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Chapter 3 - Chapter 2 - The Afterlife is Surprisingly Well Lit

An ethereal expanse stretched out as far as the eye could see.

 What the heck was that!? I feel like I just got trampled by a herd of sentient metal...

His thoughts echoed, as though spoken aloud into a vast, empty sky. A blinding light shone down from above, forcing his arms up to shield his face.

He squinted around, eyes slowly adjusting.

 This place gives serious loading screen vibes…

As the glare faded, he realized he was sitting on... something. A barely-there floor? It felt solid, but looked like clear glass on white fog. Then — his stomach growled.

He looked down.

His hands were empty.

No bao buns.

 Am I gonna have to buy dinner again? I only had enough left for one meal...

"Oh, you've got much bigger problems than that, buddy," a sultry voice echoed from every direction at once.

"Satan?" he said flatly.

"Excuse me? Why would you immediately think that?"

"Well, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure I just died — and there's no way a NEET like me made it to heaven, right?"

"You're half right, I suppose," she mused. "This isn't technically 'heaven.' It's the realm of the gods."

She wasn't what he expected a goddess to look like.

No glowing wings. No choir of light. No elegant robes flowing with divine energy.

Instead, she wore a cloak that looked like it was stitched from midnight and bad decisions, loose and carefree like she'd forgotten she was supposed to impress anyone. Her hair spilled over one shoulder in messy waves — dark, with streaks of purple that shimmered when the light caught just right. Her eyes? Mischief. Pure and weaponized. Gold irises with a faint glow, as if they'd seen every possible outcome and still found it hilarious.

She had a grin that said she'd either change your life or ruin your week — possibly both in the same sentence.

And when she spoke, her voice carried the warmth of a joke you weren't in on yet. Playful. Teasing. Sharp enough to cut through silence and expectation alike.

This was Nyxara — trickster goddess, cosmic wildcard, and chaos in vaguely human form.

"Realm of the gods?" he echoed. "Wait… did I finally ascend to godhood!?"

Uncontrollable laughter erupted around him.

"That's so precious!" the voice gasped. "You think you could be a god!? HAH!"

His face dropped — just like his rejection emails — except this one stung worse.

"Listen, kiddo," the voice said, softening. "You died. Splat. Old world: gone. But lucky for you, I'm in need of someone to do me a favor. So… I'm offering you a second chance."

"A second chance at... my old life? Because hard pass. That sucked."

"No, idiot. A new life. In a whole new world. Magic, monsters, quests. You know — the good stuff. And, I don't know… maybe some okay-looking people."

His eyes lit up.

"Whoa… Magic? Like, real magic? A fantasy world? Do I get powers!?"

"One power," she said, matter-of-fact. "To start you off. We don't have time for you to go through the whole 'growing up and grinding stats' thing, so this'll help you catch up."

"Just one? Can I choose?"

"Hm… I suppose I can let you choose something. But within reason. No immortality, no infinite mana, no 'snap my fingers and I win' nonsense. The other gods already think I'm irresponsible."

She said it like it was a minor inconvenience.

"Alright, alright…" he muttered. "One power. Not broken. Gotta think..."

 I could go with Appraisal. Works in anime, right? …But what if it doesn't level up? What if it's just… boring? I need something useful. Something cool. Something that could maybe impress a girl…

 Not that I'd ever talk to one... Maybe my power should be talking to girls. NO. Focus!

Minutes passed. Or maybe hours. Or maybe time didn't exist here.

Then, it hit him.

"That's it!" he said, jumping to his feet. "The power I want is — Matter Manipulation!"

"Oh..." The voice sounded intrigued. "Very interesting."

A pause.

"Very well then," she said. "But in return for giving you a new life, a new power, and your memories… you'll owe me a favor. One I'll call in later — when you've settled in a bit."

"That sounds like a deal to me, lady! Put me in, coach!"

The light around him pulsed — blinding, electric, overwhelming. His body vibrated like it was being shredded and rebuilt all at once.

Once more: black.