Edited by: Deimos, Luke Scheffe

Editor: Luke Scheffe

I was floating in the darkness. Is it not a strange feeling, you know? You feel like you have a heavy body and a nice warmth that is spreading throughout your joints. It’s the feeling you’ve got when you wake up early in the morning and you still want to stay in the bed for a little longer. Well, it’s not like I have anything urgent to do, so let’s just stay like this for a little longer…

...But who am I? What a silly question! I am… wait who am I? I mean, I know what I am. I am a human. I know every single thing about me, just not the names. I remember my family and that I am studying economy. I just can’t remember my name, the names of my parents, my sister, my hometown and DAMN, MY DOG! One of the only existences I actually treasure! I can’t even remember my best friend! Why can’t I recall them?

I am… I am not alone? Don’t get me wrong I am still in a semi-sleepy state, it’s more like I can sense him…her…it? Like I can sense its very presence and, oh boy, it’s huge. Almost as if I’m a small sardine in front of a whale. Yep, I just used that stupid comparison, but somehow I can’t think of any different one.

I slowly opened my eyes and closed them immediately after. The whole world was spinning. It reminded me one of those moments when you try to sleep while being completely drunk.

Okay. Slowly. Bit by bit. Step by step. No need to rush things. Again. While I was opening my eyes the dizzy feeling was slowly wearing off. I adapted my vision to the darkness. Tssk funny thing I was adapting my eyes to something that looked like a room, a chamber, a dungeon? No no no no no no no! I hope I am not with some kind of pervert? I mean, men! I am not that handsome!

Okay, take a look at that thing you sense before you. Easy me. We can do it! Crap. I have just started talking to myself. It’s bad.

A man. In his 40-50s. He had dark, black hair slowly turning gray. He was looking at me as if I was some kind of rare, exotic animal.

Let’s look at the situation. I have not been restricted in any way. No chains nor any kind of bonds. I looked all around. But, everything is covered in darkness. No more things to entertain me? Then let’s look at the man yet again.

He seems to be confused? No honestly, he just got that face like I have just offended his great ancestors or I made some very strange dance on the table in the bar while being half naked with my pants on fire or something.

I stare at him. He stares at me.

…

Yup, nothing changed after the stare off. And honestly. I have no idea how much time passed. I am kinda shy you know I hate making the first step. But this situation was really weird. So I decided to take the first step.

“Umm… Hello? Are we going to sit here just like this or you’re going to offer some tea?”

…

…

…

…

“What a weird soul you are.”

Okay. Easy me. This guy is nuts. Some kind of a sect leader? OH HOLY CRAP! SOMEBODY SAVE ME!!

“I would appreciate if you could restrict your thoughts. I find it pretty offensive calling me nuts.”

Okay. That was lucky guess there is no possibility for this man to-

“Read yourmy mind?”

That was but a-

“Mental trick used by a skilled psychologist to make somebody who is the one talking to make believe that he really could read minds, but I, who knows such a trick will never fall for those kinds of moves… That’s what you had on your mind?”

Damn, he’s good…

“Let’s play a game. Try to think as many strange word or sentences completely without sense so I could prove you that I am a form of higher existence. That would make our conversation easier.” the old man smirked.

We can give it a try can’t we? So here I go!!!:

“Bananas… Additive… Colossal… Squirrel… Some more bananas... Equilibrium… Cheeseburgers with BBQ sauce… Uhh… stop it now… that was gross.”

Shit. I’m done. What d’ya want.

“Of course, you do realize why you are here and who I am?”

Don’t even tell I am dead or something.

“Correct.”

Fuck.

“Behave yourself.”

Sorry… So… Are you a… reaper?

“No”.

An angel?

“No.”

Of course not. Me seeing an angel? Ok. Get your job done Satan…

The man burst into a fit of mad laughter. No, I mean honestly! If he could he would be rolling on the floor. Somehow, I just can’t imagine Satan rolling on the floor, can you?

“Oh, young soul, you have just mentioned most of the possibilities but one. I am the one you would call a God.”

