MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

What happens after death?

This was a question that everyone bothered themselves with at least once in their life.

The ever-intriguing query— the scenario after death. What really happens? Was there really an afterlife as was promised in religious books?

Or was it the jargon of some religious factions that believed in endless reincarnation till the end of existence itself, where we'd be reduced to nothingness?

Or perhaps, it was just the simple process of our souls entering a dark void of nothingness where our existences would be forgotten over time.

These were all some snippets of an everlasting ongoing debate that was most likely to never reach a conclusion, nor cease to stop as long as humanity itself didn't reach its extinction.

Adam had never really been of the religious sort. While it was true that he believed in the existence of a supreme being overseeing existence, he wasn't particularly interested in delving into the debate of who was right or wrong among the various religious preachers roaming this planet.

That was why, like many people, he had just wondered idly if he were to land in the beautiful heaven or the smoldering hell after his death. Or perhaps, what he would be reincarnated into after his eventual demise.

The first information to take note of was that… death was a very disorienting experience…

It felt like he had become a nonexistent being. Well, he wouldn't know what non-existence really felt like but he had a distinct feeling that this sensation was probably the perfect representation.

Complete darkness rushed in to settle in his consciousness. It seemed like he was being swept somewhere, or perhaps he was just swimming in a vast sea of utter darkness. He didn't know where he was going nor whether he had stopped. In his anxious state, Adam spotted something in the darkness— the milky way, an embroidery of blue and red lights against the canvas of nothingness etched perfectly in a corner of the vast outer space.

"God once said, let there be light. So shouldn't you wake up already, my dear child?"

Adam frowned deeply, hearing those words originating from a distinctly feminine voice, and slowly opened his eyes. With narrowed eyes, he quickly scanned his surroundings. What registered in his eyes, the vision forming in his mind, made his jaw drop and his face go blank in absolute astonishment.

Books— Everywhere he looked, hundreds of thousands of books were littering all over the place stacked on colossal shelves that stretched infinitely.

He was in a library, that much he was certain of. No, to be more specific, he was in a space that more or less looked like a library. Countless amounts of bookshelves lined up all over the place and reached unknown heights. There were an immeasurable amount of books stacked on these bookshelves that showed no signs of ending whatsoever.

'Where am…!!!'

Something flashed in his mind and he looked down at his chest, specifically the area around his heart. However, to his utter astonishment, he found that there wasn't a gaping hole formed in that spot of his naked chest.

Another shocking thing registered in his mind when his eyes wandered off from his chest and looked below. He was completely and utterly naked.

"What in hell?"

"This is not hell and I do not like being ignored."

Looking up, Adam found the source of the feminine voice sitting atop a chair above.

"My oh my, so you finally decided to look at me. Hello, dear child of mine. Happy to meet you."

What greeted him was the charming smile of an absolutely gorgeous woman.

———

A few minutes later, Adam found himself sitting on a chair with a steaming cup of tea placed in front of him and thankfully clothes.

The woman who called him out earlier was sitting now in front of him, behind a desk that could be said to be suitable for a librarian, while looking at him with a bright smile.

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She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman he had ever encountered. Her sparkling whitish-silver hair, tinged in just the right hues of light gray, seemed to quite literally shine under the presence of light and her innocent smile gave him a warm feeling.

She was wearing something of the likes of a Greek robe or a robe of the olden times. The robes covered her whole body, it was that sort of rope after all. But they were so tight that it seemed they were struggling to maintain their purpose, not really being able to contain those explosive curves of hers.

But even though he was able to admire such an otherworldly beauty and revel in her pure aura, Adam could not find any joy in his heart, nor any sentiments to appreciate this moment.

"So, I have really died it seems."

"You seem rather calm."

A bitter smile spread on his face, stretching his lips downward in the end, "I am not. I am angry and sad and lost. I am currently wondering whether this is a bad dream and if I will wake up in my bed. But on the off chance that this is reality, why would I piss off what seems to be God or perhaps the Devil? Am I in Hell or Heaven?"

"Oh! Sorry for the misunderstanding, but I am not God. You could say that I am just a librarian."

The woman chuckled at her own words, perhaps finding them amusing for some reason. She continued soon after, her voice having the same sonorous tune as it always did… "Once again this is not Hell nor any such celestial place. This place is the intersection of all worlds, all universes, known and unknown. The few who know about the existence of this place call it the Nexus or the Crossroad. But for me, it's just the library I am in charge of."

The information the enchanting woman was giving off was quite unbelievable to Adam. They completely went against all the common sense he had established in the 20-plus years of his life. Moreover, the rapid barrage of disorienting info made it so that Adam could barely follow her or even make sense of them in time.

'I really hope that this is all a stupid dream.'

He prayed inwardly but still listened carefully to each one of her words, trying to glean the information in between. If it was a dream he would simply forget everything once he woke up.

But if it turned out to not be a dream but rather the reality he was currently up against… Whatever information he could gather now might be a game-changer for his future endeavors.

