"So... I'm dead?" I asked in a bewildered tone, looking at my own personal Grim Reaper, or as he had introduced himself previously, God. I still had no idea what led to my death. One second I was at the beach, enjoying the heat and the rhythmic pull of the waves, and the next, I was swept up in a massive swell. Then, silence and darkness, until I eventually woke up here.
"Here" was a relative term, as I didn't even know where "here" was. It might have been an infinite void, or perhaps the lonely gap between dying and having my soul judged; regardless, I was up a creek without a paddle and nowhere to go.
"Yep," God said, smiling widely as he looked at me with an unnerving amount of cheer. "It's an awful thing, really, having a leg cramp in the middle of being hit by a wave. It only took a minute or two before you drowned."
Well... that answers that, I guess. I knew I wasn't the best swimmer, but drowning from a simple cramp was honestly more comical than anything else. There went all my grand ambitions of living a comfortable, quiet life.
"It is quite sad, especially after you sold that startup for enough money to never work again," God said, but I couldn't see a modicum of actual sadness on his face. Speaking of his face, color me surprised that God was such a normal-looking person.
He had golden eyes, which gave off a distinctively "Godly" aura, but everything else was plain as day. He had tousled black hair, a rough five o'clock shadow, and clothes I would typically wear at home while relaxing on the couch. He looked like a guy you'd meet at a coffee shop.
God snorted, and at that moment, I realized he could hear my thoughts as clearly as if I had spoken them. There went my privacy.
"Eh, it's not like I didn't know what you were going to think. Remember, I'm literally God, the Creator of everything. I know whatever you're going to think, didn't think, and couldn't even comprehend."
Waving his hand dismissively, God continued speaking.
"Anyway, do you really think I'd be wearing some kind of regal set of clothing, looking like those guys you've read about in your comics? Perish the thought; comfort is the highest form of status to me."
It made sense, oddly enough. I'd rather be comfortable than look stuffy, too.
Wait, why was I even thinking about fashion at a time like this? I was dead!
"Wait," I said, catching myself. "Let's backtrack for a second. I'm definitely dead, right?"
God nodded subtly, crossing his arms and gesturing for me to continue.
"So why am I meeting you, and not some angel to judge my soul before I go on to whatever waits for people after dying?" Really, I should have been more freaked out, but I felt a strange sense of cold detachment from the reality of dying. Maybe my emotions were subdued without the biological processes and hormones of a human body to drive them.
"Ah, yes. The reason you're here. I'm glad you asked, but before we get into the details, shall we take a seat?" God asked, though it wasn't really a question. The void we were in simply began to melt away, shifting and reforming until I found myself in what looked like a typical kitchen.
Yes, a bloody kitchen. God was now seated across from me, a heavy dining table between us, as two cups of coffee materialized in front of us. God-magic? Probably. It looked impressive, though.
Picking up the cup, I looked down and sniffed it to ensure it wasn't some kind of trick. Obviously, God wouldn't be like that, but it paid to be cautious. Fortunately, it just smelled like the richest and possibly strongest coffee beans I'd ever encountered. Taking a sip, I was instantly blown away by the energy that coursed through me; it was like an adrenaline shot turned into a drink.
"Beans created by my wife. No magic or anything, just pure talent. Sometimes I wonder why she does everything physically, but then I see how much better they can be when you put in the work," God said idly, polishing off his coffee in one gulp before placing the cup down and looking at me.
"You're quite a lucky fellow, Sam," he said, his smile widening. "I've been growing bored lately, and my lovely wife told me to find something new to do. After a couple trillion years, I decided to take a leaf out of the books of all those authors in your world."
Well, this was starting to feel foreboding. God was looking at me with an intensity that didn't bode well, but there wasn't much I could do to stop him. Instead of worrying, I simply leaned back and waited for him to continue his pitch.
"You're aware of those isekai novels, correct?" God said, once again not waiting for me to reply. "Well, I have decided to give it a try, and you happen to be the person I've chosen as my 'champion,' so to speak."
"Champion?" I questioned, feeling a bit skeptical. "I'm not going to be part of some battle royale against others, am I? That sounds like a Hunger Games spin-off."
God snorted but shook his head.
"No, no, nothing like that. I randomly chose you out of everyone who died in the time span I was looking for my champion. You'll be given the chance to start a new life and visit all the other worlds you've read about or watched in your life."
Oh... I was going to become a protagonist? I'll be honest, I was always envious of those bastards who got to live out those fantasies, becoming something more than what life had forced them to be. This sounded better than going off to some mysterious afterlife, that much was certain.
"I wouldn't be opposed to it," I said slowly, weighing the options. "I mean, between this and being fully dead, I know which is the better option."
