“I’m dead.”

That’s the only logical conclusion I could come to. The moments leading up to it were still clear in my mind… the lights and explosions, the men with gold masks and the gunshots.

“Stupid reformers… at least Cassie got away.”

In the moments preceding my death, I had managed to sneak my younger sister Cassie out a side door while I held off the soldiers. It was a heroic battle worthy of a hero movie - complete with a dramatic entrance, a pitched battle, two dead soldiers and my ultimate defeat.

So I vividly remembered dying… but where am I now? I glanced around but all I could see was blackness in every direction. My body had changed, becoming transparent and seemed to be floating in a dark and endless space.

After what seemed like an eternity, the blackness before me twitched and shifted. Streaks of white filled my vision as a large sphere slowly stretched out of the gap and spread across the scene. A planet…?

“Welcome, new Overseer.” a somewhat robotic voice announced from behind. I turned, seeking out the source of the voice… but I saw nothing.

“I am Advanced Universal Training and Observation Unit#1124. I am tasked with teaching you your responsibilities as an Overseer.”

I thought about that for a moment.

“What’s an Overseer?”

“In Earth terminology, you may know of them as gods. Earth has hosted the powers of many Overseers. Related individuals include deities such as Zeus or Thor.”

No way… I did it? I reincarnated as a god?! I totally called it! I told mom that heroic deaths are the way to go! But no, she had to get all sentimental and ask me not to die before her. Hah! I’m a god now!

“So what can I do? Is that my planet? Do I get to create things?”

“An Overseer’s primary job is to watch over his followers. There are many Overseer’s representing this planet. You might create things later when you have more power.” the robo-voice replied.

“So what do I do first?”

“First, you must choose a Tether.”

“A Tether?”

“An individual from that planet who will act as your representative among the people. They will speak your words and spread your religion.”

“So… kind of like a prophet?”

“That is an adequate comparison.”

Huh. Hadn’t planned on going down the religion route but I guess dying has a way of changing your plans without permission.

I glanced back over at the planet slowly rotating beneath me. As the clouds parted I saw four continents spread evenly around a giant whirlpool. Definitely not Earth… I wonder how different this world is?

“So how do I go about choosing a Tether?” I asked the voice.

“I have taken the liberty of selecting a few viable options. With your permission, I will present the most promising to you.”

He chose for me? But I’m the god, aren’t I? This doesn’t seem like a choice I can take back.

“Sure, let me see them.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I found my vision zooming in on the planet, moving towards the continent on the top left side. Within moments, I was flying over the land at incredible speeds, mountains, plains and forests passing in the blink of an eye. At one point I even flew over a huge dark crevice that felt ominous.

After about a minute, I felt a tug pulling me down. As I followed it, I fell into a mountain range and settled atop the tallest mountain. In front of me stood a tall, dark haired beauty drawing a pentagram around a gruff looking man with a bandana on his head. They were talking and the woman had a sad look and tears running down her face… but I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

The woman finished drawing the pentagram and stepped back. She seemed to be chanting something, her lips moving rapidly as she waved her arms while almost dancing around the circle. The pentagram began to glow an eerie red.

I looked around and noticed a small group of four armored humans walking towards the man and the woman with their weapons drawn. They looked like a stereotypical rpg-group with a sword and board warrior, a healer, a rogue and a hunter. All they need is a mage…

The hunter raised his bow and drew back an arrow, sighting it on the beautiful woman. I tried to shout, to warn her but just like I can’t hear them, they can’t hear me. He released the arrow and I watched in despair as it arced through the air and fell towards her. She paused her dance and reached an arm out, snatching the arrow out of the air in a smooth motion.

“Observe the warrior. He should be an ideal Tether…” the robo-voice started when I interrupted him.

“Cut the crap.”

“I do not follow.”

“You want me to choose that guy? He doesn’t strike me as special at all.”

“That man is currently the third strongest adventurer in this region. He has high growth potential and meets the standard criterion most Overseer’s use when choosing a Tether…”

“Which are?”

“Blonde hair, blue eyes and a pretty face.”

If I had hands I would facepalm so hard.

I looked at the woman who had started running towards the adventurers at an insane speed, her teeth bared as she snarled. Vampire.

“What about her? What is her potential as a Tether?”

“I only considered human candidates. No Overseer has ever chosen a non-human before.”

Well, I guess I always was a bit progressive. Plus it’d be super cool to have a pretty vampire as my Tether. From the moments before the adventurers attacked, I could tell she’s not a heartless monster… anything that can cry has feelings. What’s the worst that could happen?

“I want her as my Tether.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Acknowledged. I will begin the procedure at once.”

My vision went white just as I watched her rip the warriors arm off.

Yup. Definitely made the right choice. I think.