After looking around and found nothing. Nero came into conclusion that the voice is coming inside his head.
_____________________
"I do not reside inside your tiny brain, Child."
_____________________
Nero frowned and ask, "Then what are you? Is this a dream?"
_____________________
"I am the entity that guides souls from the void to achieve reincarnation. For your second question, you are already dead.
_____________________
"W-wha... A-am dead? How can that be... " Nero was lost of words and couldn't believe what he just heard.
Then, a flood of memories rush over his brain causing a sudden headache. The memories of his whole life till its end flash over him.
"Ma? Pa? Bro? Abby and Gabby? Grandma?" Nero broke into tears as he saw his parents crying beside him while his brother were trying his best to do CPR. Nero cried and cried until his tears dried up.
...
Seconds turn into minutes, minutes turn into hours.
Nero finally sober up and has stopped crying. His eyes became bloodshot.
As if the voice understood his pain, it keep quiet. When it notice that Nero had calm down, it spoke once again.
_____________________
"Human after looking at your doing in your life we've found out that you were a good person. A good person who have help people whom needed help. Furthermore, you are selfless. You have passed the test and will not need to go through purgatory.
You have also been granted to pick 2 cards which will be belong to you for eternity. So choose wisely.
Each cards will give you superpower that will be great help for your survival in your next life.
The cards will be shown to you after a while.
_____________________
"In spite on that fact that all of this were still unbelievable and he also still couldn't believe that he had already died and will be given a chance to reincarnate.
Swooooooooosh~
Then, suddenly, a deck of cards appeared from thin air. One by one the cards arranged themselves in horizontal grid formation.
The cards information was shown and the cards appearance were like the old school Yu-Gi-Oh! cards where there is an image and description in text just below the image. The back appearance is a dark vortex that is moving slowly like a galaxy.
Nero was amazed to the scene when the deck of cards floated into air and form horizontal grid formation. He then went to check the cards and was amaze once again, "Isn't this the Bible of Darkness from Gods Domain!"
_____________________
Bible of Darkness
The holder of this book shall reign the underworld. It was written by Baal himself and can give its user the power to summon and command demons.
_____________________
He then check the other cards and was too astonished to speak.
"A-aren't these the weapons and items from the games I played before!"
_____________________
Blades of Chaos
The Blades of Chaos, forged in the foulest depths of Hades. Once attached the blades remained so, chained and seared to the flesh, a part of the bearer's body. A permanent reminder of Kratos' pledge.
________________
Leviathan Axe
The Leviathan Axe has several runes inscribed on the blade that grants it different powers, among them the use of ice, and the ability to recall the weapon from any distance.
_____________________
"W-weapons from the God of War franchise!" Nero shouted in excitement.
The other cards were weapons and items from other games like, League of Legends, Dota 2, Darksouls, Dishonor, and many more.
Nero have played many different games, but he mostly plays dark fantasy games where sword and magic is the main theme.
Nero quickly plucked out the cards he wanted and the voice that have been dormant until now spoke, "You can only pick 2 cards. Any more than that you will be punish and will be unable to pick even 1 card."
After hearing that, Nero feel dejected as he was reminded of the harsh truth. He quickly let go of the cards and the falling card quickly came back to their former position.
Then, Nero notice 1 card that he yet to check. It was located at the very corner on the last column of the grid. The card appearance were nothing like the others because it has only plain appearance. Furthermore, the vortex like galaxy at the back isn't moving at all and cracks is all over the card.
Although there are cracks on the card it was still readable. The image is a little unreadable, but it can still be shown. Inside the image was like a hologram.
_____________________
Item Shop
Can make your imagination become reality for a price.
_____________________
The item description was just simple and 1 sentence only unlike the other cards that some of them were even 4 paragraphs long.
_____________________
"Human if you pick this card you will not be able to pick an another one.
_____________________
"W-what!?" Nero shouted with contempt written all over his face. But after for a while he calm down and started to gather his thoughts.
"Can make my imagination become reality?" Nero said as he frowned. He was thinking if he should pick this one or he should pick 2 card.
He was in deep thought when the voice spoke again.
_____________________
"Human you have been in here for 2,531 years now. Time flows much faster in the space. If you don't reincarnate soon your soul will disappear for eternity."
_____________________
"What? 2,531 years! Why haven't you told me earlier!?" Nero shouted in anger.
"I've been dead for nearly 3 thousand years!?"
"Wait... It said time flows much faster inside here. So maybe I just been dead for like 24 hours in Earth's time?"
_____________________
In Earth's time you've been dead for 10 years now. Your family has already moved on from your sudden death.
Did you think the moment you die you will immediately got in here? Naive!
There is a line of souls lining to get reincarnated. Each soul is only given 3 thousand years in this space confinement.
If the soul failed to reincarnate, it will disappear for eternity.
Few souls were given an opportunity like yours to have a soul item the moment they reincarnate.
As of this date, it is already 2,865 years. You are running out of time!"
_____________________
"What? We just been talking for like less than a minute!" Nero shouted. He still holding the [Item Shop] card on his hand.
_____________________
"Times up. Good Bye."
________________
"Wai..." Before he could finish his sentence. Nero was blinded by light.
...
"Wait~!" Nero shouted like he was waking up from a nightmare.