God clapped his hands and smiled. "I knew you would agree! I'll give you a basic rundown of what I'm offering."
As he spoke, the kitchen melted away, and before I could blink, I was seated beside God as a whiteboard appeared, words already written on it. Obviously, he was prepared for this, and with his powers, he definitely knew I would agree long before I did.
"So, the basics," God said, standing in front of the whiteboard like a lecturer from my university days.
"I'll be giving you a random 'template' from any person in the fictional multiverse. Your choice is based entirely on luck, as even I have turned off my sight regarding what you will win." As God spoke, a podium materialized. A fishbowl with millions of slips of paper inside sat atop it.
That was a fair way to do it, I suppose. Looking at the whiteboard, I could see examples of templates I could win. They ranged from someone like Zeno from Dragon Ball Z all the way down to Hawkeye from Marvel.
"After that, you'll do the same thing for a System!" God said, smiling brightly at my growing interest.
A System? Those could either make or break someone in my situation. I could either gain something that would make the multiverse bend to my will, or I could get a half-assed sentient robot that worked against my best interests. Now, that was a true gamble.
"So... I could either become a multiverse-level threat from the beginning, or someone so weak I would have been better off going to the afterlife? Got it," I said, feeling shocked but also incredibly nervous.
"Bingo!" God said boisterously. "From there, you have one more raffle! You'll have to draw the world where you start your new life. Now, this world may be the only place you inhabit for the rest of your life, or it could be the start of a much larger journey. Really, it's all up to luck!"
I understood the game now. God had removed himself from the equation. He was giving me the chance to win something incredible, and instead of fudging the odds, I had become somewhat of an anomaly. There was no predestined life or destiny, just a blank slate to see how far I could go.
Oh. That was why he was so excited. He didn't want to know the ending. He wanted to watch my journey and see what someone untethered to the rules and regulations he'd created would do.
"You figured it out fast," God said, his face becoming more serious. "I'll be honest with you, Sam. Every single existence has a predestined fate managed by my family. Even when people 'break' their chains, they aren't truly free, as that was already foretold. You, however, will become a singular anomaly in the multiverse. You could completely ruin the balance of everything, but isn't that quite exciting?"
That was a daunting proposition to say the least. I was thankful for the opportunity, but getting a blank check from God was sheer insanity. What if I became some kind of monster? Or worse, what if I died within seconds of starting my new life? Well, I guess we would see.
"Okay," I said, nodding. "I'm down to try this, but can you answer one question for me?"
God merely shadowed a nod.
"What happens if I become something... not entertaining to you, or if I do irreparable damage?" It was a valid question; if I was going to be erased from existence because he didn't like what I did, it wasn't worth starting.
"Ah, no worries there!" God interjected, waving off my concern. "You're absolutely free from me and my family. You must remember that for beings such as myself, a blip in the grand scheme of things doesn't amount to much. You destroyed a world? Sure, I could be disappointed, but there are an infinite number of realities almost completely identical to that world. No erasure, no judgment, okay?"
Well, that was a metaphorical weight off my shoulders. I could breathe easier knowing the stakes were mine to manage.
God obviously could read my mind, and by the ear-splitting grin on his face, I could tell he was barely restraining himself. I simply nodded, letting him know to continue with the process.
"Perfect! Come up; let's find out who or what your base existence will become! Oh, and don't worry, you'll gain their memories but not their personalities. You will be 100 percent yourself, only better."
Stepping up to the podium, I tentatively reached into the monstrous fishbowl and began sifting around. After a couple of seconds of indecision, my hand clamped around a single piece of paper. Pulling it out, I handed it to God. I wanted to look, but I was too nervous to see the result myself.
Yanking the slip from my hand, God quickly opened it and began reading.
"Oh," God said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he processed the name. "Oh... this is better than I anticipated."
That got a reaction out of me, and I stood by somewhat impatiently for him to continue.
"Your luck was quite high," God said, looking at me. "Congratulations on becoming an absolute monster, Sam."
He handed the slip back to me. I slowly opened it and read the words: "Evangeline A.K. McDowell (Peak / Light Novel)."
I...
I had no idea who the fuck that was.
"What the hell, or who the hell, is Evangeline McDowell?"
God broke into peals of laughter, almost doubling over, before looking back at me. "You don't understand or know who she is, and that's fine. Let me explain. Evangeline Athanasia Katherine McDowell is the apex of the vampiric hierarchy and the most powerful sorceress in her multiverse. Known primarily as the 'Dark Evangel,' she is a 700-year-old Shinso (True Ancestor), a high-order spiritual lifeform that exists as a 'Fixed Point' in reality."
