We passed another of the doors on my verbal map, giving the Ugly guard a wide berth. While we walked, I told the group a shortened version of my travels through the two after-live realms. Showed them how our soul images return to their original form if they are damaged by the simple expedient of burning myself with electrical arcs. Explained how the image could change after each life, and possibly with significant events, pointing to the pony tails in my long red hair.  

With the Uglies I talked about what I had seen and heard, described the complex and how they were harvesting the experience, as silver glitter, from every soul that passed. Next was my guesses as to what they were doing, and some of the questions that I hadn’t answered yet. My main question being where the Uglies come from. 

The others asked questions which I tried to answer, most of which I could only speculate on. We eventually switched to talking about events from our lives, and the differences between worlds we came from.  

“What is your name?”-Ajay 

“I don’t have one any more. I think I lost the first two after my second life, and I can’t remember any since then.”- Me 

“Thats ridiculous!”-Andor 

“We all died, ended up in this grey purgatory, and are all following this pony tailed prophet to a door of magic, and you find the fact he has no name is the hard part to swallow?”-Everet 

We all chuckled, all though with Andor it seemed more like he was just trying to fit in. 

“It is ridiculous, and we will see if you can remember yours after your second life too.”-Me 

“But you said that we will all forget is we go back.”-Ajay 

“You will lose your memories if you go through the Uglies complex. I’m not so sure what would happen if you went through one of the doors they guard. I think you would eventually remember your previous life, similar to what happened to me.”-Me 

I shrugged and smiled at Ajay. 

“But I have some magic that will make sure your soul remembers, which means you'll remember sooner and with greater clarity.”-Me 

I stopped and raised my hands, deliberately drawing out the magic to expand my soul memory. I let them examine the glowing ethereal construct for a bit before feeding it more magicicles. The floating construct collapsed into a pale green point that floated into my chest. 

“That was one of the simplest soul magics I’ve figured out. Normally I can cast it so you will not see it take effect.”-Me 

I started us walking again, then made a few quick motions and a pale green bead appeared briefly before disappearing into my chest. 

“Cool! Can I try?”-Ajay 

“You should ask a few more questions before taking candy from a stranger.”-Adriana 

The woman rejoined us having noticing that I had stopped and was showing off magic again. 

“He wouldn’t hurt me, and it’s Magic!”-Ajay 

 “She’s right Ajay. He said it was Soul Magic, and I think all of this proves that our souls do exist.”-Dan 

He gestured to the grey surroundings. 

“But!”-Ajay 

“No. Dan is right. That was Soul Magic which works on the very center of who we are. Magic can harm just as easily as it can help, and sadly humans find lots of ways to harm.”-Me 

I frowned and motioned everyone to stop. I turned to face all of them. 

“The Soul, your souls, are pretty much eternal, immune to almost anything. Even Soul Magic can only work on your soul with your agreement. But there are ways of making you agree. I watched an Ugly inflict enough damage to someone that they just dissolved into the grey dust that is everywhere in this grey expanse. Adriana is right to be cautious.”-Me 

I stood a little taller, my face becoming stern. 

“You all know enough now that you could strike out on your own. Find a door that interests you or return to the Uglies’ complex to see for yourself what they are. I offer to expand your Soul, either now or later, but I cannot say it will not hurt you in some way. You would, after all, be the first soul I affect other than my own.”-Me 

I paused for a bit then continued. 

“I plan on going out beyond where the Uglies guard, and cast Soul Magic on myself where it will not be noticed. When I’m done, I going to return to the Uglies complex, and return to life through one of the normal doors. You are all welcome to follow and watch, or even take part.”-Me 

“Why? What are you trying to achieve?”-Jessica 

I looked directly into miss Oppenheimer's beautiful ice green eyes. 

“I intend to get strong enough to fight the Uglies.”-Me 

I cast my Soul Magic visibly again and let the pale green pin prick sink into my chest. I looked at Ajay. 

“You should listen to Adriana. It may all sound cool now, but it’s going to take life times of effort, and a river of grey dust will flow in the end.”-Me 

I watched as Ajay was about to say something stubborn and heroic when Dan put his hand on Ajay's shoulder. 

“He is talking about a war Ajay. We don’t even know if this nameless red-headed magician is even telling the truth. Look for yourself if what he says is true.”-Dan 

Ajay looked at Dan, then back to Adriana. He looked stubborn, then thoughtful. 

