POV: Omniscient*

There was silence, calmness, and blankness. Leo found it hard to explain what he was experiencing at that moment. A certain detachment filled his entire being. Or was this the inner peace he had always desired for himself? He did not know. It felt like it. Or had he achieved a higher realm of consciousness after death?

'Where was he?' He did not know. More likely, he could not tell. It wasn't as if he was seeing anything. Nor was he a scholar in matters concerning what happened after death. What he was 'seeing' though was… darkness. He did not know. Did seeing nothing mean he was in darkness, or did it simply mean he could not comprehend what was right in front of him? Or did it mean there was nothing to see in the first place? He did not have an answer.

'What was he?' He had asked himself that question but failed to come to an answer. He did not remember much, but the little that was slowly coming back to him said he had died. 'A hero's death?' What was that? It sounded nice, like something important.

'So did that mean he was now a soul?'

As he 'observed' himself in this 'darkness,' it felt like he was a white flame, a cloud, or something transparent. It was as if he were a mixture of all those things, yet at the same time, neither of them. He did not understand. It was strange to explain something that was supposed to be unexplainable.

But he felt a certain excitement. Satisfaction? As if a question had been answered in his mind. Was this what happened after death? You become a cloudy blob drifting infinitely. Or was there something else that waited for him at the end of this tunnel of darkness?

'Remember, Leo. Death is nothing but the next great adventure.'

Yes! His name was Leo. But who said those words to him? It was like a distant memory—an echo that was quickly coming and going. This filled the now-known entity, Leo, with a certain fear. As if losing that memory of those words would destroy him! Because he was sure they were important. He knew they meant more to him than just simple words. The person who said them was important!

'DO NOT FORGET!'

His 'head' started hurting. He refused to forget! He did not know why, but he knew he would regret losing that core memory that was somehow slipping away from him. It was a struggle—a battle between him and whatever force was trying to erase this memory. He rejected such an idea!

It was frustrating! It was maddening! It was sheer torture!

He wished he could scream, but he had no mouth to do so!

He wished he could rage, but he lacked a body that would allow him to!

Was this it? Was he going to lose the little he had? Would he lose the memory of that voice, those words that somehow belonged to someone he held in high regard?

"Do not be afraid, my child!"

A voice—a female voice. Gentle, yet powerful. It spoke, and a change happened. A transformation that this voice commanded came to pass. It felt like a wave of power had been released, shattering the chains that were trying to pull him into the deepest darkness. It was like the first light piercing through the darkness. He felt free.

Everything came rushing back to him: his memories, his emotions, his goals, his thoughts, his ego. It all returned in an instant—shorter than a nanosecond, flashing before his eyes like a movie sped up to the maximum. He felt full, he felt complete, and the struggle he was having diminished almost entirely.

A hero is a symbol of hope. A hero never gives up. Would you like to be my son? A hero always smiles. I'm so proud of you! The best quality of a hero is his heart and soul.

He remembered everything. With the knowledge that he had died, he felt the freedom of death wash over him, and he began to laugh—a laugh only he could understand. A laugh that his father could understand, because his father was the only one who could completely grasp his emotions. He felt overjoyed to have this understanding; he was completely ecstatic, knowing he was okay with his death.

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"Hahahahahahahah!"

It was a boisterous laugh, devoid of any worry. Any earthly concerns had vanished with his death. His heart felt truly free, truly light, and he found great comfort in this revelation. Most importantly, the constant sadness he always felt after his father's passing seemed to disappear. It was as if his heart had finally come to terms with the reality of it all.

"Giggle."

The female entity also laughed, catching on to his contagious happiness. For the first time, Leo realized what this being was. He had some guesses, which might be correct, but he wasn't sure. Only the entity in front of him could reveal the truth.

He focused on the being still laughing and found her laugh cute—it captivated him in a way his mortal soul could not fully grasp. Strangely, he felt embarrassed, a sensation he rarely experienced. It was as if his entire being was laid bare in front of this entity, and that realization was extremely humbling.