Oh, bloody hell. That was insane. I was about to become a godlike vampire and magician if what God was telling me was accurate. The "Peak" designation meant I had gained her template at its strongest point.
"I won't... turn into a woman, will I?" I asked cautiously, looking at my current frame. "And what can she actually do?"
God chuckled. "No, you're going to stay male, though you'll be physically enhanced to her vampiric standards. As for what she does? That's a loaded question." God stroked his stubble in thought before continuing.
"She's a veritable war machine in combat. Her physical capabilities would place you almost at the peak of many realities, though there are some who are 'Creators' in their own universes. Her magic is where she really shines, however. She has supercomputer-level intelligence, a magic pool that dwarfs most others, and magic simply doesn't work against her. Furthermore, she can consume any magic and use it to enhance herself permanently. Think of consuming lightning and then possessing its speed and destructiveness on top of her base physical capabilities. And I mean any magic."
Well, shit. It sounded like I got the lucky draw. I was sure there were beings out there who could wipe her from existence with a mere thought—beings lower than God—but as a baseline for myself, it was more than I could ever want or need.
"Right," I said, still coming to terms with the reward. "I'm assuming she's immortal, too?"
"More than immortal. Sure, she has standard vampire immortality, but she also anchors herself into any universe she enters, essentially becoming a fixed point that is unable to be erased whatsoever unless someone like myself decides against it. And there is no one else like me."
I could only nod and compartmentalize the scope of Evangeline for the moment; there was more work to be done.
"You're right. Next raffle!" God said happily. The fishbowl shimmered for a moment, and the number of paper slips inside decreased significantly. "Go ahead. System time!"
Once again, my hand was inside the fishbowl. After a few seconds of moving it around, I fished out another slip. This time, I didn't hand it to God first; he pouted at not being the first to know the results.
Opening the slip, I read: "Weekly Gacha (Multiverse)." Confused, I handed it to God. The moment he read it, he smiled brightly.
"Ah, the overused Gacha System! I was hoping you'd get something like this, honestly." Taking a moment to think, God continued. "This System is like all the standard ones, but you can only draw once a week. Every month, you'll get a single 'pity' draw, which will grant you something of a higher grade."
That wasn't bad. I wasn't a massive fan of gacha systems, mainly because of my bad luck with games like Genshin Impact, but luckily, I didn't need to spend real money here. It was purely beneficial for me.
"I'll be honest: most of the draws will likely be useless, but those pity draws? You could gain anything. So, look forward to those once a month."
The fishbowl shimmered again, but this time its size became behemoth. Trillions of slips were inside, and I instantly knew this was the most important draw of all. Frowning slightly, I extended my hand.
"Shit, I forgot to mention that Evangeline can literally tear through space, dimensions, and universes. Once you practice a little, whatever world you're in will just be the first step. So turn that frown upside down! Even if you land in a normal world, you'll be able to leave eventually."
Thank... God? It was weird thanking the literal God when he was standing in front of you with a childlike smile while you decided the fate of your future.
The slip was in my hand after a second. I just plucked the first one that felt "right," I guess. I probably screwed myself over, but God's words had alleviated the tension in my shoulders. Looking down, I read the slip: "The Vampire Diaries (Start of Canon)."
"Huh," I muttered, frowning as I looked at the text. "I watched that show. It was convoluted as hell. The only reason I remember the storyline is that my ex-girlfriend had a fan club for one of the vampires on Facebook."
Before I could hand the slip over, it disappeared from my hand. God read it before breaking out into another fit of laughter.
"Oh, that's fantastic! My wife is a massive fan of that world. She'll probably spy on you a little to see what changes your existence makes!"
"Great," I muttered. It was just my luck that God's wife would be a fan of the first world I would live in.
After a moment, the fishbowl, podium, and whiteboard disappeared. I was seated in a comfortable chair across from God once more, the atmosphere feeling a bit more final.
"Well... that's everything, Sam. Are you excited?"
"I think so? I'm still trying to come to terms with everything, but this is a better option than being dead. Well, technically I'll become a vampire, so I'll be undead, but you get what I mean."
God nodded. Then, his smile disappeared, and an aura of immense energy began extending from him, filling the space with a weight I hadn't felt until now.
"Good. I'll be sending you off in a second, but here are some words of advice," he said seriously. "Do not allow anyone to control you. Become someone you would be proud of. And finally, trust your instincts. The multiverse is large, and you'll need to have utmost faith in yourself."
After a beat, I nodded somberly, absorbing the guidance God was bestowing upon me. Breaking out into another smile, God spoke.
"Go forth, my child. Enjoy your new life. Find a family, have some fun, cause some chaos, and don't come back here... ever again, if possible!"
And with that, he snapped his fingers, and I fell asleep.