Page 3 of Against All Odds

I opened my mouth, but swallowed my next question upon seeing Jurrian’s expression.

“Everything in the Universe is about balance,” he started, gesturing to the strange instrument. The golden scales floated lightly, all at the same height. “Every time a soul crosses over to the other side, it affects the balance. It’s inevitable – things can never stay the way they are. The way a soul changes the balance decides whether it will travel to the upper or lower realm.” He held out his hand.

It took a moment before I realized he was waiting for my approval. Though I appreciated him asking for my consent before taking my soul, something told me I had little choice.

Swallowing my doubts, I lifted my hand to place it in his – but he ignored the gesture. Instead, he moved past my arm to pull what looked like a bunch of gray threads from my chest.

It felt as though he literally pulled the breath from my lungs. Gasping, my hands clutched my chest, but the threads went straight through it. It was unpleasant, invasive, and I was powerless to do anything but watch as Jurrian pulled what I assumed was my essence from me, his expression grim.

Just as abruptly as it started, the pull stopped. I blinked, staring at the spool of gray spinning between his spread hands. Lighter and darker threads distinguished themselves as it spun – red, green and purple sparks flashing through it.

I stumbled back, my eyes glued to the tangled threads. Quite a surreal feeling to watch the essence of who I was reduced to a gray spool.

Without another word, Jurrian moved until his hands floated just above the scale, his lips pressed together into a thin line.

My jaw dropped as I watched the threads untangle themselves from the spool as if they were made for this – black, white and gray making their way in opposite directions. They divided themselves over the scales, most landing into the gray scale.

Jurrian clearly did not share my fascination. His hands dropped by his sides.

“Thought so,” he muttered, glancing up to meet my puzzled gaze. “Like most people, you’re in the gray area. Not clean enough for the higher realm, not disturbed enough for an eternity in the lower one.”

“Are you sure?” The question had slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself. “I mean, not trying to make things worse for myself, but I’ve done… plenty of bad things.”

Jurrian sighed, rubbing his face. “Things are more nuanced than humanity likes to believe they are.” He gestured to the scale where the darker threads had gathered. “Only the worst people get a one-way ticket to the lower realm. Murderers, rapists, pedophiles – in some cases, public figures who’ve caused large-scale damage for their own benefit.”

I grimaced. Done plenty of bad things, yes, but not that level of bad.

“That group is small,” Jurrian continued before gesturing to the second scale, “but even smaller is the group of people that depart directly to the higher realm. All humans start out pure, but very few manage to stay that way throughout life. They get corrupted by power, ego, money – earthly distractions that divert them from who they are.”

“…lust, gluttony, pride,” I added helpfully, proud of how easily I dug up those far-buried memories from Bible class.

To my disappointment, Jurrian only rolled his eyes. “I wish humanity would use its critical thinking skills for once. We don’t care if people enjoy earthly pleasures – unless their indulgence harms themselves or others.”

I shrugged. “Fair point, I suppose.”

“But you, young lady, happen to arrive here at the right moment,” he continued dryly, gesturing to the pathetic display of my soul. “We have recently started offering a small number of gray souls the opportunity to steer themselves toward the light… And you are among the lucky few who have been randomly selected for this opportunity.”

I breathed out sharply. Somehow, his cynical voice didn’t make me feel lucky. “What do you mean, you recently started?”

“Either you attempt to save your soul,” Jurrian continued, ignoring my question, “by saving that of another gray person. You obtain a temporary celestial status with limited influence on earthly probabilities. You get assigned a living soul, someone who struggles to stay on the right path. Not quite heading up, not doomed to below – yet.” His monotone voice felt somewhat inappropriate for something so serious as my fate. “When your assignment’s life is over, your souls will be judged together – and if the scale tilts toward the light, you both win a ticket to the higher realm.”

My brow furrowed. One question at a time. “So, I would be… like a guardian angel? Or more like a spirit guide?”

“Neither is quite right, but something in between, I suppose,” he said thoughtfully. “Guardian angels are supposedly divine beings assigned from birth, while spirit guides are considered evolved souls who choose to guide the living after completing their own path. You can use either term, whichever feels most right to you. The terminology doesn’t matter.”

“What makes you think I’m fit to save anyone?” I asked skeptically.

He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t make the rules, Seren.”

If you don’t, then who does? The question was on the tip of my tongue, but I thought better of it. Instead, I tilted my head, thinking it through. “What is the other option?”

“The other option is you accept your fate…” he crossed his arms. “And just like all other gray souls, you endure your karmic cleansing in the lower realm.”

I blinked slowly. “My karmic what now?”

“Karmic cleansing, Seren. All gray souls must endure a karmic cleansing in the lower realm before they are allowed in the higher realm – the guardian arrangement offers you the privilege to bypass it.”

I flinched at the thought. “Is the lower realm like, ehm… Hell? Like, actual fire?”