The Bit Bucket

A Transgender Paranormal Romantasy

From the Paranormal Visitor Universe

Chapter 4: The Rules of Reincarnation

By Sasha Zarya Nexus

Can Fred understand the rules of reincarnation to take Gwen with him and together escape The Bit Bucket?

Copyright 2025 by Sasha Zarya Nexus.
All Rights Reserved.

Author's Note:

This book, in it's entirety, is available on my Patreon. BCTS will get weekly postings on Saturdays to complete it here. Patreon Free Members can read my new complete book by chapters, Things We Do for Love

The Bit Bucket hummed with renewed energy after Fred and Gwen's emotional reunion, the medieval walls pulsing with a rhythm that seemed to echo their combined heartbeats. Fred could feel something fundamental shifting in the metaphysical space around them—as if their love had awakened forces that had been dormant for centuries.

Spiritual Conflict

The air shimmered, and suddenly a presence filled the room that was both familiar and entirely new. The flame in the lamp flickered wildly, casting dancing shadows across the stone walls as a voice spoke from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Aislinn," Gwen whispered, her spirit-form becoming more solid as she straightened with recognition. "She's trying to communicate."

Fred felt the presence wash over him—ancient, wise, and tinged with a sadness that spoke of countless years spent watching over lost souls. When the voice came, it seemed to speak directly into his mind rather than his ears.

The wheel turns, young ones. The equinox has opened pathways that have been sealed for a millennium. But the way forward requires understanding.

"Understanding of what?" Fred called out to the empty air, his voice echoing strangely in the charged atmosphere.

The rules that govern this place. The laws that bind spirit to flesh, soul to destiny.

Explanation of Equinoxes

The bookcase against the wall began to glow, and one of the volumes marked "Aislinn C" floated free from its shelf, opening itself in midair. Pages fluttered as if turned by invisible hands, finally settling on a passage that blazed with golden light.

Gwen moved closer to read, her storm-gray eyes reflecting the magical illumination. "The equinoxes," she said, her voice filled with wonder. "They're not just astronomical events—they're cosmic hinges. Moments when the barriers between worlds become permeable."

Fred joined her, reading over her shoulder. The text described how twice a year, during the spring and autumn equinoxes, the metaphysical fabric of reality grew thin enough for certain transformations to occur. Teleportation became possible for those with the right spiritual resonance. Reincarnation could be achieved by souls ready to transcend their current forms.

"That's why I was able to reach the Bit Bucket today," Fred realized. "The autumn equinox created the perfect conditions."

Precisely, Aislinn's presence confirmed. But the same forces that brought you here also limit your options for departure. The pathways are specific, governed by laws older than human civilization.

Teleportation Limitations

The slate on the wall began to glow more brightly, new words appearing beneath Fred's name in flowing script: One-way passage. The seeker who enters the Bit Bucket cannot return by the same path. Forward lies transformation; backward lies only emptiness.

Fred felt his heart sink as the implications became clear. "You mean I can't just teleport back to the Butterfly Garden? I can't go home?"

Gwen's expression grew pained. "The Bit Bucket exists between worlds, Fred. It's a waystation for souls in transition. Those who arrive here are meant to move forward, not backward."

The floating book's pages turned again, revealing diagrams of metaphysical pathways that looked like intricate spider webs connecting different realms. Fred could see the Butterfly Garden clearly marked, along with what appeared to be Aislinn's College and dozens of other locations he didn't recognize. But every pathway leading from the Bit Bucket pointed in only one direction—toward transformation.

"The college has rooms designed to catch students of specific ages," Gwen explained, her spirit-monitor knowledge coming to the fore. "Room 11 for eleven-year-olds, Room 12 for twelve-year-olds, and so on. Each room is modern and welcoming, designed to ease the transition. But the Bit Bucket..." She gestured to the medieval surroundings. "This place catches the exceptions. The complicated cases."

Gwen's Guidance

Fred stared at the pathways on the floating pages, his mind racing. "So what you're saying is that the only way out of here is through reincarnation? I have to become someone else entirely?"

Not someone else, Aislinn's presence corrected gently. Someone more complete. The Bit Bucket doesn't destroy identity—it offers the chance to become who you truly are.

Gwen moved closer to Fred, her ethereal form radiating warmth despite its insubstantial nature. "Think about it, Fred. You've always felt incomplete, haven't you? Like there was something missing, something that prevented you from being whole?"

Fred nodded slowly, remembering the years of feeling caught between worlds—too feminine for the masculine role society expected, too uncertain of his place to fully embrace any identity. "The chimera nature. My mother's exposure to that artifact during pregnancy."

"Exactly," Gwen said softly. "What if the Bit Bucket isn't a trap, but an opportunity? A chance to resolve the conflict that's been tearing you apart your entire life?"

The floating book's pages turned once more, revealing a passage that made Fred's breath catch: Reincarnation through the Bit Bucket requires mastery of both teleportation and the deeper magic of spiritual transformation. The soul must willingly release its current form while maintaining the essence of its true self. Only those who can navigate this paradox successfully can escape to their destined realm.

"But how do I master something I don't understand?" Fred asked, frustration creeping into his voice. "I barely managed to teleport here in the first place."

Practice, Aislinn's presence suggested with what might have been amusement. But not the kind you're thinking of. The magic you need cannot be learned through repetition—it must be felt, experienced, lived.

Emotional Bond Renewed

Gwen stepped closer, her storm-gray eyes meeting Fred's with an intensity that made his heart race. "There's something else, Fred. Something I haven't told you about reincarnation through the Bit Bucket."

"What?"

"It doesn't have to be a solitary journey," she said quietly. "Souls that are truly connected—that share a bond deeper than mere attraction—can undergo the transformation together. They can choose to be reborn in forms that complement each other, that allow their love to transcend the boundaries of their previous existence."

Fred felt hope flare in his chest like a sudden flame. "You mean we could escape together? We could both be reincarnated?"

"If we're willing to let go of who we were," Gwen said. "If we're ready to become something new while holding onto the love that connects us."

The Bit Bucket pulsed around them, responding to their emotional connection. The artifacts in the room—the silver bell, the mysterious lamp, the floating book—all began to resonate with a harmony that filled the space with music too beautiful for human ears.

The choice is yours, Aislinn's presence whispered. But know this—the transformation, once begun, cannot be undone. You will emerge from this place as different people, with different bodies, different lives. Only your souls will remain constant.

Fred looked at Gwen, seeing in her ethereal features the woman he had loved and lost, the spirit guide who had helped him understand this strange new world, and something more—a partner willing to face the unknown by his side.

"I won't leave without you," he said firmly. "I can't lose you again, Gwen. Not after finding you here."

"And I won't let you face this alone," she replied, her form becoming more solid as their bond strengthened. "Whatever we become, we'll face it together."

The slate on the wall blazed with new words: Two souls, united in purpose. The wheel turns toward transformation. What was divided shall be made whole.

The floating book snapped shut and returned to its shelf, but the knowledge it had shared remained burning in Fred's mind. He understood now that the path forward wasn't about returning to his old life—it was about embracing a new one. The Bit Bucket had brought him and Gwen together not to trap them, but to offer them something neither had dared hope for: a second chance at love, in forms that would allow them to be truly themselves.

But as the medieval walls began to shimmer with increasing intensity, Fred sensed that their decision to attempt reincarnation together had awakened something else in the depths of the Bit Bucket. Something ancient and powerful that had been waiting for exactly this moment to stir from its long slumber.

The real test was about to begin.