"Alright, let me introduce myself."
I was your average guy—or maybe not so average, depending on who you ask. I had my passions: manga, anime, sports. I was a master manipulator, good at getting what I wanted by reading people and pulling string, usually without them realizing it. I enjoyed it, to be honest. Life felt like a game, and I was winning.
I had... well, a lot going on. A lot of skeletons in the closet, and maybe some skeletons with a few secrets of their own. Like the time I ended up in a relationship with my college math teacher. Mrs. Sato. Married, beautiful, and completely unaware that I'd been pushing all the right buttons to get what I wanted.
Looking back, I wonder if any of that mattered in the end. Because I never saw this coming. I died. I don't even know how. One second, I was walking down the street, minding my own business. Then... nothing. A flash, a strange pressure, and now...
Here I am, standing in the middle of an endless white space, as empty and silent as the void.
I blink, trying to focus my thoughts. That's when I notice the figure ahead—a man, old and wrinkled, sitting calmly on a chair as if he's been waiting for me. His eyes meet mine and a shiver runs down my spine. There's something off about him.
"Where... where am I?" I ask, my voice echoing back.
The old man just smiles slightly, his expression unreadable. "A place between life and death," he replies in a voice that feels ancient, carrying layers of thing unsaid.
I step closer. "So... who are you?"
"Does it matter?" he says with a faint smirk. "The important thing is what happens next."
I cross my arms, feeling strangely calm despite it all. "Fine, then. What happens next?"
The man's smile widens just a bit. "You will be given a second chance—a chance to be reborn. A new life, a new world."
My eyes narrow. "Wait, like reincarnation? You're serious?"
The old man nods, but there's a glint of something—amusement, maybe—in his gaze "Indeed. And I think you'll find this new world... interesting."
I pause, a crazy thought forming in my head. "Are we talking about fictional worlds here? Like, anime and manga?"
The old man chuckles. "What you call 'fiction' has its own reality. Yes those worlds exist."
I'm speechless for a second, processing this. My heart starts racing. An actual fictional world? The chance to live out my own story in a universe I'd only dreamed of? This was better than anything I could have ever manipulated in my old life.
"So, how does this work?"
The old man waves his hand, and out of nowhere, a giant, shimmering wheel appears in the air. On it, words I can barely understand flash and rotate: Power, Gift, Curse... and so many more.
"You'll spin this wheel to determine the power granted to you," he explains, his tone casual, as if this sort of thing happens every day.
Taking a breath, I reach out and gave it a solid spin. It whirs and spins, colors and words blurring together. Slowly, it starts to glow down, and finally, it stops on... Ethereal Interface.
The old man nods approvingly. "Interesting. With the Ethereal Interface, you'll have access to a unique system that will help grow and adapt in ways that those in your new world have never seen."
I nod, anticipation bubbling up inside me. "So, which world am I going to?"
With a slight smile, the old man waves his hand again, and another wheel appears— this one labeled with the names of different worlds. Naruto, One Piece, My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball, Pokemon... and then my heart stops as I see it: Bleach.
I spin it, barely daring to hope, and watch as the wheel slows... and lands on Bleach.
The old man's eyes glint. "It seems that fate has chosen."
Bleach. The world of Soul Reapers, Hollows, and power beyond human understanding. It's perfect. I'm already imagining the possibilities, the power I could achieve.
The old man stands, nodding as if he's satisfied. "Then I wish you luck... You'll need it." His voice is quiet, but there's a strange finality to it.
I start to feel a tug, something pulling me away from the white void, and just as the world begins to dissolve around me, I hear his murmur, almost to himself, "This should be interesting."
And then, I'm gone.
...
Hello, everyone hopefully you liked this first chapter and if so you did then give me powerstones. Bye :D