When he opened his eyes, there was nothing.

No light, no sound, no ground beneath his feet, just pure, unending darkness, an abyss without direction or form. His mind struggled to make sense of his surroundings, but there was nothing to anchor him, nothing to grasp hold of.

The sensation of being utterly alone, untethered to reality, flooded his consciousness. Panic stirred within him, but it was faint, as though some deeper part of him resisted the fear.

A strange calm mingled with the unease, it was ethereal, like he was incapable of feeling fear anymore. What happened, was his emotional cortex destroyed?

Millions of thoughts filtered through before he realized, he couldn't feel his body. There was no sensation of touch, no weight, no pulse of blood through his veins. 

There was no feeling of breathing, of the air against his skin, of needing to close his eyes and blink. There was strangely, nothing.

Just... void.

Then, a memory broke through the haze.

The truck.

It hit him all at once. He had died. It wasn't a dream, wasn't an illusion. His mind replayed the final moments: the screech of tires, the sharp pain as metal and bone collided.

He remembered standing at the edge of the street, a blur of motion, the harsh impact...bleeding out, then nothing. And now, here he was.

The realization hit him like a second blow.

This is death.

He had died, body buried an all and his life had been over. He wondered about his family, his sister whom he took care of for over 20 years since their parents died when she was 4 and he was 12, she was now alone without him.

Truthfully, she was the only light in his darkness, everything else was terrible in his past life, and he could find some peace in death. All he could hope for was that his sister lived a good life in his death.

But if he was dead, where was he? His mind scrambled for answers. Heaven? Hell? Some sort of limbo?

No answer came. The silence stretched on, oppressive and thick, pressing in on him from all sides. Just as the suffocating quiet threatened to overwhelm him, a ripple coursed through the void. Something, someone, was there. He could feel it.

Then a voice, deep and resonant, echoed in the darkness. It was not quite male or female, not quite human or inhuman, something beyond either.

It carried an impossible weight, like the sound of a truth spoken from the beginning of time itself.

"You have died," it said simply.

He turned, or tried to. Again, no sensation of movement, only the awareness that the darkness had shifted. Before him, a shape began to form, something far more solid than the endless blackness surrounding it.

A figure emerged, draped in what could only be described as light made of shadow, a paradoxical being that seemed to exist both as a presence and an absence.

"I am the Messenger of The Presence," it spoke again. "You met The Presence upon your death."

The words, though cryptic, stirred something within him.

The Presence?

Had he met some divine force? Was that...God?

"Yes, The Presence has many names. God, One Above All, Supreme Being to name a few. He oversees all of existence, and I am simply his messenger." The Messenger said, as if reading his thoughts.

"You are wondering where you are. This place, this emptiness, is the threshold between what you were and what you will become. A crossroads. And your past... well, it is no longer relevant."

The Messenger's voice grew soft, almost as though it was pitying him. "You requested to be free of it."

The man blinked, or so he thought, though, in this formless state, it felt like a mere mental reflex, a normal reaction, "Free of what?"

"Of yourself," the Messenger answered. "Your life, your memories, your pain. You still have some memory of your life, your sister, the things you loved. But your past life was awful, when given the option, you chose a restart, to live a new live free of your past burdens, with only your subconscious will."

The truth in the words struck him like a bell ringing in the vastness. Yes, something deep inside agreed.

I wanted to forget! 

Images, fleeting, painful, flashed through his mind. A childhood marred by cruelty. Betrayal. Loneliness. The crushing weight of failure, loss, and regret.

His life had not been one of joy but of hardship, a struggle that had left him hollowed out. He had wanted release. He had wanted to forget who he was, to be someone, anyone, else.

Those memories slowly began fading, already being deleted more and more. At this point, he could barely remember what his sister looked like.

He didn't speak, but the Messenger answered the unspoken question. "You wished to be reincarnated, but not as you were. You desired a new life, untainted by the burdens of your past. You made sure your sister lived a beautiful life, and ascended to Heaven."

As the Messenger said that, a weight was released from his non-existent heart. The last thing he clung onto, his sister, the one he gave everything for. At least she would live will, into the afterlife.

The figure took a step forward, and the darkness around them seemed to ripple like water, "The Presence granted your wish."

He swallowed, or imagined he did. "So... I'm going to be reincarnated?"

"Yes," the Messenger replied, its voice as calm as ever. "But not in the way you might expect."

The figure extended a hand, and as it did, four glowing orbs of light appeared, hovering in the air between them. Each one pulsed with a different energy, vibrating with power beyond anything he had ever known.

"These," the Messenger said, "are gifts from The Presence. They are what will shape your new existence."

The first orb, shimmering with a thousand colors, floated closer.

"The Omni-Versal Mind Gem," the Messenger said. "It will grant you the abilities you can't even comprehend right now, beyond ordinary limits. All for you to explore. Use it well."

The man stared at the gem, feeling its power radiating toward him, seeping into his very essence. He could almost hear the whispers of a thousand thoughts, infinite possibilities flickering at the edge of his awareness.

The second orb, a deep, pure white, glided forward next. "The Essence of the Blank," the Messenger intoned. " Simply put, limitless potential, in any and everything. Use it well."

The third orb, glowing with a vibrant green light, came forward next, "The Essence of Eternal Youth." Time will not touch you. You will never age past your prime, eternal lifespan, free of the decay that befalls mortals."

Finally, the forth orb was soft, pulsing pink, radiating an energy both warm and comforting, "The Essence of Sex Master," 

"Your Sexual Ability will become reach the Peak, your ability to forge deep, intimate relationships will transcend the mundane."

The man felt the orb's warmth wrapping around him, as though promising a life filled with companionship and bonds far stronger than anything he had known before.

The Messenger withdrew its hand, and the orbs floated closer to him, their energies pulsing, waiting to be absorbed. The man hesitated, still struggling to comprehend it all.

"Why me?" he asked finally, his voice trembling in the vast silence.

"Because you asked," the Messenger replied. "Because you desired it."

The man closed his eyes, or thought he did, for in this space, it was hard to tell. He could feel the power of the orbs surrounding him, pressing into his very soul.

He had died. He had asked for a new life, a fresh start.

He took a deep breath, not of air, but of courage, and allowed the orbs to merge with him. One by one, they melted into his being, filling him with unimaginable power, reshaping his essence. The Omniversal Mind Gem, the Essence of the Blank, the Essence of Eternal Youth, the Essence of Relationship Master, all of it became part of him.

And as they did, the darkness began to fade.

"You will be born again," the Messenger said, its voice growing distant as the void around him dissolved into light. "Live well."

With those final words, the last remnants of the abyss vanished, and the man felt himself pulled into the light, into his new beginning, free from his past but armed with the gifts of the future.

He had no memory of who he was, but that no longer mattered. The only thing that mattered was what lay ahead.