I knew that everyone on this planet was aware of my arrival, but receiving such an honour was somehow far beyond my expectations.

“Why do they honour me so much? Even though I might be a well-known person, I think this is definitely too much,” I asked Kyran again.

“Your world is the source of the energy that drives all mechanisms of the vast universe. You already know this, don’t you?” Kyran asked to see if I really understood first.

“Yes, I do,” I replied confidently.

“Good! This will make it easier for you to understand,” he replied.

“In fact, the whole universe is like a family; we are brothers and sisters, but despite the huge size of this family, everyone knows each other very well.”

“So, you know everybody in this world?” I interrupted.

“Of course I do, we are all brothers and sisters,” Kyran answered.

“That’s astonishing, I thought you were using a metaphor when you said you love each other like brothers and sisters?”

“No, it’s the truth. We are all brothers and sisters, including you,” he confirmed.

“Now, since the two planets are the source of the energy for the whole universe, your planet Gaia, has been confronted with difficult and challenging conditions. Whoever can adjust well to those conditions will be able to produce a lot of positive energy.”

“You and the people on Gaia have completely forgotten your past, which is fitting. Because if all of you had remembered that you have always been brothers and sisters, your response then to all sorts of negative triggers caused by your siblings would be biased in favor of them. Your response would prevent you from spontaneously emitting the energy of purest love, defined as the highest level of love that one would offer to one’s enemy,” Kyran explained.

“Wait, I don’t understand how this is related to my question,” I said, interrupting him again.

“Be patient, I’m going to explain it now,” he replied.

“I’d better give you an example to make it clearer. Your world is like the engine room of the universe. Everyone who volunteered to work in that room is brave and admirable because it’s extremely dangerous, and they may never return. There’s a possibility that they may remain stuck forever there. Although those who went were well informed about the pros and cons there, and that they would suffer a lot physically, yet they would still sacrifice themselves for this mission. Now, knowing this, do you think you deserve to be honoured?” Kyran asked. Before I could answer, he went on:

“During your stay on Gaia, all of us in the whole universe were enthusiastically supporting you and wishing that you would return to Tuengra as soon as possible. And on the day that you or any of the volunteers could come back, all beings in the universe were delighted and celebrated this event together.”

“We sincerely respect all of you, and we would love to use the water that we drink to wash your feet to honour you. You’re a brave warrior who has overcome so many obstacles. You’re the one who has sacrificed oneself, so this qualifies you to receive the highest honour. Even the Creator himself wants to congratulate you.”

“But I didn’t come here by myself, someone brought me here,” I said.

“Everyone who comes into this world, reborn as a new or same life form, is honoured as he or she has overcome all obstacles and challenges. Besides, returning here means that you have completed your mission. No one can bestow this honour on anyone, and this can only come from his or her own soul,” he said.

“I’ve never studied Dharma, never been a priest, and never practised meditation. I’ve never done anything at all. I’m just an ordinary person like all the others, so how did I deserve this right?” I asked.

“It doesn’t mean that everyone who strictly abides by religious regulations, or isolates oneself from the mundane life to purify one’s mind, or free oneself from lustfulness will automatically deserve this right. To be a good-hearted person, one has to express pure love, and not hope to gain merit by refraining, suppressing, or forcing oneself against human nature,” Kyran explained.

“Our body is perfectly designed to use our physical and perceptory senses to admire the beauty of the Creator’s great innovations, but some of you have always tried to suppress them. Look, I’ll tell you another secret of the universe: if you constantly restrain yourself from using your senses until it becomes an accepted behavior, your soul will remember these behavior codes to block out those senses, and these senses gradually become dormant through lack of active use. When you’re born in the next life, you could be blind or deaf, or handicapped at birth, and if one is born deprived of one or more senses, you would suffer a lot and feel isolated, unable to fully appreciate the beauty of God’s creations around you.”

“Accepting and perceiving everything around you as it is, should be the right thing to do” he continued.

“The difference between a person who has a highly evolved soul and an ordinary person is that the highly evolved one perceives everything, but he doesn’t allow those things to influence his actions, while the ordinary person usually reacts to everything that his senses point him to.”

“The reason why you are here in this world is that you possess the quality of pure love, which has always been manifested under any condition in your life. Every being in the entire universe has praised you for that, even if your actions may have seemed small, like loving and forgiving your neighbour even when he has behaved unpleasantly towards you. This has already caused the three worlds to vibrate.”

“Erm … which three worlds?” I asked.

“Don’t you remember?” Kyran reminded me.

“Oh right! You mean the world of the past, the present, and the future? I remember now.”

“Yes, it was noticed across the three worlds and all around the universe, that you have nullified your past karma. You have liberated your present world by preventing the other person from being hateful and vengeful and, therefore, produced the frequency from pure love, when planet Gaia needed it most. You have also freed your future world of any new karma, and that you and your karmic partner would not need to be born together again. You see, it’s not necessary to endure suffering or practise meditation at all to purify your soul and free yourself from any karma. And now, you have already faced and overcome every karmic contract. You have no more burden left to carry and the universe sees that you have fulfilled your objective. Now you can choose to remain in your old world or live in this new one, and the choice is up to you,” Kyran said.

“Don’t you see how gracious you are? If you had our eyes, you would see the aura that radiates around both of your shoulders and your head. It’s more special than that of anyone else in the universe. It’s the colour of valiance, proving that you’ve fought and survived the most dangerous battlefield. It’s the symbol that represents the highest honour, and the beam of light that will adhere to your soul forever.”

When Kyran had finished with his long explanation, the three of us had arrived at the city, its buildings all built closely together. Already, a large crowd of people had gathered on both sides of the road, but they left enough space in the middle for us to pass through. They were cheering with loud voices and all had warm smiles on their faces. It was an unbelievable sight and I soon figured out that they were waiting to welcome me as there was no one ahead or behind me. That moment made me tremble with excitement beyond description. I was a nobody in my world a few days ago, but now my status had been raised to being a very important person here.

“Don’t forget what I suggested earlier,” Kyran advised.

“I will always remember that. Thank you,” I answered.

I lifted my hand and waved, greeting everyone on my left and right as I walked past. Every time I did that, the cheering rose among the well-wishers. I turned to look at Koharu, and I saw that she was equally delighted and so touched by the rousing welcome that she even shed tears of joy.

Inside the city, many musicians were playing their music, adding to the grandeur of the welcoming ceremony. It amazed me how much attention and respect they gave as I moved forward slowly while remembering to show them my sincere gratitude.

I noticed that the people in this city seemed to enjoy a more luxurious lifestyle than those outside because they wore finer-looking clothes. Their garments were beautifully designed and the fabrics looked silky and soft. They also wore more jewelry made of gold and precious gems.