“So that’s the entirety of your plan? Go through several lives till you hopefully get strong enough to start kicking Uglies in the ass?”-Jessica 

I looked at her in full noble mode. 

“If you must simplify it. Yes.”-Me 

She rolled he eyes and walked past me. I watched her go, followed by Adriana. I looked back at the others and shrugged, then continued walking. Not much more I could say at that point. 

….. 

“It really is a black and a gold door.”-Lana 

We stood outside of the roped off Black Gold door vignette, the crystals and plants now back to glowing with renewed magical light. 

-I guess it recharged while I was gone. 

“I wouldn’t suggest getting too close, the doors pull gets stronger the closer you get.”-Me 

I looked at Ajay from the corner of my eye. 

“If anyone wants to go through, at least let me tell you more about what you're getting into before you accidentally trip into it.”-Me 

I full on grinned at Ajay when he looked over at me with a surprised look on his face. 

“Didn’t you say that you got so engrossed with the embossing that you ended up accidentally going through?”-Adriana 

I looked at her and huffed and held my head up at an exaggerated noble angle. 

“Just goes to prove that I know what I’m talking about then.”-Me 

Lana giggled from some were behind me. I merely walked over to some of the glowing crystals in the rock face to show that their slings and arrows had no effect on me. The others chuckled and returned to their own exploration. 

“Are all of these posts identical?”-Andor 

I looked back to see him crouched down looking at the rope and post barrier. 

“As far as I can tell, every single one on every door I've looked at. It's like they were photo copied.”-Me 

“Maybe they were all 3D printed?”-Lana 

“I thought those could only do small things, like figurines, or miniature cars.”-Everet 

“My school had a bunch that you could print off sports equipment and stuff for the arts and drama clubs! The whole school wore badger masks when the soccer team got into the nationals.”-Ajay 

“What is a 3D printer?”-Me 

Several of the others turned to look at me with puzzled looks. 

“What? I've been in a fantasy universe being an exploited peasant and learning magic over the last couple of lives.”-Me 

Ajay excitedly explained that you could use lasers and plastic to “print” out an object that you “3D modeled” on a computer first. His high school baseball team had printed out “bobble head” figures of all their players which was apparently went “Viral” when someone “Faced” it. I recognized magic lingo when I heard it. 

When Ajay got into a discussion about baseball stats with Dan, I walked out side of the ropes. I thought for a bit and then started to make notes in the grey dust on the ground. When I was satisfied, I walked a bit further away from the door, and checked again for any sign of Uglies. Then I started to channel magicicles building a complicated twist of glowing Soul Magic. I got only a short ways in before made a mistake and watched as the image shattered into glowing dust before disappearing. 

“That was pretty. Was that the magic you were talking about?”-Lana 

She had walked over as I was working on the twist, quietly watching as I worked. 

“Yes, and I did not get very far before I failed. It is really complicated, and despite being able to, er “3D models” it out first, I'm going to have to practice a lot before I feel comfortable going through with it.”-Me 

“What is it going to do?”-Lana 

“It’s called Soul Inheritance Magic, and will affect my next life. I’m going to set when and how I start recalling my past lives. You can also use this to choose where you were born, base line personality traits, and copy any talents you had from previous lives. Even down to race or hair colour.”-Me 

“Could you make me a sprite or a faery in my next life?”-Lana 

She looked at me with hopeful eyes. 

“I’m not sure if it would work on an all human world, and I think you can only chose a race if your soul has been one previously.”-Me 

“Oh.”-Lana 

She looked disappointed.  

“It would be cool to be cute and free, playing with magic, and flying under the moonlight.”-Lana 

Lana looked wistful as she talked about being a fairy. 

“I think flying around like a super hero would be fun too.”-Me 

I smiled at her.  

“If I figure it out, I'll take you flying too.”-Me 

“Thanks. I think I’d like that.”-Lana 

Lana looked cute as she smiled up at me. I nodded, feeling like an older brother making a promise to his siter. I started tracing out the complicated spell in the air with renew determination. 

-I wonder if I can use this same effect to create fireworks or illusions. 

The tracing exploded into glowing dust as I “remembered” the theory for both explosive and illusion magic. I sighed. 

“This is going to be harder than I thought.”-Me 

…. 

