The air around the ruined sector still carried that faint metallic smell of burned circuitry and shattered infrastructure. Even now, as reconstruction drones hummed overhead and workers moved through the debris, the place felt unstable.
Greshina walked ahead casually with her hands behind her back. Ely followed just a half step behind.
"Alright, scenario two is a sudden death."
They found him not far into the deeper rubble where the drones hadn't fully cleared things yet.
A man was crushed under a slab that had caved inward at an angle, trapping his torso while metal and fractured stone pressed into his body from multiple directions, his clothes were soaked dark with blood. His breathing was shallow and uneven to the point where it barely qualified as breathing anymore.
He wasn't screaming. His lips parted as if trying to form words but nothing came out except faint, broken gasps. Ely took a step forward to help him.
"Don't."
"He's still alive."
Greshina scoffed, glancing at the faint amethyst numbers hovering above his head,
"For about twenty-three seconds, give or take."
Ely clenched her hand but didn't move again. They both watched as the man's fingers twitched weakly against the rubble. He was still clinging onto the idea that someone would come.
For a moment, nothing happened before his body went completely still. Just like that, his soul was separated from his body
A slightly translucent version of him was standing there in confusion as he looked down at his own crushed body, then at his hands, then around at the world like he was trying to process something that didn't make sense.
"What?"
His voice came out clear now, no longer broken by pain or blood. Greshina stepped forward. Her presence immediately drew his attention.
"Hey, Mr. Derrick. You're dead."
"No. No, no, no! I'm not—I'm not dead, I'm still here, I was just—trapped, yeah, I was trapped, they'll come, the workers, they'll—"
"They won't."
"They have to. I've only been here for—what—an hour? Two at most? They'll find me. They always do. This is a reconstruction site, right? They'll—"
"You were never going to be saved," Greshina interrupted. "This was always how it ends for you."
Ely watched his face crumble in real time.
"That's not—no. That's not how this works. I have a wife. Kids. They're waiting for me. I literally left home this morning. I told them I'd be back."
His voice started shaking.
"I can't die here. Not like this. Not again."
That word made Ely's eyes narrow slightly.
"Again?"
The man clenched his fists as he saw Ely.
"I died horribly back on Earth. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I got a second chance here and now you're telling me I die like this too? No. I'm not accepting that. I refuse."
Greshina tilted her head, then giggled softly.
"That's cute."
The man looked offended.
"What do you mean 'cute'? I'm serious!"
"I know. And that's exactly why this is interesting."
She stepped closer, crouching slightly so she was at eye level with him.
"Mortals rarely resist me like this. Most people panic, cry, beg for a bit, then eventually accept it. You? You're still fighting."
"Because I have something to fight for."
"Alright. Let's make this fun."
Ely immediately frowned.
"Greshina."
"I know what I'm doing," she replied casually before looking back at the man. "Here's the deal. Since you're so determined, I'll give you a chance."
His eyes widened instantly.
"What?"
"I'll ask you three questions. Answer all of them correctly and I'll revive you. Not just that. I'll pull your body out of the rubble, fix the damage, and give you more time."
"You're serious?"
"Of course I am. I'm not lying."
The man looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"And if I fail?"
"Then I take you to the Reincarnation Cycle. No second chances after that."
He hesitated, clearly weighing it.
"The questions have to be fair. I'm not answering some impossible cosmic nonsense."
Greshina snorted lightly.
"Relax. I'm not that petty. Everything I ask, you'll be able to answer."
Ely stepped closer to Greshina, lowering her voice.
"What are you doing?"
Greshina didn't even look at her.
"When mortals resist death like this, it creates instability in the Reincarnation Cycle. Souls like his cling too hard and that messes up the transition. It's easier this way."
Ely studied her for a second, then glanced back at the man, who was now staring at Greshina like she was his last lifeline.
"So this is mercy?"
Greshina shrugged slightly.
"Call it a test."
The man straightened his posture, determination replacing most of his fear.
"Fine. Ask your questions."
"First question. Tell me the first ten decimal places of pi."
"What?"
Even Ely frowned slightly, clearly not understanding what that even meant, but Greshina just tilted her head like she was mildly inconvenienced.
"Oh, right. The time limit is thirty seconds per question. It starts now."
The moment those words dropped Derrick froze for half a second, and then panic kicked in like a switch flipped inside him.
"Three point one four one five nine, two six five three five—no, wait—two six five three—five eight nine—"
Ely watched him, noticing how his entire demeanor changed.
3.1415926535!"
The countdown above his head stopped.
