I snapped awake, breathing heavily. I looked around in confusion to see myself sitting in a sterile, white walled room.
The brightness of the place was overwhelming. I blinked, trying to regain my bearing.
There were no windows in the room and no doors. Just an endless white like I'd been dropped into a dream.
The sound of my breathing bounced off the walls and echoed back to me. I looked around my mind trying to catch up.
The last thing I remember was… pushing the kid out of the way and… dying. Fuck!
I groaned, rubbing my temples, feeling what looked like a migraine setting in. Did the dead have migraines? What the hell was even this place?
That's when I noticed the man sitting in front of me.
He was on the other side of a desk that seemed almost out of place in this white void.
He was middle-aged, with a prominent bald spot and a handlebar mustache that would've looked ridiculous anywhere else, but somehow fit in with the strangeness of the situation.
The man was hunched over a computer, typing furiously. I wondered how I hadn't noticed him before with all the noise his keyboard was making.
Was this… an angel? Was there also a bureaucracy in heaven? Or was I in hell?
I cleared my throat to get the man's attention and he jumped in his chair, his fingers freezing mid-type.
His head snapped up, eyes wide behind a pair of thick glasses.
"Oh! Oh, I didn't see you there!" He exclaimed, looking flustered. "Sorry about that, things have been a bit busy lately."
He cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "Welcome to Heaven."
I blinked, before finally processing his words. I had actually made it to heaven? Thank the lord! I had honestly thought I wouldn't make the cut.
The man gave me a sheepish smile, like he was trying to apologize for how surreal everything was.
"I'm the Administrator. I handle arrivals, you know, people like you who… uh, didn't quite make it through life the way they expected." He gestured vaguely at his computer. "And I'm guessing you're one of those people. Could you tell me your name?"
"Nico." I mumbled. "I, errr…" I trailed off as I lost my train of thought. I had wanted to ask him a question but I'd forgotten what it was.
"You said something?" He glanced at me, noticing the look of confusion on my face and went back to typing. "Oh, that's normal. Soul degradation. Happens slowly to every soul without a body."
His fingers flew across the keyboard, his eyes scanning the screen.
He then frowned as he squinted at whatever was displayed there. Then, he muttered something under his breath. "That's not right…"
He glanced back at me, his face filled with confusion before returning to his screen. I watched him, not knowing what else to do. Then, my mental capacities returned for a short while.
"What's wrong?" I asked, trying to make sense of everything. "I mean… why am I here? What's happening?"
The Administrator didn't look up immediately. He just kept typing, biting his lip as he tried to figure something out.
After a moment, he stopped and turned to face me fully.
"How did you die, Nico?" he asked, his voice softer now as if he was speaking to a spooked animal.
I frowned, thinking back. "I was hit by a truck. I was trying to save this kid who-"
The Administrator held up a hand, cutting me off. "Ah, yes. You helped a young boy, didn't you?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I guess I did. The truck was coming right for him."
The Administrator sighed, shaking his head. "That's the problem. You weren't supposed to intervene. In fact, you're not supposed to be there."
I blinked in confusion. "What do you mean I wasn't supposed to intervene? The kid would've died."
"Exactly." The Administrator said, folding his hands together. "The truck was meant for him."
Seeing how I was still confused, he decided to elaborate.
"You see, that boy… well, let's just say he was part of a cosmic trimming. He was destined to cause a catastrophe, one that would have led to the deaths of over three billion people."
"Three billion people?!" I stared at him in shock, my mind trying and failing to picture how many people that would be.
The Administrator nodded. "Yes. The universe has its ways of ensuring balance, of keeping things in check. That boy wasn't meant to live, but you got in the way."
I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. I'd saved him, only to learn that he was supposed to die. "So… what happened? Is he still alive?"
The Administrator shook his head. "No. After you pushed him out of the way, he was hit by another car from the opposite direction. He died a few moments later."
I sat there in stunned silence, trying to process what he was saying. "So… I died for nothing?"
The Administrator looked uncomfortable for a moment, then he sighed. "Well, yes and no. You weren't supposed to die either, Nico. You were an unnecessary casualty, caught in the crossfire."
I slumped back in my chair, staring at him. "So now what? I just… I just got swept up in all of this?"
He clicked a few keys on his computer again, his expression more focused now.
"Well, not exactly. You see, the universe works on balance. You weren't supposed to die, and because of that, you deserve compensation."
I sat up straighter. "Compensation?"
The Administrator nodded, tapping away at his keyboard again. "Yes. You're going to be given another life. A second chance, if you will."
I leaned forward. "What kind of life?"
"Well…" He hesitated, then turned his screen toward me. "There's an available slot. The abandoned son of a billionaire who is about to… exit the mortal coil. You would take his place."
"A billionaire's son?" I repeated, my eyes wide. A fucking billionaire's son? That's a dream come true.
The Administrator held up a finger. "But, and this is a big but, you won't exactly be safe in this new life. You're not originally part of that world, so the universe will try to erase you."
I sighed. I should've expected something like this. "So, even if I'm given my second chance, the universe will erase me."
He nodded. "Yes. The only way for you to avoid being erased is to become an anchor in that world. You need to make yourself too important, too powerful to be forgotten."
I frowned. "How do I do that?"
"By taking control of your father's empire." The Administrator said, his tone more serious now.
"You have five years to climb over your seven step sisters and your father. Rip the empire from their hands and make it your own. If you succeed, you'll remain in the world. Fail… and you'll be erased."
I stared at him in silence. I had a chance at a second life and had five years to make it mine.
The Administrator leaned back, giving me a small smile. "So, Nico… do you accept this new life? Or would you prefer your soul to be recycled?"
I didn't hesitate. "I'll take it."
I'll be an idiot not to take it. Assuming my soul getting recycled meant I'd be erased and become someone else in a new life, this option was better.
I get to live as a billionaire's son and use all my previous experience at failing to rise again. Another opportunity to achieve my dreams as myself. Of course I'll take it.
The Administrator smiled, standing up and reaching across the desk to shake my hand. "Good choice. You'll retain all your memories, all your experiences. It's the best of both worlds."
We shook hands. "We'll send you a helper to assist along the way, Nico. Good luck."
And just as quickly as our hands disconnected, I snapped back to the present.
The headache vanished, the nausea cleared, and in front of me, the blue box hovered again.
[Assets Calculated.]