When I woke up, I found myself lying in the air, within a vast and empty, black space. I don't know how I was floating or how I was even breathing, but I couldn't care. I was somehow alive, but I was stuck in some kind of weird space.

The first thing I decided to do was try to swim towards a random direction to get to some kind of flat ground. I needed to get my bearings, and I really couldn't do that when I'm just floating in midair. I wanted to sit down and think, and right now, if I did that while flying, I'd probably get sick.

That was a big mistake. I was sent flying into random directions, left, right, up, down, diagonal, you name it. I went into different loops and movements that I didn't even know were possible at all. I felt sick enough that I wanted to vomit, but I didn't really want to get barf all over my clothes.

I started waving my hands and legs around frantically, as fast as I could to get myself stable. I can't think about movement anymore, I gotta think about something else. I'm getting sick, I might throw up here in a second!

Think about happy times, remember the fond memories I have. Like the time I made mochi with my mom. That was really fun. Or, the time I went to go see a movie with her when I was a young girl. I can never remember the movie, but all I can recall was that I was happy my mother seemed to be enjoying myself.

... Are all the good memories in my head all about me and my mother? I started to rack my brain for anything else, but I couldn't recall the last time I enjoyed myself without her. It made sense, as she was the light to my darkness. My salvation in a bastion of darkness that I had surrounded myself in.

I could only sigh as I made myself depressed once more. On the bright side of this very black dilemma, I was now able to stay still, so I wasn't going to throw up on myself anymore.

However, now that I was still, I could easily make myself think calmly and rationally. Right, why am I here? What's going on? What happened to me that I ended up in this shithole?

I started to dig through my brain, trying to find the precious memories that would let me recall the reason why I was stuck in such a strange bizarre scenario. I tunneled deep into my consciousness, in hopes that I could find some locked gate that would bring me the golden and pure truth.

Nothing. I couldn't figure it out. What I had locked up was all the good memories I had with my mother, which I kept once again deep in my mind and heart, and all the horrible, shitty memories I refuse to touch with a million mile stick. That, and the really boring memories that weren't important, all about some kind of dumb crap on studies or something.

Which meant now was the time for me to fully analyze my surroundings, get a better understanding of where I might be, and figure out a game plan to get myself out. I looked around my immediate location and found nothing but black. Of course, I could only rotate my eyes, so I couldn't turn my head very well. That was reasonable.

I turned my head, and I only saw darkness. Even when I looked up, the darkness responded back to me. It was as if I had been thrown into a dark hole, and forced to stay there while maintaining my normal shape.

This wasn't good. This really wasn't good. I'm sick to my stomach right now.

Frantically, I lifted my hands to my face, hoping I could use them as a way to get whatever was covering my eyes off. After all, there had to be some kind of blindfold that was covering my face, right? That was the reason why I was only seeing black, right?

There was nothing on my head. Rather, even worse, I couldn't see my hands at all either. Was I blind? Was I unable to see anything anymore? Was I cursed to be forever blind?

Frantically, I turned my head around, hoping that I could spot something else, anything but pitch blackness. Maybe if I went fast enough, the darkness could melt away into something and I'd be able to see something.

There was nothing else. I was all alone. Alone in this deep, endless space, waiting for nothing. I raised my hands to my face, in hopes that I could see them.

This had to be a joke of some type. I had to voice my complaints, talk to someone. I needed to try to get the attention of something, anything. I don't care whether it's an ugly guy or some kind of disgusting insect, anything's better than being alone in this pure darkness.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I screamed as I floated in the air, looking around, hoping that the environment would change with that single voice. I prayed that something would burst, and then everything will be back to normal.

But, nothing came. There was no kind of response that came, not even an echo of my own voice. I felt cold inside, as I stared deep into the abyss.

"Please! If there's anyone out there, just reply back to me! I don't care whether you curse me out or anything, just help me! Please, for the love of God!" I shouted once more, goosebumps rising in my flesh again, searching and hoping for some kind of reaction. Something to make me feel better about myself. The world couldn't be this cruel, right?

As if to stomp my hopes and dreams once more, there was no kind of reply. No kind of environmental swap or light came to greet me. I was surrounded in darkness and silence, and I could feel the world crashing down on me, crashing into me as if I was just a little ant being crushed under the heel of a mindless kid.