Even if he didn't know what use the information could be, knowing more was always better than knowing less.

"How fascinating. All the previous Primogenitors who visited this place were hardly as calm as you are showing to be, dear child."

"So I am not the only one who visited this place and what is a Primogenitor?"

The woman smiled and shook her head, "We do not have much time remaining before you wake up. Forgive me for not being able to answer those questions of yours."

"Wake up… I am not dead?"

"Well… Technically, it's a bit of both actually. You're in the realm in between. You died exactly at midnight. Should I say that you were lucky? Or is it Fate in play here? Let's not delve into that for now. Point is… You died at the same time that you awakened and consequently obtained a second chance at life. You, entering this place was also due to your awakening."

She mumbled to herself, "Then again if that woman didn't try to futilely push back the inevitable you would have awakened years ago and wouldn't have died at that moment. Well, it is what it is."

She laughed out loud, abruptly at that, before standing up from her seat.

"Now then, choose."

Adam was utterly lost by that sudden command of hers…

"What…do I choose?"

"What do you think of those things around you?"

She opened her arms wide as if wanting to embrace all the books in her warm bosom.

"You are standing in the greatest library of the universe. The library was born from the fruit of Knowledge and contains all the knowledge, past, present, and future embedded inside. The Akashic records! And now I am giving you the option to change your Destiny by owning anything you want from here."

Adam's eyes opened like saucers after hearing her speech. This seemed like an incredible proposal.

So incredible that it seemed fishy…

"What do you get out of it?"

"Is it hard to believe that I am doing this out of kindness?"

"Perhaps you are. But I believe that generally, people help someone because they have something to gain out of it."

"Such a bleak outlook of the world you have there, child."

"I call this being realistic."

"Haha. I can at least tell you this much. If you wake up now, without taking a book from here, you will receive a curse."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I am not. This curse is something inherent to all the Primogenitors. It's something that you should not have been able to escape from. But Fate seems to have other plans set in stone for you."

"What guarantees that you are not lying to me?"

The woman simply smiled, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Adam hated his current circumstances. He was in a situation he did not truly understand the entirety of. Facing a woman he knew nothing about who was giving him a free gift for absolutely no reason whatsoever made him anxious to no end.

Adam knew that free things were the most expensive in this world.

But his guts were telling him that he could not miss this occasion for some reason. Whether this was a dream or not, this seemed like a deal he just had to take.

Believing? He refused to believe in someone he knew nothing about. The best lies were always half-truths.

But did he have a choice?

He did actually. The woman was not forcing him to do anything. Since she said he would wake up soon, he simply had to wait and wake up. As simple as that.

He could feel that he was truly standing at a crossroads. Both in the literal and figurative sense.

Depending on the choice he made now, his whole life might change for the better or for the worse.

'Fuck it.'

"I choose to believe in you, Ms. Beautiful Stranger."

This was a gamble in all senses of the word. However, since he had no information to rely on, it became a blind gamble completely reliant on luck. The only thing he could do now was listen to his instincts…and those instincts were telling him to believe in this beautiful but highly suspicious woman.

Hearing his response, the smile on the woman's face stretched even further than it ever did before now.

"You will not regret it, child."

He didn't know whether her words would be proven to be true or not.

But this would be a problem in the future. So, he will do the most sensible thing and let future Adam take care of that damned mess and relax.

"So, what will you choose?"

Adam's eyes darted around as he began to look at the books he could see closest to him.

But the more he searched the more bewildered he became.

<<Path to Witchcraft>>

<<Mecha Creation>>

<<How to Summon a Devil>>

<<Becoming the Best Chef for Dummies>>

<<First Path to Forming the Virtual World>>

<<How to Raise Perfect Children>>

From the most traditional to the most futuristic. From the most outlandish to the most mundane.

Adam had no doubts that indeed all knowledge in the world had been gathered here on this nexus of all the dimensions.

If this was not a dream. What would happen if he took a book about science and woke up with it in his hand?

Just how much money could he obtain from such advanced technology?

What if he dreamed bigger? If magic was real, could he find a book that would help him heal his mother?

Or an advanced book about medicine from the future?

There were so many possibilities. Almost infinite possibilities and as a human, Adam's greed began to grow with those growing thoughts.

Did he really have to take only one book?

An idea flashed in his mind,

"You said I could take anything I wanted from here, right?"

"Indeed. Do you plan to take more than one book? I do not mind but you will have to choose fast as time is ticking out."

"No. Honestly speaking, whatever book I end up choosing now, if this is real, I will always wonder what would have happened if I had chosen another book. I will have lingering regrets no matter what I do."

"Heh, I can definitely see this happening. So what will you do?"

"It's pretty simple actually. Since I can choose anything. Then, I simply choose…this."

"This…?"

Stretching out his arms, he pointed to the books all around him and spoke in a confident tone…

"All of this… I choose the Nexus itself."

He had opted for the library itself, instead of settling for just one or a mere collection of books.

Only children made choices.

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