“This place is not just boring. It is incredibly boring!”-Everet 

“You have said that three times already, not to mention the many word puns you have tried on the subject.”-Jessica 

“My favorite is “The Greydom”, but the “Great Grey Malaise” was kind of ironically dramatic.”-Jay 

I sighed as I failed to complete yet another air pen trace of the complex Inheritance Soul Magic while trying to ignore the others chatter. The brief sparkler display wasn’t even noticed anymore. 

“Boredom is better than being stuck in a forest full of monsters crazed from hunger.”-Me 

I walked over to the group as I waved at the Black Gold door. 

“We should check out the surrounding doors before Everet moves on to dust puns.”-Me 

“Pour l'amour des dieux! Yes please.”-Andor 

The group had exhausted any conversation topics, tic tac toe competitions, and popular song Karaoke some time ago. Everet’s attempts to find new ways to express how boring the after-life is, was just the latest round of grasping at anything interesting to occupy their time. 

-Not that I’m not also bored out of my mind trying, and failing, at the same spell over and over and over again. 

“That way is the only door that I know has ever changed, the others around here are a mystery. I do have to admit that doors out this far are usually interesting in some way.”-Me 

Everyone was standing up from where they were lounging, brushing grey dust off their clothes. 

“What’s even further out?”-Jay 

“I don’t know. Here the breeze is fairly faint, I can only imagine that it completely disappears not too much further out. After that you would be relying entirely on your memory of the doors you pass to find your way back.”-Me 

Jay looked off into the faint breeze with a thoughtful look. 

“If you go, come back and tell us what’s out there.”-Andor 

Jay startled when Andor nudged him with his elbow. 

“Huh? Oh, yah sure.”-Jay 

I turned and started walking towards the Changing door, the others followed eagerly. 

….. 

A pin prick pale green bead entered my chest as Ajay jumped back and forth from either side of the door trying to see the change. The door was flipping through a kaleidoscope of changes as he did so. 

“Could you stop that please? It is making me nauseous!”-Adriana 

Ajay stopped his antics and walked away from the door’s edge, leaving a pale blue door with a handle styled like a cresting wave. 

“I think that one is new.”-Lana 

“It’s just a plain rickety door on this side.”-Everet  

Everet, Dan, and now Ajay was watching the other side of the door. 

“That’s just weird watching it change from one door to the next.”-Adriana 

I stood off a bit watching the others play with the door, Jessica stood next to me. 

“Does that hurt?”-Jessica 

She gestured towards my chest. 

“No, just a weird discomfort for a bit, but you can’t quite tell where it’s coming from.”-Me 

I turned my head and looked at her. 

-I’m starting to think my lecherous behaviour in my second life wasn’t just a single life problem.  

We watched the others in silence for a while before she spoke up again. 

“Lana said that your magic can change things in your next life?”-Jessica 

“Yes. I making sure that I can remember everything in my next life, well if ever succeed that is.”-Me 

There was a short pause before she talked again. 

“She also said you can change where you are born, or how you look.”-Jessica 

“Yes, with some limitations. Mostly they have to do with what you have done in previous lives. Lives that haven’t been stolen by the Uglies.”-Me 

Jessica looked thoughtful, then spoke quietly. 

“Could you do that for me too, let me choose, things, for my next life.”-Jessica 

I turned towards her fully, and looked directly at her. 

“If you trust me yes. I wasn’t kidding about the soul being inviolable.”-Me 

I put up my hand to stop her from saying anything. I consciously stopped myself from taking a different stance, then relaxed and dropped my hand. 

“If you are serious, I’ll try, but not before you understand how vulnerable you will become. With Soul Magic, I could cast you into a hell life. Make you into a psychopathic killer, a self-destructive addict, or even turn you into a willing slave. This would only work if you trust me. Trust that Ill only change what you want, or you're willing to let me choose for you.”-Me 

I turned away so I wouldn’t have to see if she truly understood and became repulsed. 

-And you really don’t want her to see how tempted you really are. She shouldn’t make me this way, we aren’t physical anymore. I shouldn’t be so attracted to her. 

We watched as the others speculated on what each of the changing doors meant, and what kind of life you’d end up having if any of them went through. 

“You would get more practice if you did that memory expansion magic on other people right?”-Jessica 

I forced myself not to whip around to face her again. 

“Ah, yes I probably would.”-Me 

I could see her nod with determination from the corner of my eye. 

“You can call me Jessica now.”-Jessica 

“Thank you, Jessica.”-Me