Page 7 of Against All Odds

“Wait, that’s my assignment?” My upper lip curled as the footage in the mirror faded into white smoke, merging with the gray clouds around us. It had revealed the first glimpse of the soul I was supposed to guard – and it wasn’t a pretty sight. “A trainwreck college student?”

Was this karma for my sins? It had to be. All my life, I had felt nothing but disdain for escapists like her. They were the worst kind of weaklings in my eyes. Instead of dealing with their shit like the rest of us, they insisted on making their own lives and that of others miserable by fleeing into alcohol, sex, drugs, or gambling. If I’d had the money and the support network to even go to college in my mortal life, I sure as hell wouldn’t have been so ungrateful.

“I told you it wouldn’t be easy, didn’t I?” Jurrian sank back into a plush gray cloud that took on the shape of a seemingly comfortable chair. My eyebrows rose at the sight, and I wondered what else was possible in this strange afterlife.

“Can’t I get a different assignment?” My hands fell to my sides. “I don’t know, a mother who steals from the rich to feed her children? A soldier who has been brainwashed to kill in the war, and wants but struggles to change his ways? A serial killer who eliminates bad people for the greater good? Someone who’s actually known pain before their life took a wrong turn.” I spat out the last words, scowling at the mirror where the pitiful display of Soraya had been. “This girl is just spoiled, just like those pathetic excuses for human beings she surrounds herself with.”

“Obviously, choosing your own assignment is not possible – that would defy its purpose,” Jurrian said calmly, folding his hands in front of him. Clearly, this was not the first time he’d had to explain this. “And no, this is not the Universe’s personal vindication against you. Souls are assigned randomly, just like their guardian angels.” He paused, something unreadable crossing his face. “I suggest you try to keep an open mind.”

I glanced back up at the mirror. Though the footage was gone, the memory of Soraya snorting cocaine from a random dick before throwing her cocktail glass against the wall was etched into my retinas.

Well, that sounds fucking promising.

I cleared my throat. “So, ehm… now that you mention it, what does it entail to save someone’s soul?”

“Such a human thing to first decide and then ask questions,” he muttered.

“Can you stop with the haughtiness?” I interrupted, unable to conceal my irritation. “We get it. You don’t like humans. Guess what? Neither do I. I hoped that at least in death, I’d never have to deal with them ever again – but here we are.”

Immediately after my outburst, I regretted it. I stepped back, suddenly worried I’d accidentally unleashed the anger of something more powerful than I could imagine – after all, did I even know who or what I was dealing with?

But Jurrian stayed calm. He blinked – once, twice. Then, to my surprise, he nodded.

“You are right,” he admitted begrudgingly. “After all, I’ve been a guardian to humans before.”

I raised my eyebrows, opening my mouth to ask a follow-up question, but thought better of it.

“Some humans like to think everything in the Universe is fixed, or that everything happens for a reason,” Jurrian started. “However, this is incorrect. Certain things are fixed, yes. Time can only go forward, not backward, and nothing moves faster than light. When you jump from a twenty-floor building, you will die. Once you die, your soul cannot return to the physical form it has left behind – basic physics laws.” He breathed out slowly. “Most things, however, happen by chance. The Universe rolls the dice thousands and thousands of times every moment on Earth, and where the dice land is random. The living cannot influence such outcomes, but this is where your guidance comes in.”

He leaned slightly forward, lowering his voice. “You have the power to tilt the odds – literally. You can influence the probability of a variable event happening – making unlikely things more likely and vice versa. But as I said before, there are limitations to this ability. You cannot manipulate things that are fixed by physical law, such as the examples I just listed. You cannot push the odds below one percent or above ninety-nine percent – and ultimately, fate decides which way the dice roll. Furthermore, you cannot influence conscious decisions – only the likelihood of their outcomes. You cannot force your assigned to make better choices.” He sat up straighter, his earnest eyes locking with mine. “But the most important rule of the assignment is that you cannot, under any circumstances, alert the living to your presence. If you break this rule, you get only one warning. Break it again, and the assignment is over.”

A shiver ran down my spine from his words and what they implied. Karmic cleansing. Hell.

“Is this all clear?” Jurrian asked, interrupting my spiraling thoughts.

“Ehm… for the most part.” Not exactly. I was good at practical reasoning, but I’d never paid much attention in school. “But how does it work in practice?” I frowned, hoping I didn’t come off as stupid as I felt. “Let’s say my assignment buys a lottery ticket, and it’s not the winning number. I can’t just change the number on the lottery ticket, right?”

“Correct,” Jurrian responded patiently, “not after the ticket is already bought and the winning number has been decided. But let’s continue on this example of the lottery – or rather, a casino, given your… career choices,” he said, looking me up and down with undisguised mockery. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Jurrian spread his arms, mumbling something incomprehensible. To my displeasure, the mirror’s surface rippled and straightened – revealing a casino, of all things. The footage was unnaturally bright and somewhat pixelated, as if I were watching a movie.

“Let’s say your assignment decides to play in the casino,” Jurrian continued. “Let’s hope she won’t, can you imagine the irony?”

I groaned when an NPC that looked vaguely like Raya walked into the vision. Her chestnut curls bounced lightly, though her movements were stiff and her face lacked expression.

“Does it have to be a casino?”

“Let’s say one round at a certain machine gives her fifteen percent chance of winning, eighty-five percent chance of losing,” Jurrian said, ignoring my grumbling. Glowing letters appeared above the avatar’s head as she walked to the casino. I squinted to read, ‘Chance of winning this round = 15%’.

“With your abilities, you’d have the power to change her odds from fifteen to thirty percent, or even ninety-nine. Still not a given to win, but statistically more likely.” He closed his eyes for a moment and mumbled something. With a ‘ping’, new letters floated into view. Chance of winning this round → increase to 99%’.

Something sparked in Jurrian’s dark eyes, a glimpse of delight at my misery. “Now, let’s hope no one is messing with the machines.”

“Hilarious.” I clenched my teeth. I’d spent the final months before my death swindling customers at the casino where I worked, which had ultimately resulted in my demise when they found out. Why did I get the feeling Jurrian reveled in the reminder?

We both watched as the casino in the vision lit up green, and the avatar jumped up and down as it spat out the money.

“To stay on topic, you could increase your assignment’s chances of winning a couple of rounds, but not eternally – at some point, the machine will be out of money to win. However…” Jurrian stood up straighter, his scowl returning. “I hope you understand, Seren, that your probability manipulation is to be used only to steer your assigned soul toward the light. The casino is certainly not an example of that. In the end, your souls will be judged together, and harmful decisions will weigh on her karmic balance as much as yours.”