I started to cry. I curled up into a ball and let myself float away, to wherever this place wanted to take me. I couldn't care anymore. Just let me bask in my sorrow and let me die of dehydration. Just let me out of this hell.

Then, I heard a snap. I quickly turned towards the light, and to my complete and utter disappointment, the only thing to greet me was the natural darkness.

Then, there was light. A single dot rose from the blackness before a holy brightness expanded so rapidly that I found myself blinded by its intensity. I quickly raised my hands to protect my eyes from the incoming blast. The glare was so strong, I felt that I was getting burnt up from the flash itself.

As soon as the glow softened, I moved my arms away to witness the birth of something. Flames were burning all around and spreading across space everywhere, as though they were snakes crawling through the grass. A single, lone circle floated in the air, dressed with different kinds of symbols I couldn't recognize, and glowing in all sorts of mesmerizing and beautiful colors.

Then, he appeared out of nowhere. A man popped out of the darkness and presented himself with a simple bow.

He had a white bowler hat with a dark orange feather attached to the yellow brim, and he seemed to be wearing a fully white tuxedo, with red gloves that had strange insignias that seemed to parallel those on the circle. He had grey dress shoes on, and he seemed to be standing perfectly still, almost as if the ground was solid underneath.

That was when he looked up to me, and I recognized his face. That was the face of my old gym teacher, and he appeared to have a heavy goatee with thick eyebrows, and a thin mustache to kick in. However, unlike my teacher, who was always grumbling and fat, this man seemed pleasantly fit, and with a giant smirk on his face.

"So, this is the little lady that promised me everything for that little miracle, isn't it?" I blinked as I stared right at him. As I opened my mouth to reply, I suddenly fell and landed on solid ground.

I was surprised by the fact that I didn't actually feel any kind of pain from the impact. Instead, I was able to set myself down gently so that I hit the ground with my feet softly as a pillow.

I looked up to him. He looked back, with a grin on his face. "Um, who are you?" I managed to ask.

"Who am I? Well, you humans have made many aliases for me, but I am simply known as God." I looked at him as if he was joking around before he just simply did such a stupid dramatic movement with his hands as he did another bow again.

When he looked back at me, my heart froze. I felt rage in my heart as I stared at the bastard that had left my mother. The smug grin on his face, the thin eyebrows, and clean shaved face, with his stupid thin-frame glasses and those disgusting rosy cheeks.

There was no doubt about it. That was my father's face. And I felt utter black hatred as I stomped towards him.

"Change your face," I said with a steely ice reply, as he simply put his hands up in a placating manner with a chuckle exactly like my dad's.

I hated this so-called God already.

"Oh, the lady doth protest too much, methinks." I gritted my teeth and curled my hands into hardened fists, ready to pummel this guy for being such an asshole.

The next thing I knew, I was launched far away at a rapid speed and landed hard on my back as I started to gasp for air. What the hell just happened?

"Now now, child, calm yourself. You should be pleased, grateful... no, those are too weak of emotions. You should be drowning in shame for such a terrible thought. How could you think about trying to hit God? That's a blasphemous act beyond reproach. But, since I am a merciful God, I will not deliver more punishment upon your feeble body." The smug bastard said as he started to walk forward, his shoes making sharp clacking noises as though they were stabbing into the world itself, forcing the darkness to make sounds erupt throughout the stage. I was forced to realize upon that instant that he could read my thoughts, and I felt like an idiot.

This guy was a so-called God. What kind of God doesn't know what their creation is thinking about? He could obviously read my thoughts like any kind of psychic would.

I could only lay there and gulp down air before I was forcefully held up by some invisible force. I tried to move, but my body could not fight back.

"Really, I go through all the trouble to make sure your dearest mother lives, and you give me nothing but disrespect?" I froze and looked at him fully. By now, he had come to stand right in front of me, and I could see into his eyes for a split second.

Within that single brief moment, I could see everything. I witnessed infinite stars and planets, worlds being destroyed and rebuilt in an instant. I watched as infants cried before being slaughtered like animals, watching people grow up from a child until they were turned to dust. I saw infinite possibilities in an infinite world within that single moment, and I knew, truly, this man was God.

There were no doubts left in my head anymore. I felt so tiny, so small, so scared.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Please, please, do not look into my eyes! That's rather dangerous, even for a spiritual body like yourself! I don't want a potential fun toy like you to be broken before I can use it, you know?" I stared at his general face, gaping at his remarks. Did... did he just refer to me as a toy?