This thought almost made Leo laugh again. Had death brought forth the emotions he usually buried? That was surely something to explore! He marveled at the fact that feeling any sort of negative emotion in this state seemed almost impossible.

"Have you finally gotten your memories? That's great!"

Leo could 'hear' her speak. He didn't understand how he could hear without a body.

"You haven't realized yet; you have your body back. Or at least, something I've made to act as a body." She giggled silently after these words, and only then did Leo realize it was true.

He looked down at his solid appearance—a strange state between being transparent and opaque. But it really was him. He turned to look at the being he thought was a girl. She was elusive; he couldn't quite see her. It was peculiar, like sensing something was there but being unable to visualize it. Perhaps it was his mind struggling to comprehend her appearance, reminiscent of entities described in the Bible.

"Now, I know you have a lot of questions, and yes, I can read your mind. But for now, the main question that needs to be answered is why you are here and what happens next."

There was a certain authority in the being's voice that captured Leo's attention. Did he care that she could read his mind? Not really. In his view, his life had been boring, lacking anything of significant importance. Everything he had done was merely a distraction from this boredom. He also longed to be a hero for those who lacked one—a simple desire.

And it was true—he did have a lot of questions. For instance, what was she? What came next? Could he meet his dad? That was something to look forward to.

"Patience, Leo. All your questions will be answered in time. And did you say your life had no importance? Unbelievable!

She did something he could not see, and a cloudy sphere appeared in front of him. The clouds started moving, expanding and contracting, bending and shifting, finally forming an image. One scene after another appeared all their memories of him—his actions in the world, seen from different angles and by different people. These were the various perspectives influenced by his selfishness.

"A new era. A new age brought forth to a world that was supposed to be dead—all done by one man! Countless would have died—billions—but because of you, that all would have been prevented."

The image changed to the moment he discovered a cure for most of humanity's diseases, then to his innovations in space travel, and then to the orphanages and homeless individuals he had helped. For the first time, Leo was amazed—truly transfixed by what he had done. He had never cared for the results of helping others; he just did it. Now, he understood why his father always smiled proudly at him, because he could see the beauty that Leo had failed to recognize.

"This is why, Leo. Every decision you made—every 'unimportant' choice you stepped on—each one of your so-called boring thoughts helped the world in one way or another. It is because of you that the world was allowed such a chance."

Leo felt overjoyed. He wanted to laugh again; to know his life held such importance was a source of happiness for him. He was sure his father would have been proud of the results he had achieved. Leo felt satisfied with the life he had lived, and that was all his father had said mattered.

"To do so much but receive so little... that is unacceptable!" She sounded angry and indignant, and Leo found that somehow funny. He didn't think a higher being would behave that way. The scene in the orb shifted to the moment of his death. He saw the crowd he had attracted, but that didn't matter now.

"...And a wasted chance at love! How horrible..." Now Leo felt insulted. Was this being speaking ill of him while he was still present? The orb's cloud morphed into an image he remembered before closing his eyes for eternity. Beside his cold body was the girl he had saved, still as beautiful as he remembered and crying her eyes out. Even now, her pink eyes caught his attention, and he could not understand why. It was a strange occurrence! Was this the love the entity was talking about? To feel love for someone he hadn't truly met.

"And that is why I, as the Supreme Goddess of Love— the most supreme emotion—have decided to offer you a second chance at life, love, and adventure!"

She sounded excited, and Leo could practically envision her jumping for joy while clapping her hands happily. The image was so cute that it made him smile.

However, the real answer he wanted to know was why this started to sound like some sort of reincarnation event, like the isekai stories his father loved reading with him. Was he getting some sort of hero treatment? Would he be sent to a dangerous and desolate world tasked with saving it? That sounded thrilling, but at the same time, it felt terrifying.

Should Leonardo be worried?

. . . . .Adventure Time...............