I was an idiot.
That was my first thought as I saw the truck barrel down the road towards me.
I could've sworn the crosswalk said walk, and not to stop. But as I saw the headlights get close I realized that I was very wrong about that.
The impact launched me, arm and ribs pulverized by the impact. I bounced off the road and heard the truck skid to a stop. I tried to take a ragged breath in amazed that I was still alive.
The breath shot a spike of pain through my torso, and I coughed out a warm viscous liquid. I took several sharp breaths, each more painful than the last.
I heard the truck door close and several hurried footsteps approaching me.
I might just live.
At that moment the clear sky flashed once, and a bolt of lightning came down to strike me. Right on my heart.
Everything went dark in an instant. 'Oh you have got to be shitting me.' I thought to myself, 'First a truck then lightning strikes me from a clear sky. Just what deity did I piss off!?'
"That would be me. And you didn't piss me off." A voice, or several voices rather said to my left in the darkness.
I snapped my head in the direction of the new voice only to see the white outline of a child. It was a stark juxtaposition against the void, but what caught my eye was the single defined feature it had. An eye, one single right eye, several rings replaced its pupils and sclera shining a bright blood red.
'What. The. Fuck is that.' I thought to myself before I could help myself.
"Ouch, I'll have you know that I'm considered one of the more attractive of my kind." The thing said, in a faux angry tone before continuing, "But I am what's known as a ████████."
'Huh?' I thought because it sounded like it just spoke in static.
"Right, humans can't quite understand what I am, I guess that's why you're so off put by my form as well." It sighed while taking a sitting position. "But I digress, lets cut to the chase shall we? You're dead, and I killed you." It put its head in its hand, it's single eye narrowing slightly.
'No shit Sherlock,' I thought to myself, trying to speak, but lacking a mouth. Wait, how was it understanding what I was thinking? I shook my… head? No I didn't have a body, but if it could hear what I was thinking then…
'Sorry for my earlier rudeness,' I thought to myself trying to salvage the situation as much as I could, 'Do you mind if I asked why I was here?'
The thing chuckled, its eye closing slightly in amusement before waving it's hand, "Ahh don't worry too much, I did kill you so some rudeness is to be expected." It closed its eyes, "actually I should be the one to apologize, you weren't exactly supposed to die when you did."
'Wut?' I thought intelegently, 'Then why did you—'
"Kill you?" It finished and I nodded with whatever it was I was. "Well that's because I, uhh, didn't mean to?" It said while scratching its head, "See as you can see from my form," he gestured to his child-like body, "I'm a little… new to this."
I stared at him, willing my deadpan expression to be shown to this entity. It put it's hands forward in a placating gesture, "I know, I know, it's my mistake, but I am fully prepared to make it up to you."
I stared a moment longer, 'So you… killed me, on acident… and you plan to… make that up to me?' I thought, skeptical and a little peeved trying my best to remain calm and not piss off the powerful thing in front of me.
It clapped, giving me a smile with its one eye, "EXACTLY! Ten points to Griffindore!"
'Ten points to what?' I thought confused, and the thing stopped dead.
"…You've never watched, or read Harry Potter have you?" It said disappointedly, and I shook my head. I was a die hard Star Wars fan, that and shitty reality TV was all I watched in my free time.
…And that was about it. Aside from playing the games for Star Wars I spent every other waking moment working. No friends, and my family all died when I was young, so I wasn't exactly a social butterfly. Me being poor really didn't help that either.
Actually maybe this could be a good thing, another shot at life, who knows maybe I'll make some friends in highschool unlike last tim—
"You won't be given another life in your world." It said suddenly serious, and my gaze snapped to it, imaginary eyebrows furrowing.
"That's not how the rules work, I can give you another life to make things fair, but only by moving your soul to another world. I'm not old enough to move your soul through time." It said sheepishly scratching the back of its head. "Sorry if I was more senior I would trust me, but I can throw you to another world… With powers even!"
I stared harder, "Think about all the fun adventures you could have! I could let you use the force like you have always dreamed of!" It said, taking the tone of used cars salesmen.
That made me pause, 'You could send me to the Star Wars universe?!' I thought excitedly. If he could send me there then screw my old world I didn't care that much.
It stiffened, "Weeeeelll, not exactly the Star Wars universe, but pretty damn close, and you'll still have the force."
'…let me guess you're not senior enough?' I thought, and it snapped its fingers.
"Now you're getting it!" It said proudly, and I felt my imaginary eye twitch. "I can send you to one of the universes I manage and have complete authority over."
I sighed mentally, I got my hopes up for nothing it seems, '…and that universe would be?'
"Have you ever heard of an anime called Jujutsu Kaisen?" It asked conspiratorially and I shook my imaginary head, "Seriously? Jesus, just how out of the loop are you?"
I shrugged, and its eye closed in disappointment, "Well that's where you will be going… It's not exactly a… kind universe so be careful." It's eye opened wide, "Oh one last question would you like the actual force or the force as a cursed technique."
'The hell is a Cursed technique?' I asked it.
"Uhh… Well this universe works on something called cursed energy, which is negative emotions given power, and cursed techniques are specialized ways people used that negative energy for combat." It explained.
'Combat?' So this was a violent universe? And that sounded a lot like the darkside.
It scratched its head, "Well when people's cursed energy leaks out it gathers together and makes 'curses' that kill people. Cursed energy is how people fight the cursed spirits." It drawled, and I felt my anxiety swell.
But then I remembered the words of Vader, 'The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force.' There was no way that this 'Jujutsu Kaisen' was full of planet killers right?
"Oh god no, in canon they barely scratch mountain level, and that in itself is a stretch." It said plainly, "And that's not mentioning just how much slower the verse is than Jedi and Sith." It encouraged.
