Watching a thirty-ish year old guy give mouth-to-mouth to your unresponsive corpse is, to say the least, disturbing to the extreme.

Wouldn’t it have been better if it was a cute girl paramedic?

“No, even if it was a cute girl they would still be giving CPR to a corpse.” I mutter dejectedly.

I’m a ghost… spirit? Frankly I’m not sure what I am.

Still on my hands and knees I watch as the events after being hit by a car continue to unfold. As I watch, I notice that color is slowly draining from my surroundings and the harsh whine of sirens is fading. Soon enough my hands on the asphalt are the only distinct shapes in a pantomimed world of grey shadows and muffled tones.

So this is the afterlife? A world of gray? Isn’t there supposed to be shining lights and pearly gates?

“Hey.” A voice calls out

Hell, even Hell might be better than something like this? All I can imagine is an eternity of wondering through a world of shadows.

“Hellooo? Can you hear me?”

Or maybe, like the world around me, even I too will fade? Huh, would that be good? Maybe it’ll be like going to sleep.

“Oi! Stop ignoring me!”

Ah, I’ve the feeling that someone has been calling out to me while I’ve been caught up in my own thoughts. Looking around I can’t see anyone though…

“Up here.”

I follow the voice’s direction and look up.

There atop the arm of a lamp post a young girl, sits comfortably while swinging her bare feet back and forth. Her hair is a deep raven black with highlights of blue, it cascades down her back contrasting sharply with the simple white dress that leaves her shoulders and legs uncovered. She looks about seventeen? Her eyes, matching her hair, are a deep and endless black with glints of dark blue. They pull at you and, like the gaps between the stars, seem to go on forever. I may have gotten lost in those eyes if they were not filled with exasperation and… pity?

“Um… hello?” Yeah, I’m so smooth.

The girl looks up at the heavens for a moment as if to say, “why me?” before pushing herself of the lamp post and landing nimbly.

“What am I going to do with you, ██████████?” The girl says with a sigh.

Huh? What was that? Was that a name? Her mouth moved but I couldn’t hear what was said…

“Um, sorry… but what did you call me?” I ask while getting to my feet.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Why does she suddenly look depressed?

The girl shakes her head slightly and puts on a wide smile.

“So! You’re dead. Congratulations! You made it twenty-one years, four months and nine days this time. That’s a new record!”

The girl exclaims so, cheerfully, while clapping. Please stop though. It just sounds sad. And what do you mean by new record?!

“New record? Does that mean I’ve died before? Wait! That doesn’t that mean I’ve never made it past twenty-one?!”

What has past me been doing?

“Yep, yep! Your last record was nineteen years, seven months and a day. You tried really hard this time, didn’t you?”

Don’t pat my head like I’m a child! You look younger than me!

Ahh… Somehow, I’m tired. Even though I’m dead, I’m tired.

“So, who are you?” I’ve been wondering this for a while now.

The girl puffs out her chest (there’s nothing there though) and gives me a smug look.

“I’m Aurora. The Goddess of Fate!” *tanntatatantantann*

Does a goddess really need to produce her own fanfare?

“Oi! Goddess is with a capital ‘G’!”

She can read my mind?! Wait, she can read the punctuation of my mind?! I’m shocked, I really am. Still, she’s not really… how do I say it… Divine? If I wasn’t already intimately aware of my own unusual circumstance of being currently dead, then I may not have believed her.

“Yes, yes. Goddess, gotcha”

“You could be a bit more awed,” she says with a disappointed look then mumbles; “why are you always like this?”

“So, what happens now?” I ask, ignoring her.

“Normally this would be the part where I would send you soul back into the cycle of reincarnation.”

“Normally?” I ask while raising one eyebrow.

“Yep! This time is… complicated?”

WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME?!?! Don’t think tilting you head cutely will get you out of an explanation!

“Complicated?” I restrained myself, I didn’t shout at the Goddess (g!).

“Hmmm, how do I say it?” The Goddess looks troubled before striking her palm after coming up with a suitable explanation. “You’re too fat.”

I am actually sorry for myself for thinking she would explain properly.

“I’m too fat?”

“Yep, yep! You have too much potential, you see? So, the cycle can’t process you anymore.”

“Potential?”

I feel I’ve just been repeating what she’s been saying, this is not how conversations are supposed to work.

