"Can you count these?" The guy, whom the girl from before called Alon, was showing her three fingers and asking the question.

These people spoke a different language and though, Adriana didn't know how to speak it, it seemed like the previous owner of this body knew for her replies were coming in the exact same language. However unfamiliar it may be, she identified the language. It was Tagalog, definitely one of the ancient languages of Philippines. So, was she in ancient Philippines. If yes, then which time was it?

"Three. But, I don't understand how counting fingers will help me remember things." Adriana sighed, unable to understand what these people were trying to do.

"Look here... I don't know how to explain who you are and what these people and place is, but..." The lady tried to start explaining but, she was clearly at a loss of words.

"What happened to her? They say she isn't able to remember anyone..." A panicked female voice rushed inside the room along with a guy, both in their mid forties.

"Are you okay?" They came and stood before her. Before she could say anything, they hugged her tightly.

"We thought we wouldn't see you again..." The woman hiccuped, clearly crying. They must be the body's parents, thus, my parents... She thought. And, her eyes were once again, full of unshed tears.

They must love her, just like her own parents, she thought. Unconditional love was one of the most important gifts anyone could receive as children. Moreover, it was the very best gift one could offer their own children if they became parents. Unconditional love is what everyone need most! When parents accept, love, and show affection to their children, even when they make mistakes or fall short of expectations, this was the best form of unconditional love. In other words, it was a form of love with no strings attached. Therefore, parents love their children for who they are, no matter what.

At that exact moment, she understood that these people were going to love her, just like they loved this body's previous owner. And so, she was going to do her best to love them back with equal, if not more, warmth.

"Althea, my daughter... Don't worry everything will be alright. Please take rest for now." They parted and stroked her hair.

Althea? This name... They were calling her Althea... The one... Adriana's eyes glistened and she finally understood who she was. Althea Dalisay, the character from the webnovel, she felt so connected with. So, what truly happened? Was Althea no more?

Questions started flooding her mind and before she could find her answers, her vision started blacking out and she lost consciousness.
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White... This time, white was the very first colour she saw after opening her eyes. The iris serves as one's eye’s main defense against bright light. This is the colored part of your eye responsible for reducing and enlarging the size of your pupil. When intense light rays reached her eye, the iris responded by constricting the pupil, thus, protecting the retina and helping it process the incoming image better. But, this light was blinding.

It was causing pain whenever she tried opening her eyes. She wanted to blink or close her eyes, but, it wasn't helping at all. Everything around was giving her a headache.

"You know you are not her, right?" A voice suddenly spoke to her and everything disappeared at once. And she found herself surrounded with greenery.

"Isn't this better? All what you're able to see in life are just pictures exposed to all kind of corruption and disintegration, neither real nor perfect in its true essence of its function or desire." The same voice sounded from behind. And an elder man, holding a staff, came into her picture of vision.

Of course, she knew what was happening this time. Bathala... In ancient Tagalog indigenous religion, Bathala Maykapal was the transcendent Supreme Being; the originator and ruler of universe. He was commonly known and referred to as Bathala; a term or title which, in the earlier times, also applied to lesser beings such as personal tutelary spirits, omen birds, comets, and other heavenly bodies which the early Tagalog people believed predicted events. It was after the arrival of the Spanish missionaries in the Philippines in the 16th century that Bathala Maykapal came to be identified as the Christian God, thus, it's synonymy with Diyos. She had read about him while studying for IRRI.

Everything was created by him, according to myths, the sea, the sky, the earth, the mountains and all the plants. He dwelt in the highest realm of the sky. No one knew where Bathala came from. One day, he simply appeared (in different versions, heralded by flood, fire or strong earthquake) and announced his authority over the world. So great and powerful was Bathala that no one dared to question his demand for obedience and reverence. He was thus, often imagined as very humanlike. Bathala welcomed gifts from people with deep appreciation and was always pleased when humans are helpful and obedient to his moral laws. He was believed to be lavish in his love toward those who kept his commandments and paid him homage. It was the people’s dependence on Bathala to do all things for them that may be responsible for the 'Bahala na' (let whatever happen/let God handle everything) attitude of Filipinos, a philosophy that could be of resignation and passiveness, but also of recklessness and even bravery.

"They make me look like that though I'm not the same." He said in a calm voice.

Of course, he could read mind and inner voices. Pros of being God, she thought. Then, immediately sighed, frustrated about thinking these insane thoughts in front of the supreme being.

"Althea... That girl definitely deserved better. So, I sent her in your body with your memories."

"What about me then? Don't I deserve better than her fate?" She understood what he meant but wasn't that stupid and unfair with herself?

"If destiny is pre-written, then by surrendering to fate, do we compromise our freedom or do we simply follow the path our soul chose to write prior to existence? Ask yourself this question. The only way you could know if your destiny was prewritten would be to know the future exactly, and for it always to turn out that way. Does that seem to be the world you’re living in?"

"So what am I supposed to do now? If I go like the plot, I'll kind of 'steal' the male lead, who I don't even know, and make my friend of this world, the female lead, hate me for no reasons at all. Who hates a friend for romance after all? And she'll extract her revenge on my already pitiable self. Wherever I go, there's a dead end. Why did you write her fate this way?" Althea was frustrated, more with herself, than this situation.

"You go on with your life as if you have free will. Use your free will wisely and make your life peaceful and happy. Destiny is always after the fact. We never know what is to come ahead of time. Not even me, the supreme, according to you, knows what'll come ahead if time so how could you? What actually ends up happening HERE and NOW is what we call as destiny. That destiny is pre-written is an understanding after the fact. Having a deep understanding of actual facts will surely help in living life intelligently and actualize your potential to its fullest capacity. Nobody ever paused to think before he acts spontaneously, “do I have free will or is my will HIS will” etc. etc. So, how could you question me on destiny?"

"What do I do now?"

"Figure it out yourself, my child. Destiny is not pre-written by anything, there is no fate, there is no soul setting, and there is no soul writing anything prior to your existence. This means there are endless prewritten destinies dependent on your life choices, which keeps on changing every time you do something. In other words, each time you make a decision and your life goes off in a different direction a new pre-written destiny kicks in, which isn't really prewritten. Follow yourself and see what this world has to offer. I know you'll do better than Althea, for you are her only."

"I am Althea?" She asked, confused.

"Yes, her reincarnation in another world, far modern than this era. You are her and she is you. Only difference is memories and timeline. Althea don't remember these painful memories but Adriana does... For a better and beautiful life."

"Is it time to leave and go back...?" She looked longingly at the disappearing figure of God. She didn't want to ascend back to mortal realm now. It was too painful.

"Yes... I believe in you, my child. So, you too, believe in yourself."
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Number of words : 1500
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It doesn't really happen much when God directly comes and explains reincarnation theory so early. He literally explained everything on the very first day of Adriana's awakening. It's for better though. She's not hanging onto the hope of going back to her world now, or, maybe she is?

Who knows? Obviously me, the author. Read further to find out. Thank you for reading it this far.

God Bathala

I will post his complete story, according to various sources and myths, in another update. This is literally three updates in a single day. I'm exhausted.