Alex was busy until lunchtime when his mother called him to eat.
"Have you started making the soap?" Melinda asked.
After spending the entire morning purifying the oil for use, Alex knew he couldn't make soap with food residues in it.
"Not yet. I'm purifying the oil to remove the dirt," Alex replied.
Without stopping, he went straight to the bathroom to wash up. After a while, he returned, pulled out a chair, and sat down, noticing that his father wasn't there.
"Where's Dad?"
At that moment, Melinda came out of the kitchen with a plate. Hearing Alex's question, she replied:
"He should be in the yard."
Jonas entered holding a beer. Alex and Melinda noticed. Jonas looked at both of them, took the last sip of his drink, and after throwing the bottle in the trash, walked to the dining table.
After sitting down, Jonas said:
"I have to work tomorrow."
Melinda, who was serving food onto Alex's plate, paused for a moment, looked at her husband, and asked:
"And what about church? We were supposed to go together tomorrow."
"Sorry, wife. I wanted to go too... But orders came from above," Jonas apologized.
Melinda was unhappy but said nothing. Thus, the family ate in silence.
In the afternoon, Alex didn't return to the garage. He went to his room to study and stayed there until evening. After dinner, he returned to his room to study until bedtime.
"..."
"Where am I?" asked a confused voice.
After opening his eyes, he quickly sat up. White. Everything was white. In every direction he looked, only white.
The man was startled by the place and, just as he was about to scream, he heard a voice that made him jump in fright.
"You woke up."
His heart raced. Turning stiffly, he saw a completely white humanoid figure.
It had no mouth, no eyes, no nose. To be exact, it had nothing on its face.
Even so, the man felt that this being was smiling at him. Just as he was about to speak, a flood of information rushed into his mind.
He understood everything. He had died. To be more precise, he had been murdered. Not by another human, but by the very being in front of him.
Despite this, his heart was calm.
"I don't want another chance to live. I'm already tired; you must know that," the man said.
"I know... I'm sorry for killing you. It was a stupid accident," the mysterious being replied.
Then, it turned its back to the man and said, in an apologetic tone:
"I will respect your choice. How about we have a feast together as an apology?"
As it spoke, a table full of delicacies appeared between them. The being walked over to the man and extended a hand in invitation.
The man thought for a moment and accepted. Thus, the two began to eat. To be exact, the man ate alone while the mysterious being observed him in silence.
At no moment did the man wonder how he could eat there. Everything was already inexplicable, so why worry?
After finishing, the mysterious being pushed a goblet filled with a golden liquid toward him.
"Drink."
The man looked at the golden goblet encrusted with precious jewels. After a brief analysis, he observed the liquid.
It was golden. He had never seen a drink of that color in his life. But since he had already eaten some fruits he didn't even know existed, he drank without hesitation.
The first sip was like savoring the most precious nectar in the world. In large gulps, he drank it all.
"Ahhh..."
He had never experienced anything like it. He felt a deep desire to drink more, until he was satisfied.
Looking at the mysterious being, he widened his eyes.
He could see its face—a previously blank face now had eyes, a mouth, a nose. He could see the playful smile on the mysterious being's face.
"You?" The man took a step back. He felt that something was wrong.
"Sorry. I hope you understand... This drink is special and good for you. Before you woke up, I separated part of your soul and reincarnated it in another world. Now, when you remember this place, it's because your souls have become one again."
The being's gaze turned serious but carried an inexplicable warmth.