He always thought death would just be a blank, infinite stretch of nothing. One minute, you're there, and the next *poof*, you're gone.
But if anything, this shit was worse. He was in an endless void of white. A thin mist hung everywhere and made his skin feel gross and damp.
'Wait. Why the hell do I have skin?! I mean, it's cool I have skin, but if I'm dead and not just… gone, shouldn't I be like… just a soul or something?'
"Yes, a lot of people think that."
Nate jumped. The voice had come from everywhere and yet nowhere, which honestly freaked him the hell out," Who the fuck said that?!"
"Of course, you're one of the humans with more… colorful language." A figure materialized, condensing from the surrounding mist and taking the form of a man. But something was… wrong with him.
"Dude, what is up with your face?"
The man looked down at his hands, turning them this way and that as if he wasn't familiar with them. The motion was stiff, exaggerated, and looked unsettling with how… precise it had been," Is this form not appealing to you? I tried to replicate an average human."
"I mean, appealing isn't a word I'd use to describe you. I can't put my finger on it, but it skeeves me out when I look at you."
The guy stared at Nate, and he realized why he found that face so disturbing. He looked less like a normal human and more like a model you'd see in one of those wax museums. It was unsettling how he didn't blink or seem to breathe, and his skin was unsettlingly smooth without a single blemish.
Nate looked away uncomfortably and looked around at the neverending white expanse," uh, where am I?"
"You are dead," the weird wax version of a man said matter-of-factly. His head cocked slightly, but the gesture was anything but casual. It looked like he'd had to think about doing it.
"No shit. I mean, is this heaven? Cause if it is, then this kinda fucking blows," the wax guy stared blankly and Nate realized he hadn't blinked once since he'd appeared," no offense."
An awkward second of silence passed between them. The wax guy seemed annoyed, but Nate couldn't exactly tell how he knew; the guy's face didn't change. But something about the way the waxy surface of his skin rippled made Nate shift backward slightly.
Maybe pissing off some… thing made of mist wasn't the best idea, but Nate figured he was entitled to a bit of snark. He had just died after all, and being insufferable was a coping mechanism.
"This," the wax guy gestured all around him," is not "heaven" as you call it. This is a space between worlds that only I can access."
Nate scratched the back of his head," cool… why am I here? I mean, not that I'm complaining, but I kinda expected one of three things to happen, and this definitely isn't one of them."
"I suppose you could say you are quite lucky. Recently, the minor gods I created asked that I start sending people who died in my world to theirs as a secondary option to the afterlife here."
Nate nodded, went to say something, and then closed his mouth.
That was… the shittiest explanation he'd ever heard in his life. What the hell was this? Some stupid light novel, "Yeah, and what gods would those be?"
The wax guy tilted his head, and not a single hair shifted. " All of the gods from your world existed in it at one point. When their religions lost too many of their followers, they asked that I make a new world for them."
Nate dragged a hand down his face," so, gods like Thor, Zeus, and Ra? Those guys?"
He nodded," Yes, and many more exist that have been long forgotten by mortals of this world."
"So, wait. Then who are you? Are you one of those gods?"
For the first time, the wax guy smiled. It was a stiff unpracticed expression that looked just wrong on his face," You catch on quite quickly. Most humans would be hyperventilating or bowing by this point."
"Yeah, don't get me wrong, I'm freaked the fuck out right now, but I'm not gonna start shitting myself. And honestly, I don't have much of a reason to bow. No god ever really did anything for me, and even if they did, my gratitude went right out the window when my mom died."
The unsettling smile disappeared from the wax guy's face," no reason? Perhaps the privilege of your continued existence is reason enough."
"Dude, was that a threat? I mean, I'm not surprised, but that definitely happened a lot faster than it normally does. Usually, I've gotta talk for more than five minutes to piss someone off. I think this might be a new record. By the way, you never answered my question. Which god are you?"
The god seemed even more annoyed by Nate's flippant attitude," My name is of no importance. I was the first god to exist, and I shall be the last. I was the one who created this world, all others, and the gods in them. If you wish to show your reverence now, I will allow it."
Nate laughed again," Yeah, no. You're, like, the biggest dick I've ever met."
The god seemed confused," excuse me?"
"I mean, you sound impressive and everything, but just cause you say you're a god and that you created this world, that doesn't automatically make me want to worship the ground you're standing on," Nate looked down and saw the god was floating slightly," or I guess floating above."
