Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 607: Purgatory.

A sharp gasp brought life back to Jason, his eyes snapping wide open. As his heart drummed in his ears, he whipped his head left and right, trying and failing to get a grasp of his situation.

The world around him was white, stretching infinitely in all directions. That or he was in a brightly lit room with no shadows, making it impossible to tell if he was surrounded by walls or not. The strangeness paled in comparison to the fright he got upon realizing that he was butt-naked. Waking up with no clothes might be one of the most terrifying experiences to many, but add to that a pale white skin that lacked a single line of ink, and you would get a real fright.

He reached up, touching his face several times. The faint itch that persisted for more than twenty years was gone. Every last tattoo on his body vanished without a trace. Not only that, but the scars he collected over the years were missing, too.

"It seems you have regained consciousness."

A voice yanked him out of his thoughts, and he once again looked around frantically, searching for its source. It sounded rather old and dignified, but also oppressive.

"Where am I?" He yelled. "What is this place!?"

"This is Purgatory."

"Pur…Purgatory?" Jason's brows came together in confusion before shooting up in realization. "I'M DEAD!!?"

"Indeed." The voice spoke again. "You succumbed to your wounds after a difficult battle, and your life came to an end. You are here for you judgement. Your actions throughout your life will determine whether you ascend to Heaven or sink to hell."

Jason felt blood drain from his face as reality finally hit him. His life flashed right before his eyes, reminding him of everything he had done in the forty five years he had spent on Earth. His disregard for the concept of an afterlife was one of the main reasons why he never questioned his actions. Now that he was faced with it, he came to understand how truly screwed he was.

"You have lived for 15435 days and nights." The dignified voice continued, speaking in monotone. "Your actions in that time have been judged as evil by every moral standard throughout human history, and thus, you have been sentenced to an eternity in the deepest level of hell."

The words struck him like a vindictive spear, bringing with it horror unlike anything he had ever experienced. Before he could utter a word of protest, the lights went off, and darkness enveloped the world around him. The ground under his feet disappeared, and he was pulled down, falling into an endless abyss.

Jason screamed until his throat gave out—that was when he finally reached whatever was waiting for him below. He didn't get the chance to see what it was before smashing straight into it, turning into a crimson smudge. Unfortunately for him, his death didn't last long. Though he felt nothing when he crashed, unbearable pain flooded his mind soon after as his body began putting itself back together.

"aa..aaa…aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

No sooner had his throat returned to its place than he began to scream, coughing and spewing blood at the same time. Bloody tears flowed from his mind, and he tried to remain as still as if he were a stone, fearing that the slightest twitch would add to his agony. Unfortunately for him, minimizing his suffering wasn't an option.

Once his eyes crawled back into their sockets, he finally got to see the place where he had dropped. He felt it right after, as his flesh and skin put itself back together—the searing heat eating at him as fast as his body was putting itself together.

Fire surrounded him from all angles, drowning him like water from an endless lake. He inhaled the flames, feeling his lungs burning with each breath, but he couldn't stop. He wasn't allowed to stop.

The heat was high enough to turn him into ash in mere seconds, but he continued to burn nonetheless. Whenever his flesh fell off after being burned black, a new one would grow in its place, and the suffering would continue.

Jason didn't even get the chance to beg. All he could do was scream until his lungs and throat gave in, then scream some more once new ones grew in their place. No thoughts ran in his head, and he couldn't even think of begging to save himself. Just as it felt like he would go insane, the flames suddenly disappeared, and he was once again in an endless white void.

Relief overwhelmed his confusion, and as his mind slowly recovered from total collapse, Jason lay down and curled into a ball, shivering from the fear that he might be forced to go through that torture once more. That was hell—the ever-burning pit where all evil is destined to end.

"Child, consider yourself fortunate." The dignified voice spoke again. "You have been granted to atone for your sin, as well as the chance at a new life in a world different from your own."

With his mind still on fire after experiencing a small taste of the torture he was about to experience, Jason took far too long to understand what the dignified voice said. Once the meaning finally reached him, he sprang up and craned his neck, light returning to his eyes as they finally found hope.

"I… I'm saved?"

"Indeed." The voice replied.

"Thank you!" Slamming his head into the floor, Jason prostrated himself, tears once again flowing from his eyes. "Thank you! God… oh god… thank you…"

"Mercy is for those who earn it." The voice said. "Child, confess your sins and cleanse yourself. Confess your crimes, speak the names of those you harmed, and speak the names of those you assisted as they did harm. Only then would you be freed from your burden and earn the right for a second chance." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Immediately and without hesitation, Jason put it all out, confessing to every wrongdoing he had ever committed. From his first theft to the selling of innocent children, he confessed it all. Panic struck him as he realized he couldn't remember the names of most of those he harmed, but he continued nonetheless, speaking the names of his accomplices and clients, as well as what he had on them.

"Very well," Once he was done reciting everything he had in mind, the dignified voice took on a gentler, kinder tone. "You have cleansed yourself from the evil of your previous life, and you have earned the right to a new start. May this new life be different from the one you've lived thus far."

And just like that, the world went dark once more.