Chapter 1

What happened to me ?

I couldn't feel anything.

No torso, limbs, face nothing.

Ah that's right.

I fell didn't I ?

That was a pretty bad fall.

So.....

Am I dead now ?

...

...

How am I having these thoughts if I am supposedly dead ?

.... Could this be...

No possibly not.

My luck isn't that good.

...

...

...

But something is wrong here.

I can feel a tiny sliver of feeling returning to my body.

Slowly my enormously cold body starts to respond.

My eyes slowly start to open.

But there is no difference between the world of the blind and seeing from my perspective.

I am still shrouded in darkness.

Everywhere is covered by this all consuming darkness.

Where the hell am I ?

Slowly I try to raise my body, but find myself unable to even turn my head.

"Are you awake, Artel ?"

A voice resounds through my ears.

"..."

I try to open my mouth but I cannot.

"Ah, sorry about that"

The voice says in a somewhat sheepish tone when suddenly my body is lifted into the air and I find myself facing the owner of the voice.

It's a chair.

Wow.

"..C..Ch...air ?"

My voice comes out in a raspy tone that sends chills down my spine.

"Oi, where are you looking ?"

The chair is talking again.

"Up here"

I try to move my vision upwards, and with some difficulty manage to see an old man, floating in the air.

By now I have regained almost all of my body's functionality.

"....."

I keep staring at this mysterious old man.

"....."

He also tilts his head slightly, staring at me somewhat curiously.

Our staring bout continues.

Neither of us say anything.

We keep our eyes fixed on each other to the point it gets uncomfortable.

"Ahem. "

I cough and divert my eyes from him.

"Whoo.. That was intense wasn't it ?" The old man chuckles.

"So are you .... God or something ? "

"Something ?"

"Then are you a secretary of God or maybe the clerk in charge of dead persons or maybe you are the guy who entrapped me since the beginning of time and all my memories are just figments of my imagination or..."

"Stop talking. Seriously stop talking and calm down"

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my rejuvenated pounding heart.

In and out.

In and out.

Inhale...

Exhale...

Woohoo.

"So can we get to it or do you need some more time ?"

"Ah sorry about that. Please begin."

The old man took a seat in the chair and beckoned me to do the same. A new chair formed out of nothing and so I did as he instructed and sat down, face to face.

"So Artel, to put it bluntly, you're dead"

I nodded.

"You might call me God if you want. Basically my purpose is to sort out souls who die before their time"

I nodded again. Easy enough to understand.

"You're taking this very calmly after your outbreak"

I smiled a little, the unfamiliar action hurting my muscles a little resulting in the twitching of the corner of my lips.

"So anyway since you're dead and I cannot turn back time, Artel no longer exists on Earth. Or at least the 16 year old Artel Maverick no longer does."

I nodded to express my understanding, once more, like a bobblehead.

"Now you have two choices - reincarnating in another world or staying in a comfortable place eternally."

"Ahem... so... can I hear about the two before making my choice first ?" I asked him, the old man who called himself God.

"Certainly. If you choose reincarnation then your soul will get a new body in a different world than earth. If you choose the second option, you will live in a world quite similar to what you mortals perceive as Heaven. Eternally."

I pretended to mull over the two choices when I had already made my choice as soon as the old man spoke the first word.

Reincarnation was after all a popular fantasy trope on Earth.

"If I choose reincarnation will I get to choose the world ?"

"No"

"Then the body ?"

"No"

"Will I be able to choose anything in case I go to a world where there exists a need for powerful people ?'

"No such world exists"

"..."

Wow. Talk about bad luck.

"Well reincarnation is random after all. Nobody, not even me, can control it."

"Oh.." My mouth made a 'o' shape and I slowly nodded as if contemplating a serious issue.

"You need to make your choice fast, Artel. We don't have forever."

"Then this worthless mortal would like to choose reincarnation but can this lowly human perhaps request the mighty, ruler of all, the wisest, strongest God of one small insignificant request ?' I asked, suddenly kneeling in front of the old man with my head bowed.

"Hahaha. Interesting."

....

"Very well, Artel. I will grant you a single wish. I give you my word. Now ask, what it is you desire."

As soon as the words left the old man's mouth I instantly straightened up and took a deep breath.

"This worthless lowly being would like his power level to be stronger than the strongest beings by a factor of 4."

The old man stared at me dumbfounded for awhile.

Then he suddenly burst laughing.

"Hahaha. You certainly are entertaining, Artel. Very well. I grant you your "wish" since I never renege on my word"

"My deepest gratitude, Your Greatness"

The old man smiled a little and waved his hand.

The next moment a bright shining light enveloped me.

It spread everywhere and the last thing I remember before losing consciousness is the smiling face of the old man, no the visage of God.

Well hopefully my new life would be better.

Oops. I raised a flag didn't I ?

Rats.