An Agent Ascends to Immortality

I stood there, staring at the Chief.

The silence stretched heavy and deep, long after his words had landed.

Four options.

Seven cycles ago, I never imagined I'd survive even one.

Now, I was being offered two paths most Agents never even hear about.

The Cosmic Surfer.

The Adjudicator.

I knew the names. I knew the myths. I'd run into both more than once.

Hell, I was only here because a surfer found me during one of his harvest runs. And Adjudicators? I've felt their presence during my sting as agent.

Still, I looked at the old Chief and asked, "Tell me again. Their true roles. Not what I think they do. What do they really do?"

He chuckled.

"Ah, I thought you'd ask."

"I mean," I continued, "Surfers reap souls with extreme karma. And they run errands. And Adjudicators… they're judges, right?"

The old man laughed, shaking his head. "You make us sound like delivery boys and magistrates."

"Am I wrong?" I grinned.

He grinned back. "Not entirely. But you're missing the scale."

He straightened slightly, the smirk fading from his face.

"We Cosmic Surfers are more than messengers. More than reapers. We are the voice of the Will to the factions. The Will of the Universe does not speak to them directly it is beneath the Will to interfere in such small matters."

He paused, letting that settle in.

"In truth, we are sometimes called Explorers or Weavers. Because the Will often sends us to seek out rare things resources, relics, energies that can be given as rewards in the grand competitions of the factions. And sometimes when we encounter souls like yours, where we give a choice that alters their path, a choice to something that was not in their path or fate before, hence weaving a new path of destiny"

After a pause he continued 'Exactly like how it happened with you. Didn't Jason alter your path so much that now you are standing in front of me, else who knows, you might still be on that planet called Earth trying to accumulate karmic value'

I blinked. "Wait, so you search for resources? I thought the Will already knew everything in its domain. Where things are. What to give."

The old man chuckled again. "Imagine the Universe as a great forest, with a colossal tree at its centre—the King of the Forest."

I nodded.

"Just because the great tree stands above all, does that mean it knows every blade of grass, every hidden cave, every whisper in the wind?"

I stayed quiet.

He answered himself, "Even if it could, why would it spend energy on such menial tasks?"

I felt my breath hitch. That was... perspective.

He smiled and moved on.

"And the Adjudicators?"

His tone changed lower, heavier but with awe and respect.

"They are the final voice of the Will. The judges of the natural order. The unyielding keepers of balance."

"Even you answer to them?" I asked.

He nodded slowly. "Everyone does. They are above us all beneath only one."

I swallowed. "Who do they judge, exactly?"

The old man sighed, and for a moment, he looked tired. Really tired.

"Do you truly believe the factions always play fair? Even with all the rules, the bindings placed by the Will they bend the system. Exploit loopholes. Twist intentions."

His voice hardened.

"The Will doesn't monitor everything. It can't. That's where the Adjudicators come in. They're always watching. Always waiting. And when something crosses the line they end it."

I felt a chill run through me.

They weren't just enforcers. They were... consequences.

I was lost if thoughts. All the lives I had lived. All the lives, I had helped shape yet here i stood in dilemma. The choice I thought that was simple and already made was not to be so simple. Lost in the web of my own thoughts, hugged by indecisiveness.

I stared at the glaring question. The Questions of what I want to become. Which path should I choose

Do I want to become a Judge? Or a Carrier?

The Surfers are curious, alive, wandering, exploring and sometime weaving new destiny

The Adjudicator is silent, yet the final voice.

And then, there was the third choice.

To forget it all. To walk back into the world. To live a life that's simple.

I stood there, the Chief watching patiently, offering no hint. No advice.

And I asked myself the question I thought I'd never have to ask again:

"So... what should I choose?"