Sinister peals of laughter echoed inside a cave in the middle of dense forest.
Looking closer inside, one could see that there was an entire small room in the cave.
Books were scattered neatly piled in the shelves along with different colors of potions. In one corner, Ether, a woman with shabby hair and a witch's hat, was meticulously stirring a huge pot. And beside her was a small white dragon who was also laughing sinisterly with her.
When one took a closer look at the pot, smoking purple liquid could be seen. Some bubbles were popping from time to time.
"Kekeke! With this, I will be able to become the most powerful mage that will surpass the skies!"
"And I will finally have a decent rest, hahaha!"
Ether and the dragon looked at each other for a moment, then burst once again in their own eccentric laughter.
Next, Ether pricked her thumb. As soon as the blood dropped on the pot, it glowed vibrantly in red.
"The twenty years of my research. This is finally it! Kekeke!"
"And I don't need to do the trouble of collecting materials!"
Both Ether and her dragon eyes sparkled looking at the pot.
After more stirring, the pot finally became red. "Now it is done," a nasty smile escaped Ether's lips. She scooped a bowl of the strange liquid and prepared to drink it. However before it could reach her mouth, her purple eyes wrinkled.
"On second thought, do I really need to drink this foul smelling potion?"
"Yes! You needed to drink it!" The dragon insisted.
"Ah geez, this is to become stronger!" Ether closed her eyes and drank the bowl of the strange liquid in one gulp.
"Blerghh," Her face showed great disgust.
However as soon as she did that, everything around her started rotating. "Yu, what is happening?" She called out to the dragon, however she couldn't hear anything at all. Everything was echoing.
She fell on the ground. Before she lost her consciousness, the last thing in her mind was.
"Stinky potions are no good."
***
Ether slowly opened her eyes.
Everything around her was surrounded by darkness and deafening silence.
"Did I die?" She smacked her head. "For the greatest archmage alive, to die by drinking that stinky potion. Ah what utter humiliation this is!" She said in utter dramatization and kneeled down as she raised her hands in the air.
{I can give you another chance to live.}
All of the sudden a female voice rang within the darkness.
"Who are you?" Ether kept glancing around, not until a bright light suddenly emerged from nowhere. Ether couldn't help but cover her eyes with the sudden assault of the light.
"Am I getting purged now, for wanting to be the strongest that will reach even the skies?!"
"Hah! So this is it! You gods can't accept that a mere human will become stronger than you! That is why you killed me!"
{Chuckles.}
{You seem to be misunderstanding something. The potion you drank contains poison you fail to neutralize. You should have purified it with magic.}
"Ack!" Ether realized something. 'Hmm. Now that she mentioned that, one of the ingredients has this lime gooey substance. And I simply wash it with warm water.'
Ether kneeled down once again dramatically. "Ah, to die foolishly like this! What a lame death for the greatest archmage living!"
{That is why I'm here to make a proposal for you. I am the Goddess of Misfortune} The light started to turn into a humanoid figure of a woman who was wearing only a seductive black one piece bikini. There was a black and white laced apron partnered with it. And she has cat ears that twitch every moment.
"Ah! Why are you doing a live show now?!" Ether screamed once again as she covered her eyes.
{I don't have any choice. You see I recently lost my job in the heavenly realm and this is my part time job right now.}
"You mean that kind of job?" This time Ether removed her hands and looked at the woman with pity. "Life is surely tough even for a goddess. Ah that's what you meant, you are the goddess of misfortune. Now, I pretty understand that."
{No! I'm serving as a waitress! And this is the required uniform needed there! I'm a waitress!}
"Alright, alright!" Ether covered her ears from the scream of the mysterious woman. "I understand!
{Enough about me. I told you that I can give you a chance to live.}
"Ah, about that." Ether looked away from the goddess. "You don't need to do that."
{What do you mean, you don't need to do that?}
"I don't really need to live." Ether sat in a crossed leg position. "I have been living for three thousand years. In the first place, the reason why I want to become the strongest is because I thought, I can meet people like me, who live a longer life. Since you are a goddess, you must know how lonely it feels to live longer than anyone."
{Nope.} The goddess blatantly disagreed. {The heavenly realm is quite a fun way to live. If I didn't lose all my money in that scam, I would be happier.}
'Argh.' The more Ether hears about this heavenly realm where gods and goddesses live, the more disappointed she gets.
{But I really need your help right now. If you don't want to live again, then I can give you other rewards.}
Ether sighed. "What can a broken goddess like you do to reward me?"
{Ah! Even if I'm like this right now. I still have the power as a goddess to grant you anything you desire.}
'Anything I desire huh?' A rueful smile escaped Ether's lips. "Then goddess, will you become my friend?"
"A goddess can live a long life. If I have someone like you as a friend, I do not need to be afraid of when you will die, because of age. And I'm dead anyways. Having a goddess as her friend for the greatest archmage such as myself, is only befitting." Ether let out a proud laugh.
The goddess seemed startled. {Is that all you desire? Then being your friend will be fine with me?}
Ether let out a chuckle. "Why are you not certain about that? Then tell me, what do you need to help me with? It is only natural about friends to help each other."
{Ah-Erm.} Ether could see the building confusion in the goddess' eyes. However she waited patiently for her to speak.
{Then, the thing is, I want you to reincarnate as one of the side characters I wrote. And save another side character.}
"Live as one of your side characters? And save someone?"
The goddess nodded her head. {Your soul, strongly aligned with that character.}
"Hmm. Then alright. If that is what you want. Tell me what else that I need to do?" Ether stood up this time.
The goddess once again startled at how Ether easily agreed. {You will not ask, why will I ask you to do such things?}
"If you want to play a certain role and save someone, that someone must be important to you, to ask even a stranger like me to help."
The goddess' eyes started to watered. "Ether, thank you so much!"
A bowl containing clear water floated in front of Ether. {You just need to drink that, and you will be reincarnated in that character. As you go on in the process of the reincarnation, I will put all necessary information about the person you need to save and the world you will live from now on.}
"Alright." Ether immediately drank the bowl without a moment of hesitation. Her body started to glow.
{Once you reach that world, I will contact you once again.} Before Ethel could completely disappear, {Ah, one more thing, my name is Ruth!}
"Ruth, huh." Ether smiled. "Then it's nice to meet you, Ruth." And Ethel disappeared completely.
{What a strange soul. But I hope I'm not wrong in choosing you. His life is within your hands now, Ether. Please save him.} Ruth also disappeared and only the darkness remained once again.