Chapter 2: Endless Possibilities

Then, one day, he felt a change. He had stopped floating. Something had blocked his path, as if an invisible barrier had suddenly appeared before him. A new voice broke the silence. It was equally powerful but felt closer, more immediate than the earlier feminine voice. "You are choosing him? Why?" the new voice asked, its tone imbued with a sense of curiosity. The contrast between the two voices was striking. While the feminine voice had seemed to come from eons away, from realms so unfathomable they defied understanding, this new voice felt closer, as if it were speaking from a neighboring house. Yet, it carried the same sense of authority, the same weight that could make souls tremble.

A second voice responded, "I didn't choose him; his universe chose him and directed him towards us. I've chosen many before, but they lost their awareness and dissolved into nothingness. His gods had destined him for greatness, but he was...hmm...an agnostic—a blessed atheist." "What does any of this have to do with us?" the first voice inquired, its tone tinged with skepticism. "Nothing, except that he's an anomaly. That's what we need," the second voice asserted with a sense of finality.

"A tiny blessed soul will make a difference in the battle of seven million realms between demons, gods, celestials, and cultivators? In the world he came from, they consume worlds like his every day," the first voice scoffed, its tone dripping with skepticism. "He's not just a tiny soul; he's a seed," the second voice countered, a note of conviction in its tone. "You've sent seeds before into that chaos, and most have perished. What makes you think this one will be any different?" the first voice questioned.

"He's a true anomaly. He died at the precise moment his universe was due to be devoured by the greater world. The gods who perished didn't just let their leftover divinity dissolve into the ether; they channeled all their remaining essence into him. They knew he would survive, not just because of their divine essence, but because they changed reality beyond their universe for him. How they did it is surprising," the second voice explained, its tone tinged with awe and wonder. 

"So what? A tiny amount of divinity from a few wills of gods doesn't make him the ultimate solution. We've sent souls with far greater powers before, and almost all failed to make a difference or got converted," the first voice retorted, clearly skeptical of the notion. 

"You're missing the point. There is no greater power. It wasn't just one or two gods who blessed him; it was the collective will of all the gods in his universe. And it wasn't just the gods; even the universe itself, in its last moments of consciousness, blessed him. He carries within him not just the divinity of gods but also the seed of his universe. In a sense, he's a seed containing another seed, a universe waiting to be born. Imagine having the power of an entire universe inside you; he can become more powerful than you and me," the second voice elaborated, its tone earnest and filled with conviction. "Besides, unlike us, they didn't impose any conditions or destinies upon him when they perished. They granted him the ultimate gift—the freedom of choice. We've always sent souls with predestined paths, telling them they had a mission to fulfill. Those souls failed because maybe we did not give them free will. This one is different. He has his freedom, his choice, and he's aware of our conversation," the second voice concluded, emphasizing the soul's unique situation.

"That's a risk. If they find out about us through him, it won't be good," the first voice warned cautiously. "Even if they search him, they'll find nothing about us except a few blurred noises in his consciousness," the second voice assured, confident in its judgment.

 "I hope you know what you're doing," the first voice conceded, a hint of resignation in its tone. 

"I hope so too," the second voice admitted, its tone tinged with both hope and uncertainty. 

After a long silence, the first voice spoke again, "We're here. Are you going to send him like that? With the divinity of his gods, he'll attract attention." 

The second voice chuckled for the first time. "I have a feeling his universe foresaw this. Watch this." Something miraculous happened. The golden divinity that enveloped the glowing soul began to condense, receding to a single tiny point. In a few breaths, the soul was white with a tiny golden dot, which then merged within the soul and disappeared. The soul looked just like any other normal soul. The second voice chuckled again, clearly pleased. "What? It's rare for you to be pleased twice. This guy must be an anomaly," the first voice observed, its tone tinged with curiosity. "

Just like them, this little guy is greedy, stubborn, and selfish," the second voice agreed. "Doesn't that make him a danger to us? What if they turn him because he's just like them?" the first voice questioned, its tone becoming more concerned. 

"This little guy has to grow, fight for resources, and gain strength. What separates him from them is his pettiness and twisted sense of justice. They are in for a challenge. I know they'll try to turn him, but once he gains power, he should follow his voices," the second voice concluded, its tone filled with a strange sense of certainty. 

"Why not? You said he's greedy, and you've given him the freedom of choice," the first voice inquired curiously. 

"I'll tell you some other time. Let him explore the reasons for himself if we survive, or he does, and we ever see him again, we will have something to talk about.

Let's release him now; we're close enough. Good luck, little guy," the second voice concluded, its tone filled with a mixture of hope and finality. Then everything paused. The two voices disappeared, leaving him hanging in the cosmic ether, alone yet not alone, a seed in a universe of endless possibilities.