Eren stood in the cold, dark yet starry space that separated life from the afterlife. The air was thick, like the moments just before the dawn, where all possibilities existed but none had yet come to fruition.
He remembers being hit by a speeding car while delivering a pizza. Although, he didn't understand, he could somehow feel in his inner self that he was at the boundary of life, where all will be decided.
Around him stood seven other strangers, each a silent witness to the strange turn of fate that had brought them here. Lost in their own thoughts, they appeared frozen in disbelief. Though they were all bound by the same mysterious force, Eren couldn't see them clearly. He realized no one knew how they had arrived, and everyone seemed to share the same confused sense of disorientation. Each of them, like him, was trapped in a moment of unknowing, trying to make sense of the unknown.
A figure materialized before them, shrouded in mystery, its face obscured in darkness. Its presence was so immense that they felt like mere ants in comparison. An unsettling aura filled the air, thick with the weight of impending uncertainty. The being spoke, its voice resonating not just in their ears but deep within Eren's soul, stirring something ancient and primal.
"Welcome otherworlders, you stand on the threshold of a new world full of untold wonders, dangers, and opportunities. In it you will face a series of trials that will test your strength, wit, and resolve. With these challenges, you are each granted a gift an ability or power that will aid you on your journey. But be warned, these gifts come with conditions. Your choices will shape your fate, and the world you enter will change with every step you take. Prepare yourselves, for you have to sign a contract now." the figure said.
The figure raised their hand and from somewhere strange scrolls appeared before each person. The contracts were identical in appearance, old parchment with characters that pulsed softly in the dim light, their meanings obscured. There was no escape. The contracts hung in the air, like fates waiting to be sealed.
"Each one of you will be allowed to choose a power that will assist you in your endeavors, keep in mind the stronger the powers the greater the condition you will have to sign in your contract as it weighs the impact of that power on the world, each time you break one you lose a part of your soul and memories."
Even though the guy looked super scary, I was very excited as I had read novels like these and knew this was my time of distinction, a chance to make something big of my new life. So, I asked, "Hey mister, what kind of world are we going to?" Because I knew there were cultivation, magical, and martial arts like different worlds out there so if I had to choose my power I should know.
And then there was a moment of silence, which I felt was longer than it should have been. It was then he replied," You all will go to a beautiful world named Zofar, where magic and beasts roamed free, where races and kingdoms coexisted, and where every action could change the fate of all who lived here."
One by one, the others stepped forward, some with their hands trembling and faces set with resolve, and towards their contracts. Eren felt the weight of the moment settle upon him, but there was an undeniable pull, an instinct to do what was required, to follow the path laid before him.
When the scroll appeared before him, it felt wrong. The paper felt alive, it then occured to him that this was his soul, that the contract is being made on his soul, it felt demonish but he had no choice.
It read
NAME - EREN JAGUAR
CHALLENGE - KILL THE OTHER 7 PARTICIPANTS
POWER -
CONDITION -
First I was surprised, wondering if others got the same challenge. Then I wrote in the power section "Indestructible" and the contract deemed it as galactic talent , then I saw a list of over 15+ conditions in the contract already which were very absurd , so he understood what the guy meant that strong power comes with HARSHER conditions .So I erased it, and then I tried every power of strong super hero I could think of, but I just didn't like it.
Until I remembered the powerful beasts in the world, that was when I wrote my first power "Beast Tamer who can tame and train any beast " which was also deemed as a galactic talent , so I was surprised and decided to keep the beast tamer part ,and obviously add a system but nerf it a little and then after all the hit & trial he decided on a good power with acceptable conditions.
Now his contract read
NAME - EREN JAGUAR
CHALLENGE - KILL THE OTHER 7 PARTICIPANTS
POWER - (SSS)
#1 BEAST TAMER SYSTEM THAT HELPS STRENGHTEN HIM AND HIS BEASTS
#2 TAME A BEAST OF POWER 3 TIMES OF HIM SHOULD THE CONDITIONS PRESENTED BY THE SYSTEM BE FULFILLED
#3 HAVE AN EXTRA NUMBER OF BEASTS THAN OTHERS AT THE SAME LEVEL
#4 TO BE ABLE TO USE THE POWERS OF THE BEAST HE HAS TAMED
#5 AN EXCEPTIONAL TECHNIQUE INGRAINED INTO HIM BY BIRTH
CONDITIONS -
#1 YOU WILL BE TAMED BY THE BEAST SHOULD YOU FAIL TO FULFILL THE SYSTEM'S CONDITION OR YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH WILL TO TAME THE BEAST
#2 YOU CAN NEVER BE A KING OF A KINGDOM
#3 YOU CAN NEVER HAVE SEX WITH A HUMAN
I read those conditions and was satisfied with them as they were not much except the last one but I believed in myself and prayed for the rest of the races.
In my first life, I had always been the underdog the one who never quite fit in, the one who stumbled through every opportunity, always a step behind. I was the quiet guy in the corner, watching others rise while I remained stuck in the shadows of my own failures. But now, in this second chance, the weight of my past was gone. The slate had been wiped clean, and I could feel the fire burning in my chest. This time, I wasn't going to play it safe. This time, I would make my destiny, carving my name into this world, not as a bystander, but as a force to be reckoned with. No more regrets. No more second-guesses. This time, I was going to take it all.
I looked around, some people had left while some were still on their scrolls. With that I said," I accept the contract. " And the scroll in front of me started to glow as if it was shining a beacon to my new start but just then I heard a sadistic laugh of the man in cape, the one who started it all.
He said," Intresting kid, let's spice it a bit." With that statement he flicked towards my scroll and as I was disappearing I saw that the condition
#3 YOU CAN NEVER HAVE SEX WITH A HUMAN
CHANGE TO
#3 YOU WILL FORGET EVERYTHING THAT WAS IN THE CONTRACT
My eyes widened as i thought that the contract shouldn't be this easy to change. Despite all my strength I couldn't do anything as I was disappearing, except scream, "SHITTTTTTT".
Then the cloacked figure said " That kid carries a bright fate, it'll be FUN watching him.HAHAHAHA"
Eren felt himself slipping forward in the world in his soul form , feeling the pull of the unknown, the excitement and fear both rising within him. There were others around him now—strangers who had also signed their contracts and received their own gifts. But in the depths of his heart, Eren could sense that he couldn't remember what his gift was or what his contract said, but he though it was like that with everyone and then decided to focus on the new start .
A sense of power welled up inside him, though he couldn't fully understand it. He felt as though he had been born again into this wondrous and unpredictable world, where magic flowed freely and powerful beasts roamed the lands, where diverse races and kingdoms lived side by side, and where every choice held the power to alter the destiny of all who called it home.
He could feel his gift vibrating in his soul, as if urging him to unlock its true potential. And yet, there was still so much he didn't know.
The only thing he could remember, despite the missing pieces, was that he had a purpose here.
And somewhere in this world, there was a reason. A reason that might one day remind him of the contract he had signed, the promise he had made and the life he had left behind.
But for now, the world awaited.
And he would meet it head-on, his forgotten contract and all.