"Yes, dear child, I did exactly that. After all, the world's a stage, and I am the master that can watch and manipulate all. Some pokes here, some touches here, and anything makes sense, no matter the circumstances. Like, for example, how I altered your last words." I froze. What did he mean by that?

Before I could respond, he looked at me with an odd expression before sighing. "Seriously, I keep forgetting that humans lose all memory of their own death upon reaching the spiritual plane. I'll fix that. Here, let me fix that for you."

He poked me in the forehead, as if giving me a flick, and then, I remembered. I could recall everything. Tears fell down my eyes as I turned to glare at the man before me.

How dare he. Even if he is God, how could he? How depraved was this monster, to change a person's last desires to inflict pain on another?

"Why?" I asked angrily, pouring all my emotions into these words. There was no stopping my pain and black heart anymore. They came pouring out as if they were a flood, seeking to eradicate anything in their path.

"Why? Because of the prayer you had made." I froze as I recalled that single moment. I did beg God to take me, and that I'd be willing to do anything he wanted. But to think he would do something like this!

"I mean, all I did was exchange her life for yours. But, I couldn't have it be such a happy ending, couldn't I? There's no pizazz, no drama, no... action! There has to be some kind of terrible truth to the world! I couldn't just give you something free, something so costly from the bottom of my heart when I already sacrificed so much for you!" What... what is this fucker saying? He's God. It didn't cost him anything but a single blink. How could he lie like this?

"I'm shocked you'd think I'm lying. However, I'd let you think that." He fell into a sitting position right into a random fluffy couch seat that seemed to come right from my house.

No, that's wrong. It did. I recognized it, that was my mother's massage chair.

"Don't.. don't you da-" Before I could finish my sentence, he put a finger right to my lips to silence my words.

"Shhhh, let me enjoy this seat. It's rather comfy, and quaint." I trembled and tried to fight my way out, to no avail. I couldn't stand by and watch this prick get away with whatever he wanted to do.

It wasn't fair. How could such a merciless and cruel person be God?

"The world isn't fair." He said very calmly. "You know this from your studies. You were born in the Nerima Ward, to a loving mother who you sincerely adore for her ability to keep you from being depressed all the time, and a 'shitty' father who abandoned you. But you already know that other people are worse off than you. You have a good life that you simply threw away. You trashed all your opportunities because you're nothing more than a worthless worm." I trembled at his condescending words. Even though I wanted to shout at him that those remarks weren't true, how could I? They fit me perfectly.

"You could have possibly had the chance to redo your life from the start. Heck, before you died, you could have made a massive come back and granted all the dreams and desires that your mother had. But no. You chose not to." That, I could not forgive. Those words were false, and he knew them.

"Are they really." He asked as if waiting for me to respond. I looked up, got some air in my throat, and prepared to yell at him that those words were false and that he was an idiotic bastard that should learn to respect mankind for once.

... except, they never came out. I couldn't say them, no matter how hard I tried. The willpower and strength I tried to muster up failed me, and I was stuck with an open mouth, trying to wrestle the words to come out.

"I... I... I!"

"Yes? What are you waiting for? Go ahead! Bash me! Tell me that my words are false and that you were planning to redeem your honor! Prove that my words are wrong right now! Come on, where's that bashful little girl I met a little while ago?" I glared, but then hung my head in shame. I couldn't fight back.

He wasn't wrong. I am everything like he says. Even though my child promise was to ensure my mom would be able to live a happy life with me giving her support, where were the results to prove that? I hung out in my room all day, reading random books to escape my shitty reality. I played video games to make myself feel superior so that I could avoid the fact that I was really just a loser with no future in mind.

In fact, it isn't too far to say that this is karma for everything I've done. There's really, really nothing I could say that would make me feel better. I could only tear up and cry at this realization.

I truly am nothing but an insect, deluding myself that I could be better. I never had a chance from the start.

"You see? The truth hurts, but it is absolute." He says as he stands up, the chair disappearing, as he swept his hand out towards me. "You understand. You know this truth, yet you deny it fervently time to time. Accept it. This is your purgatory, your last stop. You will forever stay in this dark and gloomy hole for all eternity, to make up for your horrible, disgusting behavior as a human being."

Please, stop it. You've already made your point. Please, have mercy, I can't stand anymore. Just throw me away already, I have nothing left.

