"You'll never amount to anything."
"You're just a worthless piece of shit!"
"Honestly, it would be better if you just died..."
The words echoed through the hollow walls of Xavier's psyche as his consciousness drifted to-and-fro the astral plane.
"Arise!"
The simple command rung through infinity, as he was suddenly jolted awake into an empty space that spanned the length of the universe.
It was a space that glittered and glimmered with the stars of a million galaxies, and he, was privy to this awe-inspiring sight.
"Huh...?"
Xavier's body floated, both rising and falling before it suddenly stopped.
Before him, was a face, made of a million suns and galaxies that stared at him with all-seeing eyes.
"Boy!"
It's voice thundered as Xavier's eyes shot open at the command.
"Wha—," he exclaimed somewhat startled, "Where am i?"
He asked, but the question fell on deaf ears for he could not even tell if the words he uttered made a sound in this vast space.
"You are 'everywhere and nowhere'," came the response from the colossal figure.
"Nowhere?"
Xavier pondered the words calmly. The still in his soul so overpowering, so overwhelming, that he couldn't comprehend why he was so calm, so at peace.
"oh... that's right," Xavier allowed his thoughts to drift, "I died..."
But just as those words materialized in his psyche, "Indeed." The disembodied voice of the deity rung true once more.
"Xavier Grey," It spoke, "You have lived a life both pitiful and disappointing."
"Your potential was never allowed to fully actualize." It said with a voice of thousand thunder storms, reverberating through Xavier's whole being.
"And now, you find yourself before the 'system which governs all'...."
"...a second chance," It spoke, "For a hapless soul such as yourself..."
"Second chance?" Xavier allowed himself to ponder the mighty being's words...
"Wait, could this be what i think it is? Reincarnation??" He thought, feeling a rush of excitement and anxiety flood his veins when as if in alignment with his thoughts, "Indeed," the disembodied voice confirmed his suspicions.
"...Though your life was unremarkable to say the least," the voice spoke, "Some of the administrators of the 'Eternal hall' found themselves drawn to your dedication. To your plight."
The voice spoke, the air around them resonating with a finality that demanded all attention be drawn to it.
"They, wish for you to have a second go at this thing called... 'life'."
Xavier's eyes shot about the space, seeing everything and nothing at the same time. It was then, that a bright light begun to draw near. Like a meteor in the sky, it drew closer and closer to him until it was close enough to burn him whole.
That is, if this place actually existed...
The light from this meteor was so great it forced Xavier to shut his eyes to protect himself from what he felt could probably blind him. But just as quickly as it had come, it faded away. A humble glow now casting soft shadows upon his features as he opened his eyes slow.
In front of him, floated a visage of unimaginable grace and eloquence.
Her figure looked as if it had been crafted from the fantasies of the most skilled artisan and she shone in a pale white glow that emanated light to the space around them.
In one word; she was, beautiful.
"Hello, Xavier," she spoke, with a voice that sounded as sweet as nectar, honey to the ears of all who would listen.
"U-uh h-hi..." Xavier stuttered like a fool in response.
He was never really good at talking to girls, and now he was being thrown into the deep end with a mega babe of insane proportions. Literally.
"Hehe..." but the figure didn't mind him at all. Her laugh, when it came, was something out of a melodic symphony, soothing to the ears and a lullaby to the mind.
"I know this must be a lot to take in," she said softly, "So, please, take your time."
"After all, we have all the time in the universe..."
As the words left her oh so sweet succulent lips, Xavier's gaze was drawn to the space about him. And he witnessed as stars died and were born again, civilizations fell and planets passed into the ether.
Really, where is, here?
"Uhm, c-can 'you' tell me where i am?" Xavier asked, feeling a tingling curiosity that could not be sated.
"That's... a little bit hard to do." The ethereal figure before him responded, contorting her expression in the most stupefied way to relay emotion the way humans would.
"But what i can tell you, is that the universe sympathises with your pain, your suffering," She said softly, a polite smile playing upon the edges of her lips.
"For your second life, you have a choice." she said, "Either return to your past life with your memories intact or be born anew, in a new life with a second chance to change your fate."
"Return?" Xavier thought, "To that dump?!" a heavy bitterness weighing upon his thoughts that he could almost taste it, fuck, smell it even!
"Yeah, no thanks lady, but i could do without the melodrama of my past life." he said bitterly, forgetting for a moment that he was actually in the presence of a girl. A real, well not real, but 3-D actual girl!
"Oh, is that so?" The figure responded in a tone that was both playful and mischievous.
"If that's the case, would you rather be born into a world of fantasy, and magic and real life bunny girls!!" She asked gesturing wild and whimsically, the excitement in her voice ebbing and flowing to resemble the enthusiasm of a kid with a new toy.