The god's face sloughed off, and all that was left beneath was a mass of inky black space dotted with stars. The gristle that was the beings face pooled on the ground beneath his feet and a faint stench of sulfur assaulted Nate's senses.
Nate's eyes started to hurt as he looked at the god's face. He felt like he was looking directly into the sun, so he looked away," damn, I guess I really pissed you off if you're melting your face
"I had intended to send you to the other world with a sufficient blessing and a decent life waiting for you. But I think I have a much better idea," the god's voice had changed. It was booming, and every word rattled Nate's bones," I have a wager in mind for you. I will send you to the other world with my stigma, and you will live a life of hardship and strife. If you can save the other world from the evil that is mounting in the land, then you win. But if you die before accomplishing your task, then I win."
Nate crossed his arms over his chest," why would I agree to that? I get literally nothing out of it."
The stars in the god's head oriented into a vague smile," Is the chance at another life not enough?"
"You're gonna give me a shitty life and expect me to take that as a perk of the deal? No, I'd rather just go to wherever I was going when I died."
"Perhaps the option of reliving your life in your world would be a sufficient reward for winning?"
Nate didn't know if his current form had a heart, but if it did, then it skipped a beat,' I could—'
"Yes, you could save your mother if you wished."
Nate glared at the god," How do I know you aren't lying? How do I know you won't just tell the other gods to kill me as soon as I get there, or you won't have them send some of their followers to do it?"
The god held out his hand. A few stars swirled in his body and shot outward to hover over his outstretched palm. Swaths of mist gathered together and combined with the stars to form a floating piece of white parchment with glowing letters adorning the page.
It looked like a contract.
"The details of our bargain are written here. This was formed with a fragment of my very own power and will be upheld by the law of the universe itself. This is a contract that cannot be broken by you or me."
Nate cautiously approached and took the contract in hand. The paper was strangely soft, but he could somehow tell that no matter how hard he tried, it would never rip.
In elegant silver script, the contract read:
This contract, written and inked with the very essence of a great being, here states that Nathaniel Warren shall accept the bellow stipulations to receive the opportunity to relive his life on Earth.
1. He shall be reborn into Ultriel with a stigma that shall be given by the contractor.
2. He shall save Ultriel from the mounting evil that shall bring calamity to the world.
3. If the contract signer fails to save Ultriel from the mounting evil, he will lose the wager, and his soul will be given to the contractor.
4. If the contract signer dies before fulfilling the stipulations of this contract, then his soul will be given to the contractor
5. The contractor may not harm, cripple, kill, or cause the contract signer harm directly, or send others to kill or harm the contract signer indirectly.
6. Upon completing the above stipulations, the contract signer shall be returned to his previous world to relive his life.
"I believe this contract is quite amenable, is it not?"
Nate scanned over the words again," Is there magic or anything in this other world?"
The god's starry head inclined slightly," Yes, and the gods of that world saw to it that there would be an easy-to-understand system in place for those who wished to grow stronger. It allows the people of Ultriel to quantify their strength in values."
Nate blinked," there's a fucking game system in the other world? You're sending me to what's basically an RPG game world."
"In layman's terms, yes."
Nate looked at the contract again and then squinted at the god," Hold on. This doesn't say that I'll necessarily have that system when I get there. What's stopping you from making my stigma the inability to use it?"
Another rule formed.
7. The contractor may not withhold privileges granted to natural-born inhabitants of Ultriel, such as the use of the system, access to magic, and the possibility of gaining blessings from gods.
"I'm sure I have alleviated all of your doubts, yes?"
Nate scanned the contract a few times, trying to think of anything else he possibly could, but the longer he stared, the more he couldn't think of anything.
Ultimately, he sighed and nodded," Yeah, I guess this is alright."
The god gestured toward the bottom of the contract," Then place a finger against the contract, and your soul shall leave its mark in acceptance."
Nate turned away from the god with the contract, looked down at his thumb, and raised it to press into the blank bottom of the page.
Suddenly, a burning pain over his heart flared, and a symbol appeared. It was an equilateral triangle, with an equilateral armed cross attached to the bottom line of the triangle. In the middle of the triangle was a twisting olive tree.
Add this stipulation.
Nate shook his head,' wh—'
Don't think! He will hear it. Repeat this extra stipulation after me.
Nate turned to the god and said," I want another rule added."
The god's stars flared crimson for an instant but settled back into white, shining brilliance, "What else could possibly be needed?"
"I want the eighth rule to say that you cannot make me, or my loved ones the evil that will threaten Ultriel."
