREN. I AM THE HIGHEST ONE. YOU LOST YOUR LIFE IN THE PLANE CRASH IN YOUR WORLD, AND NOW YOUR SOULS STAND BEFORE ME.] (Highest One)

God? Was this thing for real? Viktor could still feel his body though... was this normal for a soul? Unless he was in a coma and this was all an hallucination...

[THIS IS REAL. IT'S NOT AN HALLUCINATION. YOU ARE DEAD, AND YOUR SOULS ARE TO GO THROUGH ANOTHER CYCLE OF REINCARNATION. NONE OF YOU WERE WORTHY ENOUGH TO REACH ENLIGHTENMENT AND GO BEYOND THE CYCLE, NOR WERE ANY OF YOU CORRUPTED ENOUGH TO FALL INTO OBLIVION] (Highest One)

Viktor was still unsure if he was hallucinating this or not, but the last statement of this “Highest One” was positive, at least for him. It was what he had believed for all his life as a buddhist. Though he was kinda peeved that he didn't reach enlightenment... he had been a good person for most of his life, praying and trying to improve himself on a daily basis.

He was thirty years old when he got on that plane from Berlin to Tokyo, in order to make some sort of pilgrimage at the buddhist temples in the japanese capital... at least that was the official excuse, because he intended it to be mostly a vacation, visiting maid cafés, manga shops and eating in the typical ramen stands. Of course he wanted to make a stop at the shrines in order to pray, but honestly that wasn't his main motivation.

Viktor, a german man, had always been a japanophile, reading mangas, watching animes, even taking karate and aikido lessons, although he usually was quite lazy. Some may even call him an otaku, although the term wasn't really used in his country.

But mostly, he was fascinated by the culture and the spirituality of the oriental country, by the ideals of self improvement and diligency... although he himself struggled to not being lazy and maybe enjoyed the pleasures of good food and feminine company a little too much. Maybe that was the reason he hadn't be able to reach enlightenment.

Oh well, at least he now had another chance in his next life, wouldn't he?

[AT LEAST, THIS IS WHAT WOULD NORMALLY HAPPEN. BUT I HAVE INTERFERED IN THIS PROCESS, AND I HAVE TAKEN YOUR SOULS WITH ME IN THIS LIMBO] (Highest One)

What? Why would he do such a thing!?!

[FOR YOU SEE, I AM GOD, BUT NOT THE GOD OF YOUR WORLD. MY OWN WORLD HAS JUST BEEN BORN, AND IS IN NEED OF GUIDANCE. FOR THIS PURPOSE I HAVE CHOSEN YOU, THE SOULS OF AN OLDER, MORE DEVELOPED WORLD, TO SERVE UNDER ME AS GUARDIANS OF MY CREATION. ] (Highest One)

What was this? Viktor felt disappointment. He believed the cycle of reincarnation and the laws of karma to be absolutes, but if the first deity from another world was allowed to take whichever souls he pleased, then the whole thing was much cheaper than he thought.

What next? The Enlightenment is gonna be some sort of amusement park? Only with less crowd and more ice cream?

But it appeared he wasn't even allowed to find that out. This god had taken them to be his servants, or something.

[WORRY NOT, CHILDREN, FOR IN MY WORLD, YOU WILL BE AKIN TO GODS. YOU WILL HAVE POWERS BEYOND THOSE OF THE MORTALS, AND YOU WILL RULE OVER THEM.] (Highest One)

That's a good offer... too good of an offer, Viktor thought. There have to be a catch.

[ALL I ASK FROM YOU IN RETURN IS TO OVERSEE YOUR SPECIFIC DOMAIN, BE IT WAR OR PEACE, LIFE OR DEATH, FIRE OR WATER, LIGHT OR DARKNESS. EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU WILL BE GIVEN THE POWER TO MAKE SURE THINGS WILL PROCEED FAST AND STEADY.] (Highest One)

Here it is. So we will be some sort of celestial bureaucracy. Are we gonna spend the eternity surveying things, writing reports and going on divine business meetings? Is this “Highest One” gonna be a stereotypical office boss, telling us to fix our necktie and respect the schedule?

Viktor always hated bureaucracy. An eternity as office worker would be quite like hell for him.

But as if the Highest One readed his mind (which was possible), the voice answered again.

[WORRY NOT, FOR WHEN YOU WILL TAKE PLACE AS GODS OF THAT WORLD, YOU WILL BE LEFT TO YOUR OWN DEVICES. I WILL NOT INTERFERE DIRECTLY FROM THAT POINT ONWARD, AS IT WILL BE YOUR TASK TO DO SO IN MY PLACE. ACTUALLY, YOU WON'T PROBABLY SEE ME AGAIN UNTIL THE END OF TIME. LITERALLY. SO YOU WILL BE FREE TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT. GOOD OR EVIL, WORKING HARD OR LAZING AWAY... YOU ALONE WILL DECIDE. JUST REMIND THAT WITH YOUR POWERS, ANY DECISION YOU'LL MAKE WILL HAVE HUGE RIPERCUSSIONS, AND THAT EVEN DOING NOTHING AT ALL IS A DECISION.] (God)

Well, wasn't this lucky? Viktor wondered if any of this “Highest One” words could contain any trap, but he couldn't find any.

