The italic should be in Tiamat dialogues and not after that. I'm so frustrated by this because I can't change it.
***
My body felt weightless like I was floating on a watery surface. An ocean, perhaps? I couldn't be sure. I am dead, aren't I?
As if in response, my sense of hearing slowly returned, and I was greeted by the soothing sounds of the ocean, the gentle lull of the waves, and the haunting song of a whale. It was strangely beautiful.
Gradually, my vision returned, and all I saw was an endless expanse of sky blue, like a vivid memory of a summer day from when I was fifteen. The day I killed myself.
It struck me as ironic that I found myself back here. Perhaps it was the same ocean, the same whale that had welcomed me back, even in the afterlife.
But there was no sign of Randy. Would I ever get to see him again this time?
So, this was the afterlife, huh? All the questions and doubts I had about life seemed to point me toward this moment. Was this how I would spend the rest of my existence?
I didn't mind, but it getting on my nerves. It was boring and I couldn't even move at all.
"Shit, what should I do then?" I asked myself. This felt like some kind of punishment being with your own mind with the rest of your consciousness for who knows when.
Suddenly, the sky in front of me changed into night with the golden hue shimmering in the sky. The whale song suddenly stopped and everything felt so quiet. I couldn't even hear the sound of waves anymore. It becomes unsettling.
What's happening now? Was this some kind of God's judgment?
"So you're already dead, huh? That's faster than I thought," a woman's voice chimed in, soothing but oh-so-condescending.
"Who are you? Are you God?" I asked, even though I knew it was a dumb question, given that this voice was nothing like the God who'd announced the apocalypse not long ago.
The voice laughed, "God? I'm more than that! Don't compare me with that brat."
I furrowed my brows, struggling to grasp what she meant by being more than God. What could be higher than God, anyway?
"I am the mother of this world, the source of life, Tiamat," she said with a hint of pride. "You should kneel in front of me since you're just a lesser being."
I sighed, "Well, it's a shame I can't move at all," my tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Hmph!"
Suddenly, everything plunged into darkness. I couldn't see a thing. But within a heartbeat, I found myself facing a woman. She was entirely nude, except for some intricate golden tattoos covering her private areas, forming a shimmering halo around her body.
The tattoo in the center of her chest caught my eye. It resembled a golden-hued sun, casting a striking contrast against her dark skin, a blend of black and deep purple. It enhanced her beauty, making her look truly enchanting.
Her silver long hair cascaded around her, and her piercing red eyes seemed to see right through you.
Adorned with massive golden horns, she exuded a celestial aura, far beyond any human grasp. Every aspect of her presence screamed otherworldly.
Tiamat lounged on a throne of pure gold, the floor turned to shimmering golden sand, and the sky above glowed like a golden aurora.
Ugh, I didn't care how important she was, but me kneeling? No fucking way. She already pissed me off. So I gazed at her with a mix of anger and annoyance.
"Boy, I'll make you a good offer," she said. I remained silent, waiting for her to elaborate.
"I'll give you a chance to come back to life and win every apocalyptic game that idiotic brat makes," her smirk widening.
I pondered her offer. Was playing that game even worth it?
"What if I don't accept it?" I asked.
Tiamat chuckled, putting a hand on her chin, "Well, then you're truly dead. But it'd be a shame if you died here. There's something special about you."
I raised an eyebrow. It always went this way in stories – You will be a chosen one but your fate was shit. So wasn't it better if I just died? Life had already been painful enough.
Before I could voice my thoughts, she seemed to read my mind and said, "Aren't you curious about what happened ten years ago?"
I froze – ten years ago, the time my parents perished in an accident. The sole survivor was me. How did she know that?
She smiled, "What do you even remember before you turned seven?"
I couldn't recall anything. My first memory was in a hospital, with no one around, just a doctor telling me my parents were gone.
After that, my life has been empty, like something missing in me, something important that I couldn't remember.
A few years later, I went to the beach, and it struck me, making me realize that I wanted to be in the trench of the ocean. I wanted to become one with it, hoping to find the reason I live.
That was why I killed myself when I was fifteen.
My furrowed brows deepened as I despised this woman. I detested anyone who pried into my past and my emotions, making me vulnerable.
"Cut the nonsense. What's your offer?" I demanded.
Tiamat rose from her throne and approached me, "Make a pact with me. I'll grant you greater power and ensure your victory in all the games."
I looked up at her, unable to conceal my confusion. Wasn't this too good to be true? Why would something greater than a God hand me power without any strings attached?
"Oh, you're a smart one, aren't you?" She grabbed my chin to make me look at her, "Your fate is intriguing, boy. At the end of your journey, you must free me from this chained realm," she said, revealing the chains on her hands and feet, something I hadn't noticed earlier.
"And I will bestow upon you the Ouroboros, the cursed of fate," Tiamat continued.
I shivered at her words. I wasn't thrilled about my fate, no matter how great it might be. The grander the destiny, the bigger the sacrifices. I just wanted to be an ordinary 17-year-old student!
And that curse – what on earth was that?
"Tell me about the curse then," I demanded, my expression stern. I didn't want to enter into any shady contract with a mysterious being.
Tiamat let out a sigh, looking somewhat uninterested. "You don't need to worry about that. It's not that's serious."
My furrowed brows deepened even further. "Then why did you give it to me?" I was growing annoyed; the situation was getting more suspicious, and she seemed unconcerned.
"Boy, you talk too much, don't you?" she said, crossing her arms with an annoyed face. "That curse is a cursed fate. Whoever bears it will carry the destiny of this world."
"I know it seems daunting, but trust me, it's not all that bad. You'll never regret your decision to stay alive."
There was something in her beautiful eyes that convinced me to accept her offer, to choose life and discover why something greater than God needed me.
I knew it seemed like a scam and was terrified. Imagine waking up one day only to discover that you would be the one burdened with the fate of the world.
But there was also something inside me that yearned for life, just because I wanted to uncover the truth about what had occurred ten years ago.
It continued to gnaw at my subconscious as if knowing the reason behind my desire to end my life held the key to my very existence.
It felt as though my entire life revolved around that one pivotal event – the accident that made me lose everything in life, even my memory.
"If I accept, will you tell me what happened ten years ago?" I inquired with curiosity.
"No, you'll discover the answer yourself, as long as you stay alive," the woman replied, crossing her arms and nodding.
I sighed. What kind of power would she bestow upon me?
"We don't have much time before the devourer of souls arrives to claim yours!" she warned.
"What's that?" I asked, my curiosity piqued, noticing the sky cracking like shattered glass, sending me into a panic.
"Oh, boy, you really don't want to see that," she said, reaching out her arm to me.
I weighed my options. Decisions under pressure weren't my strong suit. Damn, it! The crack in the sky gaped open, like something ready to swoop in and grab me.
I couldn't think straight. But I knew I couldn't simply turn down an offer like this; I would regret it if I did that, and I wanted to uncover the truth about that accident.
So, with a nod, I accepted her hand, and the woman vanished, leaving a to on my wrist – a snake devouring its own tail, the Ouroboros.
Then, a screen appeared before me, a golden one, unlike the usual blue system screen. I heard the woman's voice and read the words on the screen.
{Downloading the system...}
{100% success}
{The "Tiamat" system connects to the server...}
{100% success}
{Incognito mode: activated}
{Welcome to the second system, Tiamat}
I have two systems now?! What the heck?
***
The new cover is Tiamat! Isn't she beautiful? I want to make her golden, like golden hair, eyes, and normal skin. But WN didn't let me put her picture on the cover.
Anyway, after this, all of the MC party would be female!