“Every soul has potential, as they live and grow they achieve this potential in some way and form during their life. Some produce great works of art or contribute to science, some express their potential through raising children and living a fulfilling life. When someone dies young, this results in a buildup of potential which is then expressed in the next life as an even greater achievement. For example, Leonardo da Vinci had died three times before the age of twelve prior to his incarnation as Da Vinci and was able to contribute greatly to society with his excess potential!”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Woah, that’s amazing right? Da Vinci contributed to society’s understanding of philosophy, biology, astrology, art and much more. Does that mean I can do the same next time?

“I can be the next Da Vinci?”

Does that mean I’m amazing? I’m amazing right? Hey, why are you looking at me like that?

“No… didn’t I already say that you don’t fit anymore? You died to many times without achieving anything. This was you fifty-seventh incarnation you know.”

“FIFTY-SEVENTH?!”

“Yep, yep! Fifty-seven incarnations. The highest one before you got to six incarnations and he was able to even reach the realms of the gods with his potential”

“I’m actually afraid to ask but… who was it?”

“Merlin.”

I think I heard something outrageous. Merlin existed? Does that mean magic is real?

“Yes, he existed and no, not anymore, he took it all with him”

She read my mind again…

“How did I even manage to die fifty-seven times without achieving anything?”

“Mostly it was accidents. Falling into a river, being dropped as a child, traveling on the Titanic, being dropped as a child, contracting a disease, things like that.”

Wasn’t one of those said twice? Prior mothers, did you drop me that many times?

“And I never achieved anything?”

“Nope nothing.”

“But I just saved a little girl from being hit by a car, isn’t that an achievement?”

“Something like that would usually count except in this case the child was destined to be hit by the car and survive, if she followed the threads of fate then she would develop a passion for medicine while recovering in hospital and go on to contribute to the furtherment of medical treatments on earth.”

“So, potential is also destined?”

“Kind of. Potential and fate are very much intertwined. Nothing is predetermined but there are paths presented before people that are more easily taken by those with the required potential. This is the method this world uses to progress the development of souls.”

“Doesn’t that mean I was destined to die young without fulfilling my potential?”

“Nope, many paths of wonderous fate were presented to you at various points. You have a wonderous knack of choosing the worst options in every life!”

Please don’t be impressed by that, just hearing that is kind of…

“hahhh,” I sighed. I’m now tired again.

I’m depressed and confused, but I at least understand that I’m somehow unable to reincarnate.

“So, if I can’t be reincarnated, then now what?”

“Hehehe, I was waiting for you to ask! The wonderful and marvelous me has gotten permission to send you to another world! Yay! Wooo!”

Please stop cheering for yourself.

“So, I’m going to be reincarnated in another world?”

“No, no that’s still impossible. The world we’re sending you to works on a different system. It’s a swords and magic fantasy world with RPG elements.”

What with that crappy young adult fiction like setting? Why would another world even have RPG like elements?

“Because the Gods there really liked the video games of this world, it works because time moved differently between worlds.”

Please stop reading my mind. It’s an invasion of privacy. Maybe I should just be glad I haven’t been thinking any dirty thoughts like how I’d like to caress her long, smooth looking legs…

“Dirty.”

She’s blushing! She’s blushing! Heh, I think I won.

“Ahem!” She clears her throat and continues. “Like I was saying, we’re sending you into a different system but fundamentally the reincarnation cycle works the same. So, we’re going to convert your excess potential into things like skills and magic power and directly incarnate you into a newly created body.”

“You can’t do that here?”

If I can I would rather stay on earth. My parents have already passed away and I’ve got no siblings and few friends… why did I want to stay on earth again? But I was doing well at university and was even going to maybe possibly talk to that girl in my programming course with the cute glasses and possibly even ask her out or something… ah, when I say it like that even I think I might be sad. Also, it’s not like magic and fantasy don’t interest me but I’m comfortable here, it’s where all my favorite things (books) are.

“Nope, it works over there because those traits are based on the growth of the soul, additionally we can only do so much over there because we’re creating a new body at the same time.”

Alright, alright. I’ll do it. Well it’s not like I have a choice, right?

“Nope.”

Again with the mind reading.

“So what skills am I getting?”

This is important if I’m going to survive in a fantasy world.

