In the void, a white ball of light drifted aimlessly forward. If one were to zoom in, they might notice it faintly resembled the shape of a human.
"How long am I going to be here?" the soul muttered. "I've been floating around since I slipped off that ladder and the world went black."
The glowing orb continued its sluggish journey toward the next star until a black vortex tore through the void. From within it emerged a man who looked suspiciously like Jim Carrey, casually checking a watch on his wrist. He noticed the soul inching toward him at an agonizingly slow pace.
"I don't have time for this," the entity muttered, exasperated. With a flick of his wrist, the soul suddenly hurtled toward him at breakneck speed.
If souls could make noise, you'd have heard a very distinct, "Huh What WTF AHHHHHH WHY MEEE" before it abruptly stopped, hovering inches from the entity's face.
A few seconds, each feeling like minutes, passed as the soul tried to get its bearings. Then, its hollow eye sockets locked onto the entity, who we'll call Jim for simplicity.
"Please tell me you're a god or something," the soul said. "I've been floating for so long, I'm too tired to be shocked. Send me to heaven or hell. Just no more of this empty silence. I've been talking to myself so long I—"
Jim waved a hand, and the soul's voice cut off mid-sentence. Strangely, its form still quivered as if it were speaking.
"Please be quiet," Jim said bluntly. "I'll answer your questions so we can rush through this. You don't want to be here, and neither do I. First off, yes, I'm a god, but not The God you're thinking of. He's been asleep for eons. Second, you somehow slipped out of the reincarnation process. Don't ask me how; I don't have the time to care. What matters is you're here, and I'm fixing it."
The soul tilted as if to speak again, but Jim raised a finger. "Stop. Here's the deal. You get four spins: one for where you'll go, one for your race, one for an unrestricted power, and one for a restricted power. Everything's based on luck. Whatever fate decides, you get. Oh, and my name's Jim. You don't need to remember it because this should be the last time we meet."
He flicked his hand again, silencing any attempts at protest.
"Wait Why can't I remember my name or my family Everything about them is blurry" the soul managed to shout, once Jim allowed it to speak.
Jim rolled his eyes. "That's because, as I said, you slipped out of the reincarnation cycle. You were halfway dipped into Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, before some space-time anomaly yanked you out."
A piece of paper appeared in Jim's hand, and he skimmed it lazily. "Anyway, let's move on. Stop wasting time."
A set of four massive wheels materialized in the void, each labeled: World, Race, Unrestricted Power, Restricted Power.
"Just press the buttons," Jim said, gesturing as red buttons appeared in front of each wheel.
The soul floated toward the first wheel labeled World and reluctantly pressed the button. The wheel spun violently, shaking as if it might fall apart. Names like Hotel Del Luna, Shrek, and Steven Universe flashed past before the wheel finally stopped on Wicked.
"Ohhh that musical," the soul muttered, recalling faint memories. "Okay, I can work with this. Just please, not as an animal."
Next, the soul moved to the Race wheel. Its options were far less comforting: Phoenix, Human, Frog, High Orc. As the arrow inched toward High Orc, panic set in.
"No no no no I'm not built for this pressure" the soul wailed, clinging to Jim's leg.
Jim scowled and kicked the soul off him. "Get off. That's disgusting. Press the next button."
The soul floated toward the Unrestricted Power wheel and smacked the button mid-spin. It slowed, then stopped on Elsa's Powers.
"YES THANK YOU" the soul shouted triumphantly. "I might be green, but who's gonna stop me now"
Jim pinched the bridge of his nose. "Congratulations. Move to the next wheel."
The soul eagerly pressed the button for Restricted Power, and the wheel spun until it landed on Minecraft EMC Table. A description hovered below: Take up to sixteen of a chosen item each month. Unlock one new item per year. Some items may be restricted to maintain balance.
"Not bad. This could make me a god to some if I use it right," the soul said thoughtfully.
The wheels vanished as quickly as they'd appeared.
"All right, that's it. Time for you to go," Jim said, clapping his hands. A black crack appeared in the void behind the soul.
"Wait What about my par" The soul's words were cut off as it was sucked through the crack into darkness.
When the soul awoke, it found itself in another void. This time, the darkness wasn't oppressive but oddly comforting. Months passed, and the soul became aware it wasn't alone.
"Oh no," it thought. "There's someone else here. One's company; two's a nightmare."
It curled up, trying to make room for the other presence. Eventually, the cramped space became unbearable.
Finally, a white light appeared, and the soul felt itself pushed outward, compressed in the most uncomfortable way imaginable.
The world exploded into noise.
When the baby was born, the room filled with gasps and whispers.
"Why is he green?" a maid asked, her voice trembling.
"And his hair… white? And he isn't crying. Is it… I mean, is he dead?" another maid speculated, her tone hesitant.
A few seconds later, the baby started crying loudly.
"Oh shoot! I almost forgot that," he muttered in relief in his mind.
A faint but firm voice from the bed called out, "Let me see my child."
The speaker was
The baby, whose thoughts were slowly forming, recognized her name Melena Thropp.
Melena cradled the child in her arms, her expression shifting between curiosity and concern. "Honey, why is he green? What should we name him?"
The man beside her, Frexspar, looked ghostly pale, his face contorted in a mix of sadness and fury. He stumbled over his words before practically screaming, "As… Ash… ASHER!" His face flushed red—whether from rage or grief, it wasn't clear.
The reason for his outburst became apparent as he stared at the baby's pale white hair and green skin, which was clear evidence of what he perceived as betrayal.
"GET HIM OUT OF HERE NOW!" Frexspar bellowed, his booming voice shaking the maids into action. They all froze for a moment, wide-eyed with fear, before scrambling to obey.
"NOW! WHAT DO I PAY YOU FOR? SOMEONE GET THIS BOY OUT OF MY SIGHT!"
One servant, a bear-like man, stepped forward and gently picked up the child. "My lord, as you wish," he said with a bow.
Cradling Asher carefully, the bear walked away, Melena's weak cries of protest echoing faintly behind him. He exchanged a brief look with his wife, a silent understanding passing between them.
Outside, the baby finally got a clear look at the servant carrying him. A bear?
The servant looked down at Asher with a gentle smile. "It's okay, little guy. I'm going to make sure you grow up just fine. I, Sam, will always be at your service," he murmured, half to Asher and half to himself.
Hearing this, Asher felt a rare warmth bloom inside him. His powers responded instinctively, and tiny snowflakes began to fall, defying the summer heat.
"What a strange phenomenon," Sam remarked, gazing at the unseasonal snowfall with wonder.
Just then, another bear burst through the doors, her face alight with urgency.
"Honey, she's special!" the woman cried out. "She made everything float in the room. But… she's green too."
Her words reignited the lord's fury, his voice booming once more. "DO NOT BRING THOSE CHILDREN INTO MY PRESENCE!" he screamed from the door
The bears soon brought the two babies together, whispering softly. "Poor things. Life is so unfair," one of them said, their voice heavy with pity.
And thus began the story of Asher, born into the world of Wicked as the twin brother of Elphaba.