I feel a dull pain in the back of my head. The world around me was spinning... or was it I who was spinning? The spinning slowly comes to a stop, and I see my body on the side of the road.
"Wha?.."
The world was slowly darkening around my body. The buildings around me fell into darkness, and eventually only the sidewalk I was lying on and my body remained. I was covered in blood and missing my legs. This should have frightened me, but it all felt so surreal and detached from anything I had to worry about. Rather than directly experiencing it, I was watching the events unfold before me. It was like a dream.
"That's right... this is just a dream. I'll just wake up on my bed or asleep on my gaming chair."
Unknown Female Voice: Oh shit! I think you killed someone! What is wrong with you!?
Unknown Male Voice: You can't blame me! You were the one distracting me! I would have seen him if you hadn't pushed your phone into my face!
Unknown Female Voice: What are we going to do? We've been drinking... our lives are over...
Unknown Male Voice: No, the vehicle has a small dent in the front, but it doesn't look like we just ran someone over. I think we can rinse the blood off the tires. I say we leave him. I'm not going to jail from some weirdo walking around at three in the morning.
"Wait... they can't be serious..."
What a weird dream. It felt so vivid, and my thoughts did not appear to be disjointed like a regular dream. Was this?.. an out-of-body experience? I've read about this in a book store I frequently visit. I remembered vaguely reading about how one could enter the state in a dream or during a traumatic event in their lives.
"Does this mean?.. I'm dying!?"
Then a voice rang through in my head as if someone was inside of me.
Unknown Female Voice 2: Bingo!
A notification popped in front of me, similar to something I would see in one of my RPGs.
It read: Game Over
At the bottom of the notification, a simple button with OK written on it blinked repetitively at me.
Unknown Female Voice 2: I would press that. I don't think you want to get sent back into that avatar with missing limbs. It wasn't like you were living much of a life anyways...
I glanced around me. The darkness appeared all-encompassing now. There was no horizon in the distance, only my body on that sidewalk and a strange cold sensation flowing into me. The scene before me appeared to recede further. Soon I might not see anything but this empty darkness. I shivered. Come to think of it, if I wasn't in my body, how was I feeling these sensations?
Unknown Female Voice 2: Hey... Press the button. You're just going to stay here in purgatory? I suppose I could make you into a ghost or something. That might keep you, and I entertained for a few hundred years.
"Who are you?" I replied apprehensively.
Unknown Female Voice 2: What are you stupid? I'm God.
"God? Why the hell does God sound like a middle school girl?"
God (sarcastically): Because I can take the form of whatever would ease your passing.
"Wait, why would that put me at ease if you were a schoolgirl?"
God: Because you're a pervert. Hey, just press the button, ok? We need to talk about your situation.
My heart raced at the accusation. Whoever this was, they weren't God. They were messing with me. Wasn't God supposed to be a dude?
God: Yeah, yeah. Listen, I'll prove it to you. The last person you jerked off to was the cashier at the-.
"ENOUGH! I BELIEVE YOU! JUST DON'T SAY ANYMORE!"
God: Virgins are so predictable... (sighs)
I put my finger on the button in the notification. There was a slight pause and then I was slammed into the ground instantly. There was no pain, only the tightening in my stomach similar to a rollercoaster as it accelerates down a ramp. My hand was pointing up at the ceiling of a massive white room. It seemed like the ceiling was several hundred feet above me. I slowly picked myself up and looked around at my surroundings. Everything in this room was pure white. The walls appeared to be a mile away. It was all so empty, and not a single pillar to hold up the massive ceiling either. This room apparently defied the laws of physics.
God: Hmm. I give you the opportunity to live in Japan and have a slice of life adventure in high school, but you completely missed all the romance flags... In fact, you turned into an otaku and wasted your life playing roleplaying games.
"What?"
God: I guess it can't be helped. You were always someone who couldn't play without some hint or status system. I told you it was a bad idea to play without your user interface.
"What?"
God was standing before me, and she was a tiny delicate brunette. She was the replica of a character in an Isekai show I grew up watching. It was my first crush, a character I felt sexually attracted to while growing up. She adjusted her Mage's hat and glared towards me. A sensation of inadequacy surged through me. I quickly look at the ground in front of us. Too nervous about making eye contact.
She didn't seem to be bothered by this. I heard her sigh and she slowly walked up to me. As she walked closer, I could hear my chest hammer faster.
God: You don't remember this place, correct?
"Is this heaven?" I fidget nervously as she got close enough for me to smell her perfume. It was a flowery scent, something I imagined a girl would smell like if I ever had the chance to hug one.
God: Not at all, you're just in the lobby room. I suppose I should offer to restore all the memories from your prior lives before proceeding.
"Prior lives?"
God: Yeah, I don't usually offer souls this opportunity, but considering how much of a pleb you were in the most recent life, it would probably benefit your enjoyment of the next one.
She folds her arms in front of me and appeared to enter into deep thought. After a matter of seconds, she responds.
God: On second thought, that might not be ideal, considering your current personality would be destroyed. It would effectively be like overwriting your current soul.
"Well, why would you even offer it? Aren't you God? Why would you say something without knowing the consequences?"
God: Listen, just because the last world you lived in had the concept of a God doesn't mean I resemble the ideal you think of. If anything, I am closer to the devil by your standards.
She gave an evil grin and raised her right hand at me. A flash of light springs from her hand and into my chest. I gasp in surprise as a series of notifications pop into existence in front of me. The primary notification in front of me looked exactly like a character creation screen.
God: So, where would you like to start life in another world?