“Basically, you can get any you want! Ah! Sorry, but you won’t be able to change the body. Due to various circumstances: it’s predetermined. But don’t worry it’s really strong!”

Now I’m curious about the new body this Goddess doesn’t look like she’s going to say any more. Any skills huh, should I get a cheat? Like a skill to steal other people’s skills? No, I don’t want to steal things. What do I want? Something powerful and useful. Maybe a weapon skill? Swordsmanship MAX or something? I could become a magic knight if I know magic too. Huh, magic knight… magic knight, couldn’t I become something like a J⃝di knight? I could be all slash, slash woosh! And blow people away.

“Hey, Aura.”

“It’s Aurora.”

I’ve just been calling her Goddess (g) in my head though.

“Right, right. It there something like the Fo⃝ce in this other world?”

“Fo⃝ce? Um… let me check.” Aurora brings up a semi-transparent panel in front of her and starts scrolling through some kind of list. “Ah, found it! Force Magic, right? Gotcha.” She pressed an option on the panel.

“Ok, you have three more selections.”

She’s already said that I’ll have a strong body, so I won’t need anything like a strengthening skill.

“…maybe a production skill?” I mutter while thinking.

“Aaaand selected! Alchemy skill get!”

“What?! No, no, no, I was just talking to myself! Unselect it!”

“… I can’t.”

Don’t look away like this is not your problem!

“I’m sorry!” Aurora bows and apologizes.

Geez, this goddess.

“As an apology I’ll give you Inventory as a freebee.”

“It’s fine…” I can only say with resignation.

“Then lastly, I want something like swordsma- wait,” I pause as I think of something, “will I be able to speak the language when I get there?”

“Ofcourse! That’s a given right, otherwise you’ll not be able to talk to anyone without tediously learning the language, right? That’s why we always give Other-World Language as a bonus.”

“Alright, then I’ll take swordsmanship or something then.”

“Swordsmanship, swordsmanship,”

Aurora scrolls through the list on her panel and pauses. Sweat starts beading on her forehead. Why does she look guilty?

“Umm I can’t give you Swordsmanship, sorry!” She’s apologizing again.

“Why?”

Aurora mumbles something in an inaudible voice.

“I can’t hear you.”

“Inventory took up too much power.” She mumbles quietly.

Huh, what did she say?

“WHY?!”

“It’s an advance EX-level composite skill that was on the “DO NOT GIVE” list, hehe”

The Goddess giggles and tilts her head cutely.

“DON’T LAUGH!”

Being cute can’t fix this! Are you really the Goddess of Fate? Are you? Is perhaps the world doomed? Breath! Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out. I’m calm, I am calm.

“What can I get then?” I ask after calming myself.

Aurora scrolls up and down on the panel.

“Let’s see, you can get Life Magic, Minor Elemental Magic (earth, fire, wind and water), Engraving, Singing, Dancing, Shield Baring and Cooking, any two of these.”

What up with this list of crap skills? Where’s my healing or weapon skill? The elemental magic is just “minor,” I don’t even know what some of those are.

“What are Life Magic, Engraving and Shield Baring?”

“Life Magic is a useful magic that comprises of simple spells that improve the quality of daily life, such as Clean or Light spells. Engraving is a skill for engraving a magic circuit into an object which can then produce a magic effect when magic power is poured into it. Lastly Shield Baring is the ability to utilize shields and shield arts.”

She answered promptly. Does she perhaps know she screwed up, does she?

Of those options I think Life Magic and Engraving would be best. Life Magic will make living easier and if I combine Engraving with my Alchemy skill I may be able to make something amazing. Shield Baring and Minor Elemental magic could be promising, but one sounds painful and the other sounds basic. OK, I’ve made my decision.

“I’ll go with Life Magic and Engraving, thanks.”

“Alrighty, skill selection complete then. Time for the transition!” Aurora starts rapidly selecting other options on her panel.

Yeah… please get on with it. This has exhausted me much more that it probably should have.

“So how does this work? Will I appear near a town or wake up in a field or something?”

Huh, why are you looking away again? What does that mean? Hey look at me!

“Transition Activate!” With a final press of the floating panel, a bright light starts to engulf my vision.

“Wait! HEY! You didn’t answer! Where am I arriving?!”

“Sorry.”

Sorry? What does that mean?!?!?