"..." Xavier watched her with a stoic expression.
"Weirdo," He thought, "HEY!" she shouted at him the space around her turning into angry emoji's that floated before them.
"Sorry, i forgot you could like, read my thoughts and stuff..." Xavier said meekly, scratching the back of his head.
Or what he believes is his head anyway...
"Look," He begun taking on a more sombre tone, "All i ever had was my video games and movies." He said softly.
"Without them, i wouldn't have stuck around for as long as i did on that fucked up planet." he said in an open gesture, seeking understanding from the inconceivable figure.
"So, forgive if i'm just a bitter kid. But knowing what's going to happen to me in future won't make things any better, it'll just telegraph the inevitable..." He said with a solemnity that seemed to haunt the space, seeking understanding in this the most perplexing of places.
For a moment, the space was still, the stars pausing in their twinkle in rhythm with the thoughts of the deity that floated gracefully before him.
"I understand." She said softly, "Fantasy world it is then."
With a flick of her wrist, the figure conjured an uncountable number of hollow windows about the space. They seemed to span the width of the ancient space and Xavier felt himself both startled but also cognizant of what came next.
"These are—" she begun to speak when, "Skills." Xavier finished for her.
"Well, that's not quite right but you're close," she said," Are you aware of the rules that govern our space?"
"Only a little... " Xavier responded, solemnly taking in the sight around him as he scrutinized every single ability in front of him. Now wasn't the time to tell the mega babe that he read too many webnovels and that's why he knows what's happening.
"The 'divine art' you choose here, will be your partner throughout your new existence in your new world." She said softly, "So please, do take your time deliberating your choice."
As important as this decision was going to be, Xavier's choice was made before the skill trees even popped up. For in his past life, he had spent every waking moment of everyday deliberating this very question.
"Can you streamline these to only show divine 'whatchamacallits' relating to time?" He asked, his gaze meeting hers with the demeanour of one who has a settled heart.
"Time? Ah, sure i guess..." the deity responded, flicking her wrist once more as all the windows begun to vanish before his eyes, all of them. Except one.
[Divine Art: Whisper in the Wind]
[Skill Rank: E]
[Description: See 5 seconds into a future 'determined']
"Huh..." The deity pondered the skill's description like a disappointed kid, "It's only rank E."
"Well, since this is the only one, would you like me to bring up all the S-rank skills?" She asked.
But as she turned upon Xavier she was surprised, horrified even! Of the expression that made bed upon his face.
"Guhehe..."
There he was, a boy in a space that many would call ethereal and divine.
"Hehehe-hehe-he..." Slobbering like a dog in heat at words floating through an empty space.
"Erk..." The deity recoiled as a sudden wave of disgust washed over her, "Are you okay?" before asking in a tone that was as much genuine concern as it was revulsion.
"Hehe..." but Xavier simply giggled to himself giddily, "...I'm perfect."
"I choose that one," he pointed at the skill above him.
"Uhm, are you sure?" The deity asked, but perhaps it was a pointless venture, for she was met with an instant response from the boy who simply nodded diligently.
"Oh-okay?" She said whirling the skill window about the space before it settled on him. Coalescing with his being with a chime sound.
"Well, if that's all then i guess i'll be sending you on your way now." She said to him as a black hole, but rainbow in its colouration, began to form to Xavier's side.
"Wait." Xavier asked, caught off-guard by his sudden dismissal, "Don't you have like words of inspiration or something for what i'm supposed to do in this world?"
"I did, but you grossed me out and now i want you out of my room as fast as possible," she said with barf emojis springing out all around her.
"What do you—" but before Xavier could protest her ludicrous reasoning, he was sucked into the black hole.
And found his consciousness spiralling about the space. Being ripped apart and put back together as it descended upon the mortal plane.
"W-wake up..." the words were a faint whisper in the dark, "Please! Please! Wake up now!" they continued to ring out silently, when suddenly, a thunderous crash broke Xavier out of his stupor.
His eyes sprung open, and he found himself unable to breath.
What was his? A pod??
Xavier immediately gripped the sides of his pod pulling himself out of the amniotic fluid that housed his body as he gasped for air.
He coughed hard as a soft hand immediately grabbed hold of him handing him a towel.
"C'mon!" The person who handed him a towel shouted, "I know you just woke up and there's a lot i need to explain but we don't have time!" She shouted.
"We need to get out of here right now!"
But just as Xavier's eyes were clearing up from all the water and fluids that had gotten everywhere, another loud explosion broke the sanctity of the room and he turned upward to see not just one or two.
But possibly thousands of see-through pods much like his own housing embryos and figures he could only discern as... human?
"What the—" his voice trailed off confusedly when he was suddenly yanked out the pod and another explosion blew some pods right off the walls crushing to the ground in wet thumps!