What does it take to be human? What roles or practices does one need to fulfil to be considered a human being? Well, here’s a list of the requirements made by the Higher Beings of the Universe and simplified by myself, because their list was ridiculously long!

  1. Having a soul: this is the most important part of being human. It dictates basically everything from how you live, to how you die, and what will happen to you after death. Your soul is the foundation of everything you are. Actually, it is you.

  2. Having feelings and emotions: this is quite a complex human feature. Yeah, it can feel amazing sometimes, but it can also be what causes your downfall. It can eat at you. Especially when you can't regulate them. Most humans can't. You learn how to with experience. Kinda like riding a bicycle.

  But many never learn.

  3. Being mortal: all humans die. It hurts when you lose someone, and it hurts when you have to die too. You want to know what’s worse? You have to be born and die multiple times, in different ways. Reincarnation is a double-edged sword.

  4. Having basic needs: drinking water, eating food, blah blah blah. Humans have a lot of basic needs that are necessary for their survival. They may think of themselves as independent, however, they are very dependent on nature and many other entities.

  5. Having desires: you can have everything you need, but you’ll still end up wanting something. Desire can lead to greed, and greed can lead to destruction. It’s okay to want, more than okay actually, but you must learn how to control yourself.

  6. Having an imagination: arguably the best part of being human! Imagination is the key to creation and happiness. It can also take your mind off of all the ugly parts of humanity.

  7. Having free will: the only person responsible for you is yourself. Sure, the Higher Beings of the Universe may play a role in your fate and whatever, but ultimately, you’re the one in charge. Many humans seem to forget this and allow their free will to be taken away by other humans, organisations, societal norms, etc. Losing your free will is one of the saddest things that can happen to you.

  8. A human body: no explanation needed.

  If you meet all of these requirements, I have some news for you - you are a human being! I’m not sure if it's something to celebrate, but congratulations anyway!

  You may be wondering whether I meet all the requirements. Well, yes. Some of them. Does this still make me human? I don’t know. Even the Higher Beings of the Universe are unsure. Though to them, the logistics of my existence are trivial. I am an uncategorised being. All that matters is that I fulfil my duty and follow the rules they have set for me. My mission on Earth is to decrease the power that evil has in this world. It is impossible to completely eradicate evil. Evil exists in good. Good exists in evil. Yin and Yang. However, there must always be a balance. If the scales tip too much, then chaos may ensue.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Right now, I want to share my experience with you. How I got here, why I'm here, and all that I learnt despite thinking I knew everything. All I can ask, and hope for, is that you listen.

  Chapter 1: A Day Like Any Other

  He’s running! How is he running this fast?!

  The man is wearing a black suit. He’s in his late thirties. I’ve been chasing after him for about fifteen minutes now. It’s harder to catch these idiots at night. Like bugs, they slink into the corners and shadows. They cower and hide. Not only do they hide themselves, but they hide their dirty deeds as well. And it’s my job to expose them.

  The man turns into an alleyway, slipping slightly as he makes the sharp turn. I follow him even as he runs into an odd rundown building. Up the stairs, down the corridor, running through the second door on my left… and he’s nowhere to be seen. Damn it! Frustration and anxiety crawl all over me. If I lose him now, then all my hard work will be for nothing. Taking a quick look around the room, I can see that it is completely empty. The only things left are dust and a very foul odour. Walking towards the far end of the room I can see a broken attic door in the ceiling. No stairs or lever- well let’s not call it an attic door, it’s just a big ugly hole in the ceiling.

  There's a loud thump in the room above me. Through the hole, the sound becomes louder than expected. If that’s him, how did he get up there so quickly? Focus. That’s not important right now! The best option is to follow the noise. I creep out of the room and up the damaged and splintered stairs as cautiously as I can. Two more thumps. As I near the top of the staircase, I notice that the foul stench in the building is overcome by the smell of gasoline. Is he planning to burn evidence? I enter the room where the noises are coming from. The man stares at me furiously. A lighter is clenched in his hands, and a large bottle of gasoline is on the floor beside him. There’s a girl behind him. She is bound and gagged; multiple bruises and cuts are on her body; she is barely awake; and there is a black briefcase next to her. Both the girl and the suitcase have been doused with gasoline.

  “What do you want from me?! Who are you?!” the man screeches, clearly agitated. One wrong move and the girl dies. Or worse, I don’t meet my quota for this month. I hate hostage situations. This is the fifth one this year!

  “Listen. I know what nasty business you’ve been up to. Kidnapping, human trafficking, drug trafficking, possession of illegal firearms. The list goes on. And I’m here to help you.”

  He sneers and pulls out a small knife from his suit pocket. “Do you think I'm fucking stupid? Help with what? If you call the police-“

  “I was the one that shut down your company. I got rid of all your minions and shut down your trafficking ring in the city. If I wanted the cops to take care of you, you’d have been in prison a long time ago. So, I came to help you. To help you turn over a new leaf.” I was never good at deescalating situations. In many instances, I made them worse. That's what happens when the only social interactions you have are with criminals and gods.

  He shifts his weight onto his left foot. “You expect me to believe you? I hate people like you! Self righteous bastards that have no idea how the world works. I'm gonna kill you, we'll see if you're still so full of yourself,” he hisses and begins to shake his knife at me. Ugh! This man is really starting to annoy me!

  “I’m giving you a final warning. When I count to five, you should toss the lighter to me and get on the ground.” His lips tremble.

  “One,” I take a step closer.

  “Two,” he tightens the grip on his knife.

  “Three,” I can hear sirens in the distance.

  “Four-” the man attacks, while releasing a terrible howl.

  Humans are very slow. In a split second, I disarm and restrain him. As soon as his body hits the floor, I can hear the sirens outside, and see the flashing lights.

  I look at the half-conscious victim. Her eyes are slightly open, and tears are spilling out of her face. Even though she's out of it, I can sense her relief.

  The ties on her wrists and ankles are digging deeply into her skin and causing her to bleed. I grab the knife that the man was yielding and quickly cut them off. “You're going to be okay,” I whisper softly to her. She looks frail and sickly. It’s clear she's been here for a while. Her Achilles tendon has been purposefully cut. I rip off part of my t-shirt and wrap it tightly around the injury. She’s bled out quite a lot, but she should be okay.

  I got so caught up in helping her that I don't notice the gash that runs across my cheek. I also don’t notice the police officers in the doorway. I underestimated their speed. They all stare in shock and confusion at the scene laid in front of them. “Excuse me, ma’am,” one of them says. “Are you alright?”