He could spend the next eternity doing whatever he wanted, as a god among mortals, without having to worry about anything. Many people would consider this heaven.

Viktor allowed himself to think about what he could do. He could build himself an harem of beautiful women, he could defeat armies with his might as a god, and have any of his wishes immediately granted...

But why would a bunch of random people be allowed to decide the fate of thousands? Just because some “God” told them it was allright and give them power? This wasn't fair at all!

Against his better judgement, he tried to spoke his mind. He wasn't sure about how to talk, especially cause he didn't want to infuriate this "Highest One” (after all, he could cast him into the pits of hell, couldn't he?), so he just let out a soft cough, while raising his hand like a shy elementary student.

[Ehm... excuse me, mister Highest One?] (Viktor)

Everyone else suddenly turned to him. Under this scrutiny, he felt like he wanted to bury himself in the ground, if there was a ground in all that white. Public speeches were never his forte.

[YES, MY CHILD?] (Highest One)

[Ehm, sorry for bothering you, mr Highest, but... ehm... could I say something? If it doesn't bother you too much of course... if you want me to shut up, I will do so! Just...] (Viktor)

[FEAR NOT AND SPEAK YOUR MIND, CHILD. I WILL LISTEN TO WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY AND I PROMISE NOTHING BAD WILL COME TO YOU FROM YOUR WORDS] (Highest One)

[Well, I was thinking that... maybe... you know... maybe your people don't need our guidance? I mean... people should be able to choose their own path in life, shouldn't they? And even if they need guidance, shouldn't they get someone their equal to be their leader? Someone who would live, sweat and die with them? I... I think this would be more right, shouldn't it?] (Viktor)

Suddenly, Viktor felt various hostile gazes dropping on him. Most of the other people were looking at him as if he was crazy, or worse, while muttering under their breath.

[Shut up, you idiot! Can't you see this is a once in a lifetime chance? ]

[Don't ruin this for me! I deserve it after the crap I had in life!]

[Are you crazy!?! Why would you refuse this offer? ]

All the grumbling came to an end whenthe Highest One spoke again. His voice was as calm as it was before, without any hint of displeasure.

[YOU ARE WRONG, CHILD. MORTALS NEED GUIDANCE. IF LEFT TO THEIR OWN, THEY WILL ONLY BRING CHAOS. YOU COME FROM AN ERA OF PROSPERITY AND ADVANCEMENT, AND THIS IS WHY I CHOOSE YOU, BUT THAT ERA WILL SURELY END, AND IN A FEW GENERATIONS YOUR WORLD WILL SURELY REGRESS TO BARBARISM. HAVING GODS FROM A MORE DEVELOPED REALITY AS ETERNAL GUARDIAN WILL MAKE MY WORLD MUCH MORE STABLE THAN EVEN YOURS.] (Highest One)

Viktor tried to bite his tongue, to hold the urge to answer. He always loved ethical disquisitions, and he frequently had lenghty discussions with other people about those arguments.

The others kept looking at him menaciously, as if telling him “Don't you dare...”, but he really couldn't help himself.

[But with each cycle, we advance a little bit. We are more advanced now than 1000 years ago. We have values and standards that were unheard of even 100 years ago! There may still be evil and inequality, but I believe that humanity will surely learn from its mistake and improve over time!] (Viktor)

The Highest One was silent for a while. Everyone was looking at Viktor, which felt progressively more nervous.

Did I messed it up? No, I just spoke my mind... and I don't think I said things that would warrant a punishment!

Finally, the Highest One spoke.

[ARE YOU SURE OF THIS CHILD? DO YOU REALLY HOLD THAT MUCH FAITH IN MORTALS?] (Highest One)

Viktor paused. He stood silent for a second, but finally he answered.

[Yes. Yes I do.] (Viktor)

The Highest One was silent, from another moment. When he spoke again, his voice was still calm as always, apparently immutable, but Viktor could swear the voice contained just an echo of amusement.

[THEN, I'LL TEST YOUR FAITH. YOU SHALL BE THE GOD OF HELL OF MY WORLD, CHARGED WITH PURIFYING THE SOULS OF THE SINNERS AND ALLOWING THEM TO REINCARNATE WITHOUT ANY IMPURITY TO HOLD THEM DOWN.](Highest One)

Red flames exploded all around Viktor. He screamed, but because of the surprise rather than pain, because for some reason the flames weren't harming him.

He felt like he was being dragged down, sinking into a pond, only that it was scarlet fire instead of water.

The voice of the Highest One echoed one last time in his head.

[WITNESS TO THE WORST THAT MORTALS CAN DO FOR A FEW THOUSANDS YEARS, AND THEN TELL ME AGAIN IF YOU HAVE SO MUCH FAITH IN THEM!] (Highest One)