“Tell me, human! Tell me your greatest desires!” The voice boomed, reverberating through the void like a divine decree.
“Whoa, cool voice, man. Who are you?” she asked, unphased but curious. “And why do you wanna know?”
“ANSWER ME, HUMAN!!” The voice thundered again, demanding.
"Alright, alright, relax," she muttered, sighing. She cleared her throat, her voice steady now, resigned to this strange interaction. “Okay, listen up. I’m dead, right? So why not spill it? I just want a simple life—like, no more of this fame stuff. It’s exhausting. I want a job that I love, no bosses breathing down my neck. I need some fun challenges, but nothing that grinds me down. Oh, and I’d like to stay healthy forever. Is that too much to ask?”
She paused and smirked. “Oh, and flying would be nice too. A girl can dream.”
“GRANTED!!!” The voice roared, final and absolute.
She blinked in surprise. “Uh, ‘granted’?”
Suddenly, everything went dark. It was as if the world around her had been sucked into a vortex, swallowing her whole.
With a jolt, Alexia awoke, her mind sluggish but her body... strong? “What a weird dream…” she murmured, rubbing her eyes. “But damn, I slept well.” She stretched, but her eyes widened as her surroundings came into focus. “Wait… where am I? This… isn’t my room!”
Panic began to claw at her. The small, neatly arranged room with its colorful carpet was nothing like her lavish suite. “No TV, no plush bedding…” She muttered, anxiety growing.
“Okay, calm down. ah yes, A shower, that’ll help,” she grumbled, stumbling toward the bathroom, hoping for something familiar.
The hot water washed away some of her tension, but as she dried off and caught her reflection in the mirror, her heart stopped. “Wait a minute...” She moved closer, her trembling hand brushing against her face, her black hair wet and clinging to her cheeks. “I’m alive?”
Her voice quivered as she took in her reflection. “And... I look different. Taller, stronger?” She flexed experimentally. “What the hell is going on?”
Finishing up quickly, she wandered back into the room, her mind spinning. “It wasn’t a dream. That voice... it was real.” Her gaze landed on her phone, and she snatched it up.
“August 8, 2023... Wait, what?” She scrolled through the photo gallery, staring at images of people she didn’t recognize. “Who the hell are these people?” Her confusion deepened as she opened her wallet, pulling out an ID card.
“Alexia Ryland? But I’m Alexia Sage!” She sank onto the bed, trying to process the enormity of the situation. “What the hell happened to me?”
Determined to keep going, she dressed quickly in a white halter top and jeans, rifling through the meticulously organized closet. “Definitely not my style, but whatever.”
Stepping into the living room, she turned on the TV, hoping for some clarity.
"...Today's weather forecast for Astoria looks bright—perfect for a stroll under clear skies—the Gods…”
“Wait... Astoria? The Gods? This feels like I was thrown into a new world—” She muttered under her breath, shaking her head in disbelief. The absurdity of it all was too much.
Taking a seat, she let the enormity of her new existence sink in. The room around her was far more modest than the opulent mansion she remembered. The TV wasn't as large, the furnishings not as grand.
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"So The Voice... was real. But whose voice was it? God's?" Alexia pondered, her mind racing with questions. She debated the implications for what felt like an eternity until her phone rang, breaking her from her thoughts. “Hello?”
“Boss, are you alright? You’re never late. Something happened?”
She frowned, her heart skipping a beat. “Boss? I’m a boss?”
“Uh, yeah. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Alexia’s brain scrambled for answers. “Am I like... a CEO or something?”
“No, Alex. You own a garage and a convenience store. You’ve been doing this for years.”
She paused. “I... own a store and… a garage?” She shook her head, trying to suppress the rising panic. “I’m fine. I’ll be there soon.”
Hanging up, she whispered, “A garage? A store? What kind of life did I just land in?” But before she could ponder further, a flood of memories crashed into her mind. Images of a new life—her life as Alexia Ryland—overwhelmed her, and she fell to her knees, clutching her head.
