Simon chuckled and realized that his eyes were wet.

"That is true—in the human world you will finally gain the recognition you deserve long after your death," Luluna said somberly. "But here, in the higher realm, you are recognized for your work! Karma cares not for fame, glory, or intentions. Only hard work and the end result matter. And your soul has extraordinary potential for great things! Even though your memories will be erased, even though you might face countless hardships, souls like yours are needed for—"

"No! Please! Don't send me back into that meat grinder!" Simon pleaded. "Losing my memories… Learning nothing from all of my regrets and suffering? Wouldn't I end up making the same mistakes again?"

"No life is the same as another," Luluna said. "But for a soul to achieve great things, sacrifices—"

"No!" Simon shouted. "I've sacrificed enough for one lifetime! Do you have any idea what I went through in the last years of my life? The crushing weight of soul-ripping regrets?"

"If it was so horrible, why not erase all those painful memories and start over?" Luluna asked.

"Have you ever had to lie to someone on their death bed by saying "I love you"?" Simon asked. "Just because you were too big of a coward to break their heart early enough to give them a chance to find someone who would have truly loved them?"

"I can't say I have," Luluna said quietly.

"I am the only one who knows. If you erase my memories, then it might as well never had happened. But it did! I know! And I don't want to forget that! Even those horrible last years of my life, they were mine! No matter how painful… To forget everything… To erase everything... Erase me? When I finally know what I truly desire? For what? Another round of noble sacrifice? What was so noble about it? Call me selfish, evil, or a monster but I want none of it! If my work really was recognized here for something, I want to cash out that karma for all it's worth and drown myself in wish-fulfillment and carnal pleasures!"

Luluna sighed and said, "While that is possible—I must warn you, if you choose to tarnish and debase your soul to such extents as you propose, we will not meet again."

Simon took a deep breath and said, "I am who I am right now. And right now, finally, I choose to be true to myself!"

"Very well," Luluna closed her eyes and waved her arm in a large arc. Bright, sparkly light followed her hand. "Let us see about this world you wish for…" and with that Simon reincarnated to his world

The blinding navy light that filled the cold, unwelcoming room subsided, returning to its origin in the center of the oval room, where a stone altar was placed on a pedestal. About two dozen hooded figures in blue robes were on their knees in a circle around the altar.

continue in S2