"Correct."
Derrick exhaled sharply in relief.
"What kind of question is that? That's not even—what does that have to do with anything?!"
Greshina shrugged.
"You said the questions had to be something you could answer. That's something you learned, right? Something you knew."
Ely glanced at Derrick, then back at Greshina, starting to understand what she was doing, but she stayed quiet.
Greshina raised another finger.
"Second question. Name ten countries in Australia Continent."
Derrick groaned immediately.
"…You're kidding me."
"Twenty-eight seconds."
"Okay, okay—" he ran a hand through his hair, pacing in place as he started listing them. "Sydney—no, that's a city—uh—Australia itself, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji—"
He paused.
"Come on… Solomon Islands—Canberra—no—damn it—"
Ely could see his desperation but this time, it wasn't about survival. It was about knowledge.
"Twenty seconds," Greshina said calmly.
"Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia—yes! That's eight—uh—"
His face twisted.
"Come on, come on—"
"Ten seconds."
"I know this, I know this—"
And then it clicked.
"Fiji—no, I already said that—uh—wait—no—no, that's all of them— wait. There's Samoa and Tonga!"
"Correct."
For a second, he just stared at her. Then he let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh.
"Okay. Okay, yeah. I get it now. You're testing logic."
"There's a lot of ways to look at it."
Derrick straightened up a bit as he crossed his arms.
"I was smart back on Earth. This isn't really a challenge."
Ely glanced at him, then at Greshina, and she already knew that confidence he had was about to break. Greshina lifted her final finger.
"Third question."
Derrick nodded, completely ready now.
"What is your wife's birthday?"
And just like that, his confidence shattered in an instant.
"That's easy. It's…"
He opened his mouth but no answer came out.
"It's…"
His eyebrows furrowed.
"Wait."
Ely watched it happen. It was like something was slipping through his fingers in real time.
"No, I know this. We celebrated it—we—every year—we had dinner, we—"
His voice cracked.
"It's in—"
He stopped again. Nothing came to mind.
"Fifteen seconds."
Derrick's breathing picked up. His hands trembled as he grabbed his head.
"No, no, no. I know this, I know this. It's in summer—no, wait—that doesn't help—uh—July? August? No—no—"
"Ten seconds."
"We had cake—she liked chocolate cake—I remember that—I remember the cake—why can't I remember the date?!"
His voice broke completely now.
"Five seconds."
"I KNOW THIS! I KNOW THIS, WE CELEBRATED IT, I WAS THERE—"
"Time's up."
Derrick froze.
"No. No, no, that doesn't count, I just—I just need a second—"
Greshina tilted her head slightly.
"Bonus question."
His head snapped up instantly.
"What are your children's names?"
Relief flickered for a split second.
"That's easy. It's—"
He stopped again.
"It's…"
His lips trembled.
"No. I just said them this morning. I literally said their names this morning—how—how do I not—"
"Another bonus question," Greshina said calmly.
Derrick looked at her like she was both his savior and his executioner.
"Okay. Okay, I can do this."
"What is the best memory you have with your wife?"
This time, he didn't even try to answer immediately.
He just stood there.
"…We…" he started weakly. "We… had dinners together… we… talked…"
Nothing specific came.
Derrick's shoulders slumped. His entire body went still as whatever fight he had left finally drained out of him.
"I failed."
Greshina stepped closer. Her expression was no longer playful at all. She reached out her hand toward him.
"You did."
"Those were simple questions. Why couldn't I answer them?"
"Because when people die, their emotions start fading. Memories tied to strong emotions stay longer. The weak ones disappear first. You remembered your past life and the knowledge there but somehow, your family didn't seem to be that important for you to remember."
Derrick's gaze dropped.
"So I forgot…"
"You didn't love them enough for their memories to stay."
Ely flinched slightly at that. Emily remembered them because she cared for her family. This man did live his family but it wasn't feel enough to remember them, even in death. But Greshina didn't take it back.
"If your attachment was strong enough, you would have remembered even in death."
Derrick let out a shaky breath.
"So that's it."
Greshina didn't answer. He looked back once, instinctively, toward the direction of the world he just left.
"I thought I had more time."
Then he laughed weakly.
"Guess not. You win, Death."
Greshina didn't smile this time. She simply held her hand out. After a brief hesitation, he took it. The moment their hands touched, he vanished.
Ely stood there in silence.
"That was cruel."
Greshina didn't deny it.
"It was necessary. Helplessness is one way to ensure that the souls don't have trouble in the Reincarnation Cycle. Now then, off to our third victim."