“Stop!” she gasped, writhing on the floor as the memories forced themselves into her consciousness. “What’s happening to me?!”
As suddenly as it started, the pain stopped. She was left panting, drenched in sweat. “Is it over?” She shakily got to her feet, staring down at her trembling hands. “I remember now... the store, the passwords... everything.”
But when she tried to recall her past life, it was like chasing shadows, and it was somehow fragmented. “Why can’t I remember my real life? it’s all... pieces. Why can’t I remember everything?”
She let out a frustrated laugh, running a hand through her black hair. “Great. Just great. Now my memories are somehow….locked away. I can remember bits, but nothing solid. This is just—ugh!” She stomped toward the door, feeling a mixture of anger and annoyance. "You know what, this isn't fair! I didn't ask for this! Wait… I did ask for this… no, no… I didn't ask…I just said what I wanted and that God or whatever he was just like; ‘GRANTED’." she ranted loudly at the empty room, her voice echoing off the walls. “You know what, fine, this is my life now. Let’s just... deal with it.”
While still having a lot of questions in her mind, she accepted her fate, as the first step, Alexia began exploring the house to familiarize herself with her new surroundings.
“Okay, nice house, nothing grand, but cozy enough. Let’s check the garage!” she thought to herself.
The garage surprised her—small, but efficient. Her eyes fell on a sleek sports car. “Wow, a Latoya BGR76. Not bad at all.” She smirked. “I guess I can work with this.”
With a determined nod, she said, “Okay… let’s get on with my ‘new’ life”
She walked back to her bedroom and changed into the store uniform: a white T-shirt with the store name written in purple and a nametag, paired with black jeans.
—-
“This city is beautiful,” she mused as she drove. “It’s like New York, but so much greener and cleaner. Oooh, the trees are beautiful. I wish this car was a convertible—the air is so fresh. Welcome to Astoria City! I guess.”
Arriving at the store, Alexia parked and stared at the sign above the door: Ryland’s QuickStop & Ryland’s SpeedMaster. “What a strategic location, smack dab in the center of the city. I love it. Wait… that skyscraper… it’s called ‘Astoria City Heroes Association’—‘ACHA’? What is that? An amusement… building?”
“Whatever. So, I’m Ryland now…” She took a deep breath. “Alright, Alexia Ryland it is.”
As she approached the door, a young woman in uniform rushed toward her, eyes wide. “Good morning, Boss! I’m so sorry about the coffee—I thought you weren’t coming in until later. Please don’t fire me.”
Alexia blinked. “Hey, it’s fine. I’m not gonna fire you over cold coffee. I don’t even like lattes,” she said with a small smile.
The girl, Sarah, let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you, Boss. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”.
Alexia chuckled softly. "Nothing, Sarah, continue the good work, that’ll be enough."
"Thank you, boss. Can I at least make you a cup of coffee?" Sarah asked earnestly.
"If you insist, I’ll take an espresso.”
"I’ll prepare your coffee right away, boss. Thank you."
"Thank you, Sarah. Here, I’ll open the door for you,"
As Alexia entered her office, she couldn’t help but marvel at the grandeur. “Damn, this is cringy,” she muttered, eyeing the statues. “What’s up with all this stuff?”
She walked over to her desk, running her hand along its surface. “At least the desk is nice, and the chair is very comfortable. Now, let’s check how our company is doing.”
She turned on the super old PC, wincing as it slowly whirred to life. “Oh God, it’s so slow. You can afford all these stupid statues but not a decent PC?!”
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed outside. Alexia rushed to the window, her heart pounding as she saw a crater in the parking lot—and a man in a gold and white suit standing in the middle of it.
“What the...?” she muttered.
“That’s Sunstriker!” Sarah exclaimed, rushing in with her coffee. “He’s here to save us!”
“From what exactly?”
“Supervillains, of course. Oh, I almost forgot, here’s your coffee, boss.”
“Thank you,” Alexia said, taking the coffee. She sipped it thoughtfully, then added, “Supervillains you said. I guess my ‘New’ life wouldn’t be so simple after all.”