A God? I want a refund.

“What?”

It’s a common thing that the one who greets the dead one in place between worlds is a beautiful goddess with silver hair or a wonderful oppai loli. You are not my oppai loli. I want my refund, now.

“I know that you are confused and your rudeness is but a way to express the stress you feel right now. But, this is my final warning. I can do pretty nasty things to you. So stop with those gross thoughts right now. I do think about some eternal torments... But, not those kind of nasty thought.”

I’m sorry. But if there would be a way for me to imagine a God. You would not fit.

God only rolled his eyes and put on the expression of someone who explains the most common knowledge to a very, very stupid person:

“This appearance you see is not my true form. You are way too inferior to witness my true body. You also shouldn't think of me as a male. I am genderless, I am shapeless, I am ageless, I am nameless, I am eternal. The form that you are seeing is just a vessel designed by your own mind to fit form you could understand. It is also the one that stresses you as least as possible. Now, do you know why you are here?”

I was left speechless, and that’s not something that happens frequently.

Umm, I'm dead right? It’s not something that happens often? I mean meeting God after death?

No. Not at all. To be able to meet me you have to feel a great amount of regret, of hate, or passion. You also need to hate the world you reside in. If one was content with his life he would be reincarnated into the same world with his soul purified. speaking bluntly - you are an irregularity. A freak.”

Purified? That doesn’t sound like a good thing.

“To put into an extremely simplified way. All of the person's good and bad deeds would be measured and then he would be given points that would determine his next life. If he was a good person overall, he could be talented or have amazing luck. If he was a bad person overall, he would feel extreme misery, pain, and agony. Now we have you, neither good nor bad, devil nor saint. You dream of great things but lack the tools to make your dreams come true. You hate the way the world works. In many, many cycles of reincarnation, this situation was sustained. Your anger grew stronger. You have none you truly love. You keep on getting into arguments with your family and cannot find many friends. Now your pain hit the highest possible value. Recall your life, what can you find?”

So he did. Once again speechless he tried to rethink his life. He was born, already different than most of his contemporary acquaintance. First his earliest memory he remembers himself in a stroller being pushed by his father. His childhood was also extremely weird. He always preferred the company of books than people, his IQ was way higher than other kids and he tended to think outside the box. In math lessons, he used other ways to count same things than those shown by the teacher. Those ways were no better nor faster. Just different. He had problems learning things that were not interesting to him. It’s as if his brain refused to get knowledge that seemed to be useless. No matter how much effort and time he put into trying to learn it. There were many things that he found disturbing in his life's. The world was divided by powerful people. Even if you disagreed with the government you had nowhere to go and nothing to do. Every scrap of land was claimed by somebody already. No matter where you would like to live some would just tell you that those grounds belong to a country that he represents. If you wanted to continue you had to pay him money. If you were different you were used in every single possible way to the moment you would break and be left to rot.

Oh, he was angry. For efforts that bring no result. For decisions, he couldn’t make. For the way of life that was forced on him.

Born, get an education, find a job, find a family, consume, die.

Born, get an education, find a job, find a family, consume, die.

Born, get an education, find a job, find a family, consume, die.

BORN, GET EDUCATION, FIND A JOB, FIND A FAMILY, CONSUME, DIE.

Now he was finally free.

He was not wrong, he was not crazy. It was the world full of insanity that was wrong. From time to time he thought, that the world should be burned to the ashes and the new order should arise. A pure one. A simple one. Where if you try hard enough you can get it. The God told that he was nor good nor bad. It was a lie. He was full of pride, gluttony, lust, wrath, envy, greed and sloth. In most of the common religion, he would be damned. And here he is. In front of a God. Who tells him he does not fit to the world. Great. But there is a thing that does not let him rest before he would be damned or whatever. He needs to ask this one out.

H…How did I die?

“Do you remember being ill? When you were 16 you were poisoned with carbon monoxide. You were in critical condition. Muscles including heart, liver, lungs, and brain were damaged. Even as most of your internal organs where improving its condition the doctors overlook irregular functioning of your lungs. This is also a reason why you got weaker. Even when you were exercising your body to put it back to shape. You die coughing to death as you could not take a breath. You have died both of accident and lack of competency of the others.”

