Before his death, Ken was a bright scientist who also enjoyed manga and anime. He had a memory-related medical issue, which, together with his high IQ, contributed to his success as a great scientist.
After dying, Ken William found himself in a bewildering landscape, enveloped by an all-consuming darkness that left him disoriented and vulnerable. He struggled to make sense of his surroundings.
"Am I dead? Or am I in a coma and all this is leftover oxygen talking in my head?" he asked himself, his voice echoing in the void.
He was standing, but when he looked down, there was nothing to stand on, as if land did not exist. There was only pitch-black darkness beneath his feet. Looked around but found nothing but vast darkness and an infinite number of glowing spheres encased in bubbles that shimmered with a faint glow in the void.
"What are those things?" Ken said to himself. He tried to touch one of the bubbles, expecting a satisfying pop. But his hand met nothing; the bubble moved out of the way. Despite multiple attempts to touch them, he found that he could not make contact with glowing spheres as they always escaped from him.
A faint light flickered in the distance, drawing him forward. As he approached, he could see a figure blowing bubbles. Before he could speak, the person turned to face him.
It wasn't a human, not in the traditional sense, but was in the shape of a human. Two legs, two hands, and a head. He was much like an entity called the Truth from the Fullmetal Alchemist series. The being radiated an otherworldly luminescence, its form shifting and swirling like smoke.
"Hello, Mr. William," the being said.
"Is this heaven or hell?" Ken said, accepting his fate that this is the afterlife.
The being laughed and replied, "Neither, Mr. William. This place is beyond even heaven or hell."
Ken was a little confused by the strange reply. He asked, "If this is not heaven or hell, then where am I?"
The mysterious being replied, "This is... the celestial void. This is where imagination is forged into reality and reality back into imagination."
Scepticism flickered in Ken's eyes. "Are you the God of the afterlife?"
The being's form rippled. "Well, that's a tough question," they replied. "I am, and I am not. A god is a mortal construct. Compared to that, I am much more."
Ken thought about this for a moment before speaking again. "Why am I here?"
The mysterious being smiled and remarked, "You have to make decisions, and I am here to offer you choices and assist you in making those decisions."
The being blew another bubble, and Ken watched as it floated away into the darkness until it disappeared. Ken had always been a firm believer in science and logic, and the idea of supernatural entities seemed absurd to him. He was a fan of anime, but only because he had no friends, and those stories were his coping mechanism.
He looked at the mysterious being with newfound curiosity and asked, "Who are you then, Mr. 'More than a god'?"
The being blew another bubble and said, "I am a concept and an idea of birth and beginnings, Mr. William. A force that exists beyond your limited understanding."
Suddenly, Ken heard a popping sound behind him. He turned to look and was shocked to see another similar being grinning wickedly.
"I did not even realise someone was behind me," Ken remarked.
"I am the End. Well, as my name implies, people usually do not see me coming." The new being shot back, popping a few bubbles. "You may also address me as the End."
"And you call me Mr. Beginning," the other figure said.
Ken felt a chill run down his spine as he realised the full extent of Mr. End's power just from his name alone. He had a feeling that this being was not to be trifled with.
"Mr. End, so this is it?" Ken finally choked out. "My judgement?"
Mr. End replied, "Perhaps. But first, my brother has some more explaining to do."
Mr. Beginning asked Ken, "Mr. William, do you see these bubbles around us?"
Ken looked around again and then asked, "What are those bubbles? They can't be ordinary, can they?"
Mr. Beginning replied, "Yes, Mr. William. These are not mere bubbles. Go ahead and examine one. Peer into its depths and witness the wonders it holds."
Ken reached out and tried to grab the bubble again. To his surprise, the bubble didn't touch his fingers but hovered mere inches above his outstretched palm, much like the Rasengan. As he stared into it, he found himself being sucked into it.
What he saw within was beyond his wildest imaginings. It wasn't just a simple sphere of air but a portal to another world entirely—no, an entire reality unto itself. He travelled into galaxies and saw stars and planets pass by him.
One particular blue planet caught his eye, its familiarity tugging at something deep within his consciousness. Yet, as he studied it closer, he realised that, while similar, it was subtly different from the Earth he knew.
"Is that... Earth?" Ken asked, his voice filled with wonder.
Mr. Beginning's voice echoed softly around him. "No, it's not called Earth, Mr. William; it is called Planet Vegeta by its occupants. We are quite fond of stories born from there; you might too have heard them also."
Just then Ken fell into a black hole, and his existence stretched out. He shouted from the top of his lungs, and the next moment he found himself back in the same place he was in earlier, the void.
As Ken stood there, overwhelmed and disoriented, his gaze was drawn back to the bubbles, each one pulsating with an inner light.
Mr. End was laughing, "Hahaha, it is always fun watching them fall into the black hole. They all shit themselves at that moment."