Nero frooze as the sight before him. The previously lifeless space that only ocean water and skies could be seen is nowhere to be seen.
Instead, he was meet with children beating other children's in a dark alley.
"O-oh~ look who's awake." one of the kids said as he hold his wooden stick high up and plan to strike down at Nero's head.
"What... What's happening?" Nero thought.
"Look at his face, hahaha... He must be scared now hahaha..." one of the kids who is holding a wooden stick said.
"Right. Right. He fainted first without even getting touch yet hahaha..." a fat kid beside the one with the stick said while laughing out loud.
The other kids also laughed.
Nero look at his surroundings and saw a kid with blood and bruises all over his body.
"So these bum beats is threatening?" Nero thought.
"So why am I in here?" Nero said to himself.
"Look here, young men. I still don't understand what's going on here, but please put that down first." Nero said as he wave his right hand like he was shooing a fly.
"Look here???" the kid with a stick said.
"..."
"Ha! HaHaHa!"
"HAHAHA HAHAHA!"
The kids laugh and the loudest was the kid with a stick.
"It doesn't make any sense at this point." Nero said to himself with confuse look on his face.
"I'm still Nero Eshwald, a 20 year old young modern man!" He said a little pissed off.
"Even though the world was in locked down for almost 3 years. I know how to fight kid!" Nero shouted inwardly.
"You are dead to me today!" the kid with a stick shouted he raise the stick up high and aim for Nero's head.
"I'll make sure to teach him a lesson. I'll block that slow swing first!" Nero shouted inwardly.
He reach out his arms, but it was out of reach.
"...Huh?"
"It's short?"
"My hand... Why is it short...?"
"It can't be this short, right?"
"I can't block the attack the attach if its this short"
Nero was confused with his hands still reaching out to block the attack.
Thud~!
The wooden stick hit its target. A loud thud has been made by the sheer force of the impact.
"You bastard! You still don't understand? You still don't understand!?" The kid with a stick shouted as he repeatedly hit Nero with his wooden stick.
Aaaaaaack!
Auaccck!
Kuuuaaackkkk!
"S-spare me!!!" Nero shouted at the top of his lungs.
...
An hour later after the beatings ended.
Nero was at the center of a plaza where a giant fountain is at. He sat at the fountain while tending to his wounds.
He have plug on his noise made of his own clothes 'cause by a nosebleed. Cuts and bruises all over his body especially his head.
"O-ouchy. Ouchy."
"Those damn brats, I was never beaten this bad in my past life."
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Nero' feet was dip in fountain water and created splash of water as he shake his legs on it.
"... Anyhow."
"Who is the child I see from the reflection of the water!?" Nero shouted inwardly.
"Why am I not reincarnated with my previous body?" Nero said inwardly as he pinch his own check while look at his own reflection.
"Hey!" someone shouted.
Nero look at the direction and saw the kid from before. "Hey, you are the kid I saw before I was beaten up. You are the one who got beaten up first and fainted, right?"
"...Uhm" the kid nodded.
"Uno is always like that, but he went overboard today..." the kid said while scratching his chin.
"Hehehe... So that's the kid name." Nero giggled while muttering these words.
"Have he lost his mind?" the kid thought as he saw Nero giggling.
Nero stops laughing and said, "One thing."
Nero reach out his hand while his index finger pointing up.
"???" the kid was confuse.
"... No, let me ask you three things." Nero said and change his hand sign into 3 fingers up. Nero look at the kid straight to the eye.
"...?" the kid keeps quiet.
Then, Nero spoke first, "Me, Who am I?"
"..."
"I don't know." the kid replied after a while.
"What? You don't know?" Nero replied with a loud voice.
"Isn't that obvious? We orphans do not have names. Only Uno and his gangs have names. They gave themselves names." the kid said with a look that says, "Why are you acting weird now?"
"Hmmm, for the second question. Where are we?" Nero asked.
"Another weird question." The kid thought. "We are at the town of Linus in the land of Icarnus."
Nero frowned as he have zero knowledge about this world.
"For the third and last question. How old are you and me?" Nero asked.
"I don't know." the kid replied.
"You don't know again!?" Nero replied a little pissed off and clenched his fist.
The kid saw it and got a little scared. "I'm really telling the truth! I don't know! Who cares about birthdays and our age! We are just abandoned orphans who were begging for money."
Nero slightly calm down and said, "Okay. Okay. Calm down I'm not gonna hurt you."
Nero notice the gazes from the crowd like they were looking at bugs. In that moment, Nero notice the fancy clothes the crowd was wearing.
"Oh no." the kid said.
Noticing the look on the kid face, Nero asked him, "What is it? Why are you making that look?"
"R-run!" the kid shouted and quickly ran off.
"Run? Run for what?" Nero said.
At that moment, a gust of wind pass him. Then the kid who ran first at him was seen floating mid air while struggling. He was like fish in the water but cannot move.
"What!? How can you float!"
That's when Nero notice the previously kids who are begging on the streets were nowhere to be found and some of them were even hiding inside of a trash can.
"W-what's going?" Nero shouted. He notice the crowd were looking up while clapping their hands.
Nero too look up at the skies and saw an unbelievable sight. A human was floating!