*Riiiiiinnnnng*
A school bell rang as the hallway began to burst with teenage students flooding out of the building.
The summer evening shines ever brightly as the students began to rush home from all mandatory educations.
The traditional summer dismissal is all it takes to revert one of the strictest valedictorian students into a couch potato.
Reginald Strix, Senior graduate in one of many public high school institutions, sat in one of the routinely classroom he participated in. The gaming club is having a send off party of their senior members as they enter colleges or universities to further their education. With freshmen to juniors serving pizzas and games, it's the least they could do.
"Alex! Don't forget to call us!"
"Congrats you guys!"
"Don't leave Sarah!"
Everyone seemed riled up for the send off as students wishing best of luck. After all, it was they who started the club in the first place as the president stood by.
"I'm gonna miss this." Reginald chew on a gum as the person next to him nervously rubbed his neck.
"Are you sure I should take over as the dungeon master? I ain't that creative in plotting stuff." The person break a sweat as he smiles a little. It's hard to remember someone's name you've just met, but he does have a pretty good memory.
"It isn't that hard, you just need to put a little effort in character design. Just think of it as one of the players, only that you'll need to create more." He grinned back.
"Besides, you're pretty good at art aren't you? You'll be fine."
"If you say so…" He somewhat nodded as he then walked off to another group chatting about stuff.
"Boy am I gonna miss this place." Reginald thought.
Looking back, it was somewhat solitude before its founding. Overtime, he began to get a good grasp of the dungeon and dragons role playing, since it's close enough to fantasize role playing.
Being the dungeon master was somewhat boring, having to read every rules by the book.
Nevertheless, he left an impressive cohesion in the club. He never thought it will be the day that he'll be moving out from that fantasy.
Might as well make the best of it.
Although the party haven't ended yet, Reginald decided that he doesn't want to stick around, proclaiming his goodbyes into a speech.
'Besides, I got a virtual life that I need to catchup.'
—————
After saying farewells to his friends, he hit the bike's as the sky became cloudy.
'Maybe I should stick around and properly say my goodbyes. It's the least I could do since they made the club more fun.'
Reginald didn't want to feel clingy to others. Everyone has different plans for their future, why should he care what they're doing? Still, he at least give them something to alleviate their gratitude. He spit out the gum he was chewing and road out the campus.
There weren't a lot of cars since the students rushed to go home, giving him a lot of space to move about.
As he rode off, the sky became darker and darker as he noticed.
"Huh… Didn't the forecast said it would be sunny all day? Dam, I should've brought a rain coat at least." For whatever reason, he continue riding alongside the street. Once he reached to the very peak of a hilly road, he began to ride down, carried by the force of the wind.
Eventually, Reginald felt droplets from the sky until it began to pouring cats and dogs, making it harder to steer in the rain.
Now, he felt extremely anxious. He just remembered something important.
'$hit! My phone and switch are in my backpack! I need to find some cover!' He looked around.
All there were are houses and streetlamp, but even they weren't long nor big enough to cover the street.
As he pedaled as fast as he could, a small light was shining at him.
Perhaps Reginald saw the light at the end of the tunnel when he looked at the sky. As it gets brighter and brighter, he notices that the clouds weren't parting ways.
In a stroke of a second, a paralyzing pain began to spread from top to bottom. It started to burn through out his flesh, digging through his bones.
If one were to witness from a different perspective, Reginald has been struck by lightning.
At the instant the lightning faded away, what's left of him is a burnt husk, on his knees.
He took one last breath until he stumbled to the ground.
—————
As the pain faded away, he began to contemplate.
'Oh gods, what happened!? Why can't I feel my legs?!'
As Reginald tried to look around, he couldn't comprehend where he is, being devoid of all life.
Reginald had a bright prospect. As an agricultural major, he was to inherit his grandparents farm. Even his parents, despite their legitimacy, were happy that Reginald would obtain 150 acres of land since they moved to the big city to avoid doing farm work.
Of all their children, they were sure that Reginald would flourish in managing the land as their parents had.
But now, Reginald has no idea what would happened from now on. He's confident that his grandfather, the holder of the deed, could live a little longer. Enough time for his younger siblings to decide what path they should take.