Instead of showing mercy, he decided to dig the dagger further into my wounds, and to force salt into the gaping holes in my heart.

"You think anyone cared about you? No one does! Your father left you because he was sick and tired of your bullshit! You never made friends because you couldn't muster up any kind of power to even say a single darn word to them at all! The only one who cared was your mother, who's simply a waste in every way -"

I roared as I charged right at him. Even though I was held back by the invisible chains he had set up, I managed to move further. I had successfully forced my way out to an extent, as I was able to break my right arm free from the forced bindings. I began to reach out towards him, to grab him, so I could at least yell right into his smug fucking face.

"You. You don't deserve to fucking talk shit about her! Shut the fuck up!" I yelled deep from my heart before I was yanked further away by the arms of darkness. I started to dig my way further, but there was only so much I could do.

"How pitiful. Nothing more than a broken dog." He replied as he stared at me. "But, to just let you drown in nothing but blackness for all eternity seems like a waste of my energy and really boring. There should be a better way to make this interesting..."

He frowned as he started to think deeply about the situation, muttering something about what would be fun or not. I continued to attempt to drag myself out, to no avail.

Damn it, if only I could do something! If only I could break free, then this motherfucker would learn a thing or two!

"I've got it." He said instantly, as he smiled at me with those disgustingly sharp teeth, covered in blood and gold. "How about I give you your deluded dream? I can grant you a start-over. A chance to become a protagonist of an isekai scenario, like you've always wanted."

I paused and looked up at him incredulously. Why would I ever want to accept anything from his words? They were nothing but overly sweet, honeyed noises attempting me to get into his clutches.

Even if I dreamed all the time about being the main protagonist of an isekai novel, this fucker wasn't those benevolent, apologetic gods that were willing to give the reincarnated person cheats to overwhelm the next word. He was the worst kind of scum, the kind of person who'd gladly help those in need just to watch them fall into despair and break completely.

I may be a useless idiot, but I knew that I would be signing a contract with the Devil, and my fate would be sealed. Absolutely not. I refuse.

"Oh? But I haven't even stated the conditions for victory, and your reward. Don't you want to see your mother again? Don't you want to save her from her incoming death?"

I froze. Goosebumps grew and multiplied across my body as I looked at him with shock and horror.

"Wh... what do you mean? You said you'd save her. What the hell are you talking about!" I couldn't help but shout. This bastard was going against the deal we had made!

"Au contraire, mademoiselle." He said as he waved his finger at me. "You wanted her saved from immediate death, from that very incident. You never said anything about the incoming future. Her death, coming from the grief of your death."

"Don't fucking mess with me! She wouldn't do such a thing!" I screamed as I started to claw at the black ground underneath me. "She's stronger than that! She's got so much going for her compared to me! There's no reason for her to die out of grief!"

"Do you really think that?" He asked as he drew a circle with his finger, revealing a visual for me to watch. The binds got stronger as they forced me down and lifted my head to make me watch.

I was forced to watch, to my horror, as my mother shut down inside. After my death, she truly didn't have anything to live for anymore. Day in and day out, she acted like an emotionless robot as she followed a routine.

She would wake up, go to work, come back home, drink herself bloody before crawling to my altar and crying endlessly before she went to sleep. Then, the next day came, and it started all over again.

When she didn't work, she was busy killing herself by continually to grieve at my altar. When she was at work, she was too dead inside to even acknowledge the world around her. And I could only scream and cry as I was forced to see her die slowly and painfully, until she finally went to sleep on the ground, and found it too painful to ever get up again.

All the while, this fucking disgusting excuse of a God, this shitty creator of mine... was watching with a grin that threatened to split his head right in half. I could never, ever forgive this monster for something like this.

"... what're the conditions of victory, and where will I be sent?" The scumbag looked at me, as though he was shocked by my statements before he gave off an annoying, grating chuckle.

"So you are interested! As expected of a hardened young lass like you. Tell you what, since you're so determined to get back, I shall make this trip more personal for you. I hope you'll like what I've got in store for you!"

I didn't like those words. I was filled with dread at those words, as I realized this horrible human being was going to do everything to make my new life a living hell.

Yet, at the same time, I couldn't help but feel excited. A second chance at life. A single thin string of redemption hung before me as I realized that I could redeem myself, I could breathe life back into my past self.

No matter the conditions, the circumstances, I could do this. This was the only path I could take now.