Chapter 2: Karma.
"Enjoying the view, Elias?" A soft voice cut through the sound of the waterfall, startling Elias. His eyes darted around, searching for the source of the voice.
There she was—sitting at the top of the tall waterfall. She was far enough that a normal person wouldn’t be able to see her clearly, but somehow, Elias had no trouble at all. He could see her perfectly, as if she was standing right in front of him. And what he saw left him speechless.
Her long, pure white hair flowed like silk in the wind, settling around her like a glowing curtain. Her eyes were a piercing icy blue, and her skin was smooth and flawless, like porcelain.
She wore a flowing, almost see-through white dress that hugged her body just right—revealing just enough skin to stir the heart of any man. As a virgin, Elias found himself completely stunned by her otherworldly beauty.
In fact, calling her "beautiful" didn’t feel right—it wasn’t enough. Her presence held a kind of divine grace that went beyond simple words. There was only one word echoing in his mind: goddess.
As if she heard his thoughts, the woman gave a soft, gentle laugh.
"I’m not one of those divine beings," she said, her voice like music. "I’m just a nobody. You can call me Karma, if you like. The keeper of balance... and the order of Fate."
"Fate? Karma?" Elias muttered to himself, testing the words on his tongue. Then, suddenly, his eyes lit up with anger—so intense it almost seemed to glow red.
"Look, lady," he began, voice sharp, "I don’t know what this is, or where I am right now. But if you’re about to tell me my whole life was part of some cosmic balance or grand plan, or any of that bullshit, I swear I’m going to lose it."
There was a moment of silence.
A flicker of something passed through the woman’s eyes, but it disappeared before Elias could catch what it was.