Tsk, at last, he wasn’t run over by a truck. It’s a good thing that he can’t remember that moment. He assumed that death by lack of oxygen is painful. He quickly made up his mind. He said a farewell in his mind to his only friend, and family with was a source of most his pains and few others who he found worthy. Then he took a deep breath and open his mouth.

“So what now? I am an abnormality. It is still nice of you that you came by yourself to answer the questions. Now get rid of me or whatever you do with such as myself.”

“It’s a strange way to act as for someone who meets his end. Even more, as you know that for you there will be no future. Some are comforting themselves in hope of better afterlife.. yet you have no such hopes. You wish to face the end. You desire it, what a strange, strange soul you are.”

Just…just do it.

“But I have to disappoint you. Destroying one soul is an extremely hard task, as the souls are shards of higher existences… and we, as gods, have an agreement to not harassing souls in any permanent way. In the end, souls have to re-enter the cycle. If one is dissatisfied with his current world he is transported to another, ruled by another God. Be at ease. As for you, you will skip some parts of the cycle, and you will have your memories untouched. Now, shall we decide where will we transfer our problematic child? Oh, do not say a thing I do know what kind of world you desire to live. The one where efforts bring rewards. With magic perhaps? Now, do you want to choose your fate?”

A fate?

“The way where you will live. We let it be chosen by you. Do you want to have royal blood, be a member of the nobility, born into a house of great merchants, a life of a priest, or maybe a thief? You may choose as many things as you desire. But, there will be some kinds of both rewards and penalty for all the choices you make. If you make your life harder you may be given a bonus randomly. What will you choose? The easy life that was given to few in your world? Or maybe an adventure?”

He hated those who were given everything from the start. The nobility, which the only thing that was noble about them was that their noble father had sex with their noble mother. No courtesy, no honor yet boasting themselves as if the whole prosperity of a country was due to their efforts. Easy life? In a world where you can reach anything as long as you do not grow weak? Like hell, was he gonna chose this way.

“Make it hard. Make me a man out of nowhere. Wealth? Fame? Power? I will reach it by myself! I don’t want to owe anyone! I will pay for those with sweat, tears, and blood! Just let me do all I want and I will give you a proof that I am the one who is worthy of these things that others have from the start.”

His eyes were full of euphoria, confidence. Those were the eyes of a warrior. A commander, the one who could be a great leader. But only if he wanted to.

“I expected nothing less. Very well. I think that I may help you bit more than you ask. Tsk, no do not expect cheats. But still, I will give you something that is not regularly given left and right. And I may bend the rules of the cycle. In the end, you would not survive as a baby in the place you are going to. I, god of the other world and deities will watch upon your life. You may bring us some entertainment. Go little one.”

And then there was darkness. And a dream. He saw a constellation of stars, he saw dying suns, and shapeless creatures living in black holes. He traveled through universes. And then he awoke.

He was in the forest. The sky above his head was blue. No, it was as blue as the one on Earth. It was clear and there was a moon in the sky? Even though it was midday? Wait? 2 moons? One was the size of the moon he remembers from his old world while the other was about 4 times as big. He’d never seen any of the plants, and the sounds were indescribable. Air fresher and clearer than Any found in his old world.

Yet there was something blinking on the edge of his vision… after focusing, a blue box entered his vision. In the blue box, the text appeared:

Access to [The System] granted Opening [Status] Name: Zariel Level: 1 Age: 16 Race: Human Class: None Job: None Title: The one who forges his own fate Health Points: 100 Stamina Points: 110 Mana: NA Attributes: Strength: 8 Vitality: 10 Endurance: 8 Constitution: 11 Dexterity: 12 Reflex: 7 Intelligence: 19 Wisdom: 17 Spiritualism: 12 Special Traits: Affinity: None Resistances: None Skills: None Do you wish to go through tutorial? YES NO