But then, what would happened to him?
Though he was somewhat a devout Catholic, he thought that there would be an afterlife waiting for him, unless…
Reginald realized that there is nothing after he died. Perhaps the atheist were right about the non-existence of an afterlife, where some believe that the brain is the actual soul and memory of an individual until it's destroyed.
Even so, why is he still thinking?
Reginald thought for a moment, until he appeared in a white space. The sudden brightness caused him to squint his eyes as he moved his hand to cover it.
'A hand? Do I still have my body? No, it does not seem so.' Reginald looked closely as he examined his arm. In his eyes, he sees the arm is a clear blank white just as his chest is.
"You've lost your body in an accident." A voice of a woman and a man echo throughout the space.
Reginald quickly looked around, despite the difficulty of turning since he's floating.
"Fear not my champion, I have summoned you for a greater purpose." It said.
Reginald was stunned by the revelation that was before him.
'A great purpose? Was my death not a coincidence?'
"A-Are you the one who struck lightning at me?"
"Indeed, wasn't your death extraordinary? I've been cropping up a unique scenario to dignify it."
Reginald was again stunned by the entity proclamation. He had a bright future given to him, only to be taken away by fate.
"But why did you kill me?"
"As I stated before, it's for a greater purpose. You humans should be genuinely gratified getting the chance to prove yourself useful."
"That's only when we believe that we have a higher purpose. I honestly don't know what the hell you are, you distorted poser."
The entity finally has someone to reason with. Usually, humans were too fearful of it or some believe that they're the chosen ones to be isekai-ed to another world the moment it reveal itself.
"What are you?"
Reginald tried to look turn his body, looking where that voice is coming from.
The entity snickered at his futile attempt to search for it. After all, Reginald is in its domain, thus it never has the need to have a body.
Nevertheless, to simplify for its champion, it will have to adopt a familiar form.
As Reginald tried to spin around, he felt a force turning him to one specific direction to his left.
Standing there is a beautiful women with white hair in her twenties, wearing a green toga with golden trims at the edges of her skirt. Her rainbow eyes glittered like jewelry as the silver crown laid upon her head gleamed off the light.
"So you're a women? What's with the deep voice?"
"This is only a form you can comprehend. As of matter of fact, where you'll be going is what the inhabitants should believe in. You'll grace them as the goddess blessing to the world, bringing forth a new age where I reign supreme."
"You want a Christian to polarized some people? Oh the irony of that statement. You do realize it's not an entirely good idea to give these poor folks you're about to harass by sending a missionary?"
Reginald statement only given her a sly smile. She then snapped her finger a bible into existence.
"My dear champion, why do you think I summon you in the first place? After all, there are better delusional zealots than you could ever try. Deep down, I know you question your belief the moment you enter my domain. Even this mere bible, an object of your patron, can't be denied by me."
She was right. What other excuse could Reginald try to defend his belief if he had never been fully devoted to such faith.
"Then why me? If there are indeed people who may be suited to convert others to your faith, why choose a non-believer?"
She burn the Bible to a crisp as she moves closer to his face.
"Isn't it obvious, you have the mindset to become something so great, that you're undermining yourself. Even now, this discussion we're having makes me want to see more what you'll do, as your behavior and morals dictate your actions, Reginald. Besides, you know the game of three houses better than anyone else for that matter."
"You already knew my name, but I have no idea who you are. Also, did you mean Fire Emblem: Three Houses?"
"Now you're getting it, always focusing what's in front of you. You may call me Minerva, goddess of azure."
"Cringy title, lady."
"It's Minerva. As of now, I should send you on your way to your new life."
"Now? Will I ever see you again?"
She tilt her head. Reginald couldn't tell if she haven't thought of that or was arbitrarily about it.
"Whenever I feel like it."
Thus Reginald appeared in the void once more. He couldn't believe she just send him wherever she feels like it. Even so, he doesn't seem to be in Fire Emblem.
Then, there is another light at the end of the tunnel.
'God not again.' Reginald thought this would be the last that he started to cry out. A large hand seem to hold him high as he heard someone said
"The child is a boy!"