Chapter 9: Name

  "Who are you?"

  "Huh??"

  Startled by the voice in my head, I suddenly snapped back to my senses. After quickly assessing the situation, I found myself even more confused.

  What I saw before me was an expansive landscape worthy of a post-apocalyptic novel. Thick, dark clouds obscured the sky, making it difficult to distinguish day from night. Everything else looked like a post-war scene, with muddy soil and broken structures. Yet, there was an odd amount of greenery, making the contrast between life and destruction all the more striking.

  "I said, WHO ARE YOU?"

  That childish voice rang again in my head, louder this time. But for now, it was the least of my worries.

  "Sniff, sniff... I... I can see," I said.

  After so long, I could finally see and speak again. After everything, the world had finally opened up to me again. Most of you may never understand how I felt, but it was somewhat like a person who had been starving for days being suddenly invited to a high-class buffet.

  "Stop ignoring me! And what do you mean by ‘sniff, sniff’?"

  The noisy voice rang in my head again. I guess ignoring it wouldn't make it disappear.

  "Well, I was so happy to be able to see that I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t, so I just said ‘sniff’ as an alternative. Anyway, stop annoying me and let me rejoice in my own way. Shoo, shoo."

  After saying that, I suddenly felt a kind of pressure building around me, before it dissipated.

  "Sigh... I guess it was my fault earlier. Sorry for that," the voice said.

  "What do you mean by ‘I am sorry’? Do you really think I would forgive you for almost killing me just by saying ‘sorry’? If I didn’t... hum... whatever I did back then, I would’ve disappeared to the afterlife again. No, I’m sure there would have been no afterlife for me at all if I hadn’t fought back earlier."

  "You could’ve just told me to stop earlier, and I would’ve stopped. All I did was try to put out some strange fire before it burned my plants. How could I know that you were sentient? I didn’t mean to hurt anyone."

  “How the hell do you expect me to tell you to stop? Fire can’t talk, you dumbass.”

  "You are actually talking to me right now."

  "Fair enough. But earlier, I couldn’t," I said, defeated.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Anyway, who are you?" I inquired.

  "You... sigh, I am really sorry for earlier. I know it sounds insincere and maybe too easy, but I really didn't mean to hurt anyone. As for who I am, I’m still hesitating between Eva, Eden, or Jann."

  "What do you mean by hesitating? Don’t you have a name already? Or do you have memory loss? And what exactly are you?"

  "I have no name yet. I was born not long ago—maybe an hour at best. As for what I am... I don’t know for sure, but from the memories I’ve absorbed, I should be some kind of guardian spirit of the world."

  "Haha. Seems like you woke up late for work. Maybe you should go to the Amazon rain-forest. There doesn’t seem to be much to protect around here."

  "Unfortunately, I don’t think that would help much. The whole world is in the same situation as here. Most living beings have disappeared," it complained, its voice tired and depressed.

  ‘Does that mean I’m one of the smartest beings left in the world right now?’ I thought. But it would be very foolish to say that, especially with the current mood. As for the apocalyptic situation? It’s pretty easy to believe if we see it from the point of view of a talking flame.

  "You still haven’t answered my question though. Who are you?" it asked again.

  "You want the long or short answer?" I answered.

  "The short one if possible. I am a bit tired from saving the world and all."

  ‘Bragging, aren’t we?’

  "Okay then, I am... I am..." I sounded confused.

  "What’s the matter? You don’t remember who you are?"

  "No, I remember my life entirely. In fact, I have a pretty good memory. It’s just that... it feels... wrong?"

  It was a strange feeling. I clearly remembered how I lived, who I was, and even my deepest secrets (internet history included), but when I tried to associate it with my name, it just felt wrong. As if my entire existence didn’t accept the name anymore.

  I kept berating myself in confusion, at least it felt alien to me. The voice just listened pensively, asking questions from time to time before falling silent. Then, it said:

  "I think I understand."

  "Go ahead."

  "Name is a very important link to the existence of something. For example, let’s take a cactus and call it Caesar. From that moment onward, the cactus is not just a cactus anymore, but a specific cactus that cannot be confused with another cactus named Cassius. It is now Caesar."

  "I don’t know where this is going, but I am very bored and open to any idea (but mostly bored), so go ahead."

  "The thing is, even if you tried to name other cactuses Caesar, it would never be the cactus named Caesar. It’s even worse if you tried to name a turtle Caesar and expected to see Caesar the cactus. Anyway, what I’m saying is that what you are now is completely different in essence from the person you once were."

  "Hey, I was a decent person, probably."

  "What I mean is that you cannot name yourself the way you were named before because you are not ‘you’ anymore. I don’t know if you can understand what I’m saying. Of course, you can still name yourself like you were named before, but it’s just like writing the same name above another, not really keeping the name."

  "You mean writing the same name over another? Seems boring."

  "OH! You’re less dumb than I thought. So, do you want a new name? I have one that is very compatible with you."

  "Can you stop trying to hurt my feelings? But I am curious. Now, what is that name?"

  "Ash Ifrit Prima."

  "Seems lame. Don’t you have another name in mind?"

  "Too late. Once the world acknowledges your name, you can’t change it anymore. And here I am, the one with the highest authority. So, I, Eva Elandra Prima, now bestow upon thee the name of Ash Ifrit Prima."

  As if it were a decree from a king, I felt all the living beings around rejoice at her words. At the same time, I felt like I was being accepted by the world around me, as if I was finally a part of it. I also felt a part of me becoming more complete, for lack of a better word