I felt something was off, but I ignored that feeling, 'Then I definitely want the force itself and not as a cursed technique.'
"You're sure?" It said almost breathlessly. "100% sure?"
'Uhh, yeah?' I mean from the sounds of it the force should be way stronger than anyone in the universe so I don't see why not. Plus I wanted the real force not some cheap knock off.
It clapped excitedly again, "Great choice, then I must inform you that certain… 'entities' are needed for the force to function fully. And as the only force user in the Galaxy you're in, they will naturally give you quite the attention." My being went cold at its words.
'You don't mean—' I thought to myself before catching that last part, 'And don't you mean universe not galaxy?' I asked hopefully.
"Oh yes I do mean." Its eye shrank in abject joy, "And I do mean galaxy, the universe already has aliens, by adding the force to the verse certain… changes will have to be made."
'Oh no, no, no no, I want it as a technique—'
"TOO LATE!" He screamed and I flinched, staring at him in what I imagine to be horror, "Oh don't look so down, because of you the universe will get a huge all around power boost, and my power will in turn also increase." Its eye smile became wicked in nature.
"I must really thank you for your contribution," It said and I started to shake in anger, "Because of you I'm going to be able to fast track my seniority, by a lot."
'You bastard!' I thought to myself forgoing all sense of class, 'This wasn't an accident at all was it?!'
"Ohh don't get like that~ Your getting everything you wanted," it started eye widening in madness, "A whole new start to life, the force, a chance to really connect with people."
"But there are consequences to getting what you want," It stood taking a step forward toward me, "A price to be paid for ambition, you're just paying my price for me. And I am giving you power and agency for it. Sounds fair right?" It asked.
'No it doesn't—' I thought before the thing interrupted me.
"I wasn't talking to you," It said in a harsh tone, "Was I…Abeloth?"
I felt a cold hand place itself on my existence, and a feeling of dread and… affection? Washed over my whole being, "Mother can feel you…"
'Holly shit,' I thought to myself, 'I'm dead.' Abeloth was THE monster of the Star Wars universe, if she was here and after me I was dead.
"Mother likes you…" Her voice was soft and alluring, "Don't you like Mother?" A sense of calm washed over my terrified soul, maybe she wasn't so bad. "You were once part of me… I love you, don't you love me?" Maybe Luke was wrong about—
"That's enough of that." The thing said and flicked his hand. Abeloth vanished without a trace along with that feeling of calm, and only then did I realize what she was doing to me. I stared horrified at the entity in front of me.
It eye smiled at me, "Now, now don't put your panties in a twist, I am fully prepared to give you the potential to match her in the force." That didn't reassure me, "If you reach that potential is entirely up to you," that still didn't make me feel any better about this arrangement.
"But look on the bright side, a very powerful shapeshifter wants to become one with you. Do you know how many men would kill to be in your place?" It wiggled its eye at me and I nearly cried in dread.
"So anyways that about covers it… off you go." It waved at me and I reached forward to tell him to stop. I needed to know more, about the universe and about what I could possibly do to get Abeloth off my back.
But it was far too late, the being in front of me vanished and I felt a crushing pressure, like I was being squeezed out of a toob.
However what caught my attention more was that I could feel my body again. So that was a plus… now what to do about an extraterrestrial all powerful force being that wants to merge me with herself.
My depressive thoughts were cut off by my head breaking free from the tube, and a bright light blinding my eyes. I screamed in pain as my sensitive eyes were assaulted by fluorescent lighting.
The rest of my body came free from the tube, and I heard several voices around me. I couldn't make out what they were saying, they weren't speaking in english so I couldn't understand. It sounded eastern? Chinese maybe?
My eyes finally adjusted to the light and I tried to move my arms and legs, but they both felt weak. I saw a huge person's head wearing a surgical mask smiling down at me, 'That's… That's not right.' I thought to myself.
The huge person's head snapped up at the sound of a female voice, and he passed me over to the female voice.
I looked at my arms, and small infantile arms greeted me, 'Oh… Oh no,' I thought, recalling the words of that single eyed entity. 'A new fresh start on life,' He had said, and now I'm realizing that that meant starting from scratch.
As a baby.
'Fuck,' I thought to myself as the female voice, my mother I guessed, took me from the doctor.
I looked up at her. She had a pretty face with soft European features, curly black hair draped over her exhausted features. Beautiful bright blue eyes poked through the curtain of black hair and she brushed her hair behind her ears.
In the moment our eyes made contact everything else vanished, and I felt the unadulterated motherly affection she had for me wash over me.
She said something in that same eastern language, Japanese I was pretty sure, while looking up. But that didn't matter to me, I was too bombarded by the feeling of my mothers love.
She turned back down to me and gave me the kindest smile I had ever seen. She spoke next in accented English, "We'll name him Castiel, my bright little angel."
And so Castiel became my name, and Abeloth left my thoughts if only for a moment. Replaced by the smiling form of my real mother. And I vowed to protect her from any threats this universe might have.
A promise that I felt would last a lifetime.
.
.
.
A/N:
Aaaaand done, same goes for what I said with the Hakari fic, please do not expect a consistent schedule or stupid long chapters from this fic. I mostly bounce between the three when I have writers block on one, but I figured I might as well post it and see where it goes. Right now, I am choosing between Maki and Female Gojo as the FML because Female Gojo works beautifully as a foil and growth character for Castiel and his themes of connection. But Maki does so in the same way with her severance from Cursed energy, plus I want Cas and the FML to be on pretty equal playing field strength-wise and Gojo is kind the only one who satisfies that. If you think that's gay, then I would question your definitions a lot.
Anyways I hope you guys have a great night as always let me know what you think and have a great night.