The god's form exploded. Broad, void-black wings spread out behind him, and the stars in his body went supernova, imploded, and burst into infernal vermillion light. A crown of glowing molten metal with chains that reached down and bound the figure's arms and legs formed above his head; the chains were cracked and splintered. The mist of the space darkened, turning to black vapor with a sulfurous odor of brimstone, and the once-white plain turned the same shade of red as the stars in the thing's body in front of Nate.
"You just couldn't accept the deal, could you?! You couldn't just be a good little stupid human and agree like all the others. Well, I suppose I'll just kill you and—"
He cannot kill you so long as you hold the contract.
Nate waved the contract at what he was now realizing definitely wasn't a god, or at the very least, he hoped it wasn't," forgetting this?"
The stars in the entity burned with hatred," I could just keep you here and torture you until you sign the contract with new rules that would only benefit me. Perhaps I could keep you here long enough to wait for your beloved sister to die so I could kill her over and over in front of you, or perhaps I could trap you in an endless memory of the day your mother died. I have so many options to choose from. Of course, you could hand me back the contract, and we can be done with this."
He's more desperate than he seems. He needs your soul, and he knows it, but now that he's drawn up the contract and handed it to you, he can only add clauses that you both agree to. And he can't break the clauses that are already written because a piece of his essence is in the contract, so that means he's basically signed it himself already.
"You can't hurt me. I might not have signed it yet, but you put your essence in this. You can't put me in some horrible memory or illusion because I'm fairly certain psychological harm could fall under a breach of clause five," Nate felt a lot smarter than he ever had. Still, he was acutely aware that the entire reason for the upper hand he had at this moment was because of the voice he was hearing. Who knows what would've happened when he reached the other world if it hadn't been for the voice?
The red stars where the thing's eyes should have been burned with a loathing so intense Nate could feel the waves of heat emanating from them," You will not have an easy death, boy. I will have your soul, and when I have wrung every last scrap of the magic you will accumulate from the other world, I will lay waste to your world and make you watch as I torture your loved ones for all of eternity."
"God damn, dude. That's dark," Nate looked down at the contract and shook it at what he could only assume was a demon," now, that extra clause?"
If looks could kill, and Nate was pretty sure this thing's looks could, he would have died a dozen times over. But with a wave of its hand, the eighth and last clause appeared.
8. The contractor may not make the contract signer or any of his loved ones the evil that will threaten Ultriel.
This will work, but don't expect to be free of him in the future. We've pissed him off, and he'll want revenge.
Nate sighed gratefully and went to place his thumb on the bottom of the contract, but then he withdrew his finger," but since I've got you here I think I should add another rule. You know, to sweeten the deal."
What are you doing?!
'Relax. I've got the upper hand, so I might as well milk this asshole for all he's worth. But I won't go to far, I bet if I ask for the wrong thing he could twist it somehow and screw me over.'
"What else, could you possibly want?"
If the entity had teeth, they were definitely clenched as Nate outlined another rule," I think I would like an above average apptitude for magic. I've always wanted to use it, but there's no real point if I can't do some crazy awesome stuff when I do. Oh, and being good with every weapon right off the bat would be useful too."
The demon waved its star-speckled and clawed hand.
9. The contract signer shall be born into the other world with an above average aptitude for both magic and all weapons.
"Is. That. All?"
Nate looked over the contract very slowly and deliberately, savoring the very pissed off vibe of the entity," yep, I think this'll do."
Nate pressed his thumb to the bottom of the page. His thumb flared with heat, searing the contract with the same symbol that had appeared over his heart.
The words on the page spread out to the borders of the parchment, the contract stretched and morphed into an oval aperture that glowed from within, and the words flared around the edge of what Nate could only assume was a portal.
"Remember this, human. I will have your soul," the demon's clawed finger reached out for Nate, and before he could try to jump through the portal, it made contact with his forehead.
White hot pain flared through Nate's entire body; his skin felt like it was melting, and the spot beneath the demon's finger felt like it was splitting apart.
"Y-You can't hurt me!"
The demon laughed cruelly," But I can brand you with my stigma. The pain from the process is just a small benefit for me."
The pain in his head spread from his forehead down to his neck, chest, arms, and legs. It seared a trail all along his body, spreading everywhere until all he could feel was pain.
But finally, when the pain had subsided, and the demon had pulled its finger away, Nate threw himself backward into the portal, thinking anywhere was better than here.