Time no longer existed for Shiva.
Days did not pass. Nights did not fall. There was no sun, no sky—only the endless stillness of deep space and the frozen expanse of the great ice structure beneath him.
Yet within that stillness…
Something profound was unfolding.
Shiva sat unmoving, his body perfectly still, his breath so faint it was almost nonexistent. Years passed, but he did not notice. His mind, once filled with thoughts, plans, and responsibilities, had now become completely silent.
No desires.
No memories.
No identity.
Only awareness.
At first, fragments of his past life had appeared—faces of his family, echoes of his achievements, the countless lives he had touched. But one by one, even those faded away.
He let them go.
Not because they were unimportant…
But because he had already fulfilled them.
Deep within that silence, however—
One thing remained.
A faint, almost forgotten feeling.
A desire.
Not for power.
Not for recognition.
But for something he had denied himself his entire life.
To live… freely.
To test his limits.
To stand at the very peak of physical and mental existence—not for duty, but for self-fulfillment.
To experience life not as a protector…
But as a warrior.
That single desire, buried for over a century, refused to disappear.
Even in absolute stillness…
It endured.
Years passed.
Ten years.
His body, though perfectly preserved by his discipline and environment, had reached its natural limit.
But Shiva did not resist.
For the first time in his life…
He allowed something to end naturally.
His final breath was not dramatic.
It was calm.
Peaceful.
Complete.
And then—
Silence.
But it did not last.
Shiva opened his eyes.
Or rather—
He became aware again.
There was no body.
No ground beneath him.
No sense of direction.
Only an endless, formless expanse.
Yet he was not alone.
Before him, a presence appeared.
Not a figure in the usual sense, but something vast, calm, and incomprehensible. It did not radiate power in a forceful way—yet its existence alone felt absolute.
A voice followed.
Gentle.
Composed.
Unavoidable.
"You have lived a life rare in this age."
Shiva did not react with fear or surprise.
His awareness remained steady.
"For the welfare of humanity… for the protection of life… you have given everything," the voice continued.
"Such lives are few, especially in this era."
A pause.
Then—
"But even so… you are not complete."
For the first time, Shiva responded.
"…No," he said calmly. "I am not."
The presence seemed to acknowledge this.
"A warrior's soul… restrained by duty."
"Desires left unfinished."
The space around him shifted slightly, as if responding to that truth.
"These desires cannot be fulfilled in your previous world," the voice said.
"Not for centuries to come."
Then—
An offer.
"In recognition of your life and your efforts… you are granted a choice."
The presence became clearer—not in form, but in intent.
"You may remain here… beyond the cycle."
"Or…"
A slight pause.
"You may choose your next life."
Shiva's awareness sharpened.
For the first time since his death—
A sense of direction returned.
"Additionally," the voice continued, "you may choose a clan… and two special abilities to guide your path."
Silence followed.
But this time…
It was not empty.
It was filled with possibility.
And slowly—
Shiva began to think.
The end had come.
But for the first time…
so had true freedom of choice.