"Universes," Ryu said, ignoring Mr. End's comments while gasping for air.
Mr. Beginning replied, "Indeed, Mr. William. Multiverses, to be precise. And collectively, all of them are called the infinite-verse. But you've grasped the essence, it seems."
Ken couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.
"But why show me this?" Ken finally found his voice, his words laced with a tremulous mix of wonder and trepidation. "Why grant me this glimpse into infinity?"
Mr. End's response was blunt as he said, "Why else? To broaden your horizons, of course. To give you a taste of the grand scale of things so that you can make an informed decision. It's like showing you the menu before you order at a restaurant."
"From all the people in my universe, why me?" Ken asked, trying to appear calm despite the rising tide of trepidation within him. "And for what purpose?"
"Amusement, Mr. William," Mr. End said, popping another iridescent bubble with a casual flick of his finger. "Entertainment in this endless expanse can be scarce. It's not all fun and games, creating universes and ending them. Sometimes, we need a bit of... spice."
Mr. Beginning then said, "You see, comic relief is what gets the two of us going in this vastness of the void. Even the architects of existence can succumb to boredom."
Unimpressed with their reasoning, Ken sarcastically retorted, "So you yank a random soul out of existence to play Jester? It seems a tad excessive, wouldn't you say? How about a good book, or perhaps a subscription to the latest multiversal Netflix? I hear 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' is quite popular across multiple dimensions. Or maybe you could try knitting? I hear it's very relaxing, even for cosmic entities."
Mr. End smiled at his humorous response and remarked, "This kid is funny; wouldn't you agree, brother?"
"Oh, that wit is certainly entertaining," Mr. Beginning agreed with a nod. "But rest assured, Mr. William, this is no mere joke. We have grand designs in mind, and you play a pivotal role in entertaining us."
Mr. End said, "Yes, dear Ken, you were not chosen at random. We chose you for a reason."
Mr. Beginning seemed to sense his confusion and clarified, saying, "Mr. William, you see, we have decided to use you for our entertainment. We will drop you into a story whose resolution is predetermined, yet we hope for a different outcome; therefore, your role comes into play, and we will watch to see how things play out with you in the story."
Ken asked, "But if the resolution is predetermined, how can there be a different outcome? Doesn't that violate the laws of causality?"
Mr. End's laughter boomed through the void. "Oh, Ken. Your understanding of causality is but a drop in the ocean of true cosmic law. In the multiverse, every possibility exists simultaneously. We merely... nudge things along, adding more possibilities by doing this, thus creating new stories for us. You can think of it as a fanfiction take on your old favourite stories."
"Just another reincarnation tale," Ken said, his expression emotionless. On the inside, though, he was intrigued. The concept of reincarnation had always captivated him, and now he had the chance to actually experience it, albeit under strange and unsettling circumstances.
Mr. Beginning answered, "Yes, Mr. William. A typical reincarnation story, as you said. Are you up for it?"
Ken pretended to think about it, wanting to avoid appearing too eager. He knew that Mr. Beginning and Mr. End were watching his every move, studying his reactions like a pair of cosmic scientists observing an experiment.
"You know," Ken said, trying to keep his voice steady, "in all the reincarnation stories I've read, there's always a catch. Some cosmic joke or twist of fate that the protagonist has to overcome. What's mine going to be?"
Mr. End replied, "Ah, that would be telling, wouldn't it? Where's the fun in knowing all the plot twists before the story begins?"
Mr. Beginning leaned forward and said, "We've been watching you, Ken. Every decision you made, every victory and setback, all painstakingly documented in the fabric of your existence."
"You were always different," Mr. Beginning continued, his tone a mixture of admiration and pity. "The brightest are often the most burdened, you see, and the most driven. You dedicated your life to finding cures for diseases that plague humanity."
Mr. End chimed in and said, "Qualified in physics, chemistry, botany, biotechnology, and genetics," he listed, his voice tinged with admiration, "you were widely regarded as the century's genius. You even provided your results to the world for free, refusing to profit off of the suffering of others."
"Ultimately, tragedy struck when you were involved in a devastating accident," he began, his voice laden with empathy, "leaving you completely paralyzed. You then donated all of your fortune to orphanages and organs for the destitute before ultimately meeting the end. Pun intended."
Ken listened intently. Finally, after a long silence, he broke the tension and asked, his voice barely a whisper, "So you are giving me this chance because I lived a good life?"
"Oh, your life was not good even after all the good you did. We are offering you this chance because of that and because of the good you brought to the world, and we hope you will bring similar good to your next world," Mr. Beginning continued.
"So, are you up for it?" Mr. End asked, his voice filled with anticipation. "Ready to trade in your lab coat for a hero's cape in another world?"
Feeling the weight of the decision before him, Ken inhaled deeply. Finally, with a broad smile on his face, he said, "I am in. Let's see what you have in store for me. Let's do it."