The Sounds of humming. The ocean is calling to me. Actually…it sounds strangely eerily. It's like hearing the gates of heaven awaiting me, though I'm certain I wouldn't be welcomed in any case.
Still, the humming grew louder and louder. A warmth envelopes
"…"
Hmm. I didn't really think drowning and bleeding to death would be so calming, let alone warming.
It's still humming. That's strange..
I opened my eyes and found myself in a completely different place.
No water, no bridge. A white void surrounds me.
Is this heaven? No. Where's the gate? Where is the beautiful angel that'll soon send me down to hell?
I continued looking around, it seemed endless. A must of sorts loomed over what I thought was the floor.
Ah. There's the angel floating down.
A very…voluptuous angel.
Here we have a woman floating from above, all she has is a white cloak that surrounds her body, though it doesn't hide her figure at all.
This is a stacked lady. A transparent lady to be exact, oddly I noticed I was able to see through her.
But the more I look at her, I notice something.
There's no face on her.
A blur it seems, like mosaic censoring that covers the neck and up.
She landed in front of me, her hands held below her waist, looking at me.
"My, my. I've been expecting you." Her voice, gentle, motherly.
"It seems that your time in that world has expired. Such a shame that it had been up to you to end it like that."
"…that world?"
"Yes, here in this abyss, you are being held in between this world and another. Your spirit has wandered into this place."
"What do you mean other world? Are you telling me I'm not going to heaven?"
"No. There is no heaven or hell for you, yet. Think of it like this. A second chance, a redemption for yourself and a way to fix your past life in a new one."
A second chance? A new life? Hmm.
A way to rectify past mistakes..start anew. I really thought I'd have no other way. The chaos of pressure and other kids staring at me, my parent's angry faces as they threw me out the home. Friends giving hostile looks at me, avoiding me.
"…"
The question is "why" though? This woman is seemingly offering me a new life, and for what?
There must be a goal here.
So I asked just that.
I couldn't really see it, but behind that blurred blob on her face, I could see a smile crack out of it. A gentle one.
She then flew in circles around me, observing me. I mean, I'm not too muscular, but I got some muscles all around. Why's she checking me out?
Hm, could it possibly be that she would give me a new life to have her hand? No. I don't think that's right.
Then she stopped, falling back to the same place she was before, in front of me.
She ponders what to say, what's she thinking?
Spit it out!
"…Just cause!"
Hm?
That's it? What the fuck was the spinning around me part for then?!
"Look, you seem like a nice guy. Maybe you aren't. I don't care. What I do know is that your spirit is stranded here. Unable to go back to your world anymore."
"What?"
"Yep. Seems like your spirit went through a one way door into here. Leaving just another one way door to a new world. Or you can just stay here with me!" She said, clapping her hands.
Hm. No way back, huh. That means I can have a second life in my world. Just a new one in whatever this lady is talking about.
Now that I think of it, I wasn't the only one that had fallen. If my spirit had fallen here, then wouldn't…
"Um… would you happen to know if another person's spirit has come through?" I asked.
"Hmm, Maybe. If you are referring to that other woman. I'll just leave it at this. She has passed."
Shit, She's dead too. God damn it, so it really didn't matter if I tried, she would've ended up dead.
"Huh, so that's how it is. And I'm guessing since there's no way out. I'm stuck here."
"That would be correct, though I'd highly advise that you perhaps go along with the second chance." That voice, it's so enticing, so motherly!
I have no regrets in the past. Wait, no.
I didn't say farewell to my family, not that I think they'd mind after what I did. My parents have already disowned me and outed me out the house, I'm pretty sure mom will forever be pissed at it. And dad would either just never talk to me or never see me as his kid again. And still..
Man, I do have a lot of regrets.
Actually. Let me count some more. My nihilistic and somewhat pervy side usually gets me into trouble.
Fuck it, I'll bite. I'll take that second chance offer.
I wonder where I'll be sent to? Is this going to be an isekai? A magical world would be nice.
"Alright. I'll take up that second chance. Though,
I'm wondering where I'll be sent to."
The woman crosses her legs. Criss cross applesauce. Somehow a melody from elementary pops in as she does that. She still floats, rocking left to right.
"You'll be sent to a world called zenith, much of it will remind you of your past world. But, know that it is completely different in some cases. There you'll be reborn as a child and live through your entire life there!"
"Is there anything else I'd want to know?"
"Well, there is one thing." She leaned in closer to me. The blurred face is still blurred as hell. But now I could make out that she has a mouth but no eyes.
"Let me guide you through your second life. The reason I said it would be different in some cases is because of the danger inside it. That world is filled with monsters and beasts that roam it. I'd be a shame to have you become a meal for someone at such an early age."
Bingo. We got ourselves a magical world! Before I was disowned by everyone, I was very into that high fantasy stuff. All those anime where the characters are pulled into a new world. All of that knowledge was finally coming through.
But it would be wise to follow this woman's advice. I have no idea what's in this new world, and frankly, I have no intentions of dying due to some foolery I get myself into again.
And thus, I agreed to her deal. Her conditions on following her guides were…loose to say the least.
I'd still retain my memories of my past, but I shouldn't tell anyone about them. I should also follow her guides as closely as possible,
And lastly, "Feel free to do what you will once the task I've given you is done!" She said sweetly.
"Now hold on, what kind of task?" I asked.
I couldn't really trust this lady, I mean, her free life attitude was ticking me off.
"Oh, you'll see. At some point when it comes. I'll awaken you in your dreams to give you the task!"
"That still doesn't explain anything."
Her demeanor changed. Not that I could see her face, but her presence went from that happy go lucky to an uncomfortable feeling.
"Do you not want to be powerful? I know your whole story. You've been brought down by your own Allies and hit the bottom. I know that you feel insecure of others now. You can't trust me, so be it. My advice is here to give you a better life. You can follow it or not, but.." she spoke so fast and suddenly fell off.
"You won't end up back here."
"…"
"I know you see me as one who is just using you, but know that I don't mean any harm, but only to guide you. You can trust me" she leaned into me, now with that happy demeanor she came with. There was something not quite right with what she said.
But what could I do? I couldn't really do anything about this at this point. At this point I'm just under her arms now. Staying dead is an option, but…the ways I can redeem myself…
"Any more questions?" She asked again.
There weren't really any questions I could think of anymore. There were mostly just worries. the fact that my memories would still be intact, all that knowledge from the past wouldn't really matter if it couldn't apply to whatever this new world is.
"I got nothing, go ahead and send me." I reluctantly said.
"Now, before I let you get reborn. I will tell you my name." She held her hand up, ready to snap.
"From this day forward, you will be reborn anew in the land of zenith. You will be under my guidance, and lead a powerful life. You are under Arael, The goddess of death!" She smiled, a long grin stretched from ear to ear.
And with a snap, the world turned black.